Predictors of early and late stroke following cardiac surgery.

Background: Much is known about the short-term risks of stroke following cardiac surgery. We examined the rate and predictors of long-term stroke in a cohort of patients who underwent cardiac surgery.

Methods: We obtained linked data for patients who underwent cardiac surgery in the province of Ontario between 1996 and 2006.

Etiology of troponin elevation in critically ill patients.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the etiology of cardiac troponin elevation among patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and to examine whether etiology affects mortality and length of stay.

Methods: All patients admitted over 2 months underwent screening with troponin measurements and were included if 1 or more measurements were elevated. Two adjudicators retrospectively reviewed patient charts to determine the likely cause of troponin elevation.

Dexamethasone cyclophosphamide pulse therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report.

Objective: To put systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in remission for a prolonged period.

Methods: Dexamethasone cyclophosphamide pulse (DCP) therapy was used in a 40-year-old female with SLE of 3 years' duration. DCP therapy comprises an intravenous infusion of 100 mg dexamethasone in 500 ml of 5% glucose over 1-1(1/2) hours on 3 consecutive days along with cyclophosphamide 500 mg in the same drip on the first day.

Factors associated with citation rates in the orthopedic literature.

Introduction: Investigators aim to publish their work in top journals in an effort to achieve the greatest possible impact. One measure of impact is the number of times a paper is cited after its publication in a journal. We conducted a review of the highest impact clinical orthopedic journal (Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, American volume [J Bone Joint Surg Am]) to determine factors associated with subsequent citations within 3 years of publication.

Operative management of lower extremity fractures in patients with head injuries.

Treatment of patients with lower extremity fractures and concomitant head injury is controversial. The authors compared reamed intramedullary nailing versus plating of femoral and tibial fractures in patients with polytrauma and concomitant head injury. One thousand five hundred twenty-five patients with head injuries were identified from a prospective trauma database.