Utilization of baclofen in maintenance of alcohol abstinence in patients with alcohol dependence and alcoholic hepatitis with or without cirrhosis.

Aim: To report the efficacy and safety of baclofen in improving clinical state in patients with alcoholic hepatitis.

Method: Single center, open, retrospective study analyzing the effects of baclofen utilized over 12 months in patients with alcoholic hepatitis with or without cirrhosis and alcohol dependence on these liver parameters: aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin (Tbili), prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio (INR), albumin and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score.

Results: Out of 40 patients, 35 were treated with baclofen.

Raman scattering studies on PEG functionalized hydroxyapatite nanoparticles.

The pure hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticles (NPs) have been synthesized by wet chemical precipitation method. Raman spectral measurements have been made for pure HAP, pure Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 and PEG coated HAP in different mass ratios (sample 1, sample 2 and sample 3). The peaks observed in Raman spectrum of pure HAP and the XRD pattern have confirmed the formation of HAP NPs.

Raman spectroscopic and ab initio studies on the molecular interactions in the binary liquid mixtures of 4'-fluoroacetophenone.

Raman spectral measurements were carried out for binary liquid mixtures 4'fluoroacetophenone (4F) in different volume concentration ranges at a regular intervals of 0.1 in different solvents. The asymmetric Raman peak observed at 1685 cm(-1) (carbonyl stretching mode) in pure 4F confirms the presence of self association in 4F.

An investigation of solute-solvent interactions in binary liquid mixtures of 3'-methoxyacetophenone: using Raman spectroscopy and DFT calculations.

Raman spectral measurements have been carried out for neat 3'-methoxy acetophenone (3'-MAP) and binary liquid mixtures of 3'-MAP in three solvents of different polarity. Also Density Functional Theory (DFT) geometry optimization and vibrational wavenumber calculation have been performed on monomer and dimer structures of 3'-MAP to analyze the experimentally observed Raman spectrum. Mulliken charge analysis has also been made on optimized geometries of 3'-MAP with solvents.

Decreasing hospitalization and in-hospital mortality related to cholangitis in the United States.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine trends in hospitalization rates and in-hospital mortality of cholangitis and also determine predictive factors of in-hospital mortality.

Methods: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was utilized for inpatient data analysis from 1988 to 2006. Patients with primary cholangitis International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) discharge diagnosis were included.

Irritable bowel syndrome and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

In the last 3 decades, there has been a growing appreciation for the role of gut bacteria in gastrointestinal disease. Although inflammatory bowel disease and peptic ulcer disease have established a role for gut bacteria for more than 20 years, there is now increasing evidence that intestinal bacteria may play a role in irritable bowel syndrome as well. In this review, the current evidence for bacteria in irritable bowel syndrome will be examined.

Tobacco and other factors have a negative impact on quality of life in hepatitis C patients.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is known to adversely affect general, social, emotional and mental health domains. This study was designed to identify variables that may be associated with these measurable outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective review of demographic and clinical data from 800 patients with HCV evaluated between January 1998 and November 2007.

Comorbidities associated with the increasing burden of hepatitis C infection.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is implicated in an increasing number of liver transplantations, hospitalizations and healthcare costs.

Aims: We present an updated assessment of comorbidities associated with HCV in comparison to the general US population.

Methods: Cross-sectional retrospective review of data from 800 patients with HCV evaluated between January 1998 and November 2007.

Percutaneous liver biopsy after living donor liver transplantation resulting in fulminant hepatic failure: the first reported case of hepatic compartment syndrome.

A 28-year-old female who underwent live donor liver transplantation 3 years prior presented after percutaneous liver biopsy with abdominal and shoulder pain, nausea, vomiting, and elevated liver enzymes. Computed tomography (CT) showed an intrahepatic and subcapsular hematoma. There was a progressive increase in liver enzymes, bilirubin, and INR and a decline in hemoglobin.

Trends in inulinase production--a review.

This article highlights the research work carried out in the production of inulinases from various inulin substrates using strains of bacteria, yeast and fungi. Inulin is one of the numerous polysaccharides of plant origin that contains glucose or fructose. It is used as a substrate in industrial fermentation processes and in food industries due to its relatively cheap and abundant source for the microbiological production of high-fructose syrups, ethanol and acetone-butanol.

Facial reshaping using less invasive methods.

There has been no ideal option for patients who are unhappy with their facial shape but do not want to undergo complex surgeries or pay the high price of temporary injectable treatments. In this article, we describe the treatment of facial complaints such as the gaunt face, long face, bottom-heavy face, chubby face, midface retrusion, and asymmetric face, as well as the modification of racial and ethnic characteristics, through the use of less invasive methods. Fat grafting was used to accentuate the cheekbones in most patients complaining about their facial shape.

The volumetric face lift.

Background: Many face lift techniques that manipulate the superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) in order to correct a perceived descent of deeper facial structures have been presented. However, such procedures can result in insufficient volume restoration, which may be correctable only by actual fat replacement.

Objective: We describe a face lift technique that combines volume restoration by fat grafting and results in removal of descended fat below the mandible as well as conservative skin redraping.

Transcoronal brow lift fixation: a 2-point dermis-to-skull fibrous scar adhesion.

The authors prefer an open approach to brow lift involving a completely autogenous fixation method. They contend that scarring produced by electrocautery "checkerboarding" of the frontalis and periosteum results in adhesion of the forehead dermis and soft tissues to the frontal cranium.

Nasal augmentation with Surgicel-wrapped diced cartilage: a review of 67 consecutive cases.

Cartilage grafting has been used extensively to correct both the functional and aesthetic aspects of the nasal framework. The technique described by Erol ( 105: 2229, 2000) uses Surgicel-wrapped diced cartilage grafts in rhinoplasties. The advantages include its ease of preparation, the large volume of graft substrate available for use, and the avoidance of contour irregularities in the areas of placement.

Initial nonoperative management for periappendiceal abscess.

Purpose: Our goal was to compare initial operative and nonoperative management for periappendiceal abscess complicating appendicitis.

Methods: This study is a retrospective review of 155 consecutive patients with appendicitis complicated by periappendiceal abscess treated between 1992 and 1998. Eighty-eight patients were treated initially nonoperatively, and 67 patients were treated operatively.

Bilateral Orbital Metastases as the Presenting Finding in a Male Patient with Breast Cancer: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Breast cancer in men has traditionally been thought to be substantially different from that in women. As more becomes known about this relatively rare entity, the similarities between genders become more striking than the differences. Carcinoma of the male breast is an uncommon disease occurring in less than 1% of all breast cancers.

Penetrating ulceration of the infrarenal aorta: case reports of an embolic and an asymptomatic lesion.

Penetrating aortic ulceration is uncommon in the infrarenal aorta. We describe a patient with a penetrating infrarenal aortic ulcer manifesting as blue toe syndrome, and a second patient with a similar lesion identified as an incidental finding. These two patients were treated for penetrating infrarenal aortic ulceration within the past 9 months at two university-affiliated hospitals, a regional Veterans Administration Medical Center, and a County Medical Center.

Can perforated appendicitis Be diagnosed preoperatively based on admission factors?

The optimal initial treatment for selected patients with perforated appendicitis may be nonoperative. For this reason it is important to be able to diagnose perforated appendicitis preoperatively. The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of diagnosing perforated appendicitis using only admission factors.

Nonoperative management of perforated appendicitis without periappendiceal mass.

Background: Initial nonoperative treatment for patients with periappendiceal mass has been shown to be safe and effective. Our goal was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of initial nonoperative management for perforated appendicitis not accompanied by a palpable mass.

Methods: The study population consisted of 77 patients with appendicitis treated initially nonoperatively between 1992 and 1998.

Perforated appendicitis: is it truly a surgical urgency?

Advanced perforated appendicitis with localized findings has classically been treated with either operative therapy or with percutaneous drainage. The role of nonoperative therapy followed by interval appendectomy (IA) remains controversial. We assessed the safety and efficacy of conservative management for perforated appendicitis in a 5-year review of patients treated conservatively for perforated appendicitis with localized abscess or phlegmon.