Repetitive bypass and revisions with extensions for limb salvage after multiple previous failures.

The optimal treatment of patients facing imminent amputation after multiple (≥ 2) failed prior ipsilateral bypasses is unclear. We analyzed a group of patients undergoing multiple lower extremity bypasses for limb salvage to assess the utility of attempting multiple revascularizations. From 1990 to 2005, 105 revascularization procedures were performed in 55 limbs of 54 patients with imminent limb-threatening lower extremity ischemia after failure of ≥ 2 prior infrainguinal bypasses in the same leg.

United States Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group.

The United States Critical Illness and Injury Trials (USCIIT) Group is an inclusive, grassroots "network of networks" with the dual missions of fostering investigator-initiated hypothesis testing and developing recommendations for strategic plans at a national level. The USCIIT Group's transformational approach enlists multidisciplinary investigative teams across institutions, critical illness and injury professional organizations, federal agencies that fund clinical and translational research, and industry partners. The USCIIT Group is endorsed by all major critical illness and injury professional organizations spanning the specialties of anesthesiology, emergency medicine, internal medicine, neurology, nursing, pediatrics, pharmacy and nutrition, surgery and trauma, and respiratory and physical therapy.

Behavioral intervention as an add-on therapy in epilepsy: designing a clinical trial.

Many patients with epilepsy continue to experience seizures despite taking medication, and stress is a commonly reported trigger for seizures in these individuals. Therefore, a behavioral therapy proven to be effective in epilepsy could be a valuable adjunct to current pharmacotherapy. The challenges in testing such a behavioral intervention for epilepsy are numerous, including lack of consensus about sham designs, maintaining the blind, and powering the study absent known effect sizes.

Classification of sleep disorders.

The classification of sleep disorders is necessary to discriminate between disorders and to facilitate an understanding of symptoms, etiology, and pathophysiology that allows for appropriate treatment. The earliest classification systems, largely organized according to major symptoms (insomnia, excessive sleepiness, and abnormal events that occur during sleep), were unable to be based on pathophysiology because the cause of most sleep disorders was unknown. These 3 symptom-based categories are easily understood by physicians and are therefore useful for developing a differential diagnosis.

The utility of a forehead-to-inion derivation in recording the subcortical far-field potential (P14) during median nerve somatosensory-evoked potential testing.

American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS) guidelines recommend recording P14 between an ipsilateral centroparietal electrode (CPi) and a noncephalic reference, typically the contralateral Erb's point (EPc) (American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. Guideline 9D: guidelines on short-latency somatosensory evoked potentials. J Clin Neurophysiol.

Management of ejaculatory disorders in infertile men.

Ejaculatory dysfunction is a highly prevalent clinical condition that may be classified along a continuum that ranges from premature ejaculation (PE), through retarded or delayed ejaculation (DE), to complete anejaculation (AE). Retrograde ejaculation (RE) represents a distinct entity in which ejaculate is expelled either partially or completely into the bladder. While DE and PE are significant sources of sexual dissatisfaction among men and their partners, patients with these disorders retain normal fertility in most cases.

Clinical features of the pre-ictal state: mood changes and premonitory symptoms.

Identifying the pre-ictal state clinically would improve our understanding of seizure onset and suggest opportunities for new treatments. In our previous paper-diary study, increased stress and less sleep predicted seizures. Utilizing electronic diaries, we expanded this investigation.

Cigarette smoking behaviors and beliefs in persons living with HIV/AIDS.

Objective: To measure biopsychosocial domains related to tobacco use in persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs).

Methods: Cross-sectional interview study of 60 PLWHA smokers randomly selected from an HIV clinic.

Results: Participants averaged 14.

Patients with epilepsy and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: an inpatient video-EEG monitoring study.

Seizure and EEG characteristics of patients with epilepsy and concomitant psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) were compared to age and sex matched controls with epilepsy alone in a retrospective case control study. 39 patients with clearly documented epileptic and non-epileptic events were compared to 78 age and sex matched controls, sequentially admitted for video-EEG monitoring with documentation of epilepsy alone. Frontal seizures were higher in prevalence in patients with PNES who had concomitant epilepsy (P<0.

Timing of postseed imaging influences rectal dose-volume parameters for cesium-131 prostate seed implants.

Purpose: To study the influence of timing of postseed implant imaging on rectal dose-volume parameters for cesium-131 ((131)Cs) seed prostate implants.

Methods And Materials: Fifteen patients were treated in our institution with combination (131)Cs brachytherapy followed by pelvic external beam radiation therapy for intermediate to high-risk prostate cancers. For all patients, CT scans were scheduled at 7 days (CT(7)) and again at 2 months for external beam radiation therapy simulation purpose (CT(60)) postseed implantation.

Vitamin D status and risk of cardiovascular events: lessons learned via systematic review and meta-analysis.

Accumulating data linking hypovitaminosis D to cardiovascular (CV) events has contributed to large increases in vitamin D testing and supplementation. To evaluate the merits of this practice, we conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis providing a framework for interpreting the literature associating hypovitaminosis D with increased CV events. Prospective studies were identified by search of MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to January 2010, restricted to English language publications.

Marrow visualization on renal scintigraphy: an often-overlooked finding in azotemic patients.

Unlabelled: Delayed perfusion and enhanced hepatobiliary uptake are recognized findings on (99m)Tc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine ((99m)Tc-MAG3) scintigraphy in patients with renal insufficiency. Less well appreciated is the finding of bone marrow visualization. This study was performed to determine the frequency of this sign and to try to determine its association with laboratory parameters.

Evolution of brain imaging instrumentation.

Computed tomography (CT) and static magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are now the most common imaging modalities used for anatomic evaluation of pathologic processes affecting the brain. By contrast, radionuclide-based methods, including planar imaging, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and positron emission tomography (PET), are the most widely used methods for evaluating brain function. SPECT and PET have been evolving for a longer time than CT and MRI and have made significant contributions to understanding brain function.

MDP uptake in peritoneal carcinomatosis and Krukenberg tumors from mucinous adenocarcinoma.

Altered biodistribution of Tc-99m methylene diphosphonate is a common occurrence on bone scintigraphy and mucin-producing neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract are associated with dystrophic uptake. In addition to the uptake in the primary tumor, activity has been reported in metastasis within lymph nodes and liver. We present a case of Tc-99m methylene diphosphonate uptake in peritoneal carcinomatosis and metastatic Krukenberg tumors from a primary mucinous adenocarcinoma of the descending colon.

Raging hormones: gender and renal disease.

Gender affects the progression of renal disease. In a variety of animal models and in certain human renal diseases, females exhibit a more modest course of kidney disease. Estrogens and testosterone have been implicated in this gender disparity.

Evaluation of the 3M rapid detection test for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children during the early stages of the 2009 RSV season.

We report the results of the 3M rapid detection respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) assay. This study includes pediatric patient results from nasopharyngeal swabs submitted from October to December 2009. There was a sensitivity of 74% and specificity approaching 100% compared to the PCR-based xTAG respiratory viral panel.

Ultrasound-guided catheterization of the radial artery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Ultrasound guidance commonly is used for the placement of central venous catheters (CVCs). The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recommends the use of ultrasound for CVC placement as one of its 11 practices to improve patient care. Despite increased access to portable ultrasound machines and comfort with ultrasound-guided CVC access, fewer clinicians are familiar with ultrasound-guided techniques of arterial catheterization.

Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on interleukin-1 beta and postoperative pain: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study in breast reduction patients.

Background: Surgeons seek new methods of pain control to reduce side effects and speed postoperative recovery. Pulsed electromagnetic fields are effective for bone and wound repair and pain and edema reduction. This study examined whether the effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields on postoperative pain was associated with differences in levels of cytokines and angiogenic factors in the wound bed.

Sonographic assessment of volar digital nerve injury in the context of penetrating trauma.

Objective: The purpose of this article was to report our experience using ultrasound to assess digital nerve integrity after penetrating hand trauma with sensory deficit. Ultrasound was performed in the long axis on 22 digital nerves in 11 patients using a 12-14-MHz linear array hockey stick transducer.

Conclusion: Of 22 volar digital nerves evaluated by sonography, six were transected.

Endovascular management of multiple arteriovenous fistulae following failed laser-assisted pacemaker lead extraction.

A woman presented for evaluation of new-onset left arm edema after failed laser-assisted pacemaker lead extraction. Initial workup demonstrated a left subclavian artery to vein arteriovenous fistula (AVF). She underwent repair of the AVF with placement of a covered stent in the subclavian artery, however, her symptoms did not completely resolve.

Cardiac manifestations of neuromuscular disorders in children.

Cardiac abnormalities occur in association with many of the neuromuscular disorders that present in childhood. Genetic defects involving the cytoskeleton, nuclear membrane, and mitochondrial function have all been described in patients with skeletal myopathy and cardiac involvement. The most common classes of neuromuscular disorders with cardiac manifestations are the muscular dystrophies- Duchenne, Becker, limb-girdle and Emery Dreifuss.

Lopinavir/ritonavir in the treatment of HIV-1 infection: a review.

Lopinavir/ritonavir is the first and only coformulated HIV-1 protease inhibitor (PI). Large clinical trials have demonstrated lopinavir/ritonavir's clinical efficacy in both antiretroviral-naïve and -experienced patients. The immunologic and virologic benefits of treatment with this agent have been proven in HIV-infected adults, adolescents, and children.