ABSTRACT
Carbon dioxide laser incisions are reported to be less painful, less bloody, and less prone to seroma formation and to heal better than scalpel or electrosurgical incisions. We compared all three modalities in a prospective randomized study of cholecystectomy incisions. Time required for the incision and incisional blood loss was less with electrosurgery than with the carbon dioxide laser or scalpel. Postoperative pain and wound healing, however, were the same for all three techniques. The carbon dioxide laser appears to offer no advantage over conventional means of making a standard incision.
Subject(s)
Blood Loss, Surgical , Cholecystectomy/methods , Electrosurgery , Laser Therapy , Pain, Postoperative/etiology , Surgical Instruments , Adult , Carbon Dioxide , Cholecystectomy/adverse effects , Electrosurgery/adverse effects , Exudates and Transudates , Female , Humans , Laser Therapy/adverse effects , Male , Pain Measurement , Prospective Studies , Single-Blind Method , Skin , Surgical Wound Infection/etiology , Time Factors , Wound HealingABSTRACT
Two cases of severe hypotension following the use of fibrin glue for hemostasis in hepatic injuries are reported. A systemic reaction to bovine thrombin via large venous lacerations is suspected. A preliminary animal study supports this hypothesis. Caution is advised in the use of fibrin glue for hemostasis in deep hepatic wounds.
Subject(s)
Fibrin Tissue Adhesive/adverse effects , Liver/injuries , Adult , Anaphylaxis/etiology , Animals , Dogs , Fibrin Tissue Adhesive/administration & dosage , Fibrin Tissue Adhesive/therapeutic use , Hemostatic Techniques , Humans , Hypotension/chemically induced , Injections , MaleABSTRACT
The purpose of these studies was to determine whether blood monocytes of patients with different stages of colorectal carcinoma could be activated by various immunomodulators to become tumor cytolytic. Monocytes obtained from 12 colorectal carcinoma patients and 8 normal donors were incubated in vitro with free or liposome-encapsulated agents. The cytotoxic properties of the monocytes were determined subsequent to interaction with radioactively labeled allogeneic colon carcinoma cells, melanoma cells, glioblastoma cells, and allogeneic nontumorigenic skin cells. Blood monocytes from normal donors and all colorectal carcinoma patients were activated in vitro to become tumoricidal by immunomodulators in free form or entrapped within liposomes; i.e., the monocytes recognized and lysed tumorigenic cells but not nontumorigenic cells. The tumoricidal activity of monocytes was observed in blood monocytes obtained from patients even after multiple doses of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and that fact suggests that the in vivo activation of macrophages may be feasible.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma/immunology , Colonic Neoplasms/immunology , Monocytes/immunology , Rectal Neoplasms/immunology , Adult , Aged , Carcinoma/therapy , Cells, Cultured , Colonic Neoplasms/therapy , Cytotoxicity, Immunologic , Female , Glioblastoma/immunology , Humans , Immunity, Cellular , Immunotherapy , Macrophage Activation , Male , Melanoma/immunology , Middle Aged , Rectal Neoplasms/therapyABSTRACT
Growth of Microccoccus lysodeikticus in the presence of pantoyl lactone brings about both qualitative and quantitative changes in cell membrane lipids. Significant amounts of the two major phospholipids (phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol) are converted to lyso forms; the largest conversion occurs in the phosphatidylglycerol. In addition, amounts of several phospholipid fatty acids are changed. Physical alteration of the call membrane can be demonstrated using differential scanning calorimetry. Although growth and transport are significantly inhibited when pantoyl lactone is present, cells possessing altered call membrane phospholipds and phospholipid fatty acids, brought about by growth in the presence of pantoyl lactone, transport D-alanine, L-glutamic and L-aspartic acid normally when washed free of the pantoyl lactone.