Comparison between noninvasive mechanical ventilation and standard oxygen therapy in children up to 3 years old with respiratory failure after extubation: a pilot prospective randomized clinical study.

OBJECTIVES: The effectiveness of noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation in preventing reintubation due to respiratory failure in children remains uncertain. A pilot study was designed to evaluate the frequency of extubation failure, develop a randomization approach, and analyze the feasibility of a powered randomized trial to compare noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation and standard oxygen therapy post extubation for preventing reintubation within 48 hours in children with respiratory failure. DESIGN: Prospective pilot study. SETTING: PICU at a university-affiliated hospital. PATIENTS: Children aged between 28 days and 3 years undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation for greater than or equal to 48 hours with respiratory failure after programmed extubation. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were prospectively enrolled and randomly assigned into noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation group and inhaled oxygen group after programmed extubation from May 2012 to May 2013. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Length of stay in PICU and hospital, oxygenation index, blood gas before and after tracheal extubation, failure and reason for tracheal extubation, complications, mechanical ventilation variables before tracheal extubation, arterial blood gas, and respiratory and heart rates before and 1 hour after tracheal extubation were analyzed. One hundred eight patients were included (noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation group, n = 55 and inhaled oxygen group, n = 53), with 66 exclusions. Groups did not significantly differ for gender, age, disease severity, Pediatric Risk of Mortality at admission, tracheal intubation, and mechanical ventilation indications. There was no statistically significant difference in reintubation rate (noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation group, 9.1%; inhaled oxygen group, 11.3%; p > 0.05) and length of stay (days) in PICU (noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation group, 3 [1-16]; inhaled oxygen group, 2 [1-25]; p > 0.05) or hospital (noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation group, 19 [7-141]; inhaled oxygen group, 17 [8-80]). CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that a larger randomized trial comparing noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation and standard oxygen therapy in children with respiratory failure is feasible, providing a basis for a future trial in this setting. No differences were seen between groups. The number of excluded patients was high.

Clinical competency evaluation of Brazilian chiropractic interns.

OBJECTIVE: This study compares the results of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) between 2 groups of students before an internship and after 6 months of clinical practice in an internship. METHODS: Seventy-two students participated, with 36 students in each cohort. The OSCEs were performed in the simulation laboratory before the participants' clinical practice internship and after 6 months of the internship. Students were tested in 9 stations for clinical skills and knowledge. The same procedures were repeated for both cohorts. The t test was used for unpaired parametric samples and Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of proportions. RESULTS: There was no difference in the mean final score between the 2 groups (p = .34 for test 1; p = .08 for test 2). The performance of the students in group 1 was not significantly different when performed before and after 6 months of clinical practice, but in group 2 there was a significant decrease in the average score after 6 months of clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in the cumulative average score for the 2 groups before and after 6 months of clinical practice in the internship. There were differences within the cohorts, however, with a significant decrease in the average score in group 2. Issues pertaining to test standardization and student motivation for test 2 may have influenced the scores.

The combination of rhytidoplasty and fractional CO2 laser therapy in the treatment of facial aging.

BACKGROUND: Facial aging is a natural biological process with symptoms such as sagging tissue, accentuated lines, furrows, wrinkles, dyschromias, and loss of facial volume. Rhytidectomy alone often fails to achieve a patient's expected goals, which is why there is a high demand for adjunct laser skin treatment. METHODS: From January 2007 to February 2013, a total of 80 patients with skin types Fitzpatrick I-IV underwent large undermined cutaneous flap rhytidectomy and superficial muscular aponeurotic system (SMAS) plicature plus hyaluronic acid injection on the nasolabial folds and lips and concomitant Lumenis UltraPulse CO2 Active FX total ablation mode resurfacing of nonundermined skin. The undermined skin was treated with a fractional laser using different energies depending on the type of skin. Patients were evaluated at 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, and 90 days after the operation. At the last evaluation patients completed a specific questionnaire about satisfaction. RESULTS: Complications included expansive hematomas (5 %), partial necrosis (1.25 %), bacterial infection (1.25 %), herpetic infection (1.25 %), hypertrophic scar (1.25 %), and spot hyperchromia (1.25 %). 95 % of patients were extremely satisfied, 3.75 % were satisfied, and only 1.25 % were unsatisfied. CONCLUSION: The combination of subcutaneous flap rhytidectomy and SMAS plicature with fractional laser resurfacing plus hyaluronic acid injection is a safe procedure with low incidence of major complications and improves patient satisfaction.

Effects of hyperbaric oxygen and N-acetylcysteine in survival of random pattern skin flaps in rats.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim is to investigate the role of HBO (hyperbaric oxygen), NAC (N-acetylcysteine), and HBO plus NAC on the necrosis area of random rat's skin flaps of a modified McFarlane flap design. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: G-S (sham: n = 8), G-NAC (NAC: n = 8), G-HBO (HBO: n = 8), and G-HN (HBO plus NAC: n = 8). A rectangular skin flap (2 × 8 cm(2)) was dissected from the muscular dorsal layer, preserving the cranial pedicle. Polyethylene film was placed over the muscular layer and an interrupted 3.0 nylon suture was employed to fix the flap into the original place. On the eighth day, full-thickness biopsy samples (2 × 1 cm(2)) were collected from the proximal, middle, and cranial areas of the skin flap, and in a site away from the flap labelled as the control area. RESULTS: The measurements of necrotic areas in the groups were 18.3% in G-S, 24.3% in G-NAC, 12.6% in G-HBO, and 14.9% in G-HN. Significant difference was observed between the groups G-HBO and G-HN as well as G-NAC. CONCLUSION: HBO is associated with reduced area of necrosis of skin flap. The G-NAC group was associated with poor results when examined in isolation. The association between HBO and NAC did not produce favourable results with respect to the use of HBO alone. These findings suggest that the diffusion of oxygen through the interstitial space was the determining factor of more favourable results of HBO.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy protects the liver from apoptosis caused by ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.

PURPOSE: : The present paper aimed to investigate the role of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO) and the apoptosis in rat liver ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). METHODS: : Thirty-seven male Wistar rats were subjected to 30 minutes of hepatic ischemia and 30 minutes of reperfusion and randomly distributed into six groups: G-I/R (n = 8), control without HBO; G-HBO/I (n = 8), HBO only during the ischemia period; G-HBO/R (n = 8), HBO only during the reperfusion period; G-HBO-I/R (n = 8), HBO during both the ischemia and reperfusion periods; G-Sh (n = 3), HBO without ischemia or reperfusion as sham group; G-C (n = 2) for control of current apoptosis expression on the normal liver tissue. HBO was carried out using a transparent, cylindrical acrylic chamber with a pressure of 2.0 ATA. Hepatic samples were stained for caspase-3 cleavage. RESULTS: : Apoptotic cells were identified in all groups. In the hepatic specimens of animals HBO-treated during ischemia (GHBO-I), there was a significant decrease (P < 0.001) in the number of cells undergoing apoptosis (1.62 +/- 0.91). The apoptotic index showed no significant difference in the animals HBO-treated during ischemia/reperfusion (5.75 +/- 1.28) compared with the G-I/R (3.5 +/- 0.75), which had no HBO treatment. The apoptosis index (11.25 +/- 1.90) was significantly higher (P < 0.01) in HBO-treated animals during the reperfusion period when compared with any of the other groups. CONCLUSION: : A favorable effect was obtained when hyperbaric oxygen was administered early during ischemia. The hyperbaric oxygen in later periods of reperfusion was associated with a more severe apoptosis index. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 2009.

Surgical adhesives and tubal sterilization: an experimental study.

AIM: Our aim was to assess the application of three currently used surgical adhesives in the tubal lumen of rabbits, to promote sterilization, using a transvaginal approach. METHODS: Fifty-seven female albino New Zealand rabbits (114 uterine tubes), which became pregnant and delivered before the experiment, were divided into four groups: GS (sham-24 tubes), GEFIBRI (0.25 mL of fibrin adhesive in 30 tubes), GE-GRF (0.25 mL of resorcin adhesive in 30 tubes) and GEBUTYL (0.25 mL of n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate adhesive in 30 tubes). The animals were mated with proven fertile males after the experiment and observed over 30, 90 and 180 days. Pregnancy and patency were macroscopically evaluated. The tubal diameter, tubal mucosa, myosalpinx, total optical density and inflammatory process were microscopically evaluated. The statistical analysis was performed by McNemar and Wilcoxon tests for the subgroups, and Fisher's exact test and Kruskal-Wallis test for the groups, the differences identified by Dunn's multiple comparisons test (P=5%). RESULTS: GS showed patency and pregnancies in all subgroups. GEFIBRI showed patency and pregnancies in all subgroups. GE-GRF did not show patency or pregnancies, but was associated with severe inflammatory process and tubal morphology alterations. GEBUTYL did not show patency, pregnancies or morphological tubal mucosa alterations. CONCLUSIONS: The n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate adhesive effectively promoted tubal obstruction, did not cause tubal morphological alterations, nor did it impair the rabbit pregnancy. The fibrin adhesive failed to cause the occlusion. The GRF adhesive, in spite of producing tubal occlusion, caused severe uterine tubes damage.

Effects of repeated extracorporeal shock wave on kidney apoptosis of normal and diabetic rat.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of repeated extracorporeal shock waves (ESW) on the apoptosis of renal parenchyma in normal and diabetic rats by the caspase-3 expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 80 rats were assigned for ESW (Direx Tripter X1(R) - 14 KVA) to one of three groups with 50% rats with diabetes (A) and 50% normal (B) in each: G1 (n = 40): no ESW; G2 (n = 20): one ESW; G3 (n = 20): two ESWin an interval of 14 days. The animals were sacrificed 3 days after the ESW and samples of the renal parenchyma were histologically prepared, stained by the caspase-3 cleavage immunohistochemical method, and the apoptotic index (ApIn) was calculated by computer program Image Pro-Plus V 4,5,1 Media Cybernetics ( ApIn = number of apoptotic cells in the microscopic section / total cells in the microscopic section). RESULTS: There was no statistical difference in ApIn of normal rats with one ESW (8.4 +/- 0.2) or two ESW (9.1 +/- 0.3) and both were similar to the control group with no ESW (7.9 +/- 0.2). The ApIn of diabetic rats with one ESW (7.4 +/- 0.3) was similar to the normal rats with one or two ESW. On the other hand, the ApIn was statistically higher in diabetic rats with two ESW (11.9 +/- 0.4) than in diabetic rats with one ESW (7.4 +/- 0.3). CONCLUSIONS: The ApIn of normal rats with a single (2,000 SW) or repeated ESW (4,000 SW) was similar to the control animals without any ESW. In diabetic rats, the repeated ESW (4,000 SW) may result in an additional risk of tissue damage expressed by the higher ApIn.

Effects of repeated extracorporeal shock wave on kidney apoptosis of normal and diabetic rat

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of repeated extracorporeal shock waves (ESW) on the apoptosis of renal parenchyma in normal and diabetic rats by the caspase-3 expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 80 rats were assigned for ESW (Direx Tripter X1® - 14 KVA) to one of three groups with 50 percent rats with diabetes (A) and 50 percent normal (B) in each: G1 (n = 40): no ESW; G2 (n = 20): one ESW; G3 (n = 20): two ESWin an interval of 14 days. The animals were sacrificed 3 days after the ESW and samples of the renal parenchyma were histologically prepared, stained by the caspase-3 cleavage immunohistochemical method, and the apoptotic index (ApIn) was calculated by computer program Image Pro-Plus V 4,5,1 Media Cybernetics® ( ApIn = number of apoptotic cells in the microscopic section / total cells in the microscopic section). RESULTS: There was no statistical difference in ApIn of normal rats with one ESW (8.4 + 0.2) or two ESW (9.1 + 0.3) and both were similar to the control group with no ESW (7.9 + 0.2). The ApIn of diabetic rats with one ESW (7.4 + 0.3) was similar to the normal rats with one or two ESW. On the other hand, the ApIn was statistically higher in diabetic rats with two ESW (11.9 + 0.4) than in diabetic rats with one ESW (7.4 + 0.3). CONCLUSIONS: The ApIn of normal rats with a single (2,000 SW) or repeated ESW (4,000 SW) was similar to the control animals without any ESW. In diabetic rats, the repeated ESW (4,000 SW) may result in an additional risk of tissue damage expressed by the higher ApIn.

In-vitro renal shrinkage after hypertonic saline perfusion for organ removal during laparoscopic nephrectomy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To evaluate the possibility of shrinking the kidney by perfusion with hypertonic solution to facilitate organ removal in laparoscopic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After 18 open nephrectomies (ONs) in 9 pigs, one of four saline solutions (5%, 7.5%, 10%, and 15%) was infused through a catheter into the renal artery for 5 minutes in four kidneys each. The volumes and weights of the kidneys were measured before and after renal perfusion; the kidneys were then sent for histologic evaluation. Eight ONs were performed, and the kidneys were removed from the abdominal cavity in a plastic bag in order to mimic organ entrapment during laparoscopy. The kidneys were perfused with hypertonic solution and were again put in a plastic bag and removed from the same animal's abdomen through another incision. The incisions were measured with calipers before and after extraction of the unperfused and perfused organs. RESULTS: The kidneys that underwent perfusion with 5% saline had the greatest decrease in both weight and volume, an average of 16% and 17.8%, respectively. The average incision needed for extraction of unperfused kidneys was 44.9 mm (range 40-58 mm), whereas the mean size of the incision needed to remove perfused kidneys was 26.6 mm (range 20-30 mm) (P < 0.001). The relative reduction in the necessary incision size therefore was 44.3% (range 33.3%-55%). CONCLUSION: Perfusion with 5% saline is able to shrink the kidney volume slightly with mild histologic changes. In the pig, it is possible to decrease the renal incision necessary for kidney removal by 44% using this method.

Perfusion pressure in kidneys of arthritic rats and the influence of L-NAME.

Kidneys of control and arthritic rats were perfused with a hemoglobin-free perfusion fluid with simultaneous monitoring of perfusion pressure and oxygen uptake. The basal values of renal perfusion pressure were 76.3 +/- 4.63 and 59.96 +/- 3.65 mm Hg in control and arthritic rats, respectively. Infusion of 100 microM Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) an inhibitor of constitutive and inducible nitric oxide synthase, increased the renal perfusion pressure to 91.6 +/- 5.52 and 106.69 +/- 8.47 mm Hg in control and arthritic rats, respectively. Oxygen uptake of kidneys from control rats was 2.48 +/- 0.74 micromol min(-1) g(-1) and that of the arthritic rats was 2.44 +/- 0.75 micromol min(-1) g(-1). These results are consistent with an increased production of hemodynamically active nitric oxide in kidneys of arthritic rats.