Anaphylaxis following intravenous paracetamol: the problem is the solution.

Paracetamol is a ubiquitous analgesic and antipyretic that is widely administered, including by anaesthetists. Immediate hypersensitivity reactions to intravenous paracetamol are particularly rare. We report two cases involving four separate episodes of anaphylaxis to intravenous paracetamol in different perioperative settings without a past history of intolerance to the oral form. The allergological investigations are described, during which it became evident that both patients were allergic to an excipient (mannitol) present in the formulation and that neither was allergic to the principal agent (paracetamol). The importance of referral and investigation of perioperative drug reactions is underscored by these two cases.

Caffeine-stimulated fatty acid oxidation is blunted in CD36 null mice.

AIM: The increase in skeletal muscle fatty acid metabolism during exercise has been associated with the release of calcium. We examined whether this increase in fatty acid oxidation was attributable to a calcium-induced translocation of the fatty acid transporter CD36 to the sarcolemma, thereby providing an enhanced influx of fatty acids to increase their oxidation. METHODS: Calcium release was triggered by caffeine (3 mm) to examine fatty acid oxidation in intact soleus muscles of WT and CD36-KO mice, while fatty acid transport and mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation were examined in giant vesicles and isolated mitochondria, respectively, from caffeine-perfused hindlimb muscles of WT and CD36-KO mice. Western blotting was used to examine calcium-induced signalling. RESULTS: In WT, caffeine stimulated muscle palmitate oxidation (+136%), but this was blunted in CD36-KO mice (-70%). Dantrolene inhibited (WT) or abolished (CD36-KO) caffeine-induced palmitate oxidation. In muscle, caffeine-stimulated palmitate oxidation was not attributable to altered mitochondrial palmitate oxidation. Instead, in WT, caffeine increased palmitate transport (+55%) and the translocation of fatty acid transporters CD36, FABPpm, FATP1 and FATP4 (26-70%) to the sarcolemma. In CD36-KO mice, caffeine-stimulated FABPpm, and FATP1 and 4 translocations were normal, but palmitate transport was blunted (-70%), comparable to the reductions in muscle palmitate oxidation. Caffeine did not alter the calcium-/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II phosphorylation but did increase the phosphorylation of AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase comparably in WT and CD36-KO. CONCLUSION: These studies indicate that sarcolemmal CD36-mediated fatty acid transport is a primary mediator of the calcium-induced increase in muscle fatty acid oxidation.

Outcome of cataract extraction and posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation following glaucoma filtration surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcome of cataract extraction (CE) after glaucoma filtering surgery (GFS). METHODS: A total of 77 eyes (77 patients) who underwent CE with posterior chamber intraocular lens (PCIOL) implantation following GFS by a single surgeon were reviewed. Main outcome measures were preoperative and postoperative intraocular pressures (IOPs), visual acuities, medications, astigmatism, bleb survival, time of surgical failure, complications, and success rate. RESULTS: Mean time interval between GFS and CE was 46.8+/-50.9 months (range, 2-348 months). The mean preoperative IOP was 13.9+/-4.7 mmHg (range 3-27 mmHg) and mean postoperative IOP at 3 weeks was 13.6+/-5.5 mmHg (range, 6-44 mmHg). The mean follow-up was 19.5+/-20.1 months (range, 1.4-73 months; median 10.6 months). Complete success was achieved in 59 eyes (76.7%). The cumulative probability of complete success was 91.3+/-3.7, 82.0+/-5.6 and 78.1+/-6.5% at the end of 6 months, 1, and 2 years, respectively. Visual acuity before CE was < or =20/50 in all eyes (100%). Visual acuity at last visit was > or =20/40 in 33 eyes (42.8 %), 20/50-20/80 in 30 eyes (39.0%), < or =20/100 in 14 eyes (18.2%). Risk factors identified for qualified success included age at CE>60 years, interval of < or =5 months between GFS and CE, use of preoperative glaucoma medications, and postoperative IOP >19 mmHg within 2 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: IOP and bleb function was maintained after CE with PCIOL implantation following successful GFS with good visual recovery.

Measuring professionalism in a physiatry residency training program.

A 12-item questionnaire modeled after the one prepared by the American Board of Internal Medicine dealing with professionalism was distributed to 122 physiatry residents representing six training programs, of whom 59% (72) responded. The mean item score on the survey was 7.7 (SD = 1.0) on a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 represents the highest level of professionalism. The internal reliability of the questionnaire was found to be satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha = 0.75). A factor analysis of the questionnaire items resulted in three factors explaining 64% of the variance. These factors were: excellence, honor/integrity, and altruism/respect; Eigen values were 3.35, 2.37, and 1.31, respectively. These factors are similar to those obtained in the American Board of Internal Medicine survey. This similarity is a positive feature in ongoing efforts to develop a reliable tool for measuring professionalism in physiatry residency training.

Anterior capsular staining with trypan blue for capsulorhexis in mature and hypermature cataracts. A preliminary study.

PURPOSE: To study the efficacy and safety of 0.1% Trypan Blue dye to stain the anterior capsule for capsulorhexis in mature and hypermature cataracts. METHODS: This preliminary study included 25 eyes of 25 patients with a unilateral mature or hypermature cataract, including one case of traumatic mature cataract. In all these cases 0.2 ml of 0.1% trypan blue dye was used to stain the anterior capsule. The efficacy and safety of the dye was evaluated on the basis of intraoperative and postoperative observations. RESULTS: In all 25 eyes the capsulorhexis was completed. There was peripheral extension of the capsulorhexis in the eye with traumatic cataract and the stained edge of the anterior capsule helped identification and redirection of the capsulorhexis. Successful phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation was performed in all eyes. Adverse reactions related to the dye such as raised intraocular pressure, anterior chamber inflammation and endothelial damage were not observed in the immediate postoperative period or at the end of mean follow-up of 3 months. CONCLUSION: Trypan blue dye staining of the anterior capsule appears to be a very useful and safe technique that simplifies capsulorhexis in mature and hypermature cataracts.

One program's experience of OSCE vs. written board certification results: a pilot study.

The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) has been the focus of a lot debate with respect to reliability and validity. Much of the controversy surrounding these components lies in a lack of comparison with a "gold standard." Further work is needed to improve the evaluation of clinical skills to the point that a gold standard can truly be said to exist.

Evidence-based medicine in physiatry: the experience of one department's faculty and trainees.

Evidence-based medicine is regarded by many as the new paradigm in medical practice. Sixty-seven medical school faculty and trainees in a physical medicine and rehabilitation department were surveyed with regard to training and competence in the use of evidence-based medicine techniques. The majority of subjects in the present study supported the use of evidence-based medicine techniques, although a number of the respondents indicated that they lacked adequate training or competence in their use. It is suggested that medical schools and physiatry residency programs provide a greater emphasis on training in evidence-based medicine. Recommendations are provided that individuals can use to develop a systematic strategy to keep up with the rapidly expanding medical literature.

Lipaemia retinalis in a case of juvenile diabetic ketoacidosis.

A rare case of diabetic retinal lipaemia is described in a 5-year-old child.

Malignant melanoma of ciliary body: a case report.

Ocular malignant melanomas are infrequently seen in Indian patents and most them involve the choroid. Ciliary body malignant melanoma is rather rare. This case report illustrates an occurrence in an Indian patient.

Physiatric research fellows' perceptions of the quality of their training.

A survey was conducted to evaluate the physiatric research fellowship training. A 22-item questionnaire was sent to the 42 identified physiatrists who had completed at least a 1-yr research fellowship. Twenty-nine of these individuals (69%) responded. The physiatrists, all of whom have completed their research fellowships, uniformly cited competent faculty research mentors as being critical, even if they were not in the same department. Having protected research time as well as a research didactic program and journal club were highly rated issues. The trainees preferred a 2-yr fellowship that also stressed initiation of their own research, grant writing and management experience, and first authorship on research papers. We conclude that the majority of the research fellows agree on what are important issues with respect to their training.

Further experience in development of an objective structured clinical examination for physical medicine and rehabilitation residents.

Since the last report, two additional objective structured clinical examinations (PGY-2, PGY-3, and PGY-4, as well as incoming PGY-2) have been administered. As a result, our curriculum has been modified to strengthen physical examination skills, including specific workshops. Interrater reliability of evaluators has been tested for the first time to verify reliability, and refinements have been made in the standardized checklist grading system. The interrater grading of history-taking had good reliability (0.73-0.96), as did neurological and spine physical examination (0.84-0.88). The interrater grading reliability of small and large joint examination was more problematic (0.46-0.62) because of examiners' inability to have full visibility, evaluator's fatigue, and confusing evaluation scoring descriptions. We now use a two-point grading scale (correct or incorrect) for history but continue a three-point scale (correct, partially correct, or incorrect) for physical examination. The examination schedule is being modified to add more encounters, give time for trainee feedback, and further refinement of grading expectations for a more efficient and reliable scoring system.

Residency training in physiatry during a time of change: funding of graduate medical education and other issues.

Decision makers at the federal and state level are considering, and some states have enacted, a reduction in total United States residency positions, a shift in emphasis from specialist to generalist training, a need for programs to join together in training consortia to determine local residency position allocation strategy, a reduction in funding of international medical graduates, and a reduction in funding beyond the first certificate or a total of five years. A 5-page, 24-item questionnaire was sent to all physiatry residency training directors. The objective was to discern a descriptive database of physiatry training programs and how their institutions might respond to cuts in graduate medical education funding. Fifty-eight (73%) of the questionnaires were returned. Most training directors believe that their primary mission is to train general physiatrists and, to a much lesser extent, to train subspecialty or research fellows. Directors were asked how they might handle reductions in house staff such as using physician extenders, shifting clinical workload to faculty, hiring additional faculty, and funding physiatry residents from practice plans and endowments. Physiatry has had little experience (29%; 17/58) with voluntary graduate medical education consortiums, but most (67%; 34/58) seem to feel that if a consortium system is mandated, they would favor a local or regional over a national body because they do not believe the specialty has a strong enough national stature. The major barriers to a consortium for graduate medical education allocation were governance, academic, fiscal, bureaucratic, and competition.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: a literature review from a physiatric perspective.

To examine the literature on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), especially as it relates to cognitive deficits and exercise, more than 200 articles related to CFS were selected from computer-based research as well as pertinent articles noted in the references of individual articles. All were relevant articles on CFS, although articles in a foreign language were excluded. CFS is a controversial diagnosis of exclusion, but certain subgroups do appear to exist. It may represent multiple diseases or multiple stages of the same disease. Although cognitive deficits are commonly reported, the measured impairments are relatively subtle and are in the area of complex information processing speed, or efficiency. Magnetic resonance imaging, single-photon emission computer tomography, and neuroendocrine studies present preliminary evidence suggestive of the cerebral involvement primarily in the white matter. The weakness and fatigue may be the result of alterations in the central nervous system, not in the peripheral muscles. However, it is hard to separate the documented weakness and endurance deficits from deconditioning. Autonomic symptoms such as orthostatic intolerance and a predisposition to neurally mediated syncope may be explained by cardiovascular deconditioning, a postviral idiopathic autonomic neuropathy, or both. The review points out the need for more carefully designed studies of CFS that focus on the relationship between neuropathology, psychopathology and neuropsychologic functioning. The role of exercise as a stimulus for exacerbation or in treatment needs to be further studied using clear diagnostic criteria as well as control groups that carefully match the activity level.

Clinical dysautonomia in diabetes mellitus--a study with seven autonomic reflex function tests.

Thirty-eight patients of NIDDM, 12 of IDDM and 10 healthy age matched controls were subjected to seven standardised autonomic reflex function tests. A scoring criteria was utilised for diagnosing and grading the severity of dysautonomia. Eight patients of IDDM and 24 of NIDDM had dysautonomia. One-third of the patients in each group had grade IV autonomic dysfunction. Severity of autonomic dysfunction was directly related to the duration of disease in NIDDM whereas in IDDM this relation was not seen. Peripheral neuropathy was almost always associated with dysautonomia in NIDDM. On the contrary, in IDDM dysautonomia was independent of peripheral neuropathy. Charcot's arthopathy, dysphagia, constipation and nocturnal diarrhea were always associated with evidence of dysautonomia. Other symptoms viz. gustatory sweating, postural dizziness and impotence did not necessarily indicate dysautonomia.

Practice and career satisfaction among physiatrists. A national survey.

To evaluate physiatrist career satisfaction and current practice patterns, a 15-page survey was mailed randomly to 400 fellow members of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The 208 questionnaires (52%) returned revealed respondents' level of satisfaction with career choice, current practice, relationships with other physicians, their own residency training, and problems experienced that impede their practice. Factor analysis identified six areas of satisfaction: time demands, organizational support, current practice, current specialty, profession, and training. Problems with work consisted of four factors: external intrusions into practice, having to deal with non-rehabilitation problems, dealing with PM&R problems, and insufficient time for patients. Results showed that 75% of physiatrists were satisfied with their practice/profession. Satisfaction with current practice was greater with fewer external intrusions into practice, a larger percentage of income from traditional non-managed payment sources (including Medicaid), and less competition. Changes in health care, such as managed care, competition, and increased external regulations, appear to interfere with current practice. Variation in satisfaction was not significantly correlated with size of community, variation in rates of payment denials, workloads of greater than 50 hours per week, and a number of other factors that one might expect to affect satisfaction. Physiatrists had made many changes in their practice in response to the changes in the health care environment but had not cut care for indigent patients. Needs for greater residency training in outpatient clinics, physicians' offices, managed care, and long-term care settings were expressed. This is the first comprehensive published report on physiatric satisfaction in a changing health care environment. Further research in some of the areas will be required.

Development of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for physical medicine and rehabilitation residents.

Clinical competency is poorly measured by knowledge-based written examinations. A five-station, four-interstation objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) has been developed in consultation with the National Board of Medical Examiners as a pilot study to standardize assessment methods that serve to evaluate the clinical competency of senior physical medicine and rehabilitation residents. Various stations demonstrating musculoskeletal and neurologic conditions commonly encountered in physiatric practice were included, incorporating the use of standardized patients into the OSCE format. This is a descriptive study of individual stations-evaluated history-taking, physical examination, and communication skills, whereas the interstations measured the residents' ability to write therapy and prosthetic/orthotic prescriptions, as well as interpret x-ray and electrodiagnostic data. The OSCE program development including case background, principal tasks, time allotment, evaluation objectives, performance criteria, therapeutic plan, standardized patients case descriptions, and assessment checklists as well as the training procedure is discussed. Additionally, cost analysis and scheduling issues are reviewed. This information should aid other training programs or consortiums in developing similar clinical evaluation tools.