The importance of postoperative analgesia after major thoracic surgery interventions, protocols, applications, and the following evaluation of the patient's quality of life.

OBJECTIVES: Major thoracic surgery procedures constitute a standard method of diagnosis and/or therapy against lung, mediastinal cancer and other non-malignant manifestations of the respiratory system. Such patients' recovery and rehabilitation depend directly from the applied postoperative analgesia, with purpose to determine an optimum and long-term quality of life. BACKGROUND: Our database consists of 300 individuals, submitted to major thoracic surgery procedure during a 2 - year period of time (between December 2016 and December 2018) at the "Thoracic Surgery Department" of "Theageneio" Cancer Hospital, Thessaloniki. METHODS: Every operative method is accompanied with three different types of postoperative analgesia, depending on the demands of the surgical approach: Each patient's postoperative management and evaluation is performed via usage of three "Quality of Life" (QoL) Questionnaires and the "VAS-Visual Analog Scale" for pain, leading to the determination of the "QoL Index". RESULTS: Each patient answers the Questionnaires in 4 specific time intervals. The differentiation in their answers is the key point to extract important information about their postoperative health evolution. A detailed questionnaire evaluation follows, both individually and in groups, according to the subgroup of each patient's pain treatment, a combined study which is applied in this form for the first time. CONCLUSIONS: The measure of a "QoL" index is widely taken into account as one of the most accurate indicators of a patient's health evolution. The results supply us with significant information which is added to the initial management strategy, mainly regarding pain symptomatology and eventual complications and discomforts, while they indicate us towards a thorough realization of each patient's "follow up" individually and the achievement of an optimal Quality of Life level.

Association between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and change in bone mineral density in prospective cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Subclinical hyperthyroidism (SHyper) has been associated with increased risk of hip and other fractures, but the linking mechanisms remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and bone loss. METHODS: Individual participant data analysis was performed after a systematic literature search in MEDLINE/EMBASE (1946-2016). Two reviewers independently screened and selected prospective cohorts providing baseline thyroid status and serial bone mineral density (BMD) measurements. We classified thyroid status as euthyroidism (thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH] 0.45-4.49 mIU/L), SHyper (TSH < 0.45 mIU/L) and subclinical hypothyroidism (SHypo, TSH ≥ 4.50-19.99 mIU/L) both with normal free thyroxine levels. Our primary outcome was annualized percentage BMD change (%ΔBMD) from serial dual X-ray absorptiometry scans of the femoral neck, total hip and lumbar spine, obtained from multivariable regression in a random-effects two-step approach. RESULTS: Amongst 5458 individuals (median age 72 years, 49.1% women) from six prospective cohorts, 451 (8.3%) had SHypo and 284 (5.2%) had SHyper. During 36 569 person-years of follow-up, those with SHyper had a greater annual bone loss at the femoral neck versus euthyroidism: %ΔBMD = -0.18 (95% CI: -0.34, -0.02; I2 = 0%), with a nonstatistically significant pattern at the total hip: %ΔBMD = -0.14 (95% CI: -0.38, 0.10; I2 = 53%), but not at the lumbar spine: %ΔBMD = 0.03 (95% CI: -0.30, 0.36; I2 = 25%); especially participants with TSH < 0.10 mIU/L showed an increased bone loss in the femoral neck (%Δ BMD = -0.59; [95% CI: -0.99, -0.19]) and total hip region (%ΔBMD = -0.46 [95% CI: -1.05, -0.13]). In contrast, SHypo was not associated with bone loss at any site. CONCLUSION: Amongst adults, SHyper was associated with increased femoral neck bone loss, potentially contributing to the increased fracture risk.

Quantitative X-ray microradiography for high-throughput phenotyping of osteoarthritis in mice.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate and validate digital X-ray microradiography as a novel, high-throughput and cost-effective screening approach to identify abnormal joint phenotypes in mice. METHOD: Digital X-ray microradiography was used to quantify the subchondral bone mineral content (BMC) in the medial tibial plateau. Accuracy and reproducibility of the method were determined in 22 samples from C57BL/6(B6Brd;B6Dnk;B6N-Tyr(c-Brd)) wild-type mice. The method was then validated in wild-type mice that had undergone surgical destabilisation of medial meniscus (DMM) and in a genetically modified mouse strain with an established increase in trabecular bone mass. RESULTS: The measurement of subchondral BMC by digital X-ray microradiography had a coefficient of variation of 3.6%. Digital X-ray microradiography was able to demonstrate significantly increased subchondral BMC in the medial tibial plateau of male mice 4 and 8 weeks after DMM surgery and in female mice 8 weeks after surgery. Furthermore, digital X-ray microradiography also detected the increase in subchondral BMC in a genetically modified mouse strain with high trabecular bone mass. CONCLUSION: Quantitation of subchondral BMC by digital X-ray microradiography is a rapid, sensitive and cost-effective method to identify abnormal joint phenotypes in mice of both genders at several ages.

Galactorrhea, mastodynia and gynecomastia as the first manifestation of lung adenocarcinoma. A case report.

Gynecomastia with mastodynia and galactorrhea as a paraneoplastic syndrome due to lung cancer with complete response after surgical excision is rare. A 62-year-old Caucasian male presented with mastodynia, galactorrhea and right breast enlargement. Chest x-ray revealed a left upper lobe tumor. The patient had high levels of serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (b-HCG) and prolactine. Complete staging was negative for metastases. A typical left upper lobectomy with radical mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed. Pathology report was consistent with a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (T2N1M0). Immunohistochemically, multinucleate cells and occasional mononucleate tumor cells showed positivity for human chorionic gonadotropin. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin - navelbine. One year later physical examination showed regression of both gynecomastia and mastodynia and there was no nipple discharge, while he is free from local or distant metastatic disease and the b-HCG level is normal (1,59 mIU/ml). This case represents a very rare, first manifestation of lung cancer. Galactorrhea, mastodynia and gynecomastia were the initial symptoms, which totally resolved following the successful surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy. In this case, prolactin and b-HCG are useful biomarkers during follow up for checking local or distal recurrence of the disease.