Chemometric analysis of complex hyphenated data. Improvements of the component detection algorithm.

Component detection algorithm (CODA) is a method to quickly extract the high-quality mass chromatograms from complex liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/MS) data sets, saving operators hours of analysis time. It appeared, however, that mass chromatograms with a limited baseline problem were ignored. This paper describes several methods to increase the tolerance for mass chromatograms with a baseline.

A review of repeat general anesthesia for pediatric dental surgery in Alberta, Canada.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to review data from the province of Alberta, Canada for First Nations children who required more than 1 general anesthesia (GA) procedure for dental surgery from 1996 to 2005. METHODS: This study was limited to First Nations and Inuit children younger than 18 years old in Alberta who received 2 or more GA procedures to facilitate dental treatment Data spanning 1996 to 2005 were provided from the Alberta Regional Office of First Nations & Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada. RESULTS: The entire database contained claims for 339 children who received repeat GA procedures for rehabilitative dental core. Seventy-six percent received 2 procedures, while the remainder underwent 3 or more surgeries. Twenty-four percent of First Nations children in this cohort were subjected to >2 GA procedures. Retreatment of previously restored teeth was a common observation. The majority of children were treated by general practitioners instead of pediatric dentists. Seventy-four percent who had 2 or more surgeries were treated by general dentists at the time of the first GA procedure. The mean age of children at the time of the first GA procedure was not associated with whether children received 2 or more GA procedures for dental care (P=.07). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that there may be on over-reliance on GA to treat dental caries for First Notions children in Alberta.

Cutaneous aspergillosis.

The authors present a patient with advanced acquired immunodeficiency syndrome who developed a cutaneous lesion under the transparent dressing of a venous catheter. Histologic examination of the lesion revealed suppurative granulomatous inflammation in the dermis with numerous branching hyphae within the follicular infundibulum. A culture of the biopsy material grew Aspergillus fumigatus. Aspergillus must be considered in the differential diagnosis of cutaneous lesions in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, especially when the lesion occurs under an occlusive dressing.

Bacterial discitis caused by limb gangrene requiring below-knee amputation.

Two patients presented with disabling back pain and were unable to participate in physical therapy activities after being admitted to an acute rehabilitation center. Both patients had bacterial discitis of the lumbar spine that was apparently caused by infected ischemic limb tissue, ultimately removed at below-knee amputation. The literature describes many cases of bacterial discitis infected from many sources, but not from ischemic limb tissue requiring subsequent amputation. Many such cases may exist, however, and earlier recognition of this condition will enable appropriate treatment before vertebral destruction and/or neurological sequelae.

Epidemiologic study of 19-month-old Edmonton, Alberta children: caries rates and risk factors.

A random sample of 938 19-month-old Edmonton children and their parents/caretakers were studied. Parents were interviewed and children were examined. Specimens for a caries activity test were collected at the examination. Results indicated 25 percent of the children had moderate to high caries activity, as shown by the Cariostat, with 4.6 percent showing decalcification lesions and frank caries. Early caries (BBTD) were found to be related to bottle feeding practices, discomfort with allowing the child to cry, and with mother being foreign-born. Foreign-born status was associated with the above parenting practices. Preferences for preventive recommendations and other descriptive results were reported.

A review of tumor suppressor genes in cutaneous neoplasms with emphasis on cell cycle regulators.

Cells normally have five options. These include renewal or proliferation, terminal differentiation, quiescence, senescence, and apoptosis. Many factors interact with cell cycle regulators to direct the cells toward these different options. Tumor suppressor genes play a pivotal role in this process. Alterations in these genes may limit the options that cells have and thus play a significant role in the multistep process of carcinogenesis. We will focus on tumor suppressor genes and especially tumor suppressor genes that interact directly with the cell cycle proteins.

Cloxacillin and sodium fusidate in management of shunt infections.

The effectiveness of two oral antibiotics, cloxacillin and sodium fusidate, has been evaluated in the treatment of shunt infections among 37 patients allocated at random to two treatment groups. Both proved to be safe bactericidal agents giving adequate serum M.I.C. when taken by mouth. Treatment should always be started on the basis of the clinical presentation without waiting for the bacteriologist's report. The commonest infecting organism is Staphylococcus aureus. Nine shunts were lost in this study, eight through Staphylococcus aureus infection. The nasal carrier state is of considerable importance in perpetuating these shunt infections.