Social deprivation in patients requiring pelvic exenterative surgery.

AIM: Pelvic exenteration is an aggressive operation for locally advanced rectal cancer. Social deprivation has been shown to reduce life expectancy and has been linked to a poorer outcome in patients with colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of social deprivation scores on the outcome in these complex patients. METHOD: A retrospective review of all patients undergoing pelvic exenteration for primary rectal cancer between 2006 and 2014 was performed. Deprivation scores were calculated for all patients using the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation. Patients were then grouped into quartiles, from Q1 (most deprived) to Q4 (least deprived). The primary outcome measure was 5-year survival. RESULTS: In all, 120 patients were included (65 female) with a median age of 64 (31-90) years. No differences between quartiles were identified for neoadjuvant therapy (P = 0.687) or type of exenteration (P = 0.690). The median length of stay was significantly higher in the most deprived groups (Q1-Q2; P = 0.023). There was a significant difference in survival between the groups, with lowest 5-year survival rates (53%) in the most deprived quartile (Q1) (P = 0.015). CONCLUSION: Social deprivation is significantly associated with postoperative length of stay and survival in patients undergoing pelvic exenteration for primary rectal cancer.

Incidence of cardiac arrhythmias during intravenous pentamidine therapy in HIV-infected patients.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: There have been 15 published cases of probable pentamidine-induced torsade de pointes (TdP). A prospective analysis of this complication of therapy is valuable considering the high frequency of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in the AIDS population, and the role of pentamidine in its therapy. DESIGN: Open, nonrandomized, prospective study of HIV-infected patients receiving intravenous pentamidine in a 12-month period. SETTING: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a tertiary care, referral-based facility in Washington, DC. PATIENTS: Eighteen HIV-infected patients were enrolled with informed consent; four were withdrawn from statistical analysis after receiving only one or two doses of empiric intravenously administered pentamidine. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Daily 12-lead electrocardiography, echocardiography, weekly signal-averaged electrocardiography, and weekly 24-h ambulatory electrocardiography were performed on each patient. Of the 14 subjects, 3 developed TdP. These 3 patients and 2 others developed a prolonged rate corrected, QT interval (QTc) to greater than 0.48 s (max QTc mean, 0.55 s, mean increase, 0.12 s). The QTc prolongation was noted in all five patients by the fourth daily dose (4 mg/kg/d) of pentamidine. The other 9 patients developed minimal change in QTc intervals throughout therapy (max QTc mean, 0.45 s; mean increase, 0.03 s). The maximum QTc increase was significantly different between these two cohorts (p < 0.03). The occurrence of TdP in the subgroup of patients developing prolonged QTc intervals to greater than 0.48 s (3 of 5 patients), or a change in QTc of greater than 0.08 s (3 of 4 patients) over individual baseline also was significant (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01, respectively). No baseline clinical variables associated with TdP or QTc prolongation were identified. CONCLUSION: Intravenously administered pentamidine frequently results in QTc prolongation with a subsequent risk of TdP in HIV-infected patients. All patients treated with intravenously administered pentamidine should be evaluated with baseline and daily ECGs, at least during the first week of therapy, and should be closely monitored for a change in the QT interval. An increase in QTc to above 0.48 s or greater than 0.08 s above baseline carries a significant risk for proarrhythmia, and in this instance, continuous electrocardiographic monitoring or an alternative antibiotic regimen should be considered.

A retrospective analysis of diseases associated with indeterminate HIV western blot patterns.

Some individuals possess antibodies which react to HIV-1 Western blot proteins in patterns not diagnostic for HIV infection. A retrospective chart review of patients exhibiting such indeterminate HIV Western blots was performed in comparison to a control cohort of sex- and age-matched individuals from the same population of HIV-negative blots to determine if such blots were associated with any specific disease states. Twenty such patients with 25 indeterminate blots among them were found in a total population of 816 (2.5%). GAG-only (core) Western blots comprised the majority 84% (21/25). An indeterminate blot was statistically associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (p less than 0.01) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (p less than 0.05). Kikuchi's disease and malignant histiocytosis were associated but the numbers were too small to reach statistical significance. The possibility that these diseases are caused by novel retroviruses, cross-reactive with HIV-1, is discussed in lieu of these findings.

Isolated metastatic primary peritoneal carcinoma to the breast: a rare site of disease recurrence.

Primary breast carcinoma is a common pathology in the UK. It can present with metastatic deposits but it is rare that lesions in the breast are the sole primary or secondary presentation for metastatic cancer from other sources. We present a case of a primary peritoneal cancer recurring after optimal treatment with a new breast lesion and the diagnostic difficulties that this can cause.

Varices of the round ligament mimicking an inguinal hernia--an important differential diagnosis during pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a recognised risk factor for the development of inguinal hernias due to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure. Whilst often managed conservatively until after the pregnancy, if the hernia presents acutely as a painful or tender groin lump, urgent or emergency repair may be required. Many clinicians rely heavily on clinical examination alone in order to diagnose the presence of such a hernia. In pregnancy, however, in order to prevent unnecessary surgery, the use of ultrasound has a more important role to play in reaching this diagnosis. We report a cautionary case that highlights the need for ultrasound evaluation of all painful groin lumps in pregnant women prior to considering surgery.

Safety and efficacy of intravenous sodium stibogluconate in the treatment of leishmaniasis: recent U.S. military experience.

The efficacy and toxicity of sodium stibogluconate (SSG) at a dosage of 20 mg/(kg.d) for either 20 days (for cutaneous disease) or 28 days (for visceral, mucosal, or viscerotropic disease) in the treatment of leishmaniasis is reported. Ninety-six U.S. Department of Defense health care beneficiaries with parasitologically confirmed leishmaniasis were prospectively followed for 1 year. One patient was infected with human immunodeficiency virus; otherwise, comorbidity was absent. Clinical cure occurred in 91% of 83 cases of cutaneous disease and 93% of 13 cases of visceral/viscerotropic disease. Adverse effects were common and necessitated interruption of treatment in 28% of cases, but they were generally reversible. These included arthralgias and myalgias (58%), pancreatitis (97%), transaminitis (67%), headache (22%), hematologic suppression (44%), and rash (9%). No subsequent mucosal leishmaniasis was identified, and there were no deaths attributable to SSG or leishmaniasis.