Ubiquitin C-Terminal Hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1) in Prediction of Computed Tomography Findings in Traumatic Brain Injury; a Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1) is one of the promising candidates, with an acceptable diagnostic value for predicting head computed tomography (CT) scan findings. However, there has been a controversy between studies and still, there is no general overview on this. Therefore, the current systematic review and meta-analysis attempted to estimate the value of UCH-L1 in predicting intracranial lesions in traumatic brain injury. METHODS: Two independent reviewers screened records from the search of four databases Medline, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science. The data were analyzed in the STATA 14.0 statistical program and the findings were reported as a standardized mean difference (SMD), summary receiver performance characteristics curve (SROC), sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). RESULTS: Finally, the data of 13 articles were entered into the meta-analysis. The mean serum level of UCH-L1 was significantly higher in patients with CT-positive than in TBI patients with CT negative (SMD = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.12 to 2.23, I2 = 98.1%; p <0.0001). The area under the SROC curve for UCH-L1 in the prediction of intracranial lesions after mild TBI was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.80 to 0.86). Sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratio of serum UCH-L1 was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.92 to 0.99), 0.40 (95% CI: 0.30 to 0.51) and 19.37 (95% CI: 7.25 to 51.75), respectively. When the analysis was limited to assessing the serum level of UCH-L1 within the first 6 hours after mild TBI, its sensitivity and specificity increased to 0.99 (95% CI: 0.94 to 1.0) and 0.44 (95% CI: 0.38 to 0.052), respectively. In addition, the diagnostic odds ratio of 6-hour serum level of UCH-L1 in the prediction of intracranial lesions was 680.87 (95% CI: 50.50 to 9197.97). CONCLUSION: Moderate level of evidence suggests that serum/plasma levels of UCH-L1 have good value in prediction of head CT findings. It was also found that evaluation of serum/plasma level of UCH-L1 within the first 6 hours following TBI would increase its predictive value. However, there is a controversy about the best cutoffs of the UCH-L1.

Clinical Scoring Systems in Predicting the Outcome of Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding; a Narrative Review.

Prediction of the outcome and severity of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) has significant importance in patient care, disposition, and determining the need for emergent endoscopy. Recent international recommendations endorse using scoring systems for management of non-variceal UGIB patients. To date, different scoring systems have been developed for predicting the risk of 30-day mortality and re-bleeding. We have discussed the screening performance characteristics of Baylor bleeding score, the Rockall risk scoring score, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center predictive index, Glasgow Blatchford score, T-score, and AIMS65 systems, in the present review. Based on the results of this survey, there are only 3 clinical decision rules that can predict the outcome of UGIB patients, independent from endoscopy. Among these, only Glasgow Blatchford score was highly sensitive for predicting the risk of 30-day mortality and re-bleeding, simultaneously.

Comparison of tracheal tube cuff pressure with two techniques: fixed volume versus pilot balloon palpation.

Introduction: Filling tracheal tube cuff (TTC) after intubation is necessary to provide a safe airway in intubated patients. On the other hand, excessive increase or decrease in the pressure of TTC's balloon leads into the dangerous complications such as necrosis and/or aspiration. Accordingly, in the present study, we tried to evaluate the most two common fixed volume and pilot balloon palpitation methods to control TTC pressure. Methods: In a prospective cross-sectional study that was carried out in the emergency department of Tabriz Imam Reza hospital upon 194 patients who needed intubation and from April 2015 to June 2016. The patients were randomly allocated into two equal groups. For the first the Pilot Balloon Palpation technique and for the second group 10 cc fixed volume cuff filling technique was assigned. After that, the pressure was checked with manometer and data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: TTC pressure average in fixed volume group was 44.96±21.77 cmH2O and for palpation group, it was 118.15±22.15 cmH2O. There was a meaningful difference between two groups in terms of cuff inside pressure (P value <0.001) and it was meaningfully lower in fixed volume group than the first one. Conclusion: The present study showed that pilot balloon palpation or fixed volume method was not appropriate methods to assess cuff pressure during intubation and the cuff pressure must be controlled by the manometer.

Opioid Drugs in Patients With Liver Disease: A Systematic Review.

CONTEXT: The liver, one of the most important organs of the body, is known to be responsible for several functions. The functional contribution of the liver to the metabolism of carbohydrates, protein, drugs and toxins, fats and cholesterol and many other biological processes are still unknown. Liver disorders are classified into two types: acute and chronic. Different drugs are used in liver diseases to treat and control pain. Most pain relief medications such as opioids are metabolized via the liver; therefore, the adverse reactions of drugs are probably higher for patients with liver disease. The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of opioid drugs on patients with liver disease; therefore, it is necessary to select suitable opioids for such patients. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: This review was written by referring to research literature including 70 articles and four textbooks published from 1958 to 2015 on various reputable sites. Searches were carried out on the key phrases of narcotic pain relievers (opioids), acute and chronic hepatic failure, opioid adverse drug reactions, drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and other similar keywords. References included a variety of research papers (descriptive and analytical), intervention and review articles. RESULTS: In patients with liver disease, administration of opioid analgesics should be observed, accurately. As a general rule, lower doses of drugs should be administered at regular intervals based on the signs of drug accumulation. Secondly, the interactions of opioid drugs with different levels of substrates of the P450 cytochrome enzyme should be considered. CONCLUSIONS: Pain management in patients with liver dysfunction is always challenging to physicians because of the adverse reactions of drugs, especially opioids. Opioids should be used cautiously since they can cause sedation, constipation and sudden encephalopathy effects. Since the clearance of these drugs in patients with hepatic insufficiency is decreased, the initial dose must be decreased, the intervals between doses should be increased and some patients need to be continuously assessed.

Screening Performance Characteristic of Ultrasonography and Radiography in Detection of Pleural Effusion; a Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The role of ultrasonography in detection of pleural effusion has long been a subject of interest but controversial results have been reported. Accordingly, this study aims to conduct a systematic review of the available literature on diagnostic value of ultrasonography and radiography in detection of pleural effusion through a meta-analytic approach. METHODS: An extended search was done in databases of Medline, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ProQuest. Two reviewers independently extracted the data and assessed the quality of the articles. Meta-analysis was performed using a mixed-effects binary regression model. Finally, subgroup analysis was carried out in order to find the sources of heterogeneity between the included studies. RESULTS: 12 studies were included in this meta-analysis (1554 subjects, 58.6% male). Pooled sensitivity of ultrasonography in detection of pleural effusion was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.88-0.97; I2= 84.23, p<0.001) and its pooled specificity was calculated to be 0.98 (95% CI: 0.92-1.0; I2= 88.65, p<0.001), while sensitivity and specificity of chest radiography were 0.51 (95% CI: 0.33-0.68; I2= 91.76, p<0.001) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.68-0.98; I2= 92.86, p<0.001), respectively. Sensitivity of ultrasonography was found to be higher when the procedure was carried out by an intensivist or a radiologist using 5-10 MHz transducers. CONCLUSION: Chest ultrasonography, as a screening tool, has a higher diagnostic accuracy in identification of plural effusion compared to radiography. The sensitivity of this imaging modality was found to be higher when performed by a radiologist or an intensivist and using 5-10MHz probes.

Epidemiology of Alcohol Poisoning and Its Outcome in the North-West of Iran.

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol poisoning is one of the main preventable causes of death, disability, and injury in many societies. Ethanol and methanol are the most prevalent kinds of alcohol used. There is no any exact reports of alcohol poisoning and its outcome in Iranian society. Therefore, the present study was assessed the status of alcohol poisoning and its outcome in referees to the emergency department. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study, which was done from July 2013 to 2014 in Sina Trauma Center, Tabriz, Iran. The studied population included all alcohol-poisoning cases referred to this center. Demographic variables, clinical evaluation, laboratory tests, and patient's outcome were evaluated. To assess the relation between evaluated factors and outcome of alcohol poisoning. After univariate analysis, a multivariate logistic regression was applied to evaluate independent risk factors for death. P<0.05 was considered as a significant level. RESULTS: Lastly, 81 patients with alcohol poisoning were entered to the study (91.4% male) with the mean age of 27.9±10.4 years. Ten (12.3%) subjects were dialyzed and 34 (42%) cases hospitalized that 3 (3.7%) of them died. The multivariate logistic regression test displayed that plasma creatinine level (OR=2.2 95%Cl: 1.8-2.5; p=0.015) and need for dialysis (OR=6.4; 95%Cl: 5.3-7.5; p<0.001) were the only risk factors of death among these patients. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study revealed that total mortality rate of referees to the emergency with alcohol poisoning was 3.7% all of whom related to methanol poisoning. Based on this result, the mortality rate of methanol poisoning was estimated 20%. Need for dialysis and increasing the creatinine level were accounted as independent risk factors of death.

Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Organ Donation among Relatives of Patients Referred to the Emergency Department.

INTRODUCTION: Organ donation is one of the surviving procedures, which can increase the life expectancy of end-stage patients. Inappropriate beliefs and attitude of individuals to organ donation, their poor knowledge, and the socio-economic level are one of the most important barriers for organ donation. Therefore, here knowledge and attitude levels among relatives of trauma patients regarding organ donation were evaluated. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was done on relatives of trauma patients referred to the emergency department of Sina Hospital, Tabriz, Iran, through 2013 to 2014. The questionnaire included parts of demographic data and socio-economic situations as well as status of knowledge and attitude regarding organ donation. A score between 0-7 was belonged to each person based on his/her level of knowledge. Attitude level had a score between 0-12. Chi- square, Fisher, and Mann-Whitney U test were performed to assess the relation between demographic variables and the level of knowledge and attitude. P<0.05 was considered as a significant level. RESULTS: 79 persons (57.1% male) with the mean age of 31.3±11.3 years were evaluated. 57 (73.1%) of subjects agreed with organ transplant. The main causes of disagreement among relatives regarding organ donation were dissatisfaction of the donor's relatives (25%) and religious issues (15%). 49 (62.02%) studied people had inappropriate attitude and 27 (34.2%) ones had good knowledge. male gender (OR=5.87; 95%CI: 3.32-8.42; p=0.001) and self-employed job (OR=7.78; 95%CI: 4.64-10.92; p=0.001) are independent factors associated with poor knowledge about organ donation. Self-employed job (OR=3.86; 95%CI: 1.41-6.11; p=0.009) and poor knowledge (OR=15.3; 95%CI: 9.03-21.57; p<0.001) were related to inappropriate attitude toward organ donation. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that 73.1% of participants agreed with organ donation. The major causes of disagreements were dissatisfaction of other relatives and religious beliefs. 62.0% of the studied people had positive view regarding organ donation and 34.2% of them well informed about. The most important causative factors for poor knowledge in this context were male gender and self-employed occupation. In addition, poor knowledge and self-employed job were two factors associated with inappropriate attitude toward organ donation.

Thoracic Pneumorrhachis in Patient with Lumbar Fractures; a Case Report.

Pneumorrhachis as a relatively rare condition may be an indication of substantial intra-spinal column injury. Here we report a 39-year-old man was admitted because of low back pain and dyspenea after locating between motor vehicle and wall three days before admission. On arrival, physical exams and vital signs were normal. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed bilateral pleural effusion, fracture of ribs number 8, 9 and 10 in lower left side of thorax, fracture of vertebra in L2-L4, and air bubbles in upper thoracic spinal canal.

Transient Unexplained Shock in 30-year-old Trauma Patient.

Shock as an inadequate tissue perfusion is one of the frequent causes of death in trauma patients. In this context, there are various reasons for hemodynamic instability and shock including hypovolemic (hemorrhagic), obstructive (cardiac tamponade, tension pneumothorax), cardiogenic, neurogenic, and rarely septic. In the present report, a 30-year-old trauma patient with full clinical signs and symptoms of shock referred while had unknown origin; it was finally recognized as anaphylactic shock.

Effectiveness of oral ketamine, midazolam, and atropine cocktail versus oral diphenhydramine for pediatric sedation in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Sedation is a condition of reduced level of consciousness (LOC) for a patient that is created to decrease irritability, anxiety, and restlessness. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we compared the sedative effect of oral administration of ketamine, midazolam, and atropine cocktail with diphenhydramine in the referent children to the emergency department. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Based on the double-blind randomized clinical trial in this investigation, 80 children, who needed to repair their wounds with suture were randomly divided into two groups: group 1 and group 2, who have received oral diphenhydramine and oral ketamine, midazolam, and atropine cocktail, respectively. Behavioral changes were collected and recorded before, during intervention and two weeks after intervention. Statistical data were analyzed by SPSS-16 software and chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were employed to study the relations among variables. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between two groups in terms of drug acceptance and anxiety degree in children before intervention. Group 2 had achieved better and deeper sedation than group 1 during 45-minute post-medication (P < 0.05, P = 0.01). Regarding pediatric general behavior such as crying or interruptive moves, there was also a significant statistical difference between group 2 and group 1 (P = 0.009) based on Houpt Classification. The mean recovery times in groups 1 and 2 were 34.37 ± 14.23 min and 27.25 ± 5.14 min, respectively (P = 0.003). In terms of behavioral changes, the rate of cumulative frequency was computed for behavioral changes two weeks after the discharge from emergency department in which there were less behavioral changes in group 2 than in group 1 (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Oral administration of ketamine, midazolam, and atropine cocktail induces better sedation than diphenhydramine with respect to its limited mood changes in children, who need a medical procedure at emergency department.

A Young Man with Myocardial Infarction due to Trenbolone Acetate; a Case Report.

Over the four decades, a significant decrease has been observed in age-related mortality caused by cardiovascular disease. People in developing countries suffer from CAD at a relatively younger age and about half of MI occurs under the age of fifty years. Abuse of anabolic steroids is one of the less common causes of atherosclerosis. In this report, a 23-year-old body builder male referred to emergency department (ED) with myocardial infarction (MI) following chronic Trenbolone acetate consumption. It seems that a comprehensive history of steroid consumption in young patients referred to ED with the chief complaint of chest pain or its equivalents is necessary in adjunct to other cardiac risk factors.

Poisonous Spiders: Bites, Symptoms, and Treatment; an Educational Review.

More than 40,000 species of spiders have been identified in the world. Spider bites is a common problem among people, however few of them are harmful but delay in treatment can cause death. Since the spider bites are risk full to human, they should be taken seriously, especially in endemic areas. Our objective in this review was to study about poisonous spiders and find out treatments of them. Therefore, we collected related articles from PubMed database and Google Scholar. Three important syndromes caused by spider bites are loxoscelism, latrodectism and funnel web spider syndrome. Many treatments are used but much more studies should have done to decrease the mortality. In this review, we describes different venomous spiders according to their appearance, symptoms after their bites and available treatments.