Increased salvage rates with early reexploration: A retrospective analysis of 547 free flap cases.

BACKGROUND: Free flap complications are generally rare, but not negligible since they may exert paramount impact on both patients and care providers. The aim of the study was to identify risk factors for reexploration and assess predictors associated with increased salvage rates. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted for free flaps performed between 2006 and 2015. Patient demographics, indications and flap types were analyzed together with complications and time to reexploration. RESULTS: Among 547 consecutive free flaps, 11.5% required acute reexploration. Hematoma together with vascular compromise was the main cause (41.9%) for reexploration, followed by hematoma only (19.4%), venous (16.1%) and arterial (6.5%) thrombosis. Hematoma was associated with an increased risk for concomitant vascular complication (p < 0.02). The incidence of total and partial flap necrosis was 3.5% and 3.7% respectively. There was an overall 71.4% salvage rate. The median time from detection of a compromised flap to reexploration was 3.0 h. Significantly higher salvage rates were observed for cases reexplored within (82.4%) compared to after (57.1%) 3.0 h (OR 3.50 (95% CI 1.10 to 11.13, p = 0.034)). CONCLUSIONS: The current study highlights the importance of early intervention, including evacuation of hematomas that may lead to vascular compromise. Adequate monitoring of venous outflow was found necessary to improve flap salvage rates, whereas arterial complications were mainly related to persistent arterial injury in traumatized extremities with reduced salvage rates. Free flap surgery requires trained staff and immediate access to operating facilities to ensure high flap survival rates.

Value of Emergent Neurovascular Imaging for "Seat Belt Injury": A Multi-institutional Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Screening for blunt cerebrovascular injury in patients after motor vehicle collision (MVC) solely based on the presence of cervical seat belt sign has been debated in the literature without consensus. Our aim was to assess the value of emergent neurovascular imaging in patients after an MVC who present with a seat belt sign through a large-scale multi-institutional study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The electronic medical records of patients admitted to the emergency department with CTA/MRAs performed with an indication of seat belt injury of the neck were retrospectively reviewed at 5 participating institutions. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association among age, sex, and additional trauma-related findings with blunt cerebrovascular injury. RESULTS: Five hundred thirty-five adult and 32 pediatric patients from June 2003 until March 2020 were identified. CTA findings were positive in 12/567 (2.1%) patients for the presence of blunt cerebrovascular injury of the vertebral (n = 8) or internal carotid artery (n = 4) in the setting of acute trauma with the seat belt sign. Nine of 12 patients had symptoms, signs, or risk factors for cervical blunt cerebrovascular injury other than the seat belt sign. The remaining 3 patients (3/567, 0.5%) had Biffl grades I-II vascular injury with no neurologic sequelae. The presence of at least 1 additional traumatic finding or the development of a new neurologic deficit was significantly associated with the presence of blunt cerebrovascular injury among adult patients, with a risk ratio of 11.7 (P = .001). No children had blunt cerebrovascular injury. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of vascular injury in the presence of the cervical seat belt sign is small, and most patients diagnosed with blunt cerebrovascular injury have other associated findings. Therefore, CTA based solely on this sign has limited value (3/567 = a 0.5% positivity rate). We suggest that in the absence of other clinical findings, the seat belt sign does not independently justify neck CTA in patients after trauma.

Opioid Use Is Reduced in Patients Treated with NSAIDs After Arthroscopic Bankart Repair: A Randomized Controlled Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as the primary postoperative pain medication compared with standard oral opioids after arthroscopic shoulder capsulolabral (Bankart) repair for recurrent anterior shoulder instability. METHODS: This was a single-center, prospective, randomized controlled study. Patients aged 18 to 65 years indicated for arthroscopic shoulder capsulolabral repair for recurrent anterior shoulder instability were included. Postoperatively, patients were prescribed 1 of 2 analgesic regimens: (1) 30 ibuprofen (600 mg every 6 to 8 hours as needed) and 10 tablets of oxycodone/acetaminophen (5/325 mg every 6 hours as needed for breakthrough pain) or (2) 30 tablets oxycodone/acetaminophen (5/325 mg every 6 hours as needed). Subjects completed questionnaires at 24, 48, and 96 hours and 1 week after surgery, which included questions about analgesic medication usage, visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, incidence of adverse events, and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Between December 2017 and May 2019, 80 patients (mean age 31.3 ± 10.4 years) were enrolled. Overall there were no significant differences in VAS pain score or patient satisfaction between the 2 groups. Patients in the opioid-only group had a significantly higher mean opioid consumption on postoperative days (PODs) 2 to 4 (5.5 versus 2.9, P = .05) and after 1 week (11.7 versus 7.9 tablets, P = .05) compared with patients in the NSAID group. Of patients in the NSAID group, 17.5% experienced adverse effects, compared with 35% in the opioid-only group. CONCLUSIONS: Use of oral NSAIDs with limited breakthrough opioids results in significantly less opioid use after arthroscopic Bankart repair in the first postoperative week compared with opioids only. Both groups used limited amounts of opioids to control postoperative pain. There were no differences in pain levels at any time point postoperatively or satisfaction between patient groups. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II, nonblinded randomized control trial.

Biological and clinical significance of T helper 17 cell deficiency: insight into monogenic defects.

Summary: T helper 17 (Th17) are a CD4+ T subpopulation cells which are involved in the host protection against microbes such as extracellular and intracellular bacteria, parasites, fungi, and viruses. Monogenic defects including those mutations in some genes such as the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)1 and 3, dedicator of cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8), autoimmune regulator (AIRE), and interleukin 17 receptor A (IL-17RA) can lead to impairment in Th17 cell development and function along with the concomitant increased risk for chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC). The immunologic abnormalities in these patients include low frequency of Th17 cells; defective cutaneous or in vitro T cell response to Candida species, and/or autoantibodies against relevant cytokines. This review outlines the biological characteristics and functionality of Th17 cells, as well as the clinical features of individuals with genetic defects associated with Th17 deficiency.

Surgical Intervention for Femoroacetabular Impingement Can Lead to Improvements in Both Hip and Back Function in Patients With Coexisting Chronic Back Pain at 1-Year Follow-Up.

PURPOSE: To determine whether patients with coexisting lumbar back pain experience back pain improvement after undergoing hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). METHODS: An institutional review board-approved retrospective chart review compared patients undergoing hip arthroscopy for FAI with lumbar spine back pain to patients solely reporting hip pain. The modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) and Nonarthritic Hip Score (NAHS) were recorded preoperatively and at 1-year follow up. The Oswestry Disability Index score, which quantifies disability from lower back pain, and visual analog scale were recorded from the hip-spine cohort alone. Statistical analysis was performed using paired sample t tests with P ≤ .05 considered significant. RESULTS: Sixty-eight patients who underwent hip arthroscopy between November 2016 and October 2018 were enrolled. Thirty-four patients with a mean age of 48.2 ± 14.0 years and body mass index of 26.6 ± 6.6 had a history of back pain and 34 patients were age- and sex-matched for the matched-control (MC) cohort. The MC cohort had lower mHHS and NAHS scores preoperatively. The MC cohort reported a larger increase in the mHHS (P = .01) and NAHS scores (P = .01) postoperatively. More patients in the MC cohort reached minimally clinically important difference with mHHS (P = .003) and NAHS (P = .06). Following surgery, the hip-spine cohort reported a lower Oswestry Disability Index score, indicating minimal disability (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical intervention for FAI can lead to improvements in hip and back pain in patients with coexisting lumbar pathology. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III, retrospective comparative study.

Sensitive Detection of Infratentorial and Upper Cervical Cord Lesions in Multiple Sclerosis with Combined 3D FLAIR and T2-Weighted (FLAIR3) Imaging.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Infratentorial and spinal cord lesions are important for diagnosing and monitoring multiple sclerosis, but they are difficult to detect on conventional MR imaging. We sought to improve the detection of infratentorial and upper cervical cord lesions using composite FLAIR3 images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 3D T2-weighted FLAIR and 3D T2-weighted images were acquired in 30 patients with MS and combined using the FLAIR3 formula. FLAIR3 was assessed against 3D T2-FLAIR by comparing the number of infratentorial and upper cervical cord lesions per subject using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Intrarater and interrater reliability was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient. The number of patients with and without ≥1 visible infratentorial/spinal cord lesion on 3D T2-FLAIR versus FLAIR3 was calculated to assess the potential impact on the revised MS diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: Compared with 3D T2-FLAIR, FLAIR3 detected significantly more infratentorial (mean, 4.6 ± 3.6 versus 2.0 ± 1.8, P < .001) and cervical cord (mean, 1.58 ± 0.94 versus 0.46 ± 0.45, P < .001) lesions per subject. FLAIR3 demonstrated significantly improved interrater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.77 [95% CI, 0.63-0.87] versus 0.60 [95% CI, 0.40-0.76] with 3D T2-FLAIR, P = .019) and a tendency toward a higher intrarater reliability (0.86 [95% CI, 0.73-0.93] versus 0.79 [95% CI, 0.61-0.89], P = .23). In our cohort, 20%-30% (47%-67%) of the subjects with MS had ≥ 1 infratentorial (cervical cord) lesion visible only on FLAIR3. CONCLUSIONS: FLAIR3 provides higher sensitivity than T2-FLAIR for the detection of MS lesions in infratentorial brain parenchyma and the upper cervical cord.

Indentation and Transverse Diameter of the Meckel Cave: Imaging Markers to Diagnose Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Clinical and imaging manifestations of idiopathic intracranial hypertension should prompt early diagnosis and treatment to avoid complications. Multiple diagnostic imaging criteria are reported to suggest the diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension with questionable sensitivity and/or specificity. Increased intracranial pressure results in dilation of the perineural cisternal spaces such as the optic nerve sheaths and the Meckel cave. It may also cause protrusion of cisternal structures of the Meckel cave through the skull base foramina, which could result in indentation or a bilobed appearance of the Meckel cave. We investigated the changes in the Meckel cave in patients with proved idiopathic intracranial hypertension versus healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 75 patients with a diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension and 75 age-and sex-matched healthy controls. The transverse diameter of Meckel cave was measured in the axial and coronal planes of T2-weighted MR imaging sequences, and comparison was made between the 2 groups. RESULTS: The mean diameters of the Meckel cave on the coronal T2 plane in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension were 5.21 ± 1.22 mm on the right side and 5.16 ± 0.90 mm on the left side, while in the control group, they measured 3.89 ± 0.62 mm and 4.09 ± 0.68 mm, respectively (P value < .001). Of 75 patients with an approved diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension, 57 (76%) showed an indented Meckel cave as opposed to 21 (28%) in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm for the first time that the shape and size of the Meckel cave can be used as sensitive and specific diagnostic imaging markers for the diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

Short-Term Clinical Outcomes of High Tibial Osteotomy with the iBalance HTO System.

PURPOSE: High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is an invaluable tool in the treatment of a variety of conditions in active patients with varus malalignment of the knee. The polyetheretherketone (PEEK) iBalance HTO system has been designed to make the osteotomy safer, more reproducible, and avoid metal hardware related complications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate short-term outcomes in patients who underwent an open wedge high tibial osteotomy with the iBalance HTO system. METHODS: We identified patientswho underwent HTO using iBalance with a minimum of 2-year follow-up. Medical records were reviewed for demographics, Workers Compensation and no-fault insurance claims, history of smoking, concomitant procedures, degree of correction, and complications. Patient outcomes using Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and visual analog scale (VAS) were recorded before undergoing HTO and compared with those recorded after a 2-year follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed using paired sample t-tests with p < 0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients with mean age of 44.9 (± 8.48) were identified. The mean correction angle was 9.9° (range: 5° to 15°). Sixteen patients underwent a concomitant procedure. The average follow-up was 2 years (range: 2 to 3.5 years). Six patients reported a positive history of smoking. The mean preoperative KOOS scores of symptoms, pain, activities of daily living (ADL), sport, and quality of life were 14 (± 18.5), 53.1 (± 14.8), 69.1 (± 21.7), 29.2 (± 22.0), and 30.0 (± 20.0), respectively. The mean preoperative VAS score was 5.5 (± 2.5). At follow-up, the mean scores of symptoms, pain, ADL, sport, and quality of life all improved to 67.53 (± 24.9), 68.06 (± 23.4), 75.74 (± 25.3), 45.91 (± 36.1), and 43.47 (± 33.4), respectively. The mean VAS at follow-up was 1.9 (± 2.1). There was a significant increase (p < 0.05) in all KOOS categories, except ADL. Additionally, there was a statistical difference between smoking and change in ADL score. Former smokers demonstrated an average decrease of 10.3 points, increasing their disability, and nonsmokers increased 15.3 points on the KOOS ADL scale, decreasing their disability. There were three complications (DVT, cellulitis, and serosanguinous drainage) within a month after the procedure. There were three complications, including a revision HTO, pes anserine bursitis, and lateral hamstring tendinitis, within the 2-year follow up including one revision after 1 year. Five patients went on to total knee arthroplasty at an average of 3 years (range: 1 to 5 years). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the iBalance medial opening wedge HTO system implant can be used with comparable outcomes to traditional methods, however the conversion rate to total knee arthroplasty may be higher than previously reported. This appears to be unrelated to implant choice and likely related to extended indications for the procedure in younger patients refusing knee arthroplasty. The iBalance medial opening wedge HTO system has shown to be safe, removing many of the complications existing with other osteotomy implant options. Our findings highlight the importance of additional studies in order to investigate the risk factors causing progression from HTO to TKA.

Risk factors for post-operative complications after sentinel lymph node biopsy for cutaneous melanoma: Results from a large cohort study.

BACKGROUND: A sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is a common surgical procedure for cutaneous melanoma. Our aim was to evaluate risk factors for early post-operative complications after SLN biopsy and to examine the impact of complications on health care resource utilisation. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study including all adult patients who underwent a SLN biopsy for cutaneous melanoma in the Stockholm region from 2006 to 2014. Data of patient and tumour characteristics were collected from medical records, as well as information on complications and outpatient visits within 30 days from surgery. Risk factors were evaluated through logistic regression. RESULTS: Out of 886 patients who underwent SLN biopsy during the study period, 109 (12.3%) had one or several post-operative complications. The most common complication was a wound infection (7.7%), followed by seroma (6.4%). The risk of a post-operative complication was increased in patients with diabetes (odds ratio (OR) = 10.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.0-24.6), who had inguinal location of SLN (OR = 2.7, 95% CI 1.7-4.3), who were male (OR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-2.9) and who had ulceration of the primary tumour (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.0-2.6). Individuals with post-operative complications had more visits to the outpatient clinic (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Complications after SLN biopsy affect 12.3% of patients. Our results suggest that patients with diabetes, who had inguinal SLN biopsy and who were male have increased risk, and this might warrant more intense post-operative surveillance.

The profile of IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and GATA3 in patients with LRBA deficiency and CVID with no known monogenic disease: Association with disease severity.

BACKGROUND: Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most common symptomatic form of primary immunodeficiency (PID). LPS-responsive beige-like anchor protein (LRBA) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by a CVID-like phenotype. T cell abnormality was reported in patients with CVID and LRBA deficiency. The study's aim was to evaluate IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and GATA3 expression in patients with LRBA deficiency and CVID with no known monogenic disease, and further evaluate its relevance with immunological futures and clinical complications of patients. METHODS: The study population comprised patients with CVID, LRBA deficiency and age-sex matched healthy controls. Mutation analysis was done by whole exome sequencing in CVID patients to rule out monogenic PIDs. After CD4+ T cell stimulation with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 monoclonal antibodies, gene expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and transcription factor GATA3 was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The protein of mentioned cytokines was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The main clinical presentations of CVID patients were infections only and lymphoproliferations phenotypes, but in LRBA patients were autoimmune and enteropathy phenotype. The frequencies of CD4+ T cells were significantly reduced in LRBA and CVID patients. There were no statistically significant differences among GATA3, IL4, and IL5 gene expressions by CD4+ T cells of patients and controls, however, the IL10 expressions in CVID patients was significantly lower than in LRBA patients and HCs. As compared with HCs, CVID patients showed a prominent decrease in IL-4 and IL-10 production by CD4+ T cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that patients with CVID and LRBA deficiency (even with severe infectious and inflammatory complications) have not imbalance in Th2 response, which is in parallel with lower frequency of allergy and asthma in these patients.

Detection of the Stellate and Thoracic Sympathetic Chain Ganglia with High-Resolution 3D-CISS MR Imaging.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Despite the importance of the sympathetic nervous system in homeostasis and its putative role in various disease states, little is known regarding our ability to image the sympathetic chain and sympathetic chain ganglia, perhaps owing to their small size. In this retrospective study, we sought to evaluate the normal anatomy of the sympathetic chain ganglia and assess the detectability of the sympathetic chain and sympathetic chain ganglia on high-resolution 3D-CISS images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 29 patients who underwent 3D-CISS MR imaging of the thoracic spine for reasons unrelated to abnormalities of the sympathetic nervous system. Patients with a prior spinal operation or visible spinal pathology were excluded. The sympathetic chain ganglia were evaluated using noncontrast 3D-CISS MR imaging. Statistical analyses included t tests and measures of central tendency. The Cohen κ statistic was calculated to evaluate interrater reliability. RESULTS: The stellate ganglion and thoracic chain ganglia were identified in all subjects except at the T10-T11 and T11-T12 levels. The stellate ganglion was found inferomedial to the subclavian artery and anterior and inferior to the transverse process of C7 in all subjects. Thoracic sympathetic chain ganglia were identified ventral to the costovertebral junction in all subjects from T2 to T10. There was strong interobserver agreement for the detection of the sympathetic chain ganglia with κ > 0.80. The size, shape, and location of these structures corresponded with gross anatomic and surgical observations. CONCLUSIONS: The thoracic sympathetic chain ganglia can be identified on precontrast 3D-CISS MR imaging. This technique may aid in the initial evaluation of stellate ganglion and/or sympathetic chain ganglia size and signal change for comparison in future studies.

Deriving an optimal threshold of waist circumference for detecting cardiometabolic risk in sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND: Waist circumference (WC) thresholds derived from western populations continue to be used in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) despite increasing evidence of ethnic variation in the association between adiposity and cardiometabolic disease and availability of data from African populations. We aimed to derive a SSA-specific optimal WC cut-point for identifying individuals at increased cardiometabolic risk. METHODS: We used individual level cross-sectional data on 24 181 participants aged ⩾15 years from 17 studies conducted between 1990 and 2014 in eight countries in SSA. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to derive optimal WC cut-points for detecting the presence of at least two components of metabolic syndrome (MS), excluding WC. RESULTS: The optimal WC cut-point was 81.2 cm (95% CI 78.5-83.8 cm) and 81.0 cm (95% CI 79.2-82.8 cm) for men and women, respectively, with comparable accuracy in men and women. Sensitivity was higher in women (64%, 95% CI 63-65) than in men (53%, 95% CI 51-55), and increased with the prevalence of obesity. Having WC above the derived cut-point was associated with a twofold probability of having at least two components of MS (age-adjusted odds ratio 2.6, 95% CI 2.4-2.9, for men and 2.2, 95% CI 2.0-2.3, for women). CONCLUSION: The optimal WC cut-point for identifying men at increased cardiometabolic risk is lower (⩾81.2 cm) than current guidelines (⩾94.0 cm) recommend, and similar to that in women in SSA. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these cut-points based on cardiometabolic outcomes.International Journal of Obesity advance online publication, 31 October 2017; doi:10.1038/ijo.2017.240.

The impact of using different doses of progesterone on memory performance.

OBJECTIVE: Progesterone is a sex hormone and its receptors are expressed throughout the hippocampus. This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of different doses of progesterone on memory. METHODS: Male rats were arbitrarily assigned to nine groups, namely Group I: control, Group II: control-cannula, Group III received 0.5 µl of saline by cannula, Groups IV , V, VI, VII and VIII received progesterone in doses of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 3 µg/ 0.5 µl by cannula, respectively. Group IX received 0.5 µl almond oil by cannula. Memory performance was tested in form of passive avoidance task. RESULTS: Our results indicated that progesterone at doses of 1.5 and 2 µg (p < 0.05) significantly increased the memory performance while at a dose of 3 µg (p < 0.05), it significantly decreased memory as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The current study revealed that the influence of progesterone on memory is related to its dose (Fig. 1, Ref. 25).

Whole-genome association study of antibody response to Epstein-Barr virus in an African population: a pilot.

Epstein Barr virus (EBV) infects 95% of the global population and is associated with up to 2% of cancers globally. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels to EBV have been shown to be heritable and associated with developing malignancies. We, therefore, performed a pilot genome-wide association analysis of anti-EBV IgG traits in an African population, using a combined approach including array genotyping, whole-genome sequencing and imputation to a panel with African sequence data. In 1562 Ugandans, we identify a variant in human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQA1, rs9272371 (p = 2.6 × 10-17) associated with anti-EBV nuclear antigen-1 responses. Trans-ancestry meta-analysis and fine-mapping with European-ancestry individuals suggest the presence of distinct HLA class II variants driving associations in Uganda. In addition, we identify four putative, novel, very rare African-specific loci with preliminary evidence for association with anti-viral capsid antigen IgG responses which will require replication for validation. These findings reinforce the need for the expansion of such studies in African populations with relevant datasets to capture genetic diversity.

Heterogeneity of HIV incidence: a comparative analysis between fishing communities and in a neighbouring rural general population, Uganda, and implications for HIV control.

OBJECTIVES: To describe HIV heterogeneity in rural Uganda using incidence data collected between January 2012 and December 2014 among fishing cohort (FC) and in an adjacent rural general population cohort (GPC). METHODS: In the FC, eligible HIV high-risk adults aged 18+ years were enrolled, followed and HIV tested every 3 months. Demographic and sexual behaviour data were also collected. The GPC, approximately 47 km away from the FC, was followed through annual surveys, and sociodemographic and behavioural data collected. A subset of GPC with comparable risk profiles to the FC was selected. We presented sociodemographic and risk profiles and also computed stratified HIV incidence. Cox regression was used to assess factors associated with HIV incidence. RESULTS: Overall HIV incidence was higher in the FC than in the 'high-risk' GPC, 6.04 and 0.56 per 100 person years at risk, respectively, with a rate ratio (RR) of 10.83 (95% CI 6.11 to 19.76). This was higher among those aged 18-24 years, unmarried and those with more than two sex partners in the past year, RR of 15.44, 22.99 and 19.29, respectively. In the FC, factors associated with high incidence in multivariate analysis were duration in the community and unprotected sex. The factors in the GPC were ethnicity, marital status and duration in the community. CONCLUSIONS: We have observed a substantial heterogeneity in HIV incidence. The high incidence in fishing communities is contributing greatly to the overall HIV burden in Uganda, and thus urgent combination prevention efforts are needed towards national goal to reduce HIV epidemic.

Impact comparison of ketamine and sodium thiopental on anesthesia during electroconvulsive therapy in major depression patients with drug-resistant; a double-blind randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the available and the most effective therapies for the treatment of resistant depression. Considering the crucial role of seizure duration on therapeutic response in patients treated with ECT, this study aimed to compare the effect of ketamine and sodium thiopental anesthesia during ECT for treatment of patients with drug-resistant major depression (DRMD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a double-blind randomized clinical trial, 160 patients with DRMD were selected consequently and were assigned randomly into two groups including ketamine 0.8 mg/kg and sodium thiopental 1.5 mg/kg. The seizure duration, recovery time, and the side effects of anesthesia were evaluated after 1-h after anesthesia. Data of recovery time and complication collected in 2 nd , 4 th , 6 th , and 8 th ECT. Depression was assessed by Hamilton depression scale. RESULTS: The results indicated that ketamine and sodium thiopental had a significant effect on the reduction of depression scores in patients with DRMD (P < 0.05). Complications such as a headache, nausea, pain at the injection site, short-term delirium, and long-term delirium were higher in ketamine group (P > 0.05). But ketamine was more effective in improvement of depression score and increasing systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.05). The mean of seizure duration showed a decreasing trend and was significant between two study groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Anesthesia induced by ketamine during ECT therapy increased blood pressure and seizure duration. Therefore, due to lower medical complication and attack rate of seizure, ketamine is an appropriate option for anesthesia with ECT in patients with DRMD.

The Association of Mean Platelet Volume with Intra Ventricular Hemorrhage and Broncho Pulmonary Dysplasia in Preterm Infants.

BACKGROUND: Interventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and Broncho pulmonary dysplasia(BPD) commonly occur in premature infants and they associate with platelet dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of MPV and occurrence of IVH and BPD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross sectional study, 3 groups including IVH, BPD and control were compared. All participants were preterm neonates with <35 weeks of gestation. MPV was recorded during the first 48 hours of life for all cases. Data were reported by descriptive statistics and analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient, spearman correlation coefficient, paired T test and multinomial regression analysis in SPSS version 17. RESULTS: Higher MPV level was noted in BPD and IVH groups versus control group (9.79±0.73 fl and 10±1.04 fl versus 8.33±0,91 fl p<0.0001). Also, most participants in BPD (93.3%) and IVH (73.3%) groups had MPV >9 fl compared to controls (16.7%) (p<0.0001). Regression analysis showed that only MPV related to the occurrence of IVH (OR=2.200 95%CI p=0.013) and elevated MPV significantly increased duration of O2 therapy (p<0.0001) and mechanical ventilation (p=0.0010). CONCLUSION: MPV value at first 48 hours of life can be noted as a simple biomarker for occurrence of BPD and specially IVH in preterm infants.

The Medical Research Council (UK)/Uganda Virus Research Institute Uganda Research Unit on AIDS--'25 years of research through partnerships'.

For the past 25 years, the Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute Uganda Research Unit on AIDS has conducted research on HIV-1, coinfections and, more recently, on non-communicable diseases. Working with various partners, the research findings of the Unit have contributed to the understanding and control of the HIV epidemic both in Uganda and globally, and informed the future development of biomedical HIV interventions, health policy and practice. In this report, as we celebrate our silver jubilee, we describe some of these achievements and the Unit's multidisciplinary approach to research. We also discuss the future direction of the Unit; an exemplar of a partnership that has been largely funded from the north but led in the south.