The effects of acute hypoxia on tissue oxygenation and circulating alarmins in healthy adults.

The binding of high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB-1) to the membrane receptor for advanced glycation end-products (mRAGE) is a key early mediator of non-infectious inflammation and its triggers include ischaemia/hypoxia. The effects of acute hypoxia on soluble RAGE (sRAGE) are unknown. Fourteen healthy adults (50 % women; 26.6+/-3.8 years) were assessed at baseline normoxia (T0), followed by four time-points (T90, 95, 100 and 180 min) over three hours of continuous normobaric hypoxia (NH, 4,450 m equivalent) and again 60 min after return to normoxia (T240). A 5-min exercise step test was performed during NH at T90. Plasma concentrations of HMGB-1, sRAGE VCAM-1, ICAM-1, VEGF IL-8 and IL-13 were measured using venous blood. Arterial and tissue oxygen saturations were measured using pulse oximetry (SpO(2)) and near-infrared spectroscopy (StO(2)), respectively. NH led to a significant reduction in SpO(2), StO(2), sRAGE and VEGF, which was compounded by exercise, before increasing to baseline values with normoxic restoration (T240). NH-exercise led to a paired increase in HMGB-1. sRAGE inversely correlated with HMGB-1 (r=-0.32; p=0.006), heart rate (r=-0.43; p=0.004) but was not linked to SpO(2) or StO(2). In conclusion, short-term NH leads to a fall in sRAGE and VEGF concentrations with a transient rise post NH-exercise in HMGB-1.

Damage control surgery in the era of damage control resuscitation.

Damage control surgery (DCS) is a concept of abbreviated laparotomy, designed to prioritize short-term physiological recovery over anatomical reconstruction in the seriously injured and compromised patient. Over the last 10 yr, a new addition to the damage control paradigm has emerged, referred to as damage control resuscitation (DCR). This focuses on initial hypotensive resuscitation and early use of blood products to prevent the lethal triad of acidosis, coagulopathy, and hypothermia. This review aims to present the evidence behind DCR and its current application, and also to present a strategy of overall damage control to include DCR and DCS in conjunction. The use of DCR and DCS have been associated with improved outcomes for the severely injured and wider adoption of these principles where appropriate may allow this trend of improved survival to continue. In particular, DCR may allow borderline patients, who would previously have required DCS, to undergo early definitive surgery as their physiological derangement is corrected earlier.

Selective non-operative management of civilian gunshot wounds to the abdomen: a systematic review of the evidence.

BACKGROUND: Selective non-operative management (SNOM) of penetrating abdominal wounds has become increasingly common in the past two or three decades and is now accepted as routine management for stab wounds. Gunshot wounds are more frequently managed with mandatory laparotomy but recently SNOM has been successfully applied. This review systematically appraises the evidence behind SNOM for civilian abdominal gunshot wounds. METHODS: A Medline search from 1990 to present identified civilian studies examining success rates for SNOM of abdominal gunshot wounds. Case reports, editorials and abstracts were excluded. All other studies meeting the inclusion criteria of reporting the success rate of non-operative management of abdominal gunshot wounds were analysed. RESULTS: Sixteen prospective and six retrospective studies met the inclusion criteria, including 18,602 patients with abdominal gunshot wounds. 32.2% (n=6072) of patients were initially managed non-operatively and 15.5% (n=943) required a delayed laparotomy. The presence of haemodynamic instability, peritonitis, GI bleeding or any co-existing pathology that prevented frequent serial examination of the abdomen from being performed were indications for immediate laparotomy in all studies. Delayed laparotomy results in similar outcomes to those in patients subjected to immediate laparotomy. Implementation of SNOM reduces the rates of negative and non-therapeutic laparotomies and reduces overall length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: SNOM can be safely applied to some civilian patients with abdominal gunshot wounds and reduces the rates of negative or non-therapeutic laparotomy. Patients who require delayed laparotomy have similar rates of morbidity and mortality and similar length of stay to those patients who undergo immediate laparotomy.

Achieving the relocation accuracy of stereotactic frame-based cranial radiotherapy in a three-point thermoplastic shell.

AIMS: To compare the accuracy of fractionated cranial radiotherapy in a standard three-point thermoplastic shell using daily online correction with accuracy in a Gill-Thomas-Cosman relocatable stereotactic frame. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients undergoing fractionated radiotherapy for benign intracranial tumours between March 2009 and August 2010 were included. Patients were immobilised in the frame with those unable to tolerate it immobilised in the shell. The ExacTrac imaging system was used for verification/correction. Daily online imaging before and after correction was carried out for shell patients and systematic and random population set-up errors calculated. These were compared with frame patients who underwent standard departmental imaging/correction with fractions 1-3 and weekly thereafter. Set-up margins were calculated from population errors. RESULTS: Systematic and random errors were 0.3-0.7 mm/° before correction and 0.1-0.2 mm/° after correction in all axes in the frame, and 0.6-1.5 mm/° before correction and 0.1-0.4 mm/° after correction in the shell. Isotropic margins required for patient set-up could be reduced from 2 mm to <1 mm in the frame and from 5 mm to <1 mm in the shell. CONCLUSION: Similar set-up accuracy can be achieved in the standard thermoplastic shell as in a relocatable frame despite less precise immobilisation. The use of daily online correction precludes the need for larger set-up margins.

A case of pseudo-xanthoma elasticum presenting with ischaemic claudication.

A 37-year-old man presented with symptoms of intermittent claudication. Investigations revealed atypical calf vessel disease but no obvious aetiology. Ten years later he re-presented with worsening symptoms. CT angiography confirmed the atypical pattern of lower limb arterial disease but also noted calcification of the renal parenchyma, myocardium and scrotum. A diagnosis of pseudo-xanthoma elasticum was confirmed by skin biopsy. Pseudo-xanthoma elasticum is a rare condition that presents infrequently to vascular surgeons. Early recognition should prompt aggressive risk factor management to slow accelerated atherosclerosis. Clinicians should be aware of the clinical features of this condition to allow early diagnosis.

Secondary abdominal compartment syndrome after military wounding.

Intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome are increasingly recognised as causes of serious morbidity and mortality in critically injured patients, particularly those with significant burns. Identification of at risk patients, routine monitoring of intra-abdominal pressures and appropriate, early treatment may reduce the incidence and complication rate of abdominal compartment syndrome and so improve outcomes in critically injured personnel. We present the case of an American Marine injured in an explosion while on patrol in Afghanistan, who despite the absence of significant intraabdominal injury, went on to develop abdominal compartment syndrome and required decompressive laparotomy.

Ingestion of potassium permanganate crystals by a three-year-old boy.

We report a case of corrosive burns to the mouth, oesophagus and trachea in a three-year-old boy who ingested potassium permanganate crystals. The pathophysiology and treatment options are discussed. The prevention of accidental ingestion could be improved with careful packaging of the solid tablet or crystalline forms.

Changes in maternal and child mortality rates in three isolated Gambian villages over ten years.

As an adjunct to the general nutrition research programme, the MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit has provided for the past 10 years a continuous medical service to three adjacent rural Gambian villages. There have been substantial reductions in annual childhood mortality rates. Perinatal mortality fell from 109.6 to 45.5 per 1000 births, infant mortality from 148.5 to 24.5 per 1000 live births, and mortality in children aged 1-4 years from 109.1 to 13.3 per 1000. There have been no pregnancy-related maternal deaths in the community for 8 years; 16 could have been expected given current estimates of maternal mortality elsewhere in rural Gambia. Of all the health and nutritional interventions introduced the single most important factor has apparently been the on-the-spot, 24 h availability of a physician or qualified midwife.

PIP: As an adjunct to the general nutrition research program, the MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit has for the past 10 years provided a continuous medical service to 3 adjacent rural Gambian villages. There have been substantial reductions in annual childhood mortality rates: perinatal mortality fell from 109.6 to 45.5/1000 births, infant mortaliyt from 148.5 to 24.5/1000 live births, and mortality in children ages 1-4 from 109.1 to 13.3/1000. There have been no pregnancy-related maternal deaths in the community for 8 years, although 16 could have been expected given current estimates of maternal mortality elsewhere in rural Gambia. Of all the health and nutritional interventions introduced, the most improtant factor has apparently been the on-the-spot, 24-hour availability of a physician or qualifited midwife.

Comparison of three procedures for isolating human ferritin, for use as a standard in an immunoradiometric assay.

We evaluated three methods for isolating ferritin for use as a standard, with respect to purity of the products, ease of preparation, and yield. Examination of the respective products by gel filitration on Sephadex G-200 and Sepharose 6B suggested that the preparations isolated by ammonium sulfate and cadmium sulfate precipitation (Method 1) and by ultracentrifugation (Method 2) were homogeneous, while the product of a procedure including precipitation with ammonium sulfate (Method 3) contained significant amounts of nonferritin protein. The ratios of ferritin as measured by immunoradiometric assay to the amount of protein in the product indicated the ferritin prepared by Method 1 to be the most highly purified. Methods 1 and 2 were both comparatively simple. Although the yield from Method 1 was lowest, it is probably the method of choice, on the basis of the ease of obtaining a highly purified product. The most appropriate method for estimating protein in the isolated preparations appears to be that of Lowry et al.