Histological and microbiological evaluation of surgical wound closure in mouse skin with cyanoacrylate (Histoacryl®) in comparison to poliglecaprone (Monocryl®) traditional suture.

Incisional wound closure is a key surgical step to facilitate tissue healing, reduce the risk of infection and obtain esthetic and functional recovery. Cyanoacrylates such as Histoacryl® have become a popular choice in surgical veterinary practice. However, how Histoacryl® is affecting tissue regeneration and bacterial load in the wound in comparison to poliglecaprone (Monocryl®) traditional suture methods remains to be determined. This work aimed to evaluate how wounded tissue responds to traditional suture with Monocryl® (poliglecaprone 25/4-0) and Histoacryl®, as well as provide evidence of their effects on wound healing in mice. Fortyeight hours after the incisional procedure, wound tissue biopsies were prepared for histological and microbiological analysis. Biopsies were fixed and colored with Mallory's trichrome and hematoxylin-eosin stains. For microbiological assays, biopsies were suspended in tryptic soy broth (TSB) and 1/10 diluted to evaluate the number of CFU in nutrient agar plates. Our results show no differences between Histoacryl® and Monocryl® traditional suture suggesting that both methods could be used to treat wounds in small animals such as rodents.

The impact of liver disease and medical complications on quality of life and psychological distress before and after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The impact of liver disease and medical complications on quality of life (QOL) and psychological distress before and after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a matter of growing interest. METHODS: Perceived QOL (LEIPAD Quality of Life test) and psychological distress (Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI) were assessed in 40 cirrhotic patients listed for OLT (Group A) and in 101 liver transplant recipients (Groups B to G=0-6, 7-12, 13-24, 25-36, 37-48, 49-60 months post-OLT). Patients were also evaluated for medical complications, blood levels of immunosuppressive agents and recurrence of liver disease. RESULTS: QOL and psychological distress were significantly better in most of the post-OLT groups than in cirrhotic patients. Among post-OLT patients, a significantly worse QOL was perceived at 13-24 months (Life Satisfaction: Group D vs G, p=0.024; Cognitive Functioning: Group D vs F, p=0.024), while significantly greater psychological distress was detected at 7-12 months (Anxiety and Interpersonal Sensitivity: Group C vs Group B, p=0.032 and p=0.023, respectively). Medical complications and immunosuppressive therapy did not influence QOL or psychological distress after OLT. Within 6 months after OLT, patients with HCV recurrence showed significantly greater Depression (p=0.023), Anxiety (p=0.038), Phobic Anxiety (p=0.001), and Paranoid Ideation (p=0.033) than anti-HCV negative patients. CONCLUSIONS: Liver transplantation improves psychological distress and most, but not all, QOL domains. Recurrent HCV infection is associated with greater psychological distress.

[Psychological assistance in organ transplantation]. / L'assistenza psicologica nei trapianti d'organo.

The aim of this report is introducing with a series of psychological, psychiatric and psychosocial problems, that can arise, at every point, in the procedure of organ transplantations. Different areas of intervention are considered: the assistance to the patients and their families during the pre- and post-operative periods; the evaluation of transplant recipients' quality of life; ethical and psychological problems of living kidney donation; psychosocial support to donors' families; the training of the intensive therapy units to entertain relationships with donors' relatives; the delicate psychological aspects of transplantation during childhood. The sense of awareness about these matters is growing in Italy too, and many initiatives of psychological and psychiatric help are being developed in collaboration with several transplantation centres.

The effect of recurrence of HCV infection of life after liver transplantation.

The present study evaluated the quality of life (QOL) of adult cirrhotic patients before orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), the effect of OLT on QOL in the long-term and the effect of HCV recurrence within medical complications on QOL. Three groups of patients were studied: 19 pre-OLT, 33 during the first year post-OLT and 41 1 to 5 years post-OLT. The patients completed questionnaires on QOL and underwent liver function tests, immunosuppressive drug blood level determinations and medical complications evaluation. Somatization and depression and anxiety scores improved significantly during the first year post-OLT compared with pre-OLT, but they worsened again during the 1-5-year period post-OLT. Physical functioning and life satisfaction scores improved significantly during the first year post-OLT completed with pre-OLT and the improvement persisted 1-5-year during the period post-OLT. Patients with HCV recurrence compared with patients without HCV recurrence during the first year post-OLT showed a significant worsening of most of the domains of QOL. In conclusion, OLT improved most of the domains of QOL by the end of the first post-transplant year, though the improvements did not all persist in the long-term. Recurrence of HCV infection plays a major role in the impairment of QOL after OLT.

The use of complementary therapies by breast cancer patients attending conventional treatment.

The aim of this study was to measure the proportion and characteristics of complementary therapy (CT) users among female breast cancer patients receiving conventional treatment. 473 women who had received surgical intervention for breast cancer in the year of diagnosis were sent a questionnaire for completion, and 242 responded. CT had been used by 16.5% after cancer diagnosis, only 8.7% before. The most commonly used CTs were homeopathy, manual healing method, herbalism and acupuncture. The main reason for using CTs was physical distress. Only a minority was searching for psychological support. 24 users were satisfied with these treatments, and two-thirds would suggest them. Users were significantly younger, more educated, and previous users of CTs than non-users. Adjusting each variable for the effect of the others, only previous use had an independent effect on increasing the probability of being users after cancer diagnosis.

Natural killer cells in meningiomas.

A monoclonal antibody against the surface marker IOT-10 of natural killer (NK) cells was used to investigate the presence of these cells in a series of twenty intracranial meningiomas. In all of these tumours, IOT-10 positive NK cells were found in small numbers, mainly distributed among the tumor cells. Two recurrent tumors showed a relatively high number of immunostained cells. The data obtained in the present study suggest that a NK-cell-mediated immunological response can occur in meningioma tissue.

Immunohistochemical study of natural killer cells in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes of primary intracranial germinomas.

A monoclonal antibody against the surface marker IOT-10 of natural killer (NK) cells was used to investigate the presence and distribution of these cells in a series of nine primary intracranial germinomas. In all of these tumors, IOT-10-positive NK cells were found in small numbers, mainly distributed among the tumor cells. The data obtained in the present study suggest that the presence of NK cells in primary intracranial germinomas can be influenced by factors other than the mere quantity of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

Subependymoma of the cervical spinal cord.

A case of subependymoma of the spinal cord in the cervical region is presented. Our experience with this patient and the seven cases of spinal cord subependymoma previously reported show that this tumor predominates in the cervical region and in males (3:1). Although radical removal is considered the rational goal of treatment, larger experience is necessary to know both the rate of growth and prognosis of subependymomas when these tumors arise within the spinal cord.