Sleep Disorders in ESRD Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis.

Kidney failure affects different aspects of normal life. Among different manifestations, sleep problem can be considered as a common complaint of ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease) patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the interrelationship between sleep disorders in ESRD patients and their characteristics. Through a cross-sectional study (2010-2011), 88 ESRD patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis thrice weekly were recruited to enter the study. We used a self-administered questionnaire into which the data were reflected. The patients selected their specific sleep disorders using a nine-item scale while the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) determined both the presence and severity of sleep disorders. The data was finally analyzed with their baseline characteristics, dialysis characteristics, medication/stimulants use, and clinical and biochemical parameters. Over 95% of the patients had, at least, one specific sleep disorder while the ESS revealed 36.36% of patients as normal, 59.09% as having mild sleep disorders, and 4.54% as having moderate to severe sleep disorders. Sleep disorders were significantly correlated with older ages (P=0.035), dialysis dose (P=0.001), blood creatinine levels (P=0.037), upper airways obstruction (P=0.035), hepatomegaly (P=0.006), hepatic failure (P=0.001), higher blood TSH levels (P=0.039), history of hypothyroidism (P=0.005), and the use of levodopa (P=0.004), anti-hypertensive medications (P=0.006), benzodiazepines (P=0.006), Eprex (Erythropoietin) (P=0.001), Venofer (Iron Sucrose Injection) (P=0.013), and phosphate-binders agents (P=0.018). Sleep disorders are common findings among ESRD patients and seem to be a more complicated issue than a simple accumulation of the wastes products in the body. Whatever the causes of sleep disorders are, disorder-specific treatments should be considered.

Oncoplastic surgery in breast conservation: a prospective evaluation of the patients, techniques, and oncologic outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The oncologic efficacy of breast-conserving therapies has been established in recent decades. Oncoplastic breast surgery (OBS), as a leap forward in breast conservation, offers concomitant techniques of oncologic and plastic surgeries that grant better esthetic results. The outcomes of our oncoplastic surgeries from 2007 to 2012 are reported. METHODS: A series of 258 cases with breast masses (18 benign and 240 carcinomas) were operated on by OBS techniques and prospectively followed. Neoadjuvant and adjuvant oncologic treatments were also delivered as indicated. RESULTS: Free margins were obtained in 95% of cancer patients. During the 26 months of follow-up, local recurrence happened in 7 (2.9%) patients, of which 1 underwent oncologic therapies and 6 underwent completion mastectomy. Complications postponed adjuvant therapies in 3 (1.2%) patients. Postsurgically, metastases were diagnosed in 8 (3.3%) patients. Two patients (.8%) died of cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes of OBS are oncologically acceptable with low frequencies of positive margins and recurrence, while cosmetic results are much improved by OBS.

From radical mastectomy to breast-conserving therapy and oncoplastic breast surgery: a narrative review comparing oncological result, cosmetic outcome, quality of life, and health economy.

Surgical management of breast cancer has evolved considerably over the last two decades. There has been a major shift toward less-invasive local treatments, from radical mastectomy to breast-conserving therapy (BCT) and oncoplastic breast surgery (OBS). In order to investigate the efficacy of each of the three abovementioned methods, a literature review was conducted for measurable outcomes including local recurrence, survival, cosmetic outcome, quality of life (QOL), and health economy. From the point of view of oncological result, there is no difference between mastectomy and BCT in local recurrence rate and survival. Long-term results for OBS are not available. The items assessed in the QOL sound a better score for OBS in comparison with mastectomy or BCT. OBS is also associated with a better cosmetic outcome. Although having low income seems to be associated with lower BCT and OBS utilization, prognosis of breast cancer is worse in these women as well. Thus, health economy is the matter that should be studied seriously. OBS is an innovative, progressive, and complicated subspeciality that lacks published randomized clinical trials comparing surgical techniques and objective measures of outcome, especially from oncologic and health economy points of view.

A novel test to differentiate anosmic malingerers from actually anosmic patients.

BACKGROUND: The available olfactory evaluation tests are mainly subjective methods requiring patients' collaboration. If, for any reason, the patients refuse to honestly report what they perceive, the test reliability will be questionable; this condition is potentially observable in malingering patients because of their financial or psychosocial incentives. In an olfactory discrimination test context, this study was aimed to design a test capable of distinguishing malingerer from actually anosmic or severely hyposmic patients. METHODS: The pilot experiment of our methodology study determined five substances (coffee, lemon, rosewater, thyme, and garlic) as qualified odors of a 20-item odor discrimination test and set its normal reference value at 15. Through two simulations, 70 normosmic participants emulated actual anosmia and also malingering. The outcome results were used to measure test reliability factors. RESULTS: During the malingering simulation, only seven participants were capable of keeping their scores at the test chance level with enough randomness in their sequences of answers while the actual anosmia simulation revealed that 39 had scores at the test chance level. Accordingly, the Tehran University Odor Discrimination Test (TUODT) was measured to have 90% sensitivity, 55.71% specificity, 67.02% positive predictive value, and 84.78%negative predictive value. CONCLUSION: The TUODT is a relatively efficient method to identify anosmia malingerers.

Litigation after nasal plastic surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Esthetic surgeries are among the commonest medical procedures in the world nowadays; and as statistics declare, there has been a rapid increase in the rate of rhinoplasty during the recent years. Hence, as the number of cosmetic surgeries rises, the increment in the number of physicians being sued is quite inevitable; either due to complication in rhinoplasties or even inability to fulfill the patients' expectations. This article aims to clarify the aspects of causes leading to these legal claims. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We designed a retrospective study according to the available files in the Iranian Organization for Forensic Medicine in which physicians were sued for the outcomes of rhinoplasty through the years 2004 to 2010. In addition, information on the patients' demographic data, surgeons' specialty and experience, and method of anesthesia were also collected. RESULTS: One hundred twenty six patients entered the study among which 77 (61%) were female and 49 (39%) male. Mean age was obtained as 26.9 ± 7.7yrs. Up to 79.4% of patients had complaints concerning the cosmetic outcomes, 39.7% with respiratory and 4.8% with olfactory problems. The reason to sue the physician had a significant relationship with the patients' age and sex, and also with the surgeons' experience. CONCLUSION: There are multiple reasons impelling the patients to sue surgeons after rhinoplasty, some are related to physicians' malpractice and some to the patients' social and personal circumstances.