Accuracy of transthoracic ultrasound for the prediction of chest wall infiltration by lung cancer and of lung infiltration by chest wall tumours.

BACKGROUND: We wanted to determine the accuracy of transthoracic ultrasound in the prediction of chest wall infiltration by lung cancer or lung infiltration by chest wall tumours. METHODS: Patients having preoperative CT-scan suspect for lung/chest wall infiltration were prospectively enrolled. Inclusion criteria for lung cancer were: obliteration of extrapleural fat, obtuse angle between tumour and chest wall, associated pleural thickening. The criteria for chest wall tumours were: rib destruction and intercostal muscles infiltration with extrapleural fat obliteration and intrathoracic extension. Lung cancer patients with evident chest wall infiltration were excluded. Transthoracic ultrasound was preoperatively performed. Predictions were checked during surgical intervention. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were preoperatively examined. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of transthoracic ultrasound were 88.89%, 100%, 100% and 93.3%, respectively. Youden index was used to determine the best cut-off for tumour size in predicting lung/chest wall infiltration: 4.5cm. At univariate logistic regression, tumour size (<4.5 vs ≥ 4.5cm) (p=0.0072) was significantly associated with infiltration. CONCLUSIONS: Transthoracic ultrasound is a useful instrument for predicting neoplastic lung or chest wall infiltration in cases of suspect CT-scans and could be used as part of the preoperative workup to assess tumour staging and to plan the best surgical approach.

Surgery for non-small cell lung cancer in younger patients: what are the differences?

BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in young adults is uncommon. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics, outcomes and prognosis of people younger than 50 years old treated surgically for NSCLC. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted using the institutional database of four thoracic surgery units to collect patients with NSCLC younger than 50 years who had undergone surgery. These patients were compared with older patients (>75-years) operated in the same institutions and in the same period. RESULTS: We identified 113 young patients and 347 older patients. Younger patients were more likely to be female, non-smokers, with fewer comorbidities. Younger patients were more likely to be symptomatic at the time of diagnosis. Risk factors for poor prognosis in younger patients were T-stage, and disease-free-interval less than 548 days. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a lower five-year survival in older patients compared with the younger ones (66% vs 38%, p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion NSCLC in younger patients has some distinct clinicopathological characteristics. The overall-survival of young patients is better than in older patients. Young patients receive more complete and aggressive treatment that could explain better survival. Further prospective studies with larger patient populations are required, to clarify the biological and genetic variance of NSCLC in younger patients.

Clinical and Pulmonary Function Markers of Respiratory Exacerbation Risk in Subjects With Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy.

BACKGROUND: Although respiratory exacerbations are common in patients with quadriplegic cerebral palsy (CP), little is known about the factors that are related to increased exacerbation risk. This study aimed to identify the clinical and pulmonary function variables signaling risk of exacerbation in this type of patient. METHODS: Thirty-one children and young adults with quadriplegic CP underwent a comprehensive history, physical examination, and pulmonary function test, including arterial blood gas analysis, airway resistance using the interrupter technique, and home overnight SpO2 monitoring. Subjects were divided into 2 groups depending on the number of respiratory exacerbations reported during the year before study entry: frequent exacerbators (ie, ≥ 2 exacerbations) and infrequent exacerbators (ie, < 2 exacerbations). RESULTS: The frequent exacerbators were more likely to require hospitalization due to respiratory disorders compared with the infrequent exacerbators (13/14 vs 9/17, P = .02). Respiratory exacerbation was found to be associated with diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux (adjusted odds ratio of 23.95 for subjects with confirmed diagnosis, P = .02) and higher PaCO2 levels (adjusted odds ratio of 12.60 for every 5-mm Hg increase in PaCO2 , P = .05). Subjects with PaCO2 ≥ 35 mm Hg showed an exacerbation odds ratio of 15.2 (95% CI 1.5-152.5, P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Gastroesophageal reflux and increased PaCO2 can be considered simple, clinically useful markers of increased exacerbation risk in young subjects with quadriplegic CP.

Noninvasive ventilation in the event of acute respiratory failure in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Some patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) develop severe acute respiratory failure (ARF) requiring admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and ventilatory support. A limited number of observational studies have reported that noninvasive ventilation (NIV) can be an effective treatment to support breathing and to prevent use of invasive mechanical ventilation in these patients. This study aimed to retrospectively investigate the clinical status and outcomes in IPF patients receiving NIV for ARF and to identify those clinical and laboratory characteristics, which could be considered risk factors for its failure. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of short-term outcomes in 18 IPF patients being administered NIV for ARF. This study was conducted in a 4-bed respiratory ICU (RICU) in a university hospital. Eighteen IPF patients who were administered NIV between January 1, 2005, and April 30, 2013, were included. The outcome measures are the need for endotracheal intubation despite NIV treatment and mortality rate during their RICU stay. The length of the patients' stay in the RICU and their survival rate following RICU admission were also evaluated. RESULTS: Noninvasive ventilation was successful in 8 patients and unsuccessful in 10 who required endotracheal intubation. All the patients in the NIV failure group died within 20.2±15.3 days of intubation. The patients in the NIV success group spent fewer days in the RICU (11.6±4.5 vs 24.6±13.7; P=.0146). The median survival time was significantly shorter for the patients in the NIV failure with respect to the success group (18.0 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 9.0-25.0] vs 90.0 [95% CI, 65.0-305.0] days; P<.0001); the survival rate at 90 days was, likewise, lower in the NIV failure group (0% vs 34%±19.5%). At admission, the patients in the failure group had significantly higher respiratory rate values (36.9±7.8 vs 30.5±3.3 breaths/min; P=.036), plasma N-terminal fragment of the prohormone of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels (4528.8±4012.8 vs 634.6±808.0 pg/mL; P=.023) and serum C-reactive protein values (72.0±50.0 vs 20.7±24.0 µg/mL; P=.0289) with respect to those in the success group. Noninvasive ventilation failure was correlated to the plasma NT-proBNP levels at RICU admission (P=.0326) with an odds ratio of 12.2 (95% CI, 1.2 to infinity) in the patients with abnormally high values (>900 pg/mL). CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of IPF patients who were administered NIV was quite poor. The use of NIV was, nevertheless, found to be associated with clinical benefits in selected IPF patients, preventing the need for intubation and reducing the rate of complications/death. Elevated plasma NT-proBNP levels at the time of ICU admission is a simple clinical marker for poor NIV outcome.

Age-related changes of adaptive and neuropsychological features in persons with Down Syndrome.

Down Syndrome (DS) is characterised by premature aging and an accelerated decline of cognitive functions in the vast majority of cases. As the life expectancy of DS persons is rapidly increasing, this decline is becoming a dramatic health problem. The aim of this study was to thoroughly evaluate a group of 67 non-demented persons with DS of different ages (11 to 66 years), from a neuropsychological, neuropsychiatric and psychomotor point of view in order to evaluate in a cross-sectional study the age-related adaptive and neuropsychological features, and to possibly identify early signs predictive of cognitive decline. The main finding of this study is that both neuropsychological functions and adaptive skills are lower in adult DS persons over 40 years old, compared to younger ones. In particular, language and short memory skills, frontal lobe functions, visuo-spatial abilities and adaptive behaviour appear to be the more affected domains. A growing deficit in verbal comprehension, along with social isolation, loss of interest and greater fatigue in daily tasks, are the main features found in older, non demented DS persons evaluated in our study. It is proposed that these signs can be alarm bells for incipient dementia, and that neuro-cognitive rehabilitation and psycho-pharmacological interventions must start as soon as the fourth decade (or even earlier) in DS persons, i.e. at an age where interventions can have the greatest efficacy.

"Hospital at home" for neuromuscular disease patients with respiratory tract infection: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The "hospital-at-home" model may provide adequate care without an adverse effect on clinical outcome, and is generally well received by users. Our objective was to compare hospital-at-home and in-patient hospital care for neuromuscular disease (NMD) patients with respiratory tract infections. METHODS: We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial in a university teaching hospital offering secondary care service to a population of approximately 500,000. We recruited selected NMD patients with respiratory tract infection for whom hospital admission had been recommended after medical assessment. Hospital-at-home was provided as an alternative to in-patient admission. The main outcome measures were need for hospitalization, treatment failure, time to recovery, death during the first 3 months following exacerbation, and cost of patient care. RESULTS: Among 59 consecutive NMD patients eligible for the study, 53 met the criteria for hospital-at-home. Twenty-six subjects were randomized to home care and 27 to hospital care. No significant differences were found in treatment failure (8/26 vs 13/27, P = .19), time to recovery (8.9 ± 4.6 vs 9 ± 8.9 d, P = .21), or mortality at 3 months (3/26 vs 4/27 deaths, P = .42) between the groups. Hospital-at-home failure was independently correlated with type of NMD (P = .004) with an odds ratio of failure of 17.3 (95% CI 2.1 to infinity) for subjects with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The total and daily direct cost of patient healthcare was significantly lower for the subjects who were successfully treated at home, compared to the hospitalized individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital-at-home is an effective alternative to hospital admission for selected NMD patients with respiratory tract infections.

Oxidative Stress and Erythrocyte Membrane Alterations in Children with Autism: Correlation with Clinical Features.

It has been suggested that oxidative stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), but the literature reports somewhat contradictory results. To further investigate the issue, we evaluated a high number of peripheral oxidative stress parameters, and some related issues such as erythrocyte membrane functional features and lipid composition. Twenty-one autistic children (Au) aged 5 to 12 years, were gender and age-matched with 20 typically developing children (TD). Erythrocyte thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, urinary isoprostane and hexanoyl-lysine adduct levels were elevated in Au, thus confirming the occurrence of an imbalance of the redox status of Au, whilst other oxidative stress markers or associated parameters (urinary 8-oxo-dG, plasma radical absorbance capacity and carbonyl groups, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase and catalase activities) were unchanged. A very significant reduction of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activity (-66%, p<0.0001), a reduction of erythrocyte membrane fluidity and alteration in erythrocyte fatty acid membrane profile (increase in monounsaturated fatty acids, decrease in EPA and DHA-ω3 with a consequent increase in ω6/ω3 ratio) were found in Au compared to TD, without change in membrane sialic acid content. Some Au clinical features appear to be correlated with these findings; in particular, hyperactivity score appears to be related with some parameters of the lipidomic profile and membrane fluidity. Oxidative stress and erythrocyte membrane alterations may play a role in the pathogenesis of ASD and prompt the development of palliative therapeutic protocols. Moreover, the marked decrease in NKA could be potentially utilized as a peripheral biomarker of ASD.

Surgical treatment of scoliosis in a rare disease: arthrogryposis.

BACKGROUND: The reported incidence of scoliosis in arthrogryposis varies from 30% to 67% and, in most cases, the curves progress rapidly and become stiff from early age.The authors report six cases of scoliosis in arthrogryposis to assess the role of surgical treatment. METHODS: Six cases (3 males, 3 females; mean age at surgery 13.2 years) with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita associated with the characteristic amyoplasia were reviewed: they were operated on for scoliosis at the authors' Spine Surgery Department between 1987 and 2008.Surgery was performed using the Harrington-Luque instrumentation (2 cases), the Luque system (1), a hybrid segmental technique with hooks and screws (1) and spinal anchoring with pedicle screws (2). RESULTS: The patients were clinically and radiologically reviewed at a mean follow-up of 4.2 years, ± 2.7 (range, 1 to 9 years). Three minor postoperative complications were encountered; a long-term pulmonary complication was seen in one case after reintervention and was successfully resolved after 10 days. Surgery was successful in the other 5 cases, where solid arthrodesis was achieved and no significant curve progression was observed at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The experience acquired with the present case series leads the authors to assert that prompt action should be taken when treating such aggressive forms of scoliosis. In case of mild spinal deformities in arthrogryposis, brace treatment should be attempted, the evolution of the curves being unpredictable; however, when the curve exceeds 40° and presents with marked hyperkyphosis, hyperlordosis or pelvic obliquity, surgery should not be delayed.

Evolution of Antibiotic Use and Cost in Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the evolution and efficiency of the clinical management (particularly shift therapy) of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in a hospital setting. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of 120 hospitalised patients who were treated with antibiotics for CAP in the first semesters of 1999 (50 patients), 2000 (39 patients) and 2001 (31 patients). We evaluated the prescribed daily dose and the average hospitalisation and treatment periods for each drug. Pareto curves were used to examine relative costs and quantities of drugs administered. Total therapy costs and average cost for an antibiotic were also calculated. RESULTS: Over the 3 years, the drugs most commonly used were ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin; levofloxacin, introduced in 2001, allowed for shorter average treatment periods. Twenty-one of 39 (53.8%) patients seen in the first semester of 2000 were discharged early compared with 29 of 31 (93.54%) in 2001. Therapy was continued at home (shift therapy) with ciprofloxacin (n = 8), ceftriaxone (n = 5) and cotrimoxazole (n = 2) in 2000 and with ceftriaxone (n = 15), oral ciprofloxacin (n = 7) and oral levofloxacin (n = 7) in 2001. CONCLUSIONS: Shift therapy using either oral or injectable antibiotics is possible in patients with CAP and allowed us to realise significant savings in management. Selection of route of administration of shift therapy should be made on an individual basis.