Accelerated tissue expansion with the "overfilling" technique

Temporary overexpansion of the tissues at each filling session increased the actual inflation volume by about 59 percent. This shortened the process of tissue expansion considerably. "Overexpansion" means that the pressure in the expander is increased to a point where the dermal capillary flow is zero or the patient experiences so much discomfort that inflation cannot be carried out any further. The pressure in the expander is thereafter gradually decreased by taking out saline until both the capillary refill and all other clinical criteria are sufficient for safe dermal circulation. Comparison of the expander volume at the final pressure to the initial filling volume at the same pressure before the "overfilling" confirmed an average gain of about 59 percent in 14 patients.     

Sampling properties of DNA sequence data in phylogenetic analysis

We inferred phylogenetic trees from individual genes and random samples of nucleotides from the mitochondrial genomes of 10 vertebrates and compared the results to those obtained by analyzing the whole genomes. Individual genes are poor samples in that they infrequently lead to the whole-genome tree. A large number of nucleotide sites is needed to exactly determine the whole-genome tree. A relatively small number of sites, however, often results in a tree close to the whole-genome tree. We found that blocks of contiguous sites were less likely to lead to the whole-genome tree than samples composed of sites drawn individually from throughout the genome. Samples of contiguous sites are not representative of the entire genome, a condition that violates a basic assumption of the bootstrap method as it is applied in phylogenetic studies.      

Comparison between low- and standard-dose ACTH tests in premature infants at risk for chronic lung disease

In order to find a sensitive method to evaluate adrenocortical function in premature infants, we compared low- (0.5 microg/1.73 m(2)) and standard-dose (250 microg/1.73 m(2)) adrenocorticotropin tests (LD- and SD-ACTH) in 12 very-low-birth-weight infants before and 2 days after the end of dexamethasone therapy (duration 9-14 days) for chronic lung disease. Basal serum cortisol levels were inappropriately low in several infants already before dexamethasone therapy (median 190, range 60-357 nmol/l). The 95% confidence intervals of mean serum cortisol levels at 20 min were equal in LD- and SD-ACTH, while at 60 min, the low-dose gave a clearly lower response than the standard-dose test. The LD-ACTH can be used in premature infants as in older children and adults, but the criteria for adrenocortical insufficiency need to be defined.     

Some observations on the effect of Daflon (micronized purified flavonoid fraction of Rutaceae aurantiae) in bancroftian filarial lymphoedema

BACKGROUND: Morbidity management is a core component of the global programme for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis. In a double-blind clinical trial, the tolerability and efficacy of Daflon (500 mg) + DEC (25 mg) or DEC (25 mg) alone, twice daily for 90 days, was studied in 26 patients with bancroftian filarial lymphoedema. RESULTS: None of the patients in either drug group reported any adverse reaction throughout the treatment period (90 days). Haematological and biochemical parameters were within normal limits and there was no significant difference between the pre-treatment (day 0) and post-treatment (day 90) values. The group receiving Daflon showed significant reduction in oedema volume from day 90 (140.6 PlusMinus; 18.8 ml) to day 360 (71.8 PlusMinus; 20.7 ml) compared to the pre-treatment (day 0, 198.4 PlusMinus; 16.5 ml) value. This accounted for a 63.8% reduction in oedema volume by day 360 (considering the pre-treatment (day 0) as 100%). In the DEC group, the changes in oedema volume (between day 1 and day 360) were not significant when compared to the pre-treatment (day 0) value. The percentage reduction at day 360 was only 9%, which was not significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study has shown that Daflon (500 mg, twice a day for 90 days) is both safe and efficacious in reducing oedema volume in bancroftian filarial lymphoedema. Further clinical trials are essential for strengthening the evidence base on the role of this drug in the morbidity management of lymphatic filariasis.     

Metabolic depression and spleen and liver enlargement in juvenile Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus exposed to chronic parasite infection

The present study on the connection between standard metabolic rate ( R _S) and chronic Diplostomum spp. infection resulted in a decrease in R _S, and an enlargement in spleen and liver sizes in the infected juvenile Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus compared to control fish. As splenic enlargement observed in infected fish was not due to condition-related changes in the spleen, it could most probably be explained by increased leucocyte synthesis. The higher liver masses in infected S. alpinus may have been related to disorders in energetic function, which could have had major effects on biochemical regulation by the liver. The proposed metabolic syndrome with a possible reduction in insulin sensitivity in tissues results in ineffective glucose and lipid metabolism and thus it is suggested that chronic Diplostomum infection in S. alpinus might not impose direct energetic costs, but it may weaken the efficiency of energy metabolism and thus lead to lowered R _S.     

Serum long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, mercury, and risk of sudden cardiac death in men: a prospective population-based study

Objectives

Fish consumption has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), especially sudden cardiac death (SCD). Fish is the major source of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. It is also a major source of methylmercury, which was associated with increased risk of CVD in this study population. Impact of interaction between long-chain n-3 PUFA and methylmercury on the SCD risk is unknown.

Methods

A total of 1857 men from the prospective, population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor study, aged 42–60 years and free of CVD at baseline in 1984–1989, were studied. Serum long-chain n-3 PUFA was used as the marker for long-chain n-3 PUFA intake and hair mercury as the marker for mercury exposure.

Results

During the mean follow-up of 20.1 years, 91 SCD events occurred. In the multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models, serum long-chain n-3 PUFA concentration was not associated with the risk of SCD until hair mercury was accounted for; then the hazard ratio (HR) in the highest vs. lowest tertile was 0.54 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32 to 0.91, p for trend  = 0.046]. When the analyses were stratified by hair mercury content, among those with lower hair mercury, each 0.5 percentage unit increase in the serum long-chain n-3 PUFA was associated with HR of 0.77 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.93), whereas no association was seen among those with higher hair mercury (p for interaction  = 0.01). Among the individual long-chain n-3 PUFA, docosahexaenoic acid was most strongly associated with the risk.

Conclusion

High exposure to mercury may reduce the benefits of long-chain n-3 PUFA on SCD.