In an attempt to determine whether myocardial catecholamines vary from season to season, their concentration in rabbits was measured throughout the whole year by the spectrophotofluorometric method. The highest concentration of cardiac catecholamine was observed in summer. Measurement of the atrial response to norepinephrine revealed no significant alteration during the entire period of the experiment.
Animals ; Catecholamines/*analysis ; Heart/*drug effects ; Myocardium/*analysis ; Norepinephrine/*pharmacology ; Rabbits ; *Seasons

Nail changes are common side effects of taxane chemotherapeutic agents. Docetaxel (Taxotere(R)) is known to cause a great incidence of nail change. Various types of nail changes have previously been reported as a result of treatment with taxanes. We describe 2 cases of severe nail changes induced by docetaxel. The patients had previously been diagnosed with breast cancer and advanced gastric cancer, respectively. During the course of treatment with docetaxel, nail changes became apparent in both patients. Initially, they complained of nail bed purpura. Subungual hematomas with hemopurulent discharge were later observed in several fingers. Drainage of the hemopurulent material occurred spontaneously in our cases, leading to onycholysis. Following drainage, the pain in the nail with subungual hemoprulent material was relieved immediately and spontaneous healing of the patients' nails was noticed after few months. Subungual hemorrhage and suppuration therefore are considered causes of onycholysis and the pain in these patients. Although systemic or topical antibiotics were not used to treat these patients, antibiotics may be also worthwhile to hasten the drainage of the subungual hematomas and suppuration in patients for quick relief of pain.

BACKGROUND: Xerosis is commonly seen in patients in intensive care units (ICU), and is sometimes accompanied by itching sensation and dermatitis. However, xerosis in ICU patients is often missed by doctors who are trained to attend to the more serious conditions that can become life-threatening. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate xerosis of ICU patients objectively, by measuring hydration levels of the skin. METHOD: To investigate hydration levels of the skin in ICU patients, a corneometer was used to measure the skin's capacitance. The experimental group consisted of 106 ICU patients, while the control group was made up of 53 outpatients visiting the dermatology department. RESULTS: ICU patients showed decreased skin surface hydration, and its level was inversely correlated with the duration of ICU admission. However, no correlation between age and skin surface hydration was observed in either the ICU patients or the control group. The actual humidity of the ICU was 5% lower than that of the outpatient dermatologic clinic. The severity of systemic diseases can also influence the development of xerosis. CONCLUSION: The decreased skin surface hydration in ICU patients correlated with the prolonged ICU stay, which seemed to be associated with the dry environment of the ICU or the severity of the systemic diseases causing dry skin. The increased incidence of xerosis in ICU patients can be explained by the decreased skin surface hydration.
Dermatitis ; Dermatology ; Humans ; Humidity ; Incidence ; Intensive Care Units* ; Critical Care* ; Outpatients ; Pruritus ; Sensation ; Skin

BACKGROUND: The treatment success rates in patients with tuberculosis are known to be lower in the private sector compared to the public sector. To improve treatment outcomes in the private sector we developed a public-private collaboration model for strengthening health education and case holding activities with public health nursing in the private sector. METHODS: We performed a prospective cohort study in new smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients treated at private hospitals, selected by non-randomization, with an intervention consisting of health education and case holding activities by specially trained public health nurses (intervention group) results were compared with cases treated without the intervention (conventional group). Physicians were asked to treat both groups routinely. The treatment outcomes of patients under treatment by the National Tuberculosis Programme were also analyzed for comparison. RESULTS: There were 172 cases each in the intervention and conventional groups. The mean age was 48.9+/-19.0 and 48.2+/-19.7 in the respective groups (p=0.66). The PHN interacted with the cases in the intervention group by initial face to face interview and telephone calls an average of 7.1+/-9.2 times during the initial six months. The intervention group showed a significantly higher treatment success rate, 91.6%, (Rate Ratio [RR]; 1.23, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]; 1.12~1.36), lower default, 3.6%, (RR; 0.31, 95% CI; 0.13~0.75) and transfer-out rate, 3.0%, (RR; 0.32, 95% CI; 0.12~0.86) than the conventional group where they were: 75.0%, 11.6%, 9.3%, respectively. The success rate was even higher than the rate (80.5%) of 1,027 cases treated in health centers (RR; 1.11, 95% CI; 1.05~1.17). Of the completed cases in the intervention group, 82.2% regarded the role of the public health nurse as very helpful. CONCLUSION: The treatment success rate, of tuberculosis patients in the private sector, was significantly improved by an intervention using a public-private collaboration model.
Cohort Studies ; Cooperative Behavior ; Health Education ; Hospitals, Private ; Humans ; Private Sector ; Prospective Studies ; Public Health Nursing ; Public Sector ; Telephone ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

BACKGROUND: The alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis comet assay was applied to study the genotoxic properties of enflurane on the human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of cancer patients before and during anesthesia as compared to an non-cancer control group. Method: The cancer group consisted of 24 patients (aged 15-77 years), while the control group consisted of 14 trauma individuals (aged 20-81 years). After anesthesia induction (thiopental 4 mg/kg and vecuronium 0.1 mg/kg), it was maintained by enflurane inhalation; 1-2 minimal alveolar concentration in oxygen - nitrous oxide mixture. Venous blood samples were obtained before the induction of anesthesia, and after 60 and 120 min of anesthesia. The comet assay detects DNA damage, such as strand breaks and alkaline labile sites induced directly by genotoxic agents, and DNA degradation due to cell death. Fifty cells from each sample were examined and Olive tail moments (OTM) were calculated using Komet 4TM software. RESULTS: OTM values were no different between controls and patients before anesthesia. However, the OTMs of blood sampled from cancer patients at 60 (7.97 +/- 1.83) and 120 min (7.86 +/- 2.05), and from trauma patients at 120 min (8.04 +/- 1.32) of anesthesia were significantly increased. CONCLUSIONS: In immunocompromised cancer patients, we suggest the existence of a higher risk of an association DNA damage and enflurane exposure.
Anesthesia ; Cell Death ; Comet Assay ; DNA ; DNA Damage ; Electrophoresis* ; Enflurane* ; Humans* ; Inhalation ; Lymphocytes* ; Nitrous Oxide ; Olea ; Oxygen ; Vecuronium Bromide

BACKGROUND: As the indications for postmastectomy radiotherapy expand, innovative solutions are required to reduce operative complications and reconstructive failure after prosthetic breast reconstruction. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) inlay grafts in preventing postoperative wound dehiscence of irradiated breasts in the context of prosthetic breast reconstruction. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 45 patients who received two-stage prosthetic reconstruction and radiotherapy following mastectomy. An ADM graft was placed beneath the incisional site during the second-stage operation in 19 patients using marionette sutures, whereas the control group did not receive the ADM reinforcement. Patient demographics and complications such as wound dehiscence, capsular contracture, peri-prosthetic infection, cellulitis, and seroma were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: During an average follow-up period of 37.1 months, wound dehiscence occurred significantly less often in the ADM-reinforced closure group (0%) than in the non-ADM group (23.1%) (P=0.032). There was no significant difference between the two groups in relation to other complications, such as capsular contracture, postoperative infection, or seroma. CONCLUSIONS The ADM inlay graft is a simple and easily reproducible technique for preventing incisional dehiscence in the setting of radiotherapy after prosthetic breast reconstruction. The ADM graft serves as a buttress to offload tension during healing and provides a mechanical barrier against pathogens. Application of this technique may serve to reduce complications in prosthetic breast reconstruction after radiotherapy.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has become an effective alternative treatment strategy for patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although TACE is relatively safe, acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with pulmonary lipiodol embolism is a rare and potentially fatal complication. We report a rare case of acute respiratory distress syndrome after TACE for inoperable HCC. A 75-year-old man, with huge HCC in right lobe, was treated by TACE for the first time. Seven hours after uneventful TACE procedure, he felt dyspneic and his oxygen saturation recorded by pulse oximetry (SpO2) fell to 80% despite of applying non-rebreathing mask. He underwent mechanical ventilation with a protective ventilatory strategy. We experienced a case of acute respiratory distress syndrome after TACE for HCC.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Embolism ; Ethiodized Oil ; Humans ; Masks ; Oximetry ; Oxygen ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult