INTRODUCTIONThis prospective study aims to evaluate botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A, Botox ®) as a treatment for idiopathic detrusor overactivity (IDO) for patients with symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB).

MATERIALS AND METHODSNineteen patients with IDO were treated with intradetrusal injection of 200 units of BTX-A under cystoscopic guidance. There were 10 males and 9 females, with a mean age of 60 years (range, 38 to 87). Subjective responses were measured using the International Prostate Symptom Score and quality of life (QOL) score, as well as incontinent episodes, functional capacity and voiding intervals obtained from the voiding diary. They were recorded prior to, and at 6 weeks, 3, 6 and 9 months after BTX-A injections. Urodynamic studies were performed between 6 weeks to 3 months post-treatment.

RESULTSThere was statistically significant improvement in subjective parameters at 3 months post-treatment involving QOL (P = 0.002), incontinence episodes (P = 0.004), functional capacity (P = 0.01) and voiding interval (P <0.001). Reflex volume was significantly increased (P = 0.003), and maximal detrusal pressure (P = 0.001) as well as leak volume (P = 0.013) were significantly decreased during follow-up. Results of a gender-based subgroup analysis reveal that BTX-A may be more efficacious in females. Observed side effects included a patient who needed to perform CISC for about 3 months, a patient who had gross haematuria needed bladder washout and 3 patients who required treatments for urinary tract infection.

CONCLUSIONOverall BTX-A, which is well received by most patients, has become a very important part of the armamentarium for the treatment of IDO.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Botulinum Toxins, Type A ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Health Status Indicators ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuromuscular Agents ; therapeutic use ; Quality of Life ; psychology ; Urinary Bladder ; cytology ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Urodynamics

OBJECTIVE:To determine the association of Arnica montana and blood loss, surgical field bleeding and operative time in endoscopic sinus surgery among adults with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis.

METHODS:

Design: Single-blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

Setting: Tertiary government hospital

Participants: Forty-one (41) adults aged 19-76 years old with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis and meeting inclusion criteria were randomly divided into two groups, Arnica and control. The former took 5 sublingual Boiron® Arnica montana 30C pellets, 12 hours then 1 hour prior to surgery; the latter did not. Both groups had routine oxymetazoline and lidocaine-epinephrine decongestion. Intraoperative blood loss, surgical field bleeding quality and operative time were assessed by blinded surgeons and anesthesiologists. 

RESULTS: Mean estimated blood loss was 187ml (SD 100.14) for controls versus 72ml (SD 12.59) for the Arnica group; (p < 0.05). Mean operative time was 3.55 hours (SD 1.25) for controls and 3.44 hours (SD 1.57) for the Arnica group; (p=0.9). Surgical field bleeding was graded slight with 75% needing occasional suctioning (grade 2) and 25% needing frequent suctioning (grade 3) in the Arnica group, versus moderate bleeding with more frequent suctioning (grade 4) in 71% and slight bleeding but needing frequent suctioning (grade 3) in 29% of controls.

CONCLUSION: In this randomized clinical trial, Arnica montana was associated with less blood loss and less surgical field bleeding compared to controls, but there was no difference in mean operative times.  Arnica montana may be effective in reducing blood loss and improving surgical field quality during endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis.

 

Human ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Hemostasis ; Oxymetazoline

Objective: To determine the point prevalence of, and risk factors associated with MRSA carriage among resident physicians of surgical departments at the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center. Methods: Design: Cross-sectional Study. Setting: Tertiary Government Training Hospital. Participants:51 resident physicians from different surgical departments (general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology – head and neck surgery and dermatology) underwent nasal and pharyngeal swabs with microbial culture and sensitivity testing to identify MRSA carriers. Fisher Exact Test and logistic regression were utilized to determine associations between MRSA carriage and various risk factors including frequency of hand washing and departmental affiliation. Results: Overall prevalence rate of MRSA carriage was 9.8%. Otorhinolaryngology residents had the highest combined prevalence of MRSA of 42.9%, significantly higher compared to other departments and were used as a reference in logistic regression analyses. Notably, handwashing only once daily was associated with a 20-fold increase in the risk of MRSA carriage (OR 20.5, 95% CI: 1.82 to 230, p = .014). Other departments did not demonstrate statistically significant differences in MRSA carriage rates. Conclusions Otorhinolaryngology resident physicians had the highest combined prevalence of MRSA and nasal MRSA was found only in otorhinolaryngology residents. The surgical subspecialty and frequency of handwashing of the healthcare worker were identified as important risk factors to develop MRSA carriage. Targeted interventions (including enhanced infection control protocols and regular screening) are needed especially in high-risk departments.
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Surgical Wound Infection

Aged ; Biopsy ; methods ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Erythema ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Extremities ; pathology ; Fever ; complications ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; analysis ; Male ; Purpura ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Skin ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Vasculitis ; complications ; immunology

Abdomen ; physiology ; Humans ; Manikins ; Physical Examination ; methods ; Singapore ; Students, Medical ; Teaching ; methods

INTRODUCTION: Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (B-CPR) is associated with improved out-of hospital cardiac arrest survival. Community-level interventions including dispatcher-assisted CPR (DA-CPR) and myResponder were implemented to increase B-CPR. We sought to assess whether these interventions increased B-CPR. METHODS: The Singapore out-of-hospital cardiac arrest registry captured cases that occurred between 2010 and 2017. Outcomes occurring in 3 time periods (Baseline, DA-CPR, and DA-CPR plus myResponder) were compared. Segmented regression of time-series data was conducted to investigate our intervention impact on the temporal changes in B-CPR. RESULTS: A total of 13,829 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases were included from April 2010 to December 2017. Higher B-CPR rates (24.8% versus 50.8% vs 64.4%) were observed across the 3 time periods. B-CPR rates showed an increasing but plateauing trend. DA-CPR implementation was significantly associated with an increased B-CPR (level odds ratio [OR] 2.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.79-2.88; trend OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.04), while no positive change was detected with myResponder (level OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.82-1.11; trend OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.98-1.00). CONCLUSION B-CPR rates in Singapore have been increasing alongside the implementation of community-level interventions such as DA-CPR and myResponder. DA-CPR was associated with improved odds of receiving B-CPR over time while the impact of myResponder was less clear.

OBJECTIVE/strong: Topical cepae extract-heparin sodium-allantoin gel is one of the many non-invasive scar treatments available to improve the appearance and physical attributes of scars. This paper aims to compare the effectiveness of topical cepae extract-heparin sodium-allantoin gel versus placebo based on appearance and physical attributes of hypertrophic thyroidectomy scars.br /br /strongMETHODS/strong:br /strongDesign/strong: Randomized, double-blinded, split-scar controlled trialbr /strongSetting/strong: Out-Patient Department of a tertiary government hospitalbr /strongPatient/strong: 20 patients with hypertrophic thyroidectomy scars had each side of the scar randomly assigned treatment with topical extract cepae-heparin sodium-allantoin gel or placebo (glycerine gel). Each product was applied two times daily for six weeks, and scars were evaluated prior to initiation of treatment and after six weeks by patients and one observer. Pre- and post- treatment photo documentation and scar evaluation using a local language translation of the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) were completed for each side of the scar.br /br /strongRESULTS/strong: There was no significant difference in effectiveness of topical cepae extract-heparin sodium-allantoin gel versus placebo for both the patient scale (p = 0.91) and observer scale (p = 0.87) in appearance and physical attributes of a thyroidectomy scar.br /br /strongCONCLUSION/strong: Topical cepae extract-heparin sodium-allantoin gel was not proven to be superior to the placebo as scar therapy in all parameters assessed by the Filipino translation of POSAS. The small sample size, duration of hypertrophic scar, duration of treatment, and validity and reliability of the Filipino translation of POSAS may have affected our results; and periodic subjective and objective assessments with multi-observer evaluation of scars and pre- and post- treatment photographs may be considered for further studies./p
Human ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Cicatrix ; Administration, Topical ; placebos ; Placebo Effect ; Thyroidectomy ; Glycerol

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies suggest child abuse and serotonergic polymorphism influence depression susceptibility and anti-depressant efficacy. Polymorphisms of the norepinephrine transporter (NET) may also be involved. Research in the area is possibly clouded by under reporting of abuse in researcher trials. METHODS: Adults (n=51) with major depressive disorder has 8 weeks treatment with escitalopram or venlafaxine. Abuse history was obtained, the ongoing emotional impact of which was measured with the 15-item impact of event scale (IES-15). The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) was applied serially. Two NET polymorphisms (rs2242446 and rs5569) were assayed, blinded to HDRS ratings and abuse history. RESULTS: No subjects reporting abuse with high impact in adulthood (IES-15 > or =26, n=12) remitted; whereas 77% reporting low impact (IES-15 <26; n=26) remitted (p<0.001). Subjects reporting high impact abuse (n=12) had a 50-fold (95% confidence interval=4.85-514.6) greater odds of carrying rs2242446-TT genotype, but the small sample size leaves this finding vulnerable to type I error. CONCLUSION: The level of persisting impact of child abuse appears relevant to antidepressant efficacy, with susceptibility to such possibly being influence by NET rs2242446 polymorphism. Larger studies may be merited to expand on this pilot level finding given potential for biomarker utility.
Adult ; Antidepressive Agents ; Child ; Child Abuse* ; Citalopram ; Depression* ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Genetic Variation* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Norepinephrine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins* ; Pilot Projects* ; Sample Size ; Venlafaxine Hydrochloride

OBJECTIVE: Obsessive compulsive and related disorders are a collection of debilitating psychiatric disorders in which the role of glutamate dysfunction in the underpinning neurobiology is becoming well established. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a glutamate modulator with promising therapeutic effect. This paper presents a systematic review of clinical trials and case reports exploring the use of NAC for these disorders. A further objective was to detail the methodology of current clinical trials being conducted in the area. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library Database were searched for human clinical trials or case reports investigating NAC in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or obsessive compulsive related disorders. Researchers with known involvement in NAC studies were contacted for any unpublished data. RESULTS: Four clinical trials and five case reports/series were identified. Study durations were commonly 12-weeks, using 2,400-3,000 mg/day of NAC. Overall, NAC demonstrates activity in reducing the severity of symptoms, with a good tolerability profile and minimal adverse effects. Currently there are three ongoing randomized controlled trials using NAC for OCD (two adults and one pediatric), and one for excoriation. CONCLUSION: Encouraging results have been demonstrated from the few pilot studies that have been conducted. These results are detailed, in addition to a discussion of future potential research.
Adult ; Cysteine* ; Glutamic Acid ; Humans ; Neurobiology ; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Long-term follow-up of untreated patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) indicates that, with the exception of some extremely severe cases, AIS does not have a significant impact on quality of life and does not result in dire consequences. In view of the relatively benign nature of AIS and the long-term complications of surgery, the indications for treatment should be reviewed. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that scoliosis-specific exercises focusing on postural rehabilitation can positively influence the spinal curvatures in growing adolescents. Experiential postural re-education is a conservative, non-invasive approach, and its role in the management of AIS warrants further study. This article reviews current evidence for the inclusion of various forms of postural reeducation in the management of AIS. Recent comprehensive reviews have been researched including a manual and PubMed search for evidence regarding the effectiveness of physical/postural re-education/physiotherapy programs in growing AIS patients. This search revealed that there were few studies on the application of postural re-education in the management of AIS. These studies revealed that postural re-education in the form of exercise rehabilitation programs may have a positive influence on scoliosis; however, the various programs were difficult to compare. More research is necessary. There is at present Level 1 evidence for the effectiveness of Schroth scoliosis exercises in the management of AIS. Whether this evidence can be extrapolated to include other forms of scoliosis- pattern-specific exercises requires further investigation. Because corrective postures theoretically reduce the asymmetric loading of the spinal deformities and reverse the vicious cycle of spinal curvature progression, their integration into AIS programs may be beneficial and should be further examined.
Adolescent* ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Exercise ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Posture ; Quality of Life ; Rehabilitation* ; Scoliosis* ; Spinal Curvatures