The purpose of this study is to identify a possible correlation between statin administration and incidence of spontaneous distal biceps tendon ruptures. We retrospectively reviewed 104 patients with distal biceps tendon rupture that were treated surgically from 2004 to 2010, 102 males and two females with mean age 47 years ...

The purpose of this research was to compare the effects of niacin extended-release in combination with simvastatin (NER/S) versus atorvastatin monotherapy on high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particle number and size in patients with hyperlipidemia or dyslipidemia from the SUPREME study. This was a post hoc analysis of patients (n = 137) ...

The effect of combination of fibrate with statin on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) hospitalization is unclear. The main aim of this study was to investigate the 30-day rate of MACE in patients who participated in the nationwide ACS Israeli Surveys (ACSIS) and were treated ...

To investigate the hypothesis that atorvastatin decreases blood pressure (BP) values and improves endothelial function assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in normolipidaemic hypertensive patients. Fifty-six hypertensive patients were randomized in a 2 : 1 proportion to atorvastatin (80 mg/day/3 months; group A; n = 39) or previous standard anti-hypertensive therapy ...

INTRODUCTION: The short-term effects of multifactorial intervention for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention on renal function and serum uric acid (SUA) levels in patients with stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD) and multiple CVD risk factors are unclear. The aim of the study was to prospectively assess these effects. MATERIAL AND ...

We previously established that at 3 years postseroconversion, ~30% of HIV-infected individuals have cross-reactive neutralizing activity (CrNA) in their sera. Here we studied the kinetics with which CrNA develops and how these relate to the development of autologous neutralizing activity as well as viral escape and diversification. For this purpose, ...

Recent trends suggest a decreased use of ezetimibe/simvastatin combination and coadministered ezetimibe plus statin therapies. This analysis evaluated changes in prescription patterns for ezetimibe/simvastatin, ezetimibe plus statins, and statin therapies and expected effects on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering during 2007 to 2008. Prescription pattern changes were assessed by the ...

When a standard dose of statins fails to achieve lipid control in patients at high risk for coronary artery disease (CAD), increasing the statin dosage or co-administration of additional agents is recommended. The aim of this study was to compare the safety and lipid-lowering efficacy of doubling the standard statin ...

Objective: To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of transjugular intrahepatic route aspiration thrombectomy and catheter-directed thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute superior mesenteric venous thrombosis. Materials and methods: During a period of 8 years, 12 patients with acute thrombosis of the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) were treated by transjugular intrahepatic approach. ...

: To evaluate the accuracy of central venous oxygen saturation recordings from a new in-line pediatric oximetry catheter. : Prospective, observational study. : Eighteen pediatric patients who needed central venous access for monitoring and/or treatment between January 2006 and June 2006 in the pediatric intensive care unit of the Hospital ...

Aim. Peritonitis is currently one of the leading complications of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) treatment. Aminoglycosides and vancomycin are used in the treatment of CAPD peritonitis despite their potential risk for ototoxicity. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a molecule used in the treatment and prophylaxis of many diseases related to oxidative ...

Abstract Conclusion: We suggest that cochlear implantation (CI) should be a good therapeutic modality for hearing restoration in patients with common cavity malformed ears. Objective: To analyze hearing improvement from CI performed in common cavity malformed cochleae. Methods: A total of 11 patients (5 male and 6 female, mean age ...

Abstract Conclusion: This study shows that by using the round window approach and deep insertion, it is possible to reduce electrode insertion trauma (EIT), as indicated by the results of the hearing preservation marker. Objectives: In this prospective study EIT was evaluated in 42 subjects with low frequency hearing before ...

Intratympanic (IT) steroids are often used to treat inner ear disorders such as sudden idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss, autoimmune inner ear disease, and Ménière disease. Administration of corticosteroids via IT injection, via application with a pledget to the round window, or via catheter has been used for this purpose. The ...

To investigate the necessity of routine application of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for sudden sensorineural hearing loss. DESIGN/SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective chart review looked at 465 patients, with 353 of them receiving pharmacologic treatments alone. Among these patients, 76 underwent systemic steroid treatment only (steroid group) and 277 received systemic ...

OBJECTIVE:: To prospectively assess the quality of life (QOL) and hearing acuity in vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients after gamma knife surgery (GKS). PATIENTS:: Fifty-nine VS patients. INTERVENTION:: GKS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:: Prospective follow-up algorithm included 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), Hearing Handicap Inventory (HHI), Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Tinnitus ...

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss is a rare disorder of unknown pathogenesis in which hearing is lost partially or totally. About 60 treatment modalities have been described. We aimed to compare the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen, oral steroid, intratympanic steroid therapy and their combinations in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss ...

To evaluate the intercatheter reproducibility of catheter-based intracoronary near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the detection of coronary lipid core plaques (LCPs). The intercatheter in vivo reproducibility of coronary NIRS findings has not been evaluated. NIRS assessment using an automated pullback catheter was performed in triplicates in 10 patients using two different ...

Coronary heart disease (CHD) risk increases with age; yet lipid-lowering therapies are significantly under-utilized in patients > 65 years. The objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of lipid-lowering therapies in older patients treated with atorvastatin 10 mg + ezetimibe 10 mg (EZ/Atorva) vs. increasing the atorvastatin dose to ...

Abstract Conclusion: Mean incudostapedial joint (ISJ) angulation of atretic ears was statistically wider than ISJ angulation of non-atretic ears. Postoperative hearing results in the narrow tympanoplasty type II (T2) subgroup were better than those in the wide T2 subgroup. In cases of abnormally wide ISJ angulation, we recommend that partial ...

Vestibular schwannomas are benign intracranial tumors arising from the vestibular nerve. Treatment options include observation, stereotactic radiosurgery, fractionated radiotherapy, and microsurgery. We review the evidence describing efficacy and side-effect profiles of each of these modalities. This was accomplished by outlining the results of published meta-analyses and performing a systematic search ...

Clinical and radiologic outcome analysis after petrous bone cholesteatoma (PBC) removal with simultaneous functional reconstruction. Retrospective case review over an observation period of 16 years (1992-2007). Tertiary referral center. A total of 21 patients (17 adults and 4 children) with PBCs were included, accounting for 3.4% of all cholesteatoma cases ...

OBJECTIVE:: To develop a radiologic classification of severity of round window involvement in otosclerosis and describe the impact of each class on hearing and outcome of stapes surgery. STUDY DESIGN:: Retrospective chart review with radiologic review of computed tomographic scans. SETTING:: Hospital and private otolaryngology clinics. PATIENTS:: We reviewed computed ...

The effect of intratympanic steroid injection is controversial as salvage or initial treatment option for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) and almost unknown if it is consecutively to use after initial systemic steroids. This study aimed to analyze the efficiency of intratympanic dexamethasone injection (ITDI) as a sequential treatment in ...

Objective. To determine the efficacy of using intraoperative auditory brainstem response (ABR) in improving immediate hearing results of patients undergoing primary laser stapedotomy. Study Design. Case series with chart review. Setting. Community hospital. Subjects and Methods. The study included 32 consecutive patients, with 34 ears undergoing primary stapedotomy by a ...

Purpose: This article describes the approach to atypical placement of central venous catheters (CVC) in dialysis patients with complete untreatable obstruction of central venous vessels. Methods: Five patients with complete obstruction of central venous vessels underwent CT venography and digital venous angiography. After ultrasound-guided and radioscopic-assisted cannulation of the internal ...

To assess the efficacy of partial ossicular chain reconstruction using autologous cartilage. Prospective study (April 1, 1997, through January 1, 2008). Tertiary academic children's hospital. Two hundred forty-eight children (268 ears) underwent partial ossicular chain reconstruction using a shaped block of tragal cartilage interposed between the head of the stapes ...

Hemodialysis (HD) catheters are prone to thrombotic occlusion. We evaluated tenecteplase, a thrombolytic, for the treatment of dysfunctional HD catheters. Patients with tunneled HD catheters and blood flow rate (BFR) <300 mL/min received open-label tenecteplase (2 mg/lumen) for a 1 h intracatheter dwell. Treatment success was defined as BFR ≥ ...

Background and objective:  This study evaluates two different techniques for topically anaesthetizing the airway with lidocaine during curvilinear probe endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscopy (CP-EBUS): standard injection through the working channel and spray catheter application. Methods:  This was a randomized, non-blinded, single-centre pilot study. Patients with plans for CP-EBUS under moderate sedation ...

A new subgroup of HIV-1, designated Group P, was recently detected in two unrelated patients of Cameroonian origin. HIV-1 Group P phylogenetically clusters with SIVgor suggesting that it is the result of a cross-species transmission from gorillas. Until today, HIV-1 Group P has only been detected in two patients, and ...

We prospectively investigated the efficacy of corticosteroid medication in salvaging acute hearing deterioration after radiosurgery for vestibular schwannoma (VS) and analyzed prognostic factors for hearing preservation. Forty-one patients with serviceable hearing treated with gamma knife radiosurgery between 2004 and 2006 were included. Nineteen patients who suffered acute hearing deterioration after ...

To determine if epidural volume extension and continued postoperative epidural injections prevent hearing loss associated with a 23-gauge (G) Quincke spinal needle. Prospective, double blinded trial. Operating rooms. 30 adult patients scheduled for lower abdominal or perineal surgery during spinal anesthesia. Patients were divided into two groups of 15 each. ...

to evaluate the effectiveness of transtympanic methylprednisolone injection in patients with refractory sudden sensorineural hearing loss via endoscopic diode laser myringotomy. thirty-six sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients who failed routine oral steroid therapy and two patients with a contraindication to systemic steroid received intratympanic methylprednisolone injections at the round window ...

The roles of the wait-and-see strategy and proactive Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) in the treatment paradigm for small intracanalicular vestibular schwannomas (VSs) is still a matter of debate, especially when patients present with functional hearing. The authors compare these 2 methods. Forty-seven patients (22 men and 25 women) harboring an ...

During the past decades, in small-to-medium size vestibular schwannomas, Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) has become a reliable therapeutic option because of either excellent local tumor control or minimal morbidity, with cranial neuropathy becoming increasingly rare. Although still insufficiently analyzed in larger cohorts of patients with long-term follow-ups, adequate chances of ...

To assess the contribution of preoperative radiologic appearance of vestibular schwannoma (VS) on the magnetic resonance imaging in constructive interference in steady-state sequences and demonstrate if the degree of the internal auditory canal (IAC) filling is correlated with hearing and facial preservation. A group of 278 patients who underwent VS ...

The aim of this study was to compare the hearing outcomes between canal wall up mastoidectmy (CWUM) and canal wall down mastoidectmy (CWDM). One hundred seventy one chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. The patients who underwent the second staged ossiculoplasty at least 6 ...

Clin. Otolaryngol. 2010, 35, 486-489 Objective:  To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of coenzyme Q10 added to systemic steroid in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Design:  A controlled prospective study. Setting:  Asan medical center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine. Participants:  Between August 2007 and October 2008, the first ...

To assess the impact of continuous incident reporting and subsequent prevention strategies on the incidence of severe iatrogenic events and targeted priorities in admitted neonates. We performed preintervention (January 1 to September 1, 2005) and postintervention (January 1, 2008, to January 1, 2009) prospective investigations based on continuous incident reporting. ...

The use of tunneled hemodialysis catheters, or permcaths, either for temporary dialysis access before arteriovenous fistula or arteriovenous graft maturation or for long-term dialysis access, is associated with increased risk of catheter clotting and infection. Catheter locking solutions are routinely used to maintain patency in these catheters between dialysis sessions. ...

To evaluate the retention rate of silicone punctal plugs placed in patients with dry eye in a general clinic setting by ophthalmology residents. A cohort study reviewing charts of 88 patients who underwent punctal plug placement in the resident clinic at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary from January ...

The aim of this study was to compare the number of temporary catheter replacements and urinary tract infections after indwelling catheterization for 2 versus 5 days following an anterior colporrhaphy. Two hundred forty-six patients were randomly assigned to 2 or 5 days of indwelling catheterization. Outcome measures were temporary catheter ...

The study aimed to assess the clinical efficacy of pigtail catheter drainage for patients with a first episode of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP) and different associated conditions. We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients with SSP who received pigtail catheter drainage as their initial management between July 2002 and October ...

Catheter hub contamination has been recognized as a source of catheter-related bloodstream infections. We have investigated the efficacy of a protection cap for a needleless injection device in preventing intraluminal catheter contamination, compared with a conventional 3-way stopcock. Adult patients requiring an intravascular catheter placement for at least 48 hours ...

The objective of the study was to determine if the short-axis approach and long-axis approach to ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous access (USGPIV) differ in success rate, catheter insertion time, and number of needle sticks. A convenience sample of emergency department patients aged 18 to 65 years with difficult IV access (2 ...

Neurogenic bladder can be effectively managed with intermittent catheterization (IC) to improve or restore continence, but there is no consensus on which type of catheter is preferred. Hydrophilic catheters were developed to reduce urethral friction, thereby minimizing trauma and sticking, and making them more acceptable to the patient, and easier ...

No recent clinical data on the incidence of catheter-related adverse events under insulin pump therapy have been reported. This was a prospective, two-period, observational, multicenter study in 45 diabetes outpatients (mean continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion [CSII] use, 6 years; mean hemoglobin A1c, 7.7%, at baseline). During the initial 1-month period ...

Brachial plexus perineural catheters provide specific analgesia for upper extremity surgery. Although single-injection ultrasound-guided supraclavicular blocks have been described, little is known about the efficacy of perineural catheters inserted using this approach. We present our experience with ultrasound-guided supraclavicular perineural catheters for distal upper extremity surgery. In this case series, ...

BACKGROUND: Previous studies undertaken to identify risk factors for peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC)-associated DVT have yielded conflicting results. PICC insertion teams and other health-care providers need to understand the risk factors so that they can develop methods to prevent DVT. METHODS: A 1-year prospective observational study of PICC insertions ...

Catheter thrombosis is common and results in inadequate dialysis treatment and, frequently, in catheter loss. Since dialysis treatment runs on a strict schedule, occluded catheters need to be restored in a timely and cost effective manner. We present a new shortened protocol of urokinase infusion that allows hemodialysis to be ...