BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Nearly 50% of patients have residual motor deficits after stroke, and long-term motor outcome is difficult to predict. We assessed the predictive value of axonal damage to the corticospinal tract indexed by diffusion tensor imaging fractional anisotropy for long-term motor outcome. METHODS: Consecutive patients with middle cerebral ...

Computed tomography-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (CTNB) of the lung is a well-established diagnostic technique for the evaluation of thoracic lesions. At our institution, we have performed real-time CTNB using automated biopsy needles since 1998 and we introduced immediate cytology in 2004. We evaluate immediate cytology in CTNB to increase ...

The purpose of this study was to assess the cardiovascular effects of drugs used for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents treated in community care centers in Italy. This study was an open, prospective, observational study of youth with ADHD treated with atomoxetine (ATX) and methylphenidate (MPH). Measurements of ...

Suprapubic aspiration (SPA) is the gold standard for obtaining uncontaminated urine specimens in young febrile children. The use of real-time ultrasound (RTUS) has been shown to increase the success rate of SPA. The BladderScan (BSUS) Verathon(®) is an alternative portable ultrasound device designed to provide automated measurement of bladder volume. ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Methylphenidate (MPH), a psycho-stimulant, is the most widely administered drug for the pharmacological management of patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study attempts to determine whether sustainable improvements occur in neurocognitive function among ADHD patients following 12-month treatment with MPH, at drug-free status. Whether age groups, ...

Objective: To provide a detailed report of our experience with laser atherectomy in a large patient population with an extensive follow-up period. Method: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 222 patients who underwent laser atherectomy. Results: Overall primary patency rates at 1 and 3 years were 48% and 37%, ...

The purpose of this study is to report a case of a child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who was treated with chiropractic care. Parents of a 5-year-old boy with diagnosed ADHD brought him for chiropractic care to address his subjective signs (acting out, ability to follow instructions, and poor home ...

OBJECTIVES:: Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who have exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) require treatment with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) to maintain adequate nutrition and age-appropriate growth and weight gain. Liprotamase, a nonporcine, highly purified biotechnology-derived PERT, has demonstrated significant efficacy in fat and protein malabsorption in patients with EPI ...

Sclerosing encapsulated peritonitis (SEP) is a rare complication of long term peritoneal dialysis. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) may play a role in the development of peritoneal fibrosis in CAPD patients. We aimed to evaluate the effect of aliskiren, valsartan, and aliskiren + valsartan therapy on SEP. The study included 30 Wistar albino rats ...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of late onset complications of totally implantable venous access devices (TIVAD) in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and to investigate possible associations between the rate of complications and different policies of TIVAD management. Methods: A multicenter prospective cohort study ...

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic disease. Urotensin II (U-II) is a new peptide with angiogenic and profibrotic features. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the antagonism of U-II with palosuran in an animal model and plan to measure U-II, endothelin-1 (ET-1), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and their association with lung ...

Introduction. The concept of staple line reinforcement is a growing area of interest. This study evaluated the feasibility and effect of using bioabsorbable Seamguard (BSG) to bolster end-to-end stapled rectal anastomoses in a porcine model. Methods. Eleven female 45-kg Yucatan domestic pigs were used. Each animal served as its own ...

BACKGROUNDS: Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is generally regarded as a safe diagnostic procedure. However, acute exacerbation after BAL is increasingly recognized as a specific complication for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). So far little is known about the correlation between BAL and acute exacerbation of IPF (AE-IPF). METHODS: A cohort ...

BACKGROUND: Fractional laser therapy (FLT) has become a widely accepted modality for skin rejuvenation and has also been used in various other skin diseases. OBJECTIVE: To observe long-term histologic effects of nonablative and ablative FLT in the treatment of pigment disorders. METHODS: A randomized controlled observer-blinded study was performed in ...

A six-year-old Rottweiler with chronic ascites and moderate panhypoproteinaemia that had been treated with large volume paracentesis over several months duration was diagnosed with a large bi-atrial mass and hepatic fibrosis. For palliative treatment, a peritoneo-vesical automated fluid shunt system with an integrated chargeable battery and an integrated computer to ...

Purpose: The ureteral stent is now a fundamental part of many urological procedures. To decrease ureteral stent-related symptoms, loop type ureteral stent was developed. However the most important factor to decrease urinary symptoms is choosing the optimal length of a ureteral stent. We investigated the relationship between the actual ureteral ...

Studies have demonstrated increased myofibroblasts in contractures. However, the timeline is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the number of myofibroblasts in contracting joint capsules at 3-time points over a 24-week period. Eighteen rabbits subjected to a surgical procedure designed to elicit a knee joint contracture ...

Background  This study analyzed the change in liver fibrosis markers after the Fontan operation and investigated their clinical usefulness as an index of congestive liver fibrosis. Methods The study enrolled 24 patients who underwent the Fontan operation between January 1994 and December 2008. We subdivided the postoperative period into four ...

Some services in Brazil combine curettage of the nail matrix with phenolization in the treatment of ingrown nails, with the objective of further increasing efficacy. The objective of this research was to compare the cure rates between the phenolization technique and phenolization associated with nail matrix curettage. A retrospective study ...

Structural Remodeling in Atrial Fibrillation. Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) in mitral regurgitation (MR) is a complex disease where multiple factors may induce left-atrial structural remodeling (SR). We explored the differential SR of the left-atrial posterior wall (LAPW) of patients affected by MR with or without persistent AF, and the expression ...

Over the past few decades, a dramatic increase in our understanding of the pathophysiology of penile erection has occurred. The advent of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors has revolutionized the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED), while the introduction of modern penile prosthesis has almost completely replaced the need for vascular surgery. ...

This study investigated whether PRM-151 (Promedior, Inc., Malvern, PA), a recombinant form of human pentraxin-2 (PTX-2, also referred to as serum amyloid P, hSAP), that inhibits differentiation of circulating monocytes into fibrocytes and profibrotic macrophages, could modulate generation of myofibroblasts after opacity-producing corneal injury in rabbits, and, therefore, have potential ...

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated safety and efficacy of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) for improving growth, lean body mass (LBM), pulmonary function, and exercise tolerance in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and growth restriction. STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter, open-label, controlled clinical trial comparing outcomes in prepubertal children <14 years with CF, randomized ...

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) are responsible for much of the morbidity and mortality associated with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, there is a paucity of data on outcomes in CF PEx and factors influencing outcomes. METHODS: We reviewed all PEx in patients infected with P. aeruginosa treated with parenteral antibiotics ...

It has been reported that ultrasonography (US) can detect the severity of congenital muscular torticollis (CMT), and severe fibrosis of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle noted on US is irreversible and likely to require surgery. Clinical outcome of CMT depends mainly on the patient's age, which is also associated with the ...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of ranibizumab in wet age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), and to identify prognostic factors. METHODS: A retrospective longitudinal study of 79 eyes treated with intravitreal Ranibizumab in our hospital due to wet ARMD, with an initial regimen of three consecutive monthly injections, followed by injections on ...

This prospective cohort study in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) aimed to identify surrogates of myocardial fibrosis that are easy to derive in clinical practice, allow the differentiation of low-gradient severe AS from moderate AS, and have an impact on clinical outcome. In patients with symptomatic aortic AS, a characteristic ...

Early pulmonary infection in children with cystic fibrosis leads to increased morbidity and mortality. Despite wide use of oropharyngeal cultures to identify pulmonary infection, concerns remain over their diagnostic accuracy. While bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is an alternative diagnostic tool, evidence for its clinical benefit is lacking. To determine if BAL-directed ...

The success of pegylated-interferon (PegIFN)/ribavirin (Rbv) therapy of chronic hepatitis C is compromised by liver fibrosis. Whether fibrosis equally affects the two PegIFNα-based therapies is unknown. To assess the response to the two PegIFN regimens in patients with different degree of liver fibrosis. A sub-analysis of the MIST study: 431 ...

BACKGROUND: The cytokine transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) is a pivotal contributor to tissue fibrosis and a key cytokine in the pathogenesis of cellular transdifferentiation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and cell adhesion. This study evaluates the effect of decorin, a naturally occurring TGF-ß inhibitor, in an experimental rabbit model for proliferative vitreoretinopathy ...

Direct visual internal urethrotomy (DVIU) followed by intermittent self-dilatation (ISD) is the most commonly performed intervention for urethral stricture disease. The objective of this paper is to outline the current scientific evidence supporting this approach for its use in the management of anterior urethral strictures. A Pubmed database search was ...

Idiopatiic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease of dysregulated fibrogenesis with abnormal matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) activity, angiogenesis, and profibrotic milieu wherein MMPs inhibition appears to be target-based therapy. We evaluated the role of doxycycline as a nonspecific inhibitor of MMPs in IPF patients. Patients of IPF diagnosed on the basis ...

BACKGROUND: Intralesional or systemic steroid administration is a promising strategy for the prevention of esophageal stricture after endoscopic therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of steroid therapy on the process of healing of defects in the esophageal mucosa after endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). METHODS: Nine ...

The first aim of this study was to determine the incidence of craniosynostosis, metopic synostosis and sagittal synostosis in the Netherlands from 1997 to 2007. The second aim was to study whether a shift in the proportion of different subtypes of craniosynostosis had taken place in the Netherlands during the ...

Emergency department (ED) patients routinely undergo placement of a saline lock device (SLD) with the aspiration of blood for laboratory testing. Drawing blood through a SLD may result in hemolysis of sample, repeated venipuncture and increased ED length of stay (LOS). The objective of this study was to examine if ...

The Bernese periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is a popular option for treating symptomatic acetabular dysplasia. We noted symptomatic impingement after PAO in several male patients. We therefore determined (1) the incidence of clinical signs of FAI after PAO in the male population; and (2) whether any factors were associated with the ...

BACKGROUND:: There have been variable results on the practice of tight glycemic control, and studies have demonstrated that point-of-care (POC) glucometers have variable accuracy. OBJECTIVE:: The purpose of this study was to determine the difference between blood glucose concentrations obtained from POC glucometers as compared with laboratory results in cardiothoracic ...

Background. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive fibrotic interstitial lung disease with ineffective treatment. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an immunomodulatory agent which inhibits lymphocyte proliferation. Objective. We sought to determine the safety and efficacy profile of MMF in IPF patients. Methods. We retrospectively identified ten patients, who met the ...

Although surgical containment has become a mainstay for the treatment of Legg-Calvé-Perthes (LCP) disease; traditional operations (varus osteotomy of femur, Salter osteotomy) have certain limitations, sometimes resulting in a prolonged limp or inadequate containment. This paper presents the surgical method and results of triple pelvic osteotomy for containment treatment of ...

Our purpose was to evaluate the 3-year clinical results of patients with medial-compartment osteoarthritis of the knee and varus malalignment who underwent open-wedge high tibial osteotomy (HTO) with an internal plate fixator (TomoFix; Synthes, Solothurn, Switzerland). Clinical results are correlated with arthroscopic and radiographic findings at the time of surgery. ...

Bunionette deformity is a painful osseous prominence on the lateral aspect of the head of the fifth metatarsal. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the results of a fifth metatarsal sliding osteotomy for the treatment of this deformity in patients under 18 years of age. We retrospectively evaluated ...

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of medial and lateral (crossed pin) and lateral-entry pin techniques for Gartland Type 3 supracondylar humerus fractures in children. Six pediatric orthopaedists were divided into the 2 treatment groups (medial and lateral pins or lateral only pins) based on pre-study ...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of a modified technique of Mitchell's osteotomy for treatment of moderate to severe hallux valgus deformity with the aims of reducing first metatarsal shortening and osteonecrosis. Between February 2001 and December 2007, a total of 69 patients (90 feet) underwent ...

Summary  The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between the buccal mucosa ridging (BMR), which has been mentioned to be a clinical sign of clenching, and the viscoelastic behaviour of oral mucosa. Twenty-three people with BMR and 21 people without BMR participated as volunteers in this study. ...

High tibial osteotomy (HTO) has been advocated for the treatment of isolated medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee. Debate remains over the superiority of performing a medial opening-wedge or lateral closing-wedge HTO. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes, and complications of patients following ...

The traditional scarf osteotomy has been associated with complication rates between 1.1% and 45%. We have modified the traditional technique with a rotational osteotomy to reduce these complications. We determined whether a modified rotational scarf osteotomy improves functional outcome scores, allows correction of a wide degree of an intermetatarsal (IM) ...

Biomechanical imbalance between the hallux and the second toe and external compression of the lateral nail fold are proposed as the main reasons for ingrown toenail. Therefore, any anatomical predisposition facilitating this compression may play a role in the occurrence of ingrown toenail. The purpose of this study is to ...

Hip dislocation or subluxation together with poor nutrition, reduced weight bearing, and osteoporosis is a frequent condition in severe cerebral palsy (CP). Severe osteoporosis may cause difficulties in fixing a proximal femoral osteotomy with a conventional blade plate. The Pediatric locking compression plate (LCP) Hip Plate system offers better grip ...

Open-wedge high tibial osteotomy (HTO) is an established technique for the treatment of symptomatic varus malaligned knees. In this study, we prospectively followed up 13 patients (14 knees) who underwent navigation system-supported HTO for varus knee deformity. Preoperatively all patients underwent a physical examination, and anteroposterior and laterolateral lower limb ...

Porcine islets are the most suitable for xeno-islet transplantation. However, it is necessary to establish an effective preservation method against its fragility. Recently, we developed a new cooling and preservation (Keep and Fresh [KFC]; FUJIYA Co, Tokushima, Japan) system, which can maintain viability of hepatocyte. In this study, we examined ...