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Median Percentage (median + percentage)
Selected AbstractsDoes the need to self-digitate or the presence of a large or nonemptying rectocoele on proctography influence the outcome of transanal rectocoele repair?COLORECTAL DISEASE, Issue 2 2003S. G. Stojkovic Abstract Introduction Transanal repair of anterior rectocoele is a well described technique with variable success rate. In our department we offer repair to patients who fit the following criteria; the need to self digitate (transvaginal or perineal); a large rectocoele; a nonemptying rectocoele. Using these selection criteria previous authors have shown excellent results. The aim of our study was to review our results using this selective approach and also to determine whether the need to self digitate, the presence of a large rectocoele and the degree of emptying could predict which patients would achieve a successful result. Methods Fifty-five patients underwent repair over a three-year period. The main presenting symptom was noted for each patient and also whether self-digitation was required in order to achieve successful evacuation. Dynamic evacuation proctography was performed on all patients. Size of rectocoele, percentage of paste expelled and other proctographic abnormalities were noted for each patient. Follow up was at 6 weeks and 6 months at which point patients were asked whether their symptoms had resolved, improved, remained the same or had worsened. Results Complete data were available for 48 of the patients (median age 52 years, IQR 43,63). The presenting complaint was constipation in 22 patients, obstructive defeacation in 15, incomplete evacuation in 5, postdefaecation soiling in 4 and dyspareunia in 2. Thirty-eight patients noted the need to self-digitate, 10 did not. Proctography revealed a large rectocoele (> 4 cm) in 22 patients and a medium or small rectocoele (< 4 cm) in 26 patients. There was a rectocoele alone in 34 patients, in combination with perineal descent in 11 and with intussusception in 3. Median percentage of paste expelled was 70% (range 20,95). At 6 weeks postoperatively, 43 patients had complete resolution of their symptoms whilst 5 reported only some or no improvement. At 6 months, 37 patients sustained complete resolution of their symptoms and 11 did not. Pre-operative factors were compared for these two groups of patients. There was no difference in age (P > 0.05, Mann,Whitney U -test) between the two groups There was also no difference in size of rectocoele, degree of emptying, the presence of another proctographic abnormality and the need to self-digitate between the two groups (P > 0.05, Fisher's exact test). Discussion No factors were seen to distinguish between the successful and unsuccessful groups of patients following rectocoele repair, however, an overall success rate of 75% was achieved using our selection criteria. This figure is in keeping with reported success rates in the literature. [source] Analysis of proliferating cell fraction determined by monoclonal antibody to M1-subunit ribonucleotide reductase and Ki-67 in relation to p53 protein expression in fine-needle aspirates from non-Hodgkin's lymphomasCYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 5 2000V. Sviatoha Analysis of proliferating cell fraction determined by monoclonal antibody to M1-subunit ribonucleotide reductase and Ki-67 in relation to p53 protein expression in fine-needle aspirates from non Hodgkin's lymphomas The purpose of this study was to analyse the proliferative fraction with the monoclonal antibody M1-R-R to M1-subunit ribonucleotide reductase and with MIB-1 to Ki-67 antigen in relation to p53 protein expression in fine needle aspirates from B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. One hundred and thirty-seven cases, previously diagnosed and sub-typed according to the Kiel classification and characterized by immunophenotyping, were included in the study. The M-1 subunit ribonucleotide reductase (M1 -R-R), Ki-67 and p53 antigens were detected using monoclonal antibodies on stored cytospin preparations. There was a good correlation (r = 0.72) between Ki-67 and M1 -R-R positive cell fraction in both high and low grade lymphomas. High-grade lymphomas had a median percentage of M1 -R-R/MIB-1 positive cells of 53.0/73.0 for lymphoblastic, 61.0/52.0 for immunoblastic and 33.5/41.0 for centroblastic lymphomas, respectively. In low grade lymphomas figures of median percentage of M1 -R-R/MIB-1 were 9.0/15.0 for centroblastic/centrocytic, 11.0/9.5 for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, 16.0/27.0 for centrocytic and 12.0/9.0 for immunocytomas, respectively. The median percentages of M1 -R-R/MIB-1 for high and low grade lymphomas were 37.0/50.5 and 11.0/12.0, respectively. In the p53 positive cases the proliferation rate as measured by staining for M1 -R-R and MIB-1 was higher than in p53 negative cases, but the difference was not statistically significant. The results show that cytospin material obtained by fine needle aspiration and stored at ,70 °C for years can be used reliably for both peroxidase-avidin-biotin and three-step alkaline phosphatase immunocytochemical staining. In addition, proliferation fraction determined by M1 -R-R monoclonal antibody staining correlates well with that measured by an established marker for cell proliferation, the Ki-67 antibody. However, the proliferation fraction as measured by the two antibodies differs in the various subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which indicates that they may contribute different prognostic information. [source] Estimating missing daily temperature extremes using an optimized regression approachINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 11 2001Robert J. Allen Abstract A variation of a least squares regression approach to estimate missing daily maximum and minimum temperatures is developed and evaluated, specifically for temperature extremes. The method focuses on obtaining accurate estimates of annual exceedence counts (e.g. the number of days greater than or equal to the 90th percentile of daily maximum temperatures), as well as counts of consecutive exceedences, while limiting the estimation error associated with each individual value. The performance of this method is compared with that of two existing methods developed for the entire temperature distribution. In these existing methods, temperature estimates are based on data from neighbouring stations using either regression or temperature departure-based approaches. Evaluation of our approach using cold minimum and warm maximum temperatures shows that the median percentage of correctly identified exceedence counts is 97% and the median percentage of correctly identified consecutive exceedence counts is 98%. The other existing methods tend to underestimate both single and consecutive exceedence counts. Using these procedures, the estimated exceedence counts are generally less than 80% of those that actually occurred. Despite the fact that our method is tuned to estimate exceedence counts, the estimation accuracy of individual daily maximum or minimum temperatures is similar to that of the other estimation procedures. The median absolute error (MAE) using all temperatures greater than or equal to the 90th percentile (T90),1.1°C for ten climatically diverse stations is 1.28°C for our method, while the other methods give MAEs of 1.27 and 1.17°C. In terms of median error, however, the tendency for underprediction by the existing methods is pronounced with ,0.77 and ,0.61°C biases. Our optimized method is relatively unbiased as the resulting mean error is ,0.12°C. Copyright © 2001 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Is There a Relationship Between Street Heroin Purity and Drug-Related Emergencies and/or Drug-Related Deaths?JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 5 2007An Analysis from Vienna, Austria Abstract:, This study examines the quality of street heroin seized in Vienna in 1999 and whether there was a relationship between the purity of street heroin and the number of heroin-related emergencies as well as the number of heroin-related deaths. Street heroin confiscated by the Viennese police, run-sheets of drug-related emergencies, and postmortem reports of drug-related deaths in Vienna in 1999 were analyzed. A total of 415 retail samples with a total weight of 128.02 g contained a median percentage of 6.5% diacetylmorphine (range: 0.0,47.0%). All the samples contained a diluent, mainly lactose, as well as adulterants, such as caffeine and/or paracetamol. During the study period, 75 heroin-related deaths and 387 heroin-related emergencies were registered in Vienna. Time-series analysis revealed no statistically significant relationship between the rate of heroin-related incidents and the diacetylmorphine concentration of street heroin samples confiscated in Vienna in 1999. The widely held belief that the number of heroin-related deaths could be explained simply through fluctuations in the purity of street heroin could not be substantiated, even though the results of this study do not rule out an association between the purity of heroin and heroin-related deaths/emergencies. [source] Clinical trial: the effects of the proton pump inhibitor dexlansoprazole MR on daytime and nighttime heartburn in patients with non-erosive reflux diseaseALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 12 2009R. FASS Summary Background, The proportion of patients who respond to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy is about 20% lower in those with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) than in those with erosive oesophagitis. Aim, To assess efficacy and safety of dexlansoprazole MR, a PPI using Dual Delayed Release technology, in NERD patients. Methods, In this 4-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 947 NERD patients randomly received dexlansoprazole MR 30 mg, 60 mg or placebo once daily (QD). The percentages of 24-h heartburn-free days (primary) and nights without heartburn (secondary) were assessed from patients' daily diaries. Investigators also assessed symptoms. Patients completed validated quality of life and symptom severity questionnaires. Results, Dexlansoprazole MR provided significantly greater median percentages of 24-h heartburn-free days (54.9% and 50.0% for the 30- and 60-mg doses vs. 17.5% for placebo, P < 0.00001) and nights without heartburn (80.8% and 76.9% vs. 51.7%, P < 0.00001 vs. placebo). Dexlansoprazole MR also reduced symptom severity. Quality of life improvements in patients receiving dexlansoprazole MR were consistent with clinical efficacy endpoints. Percentages of patients experiencing treatment-emergent adverse events were similar among groups. Conclusions, Dexlansoprazole MR 30 and 60 mg were superior to placebo in providing 24-h heartburn-free days and nights in NERD patients. Treatment was well tolerated. [source] Treg cell numbers and function in patients with antibiotic-refractory or antibiotic-responsive lyme arthritisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 7 2010Shiqian Shen Objective In a murine model of antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis, the numbers of Treg cells are dramatically reduced. The aim of this study was to examine Treg cell numbers and function in patients with antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis. Methods CD4+ T cell subsets were enumerated in the peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF) of 12 patients with antibiotic-refractory arthritis and 6 patients with antibiotic-responsive arthritis. Treg cell function was examined using Borrelia -specific and nonspecific Treg cell proliferation assays. Results In both patient groups, interferon-,,positive Th1 cells in SF were abundant and enriched (,50% of CD4+ T cells). In patients with antibiotic-refractory arthritis, the median percentages of FoxP3-positive Treg cells were significantly higher in SF than in PB (12% versus 6%; P = 0.03) or in SF from patients with antibiotic-responsive arthritis (12% versus 5%; P = 0.04). Moreover, in the antibiotic-refractory group, a higher percentage of Treg cells in SF correlated with a shorter duration until resolution of arthritis (r = ,0.74, P = 0.006). In contrast, patients with fewer Treg cells had suboptimal responses to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and a longer duration of arthritis after antibiotic treatment, and they often required synovectomies for arthritis resolution. In each group, Treg cells in SF dampened Borrelia burgdorferi,specific proliferative responses, and in 2 patients with antibiotic-refractory arthritis, Treg cells were functional in nonspecific suppression assays. Conclusion Treg cells were functional in patients with antibiotic-refractory arthritis, and in some patients, higher numbers of these cells in SF appeared to participate in arthritis resolution. However, as in the murine model, patients with antibiotic-refractory arthritis and lower numbers of Treg cells seemed unable to achieve resolution of synovial inflammation. [source] | ||||||||||