Risk factors for wound infection in surgery for spinal metastasis

Wound infection rates are generally higher in patients undergoing surgery for spinal metastasis. Risk factors of wound infection in these patients are poorly understood. Purpose To identify demographic and clinical variables that may be associated with patients experiencing a higher wound infection rate. Study design Retrospective study with prospectively collected data of spinal metastasis patients operated consecutively at a University Teaching Hospital, adult spine division which is a tertiary referral centre for complex spinal surgery. Patient sample Ninety-eight patients were all surgically treated, consecutively from January 2009 to September 2011. Three patients had to be excluded due to inadequate data. Outcome measures Physiological measures, with presence or absence of microbiologically proven infection. Methods Various demographic and clinical data were recorded, including age, serum albumin level, blood total lymphocyte count, corticosteroid intake, Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) score, neurological disability, skin closure material used, levels of surgery and administration of peri-operative corticosteroids. No funding was received from any sources for this study and as far as we are aware, there are no potential conflict of interest-associated biases in this study. Results Higher probabilities of infection were associated with low albumin level, seven or more levels of surgery, use of delayed/non-absorbable skin closure material and presence of neurological disability. Of these factors, levels of surgery were found to be statistically significant at the 5 % significance level. Conclusion Risk of infection is high (17.9 %) in patients undergoing surgery for spinal metastasis. Seven or more vertebral levels of surgery increase the risk of infection significantly (p < 0.05). Low albumin level and presence of neurological disability appear to show a trend towards increased risk of infection. Use of absorbable skin closure material, age, low lymphocyte count, peri-operative administration of corticosteroids and MUST score do not appear to influence the risk of infection

Ueber die Verwendung von Stärkezucker zur Herstellung von Kognak

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Self-diagnostic polymers : inline detection of thermal degradation of unsaturated poly(ester imide)s

Monitoring polymer degradation is an important quest, particularly relevant for industry. Although many indirect methodologies for assessing polymer degradation exist, only few are applicable for an inline-monitoring via optic detection-systems. An inline-monitoring system is introduced for the thermal degradation of crosslinked poly(ester imide)s (PEIs) by embedding trifluoroacetyl functionalized stilbene molecules, serving as chemosensors to track the release of generated alcoholic byproducts. Nucleophilic addition of an alcohol to the sensors trifluoroacetyl functionality triggers hemiacetal formation which is accompanied by significant changes in optical properties, in turn allowing monitoring of sensor activation by direct spectroscopy. Fluorescence spectroscopy offers an easy detection tool for the inline thermal monitoring of PEI-degradation.Publikationsfonds ML

Indications of Linkage and Association of Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome in Two Independent Family Samples: 17q25 Is a Putative Susceptibility Region

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is characterized by multiple motor and phonic tics and high comorbidity rates with other neurobehavioral disorders. It is hypothesized that frontal-subcortical pathways and a complex genetic background are involved in the etiopathogenesis of the disorder. The genetic basis of GTS remains elusive. However, several genomic regions have been implicated. Among them, 17q25 appears to be of special interest, as suggested by various independent investigators. In the present study, we explored the possibility that 17q25 contributes to the genetic component of GTS. The initial scan of chromosome 17 performed on two large pedigrees provided a nonparametric LOD score of 2.41 near D17S928. Fine mapping with 17 additional microsatellite markers increased the peak to 2.61 (P=.002). The original families, as well as two additional pedigrees, were genotyped for 25 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), with a focus on three genes in the indicated region that could play a role in the development of GTS, on the basis of their function and expression profile. Multiple three-marker haplotypes spanning all three genes studied provided highly significant association results (P<.001). An independent sample of 96 small families with one or two children affected with GTS was also studied. Of the 25 SNPs, 3 were associated with GTS at a statistically significant level. The transmission/disequilibrium test for a three-site haplotype moving window again provided multiple positive results. The background linkage disequilibrium (LD) of the region was studied in eight populations of European origin. A complicated pattern was revealed, with the pairwise tests producing unexpectedly high LD values at the telomeric TBCD gene. In conclusion, our findings warrant the further investigation of 17q25 as a candidate susceptibility region for GTS

SERS discrimination of single DNA bases in single oligonucleotides by electro-plasmonic trapping

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensing of DNA bases by plasmonic nanopores could pave a way to novel methods for DNA analyses and new generation single-molecule sequencing platforms. The SERS discrimination of single DNA bases depends critically on the time that a DNA strand resides within the plasmonic hot spot. In fact, DNA molecules flow through the nanopores so rapidly that the SERS signals collected are not sufficient for single-molecule analysis. Here, we report an approach to control the residence time of molecules in the hot spot by an electro-plasmonic trapping effect. By directly adsorbing molecules onto a gold nanoparticle and then trapping the single nanoparticle in a plasmonic nanohole up to several minutes, we demonstrate single-molecule SERS detection of all four DNA bases as well as discrimination of single nucleobases in a single oligonucleotide. Our method can be extended easily to label-free sensing of single-molecule amino acids and proteins

Influence of cervical spinal cord injury on thermoregulatory and cardiovascular responses in the human body: Literature review

Background: Cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) is a major public health concern in the young population as per the estimation of the annual global report, which concluded that the amount of incidence in this area ranged between 11.5 and 53.4 cases per million population. Moreover, Despite the many evaluations conducted to unveil the physiological and thermo logical complications caused to the human body after a cervical spinal cord injury, the fundamental pathophysiology about this type of injury is still inconclusive. Objective: This review attempts to provide a better understanding to the various changes caused to the body after a cSCI. It focuses on the alterations in blood circulation, energy expenditure (EE), sweating, shivering responses and consequently disruption in body temperature regulation. Methods: Various research engines such as Scopus, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Cochrane Library databases were searched by two independent investigators. 17 studies out of 102 were included based on eligibility criteria: patients with complete and/or incomplete cSCI; minimum of 5 patients as participants; and control group of able Bodied People (AB). Results: Following cSCI, EE decreases by 10% (p < 0.05) due to reduction in lean body mass; cardiac output decrements by 27% (p < 0.05) following the change in arterial blood vessel structure, and finally; thermoregulatory responses were disturbed because of the absence or decrease in vasodilation, vasoconstriction, sudomotor (autonomic activation of sweat glands) and shivering responses. Conclusions: The body undergoes significant thermoregulatory changes following spinal cord injury. Understanding the pathophysiology of spinal cord injury and its effect on the human body can provide us an insight to develop adequate treatment modalities that tackle the problem of thermal dysregulation in people with cSCI. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

An altered Bioheat model for persons with cervical spinal cord injury

The objective of this work is to develop a Bioheat model to predict the thermal responses of people with tetraplegia (TP) under hot, cold and neutral ambient conditions as well as different physical activities suitable for their level of injury. The focus is on TP with impairment or loss of motor and/or sensory function in C1 to C7 segments of the spinal cord due to damage of neural elements within the spinal canal. Starting from transient multi-segmented Bioheat model of able-bodied (AB) people, specific modifications were performed reflecting the changes in physiology due to the injury affecting the blood circulation system, energy expenditure, and thermoregulatory functions in the body. The TP Bioheat model predicts the TP thermal responses under steady and transient thermal conditions, and different activity levels that are appropriate for the level of injury. The model was validated with published experimental data reporting physiological and thermal data measurements on cases of people with complete and incomplete tetraplegia under controlled environmental conditions and activity levels. In both transient and steady state environmental conditions, the predicted core and mean skin temperature values were compared against the experimental data with maximum error of 0.86 °C and 0.9 °C respectively. The TP Bioheat model can be used as a tool to propose appropriate personal cooling strategies for TP. © 2018 Elsevier Lt