Black lymph node in tattoo: an easy pitfall

Tattoo is one of the most popular body arts in the world. It may be considered as a sign of belonging to a particular community as well as an expression of masculinity. However, it may also have a mere aesthetic purpose. In the past, whereas tattooing was common for male military personnel, bourgeois society spurned it. Nowadays, it is estimated that more than 24% of American adults have at least a tattoo.1 It is trending so tattooing is increasing social acceptability. The practice is equally common in men and women. In Italy, this phenomenon is less extensive than in America. However, it is definitely on the rise if we compare it with the past. Tattooing is becoming extremely popular with adolescent

Efficacy and safety of Propionibacterium extract gel versus glyceryl trinitrate ointment in the treatment of chronic anal fissure: a randomized controlled trial

Aim: Chronic anal fissure (CAF) is an extremely frequent finding in clinical practice. Several topical agents have been proposed for its treatment with the common goal of increasing anodermal blood flow to promote healing. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of a Propionibacterium extract gel (PeG) and 0.4% glyceryl trinitrate ointment (GTN) in patients with CAF.Method: Patients were randomly allocated to a PeG or GTN group and medication was administered every 12 h for 40 days. The primary outcome was the success rate, as measured by a decrease in the REALISE scoring system for anal fissure at 10, 20 and 40 days after initiating either treatment. The secondary outcomes recorded at the same time points were healing rate, visual analogue scales for itching and burning, rate of complications and adverse events, patient quality of life and satisfaction, and cost analysis.Results: A total of 120 patients were enrolled, and 96 patients (PeG, n = 53; GTN, n = 43) completed the primary outcomes. A significant decrease over time in the REALISE score was observed in both groups. Adverse events occurred more frequently in the GTN group than in the PeG group, peaking at visit 1 [37 (63.8%) vs. 2 (3.4%), respectively], with headache being the most prevalent. The between-treatment cumulative average costs per patient were significantly higher for GTN than that for PeG at each follow-up visit. There were no other significant differences between the two groups for any of the other outcomes.Conclusion: While there was no difference in healing rates between the two treatments, PeG was more cost-effective and associated with fewer adverse events

Evaluation of a quality improvement intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy (EAGLE): pragmatic, batched stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial in 64 countries

Background: Anastomotic leak affects 8 per cent of patients after right colectomy with a 10-fold increased risk of postoperative death. The EAGLE study aimed to develop and test whether an international, standardized quality improvement intervention could reduce anastomotic leaks. Methods: The internationally intended protocol, iteratively co-developed by a multistage Delphi process, comprised an online educational module introducing risk stratification, an intraoperative checklist, and harmonized surgical techniques. Clusters (hospital teams) were randomized to one of three arms with varied sequences of intervention/data collection by a derived stepped-wedge batch design (at least 18 hospital teams per batch). Patients were blinded to the study allocation. Low- and middle-income country enrolment was encouraged. The primary outcome (assessed by intention to treat) was anastomotic leak rate, and subgroup analyses by module completion (at least 80 per cent of surgeons, high engagement; less than 50 per cent, low engagement) were preplanned. Results: A total 355 hospital teams registered, with 332 from 64 countries (39.2 per cent low and middle income) included in the final analysis. The online modules were completed by half of the surgeons (2143 of 4411). The primary analysis included 3039 of the 3268 patients recruited (206 patients had no anastomosis and 23 were lost to follow-up), with anastomotic leaks arising before and after the intervention in 10.1 and 9.6 per cent respectively (adjusted OR 0.87, 95 per cent c.i. 0.59 to 1.30; P = 0.498). The proportion of surgeons completing the educational modules was an influence: the leak rate decreased from 12.2 per cent (61 of 500) before intervention to 5.1 per cent (24 of 473) after intervention in high-engagement centres (adjusted OR 0.36, 0.20 to 0.64; P < 0.001), but this was not observed in low-engagement hospitals (8.3 per cent (59 of 714) and 13.8 per cent (61 of 443) respectively; adjusted OR 2.09, 1.31 to 3.31). Conclusion: Completion of globally available digital training by engaged teams can alter anastomotic leak rates. Registration number: NCT04270721 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)

L’addome acuto nel paziente trapiantato renale. Considerazioni epidemiologiche, diagnostiche e terapeutiche in DEA non dedicati

The incidence of gastrointestinal complications in renal transplant recipients is relatively high while about 10% is related to acute abdomen. Data concerning gastrointestinal (GI) complications were reported in literature mainly from referral center studies. A multicenter retrospectively survey was performed in Lazio, Italy, in order to evaluate the incidence of acute abdomen in renal transplant recipients observed to the emergency departments of not referral transplantation centers. Clinical and demographic findings regarding 14 patients who experienced acute abdomen between February 2005 and Dicember 2008 have been collected. The following data was investigated: etiology, diagnostic workup, duration of symptoms, elapsed time between admission and emergency operation if performed, morbility and mortality. The severity of disease at presentation was assessed by mean of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation score (APACHE II). Acute abdomen was due to pancreatitis in three patients (23.1%); to cholecystitis in three (23.1%); to acute diverticolitis with colon perforation in two patients (15.4%); to acute appendicitis in two (15.4%) and to intestinal obstruction in 2 patients (15.4%). Small bowel perforation was observed in two patients (15.4%) which one case, upon pathological examination, showed malignant lymphoma. The mean APACHE II score was 14.0±5.9. Ten patients (71.4%) were submitted to surgery. Overall mortality and morbidity were 35% and 42% respectively. Statistical analysis showed admission APACHE II score (p<0.01), duration of symptoms (p<0.05), and total time elapsed between the onset of symptoms and treatment (p<0.04) as factors significantly related to mortality