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Biomedical subjects

D Lanza

Publications and source records attributed to D Lanza.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

[Integration of new nurses in nursing units in a university hospital].

The study presented in this article raises the problems of the integration of recently graduated nurses in the hospital from the point of view of a culture difference between the two socialisation worlds: more reflexive standards of behaviour and culture in the schools (emphasis on analysis, knowledge, care actions argumentation...) and more instrumental ones in the hospitals (emphasis on efficiency, work organisation, operationality...). An enquiry by means of interviews with recent graduates from different schools (open, semi-open and closed questions) enables to successively analyse the skills they consider to have acquired at school, the ones they consider as required by the hospital and the differences they feel between hospital and school concerning the enhanced skills. The results show a significant discrepancy between the ideal of the interviewed nurses and the reality of their work within the institutional constraints of the hospital.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Long-term results of functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

Although much has been reported on the short-term outcomes of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), little has been reported with regard to its long-term impact on chronic sinusitis. The senior author (D.W.K.) previously reported detailed subjective and endoscopic follow-up on 120 patients at a mean of 18 months following surgery. This current study represents a long-term follow-up (average, 7.8 years) of 72 patients (60%) from the same cohort. Of patients responding to a question about overall symptoms, 98.4% (n = 66) reported improvement compared with before surgery. There was a trend toward continued subjective improvement in symptom scores with longer follow-up, but the changes did not reach statistical significance. Thirteen patients (18%) required subsequent surgical procedures. Preoperative stage, prior surgery, and other factors that might affect outcome were evaluated. The study demonstrates that excellent subjective results following FESS can be maintained in the long term with appropriate postoperative management. The study also validates the concept that patients in whom the cavity can be normalized following surgery are unlikely to require further surgery.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Nasal airway changes assessed by acoustic rhinometry and mediator release during immediate and late reactions to allergen challenge.

BACKGROUND: We have found that acoustic rhinometry is a reliable means of assessing nasal airway caliber changes during the immediate reaction to nasal allergen challenge of sensitive subjects. Comparison of such changes with symptoms and patterns of mediator release could help in the understanding of mechanisms of immediate and late-phase reactions after allergen challenge and their clinical relevance. METHODS: Nasal minimal cross-sectional area (MCA) was assessed sequentially for 6 hours after two blinded challenges in random order with pollen antigens and buffer diluent in five sensitive human subjects. Comparisons were made with: (1) symptom scores; (2) olfaction changes; and (3) nasal secretion levels of histamine, tryptase, leukotriene C4, serum albumin (a marker of vascular permeability), lactoferrin (a marker of local glandular secretion), and inflammatory cells in nasal scrapings. RESULTS: In four of five subjects there was a significantly greater decrease in MCA after antigen challenge than after diluent challenge, correlating with the degree of subjective nasal congestion. In two of these four subjects there was a prominent second late-phase decrease in MCA at 3 to 5 hours, whereas the MCA was persistently decreased in an additional subject with accompanying subjective congestion. No significant decrease in olfactory acuity occurred. Levels were significantly higher in nasal secretions obtained after antigen challenge than in those obtained after buffer challenge with histamine (9 +/- 2.7 ng/ml vs 1.2 +/- 0.5 ng/ml; p = 0.04); tryptase (95 +/- 83 ng/ml vs 3 +/- 0.9 ng/ml; p = 0.02), leukotriene C4 (5293 +/- 1385 ng/ml vs 578 +/- 183 ng/ml; p = 0.02), and albumin (123 +/- 9 ng/ml vs 19 +/- 1.6 ng/ml; p = 0.005) but not with lactoferrin (4.6 +/- 1.2 ng/ml vs 4.1 +/- 28 ng/ml; p = not significant). Granulocyte exudation was seen after antigen challenge but not after buffer diluent challenge. However, there was not a precise correlation between decreases in MCA with changes in levels of these mediators in individual subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Acoustic rhinometry can quantitatively assess congestion during immediate and late-phase reactions after nasal challenge without significant correlation to the degree of individual inflammatory events assessed.

Acoustics↗

Head and neck manifestations of plasma cell neoplasms.

Multiple myeloma, solitary plasmacytoma of bone, and extramedullary plasmacytoma are plasma cell neoplasms. They represent distinct manifestations of a disease continuum, whereby the clinical findings are critical to diagnosis. Plasma cell neoplasms are histologically similar, and distinguishing one from the other has significant implications for treatment and survival. Plasma cell neoplasms are relatively unusual malignancies of the head and neck region. We present a case series of plasma cell neoplasms involving the skull base, paranasal sinus, larynx, and mandible as an introduction to a complete review of the literature on plasma cell neoplasms of the head and neck area.

Adult↗

Use of stress thallium imaging to stratify cardiac risk in patients undergoing vascular surgery.

Reduction of the cardiac morbidity associated with major vascular procedures requires identification of high risk patients prior to operation. This retrospective study reviews the records of 126 consecutive patients who underwent 141 major vascular procedures to determine the accuracy of preoperative clinical, laboratory (ECG), and cardiac function testing (stress thallium-201 scintigraphy, left ventricular ejection fraction scan) in predicting perioperative cardiac complications. An abnormality on oral dipyridamole or treadmill thallium imaging was demonstrated prior to 71 (61%) of 116 procedures and included 20 fixed and 51 reperfusion (reversible) defects. No patient died within 30 days of operation, but 11 minor (ventricular arrhythmia) and 15 major (myocardial infarction, ischemic congestive heart failure) cardiac complications occurred. A reperfusion defect on stress thallium imaging accurately (94% sensitivity, 56% specificity, 98% negative predictive value) identified high-risk patients while accepted clinical rating systems (Goldman, Cooperman, Eagle) and preoperative level of left ventricular ejection fraction were less predictive of adverse cardiac events. Patients without myocardium at risk by coronary angiography, but a reperfusion defect on stress thallium imaging were found to be at high risk for a cardiac complication. The study data support the use of stress thallium imaging to stratify cardiac risk prior to major arterial surgery.

Adult↗

Monitoring functional patency of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.

Duplex scanning and Doppler-derived blood pressure measurements were used to serially monitor lower limb hemodynamics in 73 patients who underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Ninety percutaneous transluminal angioplasty sites judged technically satisfactory by arteriography were evaluated. Significant hemodynamic improvement was seen in 81 (90%) of the 90 limbs, although both hemodynamic and clinical improvement were achieved in only 77 (86%) limbs. Duplex scanning within 1 week of successful angioplasty identified moderate (20% to 49% diameter reduction) or severe (greater than 50% diameter reduction) residual stenosis in 49 (63%) of 77 balloon-dilated arterial segments. The presence of a greater than 50% diameter reduction residual stenosis predicted further restenosis and late clinical failure (11% success rate at 1 year). When the degree of residual stenosis at the percutaneous transluminal angioplasty site was less than 50% diameter reduction by duplex scanning, the procedure was durable (80% success rate at 2 years), even in patients with critical ischemia, poor runoff, or diabetes mellitus.

Angioplasty, Balloon↗