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

Fluoxetine Exerts Age-Dependent Effects on Behavior and Amygdala Neuroplasticity in the Rat

The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) Prozac® (fluoxetine) is the only registered antidepressant to treat depression in children and adolescents. Yet, while the safety of SSRIs has been well established in adults, serotonin exerts neurotrophic actions in the developing brain and thereby may have harmful effects in adolescents. Here we treated adolescent and adult rats chronically with fluoxetine (12 mg/kg) at postnatal day (PND) 25 to 46 and from PND 67 to 88, respectively, and tested the animals 7–14 days after the last injection when (nor)fluoxetine in blood plasma had been washed out, as determined by HPLC. Plasma (nor)fluoxetine levels were also measured 5 hrs after the last fluoxetine injection, and matched clinical levels. Adolescent rats displayed increased behavioral despair in the forced swim test, which was not seen in adult fluoxetine treated rats. In addition, beneficial effects of fluoxetine on wakefulness as measured by electroencephalography in adults was not seen in adolescent rats, and age-dependent effects on the acoustic startle response and prepulse inhibition were observed. On the other hand, adolescent rats showed resilience to the anorexic effects of fluoxetine. Exploratory behavior in the open field test was not affected by fluoxetine treatment, but anxiety levels in the elevated plus maze test were increased in both adolescent and adult fluoxetine treated rats. Finally, in the amygdala, but not the dorsal raphe nucleus and medial prefrontal cortex, the number of PSA-NCAM (marker for synaptic remodeling) immunoreactive neurons was increased in adolescent rats, and decreased in adult rats, as a consequence of chronic fluoxetine treatment. No fluoxetine-induced changes in 5-HT1A receptor immunoreactivity were observed. In conclusion, we show that fluoxetine exerts both harmful and beneficial age-dependent effects on depressive behavior, body weight and wakefulness, which may relate, in part, to differential fluoxetine-induced neuroplasticity in the amygdala

Effects of water soluble oncostatic fraction from Rheum officinale Baill. rhizomes on Allium cepa root meristem. II. Meristem length and mitotic activity distribution

Incubation in 5 and 12.5 per cent extract from Rheum officinale rhizomes causes disturbance of the dynamic equilibrium between the number of dividing cells and the number of those passing to the elongation zone. The zone of meristematic cells is shortened to 2/3 and the zone of mitoses to 1/2 after 24-h incubation in 5 per cent extract. 12-h incubation in 12.5 per cent extract does not reduce the zone of meristematic cells, although it shortens the mitosis zone to 1/5. This suggests that a high concentration of the inhibitor arrests elongation. growth. Mitotic activation of the meristem in the beginning of postincubation period occurs on a wide area since the last mitotic cycle runs in the cells of the basal part of the meristem. During further postincubation (48 and 72 h after 5% and 72 h after 12.5% extract) the meristematic zone is greatly shortened and the zone of highest mitosis frequency shifts in apical direction. The mitotic activity in the apical sector much higher than in the control suggests, that the quiscent centre takes part in the reconstruction of the meristem

Effects of water soluble oncostatic fraction from Rheum officinale Baill. rhizomes on Allium cepa root meristem. I. The mitotic activity

The effects of the oncostatic extracts from Rheum officinale rhizomes on the activity of meristematic cells from Allium cepa roots were investigated. A statistically significant decrease of the IM value was noted as well as of the total number of mitoses during incubation. The disturbances in the course of mitosis and cytokinesis are described and discussed. The kind of disturbances during postincubation points to damage of the S and G2 phases of the interphase nuclei. Cytochemical and autoradiographic studies demonstrated a diminished intensity of staining of DNA and RNA and inhibition of DNA synthesis during incubation, this leading in tum to a lower intensity of protein staining in postincubation. Disturbances in mitosis and cytokinesis after treatment wth 2,6-dihydroxyantraquinone, supposed to be the antimitotically active compound of the extract, are the same as those produced by the total water soluble fraction

Sensory quality of white cabbage and seleriac depending on the cultivar and storage

Celem przeprowadzonych badań było określenie wpływu odmiany i przechowywania na jakość sensoryczną kapusty głowiastej białej i korzeni selera. Materiał badawczy stanowiły dwie odmiany kapusty głowiastej białej ‘Cilion’ F1 i ‘Storema’F1 oraz dwie odmiany selera korzeniowego ‘Ilona’ i ‘President’, przechowywane w komorach chłodniczych przez okres siedmiu miesięcy. Z badań wynika, że istotnie lepszą jakością sensoryczną charakteryzowała się odmiana kapusty głowiastej – ‘Cilion’F1 niż ‘Storema’F1. Korzenie selera odmiany ‘Ilona’ przechowywane w warunkach laboratoryjnych w Skierniewicach utrzymały lepszą jakość niż przechowywane u producenta w Nęndzerzewie. Ponadto korzenie odmiany ‘Ilona’ przechowywane w Skierniewicach charakteryzowały się lepszą jakością w porównaniu do korzeni odmiany ‘President’ przechowywanych zarówno w Skierniewicach jaki i u producenta w Orłach.The effect of cultivars and storage period on the sensory quality of the white cabbage and celeriac was evaluated. Sensory quality of two white cabbage cultivars (‘Cilion’F1 and ‘Storema’F1) and two celeriac cultivars (‘Ilona’ and ‘President’) stored for seven months in a cold store, was examined. The results of the investigations showed that storage period and storage location has influences on some sensory properties of white cabbage. The ‘Cilion’F1 cv. showed significantly higher overall quality than ‘Storema’F1. The roots of celeriac cv. ‘Ilona’ stored in Skierniewice maintained better quality than the roots stored in Nęndzerzew. Celeriac cv. ‘Ilona’ stored in Skierniewice conditions characterized with the better quality than celeriac cv. ‘President’ stored in both locations: Skierniewice and Orły

Effects of water soluble oncostatic fraction from Rheum officinale Baill. rhizomes on Allium cepa root meristem. I. The mitotic activity

The effects of the oncostatic extracts from Rheum officinale rhizomes on the activity of meristematic cells from Allium cepa roots were investigated. A statistically significant decrease of the IM value was noted as well as of the total number of mitoses during incubation. The disturbances in the course of mitosis and cytokinesis are described and discussed. The kind of disturbances during postincubation points to damage of the S and G2 phases of the interphase nuclei. Cytochemical and autoradiographic studies demonstrated a diminished intensity of staining of DNA and RNA and inhibition of DNA synthesis during incubation, this leading in tum to a lower intensity of protein staining in postincubation. Disturbances in mitosis and cytokinesis after treatment wth 2,6-dihydroxyantraquinone, supposed to be the antimitotically active compound of the extract, are the same as those produced by the total water soluble fraction