Decreasing Telephone Calls for Tympanostomy Tube Otorrhea: A Pilot Study

The “Clinical Practice Guideline: Tympanostomy Tubes in Children” published in 2013 by the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation encourages that an “educational video, or other teaching aid, should be developed to illustrate how parents/caregivers” may manage postoperative complications such as tube otorrhea; however, the current literature is devoid of such patient safety and quality improvement measures. Our objective was to develop an effective educational model to assist parents and caregivers in understanding the signs and symptoms of tympanostomy tube (TT) otorrhea and how to independently institute the appropriate otologic treatment. A 3.5 × 2-inch instructional card was designed to illustrate TT otorrhea and describe the subsequent steps necessary to obtain and institute the appropriate medical therapy. This was distributed to caregivers of all patients undergoing TT placement in September 2016; patients undergoing TT placement in May 2016 served as the preintervention control cohort. Group comparisons were made before and after implementation of the educational model by number of telephone calls our clinic triaged regarding untreated TT otorrhea, as documented within the electronic medical record. A total of 30 sets of TT were placed in September 2016, compared to 27 sets of TT in May 2016. Postoperatively, a run chart revealed a significant shift (ie, 7 consecutive points) in the number of telephone calls received (16-5 calls) after establishment of the proposed educational model. This clinical experience demonstrates the utility of patient-driven management of TT otorrhea through ancillary educational material. Given the superiority of topical otic therapy, continued translation efforts are needed for continued focus on practice implementation and dissemination

A questionnaire elicitation of surgeons' belief about learning within a surgical trial

PMID: 23145113 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] PMCID: PMC3493499 Free PMC ArticlePeer reviewedPublisher PD

Identification of non-dot/icm suppressors of the Legionella pneumophila △dotL lethality phenotype

Legionella pneumophila, a causative agent of bacterial pneumonia, survives inside phagocytic cells by avoiding rapid targeting to the lysosome. This bacterium utilizes a type IVB secretion system, encoded by the dot/icm genes, to replicate inside host cells. DotL, a critical component of the Dot/Icm secretion apparatus, functions as the type IV coupling protein. In contrast to most dot/icm genes, which are dispensable for growth on bacteriological media, dotL is required for the viability of wild-type L. pneumophila. Previously we reported that ΔdotL lethality could be suppressed by inactivation of the Dot/Icm complex via mutations in other dot/icm genes. Here we report the isolation of non-dot/icm suppressors of this phenotype. These ΔdotL suppressors include insertions that disrupt the function of the L. pneumophila homologs of cpxR, djlA, lysS, and two novel open reading frames, lpg0742 and lpg1594, that we have named ldsA and ldsB for lethality of ΔdotL suppressor. In addition to suppressing ΔdotL lethality, inactivation of these genes in a wild-type strain background causes a range of defects in L. pneumophila virulence traits, including intracellular growth, implicating these factors in the proper function of the Dot/Icm complex. Consistent with previous data showing a role for the cpx system in regulating expression of several dot/icm genes, the cpxR insertion mutant produced decreased levels of three Dot/Icm proteins, DotA, IcmV, and IcmW. The remaining four suppressors did not affect the steady-state levels of any Dot/Icm protein and are likely to represent the first identified factors necessary for assembly and/or activation of the Dot/Icm secretion complex

Current velocity and catch efficiency in sampling settlement-stage larvae of coral-reef fishes

Light traps and channel nets are fixed-position devices that involve active and passive sampling, respectively, in the collection of settlement-stage larvae of coral-reef fishes. We compared the abundance, taxonomic composition, and size of such larvae caught by each device deployed simultaneously near two sites that differed substantially in current velocity. Light traps were more selective taxonomically, and the two sampling devices differed significantly in the abundance but not size of taxa caught. Most importantly, light traps and channel nets differed greatly in their catch efficiency between sites: light traps were ineffective in collecting larvae at the relatively high-current site, and channel nets were less efficient in collecting larvae at the low-current site. Use of only one of these sampling methods would clearly result in biased and inaccurate estimates of the spatial variation in larval abundance among locations that differ in current velocity. When selecting a larval sampling device, one must consider not only how well a particular taxon may be represented, but also the environmental conditions under which the device will be deployed

Clinical findings and genetic screening for copy number variation mutations in a cohort of South African patients with Parkinson’s disease

Background. Parkinson’s disease (PD), with a prevalence of up to 4% in Western countries, appears to be less common in Africa, possibly in part because of genetic factors. African studies investigating the genetic causation of PD are limited.Objective. To describe the clinical and genetic findings in a group of black South African patients with PD.Methods. All black African patients with PD from a tertiary hospital neurology clinic were examined. Symptoms were scored according to the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), and patients were classified according to motor features. Genomic DNA was extracted and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification was used for detection of copy number variation (CNV) mutations in the known PD-causing genes.Results. Sixteen patients were identified (ages 56 - 82 years). Three had a family history of PD. Classification into motor subtypes showed 44% mixed, 31% akinetic-rigid, and 25% tremor-dominant subtypes. UPDRS scores ranged from 7 to 88, with dementia in 20%. No patient had G2019S LRRK2 and A30P SNCA mutations, and all except one had no CNV mutations in the known PD-causing genes. A female patient (age of onset 50 years, no family history) had a parkin gene heterozygous deletion of exon 4. She had hyperreflexia, bilateral Hoffmann’s reflexes, normal plantar responses and no dystonia.Conclusion. This group of black African patients showed similar characteristics to patients in Western studies, possibly with a higher proportion having tremor-dominant disease. Genetic analysis showed one parkin gene mutation. The limited knowledge on PD-causing genes and mutations in black populations warrants further studies involving next-generation sequencing approaches

Renormalisation-theoretic analysis of non-equilibrium phase transitions I: The Becker-Doring equations with power law rate coefficients

We study in detail the application of renormalisation theory to models of cluster aggregation and fragmentation of relevance to nucleation and growth processes. We investigate the Becker-Dorging equations, originally formulated to describe and analyse non-equilibrium phase transitions, and more recently generalised to describe a wide range of physicochemical problems. In the present paper we analyse how the systematic coarse-graining renormalisation of the \BD system of equations affects the aggregation and fragmentation rate coefficients. We consider the case of power-law size-dependent cluster rate coefficients which we show lead to only three classes of system that require analysis: coagulation-dominated systems, fragmentation-dominated systems and those where coagulation and fragmentation are exactly balanced. We analyse the late-time asymptotics associated with each class.Comment: 18 pages, to appear in J Phys A Math Ge

Reporting of key methodological issues in placebo-controlled trials of surgery needs improvement:a systematic review

OBJECTIVES:To examine key methodological considerations for using a placebo intervention in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating invasive procedures, including surgery. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING:RCTs comparing an invasive procedure with a placebo were included in this systematic review. Articles published from database inception to December 31, 2017, were retrieved from Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE and CENTRAL electronic databases, by handsearching references and expert knowledge. Data on trial characteristics (clinical area, nature of invasive procedure, number of patients and centers) and key methodological (rationale for using placebos, minimization of risk, information provision, offering the treatment intervention to patients randomized to placebo, delivery of cointerventions, and intervention standardization and fidelity) were extracted and summarized descriptively. RESULTS:One hundred thirteen articles reporting 96 RCTs were identified. Most were conducted in gastrointestinal surgery (n = 40, 42%) and evaluated minimally invasive procedures (n = 44, 46%). Over two-thirds randomized fewer than 100 patients (n = 65, 68%) and a third were single center (n = 31, 32%). A third (n = 33, 34%) did not report a rationale for using a placebo. Most common strategies to minimize patient risk were operator skill (n = 22, 23%) and independent data monitoring (n = 28, 29%). Provision of patient information regarding placebo use was infrequently reported (n = 11, 11%). Treatment interventions were offered to patients randomized to placebo in 43 trials (45%). Cointerventions were inconsistently reported, but 64 trials (67%) stated that anesthesia was matched between groups. Attempts to standardize interventions and monitor their delivery were reported in n = 7, (7%) and n = 4, (4%) trials, respectively. CONCLUSION:Most placebo-controlled trials in surgery evaluate minor surgical procedures and currently there is inconsistent reporting of key trial methods. There is a need for guidance to optimize the transparency of trial reporting in this area