An unexpected journey of a suction catheter in a preterm neonate

Foreign bodies are extremely rare in preterm neonates. The majority are iatrogenic. We describe a neonate of 27 weeks gestation who was found to have an 18 mm long suction catheter at the right main bronchi after resuscitation in another hospital. It was first detected by chest X-ray after endotracheal intubation. Repeat X-ray revealed the catheter moved to the stomach and migrated to the lower gastrointestinal tract in a few hours. The patient was treated conservatively and the catheter was passed out on day 14. Newborn resuscitation may result in iatrogenic foreign body in neonates. Serious complications such as respiratory compromise, perforations or abscess may occur. Early referral to a specialized tertiary center with pediatric surgical service is recommended. We hope our experience demonstrated the importance of preventing iatrogenic foreign body in clinical setting. Access to endoscopic instrumentation for foreign body removal in preterm neonates should be available at all times.published_or_final_versio

Randomized controlled trial of supportive-expressive group therapy and body-mind-spirit intervention for Chinese non-metastatic breast cancer patients

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of supportive-expressive group (SEG) therapy and body-mind-spirit (BMS) intervention on emotional suppression and psychological distress in Chinese breast cancer patients.published_or_final_versio

A 3-year randomized controlled trial on the impact of brief psychosocial interventions on breast cancer survivorship

Conference Theme: Social Work Research: A World of Possibilitie

Application of anchoring stitch prevents rectal prolapse in laparoscopic assisted anorectal pullthrough

Session - MIS/ROBOTIC: abstract no. SS7.2BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: We study the application of an anchoring stitch to tack the rectum to the presacral fascia and the occurrence of rectal prolapse after laparoscopic assisted anorectal pullthrough (LAARP). METHODS: Retrospective review of all children who had undergone LAARP from 2000 was performed. Patients were divided into group I with anchoring stitch and group II without anchoring stitch. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients ( group I, n = 20; group II, n = 14 ) were identified. The mean operative time was significantly shorter in group I ( 193 ± 63 minutes vs 242 ± 49 minutes, p = 0.048 ). Rectal prolapse occurred less in group I, 4 ( 20% ) vs 9 (64%) patients in group II and was statistically significant ( p = 0.008 ). Soiling occurred less in group I ( 55 % vs 79 %, p = 0.167 ). Voluntary bowel control ( 85 % vs 93 %, p = 0.499 ) and constipation ( 55 % vs 64 %, p = 0.601 ) were comparable. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed application of anchoring stitch reduces rectal prolapse and soiling in LAARP

Dance/ Movement-based psychotherapy program: its effect and impact on reducing radiotherapy-related symptoms and improving the quality of life in Chinese breast cancer patients

PP. 26-38 of this journal issue entitled: Abstracts from the 2012 47th Annual American Dance Therapy Association Research and Thesis Poster SessionMalignant neoplasm was the number one cause of death in Hong Kong in 2010. On average, approximately 5000 females in Hong Kong die from cancer in every year and breast cancer is the leading cancer in Hong Kong women. Although the survival rate of breast cancer is high, breast cancer treatment may be physically and psychologically stressful for patients. Most of the breast cancer patients receive radiotherapy treatment after their surgery or chemotherapy. The likely side effects of radiotherapy include: fatigue, pain and sleep disturbance. Many patients undergoing radiotherapy have some degree of distress, worry and depressed mood. The presented study aimed at establishing the efficacy of dance/movement-based psychotherapy which emphasizes both physiological and psychological aspects of breast cancer patients in managing the radiotherapy-related symptom clusters and quality of life. This study adopted the randomized control trial with waitlist control design. Chinese breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy were recruited from local hospitals and randomized into the 6-session dance/movement-based psychotherapy program or waitlist control group. The program emphasized physiological aspects (such as movement targeted on relieving a participant’s arm edema) and psychological aspects (such as movement that encouraged participants to explore their personal space). Participants were invited to complete a set of self-report questionnaires before and after the program. Findings showed that physiological states (fatigue level) and psychological status (depressive mood) significantly improved among Chinese breast cancer patients who joined the dance/movement-based psychotherapy program. The encouraging results not only supported that dance/movement-based psychotherapy was an effective program on reducing radiotherapy-related symptoms among Chinese breast cancer patients, but also informed better practice in patient care services. Patients benefited by participating in the psychotherapy program during their cancer treatment

Tumor suppressive role of a 2.4 Mb 9q33-q34 critical region and DEC1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The key genes involved in the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain to be elucidated. Previous studies indicate extensive genomic alterations occur on chromosome 9 in ESCC. Using a monochromosome transfer approach, this study provides functional evidence and narrows down the critical region (CR) responsible for chromosome 9 tumor suppressing activity to a 2.4 Mb region mapping to 9q33-q34 between markers D9S1798 and D9S61. Interestingly, a high prevalence of allelic loss in this CR is also observed in primary ESCC tumors by microsatellite typing. Allelic loss is found in 30/34 (88%) tumors and the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) frequency ranges from 67 to 86%. Absent to low expression of a 9q32 candidate tumor suppressor gene (TSG), DEC1 (deleted in esophageal cancer 1), is detected in four Asian ESCC cell lines. Stably expressing DEC1 transfectants provide functional evidence for inhibition of tumor growth in nude mice and DEC1 expression is decreased in tumor segregants arising after long-term selection in vivo. There is 74% LOH in the DEC1 region of ESCC primary tumors. This study provides the first functional evidence for the presence of critical tumor suppressive regions on 9q33-q34. DEC1 is a candidate TSG that may be involved in ESCC development.link_to_subscribed_fulltex