5 research outputs found

    Powered bone marrow biopsy procedures produce larger core specimens, with less pain, in less time than with standard manual devices

    Get PDF
    Bone marrow sampling remains essential in the evaluation of hematopoietic and many non-hematopoietic disorders. One common limitation to these procedures is the discomfort experienced by patients. To address whether a Powered biopsy system could reduce discomfort while providing equivalent or better results, we performed a randomized trial in adult volunteers. Twenty-six subjects underwent bilateral biopsies with each device. Core samples were obtained in 66.7% of Manual insertions; 100% of Powered insertions (P=0.002). Initial mean biopsy core lengths were 11.1±4.5 mm for the Manual device; 17.0±6.8 mm for the Powered device (P<0.005). Pathology assessment for the Manual device showed a mean length of 6.1±5.6 mm, width of 1.0±0.7 mm, and volume of 11.0±10.8 mm3. Powered device measurements were mean length of 15.3±6.1 mm, width of 2.0±0.3 mm, and volume of 49.1±21.5 mm3 (P<0.001). The mean time to core ejection was 86 seconds for Manual device; 47 seconds for the Powered device (P<0.001). The mean second look overall pain score was 33.3 for the Manual device; 20.9 for the Powered (P=0.039). We conclude that the Powered biopsy device produces superior sized specimens, with less overall pain, in less time

    Relation between basal sperm morphology and sperm recovered by swim up

    No full text
    Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate a possible correlation between basal sperm morphology and sperm recovered by swim up technique, in patients with fertility problems. Methods: Semen analysis was performed in 112 patients following the laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen of the World Health Organization (WHO), fifth edition. Sperm were separated by swim up technique and sperm parameters were reevaluated. Relation between basal sperm morphology and sperm parameters after swim up were evaluated by correlation coefficient analysis. Results: Means of basal parameters were above lower limits established by the WHO. After swim up, the average of sperm recovery, total motility and progressive motility were 8.89 ± 0.86, 91.74 ± 0.97, 97.41 ± 0.66 respectively. Sperm parameters after swim up showed an apparently lower concentration of sperm recovered when normal sperm morphology is lower in basal samples; however, these results were not statistically significant. Conclusion: There is no correlation between basal sperm morphology and quality sperm recovered after swim up, despite an apparently lower concentration of sperm after sperm separation  is observed in patients  with a decreased normal sperm morphology

    A prospective randomised study of a rotary powered device (OnControl) for bone marrow aspiration and biopsy

    No full text
    IntroductionBone marrow aspiration and biopsy is an invasive procedure associated with morbidity and mortality risk. We compared a powered bone marrow aspiration and biopsy device to the traditional method by relatively assessing pain scores, procedure times, biopsy capture rates, quality of material retrieved, and safety and operator satisfaction.MethodsTwo large academic medical centres participated in this trial. Patients were randomised to have procedures carried out using the powered system or the manual technique. A visual analogue scale pain score was recorded immediately following skin puncture and once again at the end of the procedure for each patient. Procedure time was measured from skin puncture to core specimen acquisition. Pathologic assessment of 30 randomised samples was carried out. Operator satisfaction with devices was measured on a scale of 0–10, with 10 as the highest rating.ResultsFive operators from two sites enrolled 50 patients (powered, n=25; manual, n=25). Groups were evenly matched, with no significant differences in the means for age, weight and height. The powered system was superior to the manual system with respect to patient perceived pain from needle insertion (2.6±2.0 vs 4.1±2.5, p=0.022) and procedural time (100.0±72.8 s vs 224.1±79.0 s, p<0.001). Overall pain scores at the end of both procedures were comparable (3.2±2.2 vs 3.8±3.0, p=0.438). No complications were observed in either arm of the study. Blinded pathologic analysis of the specimens retrieved revealed that cores obtained using the powered system were longer and wider than those obtained using the manual technique (25.4±12.3 mm2 vs 11.9±5.6 mm2, p=0.001). For marrow aspiration, no difference was seen between groups for clot/particle spicules or smear spicules. Operator assessment favoured the use of the powered device.ConclusionsResults of this trial suggest that the use of a powered bone marrow biopsy device significantly reduces needle insertion pain and procedural time when compared to a manual technique. The superior size and overall quality of core specimens retrieved by the powered device provides more material for pathologic evaluation, thereby increasing diagnostic yield and reducing the need for repeat procedures

    A Transcript Finishing Initiative for Closing Gaps in the Human Transcriptome

    Get PDF
    We report the results of a transcript finishing initiative, undertaken for the purpose of identifying and characterizing novel human transcripts, in which RT-PCR was used to bridge gaps between paired EST clusters, mapped against the genomic sequence. Each pair of EST clusters selected for experimental validation was designated a transcript finishing unit (TFU). A total of 489 TFUs were selected for validation, and an overall efficiency of 43.1% was achieved. We generated a total of 59,975 bp of transcribed sequences organized into 432 exons, contributing to the definition of the structure of 211 human transcripts. The structure of several transcripts reported here was confirmed during the course of this project, through the generation of their corresponding full-length cDNA sequences. Nevertheless, for 21% of the validated TFUs, a full-length cDNA sequence is not yet available in public databases, and the structure of 69.2% of these TFUs was not correctly predicted by computer programs. The TF strategy provides a significant contribution to the definition of the complete catalog of human genes and transcripts, because it appears to be particularly useful for identification of low abundance transcripts expressed in a restricted set of tissues as well as for the delineation of gene boundaries and alternatively spliced isoforms
    corecore