Biostatistics

Background: Surgical intervention under concomitant steroid therapy can be complicated by impaired anastomotic healing. The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the effects of a corticosteroid (methylprednisolone) on healing colonic anastomoses in relation to the dose and duration of administration.

ESPITE the contemporary management of ruptured cerebral aneurysms, cerebral vasospasm is still the leading cause of high morbidity and mortality rates following SAH. An association between the release of blood breakdown products in the subarachnoid space and vasospasm has been established; however, the precise pathopysiological mechanisms for this and what elements have roles in the development of vasospasm remain to be elucidated. The cumulative body of evidence in recent years has indicated that by regulating inflammation, adhesion molecules play a crucial role in the development of vasospasm after SAH due to an aneurysm rupture. The upregulation of adhesion molecules has been shown in various inflammatory cerebral diseases, including bacterial meningitis, encephalitis, and multiple sclerosis. The expression of adhesion molecules on the endothelium and vessel wall in atherosclerotic lesions and in ischemia-reperfusion injury has also been demonstrated, supporting the notion that these molecules play an important role in the immune-mediated inflammatory cascade of events. During the last decade, experimental studies have implicated adhesion molecules in the development of vasospasm after SAH. Handa and associates 10 demonstrated significant expression of ICAM-1 on the endothelial layer of the BA following SAH induced by an intracisternal injection of arterial blood in rats. Sills, et al., 19 exposed an association between endothelial ICAM-1 upregulation and FA vasospasm after exposure to blood in a rat FA model. Inhibition of experimental vasospasm with antiadhesion molecules has also been demonstrated. Oshiro and colleagues 17 showed inhibition of experimental vasospasm by using anti-ICAM-1 mAb in an FA model in rats. In a rabbit model of SAH, Bavbek and coworkers 1 demonstrated that monoclonal antibodies against ICAM-1 and its ligand, CD18, decrease BA vasospasm. Inhibition of vasospasm was accomplished by Clatterbuck, et al., 5 who used mAbs directed against LFA-Object. The aim of this study was to explore whether levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) are elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of patients after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

Objective: Current measurements of nasal obstruction are unreliable and may be improved with the development of new techniques. The effectiveness of odiosoft-rhino (OR) in the evaluation of nasal obstruction was investigated in a blind comparison at a referral center, institutional practice. Patients: Fortyeight patients with perennial allergic rhinitis and 52 healthy subjects were studied. Nasal endoscopic examination, acoustic rhinometry (AR), and OR were performed and symptom scores compared. Main Outcome Measure: Assessment of nasal blockage with OR method was the main outcome measure. Results: Using the OR technique, significant differences were observed between the patient and control groups. OR data correlated with symptom scores and endoscopic examination. However, this was not observed with AR. A 15.5-dB cutoff point for the left side and 14.5 dB cutoff point for the right side at the 2,000 to 4,000 Hz frequency interval resulted in 93.8% sensitivity and 92.3% specificity and 72.9% sensitivity and 80.8% specificity, respectively. A 8.5-dB cutoff point for the left and right sides at the 4,000 to 6,000 Hz frequency interval resulted in 87.5% sensitivity and 80.8% specificity and 70.8% sensitivity and 78.8% specificity, respectively. Conclusion: OR is a simple, noninvasive test for assessing nasal obstruction. The OR technique can detect nasal obstruction with high sensitivity and specificity, and these findings correlate with symptoms and physical examination.