Glans–urethral meatus–shaft score and penile parameters as preoperative assessment tools for hypospadias surgery outcome

Abstract Background Our prospective study aims to assess if penile parameters and GMS score can predict the postoperative outcome of patients with hypospadias repaired with the TIP technique. Methods This prospective study included patients (6 months–11 years old) with coronal, distal or mid penile hypospadias who underwent Tubularized incised plate (TIP) urethroplasty technique from 2015 to 2017. All patients were assessed preoperatively using GMS score. GMS score included a scale for each component, with the more unfavorable characteristics assigned higher scores. Penile length, urethral plate length, and penoscrotal length were measured using a ruler. Glans width was measured by using a caliper ruler. Demographics and complications were assessed within 3 months of the procedure. Results There was a statistically significant difference between complicated and non-complicated patients regarding GMS score, glans width, penoscrotal length, penile length, and urethral plate length/penile length ratio. According to the ROC curve, the cutoff values for GMS score, glans width and penoscrotal length were 6, 14 mm and 5 cm, respectively. The area under the ROC curve for penile length and for urethral plate/penile length ratio was poor and so we could not get a specific cutoff value for either parameters. According to Stepwise logistic regression, the GMS score was the only significant independent parameter while controlling all the other factors. Any increase in the GMS score by one unit would increase the risk of complications 3 times. Conclusion GMS score and penile parameters are good predictors and complete each other in preoperative assessment for hypospadias patients. Patients with a high GMS score (above 6) have a higher risk of complication and patients with a Glans width of 14 mm or more and a penoscrotal length of 5 cm or more are associated with less risk of complication.

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Comparison of preoperative assessment tools in older patients undergoing cancer surgery: A prospective study

Journal of Geriatric Oncology ◽

10.1016/j.jgo.2021.12.013 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Frenny Ann Philip ◽

K.M. Jagathnath Krishna ◽

Rexeena V. Bhargavan ◽

Paul Augustine ◽

Shaji Thomas

Keyword(s):

Prospective Study ◽

Older Patients ◽

Preoperative Assessment ◽

Cancer Surgery ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

A Prospective Study

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Role of Quantitative Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Differentiating Benign and Malignant Orbital Masses

Indian Journal of Radiology and Imaging ◽

10.1055/s-0041-1730120 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Preeti Mundhada ◽

Sudarshan Rawat ◽

Ullas Acharya ◽

Dhananjay Raje

Keyword(s):

Roc Curve ◽

Diffusion Weighted Imaging ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Adc Value ◽

Diffusion Weighted ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Orbital Masses ◽

Adc Values ◽

Orbital Lesions

Abstract Aim To determine the role of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in differentiating benign and malignant orbital masses. Materials and Methods After obtaining institutional ethical board approval and informed consent from all patients, an observational study was done for a period of 24 months in the radiology department of a tertiary care hospital in South India. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging and DWI using a 3T scanner was done for all patients with suspected orbital mass lesion. ADC value and clinicohistopathological correlation were studied for every patient. Chi-square test was used to compare the signal characteristics of DWI and ADC maps between benign and malignant lesions. A comparison of mean ADC values for benign and malignant masses was performed using Student’s t-test for independent samples. The cut-off value for ADC was obtained using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results Of 44 patients with orbital lesions, 70% were benign and 30% were malignant. There was a significant difference in the mean ADC values of benign and malignant orbital masses. Using ROC curve analysis, an optimal ADC threshold of 1.26 × 10−3 mm2/s was calculated for the prediction of malignancy with 100% sensitivity, 80.65% specificity, and 86.36% accuracy (95% confidence interval: 0.872, 1.00, p < 0.0001). Two ADC thresholds were used to characterize the orbital masses with more than 90% confidence. Conclusion Quantitative assessment of ADC is a useful noninvasive diagnostic tool for differentiating benign and malignant orbital masses. Malignant orbital lesions demonstrate significantly lower ADC values as compared with benign lesions.

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Telomere Length as a Biomarker for Race-Related Health Disparities

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes12010078 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 78

Author(s):

Vaithinathan Selvaraju ◽

Megan Phillips ◽

Anna Fouty ◽

Jeganathan Ramesh Babu ◽

Thangiah Geetha

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Telomere Length ◽

Diastolic Pressure ◽

Systolic Pressure ◽

Single Copy ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Length Ratio ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Usa

Disparities between the races have been well documented in health and disease in the USA. Recent studies show that telomere length, a marker of aging, is associated with obesity and obesity-related diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. The current study aimed to evaluate the connection between telomere length ratio, blood pressure, and childhood obesity. The telomere length ratio was measured in 127 children from both European American (EA) and African American (AA) children, aged 6–10 years old. AA children had a significantly high relative telomere to the single copy gene (T/S) ratio compared to EA children. There was no significant difference in the T/S ratio between normal weight (NW) and overweight/obese (OW/OB) groups of either race. Blood pressure was significantly elevated in AA children with respect to EA children. Hierarchical regression analysis adjusted for race, gender, and age expressed a significant relationship between the T/S ratio and diastolic pressure. Low T/S ratio participants showed a significant increase in systolic pressure, while a high T/S ratio group showed an increase in diastolic pressure and heart rate of AA children. In conclusion, our findings show that AA children have high T/S ratio compared to EA children. The high T/S ratio is negatively associated with diastolic pressure.

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162 An Examination of Scar Modelling and Assessment Methods for the Evaluation of Scar Treatments

British Journal of Surgery ◽

10.1093/bjs/znab134.005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 108 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

R Mistry

Keyword(s):

Assessment Tools ◽

Randomised Control Trial ◽

Silicone Gel ◽

Scar Assessment ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Gel Treatment ◽

Current Assessment ◽

Set Up ◽

Silicone Gel Sheeting

Abstract Introduction Scarring is the final common pathway for healing within the skin. Scars can be itchy, painful, tight, and disfiguring. Despite advances in surgery there is currently no reliably effective treatment for reducing or preventing scarring. The primary aim of this research is to assess the currently available models for scarring and evaluate/further develop the utility of current assessment tools, in an effort to design a pilot randomised control trial (RCT) for silicone gel treatment of scars. Method A systematic review of scar models in humans and animals. Examination of currently used subjective and objective scar assessment tools in a plastic surgery scar clinic. A retrospective cohort study assessing long-term scar outcomes in paediatric burn patients. Results Limitations and drawbacks of many existing methods to assess scar treatments were found. No statistically significant difference in long-term scarring outcomes was found between paediatric burns patients treated surgically versus conservatively. A RCT for silicone gel sheeting in the treatment of scars was set up and successful in recruitment. Conclusions Here, we have demonstrated difficulties in establishing a scientific scar treatment model; and created a pilot study that will help to provide high-quality evidence for the efficacy of silicone gel sheeting as a treatment for scars.

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Wideband Absorbance in Ears with Retraction Pockets and Cholesteatomas: A Preliminary Study

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1719130 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sreedevi Aithal ◽

Venkatesh Aithal ◽

Joseph Kei ◽

Shane Anderson

Keyword(s):

Prospective Study ◽

Roc Curve ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Peak Pressure ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Ambient Pressure ◽

Control Group ◽

Retraction Pockets ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

The Difference

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study was to describe wideband absorbance (WBA) findings in patients with cholesteatomas and retraction pockets (RPs). Design In this prospective study, tympanometry, audiometry, and wideband tympanometry (WBT) were performed on 27 ears with an RP (eight with epitympanic RP and 19 ears with mesotympanic RP), 39 ears with a cholesteatoma (23 ears with epitympanic and 16 ears with mesotympanic cholesteatomas [MCs]), and 49 healthy ears serving as controls. Results Mean WBA at ambient pressure (WBAamb) of both experimental groups was reduced significantly between 0.8 and 5 kHz relative to the control group. The difference between mean WBAamb and mean WBA at tympanometric peak pressure (WBATPP) was greater for the RP (0.12–0.16 between 0.5 and 1.5 kHz) than for the cholesteatoma group (0.03–0.11 between 0.6 and 3 kHz). Mean WBAamb of both epitympanic RP (ERP) and epitympanic cholesteatoma (EC) subgroups was significantly lower than that of the control group. Mean WBATPP of the ERP subgroup attained normal levels as per the control group, while mean WBATPP of EC subgroup was significantly lower than that of the control group at 0.8 to 1.5 kHz and 4 to 5 kHz. In contrast, both mesotympanic RP and MC subgroups demonstrated similar mean WBAamb and WBATPP values. No significant differences in WBAamb and WBATPP results between the RP and cholesteatomas groups were observed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses indicated that the area under the ROC curve for distinguishing between the RP and cholesteatomas groups ranged from 0.44 to 0.60, indicating low accuracy in separating the two groups. Conclusion While it is not possible to distinguish between the RP and cholesteatomas groups based on the WBAamb and WBATPP results, it is potentially feasible to differentiate between the EC and ERP conditions. Further study using a large clinical sample is recommended to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the WBA test to identify the EC and ERP conditions.

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Reliability and validity of a computer game-based tool of upper extremity assessment for object manipulation tasks in children with cerebral palsy

Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering ◽

10.1177/20556683211014023 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 205566832110140

Author(s):

Anuprita Kanitkar ◽

Sanjay T Parmar ◽

Tony J Szturm ◽

Gayle Restall ◽

Gina Rempel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Upper Extremity ◽

Performance Measures ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Computer Game ◽

Object Manipulation ◽

Manual Dexterity ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Children With Cerebral Palsy

Introduction A computer game-based upper extremity (CUE) assessment tool is developed to quantify manual dexterity of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP). The purpose of this study was to determine test-retest reliability of the CUE performance measures (success rate, movement onset time, movement error, and movement variation) and convergent validity with the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale version 2 (PDMS-2) and the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST). Methods Thirty-five children with CP aged four to ten years were tested on two occasions two weeks apart. Results CUE performance measures of five chosen object manipulation tasks exhibited high to moderate intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) values. There was no significant difference in the CUE performance measures between test periods. With few exceptions, there was no significant correlation between the CUE performance measures and the PDMS-2 or the QUEST test scores. Conclusions The high to moderate ICC values and lack of systematic errors indicate that the CUE assessment tool has the ability to repeatedly record reliable performance measures of different object manipulation tasks. The lack of a correlation between the CUE and the PDMS-2 or QUEST scores indicates that performance measures of these assessment tools represent distinct attributes of manual dexterity.

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Neurological improvement is associated with neck pain attenuation after surgery for cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-91268-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Masao Koda ◽

Toshitaka Yoshii ◽

Satoru Egawa ◽

Kenichiro Sakai ◽

Kazuo Kusano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neck Pain ◽

Positive Association ◽

Posterior Longitudinal Ligament ◽

Neurological Recovery ◽

Stepwise Logistic Regression ◽

Significant Positive Association ◽

Cervical Spine Surgery ◽

Neurological Improvement ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Univariate Analyses

AbstractAlthough favourable surgical outcomes for myelopathy caused by cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) have been reported, factors significantly associated with post-operative neck pain attenuation still remain unclear. The primary aim of the present study was to determine factors significantly associated with post-operative neck pain attenuation in patients with cervical OPLL using a prospective multi-centre registry of surgically treated cervical OPLL. Significant postoperative neck pain reduction (50% reduction of neck pain) was achieved in 31.3% of patients. There was no significant difference in neck pain attenuation between surgical procedures. Statistical analyses with univariate analyses followed by stepwise logistic regression revealed neurological recovery as a factor having a significant positive association with post-operative neck pain attenuation (p = 0.04, odds ratio 5.68 (95% confidence interval: 1.27–22.2)). In conclusion, neurological recovery was an independent factor having a significant positive association with post-operative neck pain attenuation in patients with cervical myelopathy caused by OPLL who underwent cervical spine surgery.

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Tumor Tissue MIR92a and Plasma MIRs21 and 29a as Predictive Biomarkers Associated with Clinicopathological Features and Surgical Resection in a Prospective Study on Colorectal Cancer Patients

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm9082509 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 2509

Author(s):

Masahiro Fukada ◽

Nobuhisa Matsuhashi ◽

Takao Takahashi ◽

Nobuhiko Sugito ◽

Kazuki Heishima ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Prospective Study ◽

Surgical Resection ◽

Tumor Tissue ◽

Lymphatic Invasion ◽

Clinicopathological Features ◽

Stage Iii ◽

Sample Type ◽

Significant Difference ◽

A Prospective Study

Cancer-related microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as non-invasive biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to analyze the correlation between the levels of tissue and plasma miRNAs and clinicopathological characteristics and surgical resection. This study was a prospective study of CRC patients who underwent surgery. Forty-four sample pairs of tissue and plasma were analyzed. The miRNA levels were evaluated by RT-qPCR. The level of tumor tissue MIR92a showed a significant difference in CRC with lymph node metastasis, stage ≥ III, and high lymphatic invasion. In preoperative plasma, there were significant differences in CRC with stage ≥ III (MIR29a) and perineural invasion (MIR21). In multivariate analysis of lymphatic invasion, the levels of both preoperative plasma MIR29a and tumor tissue MIR92a showed significant differences. Furthermore, in cases with higher plasma miRNA level, the levels of plasma MIRs21 and 29a were significantly decreased after the operation. In this study, there were significant differences in miRNAs levels with respect to the sample type, clinicopathological features, and surgical resection. The levels of tumor tissue MIR92a and preoperative plasma MIR29a may have the potential as a biomarker for prognosis. The plasma MIRs21 and 29a level has the potential to be a predictive biomarker for treatment efficacy.

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Comparison of Bone-Conducted Vibration for Eliciting Ocular Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potentials

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/0194599811425884 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 146 (2) ◽

pp. 289-294 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Chia-Chen Tseng ◽

Shou-Jen Wang ◽

Yi-Ho Young

Keyword(s):

Prospective Study ◽

Study Design ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

University Hospital ◽

Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials ◽

Ménière’S Disease ◽

Asymmetry Ratio ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Asymmetry ◽

The Right

Objective. This study compared bone-conducted vibration (BCV) stimuli at forehead (Fz) and mastoid sites for eliciting ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs). Study Design. Prospective study. Setting. University hospital. Methods. Twenty healthy subjects underwent oVEMP testing via BCV stimuli at Fz and mastoid sites. Another 50 patients with unilateral Meniere’s disease also underwent oVEMP testing. Results. All healthy subjects showed clear oVEMPs via BCV stimulation regardless of the tapping sites. The right oVEMPs stimulated by tapping at the right mastoid had earlier nI and pI latencies and a larger nI-pI amplitude compared with those stimulated by tapping at the Fz and left mastoid. Similar trends were also observed in left oVEMPs. However, the asymmetry ratio did not differ significantly between the ipsilateral mastoid and Fz sites. Clinically, tapping at the Fz revealed absent oVEMPs in 28% of Meniere’s ears, which decreased to 16% when tapping at the ipsilesional (hydropic) mastoid site, exhibiting a significant difference. Conclusion. Tapping at the ipsilateral mastoid site elicits earlier oVEMP latencies and larger oVEMP amplitudes when compared with tapping at the Fz site. Thus, tapping at the Fz site is suggested to screen for the otolithic function, whereas tapping at the ipsilesional mastoid site is suitable for evaluating residual otolithic function.

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Pilot evaluation of a partner-supported online reading intervention for Grade 3–6 children

Child Language Teaching and Therapy ◽

10.1177/0265659021989400 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 026565902198940

Author(s):

Jessica Dean ◽

Michelle Pascoe ◽

Jane le Roux

Keyword(s):

Prospective Study ◽

Retrospective Analysis ◽

Reading Intervention ◽

Reading Difficulties ◽

Reading Rate ◽

Control Groups ◽

Reading Accuracy ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Reading Partners ◽

And Control

Information and communication technology (ICT)-based reading interventions have potential to help children with reading difficulties, especially those in resource-constrained environments who otherwise might not have access to support. This pilot study aimed to describe the impact of an online, partner-supported reading intervention designed for South African children with reading difficulties. Objectives were to qualitatively describe participants’ experience of the intervention, and quantitatively evaluate changes in reading accuracy, rate, comprehension and receptive vocabulary after intervention. Two studies were conducted: (1) A retrospective analysis using data from intervention in mainstream Cape Town schools with peers as reading partners; (2) A prospective study in a Cape Town school with special needs educational provision where speech-language therapists served as reading partners. Both studies used matched participant, pre/post intervention designs. A total of 40 children in grades 3 to 6 participated. In each study the intervention group ( n = 20) received intervention 3 times per week (30 minutes per session) for 10 weeks, while the control group ( n = 20) continued with regular school activities. Participants enjoyed the ICT-based intervention, valued the role of the reading partners, believed they had made literacy gains, and reported positive attitudinal and behavioural changes related to reading. Retrospective analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between intervention and control groups. The prospective study found a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups’ gains on one measure of reading rate, but no significant difference in reading accuracy, vocabulary or reading comprehension gains. The study provides a preliminary description of one ICT-based reading intervention. Although an intervention effect could not be demonstrated, the changes noted in reading rate together with qualitative findings suggest a need for further research.

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