Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center

Identification of the etiologic agents and assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of significant bacterial isolates are the two primary responsibilities of microbiology laboratory. The increase of antibiotic resistance has become a serious global issue. Infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria are associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and of course higher healthcare-related costs. Over the past few decades, the inappropriate use of antibiotics has created “superbugs” which once considered a rare find in the Microbiology Laboratory are now seen daily. In any bacterial population, there are a proportion of bacteria with natural resistance to a given antibiotic. If that antibiotic is used for too long or too frequently, the resistant bacteria will selectively reproduce, and a phenotypic resistance to the antibiotic will emerge. It is not the use of the antibiotic but, rather, the misuse that results in resistance [1]. Physicians need to educate their patient on when antibiotics are to be used or not and if prescribed the appropriate use of the antibiotic and how noncompliance will create resistance further down the road. Unfortunately, antibiotic prescribing has become the path of “least resistance” and least time commitment for the medical profession at large.

To compare the efficacy of surgery versus pulse-spray thrombolysis and angioplasty in patients with recurrent thrombosis of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dialysis access grafts. We analyzed 96 consecutive interventions for thrombosed PTFE dialysis access grafts in 18 patients. Primary patency after thrombolysis and angioplasty (n = 25) was compared with primary patency following thrombectomy alone (n = 50) or thrombectomy followed by graft revision (n = 21) using life-table analysis. A Cox proportional hazards model that accounted for graft age and number of previous interventions was used to generate the relative risk for recurrent occlusion following therapy. Life-table analysis showed that patency after thrombolysis and angioplasty was greater than that following thrombectomy alone (p = 0.02). After accounting for the age of the graft and the number of previous interventions (average six per patient), the relative risk for recurrent occlusion [3.0; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.5, 6.4] was greater for thrombectomy alone than for thrombolysis/angioplasty [0.6; CI = 0.3, 1.3]. The relative risks of repeat occlusion following thrombolysis/angioplasty [0.6; CI = 0.3, 1.3] and thrombectomy/surgical revision [1.0; CI = 0.5, 1.7] were similar. Outcome data from our retrospective study on recurrent thrombosis of PTFE dialysis access grafts suggest that thrombolysis/angioplasty is superior to thrombectomy alone, and equivalent to thrombectomy/surgical revision.

Many new prognostic factors for breast cancer have been described, and yet the ability to predict patient outcomes remains poor. Overexpression of p-glycoprotein (p-gp), the multidrug resistance efflux pump, confers a worse prognosis to patients with certain leukemias and other tumors. The purpose of this study was to analyze the potential usefulness of p-gp expression as a prognostic factor in patients with breast cancer. Paraffin blocks were obtained from 55 previously untreated patients who underwent surgery between 1987 and 1988. To determine p-gp expression, tumor cell suspensions were incubated with the p-gp-specific C219 monoclonal antibody and analyzed using an indirect immunofluorescent flow cytometric assay. Twenty-four (44%) of the tumors were p-gp positive and 31 (56%) were p-gp negative. Among the p-gp positive patients, 65% had recurrence of their disease, whereas only 13% of the p-gp negative patients experienced recurrence (p = 0.0001). The 5-year disease-free rate for p-gp positive patients was 39% compared with 83% for p-gp negative patients (p = 0.0001). In univariate analysis examining 10 different variables, significant predictors of recurrence were p-gp, stage, and tumor size. Multivariate analysis using Cox Proportional Hazards regression showed that only p-gp and stage were significant independent predictors of recurrence (p = 0.0002). p-gp is frequently expressed in patients with untreated breast cancer, with p-gp-positive patients being at significantly greater risk for disease recurrence. p-gp appears to be a useful prognostic factor in breast cancer and could potentially help guide management.

Pulmonary carcinoma is now the leading cause of death due to cancer in men and women. Aside from cigarette smoking, occupational exposure to carcinogens is the most important cause of lung cancer, accounting for up to one third of all cases. The following article is a review of occupationally induced thoracic neoplasms with an emphasis on those related to the inhalation of inorganic dust. After introducing some basic terms, describing the research methods, and reviewing the process of carcinogenesis, current information on the relationship between exposure to asbestos, synthetic mineral fibers, silica, and other nonfibrous mineral dusts and the development of lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma of the pleura will be presented. The goal of this article is to provide the practicing radiologist with knowledge and insight into this difficult area.

This report details the experience with nine patients over a 3-year period who had partial or total nasal reconstruction using an expanded forehead flap. The history of nasal reconstruction is reviewed, emphasizing the evolution of the forehead flap as the ideal donor site. The author's experience with skin expansion of the forehead to produce a thin ideal flap is presented in detail. Complications of the procedure are reviewed. Technical considerations to achieve a good result are emphasized. The forehead donor site is minimal and well accepted. This procedure provides a solution to a major problem with partial and total nasal reconstruction.

The CT density of the same pulmonary nodule can vary significantly between scanners or with the same scanner because several independent factors besides partial volume averaging can affect its determination. Hence a single CT number cannot be used to distinguish calcified from noncalcified nodules, ruling out direct extrapolation of quantitative data between scanners. The authors designed a phantom that simulates CT measurements in patients and permits comparison of CT density of each nodule with a physical standard derived from clinical experience. Tests on 35 patients using a GE 8800 showed that no malignant nodules and 65% of benign lesions were more dense than the phantom nodule. This method is independent of inter- and intra-scanner variation and facilitates standardized quantitative analysis of pulmonary nodules with current scanners.