Pilot study on the comprehensive economic costs of major trauma: Consequential costs are well in excess of medical costs

BACKGROUND: Trauma care is expensive. However, reliable data on the exact lifelong costs incurred by a major trauma patient are lacking. Discussion usually focuses on direct medical costs--underestimating consequential costs resulting from absence from work and permanent disability. METHODS: Direct medical costs and consequential costs of 63 major trauma survivors (ISS >13) at a Swiss trauma center from 1995 to 1996 were assessed 5 years posttrauma. The following cost evaluation methods were used: correction cost method (direct cost of restoring an original state), human capital method (indirect cost of lost productivity), contingent valuation method (human cost as the lost quality of life), and macroeconomic estimates. RESULTS: Mean ISS (Injury Severity Score) was 26.8 +/- 9.5 (mean +/- SD). In all, 22 patients (35%) were disabled, causing discounted average lifelong total costs of USD 1,293,800, compared with 41 patients (65%) who recovered without any disabilities with incurred costs of USD 147,200 (average of both groups USD 547,800). Two thirds of these costs were attributable to a loss of production whereas only one third was a result of the cost of correction. Primary hospital treatment (USD 27,800 +/- 37,800) was only a minor fraction of the total cost--less than the estimated cost of police and the judiciary. Loss of quality of life led to considerable intangible human costs similar to real costs. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma costs are commonly underestimated. Direct medical costs make up only a small part of the total costs. Consequential costs, such as lost productivity, are well in excess of the usual medical costs. Mere cost averages give a false estimate of the costs incurred by patients with/without disabilities.

Important excess morbidity due to upper airway anomalies in the perioperative course in infant cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND: The study aimed at defining the excess morbidity or mortality caused by an additional airway malformation in children with congenital heart disease requiring surgery. METHODS: All patients requiring surgery for heart disease during an 8-year period ending in 2003 who had an associated upper airway malformation were retrospectively studied. All patients were seen in 2004 for a prospective follow-up examination. RESULTS: Eleven patients with upper airway anomalies were identified (tracheobronchial malacia in 6 patients, long-segment tracheal stenosis in 3, and bilateral vocal cord paralysis and tracheal hemangioma in 1 patient each). They accounted for 1.5% of the entire cardiac surgical load of 764 patients. In 5 infants, the airway anomaly was diagnosed before cardiac repair, in 6 patients thereafter. Diagnosis was made by bronchoscopy in all patients, by additional bronchography in 2. Failure of rapid postoperative extubation was the most common finding. Airway management was surgical in 2 and conservative in 8 patients, 1 newborn having been denied therapy because of the severity of airway hypoplasia. Compared with patients with isolated cardiac disease, those with additional airway anomalies had significantly longer duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation (median, 24 days versus 3), perioperative hospitalization (median, 72 days versus 11) and total number of days of hospitalization during the first year of life (median, 104 days versus 14). After a maximum follow-up of 8 years (median, 37 months) only 3 of 10 surviving patients remained symptomatic owing to the airway malformation. CONCLUSIONS: Upper airway anomalies accompanying heart disease in infancy resulted in a significant prolongation of perioperative intensive care and hospital stay, as well as duration of mechanical ventilation. Failure of early postoperative extubation was the leading symptom.

Impaired protein stability of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2: a novel mechanism of apparent mineralocorticoid excess

Apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME) is a severe form of hypertension that is caused by impaired activity of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11beta-HSD2), which converts biologically active cortisol into inactive cortisone. Mutations in HSD11B2 result in cortisol-induced activation of mineralocorticoid receptors and cause hypertension with hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis, and suppressed circulating renin and aldosterone concentrations. This study uncovered the first patient with AME who was described in the literature, identified the genetic defect in HSD11B2, and provided evidence for a novel mechanism of reduced 11beta-HSD2 activity. This study identified a cluster of amino acids (335 to 339) in the C-terminus of 11beta-HSD2 that are essential for protein stability. The cluster includes Tyr(338), which is mutated in the index patient, and Arg(335) and Arg(337), previously reported to be mutated in hypertensive patients. It was found that wild-type 11beta-HSD2 is a relatively stable enzyme with a half-life of 21 h, whereas that of Tyr(338)His and Arg(337)His was 3 and 4 h, respectively. Enzymatic activity of Tyr(338)His was partially retained at 26 degrees C or in the presence of the chemical chaperones glycerol and dexamethasone, indicating thermodynamic instability and misfolding. The results provide evidence that the degradation of both misfolded mutant Tyr(338)His and wild-type 11beta-HSD2 occurs through the proteasome pathway. Therefore, impaired 11beta-HSD2 protein stability rather than reduced gene expression or loss of catalytic activity seems to be responsible for the development of hypertension in some individuals with AME.

Little evidence that hepatitis C virus leads to a higher risk of mortality in the absence of cirrhosis and excess alcohol intake: the Swiss Hepatitis C Cohort Study

The objective of this study was to describe the all-cause mortality of participants in the Swiss Hepatitis C Cohort compared to the Swiss general population. Patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection attending secondary and tertiary care centres in Switzerland. One thousand six hundred and forty-five patients with HCV infection were followed up for a mean of over 2 years. We calculated all-cause standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using age, sex and calendar year-specific Swiss all-cause mortality rates. Multivariable Poisson regression was used to model the variability of SMR by cirrhotic status, HCV genotype, infection with hepatitis B virus or HIV, injection drug use and alcohol intake. Sixty-one deaths were recorded out of 1645 participants. The crude all-cause SMR was 4.5 (95% CI: 3.5-5.8). Patients co-infected with HIV had a crude SMR of 20 (95% CI: 11.1-36.1). The SMR of 1.1 (95% CI: 0.63-2.03) for patients who were not cirrhotic, not infected with HBV or HIV, did not inject drugs, were not heavy alcohol consumers (excess mortality. We found little evidence of excess mortality in hepatitis C infected patients who were not cirrhotic, in the absence of selected risk factors. Our findings emphasize the importance of providing appropriate preventive advice, such as counselling to avoid alcohol intake, in those infected with HCV.

Enhancement of excess electron transfer efficiency in DNA containing a phenothiazine donor and multiple stable phenanthrenyl base pairs

EET grown ohm: Excess electron transfer (EET) was observed within a DNA duplex containing π-stacked phenothiazine as an electron donor, phenanthrenes as electron carriers and 5-bromouracil as an electron trap. Increasing the number of phenanthrenyl base pairs increased EET efficiency.

Excess adenosine in murine penile erectile tissues contributes to priapism via A2B adenosine receptor signaling.

Priapism, abnormally prolonged penile erection in the absence of sexual excitation, is associated with ischemia-mediated erectile tissue damage and subsequent erectile dysfunction. It is common among males with sickle cell disease (SCD), and SCD transgenic mice are an accepted model of the disorder. Current strategies to manage priapism suffer from a poor fundamental understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the disorder. Here we report that mice lacking adenosine deaminase (ADA), an enzyme necessary for the breakdown of adenosine, displayed unexpected priapic activity. ADA enzyme therapy successfully corrected the priapic activity both in vivo and in vitro, suggesting that it was dependent on elevated adenosine levels. Further genetic and pharmacologic evidence demonstrated that A2B adenosine receptor-mediated (A2BR-mediated) cAMP and cGMP induction was required for elevated adenosine-induced prolonged penile erection. Finally, priapic activity in SCD transgenic mice was also caused by elevated adenosine levels and A2BR activation. Thus, we have shown that excessive adenosine accumulation in the penis contributes to priapism through increased A2BR signaling in both Ada -/- and SCD transgenic mice. These findings provide insight regarding the molecular basis of priapism and suggest that strategies to either reduce adenosine or block A2BR activation may prove beneficial in the treatment of this disorder.

Excess stroke in Mexican Americans compared with non-Hispanic Whites: the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project.

Mexican Americans are the largest subgroup of Hispanics, the largest minority population in the United States. Stroke is the leading cause of disability and third leading cause of death. The authors compared stroke incidence among Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic Whites in a population-based study. Stroke cases were ascertained in Nueces County, Texas, utilizing concomitant active and passive surveillance. Cases were validated on the basis of source documentation by board-certified neurologists masked to subjects' ethnicity. From January 2000 to December 2002, 2,350 cerebrovascular events occurred. Of the completed strokes, 53% were in Mexican Americans. The crude cumulative incidence was 168/10,000 in Mexican Americans and 136/10,000 in non-Hispanic Whites. Mexican Americans had a higher cumulative incidence for ischemic stroke (ages 45-59 years: risk ratio = 2.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.55, 2.69; ages 60-74 years: risk ratio = 1.58, 95% confidence interval: 1.31, 1.91; ages >or=75 years: risk ratio = 1.12, 95% confidence interval: 0.94, 1.32). Intracerebral hemorrhage was more common in Mexican Americans (age-adjusted risk ratio = 1.63, 95% confidence interval: 1.24, 2.16). The subarachnoid hemorrhage age-adjusted risk ratio was 1.57 (95% confidence interval: 0.86, 2.89). Mexican Americans experience a substantially greater ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage incidence compared with non-Hispanic Whites. As the Mexican-American population grows and ages, measures to target this population for stroke prevention are critical.

Seasonal Deuterium Excess in a Tien Shan Ice Core: Influence of Moisture Transport and Recycling in Central Asia

Stable water isotope (delta(18)O, deltaD) data from a high elevation (5100 masl) ice core recovered from the Tien Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan, display a seasonal cycle in deuterium excess (d = deltaD - 8* delta(18)O) related to changes in the regional hydrologic cycle during 1994 - 2000. While there is a strong correlation (r(2) = 0.98) between delta(18)O and dD in the ice core samples, the regression slope (6.9) and mean d value (23.0) are significantly different than the global meteoric water line values. The resulting time-series ice core d profile contains distinct winter maxima and summer minima, with a yearly d amplitude of similar to 15 - 20parts per thousand. Local-scale processes that may affect d values preserved in the ice core are not consistent with the observed seasonal variability. Data from Central Asian monitoring sites in the Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) have similar seasonal d changes. We suggest that regional-scale hydrological conditions, including seasonal changes in moisture source, transport, and recycling in the Caspian/ Aral Sea region, are responsible for the observed spatial and temporal d variability.

A potential application of sludge-based catalysts for the anaerobic bio-decolorization of tartrazine dye.

Two highly efficient (K2CO3/sludge carbon and ZnCl2/sludge carbon) solids were prepared by chemical addition following carbonization at 800 °C and were tested for anaerobic reduction of tartrazine dye in a continuous upflow packed-bed biological reactor, and their performance was compared to that of commercial activated carbon (CAC). The chemical and structural information of the solids was subjected to various characterizations in order to understand the mechanism for anaerobic decolorization, and efficiency for SBCZN800 and SBCPC800 materials was 87% and 74%, respectively, at a short space time (τ) of 2.0 min. A first-order kinetic model fitted the experimental points and kinetic constants of 0.40, 0.92 and 1.46 min(-1) were obtained for SBCZN800, SBCPC800 and CAC, respectively. The experimental results revealed that performance of solids in the anaerobic reduction of tartrazine dye can depend on several factors including chemical agents, carbonization, microbial population, chemical groups and surface chemistry. The Langmuir and Freundlich models are successfully described in the batch adsorption data. Based on these observations, a cost-effective sludge-based catalyst can be produced from harmful sewage sludge for the treatment of industrial effluents.

Intersystem crossing rates of S1 state keto-amino cytosine at low excess energy

The amino-keto tautomer of supersonic jet-cooled cytosine undergoes intersystem crossing (ISC) from the v = 0 and low-lying vibronic levels of its S1(¹ππ*) state. We investigate these ISC rates experimentally and theoretically as a function of S1 state vibrational excess energy Eexc. The S1 vibronic levels are pumped with a ~5 ns UV laser, the S1 and triplet state ion signals are separated by prompt or delayed ionization with a second UV laser pulse. After correcting the raw ISC yields for the relative S1 and T1ionization cross sections, we obtain energy dependent ISC quantum yields Q corr ISC =1% –5%. These are combined with previously measured vibronic state-specific decay rates, giving ISC rates kISC = 0.4–1.5 ⋅ 10⁹ s⁻¹, the corresponding S1⇝S0internal conversion (IC) rates are 30–100 times larger. Theoretical ISC rates are computed using SCS-CC2 methods, which predict rapid ISC from the S1; v = 0 state with kISC = 3 ⋅ 10⁹ s⁻¹ to the T1(³ππ*) triplet state. The surprisingly high rate of this El Sayed-forbidden transition is caused by a substantial admixture of ¹nOπ* character into the S1(¹ππ*) wave function at its non-planar minimum geometry. The combination of experiment and theory implies that (1) below Eexc = 550 cm⁻¹ in the S1 state, S1⇝S0internal conversion dominates the nonradiative decay with kIC ≥ 2 ⋅ 10¹⁰ s⁻¹, (2) the calculated S1⇝T1 (¹ππ*⇝³ππ*) ISC rate is in good agreement with experiment, (3) being El-Sayed forbidden, the S1⇝T1 ISC is moderately fast (kISC = 3 ⋅ 10⁹ s⁻¹), and not ultrafast, as claimed by other calculations, and (4) at Eexc ~ 550 cm⁻¹ the IC rate increases by ~50 times, probably by accessing the lowest conical intersection (the C5-twist CI) and thereby effectively switching off the ISC decay channels.