Abstract From individual randomized studies, it is not clear whether a closed suction drainage should be used after total knee arthroplasty. Our meta-analysis compares the clinical outcomes of closed ...suction drainage with nondrainage after total knee arthroplasty in randomized controlled trials reported between January 1966 and May 2010. Fifteen eligible trials involving 1361 knee incisions (686 knees with closed suction drainage and 675 knees without drainage) satisfied the inclusion criteria for our meta-analysis. The result of the meta-analysis indicates that closed suction drainage reduces the incidence of soft tissue ecchymosis and requirement for dressing reinforcement, but increases the rate of homologous blood transfusion. No significant difference between drainage and nondrainage was observed in the incidence of infection, deep venous thrombosis, or postoperative range of motion.
Abstract Accurate knowledge of root canal curvature is a critical factor in successful root canal procedures. The objective of this study was to determine the degree of root canal curvature and the ...frequency of curvature identified in different radiographic views in permanent incisors from a Chinese population. The curvature of canals from 299 permanent mandibular incisors was investigated by measuring the angle, the radius of curvature, and the length of the curved part of the canals. These measurements were taken by inserting size 10 K-files into the canals and taking radiographs of the tooth-file assembly from both facial and proximal views by using a standardized parallel technique. All radiographs were analyzed with a computerized digital image processing system. Statistical analysis was performed with analysis of variance test at α = .05. Of the 299 teeth examined, 252 (84.3%) were curved, and 125 (41.8%) of the teeth had secondary curvature. Curvature was most frequently detected in the proximal views rather than in the facial lingual views ( P < .05). The highest curvature among all samples tested was 44 degrees primary curvature and 36 degrees secondary curvature. The maximum and minimum radii of curvature for the sample set were 54.61 and 1.55 mm, respectively. The mean value of the radius of secondary curvature seen in proximal views was significantly less than that of the primary ones ( P < .05). The length of the curved parts of canals measured maximum and minimum values of 14 and 0.33 mm, respectively. It is suggested that the canal curvature can start at either the middle third or apical third of the tooth.
Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques have been increasingly used to detect microbial DNA in clinic for the diagnosis of bacterial infection. This study aims to developing an RT-PCR ...method to detect bacteria in pleural fluid (PF). We performed a method to simultaneously detect and classify the clinically relevant bacterial pathogens in hydrothorax with Gram probe RT-PCR (GRT-PCR), which targets the conserved region of the 16S rRNA gene. Our results showed this method could specifically and correctly identify 14 clinically important bacterial strains in hydrothorax including 7 gram-positive and 7 gram-negative bacteria. And the sensitivity of this GRT-PCR method in serial dilution can reach 10 CFU/mL. In clinical trial, 180 PF samples from children who were clinically suspected to suffer from bacterial pneumonia and empyema were collected. These samples were detected by GRT-PCR, standard culture, and biochemical routine analysis. The positive rate of the GRT-PCR array was 17.78% (32/180), significantly higher than that of PF culture (11.67%; 21/180; P = .003). When PF culture was used as control, the sensitivity of GRT-PCR was 95.24% (95% confidence interval = 74.13-99.75), and the specificity was 92.45% (95% confidence interval = 86.89-95.86). Our study showed that GRT-PCR is a more effective method for rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnosis of bacterial infection in hydrothorax compared with other traditional methods.
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