Maternally transmitted non-syndromic deafness was described recently both in pedigrees with susceptibility to aminoglycoside ototoxicity and in a large Arab-Israeli pedigree. Because of the known action of aminoglycosides on bacterial ribosomes, we analysed the sequence of the mitochondrial rRNA genes of three unrelated patients with familial aminoglycoside-induced deafness. We also sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of the Arab-Israeli pedigree. All four families shared a nucleotide 1555 A to G substitution in the 12S rRNA gene, a site implicated in aminoglycoside activity. Our study offers the first description of a mitochondrial rRNA mutation leading to disease, the first cases of non-syndromic deafness caused by a mitochondrial DNA mutation and the first molecular genetic study of antibiotic-induced ototoxicity.

Incidental appendectomy (IA) could potentially increase the risk of morbidity after abdominal procedures; however, such effect is not clearly established. The aim of our study is to test the association of IA with morbidity after abdominal procedures. We identified 743 (0.37%) IA among 199,233 abdominal procedures in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2005–2009). Cases with and without IA were matched on the index current procedural terminology code. Patient characteristics were compared using chi-squared test for categorical variables and Student t test for continuous variables. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. Emergency and open surgeries were associated with performing IA. Multivariate analysis showed no association of IA with mortality [odds ratio (OR) = 0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.26–1.02], overall morbidity (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.92–1.47), or major morbidity (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.99–1.48). However, IA increased overall morbidity among patients undergoing elective surgery (OR = 1.31,95% CI = 1.03–1.68) or those ≥30 years old (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.00–1.51). IA was also associated with higher wound complications (OR = 1.46,95% CI = 1.05–2.03). In conclusion, IA is an uncommonly performed procedure that is associated with increased risk of postoperative wound complications and increased risk of overall morbidity in a selected patient population.

Oversight of human subject research has evolved considerably since its inception. However, previous studies identified a lack of consistency of institutional review board (IRB) determination for the type of review required and whether informed consent is necessary, especially for prospective observational studies, which pose minimal risk of harm. We hypothesized that there is significant inter-institution variation in IRB requirements for the type of review and necessity of informed consent, especially for prospective observational trials without blood/tissue utilization. We also sought to describe investigators’ and IRB members’ attitudes toward the type of review and need for consent. Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) and IRB members were sent an electronic survey on IRB review and informed consent requirement. We performed descriptive analyses as well as Fisher’s exact test to determine differences between EAST and IRB members’ responses. The response rate for EAST members from 113 institutions was 13.5%, whereas a convenience sample of IRB members from 14 institutions had a response rate of 64.4%. Requirement for full IRB review for retrospective studies using patient identifiers was reported by zero IRB member compared with 13.1% of EAST members (p=0.05). Regarding prospective observational trials without blood/tissue collection, 48.1% of EAST members reported their institutions required a full IRB review compared with 9.5% of IRB members (p=0.01). For prospective observational trials with blood/tissue collection, 80% of EAST members indicated requirement to submit a full IRB review compared with only 13.6% of IRB members (p<0.001). Most EAST members (78.6%) stated that informed consent is not ethically necessary in prospective observational trials without blood/tissue collection, whereas most IRB members thought that informed consent was ethically necessary (63.6%, p<0.001). There is significant variation in perception and practice regarding the level of review for prospective observational studies and whether informed consent is necessary. We recommend future interdisciplinary efforts between researchers and IRBs should occur to better standardize local IRB efforts.Level of evidenceIV.

INTRODUCTION: Extended Focussed Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (eFAST) has increasingly become the standard of care to identify hemo/pneumothorax, with a much greater sensitivity than a supine CXR (87% vs. 46%). Pneumothorax is recognized as a result of no "lung sliding", which occurs because the visceral and parietal pleural linings have separated. Symptomatic pneumothoraces are treated with tube thoracotomy. CASE PRESENTATION: 65 year old male presented to the trauma center after blunt chest trauma and hypotension. CXR did not show any obvious pathology, but eFAST failed to show any lung slide on the left chest. A left sided tube thoracotomy was performed after 1500mL of frank blood was initially evacuated; the entire lung was noted to be densely adherent to the chest wall; hemorrhage control was obtained by performing a pulmonary tractotomy/lobectomy of the involved lung segment, and the patient was then transferred to the SICU for ongoing resuscitation.