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Medical waste is a necessary by-product of any hospital environment; however, the majority of regulated medical waste is produced in the OR from the use of disposable surgical supplies (eg, drapes, gowns, basins, gloves, sponges). We conducted a concept comparison project in the ORs of two large medical centers in Bethesda, Maryland, and Washington, DC, to evaluate the effects of using reusable surgical basins, gowns, and table and Mayo stand covers in place of disposable products. Survey results indicated that surgeons and surgical technologists found the reusable products to be preferable to the disposable products currently in use. In addition, using reusable products provided a means to decrease regulated medical waste generated in the OR by an average of 65% as well as reduce the cost of waste disposal. AORN recommends evaluating the environmental effects of using reusable, reposable, and disposable products; our findings provide evidence that may be useful to surgical facilities that seek to adopt a "green" approach.

Previous investigations have demonstrated that immune activation and chronic inflammation may be one of the causes of oncogenesis. A previous study from our lab has shown significant increases of NF-kappaB dependent cytokines, TNF-alpha, IL-1alpha, IL-6, and IL-8 in different oral fluids from oral lichen planus (OLP) patients. The aim of this analysis was to explore the potential of detecting these cytokines in whole unstimulated saliva (WUS) in monitoring the malignant transformation of OLP. Thirteen patients with OLP (with epithelial dysplasia), 13 cases with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and 13 age-sex matched controls were enrolled in the study. The WUS samples were collected and the level of TNF-alpha, IL-1alpha, IL-6, and IL-8 in WUS was determined by ELISA. In moderate and severe dysplasia, the level of each cytokine was significantly higher than in control. In moderate dysplasia, TNF-alpha and IL-1alpha were significantly increased at a level without difference from OSCC, but IL-6 and IL-8 was detected at a concentration significantly lower than OSCC. In severe dysplasia, the level of TNF-alpha was also not significantly different from that of OSCC, and the level of IL-1alpha, IL-6, and IL-8 was still significantly lower than that of OSCC. The level of four cytokines between smokers and non-smokers in each group did not show a significant difference. These results indicate that the change of NF-kappaB dependent cytokines in WUS may in part reflect the malignant transformation of OLP and the analysis of these cytokines and may provide a useful, non-invasive surrogate endpoint for monitoring malignant transformation as well as the therapeutic response of OLP. This is the first in vivo study utilizing saliva to confirm preclinical data that NF-kappaB is upregulated in oral carcinogenesis.

These preliminary results indicate that salivary analysis of NF-kappaB-dependent cytokines may be applied to monitoring the therapeutic response of OLP.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the relationship of fatigue severity to other clinical features in primary Sjogren’s syndrome (PSS) and to identify factors contributing to the physical and mental aspects of fatigue. METHODS We identified 94 subjects who met the American-European consensus criteria for the classification of PSS. Fatigue was assessed with a VAS, the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the Profile of Fatigue (ProF.) Associations with fatigue was compared using multivariate regression. RESULTS Abnormal fatigue defined as a FSS score of greater than or equal to 4 was present in 67% of the patients. Pain, helplessness and depression were the strongest predictors of both FSS and the somatic fatigue domain of the ProF (Prof-S), both with and without adjustment for physiologic and serologic characteristics. Depression was associated with higher levels of fatigue; however, the majority of patients with abnormal fatigue were not depressed. Anti-Ro/SSA positive patients were no more likely to report fatigue than seronegative patients. The regression models explained 62% of the variance in FSS and 78% of the variance in Prof-S. Mental fatigue was correlated with depression and helplessness, but the model predicted only 54% of the variance in mental fatigue (Prof-M.). CONCLUSIONS Psychosocial variables are determinants of fatigue, but only partly account for it. While fatigue is associated with depression, depression is not the primary cause of fatigue in PSS. Investigation of the pathophysiologic correlates of physical and mental aspects of fatigue is needed to guide the development of more effective interventions.

Twenty-nine cases presumptively diagnosed as feline cutaneous mycobacteriosis were evaluated microscopically with haematoxylin and eosin and modified Fite's stained sections using archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens. Lesions were characterized histologically as feline leprosy (7 cases lepromatous and 16 cases tuberculoid) or atypical mycobacteriosis (3 cases); three cases did not fit these criteria and were classified as 'miscellaneous'. Actinomycetales-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of variable regions 1, 2 and 3 of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and subsequent sequence analysis of the amplicons were performed to identify the species of mycobacteria associated with each case. Together, this study identified 10 different Actinomycetales organisms with greater than 98% nucleotide sequence identity to named species, nine were of the genus Mycobacterium and eight were associated with feline leprosy (both lepromatous and tuberculoid). Based on this study, we conclude that feline cutaneous mycobacteriosis should be considered as a syndrome with varied clinical and histological presentations associated with a variety of different Mycobacterium species, organisms other than Mycobacterium sp. may be associated with feline cutaneous mycobacteriosis lesions, and molecular diagnostic techniques can be an important tool for identifying agents associated with lesions of feline cutaneous mycobacteriosis.

Orofacial clefts are frequently associated with other congenital malformations. Studies vary in incidence and types of anomalies. Objective: To evaluate associated malformations in orofacial cleft patients at a major research hospital. Study Design: Medical records of 1127 patients, in the Cleft Palate / Craniofacial Clinic, Boys Town National Research Hospital, from January 1980 through February 2000 were reviewed. Patients were divided into two categories: 1) cleft palate only (CP), and 2) cleft lip, with or without cleft palate (CL±P). Further categorization included location and type, if any, of other congenital malformations.Results: 47.2% of patients had CP and 52.8% had CL±P. 32.2% of all cleft patients had associated congenital malformations. The orofacial region was the most common site, followed by cardiovascular, central nervous, and skeletal systems. Congenital malformations were more common in CP (38.7%), than CL±P(26.4%). Of malformations diagnosed, 63.1% were chromosomal/syndromic anomalies while 36.9% were non-chromosomal/syndromic. Conclusions: Recognition of the spectrum of congenital malformations,associated with orofacial clefting, is essential for further diagnostic testing and in some cases genetic counseling.