Tehran University Medical Journal

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A high percent of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) experience non intestinal symptoms. Many studies demonstrated that hepatobiliary disorders are the most common. Corresponding disorders consist of primary sclerosing cholangitis, non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), biliary stones, pericholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis, liver amyloidosis, liver abscess, liver granuloma, hepatocellular carcinoma and primary biliary cirrhosis. However most studies concentrate on identifying primary sclerosing cholangitis, the most dreadful complication of IBD, other disorders like NASH and biliary stones are common and because of the similarity of symptoms to the primary disease may be ignored. In this article we review these disorders.

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Background: Community-acquired pneumonia could be a life-threatening condition especially in elderly patients. The factors influencing the outcome in elderly patients are thought to be different from those in young adults. We compared the clinical and paraclinical profiles in elderly and nonelderly patients with community-acquired pneumonias.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, seventy nine patients who were hospitalized with community acquired pneumonia over a period of one year were included. Patients' medical records were reviewed and data related to comorbid conditions, signs and symptoms, laboratory and radiographic findings were gathered using a checklist.
Results: The clinical features, laboratory parameters and complications from pneumonia were almost similar in 41 elderly (group I, age ≥65years) and 38 young (group II, age<65years) subjects. Delirium was seen more in elderly group (p=0.05). The average body temperature and pulse rate were significantly higher in nonelderly group. Sixty one percent of elderly patients and 21% of young patients have Po2 less than 60 (p=0.02). Smoking (29.1%), neurological disturbances (19%), congestive heart failure (15.2%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes mellitus (13.9%) were associated comorbidities in both groups. In non elderly group, immune compromise and IV drug use were more common as underlying comorbid conditions. Two of three mortalities were due to elder patients.
Conclusion: Community acquired pneumonia could have more serious clinical and abnormal laboratory features in the elderly than younger patients. Mortality rate may be higher in older patients. Comorbid conditions are frequently seen in both elderly and nonelderly patients with community acquired pneumonia, but IV drug use and immune compromise are more frequent in nonelderly patients.

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Background: surgical site infection is one of the most common post operative complications alongside with sepsis, cardiovascular, pulmonary and thromboembolic complications. The development of surgical site infection is related to three factors: the degree of microbial contamination of the wound during surgery, the duration of the procedure, and host factors such as diabetes, malnutrition, obesity, immune suppression, and a number of other underlying disease states. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of topical cephazolin in controlling infection of the site of surgery after non-laparoscopic cholecystecomy.

Methods: One hundred and two of patients referred to the outpatient clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital from fall 2005 to fall 2006 non- laparoscopic cholecystectomy enrolled in a randomized clinical trial. All patients underwent the same procedure of anesthesia and surgery and they were randomly assigned into two groups of cases with irrigation of the site of surgery with 1g of topical Cephazolin prior to the termination of the operation- and controls. Cephazolin is a first generation cephalosporin which binds penicillin binding protein and is a potent cell wall synthesis inhibitor. The patients were followed up for six weeks for symptoms and signs of infection including discharge of the wound and presence of pain, warmness, swelling and erythema of the wound.

Results: There were no significant differences between two study groups regarding mean age, duration of operation, and sex. There was no significant difference in the incidence of infection of the site of surgery (11.8% in both groups with p=0.99) between two groups.

Conclusion: Analyzing the collected data confirms that prophylactic use of topical cephazolin was unable to decrease the risk of infection of the site of surgery in patients undergoing non- laparascopic cheolecystectomy.