Background: Many surgical instruments have been replaced with powered devices in open gastrointestinal and laparoscopic surgery. The production of smoke as a result of vaporization of surgical tissue is inevitable, and exposure to surgical smoke is a long-standing concern. These vapours are potentially hazardous to patients and surgical teams. The present research was designed to compare various surgical devices to determine whether viable cells exist in their surgical smoke. Methods: The search for viable cells in surgical smoke was conducted using both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Various cancers were cauterized with electrocautery, radiofrequency ablation and ultrasonic scalpels, and the resulting surgical smoke was aspirated with Transwell® membrane; viable cells were sought in the surgical smoke. In an in vivo experiment, samples of SCC7 were cauterized with an ultrasonic scalpel and the sediment from the rinsed Transwell® membrane liquid after centrifugation was injected subcutaneously into the lower back of mice. Results: Viable cells were found only in the smoke from ultrasonic scalpels (in all 25 samples taken 5 cm from the cautery; 2 of 25 samples at 10 cm). Viable cells in the surgical smoke from ultrasonic scalpels implanted in mice grew in 16 of 40 injection sites. Histological and biochemical analyses revealed that these cancer cells were identical to the cancer cells cauterized by the ultrasonic scalpel. Conclusion: Viable tumour cells are produced in the surgical smoke from tumour dissection by ultrasonic scalpel. Surgical relevanceSurgical smoke is a by product of dissection using a number of powered devices. Hazards to operating room personnel and patients are unclear.This study has shown that use of an ultrasonic dissection device can produce smoke that contains viable tumour cells.Although the model is somewhat artificial, a theoretical risk exists, and measures to evacuate surgical smoke efficiently are important.

Yoon YK, et al. Infect Chemother. 2017 Dec;49(4):326-352. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2017.49.4.326

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common disease with the prevalence of approximately 10% in general population, and this disease entity is considered to be highly related with the development of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases. In the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, maintaining the homeostasis of autonomic nervous system (ANS) is critical. To evaluate the homeostasis of ANS, heart rate variability (HRV) is commonly used. The object of this study was to evaluate the homeostasis of ANS using the parameters of HRV and to elucidate the correlation between the parameters and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). Methods: Retrospective review of 806 patients was performed and 164 patients who were diagnosed as having OSAS by in-room polysomnography and met the criteria of age, sex, and body mass index were enrolled. The calculation of HRV parameters was executed using echocardiographic data from polysomnography. Results: Between the control group (N = 81, AHI < 5) and OSAS patient group (N = 83, AHI > 15), standard deviation of NN (SDNN) intervals, SDNN index, HRV triangular index, very low frequency (VLF), low frequency (LF), 5-minute total power (TP), and low-frequency to high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio showed significant differences. In the correlation analysis between AHI and HRV parameters, only LF/HF ratio was proven to be significant. Conclusions: Elucidating the imbalance of ANS in OSAS patients was feasible by HRV and its parameters.

The Korean Society of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Korean Rhinologic Society appointed a guideline development group (GDG) to establish a clinical practice guideline, and the GDG developed a guideline for nasal irrigation for adult patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The guideline focuses on knowledge gaps, practice variations, and clinical concerns associated with nasal irrigation. Nasal irrigation has been recommended as the first-line treatment for CRS in various guidelines, and its clinical effectiveness has been demonstrated through a number of studies with robust evidence. However, no guidelines have presented a consistent nasal irrigation method. Several databases, including OVID Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed, were searched to identify all relevant papers using a predefined search strategy. When insufficient evidence was found, the GDG sought expert opinions and attempted to fill the evidence gap. Evidence-based recommendations for practice were ranked according to the American College of Physicians grading system. The committee developed 11 evidence-based recommendations. This guideline focuses on the evidence-based quality improvement opportunities deemed the most important by the GDG. Moreover, the guideline addresses whether nasal lavage helps treat CRS, what type of rinsing solution should be used, and the effectiveness of using additional medications to increase the therapeutic effect.

Normal-range sleep duration is an important factor for general health and metabolism, and insufficient or excessive sleep is associated with chronic metabolic disease. Among the many factors that affect sleep duration, sun exposure plays an important role in maintaining regular circadian rhythm and is also involved in the production and activation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], which regulates various functions in the body. However, 25(OH)D is available through food and various nutritional supplements without sun exposure, so it is important to find out the complex relationship among sun exposure, vitamin D status, and sleep duration. The relationship between sun exposure, vitamin D status, and sleep duration was analyzed in the nationwide survey and examination of 25,534 study populations, after adjusting for demographic characteristics, physical characteristics, lifestyle status, and socio-demographic variables. Vitamin D status alone did not show the relationship with sleep duration, although there were statistical relationships in the various factors including sun exposure with sleep duration. There was a statistical difference in 25(OH)D according to sleep duration, only in low sun exposure group. Subjects with low sun exposure and excessive sleep duration comparatively lower 25(OH)D than those with normal-range sleep, even after adjustment for potentially confounding factors. Individuals with limited exposure to sunlight should maintain adequate vitamin D status to have an appropriate sleep duration for health.