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  • Bynum Mckay posted an update 2 weeks, 1 day ago

    Double outlet left atrium (DOLA), an elusive malformation to prenatal diagnosis, is a rare congenital heart defect in which the left atrium (LA) drains into both the left and right ventricles. We hereby report on a prenatally diagnosed case of DOLA and present a review of the literature. We highlight key differentiating findings to aid in the diagnosis of this rare and complex cardiac malformation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Standard of care for high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is surgical excision of the primary lesion with clear margins when possible, and additional resection of positive margins when feasible. Even with negative margins, certain high-risk factors warrant consideration of adjuvant therapy. However, which patients might benefit from adjuvant therapy is unclear, and supporting evidence is conflicting and limited to mostly small retrospective cohorts. Here, we review literature from the last decade regarding adjuvant radiation therapy and systemic therapy in high-risk cSCC, including recent and current trials and the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors. ABTL-0812 chemical structure We demonstrate evidence gaps in adjuvant therapy for high-risk cSCC and the need for prognostic tools, such as gene expression profiling, to guide patient selection. More large-cohort clinical studies are needed for collecting high-quality, evidence-based data for determining which patients with high-risk cSCC may benefit from adjuvant therapy and which therapy is most appropriate for patient management.Photoswitch triads comprising two dihydroazulene (DHA) units in conjugation with a central trans-azobenzene (AZB) unit were prepared in stepwise protocols starting from meta- and para-disubstituted azobenzenes. The para-connected triad had significantly altered optical properties and lacked the photoactivity of the separate photochromes. In contrast, for the meta-connected triad, all three photochromes could be photoisomerized to generate an isomer with two vinylheptafulvene (VHF) units and a cis-azobenzene unit. Ultrafast spectroscopy of the photoisomerizations revealed a fast DHA-to-VHF photoisomerization and a slower trans-to-cis AZB photoisomerization. This meta triad underwent thermal VHF-to-DHA back-conversion with a similar rate of all VHFs, independent of the identity of the neighboring units, and in parallel thermal cis-to-trans AZB conversion. The experimental observations were supported by computation (excitation spectra and orbital analysis of the transitions).

    To investigate the therapeutic effect of cranial microcurrent stimulation (CMS) in patients with tension-type headaches (TTH).

    This study was designed as a prospective, randomised, double-blinded and sham-controlled trial. A total of 22 patients with tension-type headache were selected as our study participants and randomly assigned into two groups CMS group (n=11) and Sham group (n=11). To each of the participants, a sham or a true portable CMS stimulation device (CMS; intensity, 25μA; frequency, 8Hz) to wear was distributed, and 20-minute daily treatment was provided using the device for 2weeks. In CMS group, treatment was given by means of electrodes clipped to the ear, whereas, in Sham group, sham treatment was provided by CMS without current. The measurements of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT6), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9), Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD7) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were performed at pre-treatment (baseline), week 1 and 2 of treatment and two weeks post-treatment.

    In CMS group, VAS of maximal headache and VAS of current headache, HIT6, PHQ9 and GAD7 significantly decreased by two weeks post-CMS therapy, but not in Sham group (P<.05). Scores of HADS-A (anxiety), HADS-D (depression) and HADS-T (total) significantly decreased by 2weeks post-CMS therapy in CMS group, but not in Sham group (P<.05). Changes in scores of PHQ9 and GAD7, HADS-A, HADS-D and HADS-T in CMS group were significantly greater than in Sham group by 2weeks post-CMS therapy (P<.05).

    The results indicate that CMS, as an adjunctive treatment for patients with TTH, is safe and analgesic as well as reducing depression or anxiety.

    The results indicate that CMS, as an adjunctive treatment for patients with TTH, is safe and analgesic as well as reducing depression or anxiety.

    Hypochloremia is a strong negative prognostic factor in humans with congestive heart failure (CHF), but the implications of electrolyte abnormalities in small animals with acute CHF are unclear.

    To document electrolyte abnormalities present upon admission of small animals with acute CHF, and to assess the relationship between electrolyte concentrations and diuretic dose, duration of hospitalization and survival time.

    Forty-six dogs and 34 cats with first onset of acute CHF.

    Retrospective study. The associations between electrolyte concentrations and diuretic doses were evaluated with Spearman rank correlation coefficients. Relationship with duration of hospitalization and survival were assessed by simple linear regression and Cox proportional hazard regression, respectively.

    The most commonly encountered electrolyte anomaly was hypochloremia observed in 24% (9/46 dogs and 10/34 cats) of cases. In dogs only, a significant negative correlation was identified between serum chloride concentrations at admission (median 113 mmol/L [97-125]) and furosemide doses both at discharge (median 5.2mg/kg/day [1.72-9.57]; r= -0.59; P< .001) and at end-stage heart failure (median 4.7mg/kg/day [2.02-7.28]; r= -0.62; P= .005). No significant hazard ratios were found for duration of hospitalization nor survival time for any of the electrolyte concentrations.

    The observed association between serum chloride concentrations and diuretic doses suggests that hypochloremia could serve as a marker of disease severity and therapeutic response in dogs with acute CHF.

    The observed association between serum chloride concentrations and diuretic doses suggests that hypochloremia could serve as a marker of disease severity and therapeutic response in dogs with acute CHF.

    The purpose of this study was to identify the incidence of postoperative delirium in PCC (patients with colorectal cancer) and the related factors of postoperative delirium by analysing the differences in the general, disease-related and operation-related characteristics.

    Previous studies had some limitations in generalising the risk factors for postoperative delirium in PCC due to the lack of relevant factors, such as disease- and operation-related characteristics. There is a need to investigate the factors of postoperative delirium by including cancer and surgical characteristics.

    The current study is a cross-sectional study to investigate the correlated factors of postoperative delirium in PCC.

    A total of 196 patients who underwent colorectal cancer surgery at the Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital in Korea participated in the study. Data collection was performed from 15 August 2018 to 10July 2019. Patients’ general, disease-related and operation-related characteristics were collected from questie results of this study, postoperative delirium in PCC could be decreased by encouraging physical activity immediately following operation, monitoring the signs and symptoms of infection using diverse objective laboratory findings and maintaining the nutritional status within the normal range.Understanding the different modifiable and non-modifiable factors and their positive or negative influence on parental and child satisfaction is essential to providing high-quality perioperative care. The purpose of this review is to focus on the perioperative environment and to report the various modifiable and non-modifiable factors that are associated with satisfaction. We found that factors such as quality of clinician-patient communication, clinician attitudes, teamwork, shared decision-making, and improved perioperative information were associated with increased parent and child satisfaction. Interventions such as preparation programs integrating role-play, teaching of coping skills, and family-centered programs were highly rated by parents and children. Healthcare providers and institutions should consider the above variables when treating children and their parents in the perioperative setting.The posterior palatal seal (PPS) plays important roles in improving denture retention, preventing food and debris from entering under the denture base, reducing the gag reflex, providing more strength across the denture, and making the distal border less noticeable to the tongue. Digital dentures have become popular, owing to the use of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing and rapid prototyping technologies. However, limited research has been conducted on a digital workflow to establish the PPS. This article presents a technique to establish the PPS by using digital technologies for providing the advantages of the PPS to patients wearing digital dentures.An amine functionalized C3 -symmetric benzotrithiophene (BTT) monomer has been designed and synthetized in order to form pH responsive one-dimensional supramolecular polymers in aqueous media. While most of the reported studies looked at the effect of pH on the size of the aggregates, herein, a detailed mechanistic study is reported, carried out upon modifying the pH to trigger the formation of positively charged ammonium groups. A dramatic and reversible change in the polymerization mechanism and size of the supramolecular fibers is observed and ascribed to the combination of Coulombic repulsive forces and higher monomer solubility. Furthermore, the induced frustrated growth of the fibers is further employed to finely control the one-dimensional supramolecular polymerisation and copolymerization processes.Due to their pronounced bioactivity and limited availability from natural resources, metabolites of the soft coral Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae, such as erogorgiaene and the pseudopterosines, represent important target molecules for chemical synthesis. We have now developed a particularly short and efficient route towards these marine diterpenes exploiting an operationally convenient enantioselective cobalt-catalyzed hydrovinylation as the chirogenic step. Other noteworthy C-C bond forming transformations include diastereoselective Lewis acid-mediated cyclizations, a Suzuki coupling and a carbonyl ene reaction. Starting from 4-methyl-styrene the anti-tubercular agent (+)-erogorgiaene (>98 % ee) was prepared in only 7 steps with 46 % overall yield. In addition, the synthesis of the pseudopterosin A aglycone was achieved in 12 steps with 30 % overall yield and, surprisingly, was found to exhibit a similar anti-inflammatory activity (inhibition of LPS-induced NF-κB activation) as a natural mixture of pseudopterosins A-D or iso-pseudopterosin A, prepared by β-D-xylosylation of the synthetic aglycone.

    Comorbidities including ischemic heart disease (IHD) worsen outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infections. High lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] concentrations are a strong risk factor for IHD and possibly for thromboembolic events. We therefore evaluated whether SARS-CoV-2 infections modify the risk of high Lp(a) concentrations for IHD or thromboembolic events during the first 8.5 months follow-up of the pandemic.

    Cohort study using data from the UK Biobank during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Baseline Lp(a) was compared between SARS-CoV-2 positive patients and the population controls. UK Biobank received ethical approval from the North West Multi-Centre Research Ethics Committee (REC reference 11/NW/0382). All participants gave written informed consent before enrolment in the study, which was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

    SARS-CoV-2 positive patients had Lp(a) concentrations similar to the population controls. The risk for IHD increased with higher Lp(a) concentrations in both, the population controls (n = 435,104) and SARS-CoV-2 positive patients (n = 6,937).