scholarly journals The role of phagocytic leukocytes following flexible ureterenoscopy, for the treatment of kidney stones: an observational, clinical pilots-study

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Fôn Hughes ◽  
Alyson Jayne Moyes ◽  
Rebecca May Lamb ◽  
Peter Ella-tongwiis ◽  
Nana Yaa Frempomaa Snyper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Kidney Stones ◽  
Renal Calculi ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Cell Surface Expression ◽  
Oxygen Intermediates ◽  
Activation Markers ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Production Of Hydrogen

Abstract Background The number of patients undergoing flexible ureterenoscopy (FURS) for the treatment of kidney stones (renal calculi) is increasing annually, and as such the development of post-operative complications, such as acute kidney injury (AKI), haematuria and infection is likely to increase. Phagocytic leukocytes are white blood cells that help fight foreign material such as bacteria and viruses, and they are intrinsically involved in the inflammatory reaction. Investigating the role of phagocytic leukocytes following FURS has not been widely researched. The main aim of the study was to evaluate the role phagocytic leukocytes (neutrophils and monocytes) function, in patients undergoing FURS for the treatment of kidney stones (renal calculi). Methods Fourteen consecutive patients aged between 27 and 70 years (median 49.5 years) undergoing FURS for the treatment of kidney stones were recruited (seven males, seven females). Blood samples were collected from each patient at four time points: baseline (pre-operatively) followed by 30, 120 and 240 min post-operatively. Mononuclear (MN) and polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocyte sub-populations were isolated by density gradient centrifugation techniques. Neutrophil and monocyte cell function was investigated by measuring the cell surface expression of CD62L (L-selectin), CD11b (Mac-1), CD99 and the intracellular production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), via flow cytometry. Results Significant increases was observed in monocyte CD62L expression post FURS for the treatment of kidney stones (p ≤ 0.05); while significant decreases were observed in neutrophil CD62L. The levels of the other activation markers CD11b, CD99 and H2O2 corresponded to the increases and decreases seen in CD62L for monocytes and neutrophils respectively, though the changes were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Limiting factors for this study were the relatively small sample size, and restriction on the recruitment time points. Conclusions This study demonstrates that following FURS for the treatment of kidney stones, monocytes are rapidly activated and produce potent reactive oxygen intermediates. Interestingly, the pattern of expression in neutrophils suggests that these cells are deactivated in response to the treatment. The leukocyte biomarkers assessed during this investigation may have a role in monitoring the ‘normal’ post-operative response, as no complications occurred in any of the patients; or may help predict potential infectious complications (e.g. urosepsis) that can occur during the post-operative period. This data, however, will need to be validated and reproduced in larger multi-centre studies.

The Use of Posterior Pericardiotomy Technique to Prevent Postoperative Pericardial Effusion in Cardiac Surgery

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Canturk Cakalagaoglu ◽  
Cengiz Koksal ◽  
Ayse Baysal ◽  
Gokhan Alici ◽  
Birol Ozkan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Surgery ◽  
Heart Surgery ◽  
Artery Bypass ◽  
Pericardial Tamponade ◽  
Anxiety Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Echocardiographic Study ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Hospital Stays

<p><b>Aim:</b> The goal was to determine the effectiveness of the posterior pericardiotomy technique in preventing the development of early and late pericardial effusions (PEs) and to determine the role of anxiety level for the detection of late pericardial tamponade (PT).</p><p><b>Materials and Methods:</b> We divided 100 patients randomly into 2 groups, the posterior pericardiotomy group (n = 50) and the control group (n = 50). All patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG), valvular heart surgery, or combined valvular and CABG surgeries were included. The posterior pericardiotomy technique was performed in the first group of 50 patients. Evaluations completed preoperatively, postoperatively on day 1, before discharge, and on postoperative days 5 and 30 included electrocardiographic study, chest radiography, echocardiographic study, and evaluation of the patient's anxiety level. Postoperative causes of morbidity and durations of intensive care unit and hospital stays were recorded.</p><p><b>Results:</b> The 2 groups were not significantly different with respect to demographic and operative data (<i>P</i> > .05). Echocardiography evaluations revealed no significant differences between the groups preoperatively; however, before discharge the control group had a significantly higher number of patients with moderate, large, and very large PEs compared with the pericardiotomy group (<i>P</i> < .01). There were 6 cases of late PT in the control group, whereas there were none in the pericardiotomy group (<i>P</i> < .05). Before discharge and on postoperative day 15, the patients in the pericardiotomy group showed significant improvement in anxiety levels (<i>P</i> = .03 and .004, respectively). No differences in postoperative complications were observed between the 2 groups.</p><p><b>Conclusion:</b> Pericardiotomy is a simple, safe, and effective method for reducing the incidence of PE and late PT after cardiac surgery. It also has the potential to provide a better quality of life.</p>

The Role of Tranexamic Acid in Controlling Bloodloss During PCNL for Staghorn Calculi

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 3745-3748
Author(s):  
Raluca Costina Barbilian ◽  
Victor Cauni ◽  
Bogdan Mihai ◽  
Ioana Buraga ◽  
Mihai Dragutescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Loss ◽  
Tranexamic Acid ◽  
Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy ◽  
Kidney Stones ◽  
Postoperative Bleeding ◽  
Invasive Technique ◽  
Transfusion Rate ◽  
Staghorn Calculi ◽  
Type Of Surgery

The aim of this paper is to assess the efficiency and safety of the tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss and the need for transfusion in patients diagnosed with staghorn calculi treated by percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a minimally invasive technique used for large kidney stones. Hemorrhagic complications and urinary sepsis are serious complications associated with this type of surgery. Tranexamic acid is an antifibrinolytic drug that has the property of reducing intra or postoperative bleeding. The experience with tranexamic acid in preventing blood loss during percutaneous nephrolithotomy for is limited. The use tranexamic acid in percutaneous nephrolithotomy for staghorn type stones is safe and is associated with reduced blood loss and a lower transfusion rate.

STEROID RECEPTOR PHENOTYPE, EXPRESSION OF HER-2/NEU, PD-1, PD-L1 AND LYMPHOCYTIC-MACROPHAGAL INFILTRATION OF ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMAS: COMPARISON OF MODERN MOLECULAR BIOLOGICAL TYPES OF THE DISEASE (THE ROLE OF BODY MASS INDEX)

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-78
Author(s):  
Lev Bershteyn ◽  
Aleksandr Ivantsov ◽  
Aglaya Ievleva ◽  
A. Venina ◽  
I. Berlev
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Tumor Tissue ◽  
Immunohistochemical Analysis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Molecular Profile ◽  
Total N ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Her 2

The aim of this study was to evaluate steroid receptors’ status of tumor tissue in different molecular biological types of endometrial cancer (EC), subdivided according to the current classification, and their colonization by lymphocytic and macrophage cells, taking into account body mass index of the patients. Materials and methods: Material from treatment-naive patients with EC (total n = 229) was included; the number of sick persons varied depending on the method used. The average age of patients was close to 60 years, and about 90% of them were postmenopausal. It was possible to divide the results of the work into two main subgroups: a) depending on the molecular biological type of the tumor (determined on the basis of genetic and immunohistochemical analysis), and b) depending on the value of the body mass index (BMI). The latter approach was used in patients with EC type demonstrating a defective mismatch repair of the incorrectly paired nucleotides (MMR-D) and with a type without characteristic molecular profile signs (WCMP), but was not applied (due to the smaller number of patients) in EC types with a POLE gene mutation or with expression of the oncoprotein p53. According to the data obtained, when comparing various types of EC, the lowest values of Allred ER and PR scores were revealed for POLE-mutant and p53 types, while the “triple-negative” variant of the tumor (ER-, PR-, HER2/neu-) was most common in POLE-mutant (45.5% of cases) and WCMP (19.4%) types of EC. The p53+ type of EC is characterized by inclination to the higher expression of the macrophage marker CD68 and lymphocytic Foxp3, as well as mRNA of PD-1 and SALL4. In addition to the said above, for WCMP type of EC is peculiar, on the contrary, a decrease in the expression of lymphocytic markers CD8 (protein) and PD-L1 (mRNA). When assessing the role of BMI, its value of >30.0 (characteristic for obesity) was combined with an inclination to the increase of HER-2/neu expression in the case of MMR-D EC type and to the decrease of HER-2 /neu, FOXp3 and ER expression in WCMP type. Conclusions: The accumulated information (mainly describing here hormonal sensitivity of the tumor tissue and its lymphocytic-macrophage infiltration) additionally confirms our earlier expressed opinion that the differences between women with EC are determined by both the affiliation of the neoplasm to one or another molecular biological type (subdivided according to the contemporary classification), as well as by body mass value and (very likely) the associated hormonal and metabolic attributes.

Phytotherapy and Herbal Medicines for Kidney Stones

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-30
Author(s):  
Esteban Emiliani ◽  
Adrian Jara ◽  
Andres Koey Kanashiro
Keyword(s):  
Uric Acid ◽  
Calcium Oxalate ◽  
Kidney Stones ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Phyllanthus Niruri ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Uric Acid Stones

Background: Kidney stones are one of the oldest known and common diseases in the urinary tract with a prevalence that varies from 1% to 20%. Many phytotherapic and herbal medicines for kidney stones have been described for their treatment and prevention. Objective: The objective of this study is to perform a comprehensive review of several phytotherapic and herbal medicines published including clinical and animal studies. Results: Phytotherapy may influence the risk of recurrence in calcium oxalate and uric acid stones. The most solid evidence suggest that Phyllanthus niruri is one of the most studied components that appear to interfere with the calcium oxalate crystallization, reduced hyperoxaluria and hiperuricosuria and increased shock wave lithotripsy efficacy due to reduced crystallization without significant adverse effects, also Theobromine have shown to reduce the crystallization of uric acid in patients and appears to be a promising supplement to treat such stones. Conclusion: Many phytoterapic and herbal agents have been studies to treat and present urolithiasis, most of them only with studies of small number of patients or in animal models. Further randomized clinical trials are needed to evaluate the effect of these agents in kidney stones.

scholarly journals Model-based evaluation of school- and non-school-related measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ganna Rozhnova ◽  
Christiaan H. van Dorp ◽  
Patricia Bruijning-Verhagen ◽  
Martin C. J. Bootsma ◽  
Janneke H. H. M. van de Wijgert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Additional Benefit ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Time Points ◽  
School Based ◽  
Admission Data ◽  
Age Structured ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pandemic Wave

AbstractThe role of school-based contacts in the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 is incompletely understood. We use an age-structured transmission model fitted to age-specific seroprevalence and hospital admission data to assess the effects of school-based measures at different time points during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands. Our analyses suggest that the impact of measures reducing school-based contacts depends on the remaining opportunities to reduce non-school-based contacts. If opportunities to reduce the effective reproduction number (Re) with non-school-based measures are exhausted or undesired and Re is still close to 1, the additional benefit of school-based measures may be considerable, particularly among older school children. As two examples, we demonstrate that keeping schools closed after the summer holidays in 2020, in the absence of other measures, would not have prevented the second pandemic wave in autumn 2020 but closing schools in November 2020 could have reduced Re below 1, with unchanged non-school-based contacts.

scholarly journals Diagnostic Role of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in Prostate Cancer Staging: A Systematic Review

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 552
Author(s):  
Salam Awenat ◽  
Arnoldo Piccardo ◽  
Patricia Carvoeiras ◽  
Giovanni Signore ◽  
Luca Giovanella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Metastatic Disease ◽  
Cancer Staging ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Pet Ct

Background: The use of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted agents for staging prostate cancer (PCa) patients using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is increasing worldwide. We performed a systematic review on the role of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in PCa staging to provide evidence-based data in this setting. Methods: A comprehensive computer literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases for studies using 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in PCa staging was performed until 31 December 2020. Eligible articles were selected and relevant information was extracted from the original articles by two authors independently. Results: Eight articles (369 patients) evaluating the role of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in PCa staging were selected. These studies were quite heterogeneous, but, overall, they demonstrated a good diagnostic accuracy of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in detecting PCa lesions at staging. Overall, higher primary PCa aggressiveness was associated with higher 18F-PSMA-1007 uptake. When compared with other radiological and scintigraphic imaging methods, 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT had superior sensitivity in detecting metastatic disease and the highest inter-reader agreement. 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT showed similar results in terms of diagnostic accuracy for PCa staging compared with PET/CT with other PSMA-targeted tracers. Dual imaging with multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging and 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT may improve staging of primary PCa. Notably, 18F-PSMA-1007-PET/CT may detect metastatic disease in a significant number of patients with negative standard imaging. Conclusions: 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT demonstrated a good accuracy in PCa staging, with similar results compared with other PSMA-targeted radiopharmaceuticals. This method could substitute bone scintigraphy and conventional abdominal imaging for PCa staging. Prospective multicentric studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Characteristics of educators’ talk about decontextualised events

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 362-376
Author(s):  
Rebecca Andrews ◽  
Penny Van Bergen
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Future Event ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Long Day ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Day Care Centres ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Children’S Thinking ◽  
Sydney Australia

This study investigated the characteristics of educators’ talk about decontextualised events with young children in seven early childhood long day care centres in Sydney, Australia. Educators were partnered with up to six children aged between 27 and 60 months. Across two time points, 85 educator–child dyads discussed past and future events. Educators’ use of questions, contextual statements, evaluations and prompts and children’s use of questions, open-ended responses, yes-no responses and spontaneous information statements were examined. Educators’ evaluative statements were highly correlated and educators’ questions were moderately correlated with children’s open-ended responses in past event conversations. Educators’ evaluative statements were highly correlated with children’s open-ended responses in future event conversations and were the only significant predictor for children’s talk. Given the important role of educators in scaffolding children’s thinking and communication skills, the recommended strategies for educators’ talk in decontextualised conversations include: sharing the conversational load, making frequent contextual statements and following the child’s lead/interests.

scholarly journals The role of FDG PET/CT or PET/MRI in assessing response to neoadjuvant therapy for patients with borderline or resectable pancreatic cancer: a systematic literature review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Evangelista ◽  
Pietro Zucchetta ◽  
Lucia Moletta ◽  
Simone Serafini ◽  
Gianluca Cassarino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neoadjuvant Therapy ◽  
Fdg Pet ◽  
Standardized Uptake Value ◽  
Response To Therapy ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Resectable Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Pet Ct ◽  
Fdg Pet Ct

AbstractThe aim of the present systematic review is to examine the role of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) associated with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in assessing response to preoperative chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for patients with borderline and resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Three researchers ran a database query in PubMed, Web of Science and EMBASE. The total number of patients considered was 488. The most often used parameters of response to therapy were the reductions in the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) or the peak standardized uptake lean mass (SULpeak). Patients whose SUVs were higher at the baseline (before CRT) were associated with a better response to therapy and a better overall survival. SUVs remaining high after neoadjuvant therapy correlated with a poor prognosis. Available data indicate that FDG PET/CT or PET/MRI can be useful for predicting and assessing response to CRT in patients with resectable or borderline PDAC.

scholarly journals Low level of plasminogen increases risk for mortality in COVID-19 patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Della-Morte ◽  
Francesca Pacifici ◽  
Camillo Ricordi ◽  
Renato Massoud ◽  
Valentina Rovella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fasting Blood Glucose ◽  
Multidimensional Analysis ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Inflammatory Parameters ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Caucasian Patients ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Organ Dysfunctions

AbstractThe pathophysiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and especially of its complications is still not fully understood. In fact, a very high number of patients with COVID-19 die because of thromboembolic causes. A role of plasminogen, as precursor of fibrinolysis, has been hypothesized. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between plasminogen levels and COVID-19-related outcomes in a population of 55 infected Caucasian patients (mean age: 69.8 ± 14.3, 41.8% female). Low levels of plasminogen were significantly associated with inflammatory markers (CRP, PCT, and IL-6), markers of coagulation (D-dimer, INR, and APTT), and markers of organ dysfunctions (high fasting blood glucose and decrease in the glomerular filtration rate). A multidimensional analysis model, including the correlation of the expression of coagulation with inflammatory parameters, indicated that plasminogen tended to cluster together with IL-6, hence suggesting a common pathway of activation during disease’s complication. Moreover, low levels of plasminogen strongly correlated with mortality in COVID-19 patients even after multiple adjustments for presence of confounding. These data suggest that plasminogen may play a pivotal role in controlling the complex mechanisms beyond the COVID-19 complications, and may be useful both as biomarker for prognosis and for therapeutic target against this extremely aggressive infection.

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