Beatriz Bonaga*, Elena Ruiz-Escribano Taravilla, Carmen Carrilero-López, María Dolores Castillo-Lag, Leanne M Boehm, Ángela Prado Mira, María Joaquina Piqueras Diaz and E Wesley Ely
Background: Delirium is an acute syndrome of organ dysfunction with long-term consequences which commonly occurs in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The incidence of delirium ranges from 30% - 50% in low severity ICU patients and up to 80% in mechanically ventilated patients. This condition is frequently under-recognized and daily routine screening is a key strategy to early intervention. The Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) and the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC) are the most recommended assessment tools for detecting delirium in the critical ill patient.
Objective: The main objective of this study is to educate ICU staff about delirium. In addition, nurses were trained to use the CAM-ICU as a standard screening tool. The intervention was evaluated through a survey aimed at ICU staff.
Methods: An educational intervention was started in 2014 in our ICU. An educational package for ICU staff consisted of a didactic brochure and explanatory videos. One-on-one teaching, case based scenarios and didactic teaching were strategies used in the implementation process. The entire intervention was evaluated by means of a survey directed to the professionals.
Results: The structure of the didactic brochure was simple in order to have an easy understanding of the CAM-ICU tool. We also created 10-minute videos. According to the results of the satisfaction survey (N=62), disorganized thinking was the most difficult feature of CAM-ICU to interpret. When in doubt, consultation between co-workers was the primary resource selected by unit staff.
Conclusion: This initiative achieved the objective of training health care professionals in the application of the CAM-ICU tool with a good level of satisfaction from them. Therefore, ICU staff consider delirium management in the broader picture of critically ill patient care as a major activity of daily practice.
Hypogastric artery aneurysms are an uncommon entity. When the diameter achieves > 30-35 mm, they should be treated. Endovascular repair may be considered as first line therapy. One therapeutic option for internal iliac artery aneurysm exclusion is its embolization with or without covering the ostium with a covered stent. They may be some complications when it is not, as a distal coil migration that may produce ischemic symptoms.
We are presenting a 73-years-old male admitted to hospital with an acute right lower limb ischemia caused by a coil migration. He recently underwent a right hypogastric artery aneurysm endovascular treatment by coil embolization without covering the hypogastric ostium with a covered stent. The patient underwent an emergency surgery to remove the coil by a transfemoral surgical approach with posterior thrombectomy of the secondary thrombus. Actually, he remains asymptomatic and with right posterior tibial pulse.
Covered stent placement at the common iliac artery and external iliac artery could be the best option to avoid the risk of aneurysm rupture caused by endotension and the risk of distal coil migration.
Flow cytometry (FCM) is a unique technique that allows rapid quantitative measurement of multiple parameters on a large number of cells at the individual level. FCM is based on immunolabelling with fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies, leading to high sensitivity and precision while time effective sample preparation. FCM can be performed on tissue following enzymatic or mechanical dissociation. The expression of epithelial antigens and cytokeratin isoforms help in distinguishing tumor cells from adjacent epithelial cells and from tumor infiltrating leukocytes. Tumor phenotypes can be characterized on expression intensity, aberrancies and presence of tumor-associated antigens as well as their cell proliferation rate and eventual heteroploidy. FCM can measure quantitative expression of hormone or growth factor receptors, immunoregulatory proteins to guide adjuvant therapy. Expression of adhesion molecules tells on tumor’s capacity for tissue invasion and metastasis seeding. Tumor heterogeneity can be explored quantitatively and rare, potentially emerging, clones with poor prognosis can be detected. FCM is easily applicable on fine needle aspiration and in any tumor related biological fluids. FCM can also be used to detect circulating tumor cells (CTC) to assess metastatic potential at diagnosis or during treatment. Detecting CTC could allow early detection of tumors before they are clinically expressed although some difficulties still need to be solved. It thus appears that FCM should be in the pathologist tool box to improve cancer diagnosis, classification and prognosis evaluation as well as in orientating personalized adjuvant therapy and immunotherapy. More developments are still required to better known tumor phenotypes and their potential invasiveness
A 46-year-old lady was diagnosed clinically with X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) with a rare pathogenic variant detected using exome sequencing. Phosphate-regulating endopeptidase homologous X linked (PHEX) is normally expressed in osteoblasts and osteocytes, and senses phosphate regulation. More than 1000 PHEX variants have been detected to date, which are caused by missense, nonsense, and frameshift mutations in addition to splice variants and copy number changes. The aberration in the PHEX gene leads to the upregulation of fibroblastic growth factor 23 (FGF23), which leads to defects in phosphate metabolism. This results in impaired bone growth and mineralization, short and disproportionate stature, leg bowing, musculoskeletal pain, spontaneous dental abscesses, rickets, and osteomalacia in XLH patients. The spectrum of manifestations differs between pediatric and adult patients. In our case study, two of the patient’s children started showing symptoms at a younger age, unlike their mother. Timely diagnosis and the start of treatment would help in their better management and improved quality of life.
Hydrogel-based formulations hold significant promise for treating ocular diseases that impact the posterior segment of the eye. These formulations exhibit the ability to surmount ocular barriers and offer sustained drug release, rendering them efficacious drug delivery systems. This article addresses the challenges linked to treating disorders affecting the posterior eye segment and underscores the imperative for less invasive drug delivery methodologies. We further delve into diverse contemporary ocular dosage forms, encompassing gels, nanostructures, and implants, with a specific emphasis on hydrogels. Hydrogels offer several merits, including precise targeting, sustained release, enhanced bioavailability, and non-invasiveness. Moreover, they curtail the risk of adverse effects and foster patient adherence. An enthralling advancement is the amalgamation of hybrid drug delivery systems, integrating nanoparticles, liposomes, dendrimers, and stimuli-activated nano-systems, with hydrogels for posterior eye ailment treatment. These hybrid nano-systems exhibit promise in enhancing drug stability, prolonging drug release, and pinpointing specific tissues within the posterior segment. We also provide an overview of ongoing clinical trials and approved hydrogel-based drug delivery systems, like Retisert and Ozurdex. These systems have demonstrated efficacy in managing chronic non-infectious uveitis, Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), and diabetic macular edema. Nevertheless, challenges persist, including optimizing bioavailability, maintaining drug stability, and implementing personalized treatment approaches. The incessant evolution of gel-based drug delivery systems stands to substantially enhance patients’ quality of life and establish new benchmarks in treating posterior eye diseases. The future of ophthalmology brims with excitement, as gel-based drug delivery systems hold the potential to revolutionize ocular therapies, providing effective remedies for an array of vision-related afflictions.
Introduction: The tendency to impulsive behaviors and/or violence is exacerbated after alcohol consumption. Still, the relation between alcohol/violent deaths reported in the literature is not accurate, and in general, alcohol is only seen as a trigger to aggressive actions. The relationship of the victims with their blood alcohol is less studied. They were especially concerned about the role of alcohol as a risk factor for victims of unnatural death. Thus, our goal is to check the influence of alcohol in victims of violent deaths as homicides, suicides, and accidents.
Materials and methods: Retrospectively the medical records of 805 autopsies performed at the Institute of Forensic Medicine (IML) of Franco da Rocha, in the period 2001 to 2017 were reviewed. The variables studied were sex, age, types of violent death rates, and alcohol - these were considered positive when above 0.3 mg/ml.
The dosage of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was performed using samples of 10 ml of blood collected at necropsy, is preferably taken from the cardiac chambers or of the right femoral vein. Dosages of alcohol in blood samples were done in the Forensic Toxicology Center of the IML by gas chromatography, using the technique of separation “headspace” and double column.
Results: Drug testing for alcohol was available for 488 (79.1%) of 617 necropsies. Of the 617 subjects studied, 532 (85.7%) were male, and 85 (13.8%) were females (with high rates of adolescents). The vast majority (n = 230) were killed, and 40.5% of victims had BAC above 0.3 mg/ml of blood. Traffic accidents came next, accounting for 181 deaths, with 41% of victims presenting positive BAC.
Discussion: High blood alcohol levels of the victims were associated mainly with the genesis of accidents (drowning, falls, traffic, aspiration/ smothering) and murder (with impaired ability to resist or by causing the release of impulses to engage in violent situations), about 40% of cases.
Conclusion: Our results indicate that alcohol abuse is a risk factor for victims of violent death. In these cases, alcohol has two types of action. Direct: contributes to accidents of various kinds - from traffic by decreasing powers of concentration, attention, and loss of reflexes, to other types of accidents such as drowning, falls, swallowing disorders causing airway obstruction, and mechanical asphyxia. And they were indirect, making it easier for individuals to engage in conflict (and thus become victims of crimes).
Background: The clinical manifestations of Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) varied from patient to patient with evidence of multi-organ involvement. Many patients continue to have a wide range of symptoms for variable periods of time. The long-term effects of COVID-19 infection (post-COVID-19 illness or syndrome) are not yet been fully explored.This study aims to highlight the clinical manifestations of the acute COVID-19 infection and the longer-term manifestations of the disease among the attendants to a private GP clinic in the Urban Amman Area, Jordan.Methods: A clinical case-series study was conducted on a sample of 300 COVID-19-positive cases among patients attending my private GP clinic in the Urban Amman Area, Jordan. We used the structured questionnaire based mainly on World Health Organization (WHO) Case Report Form (CRF) verified tool for post-COVID-19. All patients with COVID-19 were included in the study. Data collection was conducted through phone calls and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: The incidence of COVID-19 among patients attending the clinic during the period of this study was 25%. Females were 135 (45%) of the study population and males were 165 (55%). The mean (SD) of age was 34.2 (5.0) years. Most of the infected staff (90%) were symptomatic and developed acute COVID-19 symptoms. Fever, Cough, Fatigue, joint pain and loss of smell and taste were the most common symptoms. 72% of the study population had fully recovered from the infection, while 28% of them continued to suffer from many long symptoms. Fatigue (28%), shortness of breath on activity (18%), Social withdrawal (18%), anxiety (17%), forgetfulness (16%), trouble concentrating (15) and depressed mood (14%) were the most frequently reported long symptoms.Conclusion: The prevalence of Post COVID-19 illness was 28% with a high public health burden calling for the public health system to address the medical and psychological needs of affected persons. Mental health and psychosocial support are recommended elements for the management of patients.
Most parents in affluent countries receive information about neonatal jaundice from instructional pamphlets and/or verbally from nurses before discharge. Predischarge protocols, content and delivery of information for parents, and screening for jaundice vary among hospitals. Newborns are usually screened either visually or with a transcutaneous monitor to estimate the intensity of jaundice. The timing of follow-up is guided by the newborn’s clinical status, age at discharge and risk of developing significant hyperbilirubinemia based on an hour-specific bilirubin level [1,2].
The question of the interaction of light with small particles, with molecules, atoms in gases, in liquids has been considered by many authors in the scientific literature. As a rule, this is elastic, Raman, or Rayleigh scattering. The frequency of the scattered light in the first case is the same as that of the incident, and in cases 2 and 3, the spectrum of scattered radiation is enriched with the corresponding components. The subject of this work is the interaction between each other in the medium of two coherent light beams.
Muna Alqralleh, Maher Al-Hajjaj*, Sadiq Alasfoor, Zainab Salman, Farah Bilal Mohammad Salman and Jordanian Royal Medical Services
Published on: 21st March, 2023
Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) is produced from the liver, kidney, bone and placenta. During pregnancy, ALP may raise markedly with no clear reason. Here, we present a rare case of highly elevated ALP in a 21 years old pregnant woman during the third trimester who had no important past medical history. It was 2800 U/L. Bone, renal, or liver was all normal. Close monitoring of the fetus and his mother until birth was the way of treatment. We had seven weeks postpartum to decline in ALP concentration but did not return to the normal range. The placenta showed lesions of chronic villitis. The extreme incline in ALP during the gestational stages is riskier because the threat here is posed to 2 lives. In such conditions, constant monitoring of ALP in the maternal serum backed with necessary medication is required.
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