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Pravastatin attenuates sepsis-induced intense lungs injuries by means of minimizing lung microvascular permeability by means of inhibition involving Cav-1/eNOS path.
ericardial ad pleural) tropism. • These correlations could help in the clinical management of patients with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma.OBJECTIVES To investigate the different CT characteristics which may distinguish influenza from 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). METHODS A total of 13 confirmed patients with COVID-19 were enrolled from January 16, 2020, to February 25, 2020. Furthermore, 92 CT scans of confirmed patients with influenza pneumonia, including 76 with influenza A and 16 with influenza B, scanned between January 1, 2019, to February 25, 2020, were retrospectively reviewed. Pulmonary lesion distributions, number, attenuation, lobe predomination, margin, contour, ground-glass opacity involvement pattern, bronchial wall thickening, air bronchogram, tree-in-bud sign, interlobular septal thickening, intralobular septal thickening, and pleural effusion were evaluated in COVID-19 and influenza pneumonia cohorts. RESULTS Peripheral and non-specific distributions in COVID-19 showed a markedly higher frequency compared with the influenza group (p  0.05). CONCLUSIONS Though viral pneumonias generally show similar imaging features, there are some characteristic CT findings which may help differentiating COVID-19 from influenza pneumonia. KEY POINTS • CT can play an early warning role in the diagnosis of COVID-19 in the case of no epidemic exposure. • CT could be used for the differential diagnosis of influenza and COVID-19 with satisfactory accuracy. • COVID-19 had a patchy or combination of GGO and consolidation opacities with peripheral distribution and balanced lobe predomination.OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the orientation of the heart, measured as an angle between the long axis of the heart and ascending aorta midline (heart-aorta-angle, HAA), associates with ascending aortic (AA) dilatation. Furthermore, the association between HAA and wall shear stress (WSS) was studied. METHODS HAA was retrospectively measured in 1000 consecutive coronary artery computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) images in patients with low-to-moderate pretest probability for coronary artery disease (CAD). To evaluate the effects of HAA on AA flow, 4D flow MRI was performed for 28 patients with AA dilatation (> 40 mm) and WSS was analyzed. RESULTS The mean age of patients undergoing CCTA was 52.9 ± 9.8 years; 66.5% were women. Their median HAA was 128.7° and interquartile range 123.3-134.1°. HAA was significantly smaller in patients with dilated AA (median 126.7° [121.3-130.8°]) compared with the patients with normal AA (median 129.5° [124.3-135.3°], p  less then  0.001). HAA was smaller in males (p  less then  0.001) and in patients with diabetes (p = 0.016), hypertension (p = 0.001), CAD (p = 0.003), hypercholesterolemia (p  less then  0.001), and bicuspid aortic valve (p = 0.025) than without these factors. In a subpopulation without any of these underlying diseases (n = 233), HAA was still significantly smaller in the patients with dilated AA (median 127.9° [124.3-134.3°]) compared with patients with normal AA (median 131.9° [127.6-136.9°], p = 0.013). In 4D flow MRI, a smaller HAA correlated with increased total WSS in the outer curvature of the proximal AA (r = - 0.510, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION A smaller HAA associates with AA dilatation and affects the blood flow in the proximal AA. KEY POINTS • A smaller angle between the long axis of the heart and ascending aorta midline associated with ascending aortic dilatation. • A smaller heart-aorta-angle correlated with increased total wall shear stress in the outer curvature of the proximal ascending aorta.PURPOSE Perianastomotic fluid collection (PFC) is one of the postoperative complications of pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). However, no studies have investigated the clinical significance of PFC location and volume during the early postoperative period. This study aimed to assess the association between PFC during the early postoperative period and postoperative complications. METHODS Medical records of 148 patients who had undergone PD and computed tomography (CT) on postoperative day 4 were retrospectively reviewed. The location-superior, inferior, ventral, dorsal, or splenic hilum-and PFC index, which is the estimated volume of fluid collection, were determined using CT. The associations between postoperative complication and the presence of PFC, and PFC index according to the location, were assessed. RESULTS The PFC group included 102 patients (69%). Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) and organ/space surgical site infection (SSI) were more frequent in the PFC group (42% vs 9%, p  less then  0.001 and 29% vs 11%, p = 0.020, respectively). Additionally, the PFC index was larger in patients who developed POPF, organ/space SSI, or pseudoaneurysm (81 cm3 vs 19 cm3, p  less then  0.001; 75 cm3 vs 30 cm3, p = 0.001; and 185 cm3 vs 31 cm3, p  less then  0.001, respectively). Furthermore, superior and ventral PFCs were associated with pseudoaneurysm (11% vs 0%, p = 0.006 and 14% vs 1%, p = 0.002, respectively), whereas inferior and dorsal PFCs were associated with deep incisional SSI (9% vs 0%, p = 0.027 and 8% vs 1%, p = 0.034, respectively). CONCLUSION The PFC location during the early postoperative period is associated with postoperative complications. Our findings may help determine the optimal location of prophylactic drains.PURPOSE The aim of this systematic review was to determine the rates of failure following nonoperative management for acute sigmoid diverticulitis complicated by abscess. METHODS Pubmed and Medline were systematically searched by two independent researchers. Studies reporting outcomes of nonoperative management of diverticulitis with abscess revealed on CT scan were included. The endpoint of the study was failure of nonoperative management which included relapse and recurrence. Relapse was defined as development of additional complications such as peritonitis or obstruction that required urgent surgery during index admission or readmission within 30 days. Recurrence was defined as development of symptoms after an asymptomatic period of 30-90 days following nonoperative management. Nonoperative management included nil per os, intravenous fluids and antibiotics, CT-guided percutaneous drainage, and/or total parenteral nutrition. RESULTS Twenty-four of 844 studies yielded by literature search totaling 12,601 patients were eligible for inclusion. Pooled relapse rate was 18.9%. The pooled rate of recurrence of acute diverticulitis was found to be 25.5%. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ABT-888.html 60.9% of recurrences were complicated diverticulitis. Failure rate appeared to be significantly increased in patients undergoing percutaneous drainage for distant abscess as compared with pericolic abscess (51% vs. 18%; p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION The rate of failure of nonoperative management was 44.4%. The rate of relapse at 30 days following nonoperative management was at 18.9%. Distant abscesses were associated with significantly increased rates of relapse compared with pericolic abscesses. The rate of recurrence following nonoperative management was 25.5% at the mean follow-up of 38 months.PURPOSE Complex abdominal wall hernia repair (CAWHR) is a challenging procedure. Mesh prosthesis is indicated, but the use of synthetic mesh in a contaminated area may add to overall morbidity. Biological meshes may provide a solution, but little is known about long-term results. The aim of our study was to evaluate clinical efficacy and patient satisfaction following Strattice™ (PADM) placement. METHODS In this cohort study, all patients operated for CAWHR with PADM in three large community hospitals in Germany were included. Patients underwent abdominal examination, an ultrasound was performed, and patients completed quality-of-life questionnaires. The study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov under Identifier NCT02168231. RESULTS Twenty-seven patients were assessed (14 male, age 67.5 years, follow-up 42.4 months). The most frequent postoperative complication was wound infection (39.1%). In no case, the PADM had to be removed. Four patients had passed away. During outpatient clinic visit, six out of 23 patients (26.1%) had a recurrence of hernia, one patient had undergone reoperation. Five patients (21.7%) had bulging of the abdominal wall. Quality-of-life questionnaires revealed that patients judged their scar with a median 3.5 out of 10 points (0 = best) and judged their restrictions during daily activities with a median of 0 out of 10.0 (0 = no restriction). CONCLUSIONS Despite a high rate of wound infection, no biological mesh had to be removed. In some cases, therefore, the biological meshes provided a safe way out of desperate clinical situations. Both the recurrence rate and the amount of bulging are high (failure rate 47.8%). The reported quality of life is good after repair of these complex hernias.We assessed the rate of non-reported fractures in the FRISBEE cohort. Over a median follow-up period of 9.2 years, we registered 992 fractures. The global percentage of non-reported fractures was 21.3%. Underreporting of fracture event might influence any model of fracture risk prediction. INTRODUCTION Most fracture cohort studies rely on participant self-report of fracture event. This approach may lead to fracture underreporting. The purpose of the study was to assess the rate of non-reported fractures in a well-characterized population-based cohort of 3560 postmenopausal women, aged 60-85 years, included in the Fracture Risk Brussels Epidemiological Enquiry (FRISBEE) study. METHODS Incident low-traumatic or non-traumatic fractures were registered annually during phone calls. In 2018, we reviewed the medical files of 67.9% of our study participants and identified non-reported fractures ("false negatives fractures (FN)"). We also evaluated whether the rate of FN was influenced by baseline patients' characteri 95% CI, 1.0-3.3; P = 0.04), with a lower education level (OR 1.5; 95%CI, 1.1-2.2; P = 0.01), and those under drug therapy for osteoporosis (OR 1.5; 95% CI, 1.0-2.2; P = 0.05) were associated with a higher rate of FN. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, underreporting of a substantial proportion of fracture events will influence any model of fracture risk prediction and induce bias when estimating the associations between candidate risk factors and incident fractures.BACKGROUND Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a multisystemic disease. In a nationwide study, we characterized the incidence, clinical course, and prognosis of HUS caused by Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains with emphasis on risk factors, disease severity, and long-term outcome. METHODS The data on pediatric HUS patients from 2000 to 2016 were collected from the medical records. STEC isolates from fecal cultures of HUS and non-HUS patients were collected from the same time period and characterized by whole genome sequencing analysis. RESULTS Fifty-eight out of 262 culture-positive cases developed verified (n = 58, 22%) STEC-HUS. Another 29 cases had probable STEC-HUS, the annual incidence of STEC-HUS being 0.5 per 100,000 children. Eleven different serogroups were detected, O157 being the most common (n = 37, 66%). Age under 3 years (OR 2.4), stx2 (OR 9.7), and stx2a (OR 16.6) were found to be risk factors for HUS. Fifty-five patients (63%) needed dialysis. Twenty-nine patients (33%) developed major neurological symptoms.
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