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Lipoprotein (a new) along with cardio-arterial calcification: potential review assessing connections with risks.
Learning objectives Identify factors associated with skin graft take in fibula free flaps (FFF) and radial forearm free flaps (RFFF) donor sites. Study objectives To determine which factors are associated with decreased skin graft take at the donor site in FFF and RFFF in head and neck patients. Design Retrospective Chart Review Case Series. Setting Multicenter Tertiary Care. Methods A multicenter retrospective review was performed at three institutions identifying patients who underwent free tissue transfer, specifically either FFF or RFFF, between 2007 and 2017. Patient demographics, medical history, and social history were examined including age, gender, BMI, smoking status, diabetes and preoperative anticoagulation use. Preoperative, intraoperative data, and postoperative data were also examined including tourniquet use, type of flap, area of skin graft, if the skin graft had a donor site or if it was taken from the flap, wound NPWT use, cast use, use of physical therapy, DVT prophylaxis, limb ischemia, hed with poor rates of skin graft take. Conclusion Several factors affect skin graft take rate and should be considered when performing a skin graft for a donor site defect.Purpose Recurrent tonsillitis in children is a common disease affecting children quality of life and extends to their families. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of combined use of oral Azithromycin (AZT) plus Echinacea compared to exclusive use of AZT in children with recurrent tonsillitis. Material and methods A prospective comparative study including three groups of children with recurrent tonsillitis. Group 1 (100 patients) had no prophylactic treatment. Group 2 (100 patients) received [60 mg/kg] prophylactic dose of AZT divided as (10 mg/kg/day) over 6 consecutive days every month for 6 consecutive months. Group 3 (100 patients) received AZT as in group 2 plus commercially available Echinacea in a dose of 5 ml oral suspension; 3 times daily for 10 consecutive days every month for 6 consecutive months. Number of tonsillitis attacks and severity of tonsillitis symptoms were assessed and compared in different groups. Results Group 2 and group 3 had significant less number of tonsillitis attacks and severity of assessed symptoms during 6 months of prophylactic treatment with significant better results in group 3 (i.e. AZT plus Echinacea) compared to group 2 (I.e. AZT alone). However; there was no significant difference in patients with any prophylaxis. Conclusion The combined use of Echinacea with Azithromycin produced favorable outcome than Azithromycin alone in pediatric patients with recurrent tonsillitis.RT-PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA on nasopharyngeal swab is the standard for diagnosing active Covid-19 disease in asymptomatic subjects and in symptomatic patients without the typical radiological findings. Nasopharyngeal swabbing appears a trivial procedure, still an inappropriate nasopharyngeal sampling, performed by untrained operators, can be a relevant cause of false negative findings with a clear negative impact on the effort to control the epidemic and, when PPE is not properly used, this can expose healthcare workers and patients to risks of contagion.Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare different means of intratympanic steroid delivery in the treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Design Prospective, multicentered, randomized controlled trial. Setting and participants Fifty-six patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss who failed or were contraindicated for oral steroids were included in this study. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups according to delivery methods group A received 4 sections of intratympanic dexamethasone injection and group B received grommet placement with dexamethasone delivery followed by 3 sections of dexamethasone ear drop application. Self-administered paper-based questionnaires were filled out to measure subjective pain scores, vertigo, anxiety, and overall satisfaction immediately after each procedure. Hearing threshold was measured with pure tone audiogram in the follow-up. Results There was no statistical significance detected in hearing threshold improvement between both groups (P = 0.30). Grommet placement followed by dexamethasone eardrop application demonstrated a significant difference in shorter waiting time (24 min in grommet group vs 52 min in injection group; P less then 0.01); and better overall satisfaction (1.6 in grommet group vs 2.5 in injection group; P less then 0.05). Conclusions Grommet placement followed by dexamethasone eardrop application is a good alternative for a patient indicated for intratympanic steroid, with less administrative cost, shorter waiting time, and more satisfaction.Objective ESR2 and CYP19A1 genes play a major role in the hormonal control of women with endometriosis. The aim of the study was to analyze single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 3'UTR region of ESR2 and CYP19A1 genes. The study aimed at localisation of new polymorphisms, the nucleotide variants of which determine the level of susceptibility to endometriosis. Study design The study included n = 200 patients 100 with endometriosis and 100 healthy controls. The Sanger's sequencing method was applied for polymorphism analysis. Results Statistically significant correlations were identified between new, not previously described, two SNPs of ESR2 gene and endometriosis rs4986938 (G>A) and rs928554 (A>G). In the case of rs4986938 polymorphism, the genotype AA was found to decrease the risk of endometriosis (OR = 0.24 95 % PU 0.05-1.22, p = 0.04). Analysis of the rs928554 polymorphism revealed that the occurrence of the AG genotype reduced the risk of endometriosis (OR = 0.38 95 % PU 0.21-0.71, p = 0.002). There were no differences in the distribution of genotypes of the polymorphisms rs10046 (C>T) and rs4646 (C>A) of CYP19A1 gene between patients and control. Conclusions Further studies are necessary in groups with higher numbers of patients to explain whether the above-mentioned polymorphisms may be the risk factors for endometriosis.Introduction Despite legal regulations and social campaigns promoting the idea of organ transplantation, Poland still lacks organs for transplantation. Organ transplantation not only is the best method of treating the end-stage failure of many organs but also improves the lives of patients. Purpose The purpose of the study was to assess nursing students' knowledge and opinions about transplantation. Materials and methods The studies were conducted in February and March 2019, with 100 nursing BSc and MSc students selected at random. The study tool was the questionnaire. The questions contained in the questionnaire were closed questions. To answer them, statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 23. Results The study group included 96% of women and 4% of men. Of all respondents, 83% were aged 18 to 25. Almost half of respondents admitted that their close relatives do not realize that they agree to the removal of organs after death. As many as 59% of respondents firmly believe in the rightness of organ donation. The studies presented in this article demonstrate that only 57 of 100 respondents informed their close relatives about the will to donate their organs after death. Conclusions Persons involved in the study support the idea of transplantation and would be willing to donate their organs if necessary. Both the studies presented in this article and articles written by other people show the need for more intense education of medical staff. The master studies help raise awareness and knowledge about transplantation.Background Femoral nerve palsy caused by iliacus hematoma is an infrequent diagnosis often missed because of its insidious presentation. However, due to potentially devastating outcomes, prompt recognition and management are essential. Objectives The aim with this study was to better characterize clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of iliacus hematoma. Methods We performed a systematic review of recent literature regarding femoral neuropathy secondary to an iliacus hematoma. A structured literature review of multiple databases ((PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane library) referenced articles from 2000 to 2019. Results A total of 25 patients from 25 published studies were identified. The average age of the patients was forty years (range, 12 to 85 years). There were 16 male patients and 9 female patients. The single most important predisposing cause of iliacus hematoma was trauma (14/25), with a pooled percentage of 56%. All patients with spontaneous hematoma were taking antiplatelet medications. Thirteen patients (52%) were treated conservatively with analgesia. Surgical decompression was performed in 10 patients (40%). At the final follow-up, complete resolution of symptoms was achieved in 12 patients (48%). Conclusions Although rare, iliacus hematoma syndrome carries significant morbidity. Spontaneous iliacus muscle hematoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of leg pain in a patient who is on anticoagulation therapy. In patients with an iliacus hematoma and neurology deficit, conservative treatment can be considered initially if there is no progression in the symptoms evident at the time of presentation. However, prompt surgical decompression has been highly recommended in patients with progressive neurological deficits.Introduction Achilles sleeve avulsion results in a direct disruption of the triceps surae-calcaneal complex from its insertion. It represents a surgical challenge to all orthopedic surgeons as a little tissue is available for direct repair of the achilles tendon into its insertion. Methods of fixation include suturing of the avulsed bone fragment, screw fixation, tension band wiring and suture anchors. In this study, we will present a new technique for repairing of the achilles sleeve avulsion injury using double cerclage stainless steel sutures. Patients and methods Seven patients with sleeve avulsion of the achilles tendon were included in this study. Only post traumatic cases were involved. Repair of the avulsed tendon using double cerclage stainless steel sutures had been done for all patients. Postoperatively all patients had below knee cast for 4 weeks. Physiotherapy started after cast removal. Patients were followed at 3, 6, 12, 24 months. Pain was measured using VAS score. The AOFAS score was measured at the last follow up. Results All patients were followed for at least 24 months. Six males and one female were included in this study. The mean time for returning to work was about 15 weeks. One complication (delayed wound healing) occurred in one patient and healing was well after treatment with antibiotics and continuous dressing. The AOFAS score was excellent for six patients and good for one patient. Conclusion Double cerclage stainless steel sutures can be used safely to treat patients with achilles sleeve avulsion fracture with a satisfactory clinical outcome.Interstitial lung diseases comprise a family of progressive pulmonary disorders that are often idiopathic or associated with various systemic diseases and that is characterized by bilateral lung involvement with inflammation and tissue remodeling or fibrosis. The impact of sex, including the anatomic and physiologic traits that one is born with, on the development and progression of interstitial lung diseases is not entirely clear. Variances between men and women are driven by differences in male and female biology and sex hormones, among other differences, but their role remains uncertain. In this review, we summarize sex-related differences in the epidemiology and progression of certain interstitial lung diseases with a focus on the connective tissue related interstitial lung diseases, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and sarcoidosis. We also discuss cellular and pre-clinical studies that might shed light on the potential mechanisms responsible for these differences in the hope of unveiling potential targets for intervention and stimulating research in this needed field of investigation.
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