Bjerregaardmeadows1429

Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms vary from mild anxiety to life-threatening delirium or seizures. In susceptible individuals, such as those with mood disorders, benzodiazepine withdrawal may also precipitate catatonia. A 26-year-old man with schizoaffective disorder (depressed type with catatonia) ran out of lorazepam and presented with catatonia, delirium, and seizures. He was taking olanzapine, venlafaxine, and trazodone for schizoaffective disorder. Lorazepam 2 mg twice daily kept him free of catatonia for 6 months. Besides catatonia and delirium, lorazepam withdrawal also triggered convulsive seizures and nonconvulsive status epilepticus. He was admitted to the intensive care unit where he underwent continuous video-EEG monitoring. Catatonia resolved with lorazepam on day 2. Seizures stopped with levetiracetam, lacosamide, and propofol on day 4. His mental status was normal when he was discharged on day 6. If not immediately recognized and treated, catatonia and delirium can lead to significant morbidity or mortality. Unfortunately, physicians tend to overlook catatonia and delirium, especially if both syndromes are present. At first, we suspected that our patient had ictal catatonia, but video-EEG showed no clear-cut correlation between catatonia, seizures, and epileptiform activity. As with prior observations, the patient's catatonia was more sensitive to benzodiazepine withdrawal and treatment than his seizures. The efficacy of benzodiazepines in aborting catatonia, seizures, and mixed delirium-catatonia syndromes suggests a key pathogenetic role of abnormal GABA neurotransmission in these brain disorders.Background and Purpose No consensus exists on how stone-free rates (SFRs) should be reported after stone treatment. The aim of this study was to assess how accurate urologists predict their patients being stone free after completing ureteroscopy (URS) and to see how various treatment strategies influenced the precision of these predictions. We also wanted to study how different definitions of stone-free status (SFS) affected the results and propose a standard definition of "stone free" to be used in future studies. Materials and Methods A retrospective evaluation of 1019 URS done for stone treatment at Haukeland University Hospital between 2013 and 2018 was performed. Data on pretreatment status, the surgical procedure, and follow-up were recorded. SFS was defined as either no fragments detected on computed tomography (CT) after 3 months or as practical stone-free status, which also included those with small residual fragments not needing further treatment. Exact chi-squared and independent-samples t-tests were used comparing data between different treatment modalities. Results The overall SFR, irrespective of treatment strategy and location of stone, using the no residual fragments and practical stone-free definitions were 54.2% and 74.7%, respectively. Urologists predicted intraoperatively that 91.0% of their patients treated with fragmentation and extraction would be stone free compared to 76.8% of patients treated with dusting, p  less then  0.0001. At follow-up, the actual SFRs with no residual fragments for the two treatment strategies were 68.0% and 35.5%, respectively, p  less then  0.0001. The practical SFRs for fragmentation and retrieval were 83.1% and 64.8% for dusting, p  less then  0.0001. Conclusion The different definitions of SFS have great impact on SFRs. Urologists are far too optimistic predicting their patient being stone free after URS. SFS should be defined as no fragments detected on CT 3 months after the URS procedure when presented in studies.

Retrospective case series.

To evaluate the outcomes of a head frame reduction and atlantoaxial arthrodesis technique for the treatment of reducible basilar invagination (BI) and atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD).

Seventy-two reducible BI and AAD cases who were treated with the head frame reduction and atlantoaxial arthrodesis technique from June 2015 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Radiological measurements including the atlantodental interval (ADI), the height of odontoid process above Chamberlain line, Wackenheim line, clivus-canal angle (CCA) and JOA score were evaluated.

There was no death in this series. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 32 months (mean 21.2 months). Radiological, complete or 90% reduction was attained and complete decompression was demonstrated in all patients. The CCA increased from 123.22 ± 8.36 preoperatively to 143.05 ± 8.79 postoperatively (P < 0.01). There was no patient found postoperative dysphagia. Neurological improvement was observed in all patiente safety and long-term efficacy of such fixation and reduction technique were favorable, which illustrated that it could be a promising treatment algorithm for such kind of disease.Patients with malignancy may present with significant thromboembolic complications including deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, arterial thrombosis, nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis, and stroke due to abnormal coagulation cascades. Although these events are typically recognized later in the disease process, complications of a hypercoagulable state can rarely present as the first manifestation of an occult malignancy. We report a case of a young male who was ultimately found to have an aggressive form of lung adenocarcinoma after the initial presentation of multiple thromboembolic events. DVT and stroke as an initial presentation of an active lung adenocarcinoma in a young patient is extremely rare as patients presenting in a hypercoagulable state usually are older. Though testing for a hypercoagulable state is not recommended for the first unprovoked DVT, clinicians should be prompted to screen for malignancy in the setting of cryptogenic strokes, especially in younger patients with no prior risk factors.We have developed a rapid technique for characterizing the biomechanical properties of dendritic cells using dielectrophoretic forces. It is widely recognized that maturing of dendritic cells modulates their stiffness and migration capabilities, which results in T-cell activation triggering the adaptive immune response. Therefore it is important to develop techniques for mechanophenotyping of immature and mature dendritic cells. The technique reported here utilizes nonuniform electric fields to exert a substantial force on the cells to induce cellular elongation for optical measurements. In addition, a large array of interdigitated electrodes allows multiple cells to be stretched simultaneously. Our results indicate a direct correlation between F-actin activity and deformability observed in dendritic cells, determined through mean fluorescence signal intensity of phalloidin.

Dyspnea is a highly distressing symptom that characterizes idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a common idiopathic interstitial lung disease (ILD) with a high symptom burden, poor quality of life, and early mortality. Though opioids are mentioned in guidelines for dyspnea management, guidance on how and when to initiate opioids is lacking. Different pharmacologic strategies are needed to address different types of dyspnea (baseline, incident, and crisis). Due to a longer onset of action, the oral route (swallowed) may be less effective for prevention of incident dyspnea or for rapid relief of crisis dyspnea, prompting the use of alternative drug delivery strategies for self-management. We inadvertently discovered the efficacy of buccal administration of low dose, low volume hydromorphone oral syrup for dyspnea management in ILD, which has not been previously reported in the literature.

We describe our approach to dyspnea assessment and management in IPF, including use of the Multidimensional Dyspnea Scale (MDDS), a novel instrument yet to be validated that we developed to better identify and categorize dyspnea into the types experienced by a patient with IPF over the course of a day. We then describe how buccal hydromorphone oral syrup is initiated and titrated for dyspnea management in 3 patients at different points in their disease trajectory.

Buccal hydromorphone oral syrup is effective for dyspnea management across the spectrum of IPF. When integrated into a patient-centered algorithm for symptom assessment and management, it allows for rapid and easy self-management of dyspnea by patients and their caregivers.

Buccal hydromorphone oral syrup is effective for dyspnea management across the spectrum of IPF. When integrated into a patient-centered algorithm for symptom assessment and management, it allows for rapid and easy self-management of dyspnea by patients and their caregivers.

Individuals with cancer experience stress throughout the cancer trajectory. Allostatic load (AL), a cumulative multi-system measure, may have a greater value in stress assessment and the associated biological burden than individual biomarkers. A better understanding of the use of AL and its operationalization in cancer could aid in early detection and prevention or alleviation of AL in this population.

To consolidate findings on the operationalization, antecedents, and outcomes of AL in cancer.

Seven databases (CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science, APA PsycInfo, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL) were searched for articles published through April 2020. The NIH tools were used to assess study quality.

Twelve studies met inclusion criteria for this review. Although variability existed in the estimation of AL, biomarkers of cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune systems were mostly used. Associations of AL with cancer-specific variables were examined mostly utilizing population-databases. Significant alth outcome in cancer. Optimal standardized approaches to measure AL would improve its clinical utility.Significance Inflammation is a normal response to injury, but uncontrolled inflammation can lead to several diseases. In recent years, research has shown endogenously synthesized hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to be a novel mediator of inflammation. This review summarizes the current understanding and recent advances of H2S role with respect to inflammation in different diseases. Recent Advances Promising early results from clinical studies suggest an important role of H2S in human inflammatory disease. Critical Issues Defining the precise mechanism by which H2S contributes to inflammation is a complex challenge, and there is active ongoing research that is focused on addressing this question. Most of this work has been conducted on animal models of human disease and isolated/cultured cells, and its translation to the clinic is another challenge in the area of H2S research. Future Directions Defining the mechanism by which H2S acts as an inflammatory mediator will help us better understand different inflammatory diseases and help develop novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases.The health of Latinx immigrants decays over time and across generations. Acculturation stress influences decays in behavioral and mental health in this population, but the effect on physical health outcomes is less understood. This systematic review synthesizes findings from 22 studies that examined the influence of acculturation stress on physical health outcomes among Latinx populations in the United States. The Society-to-Cell Resilience Framework was used to synthesize findings according to individual, physiological, and cellular levels. There is mounting evidence identifying acculturation stress as an important social contributor to negative physical health outcomes, especially at the individual level. More research is needed to identify the physiological and cellular mechanisms involved. Interventions are also needed to address the damaging effects of acculturation stress on a variety of physical health conditions in this population.