Sykesdobson3736

Venoarterial-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is currently one of the first-line therapies for refractory cardiogenic shock (CS), but its applicability is undermined by the high morbidity associated with its complications, especially those related to mechanical ventilation (MV). We aimed to assess the prognostic impact of keeping patients in refractory CS awake at cannulation and during the VA-ECMO run.

A 7-year database of patients given peripheral VA-ECMO support was used to conduct a propensity-score (PS)-matched analysis to balance their clinical profiles. Patients were classified as 'awake ECMO' or 'non-awake ECMO', respectively, if invasive MV was used during ≤50% or >50% of the VA-ECMO run. Primary outcomes included ventilator-associated pneumonia and ECMO-related complication rates, and secondary outcomes were 60-day and 1-year mortality. A multivariate logistic-regression analysis was used to identify whether MV at cannulation was independently associated with 60-day mortality.

Among 231 patients included, 91 (39%) were 'awake' and 140 (61%) 'non-awake'. After PS-matching adjustment, the 'awake ECMO' group had significantly lower rates of pneumonia (35% vs. TRP Channel inhibitor 59%, P = 0.017), tracheostomy, renal replacement therapy, and less antibiotic and sedative consumption. This strategy was also associated with reduced 60-day (20% vs. 41%, P = 0.018) and 1-year mortality rates (31% vs. 54%, P = 0.021) compared to the 'non-awake' group, respectively. Lastly, MV at ECMO cannulation was independently associated with 60-day mortality.

An 'awake ECMO' management in VA-ECMO-supported CS patients is feasible, safe, and associated with improved short- and long-term outcomes.

An 'awake ECMO' management in VA-ECMO-supported CS patients is feasible, safe, and associated with improved short- and long-term outcomes.We conducted a time-series analysis of the relations between daily levels of allergenic pollen and mortality in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area with 153 378 deaths; 9742 from respiratory and 57 402 from cardiovascular causes. Daily (average) pollen counts of alder, birch, mugwort and grass were measured. In quasi-Poisson regression analysis, abundant alder pollen increased the risk of non-accidental deaths with an adjusted cumulative mortality rate ratio (acMRR) of 1.10 (95% CI 1.01-1.19) and of deaths from respiratory-diseases with acMRR of 1.78 (95% CI 1.19-2.65). Abundant mugwort pollen increased cardiovascular mortality (1.41, 1.02-1.95). These findings identify an important global public health problem.

The clinical parameter "morning stiffness" is widely used to assess the status of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but its accurate quantitative assessment in a clinical setting has not yet been successful. This lack of individual quantification limits both personalized medication and efficacy evaluation in the treatment of RA.

We have developed a novel technology to assess passive resistance of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) III joint (stiffness) and its Passive Range of Motion (PRoM). Within this pilot study, nineteen female postmenopausal RA patients and nine healthy controls were examined in the evening as well as in the morning of the following day. To verify the specificity of the biomechanical quantification, eleven patients with RA were assessed both prior to and ∼3 h after glucocorticoid therapy.

While the healthy controls showed only minor changes between afternoon and morning, in RA patients mean±SD PRoM decreased significantly by 18 ± 22% and stiffness increased significantly by 20 ± 18% in the mor-RA inflammatory joint diseases.

To further characterize the effect of guselkumab, a selective interleukin-23p19-subunit inhibitor approved for psoriatic arthritis (PsA), on enthesitis and assess relationships between enthesitis resolution and patient status/outcomes.

Adults with active PsA despite standard therapies in the Phase-3 DISCOVER-1 and DISCOVER-2 studies were randomized 111 to guselkumab 100 mg every-4-weeks (Q4W); guselkumab 100 mg at Week0, Week4, Q8W; or placebo through Week20 followed by guselkumab 100 mg Q4W (Placebo→Q4W). Independent assessors evaluated enthesitis using the Leeds Enthesitis Index (LEI; total score 0-6). Enthesitis findings through Week24 were prespecified to be pooled across studies; post hoc and Week52 analyses also employed pooled data.

Among 1,118 randomized, treated patients in DISCOVER-1 and 2 who had ≥1LEI site evaluated, 65% had enthesitis at baseline. These patients exhibited numerically more swollen and tender joints, systemic inflammation, and impaired physical function than patients without enthesitis. Guselkumab Q4W and Q8W were superior to placebo in resolving pre-existing enthesitis at Week24 (45% and 50% vs 29%; both adjusted p= 0.0301). Enthesitis resolution rates continued to rise; 58% of guselkumab-randomized patients achieved resolution at Week52, including patients with mild (LEI = 1; 70-75%), moderate (LEI = 2; 69-73%), or severe (LEI = 3-6; 42-44%) enthesitis at baseline. Among guselkumab-randomized patients with resolved enthesitis at Week24, 42% achieved minimal disease activity at Week52, vs 17% of patients with unresolved enthesitis.

Guselkumab resulted in higher proportions of PsA patients with resolved enthesitis by Week24, with maintenance of resolution rates through 1 year. As enthesitis confers greater disease burden, sustained resolution could portend better patient outcomes.

DISCOVER 1 (NCT03162796) and DISCOVER 2 (NCT03158285).

DISCOVER 1 (NCT03162796) and DISCOVER 2 (NCT03158285).Ants have been suggested as one of many population pressures sea turtles face potentially affecting nesting-beach survival of eggs and hatchlings. However, little is known about the extent to which ants act as incidental or primary mortality factors. Most research has focused on New World fire ants (genus Solenopsis), with confirmed records of other ant species interactions with sea turtle nests in situ being rare. Our study documented the ant species associated with loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus) (Testudines Cheloniidae) nests in Georgia and determined if ant presence was linked to lower hatching or emergence success. Samples (n = 116) collected from sea turtle nests on eight islands contained 14 ant species including Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera Formicidae), the red imported fire ant, which was the most common ant species encountered. Ant presence was not correlated with lower hatching success, but when other known disturbances were removed, correlated with significantly lower nest emergence success (P less then 0.