Warmingharrell9645
Systemic inflammation response (SIR)-related variables are controversial as predictive variables.
Patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPDAC) receiving chemotherapy were identified, three SIR-related variables and the relationships between each of them with overall survival (OS) were analysed.
Of 129 patients receiving chemotherapy, 97 had metastases. A significant relationship between SIR and OS has been documented. Each of the SIR-related variables retained its independent prognostic role after multivariate analysis, whereas tri-linear peripheric blood-cell score (TRIS) appeared as the most reliable predictive parameter.
Among patients with mPDAC receiving chemotherapy, SIR is prognostic and could predict the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
Among patients with mPDAC receiving chemotherapy, SIR is prognostic and could predict the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of long-term use of hydroxychloroquine (HQ) on the pachymetric, aberrometric, and densitometric values of the cornea and corneal endothelium in lupus patients.
Twenty-two eyes (study group) of 22 patients using HQ for treatment of lupus and 25 eyes (control group) of 25 healthy individuals were included in this prospective study. A specular microscopy was used to measure corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), percentage of hexagonal cells (HEX%), coefficient of variation of the cell size (CV). Then, a Pentacam® HR corneal tomography system was used to measure central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal aberrometry values in 6-mm pupil diameters and corneal densitometry values in 6-mm corneal zones (0-2 mm and 2-6 mm).
While ECD was significantly lower in the study group than in the control group (
= 0.034), CCT was significantly higher in the study group (
= 0.032). The higher-order aberrations values and the anterior corneal densitometry values in the 0-2 mm and 2-6 mm corneal zones in the study group were found to be significantly higher than the control group (
= 0.021,
= 0.007 and
= 0.013).
Prolonged use of HQ may cause some changes in the cornea. In the follow-up of these cases, detailed examination of the cornea as well as the macula may be important for the protection of corneal health.
Prolonged use of HQ may cause some changes in the cornea. In the follow-up of these cases, detailed examination of the cornea as well as the macula may be important for the protection of corneal health.Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of nosocomial and community-acquired infections. The formation of biofilm by this pathogen renders it resilient to antimicrobial agents, which complicates the treatment of such infections. S. aureus can form biofilms with other pathogens and cause polymicrobial infections recalcitrant to antimicrobial agents. Therefore, anti-biofilm agents against which this bacterium cannot develop resistance are a highly desirable treatment strategy. Nanoparticles and some non-antimicrobial drugs proposed for various clinical purposes have proven to be excellent antibacterial and anti-biofilm agents to control S. aureus biofilm infections. A variety of chemically distinct compounds capable of acting as anti-biofilm agents against S. aureus have been extracted from microbial sources. This review explains the characteristics of S. aureus biofilms, emphasizing the therapeutic potential of nanoparticles, repurposed drugs, and anti-biofilm agents from microbial sources to combat S. R-848 order aureus biofilm infections.Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exhibit frequent acute exacerbations (AE). The objectives of this study were first to evaluate the prevalence of pathogens associated to these episodes by combining conventional bacteriology and multiplex viral and bacterial PCR assays in sputum specimens, and second to determine whether C-reactive protein (CRP) value and clinical outcome could be influenced by the type of microbial agent(s) recovered from these samples. A cohort of 84 Tunisian patients hospitalized at the emergency room for AECOPD was investigated prospectively for the semi-quantitative detection of bacteria by conventional culture (the threshold of positivity was of 107 CFU/ml) and for the detection of viral genome and DNA of atypical bacteria by quantitative PCR using two commercial multiplex respiratory kits (Seegene and Fast-track). The two kits exhibited very similar performances although the Seegene assay was a bit more sensitive. A large number and variety of pathogens were recovered from the sputum samples of these 84 patients, including 15 conventional bacteria, one Chlamydia pneumoniae and 63 respiratory viruses, the most prevalent being rhinoviruses (n = 33) and influenza viruses (n = 13). From complete results available for 74 patients, the presence of bacteria was significantly associated with risk of recurrence at 6 and 12 months post-infection. The combination of these different markers appears useful for delineating correctly the antimicrobial treatment and for initiating a long-term surveillance in those patients with high risk of recurrent exacerbation episodes. A prospective study is required for confirming the benefits of this strategy aimed at improving the stewardship of antibiotics.Background A survey of European Pain Federation 2019 attendees was conducted to identify unmet needs in chronic pain patients. Materials & methods Four questions were asked focusing on functional impairment in chronic pain, including who are at increased risk and ways to better identify and manage these patients. Results In total 143 respondents indicated that key issues were lack of knowledge, lack of resources/time to assess and manage chronic pain and lack of sufficient tools to identify patients at risk for functional impairment. Education and training of primary care physicians, simplified guidelines and practical tools for assessment and use of multidisciplinary teams to treat chronic pain were recommended. Conclusion There are many unmet needs in the management of functional impairment in chronic pain patients.
