Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre
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In-hospital mortality for patients presenting with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) has been reported to be up to 7 times higher for patients with decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). However, few studies have assessed its effect on long-term mortality. ⋯ Decreased renal function is a prognostic factor for increased all-cause mortality 90 days and 1 year after acute PE.
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Although in recent years the world has witnessed great advances in the medical field, much ambiguity still surrounds the issue of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, with increasingly favorable attitudes among physicians around the world. In our study, we aimed to assess the attitudes of physicians in Kuwait towards different types of euthanasia and examine whether physicians' frequent encounters with terminally ill patients were associated with their approval. ⋯ The attitudes of physicians towards euthanasia are diverse, and therefore the Ministry of Health should provide guidelines for physicians dealing with situations where patients or their families request euthanasia.
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Case Reports
A Rare Variant of the Great Cardiac Vein Draining Directly into the Superior Vena Cava.
A routine dissection of the cadaver of a 67-year-old man revealed a very rare morphological variant of the great cardiac vein (GCV). ⋯ This variant of the GCV is interesting due to its rarity. It is important to know about it for procedures that require venous access such as coronary surgery requiring retrograde cardioplegia, surgical ablation of aberrant conducting pathways, pacemaker insertion, and valve surgery.
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Sinus floor elevation and augmentation surgery is widely used as a reliable procedure to increase insufficient bone height in the posterior maxillary area. The purpose of the present clinical study was to determine the associations between periodontal bone loss (PBL), maxillary sinus lateral bone wall thickness, age, and gender using cone-beam computerized tomography (CBCT). ⋯ PBL might have an association with maxillary sinus lateral bone wall thickness. Further studies are needed to confirm this possible relationship.
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To investigate the placental and umbilical cord histopathology in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and their relation to second-trimester maternal hematological parameters. ⋯ Maternal hematological parameters do not seem to affect neonatal outcome. Our main findings are the correlation of maternal platelet count with placental weight, the correlation of placental volume with birth weight being stronger than the correlation of placental weight with birth weight, and the correlation of umbilical artery lumen cross-sectional area with neonatal weight. Mild histopathologic alterations might occur in normal pregnancies; however, sufficient fetal nutrition can be maintained. This compensatory function of the placenta seems to be insufficient when two or more pathologies are present, which is characteristic for IUGR.