Journal of internal medicine
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Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) is a feared complication after heart valve surgery. Studies on differences in bacteriology in various types of PVE are limited. ⋯ The type of prosthetic heart valve is associated with the causative pathogen. Patients with mechanical valves are more likely to have PVE caused by S. aureus.
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Worldwide, nations have struggled during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, Latin America and the Caribbean faced an unmatched catastrophic toll. As of March 2022, the region has reported approximately 15% of cases and 28% of deaths worldwide. ⋯ Moreover, reliance on repurposed and ineffective drugs such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin-to treat or prevent COVID-19-was publicised through misinformation and created a false sense of security and poor adherence to social distancing measures. While there were hopes that herd immunity could be achieved after the region's disastrous first peak, the emergence of the Gamma, Lambda, and Mu variants made this unattainable. This review explores how Latin America and the Caribbean fared during the first 2 years of the pandemic, and how, despite all the challenges, the region became a global leader in COVID-19 vaccination, with 63% of its population fully vaccinated.
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Studies suggest an association between osteoporosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but whether patients with NAFLD are at increased risk of fractures is unknown. ⋯ Patients with NAFLD have a slightly higher rate of fractures but long-term risk of fractures comparable to the general population. This suggests that broad surveillance of risk factors for fractures in patients with NAFLD is not motivated.
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Although epistaxis is one of the most common side effects of oral anticoagulation, it is unclear whether epistaxis rates vary between different oral anticoagulants (OAC). ⋯ Warfarin treatment was associated with higher rates of clinically relevant epistaxis compared to direct oral anticoagulants.
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Long-term exposure to ambient ozone links to aging biomarkers and increased risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD). However, the roles of aging biomarkers in the association of long-term exposure to ambient ozone with ASCVD are unclear. ⋯ Long-term exposure to ambient ozone was associated with increased 10-year ASCVD risk, and the association was partially mediated by aging biomarkers (shortened TL and decreased mtDNA-CN). This study indicated that ambient ozone pollution-related ASCVD risk might be partially explained by the telomere-mitochondrial axis of aging.