Medicina
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Clinically significant isolated viral tracheitis is scarce in adults, and upper airway obstruction caused by viral tracheitis is even more infrequent. A 74-year-old woman, who was administered low-dose steroids for two months for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), developed dyspnea with stridor and required mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure. Chest computed tomography showed a diffuse tracheal wall thickening with luminal narrowing and peribronchial consolidation in the right upper lobe. ⋯ The follow-up bronchoscopy 49 days after the initiation of ganciclovir revealed improved multiple ulcerations with scars. We report a rare case of tracheitis caused by coinfection with CMV and HSV in a patient with COPD who had been taking low-dose steroids for months. The case showed that CMV and HSV are potential causes of serious tracheitis and respiratory failure.
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Depending on the oxygen partial pressure in a tissue, the therapeutic effect of oxygenation can vary from simple substance substitution up to hyperbaric oxygenation when breathing hyperbaric oxygen at 2.5-3.0 ATA. Surprisingly, new data showed that it is not only the oxygen supply that matters as even a minimal increase in the partial pressure of oxygen is efficient in triggering cellular reactions by eliciting the production of hypoxia-inducible factors and heat-shock proteins. ⋯ Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is, essentially, "intermittent oxygen" exposure. We must investigate hyperbaric oxygen with a new paradigm of treating oxygen as a potent stimulus of the molecular network of reactions.
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There are a number of potential implications for the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD) stemming from the global spread of "SARS-COV-2". Many studies that were conducted by Cleveland Clinic researchers identified a link between COVID-19 infection and brain abnormalities seen in people with AD. This article explains the association between COVID-19 and AD and how people with AD are affected by COVID-19, whether directly or indirectly. ⋯ Then, direct and indirect consequences of COVID-19 on people experiencing AD are discussed briefly. Some management strategies are recommended at the end of this article in addition to a future perspective on this topic. This article concludes by summarizing the main points mentioned about the association between COVID-19 and AD.
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Background and Objectives: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent airflow limitation and a history of exposure to noxious stimuli. Cigarette smoking is the most important causal factor for developing COPD. Cadmium, a minor metallic element, is one of the main inorganic components in tobacco smoke. ⋯ The frequency of desaturation during 6MWT revealed a stepwise-increasing trend with an increase in blood cadmium levels. A multivariable logistic regression model revealed that blood cadmium levels were independently associated with desaturation during the 6MWT (odds ratio 12.849 [95% CI 1.168-141.329]; p = 0.037). Conclusions: our findings indicate that blood cadmium levels, within the normal range, were significantly associated with desaturation during 6MWT in patients with COPD.
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Case Reports
Urothelial Cell Carcinoma of the Renal Pelvis Misdiagnosed as Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction: A Case Report.
Urothelial tumors are typically a disease affecting elderly individuals and are rare in young patients. Moreover, upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma is extremely rare in the young age group. In this study, we present a case of urothelial cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and ureter in a young man without risk factors of urothelial carcinoma, which was misdiagnosed as ureteropelvic junction obstruction and treated with a laparoscopic pyeloplasty.