Plos One
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Studies disagree on the location of grey matter (GM) atrophy in the multiple sclerosis (MS) brain. ⋯ GM volumes from FreeSurfer, FSL and SPM are different, especially for cortical regions. While group-level separation between MS and controls is comparable, correlations between regional GM volumes and clinical/cognitive variables in MS should be cautiously interpreted.
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Clinical Trial Observational Study
Risk Factors for Acute Kidney Injury after Congenital Cardiac Surgery in Infants and Children: A Retrospective Observational Study.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) after pediatric cardiac surgery is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Modifiable risk factors for postoperative AKI including perioperative anesthesia-related parameters were assessed. The authors conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study of 220 patients (aged 10 days to 19 years) who underwent congenital cardiac surgery between January and December 2012. ⋯ When a variable of hemoglobin concentration increase (>3 g/dl) from preoperative level on POD1 was entered into the multivariable analysis, it was independently associated with postoperative AKI (OR, 6.51; 95% CI, 2.23-19.03 compared with no increase). This association was significant after adjustment with patient demographics, medication history and RACHS-1 category (hemoglobin increase >3g/dl vs. no increase: adjusted OR, 6.94; 95% CI, 2.33-20.69), regardless of different age groups and cyanotic or non-cyanotic heart disease. Prospective trials are required to evaluate whether correction of preoperative anemia and prevention of hemoconcentration may ameliorate postoperative AKI in patients who underwent congenital cardiac surgery.
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Allergy documentation is frequently inconsistent and incomplete. The impact of this variability on subsequent treatment is not well described. ⋯ Provider documentation of beta-lactam allergy is highly variable, and details of the allergy are infrequently documented. Classification of a patient as beta-lactam allergic and incomplete documentation regarding the details of the allergy lead to beta-lactam avoidance and use of other antimicrobial agents, behaviors that may adversely impact care quality and cost.
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The outcome for patients with Multiple Myeloma (MM) is highly variable, therefore, the existence of robust and easy to determine prognostic markers is extremely important for an efficient management of these patients. Presently, there is a debate about the role of the serum free light chains (sFLC) in the prognosis of MM patients both at diagnosis and after treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate in a cohort of newly diagnosed MM patients from the Southern area of Spain, the prognostic value of sFLC both at baseline and after treatment. ⋯ Our findings confirm the observations that the sFLCR has a major role in the survival of MM patients. A cut-off of sFLCR≥47 was shown to have an independent prognostic value at diagnosis, and a proposed "New Staging System" allows an accurate and simple method to risk stratify MM patients. Furthermore, because achievement of sCR was shown to represent a response state deeper than conventional CR resulting in greater OS and DFS, our study supports the continuity of sFLC ratio as part of the response criteria for MM patients.
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While opioid use confers a known risk for respiratory depression, the incremental risk of in-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest, respiratory arrest, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPRA) has not been studied. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence, outcomes, and risk profile of in-hospital CPRA for patients receiving opioids and medications with central nervous system sedating side effects (sedatives). ⋯ Opioids and sedatives are independent and additive risk factors for in-hospital CPRA. The impact of opioid sparing analgesia, reduced sedative use, and better monitoring on CPRA incidence deserves further study.