Int J Med Sci
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Randomized Controlled Trial Observational Study
Objective Assessment of Perioperative Anxiety using Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy in Elderly Patients: A Prospective Randomized Observational Pilot Study.
Background: Assessing and managing patient anxiety is essential to reduce postoperative complications in elderly patients. However, monitoring patient anxiety objectively is impossible. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the level of fNIRS signals and anxiety in patients aged 65 and older undergoing artificial joint replacement surgery. ⋯ Results: The STAI-S score was significantly correlated with power of bandwidth (p = 0.034). In addition, the RSS score was significantly correlated with BW 1, 2, and 3 (p = 0.010, p < 0.001, and p = 0.003, respectively). Conclusion: The STAI-S score and BW 3 were significantly correlated, suggesting that fNIRS might help objectively and directly monitor anxiety levels.
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Background: This study compares treatment failure for patients who received oral beta-lactams (BLs) and fluoroquinolones (FQs) for stepdown treatment of Enterobacterales bloodstream infections (BSIs). Methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective, age- and sex-matched, cohort study, at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in South Texas. Eligible patients were at least 18 years of age with a monomicrobial BSI treated with a single oral BL or FQ antibiotic. ⋯ One patient in the FQ group experienced Clostridioides difficile infection. Conclusion: This study suggests that BLs may be as effective as FQs for oral stepdown treatment of Enterobacterales BSI without the potential associated risks. Furthermore, in the setting of FQ-resistant Enterobacterales BSI secondary to urinary source, third generation oral cephalosporins (i.e., cefpodoxime) may be reasonable alternatives.
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Objectives: Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a widely used clinical parameter recently deployed in predicting various cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of RDW in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 745 patients with HBV-related HCC, 253 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and 256 healthy individuals to compare their hematological parameters and analyze their RDW levels. ⋯ Finally, we successfully generated a nomogram incorporating RDW and validated its predictive ability. Conclusions: RDW is a potentially valuable hematological marker for predicting the survival and prognosis of patients with HBV-related HCC. The nomogram incorporating RDW can be used as an effective tool to plan the individualized treatment of such patients.
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Sirtuin6 (SIRT6) has been demonstrated to be involved in a range of physiological processes and diseases, while its role in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains unclear. Therefore, this study focused on the role and underlying mechanism of SIRT6 in ARDS with the aim of identifying potential therapeutic targets. In this study, we found that SIRT6 was significantly decreased in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced A549 cells and a murine model. ⋯ In vivo, the SIRT6-specific inhibitor OSS_128167 also significantly accelerated LPS-induced loss of tight junction proteins, lung inflammation, and apoptosis. Meanwhile, the SIRT6-specific inhibitor OSS_128167 also activated the ERK1/2 pathway and inhibited lung autophagy. These results suggested that SIRT6 could ameliorate the loss of tight junction proteins, inflammation, and apoptosis in LPS-induced ARDS by inhibiting the ERK1/ 2 pathway and enhancing autophagy, indicating that SIRT6 plays a beneficial role in ARDS and might be a potential therapeutic target for ARDS.
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The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron is currently the predominant circulating variant in the COVID-19 pandemic. The dominating Omicron sublineages respond to host immune pressure and develop advantageous mutations or genetic recombination, which result in variants that are more contagious or better at escaping immune responses in response to previous infection or vaccination. Meanwhile, multiple genetic recombination events have been reported in coinfection cases, the majority of which have resulted from the recombination between co-circulating Omicron BA.1 (or BA.1.1) and Delta variant or BA.2. Here, we review the knowledge and characterization of recombination for SARS-CoV-2 at the population level, provide an update on the occurrence of newly circulating Omicron sublineages, and discuss the effectiveness of novel vaccines/therapeutic drugs against the Omicron variant.