Articles: human.
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Understanding the mechanisms that underpin the transition from acute to chronic pain is critical for the development of more effective and targeted treatments. There is growing interest in the contribution of glial cells to this process, with cross-sectional preclinical studies demonstrating specific changes in these cell types capturing targeted timepoints from the acute phase and the chronic phase. In vivo longitudinal assessment of the development and evolution of these changes in experimental animals and humans has presented a significant challenge. ⋯ These advances now permit tracking of glial changes over time and provide the ability to relate these changes to pain-relevant symptomology, comorbid psychiatric conditions, and treatment outcomes at both a group and an individual level. In this article, we summarize evidence for gliosis in the transition from acute to chronic pain and provide an overview of the specific radiotracers available to measure this process, highlighting their potential, particularly when combined with ex vivo / in vitro techniques, to understand the pathophysiology of chronic neuropathic pain. These complementary investigations can be used to bridge the existing gap in the field concerning the contribution of gliosis to neuropathic pain and identify potential targets for interventions.
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For augmented intelligence (AI) tools to realize their potential, critical care clinicians must ensure they are designed to improve long-term outcomes. This overview is intended to align professionals with the state-of-the art of AI. ⋯ Plans for long-term management of ICU survivors must account for the development of a holistic follow-up system that incorporates AI across multiple platforms. A tiered post-ICU screening program may be established wherein AI tools managed by ICU follow-up clinics provide appropriate assistance without human intervention in cases with less pathology and refer severe cases to expert treatment.
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Consequences of the expanding commercial spaceflight industry include an increase in total number of spaceflight participants and an accompanying surge in the average number of medical comorbidities compared with government-based astronaut corps. A sequela of these developments is an anticipated rise in acute and chronic pain concerns associated with spaceflight. This review will summarize diagnostic and therapeutic areas of interest that can support the comfort of humans in spaceflight. ⋯ As humanity invests in Lunar and Martian exploration, understanding the painful conditions that will impede crew productivity and mission outcomes is critical. Preexisting pain and new-onset acute or chronic pain resulting from spaceflight will require countermeasures and treatments to mitigate long-term health effects.
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Review Case Reports
Unveiling Balantidium coli: A rare protozoan causing a series of cases of dysentery in Rajasthan and review of literature.
Balantidium coli is the largest, uncommon, and only ciliate parasite that infects humans and is more common in tropics and subtropical regions. It is mostly asymptomatic, but can cause diarrhea and abdominal pain and sometimes leads to perforation of the colon. It is harbored in animals, particularly among pigs in hotter environments and monkeys in the jungles. ⋯ Retrieval of rare parasites was possible only because of prompt stool transport and its early processing. There are only few previous reports regarding the pediatric cases of balantidiasis, and there is a little information about its clinical signs and treatment. Here, we report a case series of B. coli infection presenting as an acute diarrheal disease from Rajasthan.
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Although effects of general anesthesia on neuronal activity in the human neonatal brain are incompletely understood, electroencephalography provides some insight and may identify age-dependent differences. ⋯ Although evidence gaps were identified, both increasing sevoflurane concentration and decreasing temperature are associated with increasing discontinuity.