Lessons from look-back in acute liver failure? A single centre experience of 3300 patients.

Background & Aims: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rapidly progressive critical illness with high mortality. Complex intensive care unit (ICU) protocols and emergency liver transplantation (ELT) are now often available, but rarity and severity of illness have limited its study and evidence-base for care. We reviewed patients treated over a 35-year period at a specialist high-volume ICU, quantifying changes in disease aetiology, severity and evolution of ICU support and ELT use and outcome.

Serum selenium levels in patients with head and neck cancer.

Objective: The objective of this research was to estimate serum selenium levels in patients with head and neck cancer and to correlate them with tumour burden, as well as to study the effect of radiotherapy on serum selenium levels to determine its prognostic significance.

Design: This prospective study was carried out by selection of head and neck cancer patients using periodic random numbers.

Setting: This was a hospital-based study.