Mortality in patients admitted to intensive care with COVID-19: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause critical illness and deaths internationally. Up to 31 May 2020, mortality in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) with COVID-19 was 41.6%.

Supramolecular cancer nanotheranostics.

Among the many challenges in medicine, the treatment and cure of cancer remains an outstanding goal given the complexity and diversity of the disease. Nanotheranostics, the integration of therapy and diagnosis in nanoformulations, is the next generation of personalized medicine to meet the challenges in precise cancer diagnosis, rational management and effective therapy, aiming to significantly increase the survival rate and improve the life quality of cancer patients. Different from most conventional platforms with unsatisfactory theranostic capabilities, supramolecular cancer nanotheranostics have unparalleled advantages in early-stage diagnosis and personal therapy, showing promising potential in clinical translations and applications.

The safety of anaesthetists and intensivists during the first COVID-19 surge supports extension of use of airborne protection PPE to ward staff.

A key controversy in the COVID-19 pandemic has been over staff safety in health and social care settings. Anaesthetists and intensivists were anticipated to be at the highest risk of work-related infection due to involvement in airway management and management of critical illness and therefore wear the highest levels of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the hospital. However, the data clearly show that those working in anaesthesia and critical care settings are at lower risk of infection, harm and death from COVID-19 than colleagues working on the wards.

17β-Estradiol and estrogen receptor α protect right ventricular function in pulmonary hypertension via BMPR2 and apelin.

Women with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) exhibit better right ventricular (RV) function and survival than men; however, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We hypothesized that 17β-estradiol (E2), through estrogen receptor α (ER-α), attenuates PAH-induced RV failure (RVF) by upregulating the procontractile and prosurvival peptide apelin via a BMPR2-dependent mechanism. We found that ER-α and apelin expression were decreased in RV homogenates from patients with RVF and from rats with maladaptive (but not adaptive) RV remodeling.

Tuning the Reactivity of Cofacial Porphyrin Prisms for Oxygen Reduction Using Modular Building Blocks.

We assembled eight cofacial porphyrin prisms using MTPyP (M = Co(II) or Zn(II), TPyP = 4-tetrapyridylporphyrin) and functionalized ruthenium-based "molecular clips" using coordination-driven self-assembly. Our approach allows for the rapid synthesis of these architectures in isolated yields as high as 98% for the assembly step. Structural and reactivity studies provided a deeper understanding of the role of the building blocks on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).

Structural and Biosynthetic Analysis of the Fabrubactins, Unusual Siderophores from Strain C58.

Siderophores are iron-chelating molecules produced by microorganisms and plants to acquire exogenous iron. Siderophore biosynthetic enzymology often produces elaborate and unique molecules through unusual reactions to enable specific recognition by the producing organisms. Herein, we report the structure of two siderophore analogs from strain C58, which we named fabrubactin (FBN) A and FBN B.

[Research impact and participatory health research: an international debate].

In recent years, the academic world has been increasingly concerned with the social benefits of research and how they can be identified and demonstrated. Various discussions are being held on the impact of research, which are especially controversial in those countries where impact has become an important factor in the distribution of research funding. For participatory health research, a form of research that prioritises the engagement of those whose work or lives are the topic of the research, achieving social just impact outside the academic world is fundamental to its goal to reduce health inequalities.

[Involving the seldom heard in participatory health research: challenges and strategies].

Background: Participatory health research is gaining increasing recognition in the public health sector. The people whose lives or work are central to wicked issues around health inequalities are integrated into the projects. Including diverse forms of knowledge and perspectives has the capability of strengthening health equity in specific settings.

Development of a structured process for fair allocation of critical care resources in the setting of insufficient capacity: a discussion paper.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic there was widespread concern that healthcare systems would be overwhelmed, and specifically, that there would be insufficient critical care capacity in terms of beds, ventilators or staff to care for patients. In the UK, this was avoided by a threefold approach involving widespread, rapid expansion of critical care capacity, reduction of healthcare demand from non-COVID-19 sources by temporarily pausing much of normal healthcare delivery, and by governmental and societal responses that reduced demand through national lockdown. Despite high-level documents designed to help manage limited critical care capacity, none provided sufficient operational direction to enable use at the bedside in situations requiring triage.

Excluding Antibiotics in the Management of Nonoperative Orbital and Zygomatic Fractures.

Introduction: Indications for prophylactic antibiotic therapy in nonoperative, closed fractures of the orbit and zygoma remain controversial and are based on anecdotal data. The purpose of this study was to report the incidence of infectious sequelae among patients who presented to our institution with stated fractures and who were not administered prophylactic antibiotic therapy. The authors hypothesized that an increase in infectious complications would not be seen in these patients.

Characteristics of the Superficial Circumflex Iliac Artery Perforator Flap in a Western Population and a Practice Approach for Free Flap Reconstruction.

Background:  There has been increasing interest in the superficial circumflex iliac artery perforator (SCIP) flap as a source of thin, pliable soft tissue combined with a favorable donor site. Despite several clinical series from Asia, barriers to adoption include reluctance to perform submillimeter "supermicrosurgery" and the effect of body habitus on flap feasibility. The purpose of this study is to distinguish vascular anatomic characteristics of the SCIP flap in a North American population.

The Role of Imaging in the Management of Suspected or Known COVID-19 Pneumonia. A Multidisciplinary Perspective.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an illness caused by a novel coronavirus that has rapidly escalated into a global pandemic leading to an urgent medical effort to better characterize this disease biologically, clinically, and by imaging. In this review, we present the current approach to imaging of COVID-19 pneumonia. We focus on the appropriate use of thoracic imaging modalities to guide clinical management.

Point of care, bone marrow mononuclear cell therapy in ischemic heart failure patients personalized for cell potency: 12-month feasibility results from CardiAMP heart failure roll-in cohort.

Aim: Heart failure following myocardial infarction (MI) is a potentially lethal problem with a staggering incidence. The CardiAMP Heart Failure trial represents the first attempt to personalize marrow-derived cell-based therapy to individuals with cell characteristics associated with beneficial responses in prior trials. Before the initiation of the randomized pivotal trial, an open-label "roll-in cohort" was completed to ensure the feasibility of the protocol's procedures.

Technical considerations when designing a gene expression panel for renal transplant diagnosis.

Gene expression analysis is emerging as a new diagnostic tool in transplant pathology, in particular for the diagnosis of antibody-mediated rejection. Diagnostic gene expression panels are defined on the basis of their pathophysiological relevance, but also need to be tested for their robustness across different preservatives and analysis platforms. The aim of this study is the investigate the effect of tissue sampling and preservation on candidate genes included in a renal transplant diagnostic panel.

The Role of Imaging in the Management of Suspected or Known COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Multidisciplinary Perspective.

COVID-19 is an illness caused by a novel coronavirus that has rapidly escalated into a global pandemic leading to an urgent medical effort to better characterize this disease biologically, clinically and by imaging. In this review, we present the current approach to imaging of COVID-19 pneumonia. We focus on the appropriate utilization of thoracic imaging modalities to guide clinical management.