Coral Crisis: Palytoxin-Induced Keratoconjunctivitis in Marine Experts.

Palytoxin (PTX or PLTX), a potent and rare marine toxin derived from certain coral species, poses significant risks to human health upon exposure, including the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome. We present a case report detailing the experiences of two expert marine biologists who inadvertently came into contact with palytoxin while handling marine organisms in a controlled environment. Shortly after exposure, both biologists developed severe keratoconjunctivitis, characterized by acute inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea.

Physician-Perceived Barriers to Treating Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Department.

Objective We aimed to assess physicians' perceptions of barriers to starting medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in the Emergency Department (ED), views of the utility of MAT, and abilities to link patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) to MAT programs in their respective communities. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey study of American emergency medicine (EM) physicians with a self-administered online survey via SurveyMonkey (Survey Monkey, San Mateo, California). The survey was emailed to the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORD) listserv and HCA Healthcare affiliated EM residency programs' listservs.

Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Case Report.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a profound impact on healthcare systems around the world. The emergency department (ED) in particular has become the frontline for the identification and care of these patients. While its effects on respiratory symptoms are well recognized, neurologic manifestations have been rarer.

Transthoracic Echocardiographic Findings of Stanford Type A Aortic Dissection: A Case Report.

Aortic dissection is a well-known, but relatively uncommon diagnosis in the emergency department (ED). With a mortality rate as high as 30 percent, it is important to be able to diagnose quickly and accurately. Definitive diagnosis with imaging studies such as computed tomography angiogram (CTA) can be expensive and time-consuming and may not always be available in the community.

Gender Differences in Outcomes after Non-traumatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Background Nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhages (ICH) are serious cerebrovascular events with high morbidity and mortality. They occur in about two million people a year worldwide. While ICH continues to be a focus of research in the medical community, there is little data on the differences in outcomes by gender.

Men Have a Stronger Monocyte-Derived Cytokine Production Response upon Stimulation with the Gram-Negative Stimulus Lipopolysaccharide than Women: A Pooled Analysis Including 15 Study Populations.

The incidence of bacterial infections and sepsis, as well as the mortality risk from sepsis, is sex specific. These clinical findings have been attributed to sex differences in immune responsiveness. The aim of the present study was to investigate sex differences in monocyte-derived cytokine production response upon stimulation with the gram-negative stimulus lipopolysaccharide (LPS) using cytokine data from 15 study populations.

Mucinous Cystadenoma Causing Abdominal Distension: A Case Report.

Mucinous cystadenomas are a common benign neoplasm of the ovaries that can grow much larger than other adnexal masses. We report a case of a 28-year-old female who presented with one month of increasing abdominal distension and upper abdominal pain; she was found to have a 30-centimeter (cm) adnexal mass. Pathology showed a benign mucinous cystadenoma with no evidence of malignancy.

Prediction of functional decline in community-dwelling older persons in general practice: a cohort study.

Background: A first step to offer community-dwelling older persons proactive care is to identify those at risk of functional decline within a year. This study investigates the predictive value of registered information, questionnaire and GP-opinion on functional decline.

Methods: In this cohort study, embedded within the ISCOPE-trial, participants (≥75 years) completed the ISCOPE-screening questionnaire on four health domains.

Correction: Examining the construct and known-group validity of a composite endpoint for The Older Persons and Informal Caregivers Survey Minimum Data Set (TOPICS-MDS); A large-scale data sharing initiative.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Longevity Around the Turn of the 20th Century: Life-Long Sustained Survival Advantage for Parents of Today's Nonagenarians.

Members of longevous families live longer than individuals from similar birth cohorts and delay/escape age-related diseases. Insight into this familial component of longevity can provide important knowledge about mechanisms protecting against age-related diseases. This familial component of longevity was studied in the Leiden Longevity Study which consists of 944 longevous siblings (participants), their parents (N = 842), siblings (N = 2,302), and spouses (N = 809).

Prevalence of Homelessness by Gender in an Emergency Department Population in Pennsylvania.

Context: According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, nearly 1.5 million people spend at least 1 night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing each year, and more than 500,000 people are homeless on a given night in the United States. To our knowledge, limited data exist regarding the prevalence of homelessness in ED patients by gender (male, female, and transgender).

Association of diastolic blood pressure with cardiovascular events in older people varies upon cardiovascular history.

Background: In older age, a low DBP has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events, especially in frail older people. We tested the hypothesis that low DBP is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular events in people with a previous history of cardiovascular disease, as a proxy of vascular impairment.

Methods: We included 5804 participants (mean age 75 years) from the PROspective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER) who as part of the trial were intensively monitored for an average period of 3.

The Missing Link in the Pathophysiology of Vascular Cognitive Impairment: Design of the Heart-Brain Study.

Background: Hemodynamic balance in the heart-brain axis is increasingly recognized as a crucial factor in maintaining functional and structural integrity of the brain and thereby cognitive functioning. Patients with heart failure (HF), carotid occlusive disease (COD), and vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) present themselves with complaints attributed to specific parts of the heart-brain axis, but hemodynamic changes often go beyond the part of the axis for which they primarily seek medical advice. The Heart-Brain Study hypothesizes that the hemodynamic status of the heart and the brain is an important but underestimated cause of VCI.

Administration of adjuvant chemotherapy in older patients with Stage III colon cancer: an observational study.

Aim: According to established guidelines, patients with Stage III colon cancer should receive adjuvant chemotherapy. However, a significant proportion do not. This study assessed factors associated with the administration of adjuvant chemotherapy and causes of death.

High Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T and Cognitive Function in the Oldest Old: The Leiden 85-Plus Study.

Background: Impaired cardiac function has been related to accelerated cognitive decline in late-life.

Objective: To investigate whether higher levels of high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), a sensitive marker for myocardial injury, are associated with worse cognitive function in the oldest old.

Methods: In 455 participants of the population-based Leiden 85-plus Study, hs-cTnT was measured at 86 years.

Early prediction of hospital admission for emergency department patients: a comparison between patients younger or older than 70 years.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop models that predict hospital admission to ED of patients younger and older than 70 and compare their performance.

Methods: Prediction models were derived in a retrospective observational study of all patients≥18 years old visiting the ED of a university hospital during the first 6 months of 2012. Patients were stratified into two age groups (<70 years old and ≥70 years old).

Short telomere length is associated with impaired cognitive performance in European ancestry cohorts.

The association between telomere length (TL) dynamics on cognitive performance over the life-course is not well understood. This study meta-analyses observational and causal associations between TL and six cognitive traits, with stratifications on APOE genotype, in a Mendelian Randomization (MR) framework. Twelve European cohorts (N=17 052; mean age=59.

Diabetes incidence and glucose intolerance prevalence increase with higher outdoor temperature.

Objective: Rising global temperatures might contribute to the current worldwide diabetes epidemic, as higher ambient temperature can negatively impact glucose metabolism via a reduction in brown adipose tissue activity. Therefore, we examined the association between outdoor temperature and diabetes incidence in the USA as well as the prevalence of glucose intolerance worldwide.

Research Design And Methods: Using meta-regression, we determined the association between mean annual temperature and diabetes incidence during 1996-2009 for each US state separately.

Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Cognitive Decline in Old Age.

Background: Patients with advanced heart failure run a greater risk of dementia. Whether early cardiac structural changes also associate with cognitive decline is yet to be determined.

Objective: We tested whether left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) derived from electrocardiogram associates with cognitive decline in older subjects at risk of cardiovascular disease.

Examining the construct and known-group validity of a composite endpoint for The Older Persons and Informal Caregivers Survey Minimum Data Set (TOPICS-MDS); A large-scale data sharing initiative.

Background: Preference-weighted multi-faceted endpoints have the potential to facilitate comparative effectiveness research that incorporates patient preferences. The Older Persons and Informal Caregivers Survey-Composite endpoint (TOPICS-CEP) is potentially a valuable outcome measure for evaluating interventions in geriatric care as it combines multiple outcomes relevant to older persons in a single metric. The objective of this study was to validate TOPICS-CEP across different study settings (general population, primary care and hospital).

TAC-TIC use of tacrolimus-based regimens in lupus nephritis.

Current guidelines do not mention tacrolimus (TAC) as a treatment option and no consensus has been reported on the role of TAC in lupus nephritis (LN). The present study aimed to guide clinical judgement on the use of TAC in patients with LN. A meta-analysis was performed for clinical studies investigating TAC regimens in LN on the basis of treatment target (induction or maintenance), concomitant immunosuppression and quality of the data.