Metabolic characteristics in patients with COVID-19 and no-COVID-19 interstitial pneumonia with mild-to-moderate symptoms and similar radiological severity.

Background And Aims: It is known that the highest COVID-19 mortality rates are among patients who develop severe COVID-19 pneumonia. However, despite the high sensitivity of chest CT scans for diagnosing COVID-19 in a screening population, the appearance of a chest CT is thought to have low diagnostic specificity. The aim of this retrospective case-control study is based on evaluation of clinical and radiological characteristics in patients with COVID-19 (n = 41) and no-COVID-19 interstitial pneumonia (n = 48) with mild-to-moderate symptoms.

Antithrombotic Therapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Atrial Fibrillation: The Triple Trouble.

One of the most common conundrums in all cardiovascular medicine pertains to the care of patients with atrial fibrillation after percutaneous coronary intervention, because of both dual antiplatelet therapy and oral anticoagulant therapy would seem to be necessary to reduce risks of stent thrombosis and thromboembolism, respectively, but also with an inevitable trade-off of more bleeding. Patients who require triple therapy are at high risk of both ischaemia and bleeding; therefore, defining a personalised secondary prevention strategy aimed at achieving the best net clinical benefit is essential. The good news is that we have entered an era of increased perceived and tangible safety that applies to both non-vitamin K-antagonist oral anticoagulants and newer drug-eluting stents.

Inner-ear decompression sickness in nine trimix recreational divers.

Introduction: Recreational technical diving, including the use of helium-based mixes (trimix) and the experimentation of new decompression algorithms, has become increasingly popular. Inner-ear decompression sickness (DCS) can occur as an isolated clinical entity or as part of a multi-organ presentation in this population. Physiological characteristics of the inner ear make it selectively vulnerable to DCS.

Familial cardiac and skeletal myopathy associated with desmin accumulation.

We describe the case of a mentally retarded young man with marked biventricular hypertrophy, skeletal myopathy, and bilateral pes cavus, in whom desmin accumulation was documented in cardiac and skeletal muscle biopsies. Hemodynamic assessment showed a restrictive profile. A brother of the proband was similarly affected and died at the age of 24 of cardiac failure.