The Pivotal Role of Presepsin in Assessing Sepsis-Induced Cholestasis.

Background: The serum levels of presepsin correlate with parameters indicating cholestasis in sepsis; however, the probability and significance of this association remain uncertain. We aimed to ascertain whether infection, as signaled by presepsin levels, is the primary determinant of elevated biliary parameters in sepsis.

Methods: A unicenter, retrospective study included 396 COVID-free emergency-admitted patients, in which presepsin level was determined.

The crucial role of gadolinium-enhanced MRI in a case of amaurosis fugax - a case report and literature review.

Optic perineuritis is the inflammation of the optic nerve sheath. This affliction can lead to visual field impairment and other signs and symptoms related to the orbital space, such as pain, disc edema, ophthalmoplegia, proptosis. However, not all patients present with such suggestive symptoms, requiring a thorough assessment.

Risk factors for the outcome after thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke - the prominent role of kidney dysfunction: A retrospective cohort observational study.

A complex interplay of factors reflecting the general biological, cardiovascular, neurological, renal, and metabolic status of patients influences the outcome of thrombolysis in stroke patients. This is a retrospective cohort observational study aimed to determine the importance of kidney dysfunction among these factors. Data (demographic, lifestyle, physical examination, laboratory, imaging, including metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities, neurological scores, and outcomes) of all stroke patients who underwent thrombolysis have been registered since January 1, 2016, in an online database.

Cardiovascular Calcifications Are Correlated with Inflammation in Hemodialysis Patients.

: The main cause of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients is cardiovascular disease, which is quite common. The main objective of our study was to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress, inflammation, and vascular and valvular calcifications in hemodialysis patients. : This observational study had 54 hemodialysis patients, with an average age of 60.

Critical Damage of Lung Parenchyma Complicated with Massive Pneumothorax in COVID-19 Pneumonia.

It is already known that Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may lead to various degrees and forms of lung parenchyma damage, but some cases take a strikingly severe course that is difficult to manage. We report the case of a 62-year old male, non-obese, non-smoker, and non-diabetic, who presented with fever, chills, and shortness of breath. The infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was diagnosed by real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction.

The cutoff value of presepsin for diagnosing sepsis increases with kidney dysfunction, a cross-sectional observational study.

As presepsin levels increase with kidney dysfunction (KD), our aim was to establish cutoff points for presepsin adapted to the level of KD in order to avoid bacterial infection overdiagnosis, antibiotic overprescription, and risk of bacterial resistance. This is a unicenter retrospective study, which included all patients admitted on an emergency basis to 2 departments of a teaching hospital during a 2-year interval to whom presepsin level was determined at the emergency department prior to admission. Serum creatinine (sCrt) was employed to estimate the severity of KD using 3 thresholds (1.

Phytochemicals and Inflammation: Is Bitter Better?

The taste of a herb influences its use in traditional medicine. A molecular basis for the taste-based patterns ruling the distribution of herbal (ethno) pharmacological activities may not be excluded. This study investigated the potential correlations between the anti-inflammatory activity (AIA) and the phytocompound taste and/or its chemical class.

Giant Renal Artery Aneurysm With Hydronephrosis and Severe Atrophy of the Renal Parenchyma: Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: It is known that renal artery aneurysms may lead to hydronephrosis, but utter shrinking of the renal parenchyma due to a giant renal artery aneurysm has not yet been reported. This report is of an 88-year-old woman with resistant hypertension, hydronephrosis, and renal atrophy due to a giant saccular aneurysm of the left renal artery.

Case Report: The patient presented with 2 weeks of worsening low back pain on the left side and resistant hypertension.

Pathophysiology of sepsis-induced cholestasis: A review.

Sepsis is a critical condition resulting from the excessive activation of the inflammatory/immune system in response to an infection, with high mortality if treatment is not administered promptly. One of the many possible complications of sepsis is liver dysfunction with consequent cholestasis. The aim of this paper is to review the main mechanisms involved in the development of cholestasis in sepsis.

Is Acute Ischemic Stroke Really Associated with Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction? A Case-Control Study.

Context: Heart failure and acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are frequently associated, due to similar risk factors and intertwined pathophysiologic mechanisms, and both result in a high mortality rate.

Aims: Our objective was to demonstrate that left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) is associated with AIS.

Settings And Design: Prospective matched, case-control study on 110 patients with AIS.

Continuous glucose monitoring devices: A brief presentation (Review).

As diabetes prevalence is continuously increasing, better management is needed to achieve blood glucose control, in order to prevent complications and lessen the burden of this disease. Since the first measurement of glycosuria at the beginning of the 1900s', huge advances were made in monitoring glycemia. Continuous glucose monitoring systems revolutionized diabetes management, especially for patients with type 1 diabetes.

Overview of the anatomical basis of the piriformis syndrome-dissection with magnetic resonance correlation.

The piriformis syndrome is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed causes of lower back and gluteal pain caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve and the internal pudendal neurovascular bundle by the piriformis muscle. Although this syndrome was first suggested over 90 years ago, its diagnosis still represents a challenge for clinicians. In the present study, dissection was used to determine the intra- and extrapelvic anatomical course of the internal pudendal nerve and the data were compared with the information obtainable through MRI examination, in order to identify the piriformis syndrome and to differentiate it from other causes of internal pudendal neuralgia.

Role of methylene blue in detecting the sentinel lymph node in colorectal cancer: vs. technique.

The identification of sentinel lymph nodes is a valuable oncological method, which aims at mapping lymphatic drainage and has the advantage of correctly staging the disease and assessing prognosis. Lymph node invasion is an important prognostic feature. In colorectal cancer, lymphadenectomy is not influenced by the positive or negative status of the sentinel lymph node.

Multiple cranial nerve palsies following COVID-19 vaccination-Case report.

Background: The novel COVID-19 vaccines have side effects that require efficient and close monitoring.

Aims Of The Study: To examine whether the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is associated with multiple cranial neuropathy.

Methods: We report the case of a 29-year-old male patient with no notable history who presented with left oculomotor, abducens, trigeminal and facial palsies 6 days after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Giant Cavernous Hemangioma of the Liver in a Patient with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is frequently associated with liver cysts, but an association with giant cavernous liver hemangioma is not mentioned in the literature. CASE REPORT We report the case of a 41-year-old man with ADPKD, secondary arterial hypertension, and stage 4 chronic kidney disease who presented with a 2-week history of persistent pain at the base of the right hemithorax and in the right hypochondrium. An ultrasound examination and a contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan revealed a giant cavernous liver hemangioma.

Mechanisms of Herbal Nephroprotection in diabetes mellitus.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a leading cause of kidney morbidity. Despite the multilayered complexity of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of DN, the conventional treatment is limited to just a few drug classes fraught with the risk of adverse events, including the progression of renal dysfunction. Phytoceuticals offer a promising alternative as they act on the many-sidedness of DN pathophysiology, multitargeting its intricacies.

Infection with hepatitis C virus in hemodialysis patients: An overview of the diagnosis and prevention rules within a hemodialysis center (Review).

Increase in the number of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) calls for improved management of these patients. In stage 5 CKD, when the initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) becomes necessary, there is an increase in the infection risk of the patients and immunological tests for hepatitis C virus (HCV) detection turn positive at an alarmingly higher rate compared to general population. With the introduction into clinical practice of diagnostic tests, the increased prevalence of HCV among CKD patients has been known since the 1990s.

Characteristics of patients at initiation of renal replacement therapy - experience of a hemodialysis center.

The monitoring and care of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) before the dialysis initiation contribute to a better survival rate and an improvement in quality of life. The patients who do not benefit from a good predialysis management have a worse short and long-term prognosis. A retrospective, unicentric study was performed to evaluate the status of patients with stage 5 CKD at the time of initiation of renal replacement treatment.

Historical ethnobotanical review of medicinal plants used to treat children diseases in Romania (1860s-1970s).

Background: Romanian ethnopediatrics has a long history of medicinal plant use. The main objective of the present review was to identify, collect, systematize, and prioritize the available bibliographical data related to medicinal plants traditionally used to treat various pediatric diseases in Romania during the 1860s-1970s.

Methods: Information was mainly obtained by manual systematic search in various relevant historical works focused on the traditional use of medicinal plants in Romania (1860s-1970s), found in the Archives of Romanian Academy Library and National Romanian Library.

Aortic Dissection: An Easily Missed Diagnosis when Pain Doesn't Hold the Stage.

BACKGROUND Type A aortic dissection (AD) is a rare disease, with a high mortality rate. Its most common symptom is thoracic pain, which is nevertheless absent in about 6% of cases. Neurologic complications are extremely rare and include ischemic stroke and ischemic neuropathy (which are the most common as presenting symptoms), spinal cord ischemia, and hypoxic encephalopathy.

Early ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction after thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke: A case report.

Rationale: Acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a rare complication of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) during thrombolytic therapy. We report a case of STEMI occurring 40 minutes after thrombolytic therapy for AIS and discuss the possible mechanisms and therapeutic approaches.

Patient Concerns: A 87-year-old woman with a history of arterial hypertension was admitted for acute onset of right-sided limb weakness 2 hours before arrival at the emergency department.