ICU-Acquired Superinfections Before And During The COVID-19 Pandemic: Similarities And Differences.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, intensive care units (ICUs) experienced a surge in patients with viral pneumonia, often leading to acute respiratory failure. A global rise in ICU superinfections was observed; however, it remains unclear whether the extensive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, corticosteroids, and immunosuppressants contributed to this rise.

Objectives: We aim to identify clinical factors associated with these superinfections while analyzing epidemiologic patterns of superinfections in two different periods.

Elevated frequency and severity of asthma in patients with hiatal hernia: A retrospective study.

Hiatal Hernia (HH) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been found to be associated with respiratory conditions, such as pulmonary fibrosis. However, their association with asthma remains ambiguous. Thus, the present cross-sectional, retrospective, monocentric study aimed to investigate the prevalence of asthma among patients with HH, evaluate its severity in these patients, and screen for associated respiratory symptoms.

Predictors of Functional Impairment in Severe COVID-19 Patients Two Months After Discharge.

Background: The Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) scale is a validated tool used to measure the functional status of patients discharged from the hospital.

Objectives: To describe the functional limitations of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at the time of discharge and two months afterward, and to identify risk factors associated with functional impairment.

Design: Retrospective study.

An Unusual Presentation of Cutaneous Bullous Lupus.

Drug-induced lupus erythematosus (DILE) is an autoimmune reaction that results in symptoms of polyarthralgia, fever, and cutaneous lesions and other manifestations. Several drugs have been documented to cause this disease, including procainamide, isoniazid, methyldopa, penicillamine, and hydralazine. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) manifestations often occur after the patient has been taking the drug without complications for months to years.

Intranasal trimethyl chitosan-coated emulsomes containing tizanidine as brain-targeted therapy in spasticity: formulation, optimization, and pharmacokinetic assessment.

Tizanidine HCl (TZN) is an FDA-approved medication for treating spasticity. However, its oral administration presents obstacles to its efficacy, as it has a short duration of action and a low rate of absorption into the circulation (less than 40%) due to its rapid breakdown in the liver. In addition, its hydrophilic properties limit its capacity to cross the blood-brain barrier, thereby prohibiting it from reaching the central nervous system, where it can exert its intended therapeutic effects.

The Role of Intermittent Fasting on Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Intermittent fasting has gained popularity as a dietary intervention to improve metabolic health. Metabolic syndrome may benefit from intermittent fasting by improving weight, cholesterol levels, blood pressure (BP), and glucose control. This study aims to assess the effects of intermittent fasting on weight, BMI, cholesterol levels, BP, and glucose in individuals with metabolic syndrome.

Hemoglobin-oxygen affinity changes in neonatal blood transfusions: RBC selection insights.

Background: Despite preterm newborns often requiring blood transfusions, we have an incomplete understanding of the impact of adult packed red blood cell (pRBC) transfusions on fetal red blood cell (RBC) oxygen affinity. We investigated the influence of adult pRBC on oxygen binding in fetal RBCs obtained from the umbilical cord of preterm newborns. This included exploring the influence of the biological age of adult pRBCs on the oxygen affinity of fetal blood.

Seroprevalence of brucellosis among high-risk individuals in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

Background And Aim: Brucellosis is a highly contagious, neglected zoonotic disease of major importance worldwide. The disease is endemic in many countries, burdening healthcare systems and the livestock industry and representing a persistent public health concern in these countries. Brucellosis is considered an important occupational hazard for livestock workers.

Human versus Artificial Intelligence: ChatGPT-4 Outperforming Bing, Bard, ChatGPT-3.5 and Humans in Clinical Chemistry Multiple-Choice Questions.

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots excel in language understanding and generation. These models can transform healthcare education and practice. However, it is important to assess the performance of such AI models in various topics to highlight its strengths and possible limitations.

Prognostic impact of invariant natural killer T cells in solid and hematological tumors; systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are an immune subset that purportedly link the adaptive and the innate arms of the immune system. Importantly, iNKT cells contribute to anti-cancer immunity in different types of hematological and solid malignancies by secreting pro-inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, using such cells in treating different type of tumors would be an ideal candidate for cancer immunotherapy.

Long-Term Safety of Roflumilast in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, a Multinational Observational Database Cohort Study.

Purpose: This study evaluated the long-term safety of roflumilast in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or chronic bronchitis using electronic healthcare databases from Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the United States (US).

Patients And Methods: The study population consisted of patients aged ≥40 years who had been exposed to roflumilast and a matched cohort unexposed to roflumilast. The matching was based on sex, age, calendar year of cohort entry date (2010-2011, 2012, or 2013), and a propensity score that included variables such as demographics, markers of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) severity and morbidity, and comorbidities.

Influence of titanium and titanium-zirconium alloy as implant materials on implant stability of maxillary implant retained overdenture: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Long-term success of implant restoration depends on many factors one of them is the sufficient implant stability which is lowered in compromised bone density sites such as the maxilla as it is categorized as type III & IV bone, so searching for a new innovation and updates in implant material and features is very mandatory. So, the aim of this study was to compare between two implant materials (roxolid and traditional titanium) on the primary and secondary stability of implant retained maxillary overdenture.

Methods: Eighteen completely edentulous patients were selected.

Unusual Presentation of Thoracic Chordoma with Spinal Epidural Hematoma: A Rare Case Report and PRISMA-Driven Systematic Review.

A chordoma is a slow growing, locally invasive, low-grade tumor belonging to the sarcoma family. It mainly affects the sacrum and skull base. We present a case of thoracic chordoma initially presented with epidural hematoma (EDH), which is a rare clinical entity.

Sex Differences in Self-Reported Causes, Symptoms, and Recovery Strategies Associated With Underperformance in Endurance Athletes.

Purpose: This study investigated sex differences in self-reported causes, symptoms, and recovery strategies associated with underperformance in endurance athletes.

Methods: A total of 82 athletes (40 women) meeting the inclusion criteria (performance level ≥tier 3, used training diaries, and experienced 1 or more periods of underperformance during their career) completed an online questionnaire. The questionnaire encompassed inquiries regarding load monitoring and experiences with underperformance, focusing on causes, symptoms, and recovery strategies.

Diaphragmatic strengthening exercises for patients with post COVID-19 condition after mild-to-moderate acute COVID-19 infection: a randomized controlled study.

Objective: To assess the clinical effects of incentive spirometry (IS) and diaphragmatic breathing (DB) in patients with post COVID-19 condition and diaphragmatic dysfunction as compared with the standard care alone.

Methods: The present longitudinal randomized study included 60 patients with post COVID-19 condition and diaphragmatic dysfunction. Patients were equally randomized to receive standard care plus IS (G1), standard care plus DB (G2) or standard care alone (G3) for 8 weeks.

Free sugar intake is associated with reduced proportion of circulating invariant natural killer T cells among women experiencing overweight and obesity.

Background: Higher prevalence of obesity has been observed among women compared to men, which can be explained partly by the higher consumption of sweets and physical inactivity. Obesity can alter immune cell infiltration, and therefore increase the susceptibility to develop chronic inflammation and metabolic disorders. In this study, we aimed to explore the association between free sugar intake and other unhealthy lifestyle habits in relation to the proportion of circulating iNKT cells among women with healthy weight and women experiencing overweight and obesity.

The Enterococcus secretome inhibits the growth of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis V853 with their antiproliferative properties and nanoencapsulation effects.

In our study, the secretome of the clinical isolate Enterococcus faecalis HY7 displayed antibacterial activity against the vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis V853. These bacteriocin-like substances showed thermal stability at a wide range of temperatures up to 121 °C, while proteinase K treatment resulted in a total loss of their activity. PCR-based screening for bacteriocin biosynthetic genes revealed that Enterococcus faecalis HY7 harbored multiple enterocin-producing genes, including ent A, avc A, and as-48.

Antifungal drug discovery for targeting morphogenesis through structural dynamics study.

In response to the escalating threat of drug-resistant fungi to human health, there is an urgent need for innovative strategies. Our focus is on addressing this challenge by exploring a previously untapped target, yeast casein kinase (Yck2), as a potential space for antifungal development. To identify promising antifungal candidates, we conducted a thorough screening of the diverse-lib drug-like molecule library, comprising 99,288 molecules.

A Novel Chitosan-coated Leciplex Loaded with Ambrisentan as a Possible Pulmonary Nanosystem: Optimization, Characterization, and Pharmacokinetics Assessments.

The purpose of this research was to formulate, optimize, and characterize ambrisentan chitosan-coated LeciPlex (AMS-CTS-LPX) to increase the therapeutic effectiveness and bioavailability of ambrisentan. A central composite design (CCD) was implemented to assess the impact of various factors on the production of AMS-CTS-LPX and to identify the optimum formulation via the use of Design Expert® software. The assembly of AMS-CTS-LPX was conducted using a single-step process.

Erratum to "Impact of pharmacist intervention to deprescribe inappropriate aspirin therapy in an outpatient anticoagulation clinic at a community hospital" [Am. Heart J. Plus: Cardiol. Res. Pract. volume 17, May 2022, 100165].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ahjo.