Long-Term Follow-Up of Kidney Function after Acute Liver Failure or Acute Liver Injury: A Cohort Study.

Introduction: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare disease with high mortality. Acute kidney injury (AKI) following ALF is frequent. We assessed AKI impact on long-term kidney function among ALF survivors.

Overcoming diagnostic challenges in constrictive pericarditis: why volume is important?

A 65-year-old male with chronic liver disease and refractory ascites was being evaluated for liver transplant, when constrictive pericarditis (CP) was suspected. Initial diagnostics were inconclusive due to overdiuresis. After suspension of diuretics, cardiac magnetic resonance confirmed CP, leading to successful pericardiectomy and normalization of liver function, emphasizing volume status and multimodality imaging role in CP diagnosis.

Ammonia and urea metabolism in acute liver failure: A multicentre cohort study.

Background & Aims: Ammonia is metabolized into urea in the liver. In acute liver failure (ALF), ammonia has been associated with survival. However, urea variation has been poorly studied.

Referral for liver transplant following acute variceal bleeding: a multicenter cohort study.

Objectives: Referral for liver transplant (LT) following acute variceal bleeding (AVB) varies widely. We aimed to characterize and assess its impact on clinical outcomes.

Methods: Observational retrospective cohort including cirrhosis patients with AVB from 3 hospitals in Lisbon, Portugal, from 2018 to 2019.

Continuous renal replacement therapy and survival in acute liver failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare syndrome leading to significant morbidity and mortality. An important cause of mortality is cerebral edema due to hyperammonemia. Different therapies for hyperammonemia have been assessed including continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT).

What every Intensivist should know about ... Ammonia in liver failure.

Purpose: Acute liver failure (ALF) or acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) patients have high short-term mortality and morbidity. In the context of liver failure, increased serum ammonia is associated with worse neurological outcomes, including high-grade hepatic encephalopathy (HE), cerebral edema, and intracranial hypertension. Besides its neurotoxicity, hyperammonemia may contribute to immune dysfunction and the risk of infection, a frequent trigger for multi-organ failure in these patients.

Alcohol Consumption Post-Liver Transplantation: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Listing patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) for liver transplant (LT) remains challenging especially due to the risk of alcohol resumption post-LT. We aimed to evaluate post-LT alcohol consumption at a Portuguese transplant center.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study including LT recipients from 2019 at Curry Cabral Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal.

Post liver transplantation delirium assessment using the CAM-ICU-7 scale: A cohort analysis.

Background: We applied the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM)-Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-7 delirium scale to patients who underwent liver transplant (LT).

Methods: Retrospective cohort including patients who underwent LT for cirrhosis admitted to the ICU from June 2013 to June 2016 at the University of Alberta Hospital, Canada. Delirium was assessed using the CAM-ICU-7 scale (0-7 points) twice daily on days one and 3 post LT, with the highest score being considered.

Early serum ammonia variation in critically ill patients with cirrhosis: A multicentre cohort study.

Background: Serum ammonia variation in critically ill patients with cirrhosis has been poorly studied.

Aim: To describe and assess the impact of serum ammonia variation in these patients' outcomes.

Methods: We studied patients ≥18 years old admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) at University of Alberta Hospital (Edmonton, Canada) and Curry Cabral Hospital (Lisbon, Portugal; derivation cohort, n = 492) and Northwestern University Hospital (Chicago, USA; validation cohort, n = 600) between January 2010 and December 2021.

Multi-Parameter Optical Monitoring Solution Applied to Underground Medium-Voltage Electric Power Distribution Networks.

This work presents a multi-parameter optical fiber monitoring solution applied to an underground power distribution network. The monitoring system demonstrated herein uses Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors to measure multiple parameters, such as the distributed temperature of the power cable, external temperature and current of the transformers, liquid level, and intrusion in the underground manholes. To monitor partial discharges of cable connections, we used sensors that detect radio frequency signals.

Abdominal perfusion pressure in critically ill cirrhotic patients: a prospective observational study.

In critical patients, abdominal perfusion pressure (APP) has been shown to correlate with outcome. However, data from cirrhotic patients is scarce. We aimed to characterize APP in critically ill cirrhotic patients, analyze the prevalence and risk factors of abdominal hypoperfusion (AhP) and outcomes.

The impact of multidrug-resistant microorganisms on critically ill patients with cirrhosis in the intensive care unit: a cohort study.

The impact of multidrug-resistant (MDR) colonization and MDR infection in critically ill cirrhosis patients remains unclear. We assessed the association of MDR colonization and MDR infection with these patients' survival. Observational cohort study including adult cirrhosis patients admitted to 5 intensive care units at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago, Illinois, USA) on January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2017.

The Impact of Donor Risk Index, Recipients' and Operative Characteristics on Post Liver Transplant One-Year Graft Failure: A Cohort Analysis.

Background And Aims: The donor risk index (DRI) quantifies donor-related characteristics potentially associated with increased risk of early graft failure. We aimed to assess the impact of the DRI, recipient and perioperative factors on post liver transplant (LT) outcomes.

Methods: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study including all adult (≥18 years) patients who underwent LT from 01/2019 to 12/2019 at Curry Cabral Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal.

Persistent But Not Transient Acute Kidney Injury Was Associated With Lower Transplant-Free Survival in Patients With Acute Liver Failure: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Objectives: Acute liver failure (ALF) is an orphan disease often complicated by acute kidney injury (AKI). We assessed the impact of transient versus persistent AKI on survival in patients with ALF.

Design: International multicenter retrospective cohort.

Liver trauma in the intensive care unit.

Purpose Of Review: To review the surgical and critical care management of liver trauma; one of the most common abdominal injuries sustained due to its size and location.

Recent Findings: Hepatic injuries range from negligible to life threatening: in the acute phase, the most common cause of morbidity and mortality is hemorrhage; however, severe traumatic hepatic injuries can also lead to biochemical abnormalities, altered coagulation, and ultimately liver failure. This brief review will review the classification of traumatic liver injuries by mechanism, grade, and severity.

Variation in the Care of Acute Liver Failure: A Survey of Intensive Care Professionals.

Introduction: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare disease with potentially high mortality. We sought to assess the individual approach to ALF by intensive care unit (ICU) professionals.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey of ICU professionals.

A Mechanically Flexible, Implantable Neural Interface for Computational Imaging and Optogenetic Stimulation Over 5.4×5.4mm FoV.

Emerging optical functional imaging and optogenetics are among the most promising approaches in neuroscience to study neuronal circuits. Combining both methods into a single implantable device enables all-optical neural interrogation with immediate applications in freely-behaving animal studies. In this paper, we demonstrate such a device capable of optical neural recording and stimulation over large cortical areas.

An Integrated 2D Ultrasound Phased Array Transmitter in CMOS With Pixel Pitch-Matched Beamforming.

Emerging non-imaging ultrasound applications, such as ultrasonic wireless power delivery to implantable devices and ultrasound neuromodulation, require wearable form factors, millisecond-range pulse durations and focal spot diameters approaching 100 μm with electronic control of its three-dimensional location. None of these are compatible with typical handheld linear array ultrasound imaging probes. In this work, we present a 4 mm × 5 mm 2D ultrasound phased array transmitter with integrated piezoelectric ultrasound transducers on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits, featuring pixel-level pitch-matched transmit beamforming circuits which support arbitrary pulse duration.

Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter in Acute Liver Failure: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare disease that may lead to cerebral edema and death. An increased optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) may reflect an early increase in intracranial pressure. We assessed the feasibility and safety of the ONSD measurement and its association with outcomes in patients with ALF.

Wireless technologies for the connectivity of the future.

This Special Issue originates from the international conference EuCNC 2020 (European Conference on Networks and Communications), which was planned to be held in June 2020 in Dubrovnik (Croatia), but due to the COVID-19 pandemic was changed to an Online Conference. The Technical Programme Chairs of the conference have selected the best papers and invited authors to submit an extended version of their paper, by at least one third of their length. Only the top ranked papers were invited to this Special Issue, in order to fulfil its purpose.