Concurrent Change in Serum Cholinesterase Activity and Midregional-Proadrennomedullin Level Could Predict Patient Outcome following Liver Transplantation.

Background: After liver transplantation (LTX), patients are susceptible to opportunistic infections resulting in reduced outcomes within the early post-transplantation period. The postoperative monitoring of LTX patients has gained much importance in recent years. However, reliable plasmatic markers predicting 90-day outcomes are still lacking.

Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 detects invasive fungal infections in patients following liver transplantation.

Purpose: Despite antifungal prophylaxis, liver transplanted patients are endangered by invasive fungal infections (IFI). Routinely used microbiological procedures are hallmarked by significant weaknesses, which may lead to a delay in antifungal treatment.

Methods: Culture-based fungal findings, routinely used biomarkers of infection/inflammation (e.

New approaches for the detection of invasive fungal diseases in patients following liver transplantation-results of an observational clinical pilot study.

Purpose: Despite antifungal prophylaxis following liver transplantation (LTX), patients are at risk for the development of subsequent opportunistic infections, such as an invasive fungal disease (IFD). However, culture-based diagnostic procedures are associated with relevant weaknesses.

Methods: Culture and next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based fungal findings as well as corresponding plasma levels of ß-D-glucan (BDG), galactomannan (GM), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-2, -4, -6, -10, -17A and mid-regional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM) were evaluated in 93 patients at 6 consecutive time points within 28 days following LTX.

"Attention Everyone, Time Out!": Safety Attitudes and Checklist Practices in Anesthesiology in Germany. A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The use of perioperative checklists has generated a growing body of evidence pointing toward reduction of mortality and morbidity, improved compliance with guidelines, reduction of adverse events, and improvements in human factor-related areas. Usual quality management metrics generally fall short in assessing compliance with their perioperative application. Our study assessed application attitudes and compliance with safety measures centered around the World Health Organization (WHO) "Safe Surgery Saves Lives" campaign as perceived by anesthesia professionals in Germany.

Developmental changes in patterns of brain activity associated with moment-to-moment adjustments in control.

The current study investigated age-related changes in patterns of brain activity associated with moment-to-moment adjustments in control through the use of fMRI. Fifty-eight participants ranging continuously in age from 9 to 32 years were scanned as they performed a task in which the need for rapid adjustments in control was greater in one condition than another. Despite comparable behavioral performance across ages, moment-to-moment adjustments were associated with stronger engagement of anterior cingulate, anterior insula, lateral prefrontal cortex and the intraparietal sulcus in older than in younger participants.