Does percutaneous cholecystostomy affect prognosis of patients with acute cholecystitis that are unresponsive to conservative treatment?

Background: Percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) can be used as bridging or definitive therapy in some cases of acute cholecystitis. We aimed to compare hospital stay and survival of patients that underwent PC insertion because of acute calculus cholecystitis (ACC) compared to those who did not.

Methods: This is a retrospective study in which patients with gangrenous cholecystitis and perforation were excluded.

Smell-related quality of life changes after total laryngectomy: a multi-centre study.

Purpose: A total laryngectomy creates an alternate airway for gas exchange that bypasses the upper aerodigestive tract. The subsequent reduction in nasal airflow, and therefore, reduction in deposition of particles to the olfactory neuroepithelium leads to hyposmia or anosmia. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life impairment conferred by anosmia following laryngectomy and identify any specific patient-related risk factors that are associated with poorer outcomes.

"Losing Faith in My Body": Body Image in Individuals Diagnosed with End-Stage Renal Disease as Reflected in Drawings and Narratives.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the dependency on dialysis is an abrupt life-changing event that harms a patient's life (e.g., social relationships, work, and well-being).

Maternal and neonatal outcome of women before vs. after bariatric surgery: A single tertiary center experience.

Background: Obesity is associated with short term perinatal risks, causing increased risks in pre- and post-term birth, small and large for gestational (SGA/LGA), congenital anomalies, and perinatal mortality.

Objective: This study evaluate maternal and neonatal outcomes of women with morbid obesity who delivered before BS as compared to their counterparts who delivered after BS.

Design: A retrospective analysis in a single institute.

Keep it Simple, Laboratory Parameters to Predict Complicated Acute Appendicitis in Children Younger Than Five Years.

Background: The clinical presentation of acute appendicitis in the youngest age lacks specific signs and symptoms, and it is difficult to obtain an accurate clinical diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is made, it is necessary to determine if the appendicitis is simple and able to be managed non-surgically, or complicated, therefore requiring surgery. Together with the clinical picture and imaging, routine laboratory values play a vital role in this decision.

Urinary Tract Infections After Urinary Diversion-Different Occurrence Patterns in Patients With Ileal Conduit and Orthotopic Neobladder.

Objective: To compare the incidence rate of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and associated pathogens between patients with ileal conduit and patients with orthotopic neobladder urinary diversion.

Patients And Methods: The medical records of 179 patients treated with radical cystectomy between 2006 and 2011 were reviewed and data pertaining to postoperative UTI were collected. UTI incidence was reported at 3 months' intervals and compared by diversion type.

The role of bariatric surgery in morbidly obese patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: Bariatric surgery is considered as being contraindicated for morbidly obese patients who also have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of our study was to report the outcomes of bariatric surgery in morbidly obese IBD patients.

Methods: The prospectively collected data of all the patients diagnosed as having IBD who underwent bariatric operations in 2 medical centers between October 2006 and January 2014 were retrieved and analyzed.

Learning numerical progressions.

Learning of simple numerical progressions and compound progressions formed by combining two or three simple progressions is investigated. In two experiments, time to solution was greater for compound vs simple progressions; greater the higher the progression's solution level; and greater if the progression consisted of large vs small numbers. A set of strategies is proposed to account for progression learning based on the assumption S computes differences between integers, differences between differences, etc.