Introduction: Despite continued improvement in post-sepsis survival, long term morbidity and mortality remain high. Chronic critical illness (CCI), defined as persistent inflammation and organ injury requiring prolonged intensive care, is a harbinger of poor long-term outcomes in sepsis survivors. Current dogma states that sepsis survivors are immunosuppressed, particularly in CCI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElevation of depressed skull fractures in pediatric patients is indicated when the depression extends below the level of the inner table. Although open surgical reduction is an option for treatment, closed vacuum-assisted elevation has been found to have a high success rate and low complication rates when employed in children less than 6 months of age without disruption of the cortex. In this article, we describe two recent cases from our institution and summarize the reported cases in the literature including information about fracture specifics, device used, technical approach, and success rate of the procedure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnvironmental enrichment (EE) consists of increased living space, complex stimuli, and social interaction that collectively confer neurobehavioral benefits in preclinical models of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The typical EE approach entails implementation immediately after surgery and continual exposure, which is not clinically applicable, as TBI patients often only receive rehabilitation after critical care, and then only for a few hours per day. We are focused on developing a clinically relevant model of neurorehabilitation by refining the timing of initiation and duration of EE exposure after TBI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA captive sand tiger shark () presented with progressive, hard, raised, miliary skin lesions localized to the lateral trunk and peduncle. Histopathologic evaluation of biopsy samples revealed dysplastic proliferation of odontogenic epithelium with the production of collagenous material. Inclusion bodies and viral particles were not observed with light or transmission electron microscopy, respectively.
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