Statin initiation and acute kidney injury following elective cardiovascular surgery: a population cohort study in Denmark†.

Objectives: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication of cardiac surgery. Statins may prevent post-surgical AKI, yet methodological concerns about existing studies raise questions about the magnitude of a protective effect. We sought to determine the effect of initiating a statin prior to elective cardiac surgery on post-surgical AKI in a regional Danish surgical cohort.

Acute respiratory failure secondary to esophageal dilation from undiagnosed achalasia.

Achalasia is an idiopathic motility disorder causing progressive dysphagia and dilation of the esophagus. Rarely this esophageal dilation can cause acute respiratory insufficiency and/or failure. We describe a 63-year-old woman presenting for total knee arthroplasty in whom induction of anesthesia was complicated by pulmonary aspiration requiring postoperative ventilation, hypotension requiring vasopressor therapy, and postextubation, recurrent, acute respiratory failure.

Phylogenetic lineage and pilus protein Spb1/SAN1518 affect opsonin-independent phagocytosis and intracellular survival of Group B Streptococcus.

Opsonin-independent phagocytosis of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is important in defense against neonatal GBS infections. A recent study indicated a role for GBS pilus in macrophage phagocytosis (Maisey et al Faseb J 22 2008 1715-24). We studied 163 isolates from different phylogenetic backgrounds and those possessing or lacking the gene encoding the pilus backbone protein, Spb1 (SAN1518, PI-2b) and spb1-deficient mutants of wild-type (WT) serotype III-3 GBS 874391 in non-opsonic phagocytosis assays using J774A.

Development of an obesity counseling model based on a study of determinants of intentional sustained weight loss.

Background: Overweight and obesity are at epidemic proportions. This study examines the attitudes and actions of Oklahoma clinicians in obesity treatment, and the characteristics and perceptions of a subset of their patients who lost weight and were able to maintain weight loss.

Methods: Our study was a small mixed method study involving both surveys and interviews.

Nurse and physician patient counseling about tobacco smoking in Jordan.

The objective of this study was to identify whether nurses are as likely as physicians to feel prepared to assist patients to quit smoking, to have smoked in front of patients, or to have received training on counseling patients about smoking cessation. The sample consisted of 262 nurses and 251 physicians, ages 18 years and older, from public and private hospitals in Jordan. It was found that nurses were more likely than physicians to receive training on counseling patients about smoking cessation (41% vs.

Smoking prevalence, attitudes, and perceived smoking prevention and control responsibilities and behaviors among physicians in Jordan.

This study identifies smoking prevalence among physicians in Jordan. It also assesses their attitudes, perceived smoking prevention, and control responsibilities and behaviors. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 251 physicians from public and private hospitals in Jordan.