Introduction: Deep venous stent placement has developed into a primary treatment modality for venous obstruction in recent decades. Reported rates of complications are low in the literature and are based mainly on case reports and single-centre cohorts. Interventionalists performing these procedures must be aware of the occurrence of complications associated with stent placement to counsel patients adequately and promote avoidance through optimal procedural approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis the leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections and is a major health burden due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. To address the unmet need of alternative treatments to antibiotics, a better understanding of the protective immune mechanisms against skin infection is warranted. Here, we report that tumor necrosis factor (TNF) promoted protection against in the skin, which was mediated by bone marrow-derived immune cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) is highly expressed in keratinocytes and immune cells and promotes pro-inflammatory responses upon activation. The activity of PDE4 has been attributed to various inflammatory conditions, leading to the development and approval of PDE4 inhibitors as host-directed therapeutics in humans. For example, the topical PDE4 inhibitor, crisaborole, is approved for the treatment of mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis and has shown efficacy in patients with psoriasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate rates of ulcer healing following ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS).
Methods: The MEDLINE, CENTRAL and Embase databases were used to search for relevant studies using the terms ' (sclerotherapy AND ulcer) OR (vein AND ulcer) OR (sclerotherapy AND vein)'. Heterogeneity between studies was quantified using the I statistic.
Introduction: It is purported that patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) may have impaired cognitive function due to concomitant cerebrovascular disease. Such disease may be clinically unrecognized but can impact on a patient's recovery and prognosis. The purpose of this systematic review was to interrogate the body of published evidence on undiagnosed cognitive impairment in PAD patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnkle-brachial pressure indices (ABIs) continue to form the basis of diagnostics for lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD). However, there remains a paucity of data to support its accuracy. This study aims to evaluate its diagnostic sensitivity and specificity using established arterial-imaging modalities as a benchmark.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFcauses most skin infections in humans, and the emergence of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains is a serious public health threat. There is an urgent clinical need for nonantibiotic immunotherapies to treat MRSA infections and prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance. Here, we investigated the pan-caspase inhibitor quinoline-valine-aspartic acid-difluorophenoxymethyl ketone (Q-VD-OPH) for efficacy against MRSA skin infection in mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Toe amputation is a commonly performed procedure for irreversible foot sepsis. However, outcome and predictors of outcome are poorly understood. Our aim was to determine survival and rate of progression to further amputation following index toe amputation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFC-C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) is an important mediator of myeloid cell chemotaxis during inflammation and infection. Myeloid cells such as monocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils contribute to host defense during orthopedic implant-associated infections (OIAI), but whether CCR2-mediated chemotaxis is involved remains unclear. Therefore, a Staphylococcus aureus OIAI model was performed by surgically placing an orthopedic-grade titanium implant and inoculating a bioluminescent S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPost-surgical implant-associated spinal infection is a devastating complication commonly caused by Biofilm formation is thought to reduce penetration of antibiotics and immune cells, contributing to chronic and difficult-to-treat infections. A rabbit model of a posterior-approach spinal surgery was created, in which bilateral titanium pedicle screws were interconnected by a plate at the level of lumbar vertebra L6 and inoculated with a methicillin-resistant (MRSA) bioluminescent strain. whole-animal bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and bacterial cultures demonstrated a peak in bacterial burden by day 14, when wound dehiscence occurred.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrthopedic implant-associated infection (OIAI) is a major complication that leads to implant failure. In preclinical models of Staphylococcus aureus OIAI, osteomyelitis and septic arthritis, interleukin-1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) are induced, but whether they have interactive or distinctive roles in host defense are unclear. Herein, a S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtracellular vesicles (EVs) shuttle microRNA (miRNA) throughout the circulation and are believed to represent a fingerprint of the releasing cell. We isolated and characterized serum EVs of breast tumour-bearing animals, breast cancer (BC) patients, and healthy controls. EVs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), protein quantification, western blotting, and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Endovenous treatment of varicose veins has increased in popularity over the last decade. There remains, however, a degree of uncertainty regarding the role of compression bandaging or hosiery following this intervention. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence Guideline Development Group has advocated further research to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of this post-procedure intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn vivo bioluminescence imaging has been used to monitor Staphylococcus aureus infections in preclinical models by employing bacterial reporter strains possessing a modified lux operon from Photorhabdus luminescens. However, the relatively short emission wavelength of lux (peak 490 nm) has limited tissue penetration. To overcome this limitation, the gene for the click beetle (Pyrophorus plagiophtalamus) red luciferase (luc) (with a longer >600 emission wavelength), was introduced singly and in combination with the lux operon into a methicillin-resistant S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: With lower rates of sepsis and re-interventions, arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred vascular access modality. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of patients referred for AVF construction at a single center in Cork, Ireland.
Methods: The current study is a single-center retrospective review of all patients who underwent AVF creation between 2015 and 2017.
Introduction Elective and emergency paediatric general surgery is performed in numerous hospitals but with differing exclusion and transfer thresholds. Recent national guidelines detail necessary surgical, anaesthetic and nursing resources for safe and efficient delivery of services. Methods A retrospective review of paediatric surgical admissions was performed from January 2015 to December 2016.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The cost of new cancer technologies has been the subject of intense debate in recent years. There have been significant advances in therapeutic techniques for breast cancer over the past 20 years. This has been accompanied by the concentration of services in designated cancer centres.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) are associated with a poor prognosis owing to an aggressive phenotype. We aimed to carry out a prospective study comparing management strategies and response to therapy in TNBC and non-TNBC patients.
Methods: Data were obtained from a prospectively maintained database of patients treated for breast cancer.