Inflammation-based scores are biomarkers of the crosstalk between the tumor microenvironment and the immune response. Investigating the intricate relationship between the tumor stromal microenvironment, biomarkers, and the response to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is essential for early identification of TACE refractoriness or failure, providing insights into tumor biology and facilitating personalized therapeutic interventions. This study addresses a dearth of recent literature exploring the prognostic significance of the preoperative LMR in individuals from western countries diagnosed with stage B hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing drug eluting microspheres TACE (DEM-TACE) or conventional TACE (cTACE).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The utilization of inflammation-based scores, such as the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio (LMR), and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), has garnered attention for their potential as prognostic indicators in various cancers. However, their predictive role in patients with intermediate-stage HCC undergoing transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) remains an area that requires further investigation, as early recognition of TACE refractoriness holds the potential to guide tailored therapeutic interventions.
Methods: This multicenter international retrospective study analyzed data from patients with intermediate-stage HCC undergoing TACE between 2018 and 2024.
In Catanzaro, Italy, an adult male with severe burns all over his body and in a state of coma was promptly rescued by the medical team at the air ambulance service (HEMS), who provided airway safety through laryngeal mask placement (LMA). The patient was subsequently transferred to the nearest Hub center, where an emergency tracheostomy was performed to ensure better airway management during the flight to the nearest available major burn center. This is the first documented case at regional level of a patient undergoing rapid tracheostomy through an imminent transfer with air ambulance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDrowning is an acute respiratory failure as a result from immersion or submersion of the airways in a liquid medium (predominantly water). Inhalation of water causes severe lung damage due to the destruction of pulmonary surfactant, resulting in decreased lung elasticity, alveolar collapse, alteration of ventilation-perfusion ratio, intrapulmonary blood shunting, hypoxia, acute lung injury, and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Poractant alfa (Curosurf®), a natural surfactant effective in the treatment of newborn respiratory distress, has been used in various forms of ARDS, but in drowning syndromes, experience is still poor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTraumatic rhabdomyolysis is a clinical and biological syndrome secondary to lysis of striated muscle fibers resulting in extended musculoskeletal damage. An acute muscle damage causes the release of constituent elements of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, such as muscle enzymes, potassium, and myoglobin in plasma circulation; these conditions are at great risk of dangerous systemic complications for life such as hypovolemic shock, hyperkalemia, and acute kidney injury. We describe the case of a patient who suffered a severe musculoskeletal and vascular trauma with elevated creatine kinase values and myoglobinemia treated early with coupled plasma filtration adsorption in order to prevent kidney damage, associated with volume replacement, loop diuretics, and correction of metabolic acidosis.
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