Does methylene blue improve outcomes in patients with post-cardiac surgery vasoplegic syndrome?

Objectives: A best evidence topic was written according to a structured protocol described in ICVTS. The question addressed was 'In patients with vasoplegic syndrome following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, does adjunctive methylene blue improve outcomes including reduced mortality, morbidity and vasopressor requirements?'

Methods: Ovid Medline was searched using a reported search algorithm. Articles that represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question were selected, tabulated and discussed.

Low-Field MRI for Dental Imaging in Pediatric Patients With Supernumerary and Ectopic Teeth: A Comparative Study of 0.55 T and Ultra-Low-Dose CT.

Objectives: This study sought to elucidate the diagnostic performance of 0.55 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for pediatric dental imaging, specifically in terms of the image quality (IQ) for detecting ectopic and/or supernumerary teeth, compared with routine ultra-low-dose computed tomography (ULD-CT) of the jaw.

Materials And Methods: A total of 16 pediatric patients (mean age: 12.

Atrial Fibrillation Surgery in Australia: Are We Doing Enough?

Aim: This study aimed to examine contemporary burden and treatment trends of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery in Australia and New Zealand. This allows comparison of contemporary practice with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons guideline recommendations for the surgical treatment of AF in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Method: A 10-year retrospective review of the Australian & New Zealand Society of Cardiac & Thoracic Surgeons National Cardiac Surgery Database was performed, examining all adult cardiac surgery patients from 2011 to 2021.

Inspiratory muscle training for diaphragmatic dysfunction: A case series.

Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) is used across various pathology domains to improve respiratory function. Limited literature exists which demonstrates IMT benefit among patients with Diaphragmatic dysfunction. 7 individuals with a mean age of 59.

A peculiar presentation of tamponade: pericardial mesothelioma.

Pericardial mesothelioma (PM) is rare with only 200 cases recorded, and a post-mortem prevalence of <0.0022%. It is the third most common cardiac/pericardial tumour, behind angiosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma.

Diagnostic Accuracy and Performance Analysis of a Scanner-Integrated Artificial Intelligence Model for the Detection of Intracranial Hemorrhages in a Traumatology Emergency Department.

Intracranial hemorrhages require an immediate diagnosis to optimize patient management and outcomes, and CT is the modality of choice in the emergency setting. We aimed to evaluate the performance of the first scanner-integrated artificial intelligence algorithm to detect brain hemorrhages in a routine clinical setting. This retrospective study includes 435 consecutive non-contrast head CT scans.

Low volume ECMO results study.

To report extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) experience at Princess Alexandra and Gold Coast University hospitals and compare mortality with benchmarks. Case series of patients treated with ECMO. Two adult tertiary Australian intensive care units with low ECMO case volumes.

Pulmonary valve papillary fibroelastoma: to PE or not to PE.

Pulmonary valve (PV) fibroelastomas are a rare pathology, with limited anecdotal literature surrounding them. Consequently, the natural history is unclear; however, two features have remained salient; they are asymptomatic and found incidentally. Here, we describe a 52-year-old female, presenting with symptoms suggestive pulmonary embolism (PE).

A contemporary evaluation of surgical aortic valve replacement outcomes and temporal trends.

Background: Given the ageing population and uptake of transcatheter approaches for treating aortic stenosis (AS), a renewed evaluation of outcomes after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is warranted. With guidelines recommending age-based indications for surgical and transcatheter approaches, this study critically evaluates outcomes in age-based subgroups, with the aim to refine management of AS in the elderly, where there is often no clear consensus.

Methods: Six hundred and thirteen consecutive patients who underwent SAVR in an Australian tertiary cardiac centre between 1 June 2014 and 13 January 2022 were retrospectively analysed.

The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on lung cancer surgery in Queensland.

Background: The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to global healthcare. The contemporary influence of COVID-19 on the delivery of lung cancer surgery has not been examined in Queensland.

Methods: We performed a retrospective registry analysis of the Queensland Cardiac Outcomes Registry (QCOR), thoracic database examining all adult lung cancer resections across Queensland from 1/1/2016 to 30/4/2022.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for cardiac support in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients: a case report and review of a multicentre registry.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is associated with increased risk of heart failure via multiple mechanisms both in patients with and without access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Limited information is available on outcomes among this population supported on Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA ECMO), a form of temporary mechanical circulatory support.

Methods: We aimed to assess outcomes and complications among patients with HIV supported on VA ECMO reported to a multicentre registry and present a case report of a 32 year old male requiring VA ECMO for cardiogenic shock as a consequence of his untreated HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Thoracic Surgery and the Elderly; Is Lobectomy Safe in Octogenarians?

Purpose: Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common malignancy of the elderly, with 5-year survival estimates of 16.8%. The prognostic benefit of surgical resection for early lung cancer is irrefutable and maintained irrespective of age, even in patients over 75 years.

Lost in Translation: The Impact of Language Barriers on the Outcomes of Patients Receiving Coronary Artery Revascularization.

Introduction: Clear and effective communication is vital in discussions regarding coronary revascularization. Language barriers may limit communication in healthcare settings. Previous studies on the influence of language barriers on the outcomes of patients receiving coronary revascularization have produced conflicting results.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy for Harlequin syndrome.

Harlequin syndrome is an exceedingly rare condition, characterized by unilateral facial flushing and hyperhidrosis. Postulated to be dysregulated sympathetic nervous system stimulation of the dermal vasculature and blood vessels of the face. There is no clear unifying pathological cause.

Association between post-sternotomy tracheostomy and deep sternal wound infection: a retrospective analysis.

Background: Tracheostomy has traditionally been used as a means of facilitated mechanical ventilation in patients requiring respiratory management following cardiac surgery. However in the clinical setting, the advantages of tracheostomy has been questioned by concerns surrounding evidence of its association with increased risk of deep sternal wound infections (DSWI). The present study sought to evaluate retrospectively our experience with post-sternotomy tracheostomy among cardiac surgery patients and association with DSWI.

Differences in Intrusive Memory Experiences in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder after Single, Re- and Prolonged Traumatization.

Intrusive memory experiences (IMEs) are a common symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sensory perceptions of IMEs in the PTSD context vary substantially. The present research examined 20 patients with a single trauma, 20 re-traumatized patients and 80 Holocaust-traumatized patients who suffered from PTSD.

Spot quantification in two dimensional gel electrophoresis image analysis: comparison of different approaches and presentation of a novel compound fitting algorithm.

Background: Various computer-based methods exist for the detection and quantification of protein spots in two dimensional gel electrophoresis images. Area-based methods are commonly used for spot quantification: an area is assigned to each spot and the sum of the pixel intensities in that area, the so-called volume, is used a measure for spot signal. Other methods use the optical density, i.

A fast and robust method for automated analysis of axonal transport.

Cargo movement along axons and dendrites is indispensable for the survival and maintenance of neuronal networks. Key parameters of this transport such as particle velocities and pausing times are often studied using kymograph construction, which converts the transport along a line of interest from a time-lapse movie into a position versus time image. Here we present a method for the automatic analysis of such kymographs based on the Hough transform, which is a robust and fast technique to extract lines from images.

Systematic heterogeneity of fractional vesicle pool sizes and release rates of hippocampal synapses.

Hippocampal neurons in tissue culture develop functional synapses that exhibit considerable variation in synaptic vesicle content (20-350 vesicles). We examined absolute and fractional parameters of synaptic vesicle exocytosis of individual synapses. Their correlation to vesicle content was determined by activity-dependent discharge of FM-styryl dyes.

Statistical methods for detecting and comparing periodic data and their application to the nycthemeral rhythm of bodily harm: A population based study.

Background: Animals, including humans, exhibit a variety of biological rhythms. This article describes a method for the detection and simultaneous comparison of multiple nycthemeral rhythms.

Methods: A statistical method for detecting periodic patterns in time-related data via harmonic regression is described.

Background determination-based detection of scattered peaks.

In many instances of signal and image processing, it is indispensable to precisely distinguish scattered peaks from a background, e.g., camera signals in microscopy.

Distinct intracellular vesicle transport mechanisms are selectively modified by spastin and spastin mutations.

Spastin is a microtubule severing ATPase that regulates intracellular and axonal transport of vesicles. Intracellular vesicle trafficking was analyzed in differentiated SH-SY5Y-neuroblastoma cells, transfected with spastin wild-type and three spastin mutations (ΔN, K388R, S44L) to investigate spastin-mediated effects on the velocity of vesicles, stained with LysoTracker Red®. The vesicle velocity varied considerably between mutations and detailed analysis revealed up to five distinct velocity classes.