Modulation in serum and hematological parameters as a prognostic indicator of COVID-19 infection in hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and different cardiovascular diseases.

SARS-CoV-2 infection affects and modulates serum as well as hematological parameters. However, whether it modifies these parameters in the existing disease conditions, which help in the erection of specific treatments for the disease, is under investigation. Here, we aimed to determine whether serum and hematological parameters alteration in various diseases, diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), ischemic heart disease (IHD) and myocardial infarction (MI) conditions correlate and signal SARS-CoV-2 infection, which could be used as a rapid diagnosis tool for SARS-CoV-2 infection in disease conditions.

Frequency and Causes of Traumatic and Non-traumatic Spinal Injury Reported at Two Major Tertiary Care Hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Introduction Spinal cord injury, due to traumatic or non-traumatic causes, is a medically challenging and life-disrupting condition. The injury disrupts neural signaling and is a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment that can reduce long-term effects like paralysis or partial disability of the body. It has costly consequences both for individuals and families because it causes not only physical disability but dependency on others.

Microplastic Contamination of Chicken Meat and Fish through Plastic Cutting Boards.

Microplastic contamination was found in fish and chicken bought on the market, in food stores and in chain supermarkets in the Middle East with the contamination ranging from 0.03 ± 0.04 to 1.

Plastic cutting boards as a source of microplastics in meat.

Plastic cutting boards were found to be the source of polythene microplastic contamination in cut meat commercially available at butchers and a supermarket chain in the Middle East, making them also a direct source of microplastic in wastewater. The mean size of the microplastic in the raw meat was 1279.2 ± 835.

Postoperative arginine-enriched immune modulating nutrition: Long-term survival results from a randomised clinical trial in patients with oesophagogastric and pancreaticobiliary cancer.

Background & Aims: Immune modulating nutrition (IMN) has been shown to reduce postoperative infectious complications and length of stay in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Two studies of IMN in patients undergoing surgery for head and neck cancer also suggested that this treatment might improve long-term survival and progression-free survival. In the present study, we analysed follow-up data from our previous randomised controlled trial of IMN, in patients undergoing surgery for oesophagogastric and pancreaticobiliary cancer, in order to evaluate the long-term impact on survival of postoperative IMN versus an isocaloric, isonitrogenous control feed.

Eosinophilic Fasciitis With a Malignant Outcome.

Eosinophilic fasciitis (EF) is an uncommon localized fibrosing disorder affecting the fascial layers of the human body. To date less than 300 cases of EF have been reported worldwide. Due to the limited prevalence, extensive studying of its pathogenesis and treatment has not yet been established.

Cor Triatriatum Dexter: A Case Report in a 70-Year-Old Male.

Cor triatriatum dexter (CTD) is a rare congenital heart disease resulting from persistence of the right valve of the sinus venosus. The persistent valve forms a membrane that divides the right atrium into a proximal and a distal chamber. This disorder exhibits varying clinical manifestations depending on the degree of partitioning or septation of the right atrium.

Diagnostic Performance of Artificial Intelligence-Based Models for the Detection of Early Esophageal Cancers in Barret's Esophagus: A Meta-Analysis of Patient-Based Studies.

Introduction Barret's esophagus (BE) is a precursor of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. The detection of high-grade dysplasia and adenocarcinoma at an early stage can improve survival but is very challenging. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based models have been claimed to improve diagnostic accuracy.

Extensive Coronary Thrombosis as a Sequelae of COVID-19 Presenting as a STEMI.

Thrombotic complications, in particular ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), have been described in active Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. This is a result of systemic inflammation that often leads to endothelial activation, microvascular thrombosis and a hypercoagulable state. However, it is unknown how long patients who have cleared the COVID-19 infection remain at risk for coronary thrombosis as a sequela of disease burden.

A Comprehensive Review on Optimal Welding Conditions for Friction Stir Welding of Thermoplastic Polymers and Their Composites.

Friction stir welding (FSW) and friction stir spot welding (FSSW) techniques are becoming widely popular joining techniques because of their increasing potential applications in automotive, aerospace, and other structural industries. These techniques have not only successfully joined similar and dissimilar metal and polymer parts but have also successfully developed polymer-metallic hybrid joints. This study classifies the literature available on the FSW and FSSW of thermoplastic polymers and polymer composites on the basis of joining materials (similar or dissimilar), joint configurations, tooling conditions, medium conditions, and study types.

Pulmonic valve infective endocarditis from staph lugdunensis.

Pulmonic valve endocarditis is an extremely rare entity. Only 1.1% of all cases of all infective endocarditis affect the pulmonic valve.

Transcatheter Double Valve-in-Valve Replacement of Aortic and Mitral Bioprosthetic Valves.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an evolving method which has become the treatment of choice in high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. Unlike TAVR, the experience with transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) remains at an early stage because of challenges of valve development and possible complications such as valve displacement and subsequent left ventricular outlet tract (LVOT) obstruction. Here we report a case of transcatheter double valve-in-valve replacement (TDVIVR) in a patient with severe mitral and aortic bioprosthetic valve stenosis, followed by an extensive literature review of the latest techniques and challenges in this field.

Noninvasive Treatment Approach of Radial Pseudoaneurysm.

Transradial approach for cardiac catheterization is a viable alternative to transfemoral approach given its ease of access, lessened complication risk, and post procedural comfort for patients. Radial pseudoaneurysm presents as a rare complication in less than 1% of these procedures. The use of external compression banding is an approach that shows promise as a noninvasive attempt towards resolving this complication.

Selective oestrogen receptor antagonists inhibit oesophageal cancer cell proliferation in vitro.

Background: Oestrogen receptors (ER) have a well-established role to the initiation, progression and regulation of responses to treatment of breast, prostate, and lung cancers. Previous data indicates altered ER expression in oesophageal cancers (OC). However the role of ER subtypes and ER specific inhibitors in the regulation of OC progression remains unclear.

A review on gastric diverticulum.

The gastric fundal diverticulae are rare. They can present with variable symptoms. We are enclosing a literature review on gastric fundal diverticulum.

Glycated haemoglobin--a marker and predictor of cardiovascular disease.

Glycated haemoglobin is formed by simple chemical reaction between haemoglobin and blood glucose. It represents a reliable and moving average of blood glucose over preceding three months. In 2009 the International Expert Committee recommended the use of HbA1c to diagnose diabetes with a cut-off of 6.

Accidental finding of a toothpick in the porta hepatis during laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a case report.

Introduction: Unintentional ingestion of a toothpick is not an uncommon event. Often the ingested toothpicks spontaneously pass through the gut without sequelae. However, serious complications can happen when these sharp objects migrate through the gastrointestinal wall.

Glycated haemoglobin; past, present, and future are we ready for the change.

Glycated haemoglobin has been in use to monitor control of blood glucose in diabetic patients for about three decades. It provides an average blood glucose level during preceding 10-12 weeks. It is a very convenient blood test, can be done in any clinical setting regardless of prandial state.

Probing the link between oestrogen receptors and oesophageal cancer.

Background: Human oesophageal carcinoma is considered to be one of the most aggressive malignancies and has a very poor prognosis. The incidence of oesophageal cancer shows a gender bias and is higher in males compared with females, the ratio between males and females varying from 3:1 to 7:1. This sex ratio is not entirely attributable to differences in the prevalence of known risk factors between the sexes.

A pre-operative elevated neutrophil: lymphocyte ratio does not predict survival from oesophageal cancer resection.

Background: Elevated pre-operative neutrophil: lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been identified as a predictor of survival in patients with hepatocellular and colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to examine the prognostic value of an elevated preoperative NLR following resection for oesophageal cancer.

Methods: Patients who underwent resection for oesophageal carcinoma from June 1997 to September 2007 were identified from a local cancer database.

A review on delayed presentation of diaphragmatic rupture.

Diaphragmatic rupture is a life-threatening condition. Diaphragmatic injuries are quite uncommon and often result from either blunt or penetrating trauma. Diaphragmatic ruptures are usually associated with abdominal trauma however, it can occur in isolation.