Tracheal Intubation with Aura-i and aScope-2: How to Minimize Apnea Time in an Unpredicted Difficult Airway.

The supraglottic airway's usefulness as a dedicated airway is the subject of continuing development. We report the case of an obese patient with unpredicted difficult airway management in which a new "continuous ventilation technique" was used with the Aura-i laryngeal mask and the aScope-2 devices. The aScope-2/Aura-i system implemented airway devices for the management of predictable/unpredictable difficult airway.

Genetic determinants in hepatitis C virus-associated mixed cryoglobulinemia: role of polymorphic variants of BAFF promoter and Fcγ receptors.

Objective: Mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) is a hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related immune complex disorder. Only some HCV-infected patients develop MC, which suggests that the genetic background of the host plays a key role. This study was undertaken to evaluate the contribution of host genetic factors in the pathogenesis of HCV-associated MC (HCV-MC) by analyzing allelic variants of low-affinity Fcγ receptor (FcγR) genes and BAFF promoter.