Shorter vs. standard-duration antibiotic therapy for nocardiosis: a multi-center retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: The prolonged treatment recommended for nocardiosis does not rely on strong evidence. Consequently, some clinicians opt shorter therapy in certain circumstances. We assessed the effectiveness of shorter therapy.

Using augmented intelligence to improve long term outcomes.

Purpose Of Review: For augmented intelligence (AI) tools to realize their potential, critical care clinicians must ensure they are designed to improve long-term outcomes. This overview is intended to align professionals with the state-of-the art of AI.

Recent Findings: Many AI tools are undergoing preliminary assessment of their ability to support the care of survivors and their caregivers at multiple time points after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge.

Anesthetic approach to pregnant patients with malaria: a narrative review of the literature.

Introduction: Anesthesiologists play an important role in the management of labor and delivery during acute malaria infection. The peripartum anesthesia considerations for such cases remain unclear.

Findings: Important peripartum considerations include the severity of thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy, hemodynamic status and cardiac disease, and the likelihood of central nervous system (CNS) involvement.

Evaluation of oral budesonide for treatment of mild and moderate exacerbations of Crohn's disease in children.

Objectives: Oral budesonide has been found to be efficacious for mild to moderate Crohn's disease in adults, with equal improvement rates for budesonide and prednisone. We report the results of a retrospective study of budesonide treatment in mild to moderate Crohn's disease in children.

Study Design: Charts of patients treated with budesonide (n = 62) with a pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index of 12.

Faecal occult blood in children with coeliac disease.

Unlabelled: It has recently been suggested that in adults with coeliac disease, faecal blood loss may play a role in the development of iron deficiency. A group of 45 children diagnosed with coeliac disease during 1996 and 1997 were therefore prospectively evaluated for the presence of gluten in their diet, iron deficiency anaemia, and faecal occult blood. Sixty children admitted for elective surgery or asthma served as controls.

Serum transferrin receptor in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease.

Unlabelled: Iron studies are difficult to interpret in patients with chronic inflammatory states such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Serum transferrin receptor (TfR) has been reported to be a reliable tool for the diagnosis of iron deficiency in adults. Our aim was to evaluate the role of serum TfR in diagnosing iron deficiency in children and adolescents with IBD.

Chronic hepatitis B virus in children in Israel: clinical and epidemiological characteristics and response to interferon therapy.

Objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological features of hepatitis B virus infection in Israeli children, and to evaluate their response and compliance to therapy.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 51 patients (34 males, 17 females), aged 2-18 years, from several medical centers in Israel.

Results: Of the 51 patients, 38 with elevated transaminase, positive hepatitis B e antigen and/or HBV DNA, and histologic evidence of liver inflammation were treated.

The role of Helicobacter pylori and gastritis in children with recurrent abdominal pain.

Background: Recurrent abdominal pain is a common pediatric diagnostic problem. Endoscopy is sometimes performed as part of the evaluation. Although gastritis and/or Helicobacter pylori infection is often present, it is not known if they contribute to the symptomatology.

The effect of cisapride on total parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis in rats.

Background: Cholestasis is a frequent problem in patients on total parenteral nutrition. Cisapride has a prokinetic effect on the biliary system, but its effect on hepatic excretory function is unknown.

Objectives: To study the effect of cisapride on TPN-induced cholestasis in a rat model.

Adenosine stimulates ANP expression in cultured ventricular cardiomyocytes.

Adenosine protects the ischemic myocardium by coronary vasodilation and the depression of heart rate and contractility, improving myocardial energy balance. Adenosine effects on the myocardium are mediated predominantly by the type A1 receptors. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), a vasodilator and regulator of blood volume, is secreted from either atrial or ventricular myocytes in response to cellular distention.

Hepatic artery thrombosis in pediatric liver transplantation: graft salvage after thrombectomy.

Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) is a devastating complication that may occur after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). A higher incidence has been reported in children. Salvage of the graft by thrombectomy has been suggested as an alternative to re-transplantation.

In vitro modulation of activation antigens on human lymphocytes by beta-estradiol.

Problem: The possible in vitro immunomodulating effect of beta-estradiol on phytohemagglutinin-stimulated human lymphocyte cultures was studied.

Method Of Study: Lymphocyte cultures from 12 healthy men and women aged 25-35 years were set up for 12 hr in the presence and in the absence of beta-estradiol, and the expression of the activation markers CD25, CD69, and CD71 was examined by flow cytometric analysis with specific fluorescent conjugated antibodies.

Results: Although the number of cases is small, in 10 of 12 cases in the presence of beta-estradiol in two different concentrations, a significantly decreased expression of CD69 could be observed.

Effect of three days starvation on the phagocytic activity of rat peritoneal macrophages.

To examine the effect of starvation on the phagocytic activity of rat peritoneal macrophages, 8 animals were kept for 3 days on water supply only. The cells showed an increased capacity for superoxide anion production and a marked decrease in their ability to engulf latex particles. The corticosterone level of the fasting animals was markedly increased, an observation suggesting that the alteration of macrophage function could be hormonally mediated.

Management of acute gastroenteritis in children in Israel.

Objective: Diarrheal diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Guidelines about the use of oral rehydration solutions (ORS) and dietary management of acute gastroenteritis (GE) were recently revised and published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Study aims were to examine Israeli pediatricians' knowledge and implementation of the revised AAP guidelines, the effect of medical school (Israeli versus foreign medical graduates) on the physicians' practice, and the effect of the type of practice (community vs hospital-based) on the management of gastroenteritis.

Activated protein C resistance in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: There is evidence for a hypercoagulable state in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and small vessel thrombosis has been identified in the bowel of patients with Crohn's disease, suggesting thrombosis as a possible etiologic factor. Activated protein C (APC) resistance is the most common inherited disorder leading to thrombosis and accounts for 30% to 40% of episodes of idiopathic venous thrombosis.

Methods: The prevalence of APC resistance was studied in 23 patients with IBD (17 with Crohn's disease, 6 with ulcerative colitis) and in 11 control subjects with recurrent abdominal pain or celiac disease, using an APC resistance screening method.

Elevated serum ferritin level in acute myocardial infarction.

Serum ferritin level was determined in 20 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during the first 10 days post infarction. Starting on the second day, a gradual increase in serum ferritin level was detected, reaching a maximum of four times the initial level on the sixth day after the infarction. In addition, a significant increase in ferritin content was found in the peripheral blood monocytes on the fifth day after the event.

The choleretic effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in total parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis.

Cholestasis is a frequent problem in patients on total parenteral nutrition (TPN) therapy. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), especially aspirin, cause choleresis in animals. We studied the effect of aspirin on bile flow and bile salt secretion in TPN-associated cholestasis in rats.

Plasma fibrinogen in Israeli Moslem and Jewish school-children: distribution and relation to other cardiovascular risk factors. The Petah Tikva project.

Plasma fibrinogen levels were measured in 1,175 Israeli schoolchildren, aged 9-18 years, originating from diverse ethnic groups. The Moslem children displayed striking differences in levels and age-patterns of fibrinogen compared to Jewish children. Lower mean plasma fibrinogen levels in boys aged 9-10, 13-14 and 16-18 were observed among Moslem boys, compared to their Jewish counterparts born in Israel.

Long-term prognosis of patients after a Q wave compared with a non-Q wave first acute myocardial infarction. Data from the SPRINT Registry.

Unlabelled: OBJECTIVE, DESIGN AND PATIENTS: Between August 1981 and July 1983, 5839 consecutive myocardial infarction patients were hospitalized in 13 coronary care units in Israel. The present study examines 10 year survival among 4037 consecutive patients with a first myocardial infarction with either Q or non-Q waves. Demographic and medical data were collected from hospital records, and 1 year clinical follow-up was complete for 99% of hospital survivors.