Umberto Manera, ALS Centre, 'Rita Levi Montalcini' Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Via Cherasco 15, 10126 Turin, Italy.
Published: February 2024
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Respiratory failure assessment is among the most debatable research topics in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) clinical research due to the wide heterogeneity of its presentation. Among the different pulmonary function tests (PFTs), maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV) has shown potential utility as a diagnostic and monitoring marker, able to capture early respiratory modification in neuromuscular disorders. In the present study, we explored calculated MVV (cMVV) as a prognostic biomarker in a center-based, retrospective ALS population belonging to the Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta registry for ALS (PARALS). A Spearman's correlation analysis with clinical data and PFTs showed a good correlation of cMVV with forced vital capacity (FVC) and a moderate correlation with some other features such as bulbar involvement, ALSFRS-R total score, blood oxygen (pO), carbonate (HCO), and base excess (BE), measured with arterial blood gas analysis. Both the Cox proportional hazard models for survival and the time to non-invasive ventilation (NIV) measurement highlighted that cMVV at diagnosis (considering cMVV(40) ≥ 80) is able to stratify patients across different risk levels for death/tracheostomy and NIV indication, especially considering patients with FVC% ≥ 80. In conclusion, cMVV is a useful marker of early respiratory failure in ALS, and is easily derivable from standard PFTs, especially in asymptomatic ALS patients with normal FVC measures.
Botswana, like the rest of the world, has been significantly impacted by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In December 2022, we detected a monophyletic cluster of genomes comprising a sublineage of the Omicron variant of concern (VOC) designated as B.1.
Purpose: Tuberculosis meningitis (TBM) has emerged as the most lethal type of disease. The prognosis of meningitis is often related to disease severity and early therapeutic intervention.
Methods: Patients were screened for primary TBM and received a quadruple regimen comprising isoniazid (standard dose of 300 mg/day and high dose of 600 mg/day), rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide.
We investigated whether environmental enrichment applied at different life stages of pigs affects the susceptibility to and severity of disease by studying immune cell functions around weaning and during nursery, the effects of infection in models and using a co-infection model of (PRRSV) followed by an infection. Pigs were either conventionally housed (CCH) or enriched housed throughout life, with enrichment consisting of extra space, rooting materials and co-mingling with another litter before weaning (EEH), or they were switched from conventional to enriched housing at weaning (CEH). Sixty days after birth, ten pigs per treatment were infected with PRRSV followed by an infection eight days later.
This study presents a detailed clinical case of a 10-year-old boy with a history of prolonged cough, fever, and delayed diagnosis of bronchiectasis. Review of the case revealed that the child has had recurrent bronchitis, otitis media, skin allergies, and viral warts since early childhood, indicating persistent immune system abnormalities. Imaging studies, including pulmonary and sinus CT scans, show significant bronchiectasis accompanied by infections and sinusitis.
Background: We retrospectively analyzed the patients who underwent prone positioning (PP) for acute respiratory failure after pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA).
Methods: One hundred twenty five patients underwent PEA and the outcome related to patients who underwent PP for acute respiratory failure after surgery was analyzed.
Results: Thirteen patients (10%) underwent PP at the mean duration of 28.
