Endocarditis in critically ill patients: a review.

Purpose Of Review: To summarize the advances in literature that support the best current practices regarding infective endocarditis (IE) in critically ill patients.

Recent Findings: IE due to rheumatic diseases has decreased significantly, and in fact, the majority of cases are associated with degenerative valvopathies, prosthetic valves, and cardiovascular implantable electronic devices. The Duke criteria were recently updated, addressing the increasing incidence of new risk factors for IE, such as IE associated with the use of endovascular cardiac implantable electronic devices and transcatheter implant valves.

Reduced peripheral and respiratory muscle strength in pediatric patients after kidney transplantation.

Introduction: Reduced muscle strength and low-exercise capacity are well documented in adults, but there are few studies examining those impairments in children and adolescents after kidney transplantation. The objective of this study was to evaluate peripheral and respiratory muscle strength and the association with submaximal exercise capacity in children and adolescents after kidney transplant.

Methods: Forty-seven patients between six and 18 years of age clinically stable after transplantation were included.

Cutis verticis gyrata: a cutaneous finding in acromegaly.

Acromegaly is a rare disease characterized by changes in the bone and soft tissue systems, induced by excess growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor type 1. Among the skin lesions associated with acromegaly is cutis verticis gyrata, an hypertrophic, and coarse folding of the skin of the scalp, an association of uncommon incidence and unknown prevalence. This case report describes the case of a patient diagnosed with acromegaly at age 60 with previously unidentified cutis verticis gyrata.

Radiographic Evaluation of Postoperative Alignment in Total Knee Arthroplasty.

 To demonstrate the greater accuracy of panoramic radiographs of the lower limbs (long) in relation to short radiographs of the knee in the measurement of the mechanical axis of the lower limb after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).  A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of long and short postoperative radiographic images of 70 patients submitted to TKA in our service. The images were analyzed at random, at different times, by three orthopedists.

Switching to riociguat versus maintenance therapy with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (REPLACE): a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial.

Background: Riociguat and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5i), approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), act on the same pathway via different mechanisms. Riociguat might be an alternative option for patients with PAH who do not respond sufficiently to treatment with PDE5i, but comparisons of the potential benefits of riociguat and PDE5i in these patients are needed. The aim of this trial was to assess the effects of switching to riociguat from PDE5i therapy versus continued PDE5i therapy in patients with PAH at intermediate risk of 1-year mortality.

Hemodynamically stable oliguric patients usually do not respond to fluid challenge.

Objective: To evaluate renal responsiveness in oliguric critically ill patients after a fluid challenge.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study in one university intensive care unit. Patients with urine output < 0.

Recommendations for the Post-Mortem Management of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices.

The management of cardiac implantable electronic devices after death has become a source of controversy. There are no uniform recommendations for such management in Brazil; practices rely exclusively on institutional protocols and regional custom. When the cadaver is sent for cremation, it is recommended to remove the device due to the risk of explosion and damage to crematorium equipment, in addition to other precautions.

Clinical and molecular evaluation of 13 Brazilian patients with Gomez-López-Hernández syndrome.

We aim to characterize patients with Gomez-López-Hernández syndrome (GLHS) clinically and to investigate them molecularly. A clinical protocol, including a morphological and neuropsychological assessment, was applied to 13 patients with GLHS. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and whole-exome sequencing were undertaken; magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 12 patients, including high-resolution, heavily T2-weighted sequences (HRT2) in 6 patients to analyze the trigeminal nerves.

Combination Therapy with Oral Treprostinil for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. A Double-Blind Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial.

Oral treprostinil improves exercise capacity in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but the effect on clinical outcomes was unknown. To evaluate the effect of oral treprostinil compared with placebo on time to first adjudicated clinical worsening event in participants with PAH who recently began approved oral monotherapy. In this event-driven, double-blind study, we randomly allocated 690 participants (1:1 ratio) with PAH to receive placebo or oral treprostinil extended-release tablets three times daily.

Postoperative Supine Position Increases the Risk of Infection After Spinal Surgery by Posterior Approach.

Background: Spine surgeries performed via the posterior approach have a higher infection rate. Several theories have been proposed, including poor hygienic condition of bed sheets and traumatized muscle associated with supine position promoting circulatory impairment. We investigated the influence of supine position on the rate of deep wound infection after spine surgery by the posterior approach.

Translation and validation of the Simplified Psoriasis Index (SPI) into Brazilian Portuguese.

Background: The Simplified Psoriasis Index is a tool that assesses the current severity, psychosocial impact, past history and interventions in patients with psoriasis through separate components. Two versions are available, one in which the current severity of the disease is evaluated by the patient themselves and another by the physician.

Objectives: Translate the Simplified Psoriasis Index into Brazilian Portuguese and verify its validity.

Early mobilization practices of mechanically ventilated patients: a 1-day point-prevalence study in southern Brazil.

Objectives: To assess early mobilization practices of mechanically ventilated patients in southern Brazilian intensive care units (ICUs) and to identify barriers associated with early mobilization and possible complications.

Methods: A prospective, observational, multicenter, 1-day point-prevalence study was conducted across 11 ICUs and included all mechanically ventilated adult patients. Hospital and ICU characteristics and patients' demographic data, the highest level of mobilization achieved in the 24 hours prior to the survey and related barriers, and complications that occurred during mobilization were collected in the hospital and the ICU.

A case of oncogenic osteomalacia owing to inguinal tumor.

The oncogenic hypophosphatemic osteomalacia is a very incapacitating disease and the mortality rate, mainly due to metabolic disorder, depends on the early diagnosis, since the surgery is curative. The major difficulty is to consider this kind of disease in patients with complex clinical presentation. Moreover, medical centers have to provide a good diagnostic infrastructure because these tumors, in most cases, are small and do not have an obvious site.

The association between psoriasis and health-related quality of life, work productivity, and healthcare resource use in Brazil.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic, immune mediated inflammatory condition that affects a significant amount of the global population. Yet geographic variability in the consequences of psoriasis warrants region-level analyses.

Objective: The current study contributes to the psoriasis outcomes literature by offering a comprehensive assessment of the humanistic and economic burden in Brazil.

High-resolution computed tomography findings of pulmonary tuberculosis in lung transplant recipients.

Objective: Respiratory infections constitute a major cause of morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplant recipients. The incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis is high among such patients. On imaging, tuberculosis has various presentations.

Auditory evoked potentials in children and adolescents with Down syndrome.

Down syndrome, or trisomy 21, is the most common genetic alteration in humans. The syndrome presents with several features, including hearing loss and changes in the central nervous system, which may affect language development in children and lead to school difficulties. The present study aimed to investigate group differences in the central auditory system by long-latency auditory evoked potentials and cognitive potential.

Frequency and clinical significance of chromosome 7 and 10 aneuploidies, amplification of the EGFR gene, deletion of PTEN and TP53 genes, and 1p/19q deficiency in a sample of adult patients diagnosed with glioblastoma from Southern Brazil.

Glioblastoma stands out as the most frequent central nervous system neoplasia, presenting a poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to verify the frequency and clinical significance of the aneuploidy of chromosomes 7 and 10, EGFR amplification, PTEN and TP53 deletions and 1p/19q deficiency in adult patients diagnosed with glioblastoma. The sample consisted of 40 patients treated from November 2011 to March 2015 at two major neurosurgery services from Southern Brazil.

Apocrine sweat gland adenocarcinoma: A rare case report and review.

Introduction: Primary apocrine sweat gland carcinoma (PASGC) is an extremely rare neoplasia whose management and treatment are still evolving. The only curative therapy is wide local excision. Many patients have metastasis at the time of the diagnosis, mainly because this neoplasm has been misdiagnosed as some benign skin lesions.