Prospective cohort study of Torque Teno Virus (TTV) viral load kinetics and the association with graft rejection in renal transplant patients.

Introduction: Graft survival is mainly determined by rejections and infectious complications in transplant recipients. Torque Teno Virus (TTV), a nonpathogenic and ubiquitous single-stranded DNA virus, has been proposed as a biomarker of the immune status in transplant patients. This study aimed to determine the correlation between a Home-Brew TTV PCR and R-GENE®PCR; the TTV viral load kinetics in renal transplant recipients and the association with graft rejection.

Anatomical basis for the uterine vascular control: implications in training, knowledge, and outcomes.

The efficiency of uterine vascular control depends on the precise management of its arterial pedicles and anastomotic network. Although all specialists know the uterine and ovarian arteries, only a few are familiar with the anatomy of the inferior supply system and the connections of the pelvic vessels. For this reason, specific proven inefficient hemostatic procedures are still used worldwide.

Thiamine pharmaconutrition in sepsis: Monotherapy, combined therapy, or neither? Current evidence on safety and efficacy.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition characterized by multiorgan dysfunction due to an exaggerated host response to infection associated with a homeostatic failure. In sepsis, different interventions, aimed at improving clinical outcomes, have been tested over the past decades. Among these most recent strategies, intravenous high-dose micronutrients (vitamins and/or trace elements) have been investigated.

Bronchoscopy in Patients With Known or Suspected COVID-19: Results From the Global Pandemic SARS-CoV-2 Bronchoscopy Database (GPS-BD).

Background: Amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the benefits and risks of bronchoscopy remain uncertain. This study was designed to characterize bronchoscopy-related practice patterns, diagnostic yields, and adverse events involving patients with known or suspected COVID-19.

Methods: An online survey tool retrospectively queried bronchoscopists about their experiences with patients with known or suspected COVID-19 between March 20 and August 20, 2020.

Has Deep Brain Stimulation Changed the Very Long-Term Outcome of Parkinson's Disease? A Controlled Longitudinal Study.

Background: The long-term impact of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on Parkinson's disease (PD) is difficult to assess and has not yet been rigorously evaluated in comparison to its natural history.

Objective: Comparison of key disability milestones (recurrent falls, psychosis, dementia, and institutionalization) and death in patients with PD with versus without DBS.

Methods: We collected retrospective information from clinical notes of patients with PD at our center that were implanted with subthalamic DBS >8 years ago (1999-2010) and a control group of PD patients without DBS similar in age at onset, age at baseline, sex distribution, and number of comorbidities at baseline (extracted from a registry study performed in 2004).

Selenium in Cardiac Surgery.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element that plays a pivotal role in many of the body's regulatory and metabolic functions, especially during times of stress. After uptake, Se is incorporated into several Se-dependent proteins, which have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacities. Several observational clinical studies have demonstrated that Se deficiency can cause chronic cardiovascular diseases and aggravate organ dysfunction after cardiac surgery and that low levels of Se may be independently associated with the development of organ dysfunction after cardiac surgery.

High-dose intravenous selenium does not improve clinical outcomes in the critically ill: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. So far, several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have demonstrated that parenteral Se may improve clinical outcomes in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Since publication of our previous systematic review and meta-analysis on antioxidants in the ICU, reports of several trials have been published, including the largest RCT on Se therapy.

Sequencing and analysis of globally obtained human respiratory syncytial virus A and B genomes.

Background: Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of respiratory tract infections in children globally, with nearly all children experiencing at least one infection by the age of two. Partial sequencing of the attachment glycoprotein gene is conducted routinely for genotyping, but relatively few whole genome sequences are available for RSV. The goal of our study was to sequence the genomes of RSV strains collected from multiple countries to further understand the global diversity of RSV at a whole-genome level.

Probiotic and synbiotic therapy in critical illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Critical illness is characterized by a loss of commensal flora and an overgrowth of potentially pathogenic bacteria, leading to a high susceptibility to nosocomial infections. Probiotics are living non-pathogenic microorganisms, which may protect the gut barrier, attenuate pathogen overgrowth, decrease bacterial translocation and prevent infection. The purpose of this updated systematic review is to evaluate the overall efficacy of probiotics and synbiotic mixtures on clinical outcomes in critical illness.

Pharmaconutrition with selenium in critically ill patients: what do we know?

Selenium is a component of selenoproteins with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), multiorgan dysfunction (MOD), and multiorgan failure (MOF) are associated with an early reduction in plasma selenium and glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx), and both parameters correlate inversely with the severity of illness and outcomes. Several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluated selenium therapy as monotherapy or in antioxidant cocktails in intensive care unit (ICU) patient populations, and more recently several meta-analyses suggested benefits with selenium therapy in the most seriously ill patients.

Update on antioxidant micronutrients in the critically ill.

Purpose Of Review: To evaluate recent evidence on pharmaconutrition with antioxidant micronutrients, for different populations of adult critically ill patients.

Recent Findings: Over the last few years, different studies have shown that high-dose trace elements and vitamins, especially parenteral selenium and zinc, may be able to improve relevant clinical outcomes in the most seriously ill patients. High-dose selenite monotherapy reduces mortality, particularly when a pharmacological loading dose is given in the early stage of severe sepsis and septic shock.

Viral etiology of acute respiratory infections in hospitalized and outpatient children in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Objectives: To determine and compare the viral frequency, seasonality and clinical-demographic features in 2 groups of children (hospitalized versus outpatients) with acute respiratory infections.

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was performed from 2008 to 2010 in 620 children <6 years of age with acute respiratory infection. Respiratory samples were studied for classical respiratory viruses by immunofluorescence and for human rhinoviruses (HRV) by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

Antioxidant micronutrients in the critically ill: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Critical illness is characterized by oxidative stress, which is a major promoter of systemic inflammation and organ failure due to excessive free radical production, depletion of antioxidant defenses, or both. We hypothesized that exogenous supplementation of trace elements and vitamins could restore antioxidant status, improving clinical outcomes.

Methods: We searched computerized databases, reference lists of pertinent articles and personal files from 1980 to 2011.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 cases, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

To determine clinical and virologic characteristics of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, we conducted real-time reverse transcription-PCR on samples from patients with influenza-like illness, June 11-30, 2009. Of 513 patients tested, 54% were positive for influenza virus subtype H1N1. Infection rate was lowest for patients >or=60 years of age.

Serum selenium and glutathione peroxidase-3 activity: biomarkers of systemic inflammation in the critically ill?

Objectives: To confirm the influence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) on selenium (Se) levels and prospectively evaluate the relationship between serum Se concentration [Se], glutathione peroxidase activity [GPx-3] and injury severity in patients at the time of intensive care unit (ICU) admission.

Design: Prospective, observational study.

Setting: Multidisciplinary University Hospital ICU.

Neutropenia and the development of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

Objective: To determine outcome and natural course of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) stages in adult febrile neutropenic patients.

Design And Setting: Retrospective cohort study in the medicine department and intensive care unit of a university hospital.

Patient: Adults with cancer-related neutropenia and community-acquired fever.

Argentine Jewish community institution bomb explosion.

Background: Descriptive study of physical injuries and implemented organization from a nearby, unwarned university hospital after the July 18, 1994, bombing of the seven-story Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires. Data were obtained from hospital medical records.

Results: A total of 86 victims arrived at the emergency department, 2 victims were dead on arrival, 41 victims were admitted, and 43 victims with minor injuries were assisted and allowed to go home.