Weaning Failure in Elderly Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Weaning failure in elderly patients undergoing mechanical ventilation presents a complex clinical challenge due to age-related physiological changes and comorbidities. Understanding the dynamics of this phenomenon through systematic analysis can provide valuable insights for clinical management. This meta-analysis aims to investigate the factors contributing to weaning failure in elderly patients and to assess the efficacy of different strategies in mitigating this challenge.

FDG-PET-CT as an early detection method for tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Tuberculosis (TB) causes major public health problems worldwide. Fighting TB requires sustained efforts in health prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Previous literature has shown that conventional diagnostic methods like X-ray and sputum microscopy often miss early or extrapulmonary TB due to their limited sensitivity.

Early detection of tuberculosis: a systematic review.

Tuberculosis remains a significant global health challenge. Tuberculosis affects millions of individuals worldwide. Early detection of tuberculosis plays a relevant role in the management of treatment of tuberculosis.

A Systematic Review of Risk factors for Sleep Apnea.

Background: Sleep apnea, a prevalent global health issue, is characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep. This systematic review aggregates global data to outline a comprehensive analysis of its associated risk factors.

Purpose: The systematic review underscores the global prevalence of sleep apnea and the universal importance of its early detection and management by delineating key risk factors contributing to its development.

Comparative systematic review on the safety of e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes.

Background: This systematic review evaluated the health risks of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) compared to traditional cigarettes. It examines various studies and research on the subject to provide a comprehensive analysis of potential health risks associated with both smoking methods.

Methods: The systematic review, incorporating searches in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library up to July 2023, examines the results obtained in relevant studies, and provides a critical discussion of the results.

Adhesion, metastasis, and inhibition of cancer cells: a comprehensive review.

This comprehensive review delves into cancer's complexity, focusing on adhesion, metastasis, and inhibition. It explores the pivotal role of these factors in disease progression and therapeutic strategies. This review covers cancer cell migration, invasion, and colonization of distant organs, emphasizing the significance of cell adhesion and the intricate metastasis process.

Telemetric long-term assessment of autonomic function in experimental heart failure.

Despite medical advances in the treatment of heart failure (HF), mortality remains high. It has been shown that alterations of the autonomic-nervous-system (ANS) are associated with HF progression and increased mortality. Preclinical models are required to evaluate the effectiveness of novel treatments modulating the autonomic imbalance.

Risk factors for depression in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Depression, anxiety, and panic disorders are common in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and important for the further course of the disease, as they are associated with increased hospital admissions, longer hospital stays, more frequent doctor visits, and a worsened quality of life. There are also indications of premature death in affected patients. Therefore, knowledge of the risk factors for depression in COPD patients is all the more important for early detection and treatment.

Stridor caused by duplication cyst in a female infant and temporary vocal cord paralysis. A case report.

Introduction And Importance: Congenital hypopharynx duplication cysts are a medical rarity; nevertheless, they offer an important differential diagnosis in neonatal dyspnea or feeding problems.

Case Report: Herein, we describe a case of delayed diagnosis but successful surgical removal of a large congenital hypopharynx cyst in a 4-month-old infant presenting with stridor.

Clinical Discussion: Early and proper diagnosis and surgical handling of hypopharynx cyst can help to achieve the best prognosis and outcome.

Prescribing Cascades: How to Detect Them, Prevent Them, and Use Them Appropriately.

Background: A prescribing cascade is the treatment of an adverse drug reaction (ADR) with another drug. In this review, we discuss (a) the different types of prescribing cascade and (b) the measures that can be taken so that they will be recognized and dealt with appropriately, both in the hospital and in the outpatient setting.

Methods: This review is based on pertinent publications retrieved by a selective literature search.

HIOPP-6 - a pilot study on the evaluation of an electronic tool to assess and reduce the complexity of drug treatment considering patients' views.

Background: A complex drug treatment might pose a barrier to safe and reliable drug administration for patients. Therefore, a novel tool automatically analyzes structured medication data for factors possibly contributing to complexity and subsequently personalizes the results by evaluating the relevance of each identified factor for the patient by means of key questions. Hence, tailor-made optimization measures can be proposed.

Molecular Characterization of Muellerian Tumors of the Urinary Tract.

In the 2016 WHO classification of genitourinary tumors Muellerian tumors of the urinary tract (MTUT) comprise clear cell adenocarcinomas and endometrioid carcinomas. Since these rare tumors remained understudied, we aimed to characterize their molecular background by performing DNA- and RNA-based targeted panel sequencing. All tumors ( = 11) presented single nucleotide alterations (SNVs), with mutations being the most prevalent (5/11, 45%).

Cardiac output improvement by pecavaptan: a novel dual-acting vasopressin V1a/V2 receptor antagonist in experimental heart failure.

Aims: Arginine vasopressin (AVP) mediates deleterious effects via vascular V1a and renal V2 receptors in heart failure (HF). Despite positive short-term decongestive effects in phase II HF studies, selective V2 receptor antagonism has shown no long-term mortality benefit, potentially related to unopposed V1a receptor activation. We compared the novel dual V1a/V2 receptor antagonist pecavaptan with the selective V2 receptor antagonist tolvaptan in pre-clinical HF models.

Denosumab for Effective Tumor Size Reduction in Patients With Giant Cell Tumors of the Bone: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Denosumab is a human monoclonal antibody that has been used successfully in the treatment of giant cell tumors of bone. These tumors are rare and, in principle, benign, but they are highly aggressive, locally advanced, osteolytic bone tumors that can metastasize to the lungs. Denosumab is an effective treatment when these tumors cannot be surgically removed or when surgical resection is likely to lead to severe morbidity (eg, loss of limbs or joints).

Comparing risk of major bleeding between users of different oral anticoagulants in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Aims: The introduction of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) has broadened the treatment arsenal for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, but observational studies on the benefit-risk balance of DOACs compared to vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) are needed. The aim of this study was to characterize the risk of major bleeding in DOAC users using longitudinal data collected from electronic health care databases from 4 different EU-countries analysed with a common study protocol.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted among new users (≥18 years) of DOACs or VKAs with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation using data from the UK, Spain, Germany and Denmark.

Individual factors increasing complexity of drug treatment-a narrative review.

Purpose: Complexity of drug treatment is known to be a risk factor for administration errors and nonadherence promoting higher healthcare costs, hospital admissions and increased mortality. Number of drugs and dose frequency are parameters often used to assess complexity related to the medication regimen. However, factors resulting from complex processes of care or arising from patient characteristics are only sporadically analyzed.

Comparative genomic profiling of glandular bladder tumours.

Primary glandular bladder tumours (bladder adenocarcinoma [BAC], urachal adenocarcinoma [UAC], urothelial carcinoma with glandular differentiation [UCg]) are rare malignancies with histological resemblance to colorectal adenocarcinoma (CORAD) in the majority of this subgroup. Definite case numbers are very low, molecular data are limited and the pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study was designed to complement current knowledge by in depth analysis of BAC (n = 12), UAC (n = 13), UCg (n = 11) and non-invasive glandular lesions (n = 19).

Time delay of the qCON monitor and its performance during state transitions.

We investigated the performance of the qCON index regarding its time delay for sudden changes in the anesthetic level as well as to separate responsiveness from unresponsiveness during loss and return of responsiveness (LOR and ROR). For evaluation of the time delay, we replayed relevant EEG episodes to the qCON to simulate sudden changes between the states (i) awake/sedation, (ii) adequate anesthesia, or (iii) suppression. We also replayed EEG from 40 patients during LOR and ROR to evaluate the qCON's ability to separate responsiveness from unresponsiveness.

Comparison of 2 new real-time polymerase chain reaction-based urinary markers in the follow-up of patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Background: The objective of the current study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of 2 new real-time polymerase chain reaction-based urinary markers with each other and with urinary cytology, cystoscopy, and/or histology in patients being followed for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Methods: A total of 487 patients were enrolled in the study. Patients were evaluated using voided urine cytology, the Xpert Bladder Cancer Monitor, the Bladder EpiCheck test, and white light cystoscopy.

The Effect of Cyclosporine and the Consequences in Hepatic and Renal Function Following Ischemic Stroke in a Rats' Model.

Introduction: Recent studies have indicated that the damaging effects of stroke are not only limited to the brain. We sought to examine the changes of liver and renal enzymes in the acute phase of ischemic stroke and to investigate possible explanations and therapeutic options, concerning in particular the functional alterations of peripheral organs after administration of an anti-inflammatory agent.

Material/methods: Twelve-week-old Wistar male rats were randomly divided into control and Cyclosporine groups (n = 10 each).

The German version of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool for critically ill adults : A prospective validation study.

Background: The implementation of the Critical-Care Pain Observation tool (CPOT) in intensive care units (ICU) has been associated with more frequent pain assessments, a reduced number of complications, and improved administration of analgesics and sedatives. So far no German translation exists. Translating this tool into foreign languages requires further validation testing.

Mastectomy in female-to-male transgender patients: A single-center 24-year retrospective analysis.

Background: Mastectomy in male transgender patients is an important (and often the first) step toward physical manhood. At our department, mastectomies in transgender patients have been performed for several decades.

Methods: Recorded data were collected and analyzed for all male transgender patients undergoing mastectomy over a period of 24 years at our department.

Impact of body mass index on acute outcome in percutaneous coronary intervention of chronic total occlusion.

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of total chronic total occlusion (CTO) still remains a major challenge in interventional cardiology. There is only insignificant knowledge reported in the literature about the influence of body mass index (BMI) on acute outcome, including success rates and complications in CTO-PCI.

Methods: Between 2012 and 2017, we included 508 patients.

Increased Risk of Lung Metastases in Patients with Giant Cell Bone Tumors: A Systematic Review.

Giant cell tumors of the bone are rare, usually benign, tumors consisting of large, multinucleated bone cells. Remarkably, these tumors are characterized by aggressive growth. They tend to recur frequently and, in rare cases, metastasize to the lungs.

A proof-of-concept trial of HELIOX with different fractions of helium in a human study modeling upper airway obstruction.

Background: Helium in oxygen (HELIOX) can relieve airway obstruction and lower the work of breathing because it increases the threshold at which turbulent gas flow is induced. Less turbulent and more laminar flow lowers the work of breathing. According to guidelines, the fraction of Helium in HELIOX should be maximized (e.