Initiation and Up-titration of Guideline-directed Medical Therapy for Patients with Heart Failure: Better, Faster, Stronger!

Treatment for heart failure has experienced a major revolution in recent years, and current evidence shows that a combination of four medications (angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors + β-blockers + mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists + sodium.glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors) offer the greatest benefit to our patients with significant reductions in cardiovascular mortality, heart failure hospitalisations and all-cause mortality. Unfortunately, despite their proven benefits, the implementation of these therapies is still low.

Predicting early complications in patients with spinal gunshot wounds: A multicenter study.

Introduction: There is a wide variation in the clinical presentation of spinal gunshot wounds ranging from isolated minor stable fractures to extremely severe injuries with catastrophic neurological damage.

Research Question: we aim to analyze the risk factors for early complications and impact of surgical treatment in patients with spinal gunshot wounds.

Material And Methods: This is a multicentre retrospective case-control study to compare patients with spinal gunshot wounds who had early complications with those who did not.

Development and Evaluation of An In-House Lumbar Puncture Simulator for First-Year Resident Lumbar Puncture Procedure Learning.

Introduction: Lumbar puncture (LP) is a common invasive technique considered an essential learning milestone for anesthesiologists due to its application in spinal anesthesia. We aimed to develop an in-house LP simulator, test its effectiveness in learning the steps to perform an LP and analyze its impact on the first-year residents' self-confidence at our hospital.

Methods:  We used 3D printing and silicone casting to create an LP simulator based on a lumbar spine computed tomography (CT).

Cost-effective Solution for Maxillofacial Reconstruction Surgery with Virtual Surgical Planning and 3D Printed Cutting Guides Reduces Operative Time.

This study aimed to explore a low-cost solution for virtual surgical planning/3D printed surgical guides in a training hospital, assessing the impact on intraoperative time and bleeding. : We included a total of 13 patients. 8 who underwent maxillofacial reconstruction surgery with fibula-free flap utilizing virtual surgical planning/3D printed guides (VP/SG), and 5 using conventional surgery (CS) from 2017 to 2020.

Spinal gunshot wounds: A retrospective, multicenter, cohort study.

Introduction And Objective: To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics and treatment of patients with spinal gunshot wounds across Latin America.

Material And Methods: Retrospective, multicenter cohort study of patients treated for gunshot wounds to the spine spanning 12 institutions across Latin America between January 2015 and January 2022. Demographic and clinical data were recorded, including the time of injury, initial assessment, characteristics of the vertebral gunshot injury, and treatment.

Effect of Fibrate Treatment on Circulating Adipokine Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Background: Fibrates are widely used in the treatment of dyslipidemia and associated metabolic abnormalities; however, their effects on adipokines are unclear.

Aim Of The Study: This meta-analysis of clinical trials aimed to evaluate the effect of fibrates on circulating adipokine levels.

Methods: Only randomized controlled trials investigating the impact/effect of fibrate treatment on circulating adipokine levels were included from searches in PubMed-Medline, SCOPUS, ClinicalTrials.

Hepatocellular carcinoma with tumoral extension to the inferior vena cava and right atrium.

This case report describes an 81-year-old male with Child-Pugh B chronic liver disease presenting with dyspnea and atypical precordial pain. Evaluation revealed a third-degree atrioventricular block, necessitating temporary pacemaker placement. Portable cardiac ultrasound identified an intracavitary mass in the right atrium.

Cold urticaria as a complication of cryotherapy in the treatment of viral warts.

Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen has been established as the first-line treatment for pediatric patients with viral warts. Cold-induced urticaria (CU) is a rare skin reaction triggered by cold stimuli. We present the case of a pediatric patient with viral warts who developed CU after receiving cryotherapy.

The safety of BCG revaccination in the context of COVID-19.

The bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is administered in many countries as part of their vaccination schedules. Epidemiologic studies have suggested a possible benefit of this vaccine in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and other respiratory infections. We aimed to assess the safety of this intervention in BCG-primed adults.

Failing in reverse: a case report of reverse Takotsubo syndrome complicating peripartum.

Background: Pregnancy and the peripartum are states of stress for the cardiovascular system. These conditions can trigger different cardiomyopathies. Among these, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) has been increasingly recognized as a cause of transient left ventricular dysfunction associated with pregnancy.

Retinal Microvascular Density and Perfusion during an Insulin-Induced Hypoglycemia Episode: A Warning Call.

Aim: To evaluate retinal vascular perfusion and density by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) before, during, and after hypoglycemia in individuals with diabetes mellitus with or without diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Methods: A focused clinical history was performed, followed by an ophthalmological examination to document retinopathy status. OCTA was performed at baseline, at hypoglycemia, and at glucose normalization.

An individualized approach to the management of Cushing disease.

Cushing disease caused by an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary corticotroph adenoma leads to hypercortisolaemia with high mortality due to metabolic, cardiovascular, immunological, neurocognitive, haematological and infectious conditions. The disorder is challenging to diagnose because of its common and heterogenous presenting features and the biochemical pitfalls of testing levels of hormones in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Several late-night salivary cortisol and 24-h urinary free cortisol tests are usually required as well as serum levels of cortisol after a dexamethasone suppression test.

Tick-Borne Pathogens Screening Using a Multiplex Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Method.

Purpose: This study aims to develop and evaluate a cost-effective, user-friendly multiplex quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method for detecting multiple tick-borne pathogens associated with human and veterinary diseases.

Methods: In silico PCR was performed to design and evaluate primer sequences reported for amplifying Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp.

Spinal gunshot wounds: A retrospective, multicenter, cohort study.

Introduction And Objective: To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics and treatment of patients with spinal gunshot wounds across Latin America.

Material And Methods: Retrospective, multicenter cohort study of patients treated for gunshot wounds to the spine spanning 12 institutions across Latin America between January 2015 and January 2022. Demographic and clinical data were recorded, including the time of injury, initial assessment, characteristics of the vertebral gunshot injury, and treatment.

Patient-important outcomes in clinical trials of atopic diseases and asthma in the last decade: A systematic review.

Background: Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) are important tools to establish the effects of a given intervention. Investigators should focus on outcomes that patients perceive: patient-important outcomes (PIOs), clinical endpoints that patients value directly and reflect how they feel, function, or survive. However, it is easier to consider surrogated outcomes to reduce costs and achieve better-looking results.

Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with decreased odds for eosinophilic esophagitis in Mexican patients.

Background: The incidence of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is increasing in some regions of the world. Retrospective studies have found an inverse association with Helicobacter pylori infection (H. pylori).