Quantitative measurement of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and its correlation with optical coherence tomography angiography vascular biomarker changes in preclinical diabetic retinopathy.

Purpose: The present study was done to assess the use of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in detecting earlier stages of diabetic retinopathy and for the early management and effective blood glucose control in preclinical diabetic patients for preventing retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning.

Methods: A tertiary care center-based prospective observational study was conducted from the year 2021 to 2022 in the Department of Ophthalmology. The study included 50 cases and 50 controls.

Exploring Patient Demographics and Presence of Retinal Vascular Disease in Paracentral Acute Middle Maculopathy.

Purpose: To investigate the sociodemographic profile, the association with retinal vascular diseases (RVD) and systemic comorbidities, and visual outcomes of patients with paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) in a large, ethnically diverse single-center cohort.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods: Electronic health record query for all patients presenting with PAMM at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, was completed.

Evaluation of ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness in the diagnosis of pre-perimetric glaucoma and comparison to retinal nerve fiber layers.

Purpose: Evaluation of ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness in the diagnosis of pre-perimetric glaucoma (PPG) and comparison to retinal nerve fiber layers.

Methods: This study was a prospective hospital-based study. A total of 30 PPG and control patients were studied for retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer complex (GC-IPL) by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.

Monitoring left ventricular assist device parameters to detect flow- and power-impacting complications: a proof of concept.

Aims: The number of patients on left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support increases due to the growing number of patients with end-stage heart failure and the limited number of donor hearts. Despite improving survival rates, patients frequently suffer from adverse events such as cardiac arrhythmia and major bleeding. Telemonitoring is a potentially powerful tool to early detect deteriorations and may further improve outcome after LVAD implantation.

Developing a personalized remote patient monitoring algorithm: a proof-of-concept in heart failure.

Aims: Non-invasive remote patient monitoring is an increasingly popular technique to aid clinicians in the early detection of worsening heart failure (HF) alongside regular follow-ups. However, previous studies have shown mixed results in the performance of such systems. Therefore, we developed and evaluated a personalized monitoring algorithm aimed at increasing positive-predictive-value (PPV) (i.

A Case of Massive Gastrointestinal Bleeding Due to Abdominal Tuberculosis.

This case is about a complication of abdominal tuberculosis in the form of a massive lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleed, which was timely intervened by angioembolization. A young man in his mid-20s on empirical anti-tubercular therapy (ATT) for abdominal tuberculosis, presented with severe abdominal pain. The patient then developed frank per rectal bleeding, leading to a significant drop in hemoglobin level, requiring multiple blood transfusions.

Optical Coherence Tomography Predictors of SIde Branch REstenosis after unprotected Left Main bifurcation angioplasty using double kissing crush technique (OP-SIBRE LM Study).

Background: Among the two stent strategies, contemporary evidence favors double kissing crush technique (DKC) for complex unprotected distal left main bifurcation (UdLMB) lesions. However one of the major challenges to these lesions is side branch (SB) restenosis.

Aims: Our aim was to identify optical coherence tomographic (OCT) characteristics that may predict SB restenosis (SBR) after UdLMB angioplasty using DKC technique.

Effect of Body Mass Index on Post Tonsillectomy Hemorrhages.

Aims: Obesity affects adverse outcomes in patients undergoing various surgeries. The study was carried out to assess the clinical association between body mass index and post tonsillectomy hemorrhages.

Materials And Methods: This prospective study was carried out on 60 patients, age between 5 and 40 years, admitted in Department of ENT with chronic tonsillitis.

Comparison of Inflammatory Markers for Prediction of Recurrence of Nasal Polyp after Functional Endoscopy Sinus Surgery.

The study was carried out to correlate the inflammatory markers (NLR, ELR, PLR) before and after endoscopic sinus surgery and their role in the prediction of recurrent nasal polyps. This was a hospital-based observational study carried out the 43 patients, aged between 18-45 years, admitted to the department of ENT with CRSwNP and underwent endoscopic sinus surgery. NLR, ELR & PLR values were compared for each patient and calculated from complete blood counts taken before and after surgery follow-up period at post-op 1st week, 3rd week, 3rd month, and 6th month.

Evaluation of the TraumaGuard Balloon-in-Balloon Catheter Design for Intra-Abdominal Pressure Monitoring: Insights from Pig and Human Cadaver Studies.

: Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) monitoring is crucial for the detection and prevention of intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). In the 1970s, air-filled catheters (AFCs) for urodynamic studies were introduced as a solution to overcome the limitations of water-perfused catheters. Recent studies have shown that for correct IAP measurement with traditional AFC, the bladder needs to be primed with 25 mL of saline solution to allow pressure wave transmission to the transducer outside of the body, which limits continuous IAP monitoring.

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel-Group Phase III Trial Investigating the Glycemic Efficacy and Safety Profile of Fixed-Dose Combination Dapagliflozin and Linagliptin Over Linagliptin Monotherapy in Patients with Inadequately Controlled Type 2 Diabetes with Metformin.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fixed-dose combination (FDC) of dapagliflozin (10 mg) and linagliptin (5 mg) in comparison to linagliptin 5 mg (Trajenta) in patients with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on metformin monotherapy.

Methods: The double-blind, randomized, multicentric, parallel-group phase III trial screened 287 adult patients with T2DM (age 18-65 years) from 16 sites across India. The recruited subjects were undergoing metformin monotherapy ≥ 1000 mg/day for at least 28 days.

Pemigatinib for metastatic or surgically unresectable urothelial carcinoma with FGF/FGFR genomic alterations: final results from FIGHT-201.

Background: Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) alterations are oncogenic drivers of urothelial carcinoma (UC). Pemigatinib is a selective, oral inhibitor of FGFR1-3 with antitumor activity. We report the efficacy and safety of pemigatinib in the open-label, single-arm, phase II study of previously treated, unresectable or metastatic UC with FGFR3 alterations (FIGHT-201; NCT02872714).

Estimated Lifetime Cardiovascular, Kidney, and Mortality Benefits of Combination Treatment With SGLT2 Inhibitors, GLP-1 Receptor Agonists, and Nonsteroidal MRA Compared With Conventional Care in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Albuminuria.

Background: Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA), and the nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (ns-MRA) finerenone all individually reduce cardiovascular, kidney, and mortality outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuria. However, the lifetime benefits of combination therapy with these medicines are not known.

Methods: We used data from 2 SGLT2i trials (CANVAS [Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment] and CREDENCE [Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation]), 2 ns-MRA trials (FIDELIO-DKD [Finerenone in Reducing Kidney Failure and Disease Progression in Diabetic Kidney Disease] and FIGARO-DKD [Efficacy and Safety of Finerenone in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and the Clinical Diagnosis of Diabetic Kidney Disease]), and 8 GLP-1 RA trials to estimate the relative effects of combination therapy versus conventional care (renin-angiotensin system blockade and traditional risk factor control) on cardiovascular, kidney, and mortality outcomes.

The association between albumin and mortality in patients with acute kidney injury: a retrospective observational study.

Background: While the association between decreased serum albumin (ALB) levels and increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) is well established, the risk of death among patients with AKI with low serum ALB levels is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the association between serum ALB levels in patients with AKI and mortality, and help guide their clinical management.

Methods: The included patients were those diagnosed with AKI and admitted to Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital between January 2018 and December 2020.

Hyponatremia, hypernatremia and impairment of functional, psychological and sexual domains.

Objective: To determine the influence of serum sodium on physical, psychologic and sexual function.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey on 3340 community-dwelling men aged 40-79 years from a prospective cohort study in eight European countries, the European Male Ageing Study (EMAS). Participants filled-out the Short Form-36 (SF-36), the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE), and the EMAS sexual function questionnaire.

Conditional diagnostic accuracy according to inflammation status and age for diagnosing tuberculous effusion.

Background: Tuberculous effusion varies from lymphocyte-dominant to neutrophilic effusion according to inflammation status. The criteria of adenosine deaminase (ADA) and lymphocyte/neutrophil (L/N) ratio have yet not been evaluated across different disease conditions.

Methods: Patients who conducted pleural fluid analysis from 2009 to 2019 at Asan Medical Center were included.

Untargeted lipidomics reveal association of elevated plasma C18 ceramide levels with reduced survival in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients.

Emerging evidence highlights the potential prognostic relevance of circulating lipids in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), with a proposed 3-lipid signature. This study aims to analyze the lipidomic profiles of individuals with mCRPC to identify lipid species that could serve as predictive indicators of prognosis and therapeutic response. Plasma samples were collected from mCRPC patients initiating first-line treatment (1 L) (n = 29) and those previously treated with at least two lines of therapy (> 2 L) (n = 19), including an androgen-receptor signaling inhibitor and a taxane.

Reconnaissance Survey of Organic Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Kabul and Swat Rivers of Pakistan.

The Swat and Kabul rivers of northern Pakistan are within an important regional watershed that supports river-based livelihoods and is impacted by untreated effluent discharges and municipal solid waste. Evidence indicates that fish populations are decreasing in these rivers. One potential cause of poor aquatic health is pollution; therefore, we investigated the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the river systems.

Fluoroquinolone resistance mutations among and their interconnection with treatment outcome.

Background: Fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotics are among the most potent second-line antitubercular drugs these days. The aim of the study was to analyze the frequency and pattern of genetic mutation in preextensive (pre-XDR) and extensively drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis using second-line line probe assay (LPA) and to compare drug-resistant mutations with different treatment outcomes.

Methods: Sputum, lymph node aspirate, and cold accesses from patients with rifampicin-resistant Tuberculosis (TB) were subjected to first-line and second-line LPA (Genotype MTBDRsl by Hain Life Science, Germany) to assess additional drug resistance to fluoroquinolones (levofloxacin and moxifloxacin).

Randomized Trial of Prophylactic Antibiotics for Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in Patients With Biliary Obstruction.

Introduction: The incidence of postendoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) infections is reported to be up to 18% in patients with biliary obstruction. Antibiotic prophylaxis may reduce the risk of infectious complications after ERCP; however, the clinical value of prophylactic antibiotics in ERCP remains controversial.

Methods: We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial to investigate whether the use of prophylactic antibiotics would reduce infectious complications after ERCP in patients with biliary obstruction.

How I treat secondary CNS involvement by aggressive lymphomas.

Secondary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma (SCNSL) is a rare but clinically challenging scenario with historically disappointing outcomes. SCNSL refers to lymphoma that has spread into the CNS concurrently with systemic disease or CNS relapse during or after frontline immunochemotherapy, presenting with or without systemic lymphoma. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) denotes the most common entity, but an increased incidence is observed in other histologies, such as Burkitt lymphoma and mantle-cell lymphoma.

Intramuscular ketamine provides better sedation and scan conditions in children undergoing magnetic resonance imaging: A single-blinded observational study.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to compare the quality of sedation provided by intravenous (i.v.) and intramuscular (im) ketamine for pediatric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).