Hemoglobin A1c Serum Level Predicts 5-year Mortality in Patients with Cognitive Impairment.

Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may occur as preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD), ultimately leading to dementia. Glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a diagnostic marker for diabetes mellitus and indicates mortality risk.

Objectives: This university-based, exploratory retrospective study examined the impact of HbA1c serum level on 5-year mortality among individuals with cognitive impairment.

A six-year teaching life supportive first aid program to eventually generate peer trainer pupils: a prospective case control study.

Background: Out of hospital cardiac arrest is a life-threatening condition. To improve the chances of survival, lay-person cardio-pulmonary-resuscitation (CPR) is a crucial factor. Many bystanders fail to react appropriately, even if life supporting first aid (LSFA) programs and campaigns including CPR tried to increase the handling of basic cardiac life support.

[Recommendations for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) in COVID-19 Patients].

The pandemic from the SARS-CoV‑2 Virus is currently challenging health care systems all over the world. Maintaining appropriate staffing and resources in healthcare facilities is essential to guarantee a safe work environment for healthcare personnel and safe patient care. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) represents a valuable therapeutic option in patients with severe heart or lung failure.

Evaluation of 3.0-T MRI Brain Signal after Exposure to Gadoterate Meglumine in Women with High Breast Cancer Risk and Screening Breast MRI.

Background Otherwise healthy women at high risk for breast cancer undergo annual contrast agent-enhanced breast MRI screening examinations, resulting in high cumulative doses of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs). Whereas the majority of studies showed no T1 signal ratio increase in deep brain nuclei after more than six doses of macrocyclic GBCA, this has not been explored in a healthy study population. Purpose To assess whether women who are administered large cumulative doses of macrocyclic GBCA with breast MRI at high-risk breast cancer screening exhibit T1 alterations in deep brain nuclei.

Correction to: Second International Consensus Conference on lesions of uncertain malignant potential in the breast (B3 lesions).

The article Second International Consensus Conference on lesions of uncertain malignant potential in the breast (B3 lesions), written by Christoph J Rageth, Elizabeth AM O'Flynn, Katja Pinker, Rahel A Kubik-Huch, Alexander Mundinger, Thomas Decker, Christoph Tausch, Florian Dammann, Pascal A. Baltzer, Eva Maria Fallenberg, Maria P Foschini, Sophie Dellas, Michael Knauer, Caroline Malhaire, Martin Sonnenschein, Andreas Boos, Elisabeth Morris, Zsuzsanna Varga, was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on November 30, 2018 without open access.

Obesity in the critically ill: a narrative review.

The World Health Organization defines overweight and obesity as the condition where excess or abnormal fat accumulation increases risks to health. The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide and is around 20% in ICU patients. Adipose tissue is highly metabolically active, and especially visceral adipose tissue has a deleterious adipocyte secretory profile resulting in insulin resistance and a chronic low-grade inflammatory and procoagulant state.

Second International Consensus Conference on lesions of uncertain malignant potential in the breast (B3 lesions).

Purpose: The second International Consensus Conference on B3 lesions was held in Zurich, Switzerland, in March 2018, organized by the International Breast Ultrasound School to re-evaluate the consensus recommendations.

Methods: This study (1) evaluated how management recommendations of the first Zurich Consensus Conference of 2016 on B3 lesions had influenced daily practice and (2) reviewed current literature towards recommendations to biopsy.

Results: In 2018, the consensus recommendations for management of B3 lesions remained almost unchanged: For flat epithelial atypia (FEA), classical lobular neoplasia (LN), papillary lesions (PL) and radial scars (RS) diagnosed on core-needle biopsy (CNB) or vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB), excision by VAB in preference to open surgery, and for atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) and phyllodes tumors (PT) diagnosed at VAB or CNB, first-line open surgical excision (OE) with follow-up surveillance imaging for 5 years.

Development of ACRODAT, a new software medical device to assess disease activity in patients with acromegaly.

Purpose: Despite availability of multimodal treatment options for acromegaly, achievement of long-term disease control is suboptimal in a significant number of patients. Furthermore, disease control as defined by biochemical normalization may not always show concordance with disease-related symptoms or patient's perceived quality of life. We developed and validated a tool to measure disease activity in acromegaly to support decision-making in clinical practice.

A population-based analysis of the risk of drug interaction between clarithromycin and statins for hospitalisation or death.

Background: Clarithromycin, known as a potent inhibitor of the cytochrome P450 isoenzyme CYP3A, may increase the plasma concentration of statins metabolized by this pathway; therefore, increase the risk of interaction with statins in reference to pharmacokinetic studies. This study aimed to characterize whether the concomitant use of a statin with clarithromycin is associated with serious outcomes among adult persons.

Methods: Health claims data of adult persons in the Regional Sickness Fund of Burgenland, Austria, who filled a prescription for clarithromycin between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2012 were reviewed retrospectively.

The Use of Biomarkers for Bladder Cancer Diagnosis and Surveillance.

Bladder cancer - a propensity that is associated with high recurrence and mortality rates. Various molecular alterations are reflected by diverse cellular morphological manifestations and vast tumor heterogeneity. Many biomarkers have been described that have undergone clinical trials and are approved for clinical use, but most still remain investigational.

Dysfunctional coping in headache: avoidance and endurance is not associated with chronic forms of headache.

Introduction: About 4% of the population suffer from daily or near daily headache, which in most cases evolved from an episodic type of headache. The impact of psychological factors on this process is unknown. It seems reasonable to assume, that besides somatic and social conditions psychological factors like pain-related coping and cognition play an important role, as has been shown for other pain conditions.

Effects of increased white blood cell count on endothelin-induced vasoconstriction in healthy subjects.

It is known that administration of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor is followed by an increase of white blood cell count. There is evidence from other vascular beds that an increase in white blood cell count impairs blood flow regulation especially in the microcirculation. Whether this also holds true for the ocular circulation is unknown.

Lower serum total testosterone is associated with lymph node metastases in a radical prostatectomy cohort study.

Background: Data on testosterone levels of patients with prostate cancer of different grade and stage are inconsistent. We retrospectively investigated serum total testosterone of a radical prostatectomy cohort to further shed light on this problem.

Patients And Methods: The preoperative level of serum total testosterone of 217 patients (mean age: 65±5.

Mean platelet volume may represent a predictive parameter for overall vascular mortality and ischemic heart disease.

Objective: An increased mean platelet volume (MPV), as an indicator of larger, more reactive platelets resulting from an increased platelet turnover, may represent a risk factor for overall vascular mortality, including myocardial infarction. We intended to identify patients at higher risk of dying from vascular disease in a large, hospital-based cohort.

Methods And Results: A total of 206 554 first-ever admissions to the Allgemeines Krankenhaus Wien for determination of MPV between January 1996 and July 2003 were included.

Impact of pH on bacterial growth and activity of recent fluoroquinolones in pooled urine.

Acidification of urine is widely recommended for prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections. We set out to describe the effect of modification of pH on bacterial growth of relevant bacteria as well as on activity of modern fluoroquinolones in urine in vitro. Bacterial growth of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Klebsiella oxytoca ATCC 700324 was determined in pooled human urine adjusted to pH levels between 5.

Induction of targeted cell migration by cutaneous administration of a DNA vector encoding a biologically active chemokine CCL21.

Skin inflammation can induce local expression of CCL21, which is subsequently drained to lymph nodes (LNs) influencing their cellular composition. To determine whether the same can be achieved by dermal administration of a plasmid DNA (pDNA) encoding CCL21, we generated a pDNA-based gene construct allowing high-level expression of CCL21. Expression and secretion of biologically active CCL21 were confirmed in vitro by immunohistochemistry, western blot analysis, ELISA, and transwell chemotactic assays.

Effects of azithromycin in combination with vancomycin, daptomycin, fosfomycin, tigecycline, and ceftriaxone on Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms.

Staphylococcal biofilms on surgical implants are the underlying cause of a lack of response to antimicrobial treatment. We investigated the effects of vancomycin (VAN), daptomycin (DAP), fosfomycin (FOS), tigecycline (TGC), and ceftriaxone (CRX), alone and in combination with azithromycin (AZI), on established biofilms of Staphylococcus epidermidis. Biofilms were studied using the static microtiter plate model with established S.

Invasive fungal infections and (1,3)-beta-D-glucan serum concentrations in long-term intensive care patients.

Objective: Invasive fungal infections are associated with high morbidity and increased mortality. This study was performed to assess the epidemiology of fungal infections and to determine (1,3)-beta-D-glucan serum concentrations in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).

Patients And Methods: Overall 197 patients were admitted to nine medical and surgical intensive care units (ICUs) at a 2200-bed university hospital during a 3-month period.

No carnitine palmitoyltransferase deficiency in skeletal muscle in 18 malignant hyperthermia susceptible individuals.

Malignant hyperthermia is a rare, potentially life threatening pharmacogenetic disorder triggered by volatile anaesthetics and depolarizing muscle relaxants. The clinical picture comprises rhabdomyolysis, metabolic and respiratory acidosis, and hyperthermia. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II deficiency is a metabolic myopathy affecting the transport of fatty acids into the mitochondria, leading to impaired energy supply under stressful conditions resulting in muscle weakness and rhabdomyolysis.

Rapid non-invasive external cooling to induce mild therapeutic hypothermia in adult human-sized swine.

Aim Of The Study: Mild therapeutic hypothermia is a promising new therapy for patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest. Early and fast induction of hypothermia seems to be crucial for best results. The aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility and safety of a new surface cooling method using cold metal plates.

Interventions for preventing posterior capsule opacification.

Background: Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) remains the most common long-term complication after cataract surgery. It can be treated by Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy, however, this may lead to other complications and laser treatment is not available in large parts of the developing world. Therefore, many studies try to find factors influencing the development of PCO.