Mortality and ocular parameters and diseases.

Background: To assess associations between mortality and major ocular parameters and diseases.

Methods: The population-based Ural Eye and Medical Study (UEMS) and Ural Very Old Study (UVOS) included 5899 individuals (age: 40+ years) and 1526 individuals (age: 85+ years), respectively. Cause-specific mortality was determined using the government regional information and analytical system.

A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of intravenous dexamethasone on postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

Purpose: Dexamethasone has shown promising efficacy in alleviating pain and enhancing outcomes undergoing TKA. However, an optimal route of administration, dosage, and treatment duration have not yet been established. This study is to assess the effects of intravenous dexamethasone administration on postoperative pain management and prognosis in patients undergoing TKA.

Association between exposure to particulate matter and heart rate variability in vulnerable and susceptible individuals.

Particulate matter (PM) exposure can reduce heart rate variability (HRV), a cardiovascular health marker. This study examines PM (aerodynamic diameters <1 μm), PM (≥1 μm and <2.5 μm), and PM (≥2.

Composite cardiac computed tomography angiography score for improved risk assessment in chronic coronary syndromes.

Agatston score, the degree of lumen narrowing categorized by CAD-RADS, high-risk atherosclerotic plaque features and pericoronary adipose tissue attenuation (PCAT) are parameters, which can be assessed non-invasively by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and aid risk stratification in patients with chronic coronary syndromes (CCS). However, few studies have so far compared the prognostic value of all those parameters together. To develop and test the prognostic value of a composite CCTA score, derived from Agatston score, CAD-RADS, high-risk plaques and PCAT in patients undergoing CCTA due to CCS.

The availability of drugs for stable COPD treatment in China: a cross-sectional survey.

This survey aimed to investigate the availability of drugs for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment in Chinese hospitals and to determine whether drug availability significantly varied among hospitals with different characteristics. A well-constructed questionnaire was designed according to the Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of COPD (revised version 2021). Both inhaled drugs (monotherapy, double therapy and triple therapy) and oral drugs (expectorants, theophylline, antibiotics, and bacterial lysates) were included in this survey.

An adaptive Bayesian randomized controlled trial of traditional Chinese medicine in progressive pulmonary fibrosis: Rationale and study design.

Progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) is a progressive and lethal condition with few effective treatment options. Improvements in quality of life for patients with PPF remain limited even while receiving treatment with approved antifibrotic drugs. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has the potential to improve cough, dyspnea and fatigue symptoms of patients with PPF.

Characteristics of children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis and their association with treatment outcomes: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: There are few data on the treatment of children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant (MDR) or rifampicin-resistant (RR) tuberculosis, especially with more recently available drugs and regimens. We aimed to describe the clinical and treatment characteristics and their associations with treatment outcomes in this susceptible population.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

The Evaluation of Urinary HE4, CEA, ProGRP, CYFRA 21-1 and NSE in the Diagnosis of Lung Cancer.

Objective: Urinary proteins are effective tumor biomarkers. Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), progastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytokeratin-19 fragment 21-1(CYFRA 21-1), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in serum, were proposed as tumor biomarkers of lung cancer. Our aim was to identify the urine protein biomarkers that can distinguish patients with lung cancer from healthy individuals and/or patients with benign lung disease with a high level of sensitivity and specificity.

Physiologic Pulmonary Phenotyping of Infants Born Preterm and Post-Discharge Respiratory Morbidity.

Objectives: To determine whether airway and parenchymal function identifies subgroups of infants born preterm according to the predominant pulmonary pathophysiology, and whether these subgroups have different risks for respiratory disease during infancy.

Study Design: We prospectively enrolled a cohort of 125 infants born preterm with planned clinical follow-up after NICU discharge. The study included monthly questionnaires for wheeze and visits to a physician or care provider for any respiratory illness.

Antithrombotic prophylaxis use and incidence of venous thromboembolism in lung cancer surgery: An observational retrospective study.

Introduction: Extended thromboprophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for 28 days is recommended in patients undergoing major abdominal or pelvic cancer surgery, but the evidence for thoracic cancer surgery is weak. We aimed to evaluate the use of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis and incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adult patients undergoing lung cancer surgery in daily clinical practice.

Methods: Retrospective evaluation of a cohort of consecutive adult patients who had undergone lung cancer surgery.

Critical care considerations of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies represents a major advancement in the treatment of refractory hematologic malignancies, with high remission rates for relapsed B-cell lymphomas and leukemias. However, it is associated with a broad spectrum of potentially life-threatening toxicities, many of which require intensive care unit (ICU) management. Key complications include Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) and Immune Effector Cell-associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS), as well as severe infections, Immune Effector Cell-associated Hematotoxicity (ICAHT), coagulopathies, and organ dysfunctions resulting from the intense inflammatory response induced by CAR T-cells.

Role of cardiac and lung ultrasonography in predicting weaning failure in patients of acute kidney injury requiring mechanical ventilation: a pilot study.

Purpose: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) has an incidence of 20-50% in patients admitted in Intensive Care Unit. As weaning failure is associated with increased morbidity, its prediction and understanding of its physiological basis holds extreme importance in guided management and prognostication of these patients. We conducted this prospective, observational, single - center study to evaluate the efficacy of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and lung ultrasonography (LUS) in predicting weaning failure in patients with AKI requiring mechanical ventilation.

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: A key to patient-tailored and outcome-driven care in Pulmonary Embolism survivors.

Almost half of the acute pulmonary embolism (PE) survivors suffer from long-term sequelae that limit quality of life and their reintegration in society. The post-PE syndrome involves a spectrum of complications ranging from life-threatening pulmonary hypertension to deconditioning and psychosocial issues. The follow-up of acute PE has been demonstrated to be rife with challenges including long diagnostic delays, inefficient use of healthcare resources and the ignorance of psychosocial complications such as depression and anxiety.

Does Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head Increase Early Complication Rates After Total Hip Arthroplasty? A Japanese Nationwide Medical Claims Database Study.

Background: Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) and osteoarthritis (OA) are two common diagnoses for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). The early surgical complications in THA for ONFH compared to OA are inconsistently reported. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether THA for ONFH was associated with early postoperative complications in comparison to THA for OA using a large database of Japanese patients.

Angiotensin II: A novel biomarker in vascular diseases.

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS), composed mainly of renin, angiotensin, and aldosterone, is a key endocrine pathway involved in cardiovascular activity regulation. Under physiological conditions, the RAS plays a vital role in water and salt metabolism, blood pressure regulation, and electrolyte balance. Angiotensin II (Ang II) is the most important active component of the RAS, and its receptors are concentrated in vascular, pulmonary, cardiac, and renal tissues in vivo.

Shikonin modulates activated fibroblast apoptosis in silicosis fibrosis via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway: A network pharmacology approach.

Background: Silicosis is a lung disease caused by the inhalation of free crystalline silica and is characterized mainly by lung inflammation and progressive pulmonary fibrosis. Shikonin, a biologically active compound isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Comfrey, has been shown to have significant antifibrotic effects. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the antifibrotic effects of SHK in silicosis remain unclear.

Piezo2 is a key mechanoreceptor in lung fibrosis that drives myofibroblast differentiation.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other progressive fibrotic interstitial lung disease have limited treatment options. Fibroblasts are key effector cells that sense matrix stiffness through conformation changes in mechanically sensitive receptors, leading to activation of downstream profibrotic pathways. Here we investigate the role of Piezo2, a mechanosensitive ion channel, in human and mouse lung fibrosis, and its function in myofibroblast differentiation in primary human lung fibroblasts (HLFs).

Managing home oxygen and nasogastric feeds post-NICU discharge: PCP practices and perspectives.

Objective: NICU graduates are frequently technology dependent including home oxygen, pulse oximetry, and/or nasogastric (NG) feedings. Primary care provider (PCP) perceptions, practices, and barriers to managing these infants are not well described, especially at altitude. We sought to 1) describe PCP comfort and 2) determine practices and barriers in managing this technology at higher altitude.

A Data-driven Approach to Selecting Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellows for Interviews.

Training programs around the country receive many applications every year with a limited time window to send out invitations for interviews. This poses major barriers to conducting holistic application reviews. To create and implement a data-driven selection process that promotes holistic reviews within a tight timeline to select applicants for invitation to interview.

The role of non-respiratory arousals in residual daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea treated with positive airway pressure: An analysis of the European Sleep Apnea Database registry.

Study Objectives: To assess the impact of the non-respiratory arousal burden at baseline polysomnography (PSG) on residual daytime sleepiness in positive airway pressure (PAP)-treated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: We included OSA patients from the European Sleep Apnea Database registry with available arousal data who had at least 2 treatment follow-up visits. The primary outcome was the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score under PAP.

Metabolic dependency mapping identifies Peroxiredoxin 1 as a driver of resistance to ATM inhibition.

Metabolic pathways fuel tumor progression and resistance to stress conditions including chemotherapeutic drugs, such as DNA damage response (DDR) inhibitors. Yet, significant gaps persist in how metabolic pathways confer resistance to DDR inhibition in cancer cells. Here, we employed a metabolism-focused CRISPR knockout screen and identified genetic vulnerabilities to DDR inhibitors.

Constraints to the initiation of home non-invasive ventilation and short-term efficacy in different diagnostic groups (as a prelude to an ambulatory shift).

Introduction: Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is the reference treatment for chronic respiratory failure (CRF) due to impairment of the ventilatory system. Home initiation is increasingly practiced. To better support this ambulatory shift, we aimed to assess the implementation constraints and short-term efficacy according to different aetiologies of CRF.

The role of inflammatory factors in mediating the causal effects of type 1 diabetes mellitus on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: A two-step Mendelian randomization study.

While recent studies suggested a potential causal link between type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) but not type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the involved mechanism remains unclear. Here, using a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, we verified the causal relationship between the two types of diabetes mellitus and IPF and investigated the possible role of inflammation in the association between diabetes mellitus and IPF. Based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data of T1DM, T2DM, and IPF, the univariable MR, multivariable MR (MVMR), and mediation MR were successively used to analyze the causal relationship.

Associations of cathepsins with pulmonary arterial hypertension mediated by circulating metabolites: A Mendelian randomization study.

The correlation between cathepsins and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is well-established, but the causative link between them remains uncertain. This study aimed to explore the causal role of circulating metabolites mediating cathepsins in PAH using Mendelian randomization (MR). A 2-sample 2-step MR method was used to identify causal relationship between cathepsins and PAH; causal relationship between circulating metabolites and PAH; and mediated effects of these circulating metabolites.