Inhibition of PI3K promotes dilation of human small airways in a rho kinase-dependent manner.

Background And Purpose: Asthma manifests as a heterogeneous syndrome characterized by airway obstruction, inflammation and hyperresponsiveness (AHR). Although the molecular mechanisms remain unclear, activation of specific PI3K isoforms mediate inflammation and AHR. We aimed to determine whether inhibition of PI3Kδ evokes dilation of airways and to elucidate potential mechanisms.

Association of Urinary Biomarkers of Inflammation, Injury, and Fibrosis with Renal Function Decline: The ACCORD Trial.

Background And Objectives: Current measures for predicting renal functional decline in patients with type 2 diabetes with preserved renal function are unsatisfactory, and multiple markers assessing various biologic axes may improve prediction. We examined the association of four biomarker-to-creatinine ratio levels (monocyte chemotactic protein-1, IL-18, kidney injury molecule-1, and YKL-40) with renal outcome.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: We used a nested case-control design in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Disease Trial by matching 190 participants with ≥40% sustained eGFR decline over the 5-year follow-up period to 190 participants with ≤10% eGFR decline in a 1:1 fashion on key characteristics (age within 5 years, sex, race, baseline albumin-to-creatinine ratio within 20 μg/mg, and baseline eGFR within 10 ml/min per 1.

A Nationwide Analysis of Outcomes of Weekend Admissions for Intracerebral Hemorrhage Shows Disparities Based on Hospital Teaching Status.

Background And Purpose: With the "weekend effect" being well described, the Brain Attack Coalition released a set of "best practice" guidelines in 2005, with the goal to uniformly provide standard of care to patients with stroke. We attempted to define a "weekend effect" in outcomes among patients with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) over the last decade, utilizing the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data. We also attempted to analyze the trend of such an effect.

Peritoneal seeding following incomplete resection of mixed epithelial stromal tumor of the kidney: First case report.

Mixed epithelial stromal tumor (MEST) is rare and typically benign renal cystic neoplasm that cannot be clinically distinguished from cystic renal cell carcinoma. Its mainstay course of diagnosis and treatment remains surgical excision. Recurrence and malignant transformation is rare but has previously been described.

Atrial Fibrillation in Hematologic Malignancies, Especially After Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Review of Risk Factors, Current Management, and Future Directions.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. In addition to well-established risk factors, cancer has been increasingly associated with the development of AF. Its increased occurrence in those with hematologic malignancies has been attributed to chemotherapeutic agents and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT).

A National Perspective of Do-Not-Resuscitate Order Utilization Predictors in Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders are linked to poorer outcomes in patients with ICH, possibly due to less active management. Demographic, regional, and social factors, not related to ICH severity, have not been adequately looked at as significant predictors of DNR utilization.

Increasing awareness of sex differences in airway diseases.

There is growing epidemiologic data demonstrating sex differences with respect to prevalence and progression of airway diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF-related bronchiectasis. In asthma, for example, young boys have increased exacerbations and higher morbidity than girls which distinctly reverses after adolescence and into adulthood. In COPD, a disease that was historically considered an illness of men, the number of women dying per year is now greater than in men.

Neoadjuvant radiation in primary extremity liposarcoma: correlation of MRI features with histopathology.

Objective: To evaluate MRI features of response of primary extremity liposarcoma (LPS) to neoadjuvant radiation therapy (RT) with histopathologic correlation.

Methods: In this IRB-approved study including 125 patients with extremity LPS treated with neoadjuvant RT from 2000 to 2013, MRI of the primary tumour in 18 patients (5 pleomorphic LPS, 13 myxoid LPS) before and after RT were reviewed by two radiologists by consensus. Histopathology of the surgical specimens was reviewed by a pathologist with expertise in sarcomas.

The burden of dialysis-requiring acute kidney injury among hospitalized adults with HIV infection: a nationwide inpatient sample analysis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring renal replacement therapy ('dialysis-requiring AKI') and the impact on in-hospital mortality among hospitalized adults with HIV infection.

Design: A longitudinal analysis of a nationally representative administrative database.

Methods: We reviewed the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's Nationwide Inpatient Sample Database, a large, nationally representative sample of inpatient hospital admissions, to identify all adult hospitalizations with an associated diagnosis of HIV infection from 2002 to 2010.

Treatment of neuroblastoma in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome with a PHOX2B polyalanine repeat expansion mutation: New twist on a neurocristopathy syndrome.

Neuroblastoma in patients with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) as part of a neurocristopathy syndrome is a rare finding and has only been associated with paired-like homeobox 2b (PHOX2B) non-polyalanine-repeat-expansion mutations. To the best of our knowledge, we report the first case of a child with CCHS and Hirschsprung disease who had a PHOX2B polyalanine-repeat-expansion mutation (PARM) (genotype 20/33) and developed high-risk neuroblastoma. We further describe his treatment including chemotherapy and therapeutic I(131) -metaiodobenzylguanidine.

Comparison of Cutting Balloon Angioplasty and Percutaneous Balloon Angioplasty of Arteriovenous Fistula Stenosis: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Background: Hemodialysis (HD) access failure is a common cause of increased morbidity and healthcare cost in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Percutaneous balloon angioplasty has been used to treat hemodialysis access stenosis but is complicated by a high rate of restenosis. Percutaneous cutting balloon (PCB) angioplasty is an alternative approach that has shown to reduce restenosis.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in children with heart disease and del22q11 syndrome: a review of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry.

The study objective was to evaluate outcomes among children with del22q11 (DiGeorge) syndrome supported on ECMO for heart disease. The ELSO registry database was queried to include all children <18 years undergoing heart surgery for either common atrio-ventricular canal, tetralogy of Fallot, truncus arteriosus or transposition of the great vessels and interrupted aortic arch and requiring ECMO, from 1998-2011. The outcomes evaluated included mortality, ECMO duration and length of hospital stay in patients with del22q11 syndrome and with no del22q11 syndrome.

Association of Hematocrit and Red Blood Cell Transfusion with Outcomes in Infants Undergoing Norwood Operation.

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between red blood cell (RBC) transfusion and hematocrit values with outcomes in infants undergoing Norwood operation. This study included infants ≤2 months of age who underwent Norwood operation with either a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt or a right ventricle-pulmonary artery shunt. Demographics, preoperative, operative, daily laboratory data, and postoperative variables were collected.

Dosimetric effect on pediatric conformal treatment plans using dynamic jaw with Tomotherapy HDA.

It is important to minimize the radiation dose delivered to healthy tissues in pediatric cancer treatment because of the risk of secondary malignancies. Tomotherapy HDA provides a dynamic jaw (DJ) delivery mode that creates a sharper penumbra at the craniocaudal ends of a target in addition to a fixed jaw (FJ) delivery mode. The purpose of this study was to evaluate its dosimetric effect on the pediatric cancer cases.

Steroid therapy attenuates acute phase reactant response among children on ventricular assist device support.

Background: Hyperfibrinogenemia, which can create a procoagulant milieu, is frequently observed in patients supported with the Berlin EXCOR (Berlin Heart GmbH, Berlin, Germany) ventricular assist device (VAD). We began initiating corticosteroids in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) episodes to mitigate hyperfibrinogenemia. We set forth to describe the impact of corticosteroids on the hyperfibrinogenemic state in our institutional experience.

Characteristics and surgical and clinical outcomes of severely obese children with obstructive sleep apnea.

Study Objectives: To describe characteristics and surgical and clinical outcomes of obese children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: At our institution from 2000 to 2010, 143 obese children with an overnight polysomnography (OPSG) diagnosis of OSA, excluding children with comorbidities, were identified. Relationships between demographics, clinical findings, and the severity of OSA were assessed.

Robotic assisted laparoscopic adrenalectomy: Initial experience from a tertiary care centre in India.

Introduction: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) is now considered the standard for treatment of surgically correctable adrenal disorders. Robotic adrenalectomy has been performed worldwide and has established itself as safe, feasible and effective approach. We hereby present the first study in robotic transperitoneal LA from Indian subcontinent.

Effective dose conversion coefficients for health care provider exposed to pediatric and adult victims in radiological dispersal device incident.

After an incident of radiological dispersal devices (RDD), health care providers will be exposed to the contaminated patients in the extended medical treatments. Assessment of potential radiation dose to the health care providers will be crucial to minimize their health risk. In this study, we compiled a set of conversion coefficients (mSv MBq(-1) s(-1)) to readily estimate the effective dose from the time-integrated activity for the health care providers while they deal with internally contaminated patients at different ages.