There are no recommendations for the optimal nutritional status assessment parameters (NSAPs) in the current literature. The aim of this study was to define the optimal NSAPs for nutritional status ...assessing in gastroenterological patients on hospital admission.
Nutritional status of 612 gastroenterological patients was evaluated at the admission using 6 NSAPs: unintentional weight loss (WL), body mass index (BMI), triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), mid-upper arm muscle circumference (MAMC), serum albumin concentration (ALB), and lymphocyte counts (LYM). According to their nutritive status, the patients were classified as well nourished (normally nourished and obese), moderately undernourished and severely undernourished. Based on the similarities and differences in the assessment results, obtained according to each of 6 parameters, the optimal nutritional assessment parameters were defined, separately for the well-nourished/undernourished patients and for moderately/severely undernourished patients.
The incidence of malnutrition was in the range 5.9-29.7%. The results based on MAMC, ALB, and LYM were similar (25.2-29.7%; p > 0.05), while the results based on WL, BMI, and TSF differed significantly (5.9-19.9%; p = 0.001-0.015). The assessment based on BMI was the most severe criterion, while the assessment according to MAMC was the mildest criterion in selection of malnourished patients. The assessment according to MAMC was the mildest criterion for the selection of severe malnourished patients (severely malnouorished patients accounted for 70.1%), while BMI and LYM were the most severe criteria (severely malnouorished patients accounted for 22.2% and 27.3%, respectively). The results based on BMI and LYM were similar (Wilcoxon test; p > 0.05).
Combining BMI with MAMC is sufficient for the assessment of the nutritional status of gastroenterological patients on admission, as well as for differentiation between severely malnourished and moderately malnourished patients.
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Mixed cryoglobulinemia is the most prevalent extrahepatic manifestation of chronic HCV infection. It is usually a benign lymphoproliferative disorder which presents as vasculitis affecting different ...organs. Although life-threatening cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CryoVas) is rare, it is sometimes the first and possibly lethal complication. Its treatment depends on the severity of vasculitis and can be challenging. High dose of corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents and plasma exchange represent the first-line treatment, which should be followed by antiviral therapy. Rituximab is an effective and safe treatment option. However, the data about its use in life-threatening conditions are scarce. We report the case of a patient with severe, relapsing and life-threatening HCV-related CryoVas resistant to standard therapy who had had an initial beneficial response to rituximab added to plasma exchange that was later compromised by the development of sepsis. We also review the literature and discuss manifestations and therapy of life-threatening Cryovas with focus on rituximab use.
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Risk factors for the intrahospital nutritional status worsening (NSW) have not been precisely defined in the literature. The objective was defining thoese factors among gastroenterological patients ...and defining the risk patients requiring a preventive nutritional therapy.
In 650 gastroenterological patients, NSW was evaluated on the basis of reducing of the six parameters: body weight, body mass index (BMI), triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), mid-upper arm muscle circumference (MAMC), serum albumin level (ALB), and lymphocyte count (LYM). The influence on NSW was tested for 13 factors concerning characteristics of the patient, disease, and diagnostic procedures. Among the factors influencing significantly the NSW, primary and secondary risk factors were selected. After scoring of risk factors had been performed, the risk-score for NSW (RSNSW) was defined. The critical value of RSNSW which required preventive nutritional therapy was also calculated.
The incidence of NSW was in the range 29.2%-57.9%. The presence of general complications and severe disease activity were considered as primary risk factors, whereas malignant disease, age above 71, hepato-billiary tract involvement, hospitalization longer than 14 days, and mobility worsening were considered as secondary risk factors. The best predictive value for the NSW was proved for the RSNSW > or = 6. Because of that, preventive nutritional therapy should be indicated in patients presenting with both primary risk factors or in patients presenting with one primary factor combined with three secondary risk factors at least.
There are 7 risk factors for NSW in gastroenterological patients, but they are not of the same importance--two primary and five secondary risk factors can be differentiated. Preventive nutritional therapy is indicated only in patients having both primary risk factors or in those presenting with one primary risk factor combined with three secondary risk factors at least.
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Ghrelin effects on the activities of digestive enzymes and growth of Lymantria dispar L Perić Mataruga, V., Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, Belgrade (Serbia); Janać, B., Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, Belgrade (Serbia); Vlahović, M., Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, Belgrade (Serbia) ...
Archives of biological sciences,
(2012), 2012-00-00, 2012-01-01, Volume:
64, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Open access
Ghrelin, along with several other hormones, has significant effects on appetite and growth in humans and animals. The aim of our study was to examine changes in relative growth rates, alpha- and ...beta-glucosidase activities and endocrine cell size in the midgut of 4th instar caterpillars of the pest insect Lymantria dispar L. after ghrelin treatment. Four subpicomolar injections of ghrelin (0.3 pmol) or physiological saline were applied every 24 h to two separate groups of fifteen caterpillars. Repeated administration of ghrelin in subpicomolar doses elevated the relative growth rate, induced alpha- and beta-glucosidase activities and increased the size of endocrine cells. The results are the first data about ghrelin effects on relative growth rate, digestive enzyme activities and midgut endocrine cells in insects. This information supports the use of this relatively simple model system in future studies of mechanisms underlying digestion in complex organisms.
To perform an external validation of the original Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) system and to assess its performance in a selected group of patients in major Croatian hospitals.
A ...prospective, multicenter study was conducted in five university hospitals and one general hospital during a six-month period between November 1, 2007 and May 1, 2008. Standardized hospital mortality ratio (SMR) was calculated from the mean predicted mortality of all the 2756 patients and the actual mortality for the same group of patients. The validation of SAPS II was made using the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), 2×2 classification tables, and Hosmer-Lemeshow tests.
The predicted mortality was as low as 14.6% due to a small proportion of medical patients and the SMR being 0.89 (95% confidence interval CI, 0.78-0.98). The SAPS II system demonstrated a good discriminatory power as measured by the AUC (0.85; standard error SE=0.012; 95% CI=0.840-0.866; P<0.001). This system significantly overestimated the actual mortality (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit H statistic: χ(2) =584.4; P<0.001 and C statistics: χ(2)(8) =313.0; P<0.001) in the group of patients included in the study.
The SAPS II had a good discrimination, but it significantly overestimated the observed mortality in comparison with the predicted mortality in this group of patients in Croatia. Therefore, caution is required when an evaluation is performed at the individual level.
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Sjögren's Syndrome and Silicosis - a Case Report Plavsic, Aleksandra; Miskovic, Rada; Bolpacic, Jasna ...
Open access Macedonian journal of medical sciences,
2015-Jun-15, Volume:
3, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Open access
Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology where immune response to self-antigens is believed to result from interactions between genetic and environmental factors. We describe ...the case of a patient who has been diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome based on typical clinical and immunological parameters. The clinical picture was dominated by the respiratory symptoms, and radiographic and multislice computed tomography examination of the chest showed certain changes characteristic of pneumoconiosis. Given that the patient has worked in a foundry where he has been exposed to the silica dust, he was subject to examination by occupational health specialists under the suspicion of lung silicosis, who confirmed the silicosis. This case report points to the possible connection between a professional exposure to silica and Sjögren's syndrome. Occupational exposure to silica is a possible risk factor for the development of autoimmune diseases, and in the evaluation of patients with connective tissue diseases it is important to consider work-related history.
Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology where immune response to self-antigens is believed to result from interactions between genetic and environmental factors. We ...describe the case of a patient who has been diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome based on typical clinical and immunological parameters. The clinical picture was dominated by the respiratory symptoms, and radiographic and multislice computed tomography examination of the chest showed certain changes characteristic of pneumoconiosis. Given that the patient has worked in a foundry where he has been exposed to the silica dust, he was subject to examination by occupational health specialists under the suspicion of lung silicosis, who confirmed the silicosis. This case report points to the possible connection between a professional exposure to silica and Sjögren’s syndrome. Occupational exposure to silica is a possible risk factor for the development of autoimmune diseases, and in the evaluation of patients with connective tissue diseases it is important to consider work-related history.
Cilj istraživanja bio je odrediti dijagnostičku vrijednost i korisnost odabranih morfoloških značajka u predviđanju malignosti limfnog čvora (LČ) upotrebom B-moda, Dopplerova ultrazvuka i ...multivarijatnih postavka u tercijarnom radiološkom referentnom centru. U 123 bolesnika je učinjena ultrazvučno vođena aspiracijska punkcija i citološka analiza LČ vrata, pazuha i prepona. Svaki LČ je opisan uzdužnim/L i poprečnim/T promjerom, oblikom, rubom, ehogenošću, debljinom kore, vaskularizacijom i subjektivnim dojmom pregledavatelja. Unutar ograničenja citološke analize, izmijenjen oblik i vaskularizacija su imali visoku specifičnost i pozitivnu prediktivnu vrijednost (>80%), dok je subjektivni dojam imao visoku osjetljivost i negativnu prediktivnu vrijednost (100%) za malignost. Optimalne granične vrijednosti za različite značajke LČ dobivene analizom ROC su bile 23 mm za uzdužni promjer, 11 mm za poprečni promjer, 2,19 za omjer L/T i 5,1 mm za maksimalnu debljinu korteksa. U multivarijatnoj analizi (adaptive regression splines, n=108) dodatak uzdužnog promjera, omjera L/T, dobi i spola semikvalitativnim obilježjima LČ značajno je povećao dijagnostičku točnost (88%), osjetljivost (rubovi + vaskularizacija, 87%) i specifičnost (subjektivni dojam, 83%) konačnog dijagnostičkog modela. U zaključku, kombinacija morfoloških i demografskih značajka može poboljšati dijagnostičku točnost, obično uz kompromis između osjetljivosti i specifičnosti prediktivnog modela. Učinkovitost može ovisiti o razini stručnosti i institucionalnim postavkama.
Ventilacijska pneumonija (VAP) je vrlo česta u jedinicama intenzivnog liječenja, ali još uvijek postoje mnoge nedoumice vezane uz VAP, osobito što se tiče početnog empirijskog odabira antibiotika za ...liječenja VAP-a. Učestalost pojedinih patogena s različitom osjetljivošću na antibiotike razlikuje se od bolnice do bolnice. To je razlog zbog kojeg bi se empirijska antibiotska terapija trebala temeljiti ne samo na općim smjernicama (koje preporučuju terapiju na temelju prisutnosti rizičnih čimbenika za bakterije rezistentne na više lijekova), nego i na podacima o lokalnoj epidemiologiji. Cilj ovoga istraživanja je bio utvrditi mikrobiološki profil patogena koji uzrokuju VAP i njihovu osjetljivost na antibiotike. Istraživanje je provedeno u 15-krevetnoj Jedinici intenzivnog liječenja Odjela za anesteziologiju, reanimatologiju i intenzivno liječenje Kliničkog bolničkog centra “Sestre milosrdnice”, Zagreb, Hrvatska. Podaci su skupljani retrospektivno od rujna 2009. do ožujka 2013. godine. Svi bolesnici kod kojih se razvila VAP tijekom navedenog razdoblja su uključeni u istraživanje. Prema našim rezultatima, incidencija VAP-a bila je 29,4%. Najčešće izolirana bakterija je bila Staphylococcus aureus (21,1%), iza koje slijede Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19,0%) i Acinetobacter sp. (13,6%). Svi izolati bakterije Staphylococcus aureus su bili osjetljivi na vankomicin i linezolid. Pseudomonas aeruginosa je u 100% izolata bio osjetljiv na cefepim te visoko osjetljiv na piperacilin-tazobaktam (96%), ceftazidim (93%) i ciprofloksacin (89%). Ampicilin-sulbaktam se pokazao vrlo učinkovitim za Acinetobacter sp. s rezistencijom u samo 8% izolata. U zaključku, prema našim rezultatima, empirijska antibiotska terapija za bolesnike s VAP-om bez rizika za bakterije rezistentne na više lijekova je ceftriakson, a za bolesnike s rizičnim čimbenicima za bakterije rezistentne na više lijekova je ampicilin-sulbaktam plus cefepim plus vankomicin ili linezolid.
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