Study objective Methanol poisoning outbreaks are a global public health issue, with delayed treatment causing poor outcomes. Out-of-hospital ethanol administration may improve outcome, but the ...difficulty of conducting research in outbreaks has meant that its effects have never been assessed. We study the effect of out-of-hospital ethanol in patients treated during a methanol outbreak in the Czech Republic between 2012 and 2014. Methods This was an observational case-series study of 100 hospitalized patients with confirmed methanol poisoning. Out-of-hospital ethanol as a “first aid antidote” was administered by paramedic or medical staff before the confirmation of diagnosis to 30 patients; 70 patients did not receive out-of-hospital ethanol from the staff (12 patients self-administered ethanol shortly before presentation). Results The state of consciousness at first contact with paramedic or medical staff, delay to admission, and serum methanol concentration were similar among groups. The median serum ethanol level on admission in the patients with out-of-hospital administration by paramedic or medical staff was 84.3 mg/dL (interquartile range 32.7 to 129.5 mg/dL). No patients with positive serum ethanol level on admission died compared with 21 with negative serum ethanol level (0% versus 36.2%). Patients receiving out-of-hospital ethanol survived without visual and central nervous system sequelae more often than those not receiving it (90.5% versus 19.0%). A positive association was present between out-of-hospital ethanol administration by paramedic or medical staff, serum ethanol concentration on admission, and both total survival and survival without sequelae of poisoning. Conclusion We found a positive association between out-of-hospital ethanol administration and improved clinical outcome. During mass methanol outbreaks, conscious adults with suspected poisoning should be considered for administration of out-of-hospital ethanol to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Calprotectin may be a sensitive biomarker of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity.
In the current study, we investigated whether calprotectin is a better biomarker than CRP for predicting ...clinical activity and ultrasound parameters in patients with RA.
A total of 160 patients with RA underwent clinical (swollen joint count-SJC, tender joint count-TJC, Disease Activity Score-DAS28, Clinical Disease Activity Index-CDAI, and simplified Disease Activity Index-SDAI) and ultrasound (German US7) examination. Clinical and laboratory measures were correlated with ultrasound findings using Spearman´s correlation coefficient. Differences in serum calprotectin levels in patients with variable disease activity according to the DAS28-ESR and CDAI scores were assessed using ANOVA. Multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the predictive values of calprotectin, CRP and SJC for CDAI and PD US synovitis scores.
Serum calprotectin was significantly associated with DAS28-ESR (r = 0.321, p<0.001), DAS28-CRP (r = 0.346, p<0.001), SDAI (r = 0.305, p<0.001), CDAI (r = 0.279, p<0.001) scores and CRP levels (r = 0.556, p<0.001). Moreover, calprotectin was significantly correlated with GS (r = 0.379, p<0.001) and PD synovitis scores (r = 0.419, p<0.001). The multivariate regression analysis showed that calprotectin is a better predictor of the CDAI score and PD US synovitis than CRP.
The results of this study support an additional role of calprotectin in assessing inflammatory activity in patients with RA.
The Sport Motivation Scale (SMS) is a widely used instrument that assesses motivational processes within sport and exercise environments. The scale has demonstrated validity and reliability in ...multiple cultures, however, there is yet no empirical evidence regarding its psychometric properties in the Czech population. In this study we therefore set out to examine the reliability and construct validity of the SMS in a sample of Czech university-aged athletes. We first examined the SMS factor structure using a nonparametric item response theory model (Mokken monotone homogeneity model) and identified six items violating the unidimensionality of the particular subscales. Remaining items were then subjected to test of hypothesized seven-factor structure and several different forms of measurement invariance examined based on gender, competition level and type of sport (individual vs team sports). The hypothesized seven-factor fit well and there was sufficient evidence supporting full invariance across the examined groups. All SMS subscales had adequate internal consistencies ranging from 0.66 to 0.89. Results of correlational analysis among the SMS subscales and between the SMS and two outcomes of interest further supported validity of the scale. Observed differences in SMS subscales between males and females, recreational and competitive athletes, as well as between individual and team-based sport activities, comported with prior empirical studies using a self-determination theory framework. In conclusion, results reinforce the utility and performance of the SMS in a sample of Czech university athletes. The SMS may therefore be recommended for measurement of the multidimensional motivational processes taking place in the exercise and sport domain.
Abstract
Background
The structural and functional changes of the skeletal muscles in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) caused by inflammation and immune changes can be severely disabling. The ...objective of this study was to assess the effect of a 24-week program combining a supervised training of activities of daily living (ADL), resistance, and stability with home exercise for improving muscle function, compared to a daily home-based exercise representing the regular outpatient care.
Methods
Fifty-seven patients with IIM were consecutively and non-selectively enrolled in an intervention (IG,
n
= 30) or control (CG,
n
= 27) group. Both groups were provided a standard-of-care pharmacological treatment and follow-up. Only the IG underwent the supervised intervention twice a week for 1 h per session. At baseline, 12, 24, and 48 weeks, all patients were assessed by an assessor blinded to the intervention for primary outcomes: muscle strength (Manual Muscle Testing of eight muscle groups MMT-8) and endurance (Functional Index-2 FI-2), and secondary outcomes: stability and body composition. Secondary outcomes also included questionnaires evaluating disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire HAQ), quality of life (Short Form 36 SF-36), depression (Beck’s Depression Inventory-II BDI-II), and fatigue (Fatigue Impact Scale FIS), and analysis of the systemic and local inflammatory response and perceived exertion to assess the safety of the intervention.
Results
Twenty-seven patients in the IG and 23 in the CG completed the entire program and follow-up. At week 24, compared to deterioration in the CG, we found a significant improvement in the IG in muscle strength (mean % improvement compared to baseline by 26%), endurance (135%), disability (39%), depression (26%), stability (11%), and basal metabolism (2%) and a stabilization of fitness for physical exercise. The improvement was clinically meaningful (a 24-week change by >20%) in most outcomes in a substantial proportion of patients. Although the improvement was still present at 48 weeks, the effect was not sustained during follow-up. No significant increase in the systemic or local expression of inflammatory markers was found throughout the intervention.
Conclusions
This 24-week supervised intervention focused on ADL training proved to be safe and effective. It not only prevented the progressive deterioration, but also resulted in a significant improvement in muscle strength, endurance, stability, and disability, which was clinically meaningful in a substantial proportion of patients.
Trial registration
ISRCTN35925199
(retrospectively registered on 22 May 2020).
Clinical remission in some patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be associated with ongoing synovial inflammation that is not always detectable on clinical examination or reflected by ...laboratory tests but can be visualized by musculoskeletal ultrasound. The goal of our study was to determine the levels of serum calprotectin, a major leukocyte protein, in patients with RA in clinical remission and to investigate the ability of serum calprotectin levels to distinguish patients in ultrasound-defined remission from those with residual ultrasound subclinical inflammation.
Seventy RA patients in clinical remission underwent clinical and ultrasound examination. Ultrasound examination was performed according to the German US7 score. Ultrasound remission was defined as grey scale (GS) range 0-1 and power Doppler (PD) range 0. The levels of serum calprotectin and C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined. The discriminatory capacity of calprotectin and CRP in detecting residual ultrasound inflammation was assessed using ROC curves.
The total number of patients fulfilling the DAS28-ESR, DAS28-CRP, SDAI and CDAI remission criteria was 58, 67, 32 and 31, respectively. Residual synovial inflammation was found in 58-67% of the patients who fulfilled at least one set of clinical remission criteria. Calprotectin levels were significantly higher in patients with residual synovial inflammation than in those with ultrasound-defined remission (mean 2.5±1.3 vs. 1.7±0.8 μg/mL, p<0.005). Using ultrasound-defined remission criteria, calprotectin had an AUC of 0.692, p<0.05 using DAS28-ESR remission criteria and an AUC of 0.712, p<0.005 using DAS28-CRP remission criteria. Calprotectin correctly distinguished ultrasound remission from subclinical activity in 70% of patients. CRP (AUC DAS28-ESR = 0.494, p = NS; AUC DAS28-CRP = 0.498, p = NS) had lower and insignificant discriminatory capacity.
The present study demonstrates the potential of calprotectin to distinguish RA patients in both clinical and ultrasound-defined remission from patients in clinical remission but with residual subclinical disease activity.
Calprotectin, a heterodimeric complex of S100A8/9 (MRP8/14), has been proposed as an important serum biomarker that reflects disease activity and structural joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ...The objective of this cross-sectional study was to test the hypothesis that calprotectin is associated with clinical and ultrasound-determined disease activity in patients with RA.
A total of 37 patients with RA (including 24 females, a mean disease duration of 20 months) underwent a clinical examination and 7-joint ultrasound score (German US-7) of the clinically dominant hand and foot to assess synovitis by grey-scale (GS) and synovial vascularity by power Doppler (PD) ultrasound using semiquantitative 0-3 grading. The levels of serum calprotectin and C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were determined at the time of the ultrasound assessment. We analysed the relationship between serum calprotectin level, traditional inflammatory markers, and ultrasound-determined synovitis.
The levels of serum calprotectin were significantly correlated with swollen joint count (r = 0.465, p < 0.005), DAS28-ESR (r = 0.430, p < 0.01), ESR (r = 0.370, p < 0.05) and, in particular, CRP (r = 0.629, p < 0.001). Calprotectin was significantly associated with GS (r = 0.359, p < 0.05) and PD synovitis scores (r = 0.497, p < 0.005). Using multivariate regression analysis, calprotectin, adjusted for age and sex, was a better predictor of PD synovitis score (R(2) = 0.765, p < 0.001) than CRP (R(2) = 0.496, p < 0.001).
The serum levels of calprotectin are significantly associated with clinical, laboratory and ultrasound assessments of RA disease activity. These results suggest that calprotectin might be superior to CRP for monitoring ultrasound-determined synovial inflammation in RA patients.
Purpose. To evaluate a 12-year follow-up of myopic patients after iris-fixated phakic intraocular lenses (IF pIOLs) implantation. Setting. Ophthalmology Department, Military University Hospital in ...Prague (Czech Republic). Design. Single-center retrospective cohort study. Methods. We describe the results of a cohort study that included 85 eyes of 46 myopic patients who underwent implantation of Verisyse myopia, Veriflex, and Verisyse myopia toric (all Abbott Medical Optics, Inc.) intraocular lenses. Refractive functions and adverse events were assessed preoperatively, at 6 months, and 1, 2, 5, and 12 years after IF pIOL implantation. Results. Mean spherical equivalent was measured as −9.37 ± 2.87 D, 0.14 ± 0.61 D, and −0.42 ± 1.08 D, preoperatively, at 6 months and 12 years postoperatively, respectively. There was a significant reduction in the cylinder after surgery. At 12 years postoperatively, 90% of eyes had uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) of 20/40 and 64% of 20/20. The safety index was 1.10 for the whole postoperative follow-up period. We found cataract formation in 3 eyes (3.5%). The endothelial cells loss (EC loss) directly caused by IF pIOL implantation was 6.0%, 8.10%, 12.8%, and 11.9%, at 1, 2, 5, and 12 years, respectively. In our cohort, 95% of eyes lost a higher percentage of EC than would be expected from a physiological loss at 12 years postoperatively. We found a significant negative interaction between preoperative pachymetry and EC loss, indicating that the lower pachymetry leads to a faster decline in endothelial cells density (ECD). IF pIOL re-enclavation was found in 28% of eyes. 7% of subluxations were caused by trauma. The mean time of nontraumatic re-enclavation was 6 years postoperatively. Conclusions. The study confirmed the advantages of IF pIOL implantation due to rapid visual recovery and stable visual function over the 12-year follow-up and also showed the influence of lower corneal pachymetry regarding EC loss.
Introduction: Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are malignant tumors arising from mesenchymal tissues. Patients with advanced and metastatic STSs have low overall survival rates and relatively limited ...treatment options. Oncostatin M (OSM) is a pleiotropic cytokine that was shown to carry both pro- and anti-tumorigenic properties in various cancer types. However, the role of OSM in STSs has not yet been elucidated. Moreover, the potential additive effects of combining OSM and anti-PD-1 therapy have not been carried out so far. Methods: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of in vitro OSM administration on liposarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, and myxofibrosarcoma immune cells isolated from peripheral blood and tumor tissues and the potential cooperative nature of OSM and nivolumab in treating these STSs. We designed a cohort study to explore novel histology-driven therapies in our target STSs. The immune cells were isolated from the peripheral blood and tumors of patients with STS, and the proportions and phenotypes of immune cells were evaluated with flow cytometry after cultivation with therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Results: The proportion of peripheral CD45 + cells was not affected by OSM but was significantly increased by nivolumab, whereas both treatments had an effect on CD8 + T cells. In tumor tissues, CD8 + T cell and CD45 ‒ TRAIL + cell cultures were boosted by nivolumab and significantly enriched by OSM. Our data suggest that OSM may play a role in the treatment of leiomyosarcoma, myxofibrosarcoma, and liposarcoma. Conclusion: In conclusion, the biological efficacy of OSM is reflected in the tumor microenvironment rather than in the peripheral blood of the patients in our cohort, and nivolumab could potentiate its mechanism of action in selected cases. Nevertheless, more histotype-tailored studies are needed to fully understand the functions of OSM in STSs.
The measurement of body composition has become an important component in the diagnosis of health, physical conditioning and nutritional status. The aim of this study was to compare two methods of ...detecting body composition, bioelectrical impedance and air displacement plethysmography for athletes and non-athletes. Specifically, we compared the parameters as fat mass, fat free mass and the value of basal metabolic rate. A sample size of 52 men (age 26.2 + or - 5.4 years) that included a group of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters (n = 31, age 27.2 + or - 5.5 years) and a group of the non-athletes (n =21, age 24.6 + or - 5.1 years). Both groups were measured by bioelectrical impedance and air displacement plethysmography. Significant differences in % body fat (p<0.05) and fat-free mass (p<0.05) were noted between bioelectrical impedance and air displacement plethysmography of non-athletes, but there were no significant differences for athletes. Furthermore, there was a significant difference (p<0.001) of basal metabolic rate between bioelectrical impedance and air displacement plethysmography, but the correlation with fat free mass was very strong for both methods. Therefore, the use of bioelectrical impedance and air displacement plethysmography may be useful for detecting changes in body composition, but their accuracy is controversial and for this reason we recommend using only one method and not combining them. KEY WORDS: Body composition; Bioelectrical impedance; Plethysmography; Body fat; Basal metabolic rate.
Surgery for benign disease is associated with a low-risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE). Despite a relatively low incidence of postoperative VTE in patients after elective cholecystectomy ...and abdominal hernia repair there are data proving hypercoagulability in the early postoperative period. We focused on assessment of the systemic inflammatory response and coagulation status in these surgical patients after hospital discharge.
Prospectively, patients who underwent surgery for benign disease were included. Two hundred sixteen patients were enrolled - 90 patients in laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) group and 126 patients in hernia surgery (HS) group. Risk assessment of VTE according to the Caprini risk assessment model was performed in all patients. Prevalence of VTE in postoperative period was observed. Markers of systemic inflammatory response (IL-6, CRP, α-1-acid glycoprotein, transferrin) and coagulation markers (PLT, fibrinogen, prothrombin fragment F1 + 2 and D-dimer) were measured before surgery, on 7-10th postoperative day and on 28-30th postoperative day.
Clinically apparent deep vein thrombosis was diagnosed in only one patient - 0.46%. Statistically significant elevation of inflammatory markers IL-6, CRP and α-1-acid glycoprotein (p < 0.001; all) were proved in both groups of patients on 7-10th postoperative day. Statistically significant elevation of coagulation markers PLT, fibrinogen, prothrombin fragment F1 + 2 and D-dimer (p < 0.001; all) were proved in LC and HS groups on 7-10th postoperative day. No statistical difference was observed in IL-6, CRP and α-1-acid glycoprotein levels a month after surgery as compared with preoperative levels within each group. Statistically significant elevation of fibrinogen and prothrombin fragment F1 + 2 levels (p < 0.001; both) persisted on 28-30th postoperative day in both groups. Persisted elevation of D-dimer levels was proved only in HS group (p < 0.001), not in LC group (p = 0.138), a month after surgery.
Activated systemic inflammatory response and hypercoagulable condition were verified in patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy and hernia surgery after their hospital discharge. Hypercoagulability persisted even a month after surgery. Nevertheless, we observed very low prevalence of clinically apparent VTE in patients with in-hospital postoperative VTE prophylaxis.
Trials of the Czech Ministry of Health No. RVO-VFN64165 and NT 13251-4 .
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