The American journal of the medical sciences
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Cardiac cachexia is a muscle wasting process that often develops in those with chronic heart failure resulting in weight loss, low levels of physical activity, reduced quality of life, and is associated with a poor prognosis. The pathology of cardiac cachexia is complex with new evidence emerging that implicates several body systems. ⋯ These pleiotropic mechanisms demonstrate the intricate interplay between the affected systems and account for why cardiac cachexia is difficult to manage clinically. This review summarises current pathophysiology of cardiac cachexia and highlights symptoms of cardiac cachexia, implications for clinical practice and research gaps.
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Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare, life-threatening malignant tumor. We present a report of a rare case of a 67-year-old male patient with MPM and severe abdominal pain, bloating, and bloody ascites as manifestations. The diagnosis was confirmed by cytology of ascites aspiration fluid and further verified by laparoscopic exploratory biopsy. ⋯ As everyone knows, asbestos exposure is usually associated with pleural mesothelioma, but only 6%-10% of malignant mesothelioma cases originate from the peritoneum, which is far less than pleural mesothelioma. Generally, its non-specificity provides a huge challenge to medical professionals in its diagnosis, and this is also the main reason for delayed diagnosis. Patients should be vigilant, even though no clear risk factor is observed.
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Observational Study
Observational, prospective, single-center study: Should body mass index be added to the scoring criteria of hepatic critically ill patients in the intensive care unit.
Obesity has recently become more prevalent, and thus the coexistence of liver cirrhosis with obesity has become very pervasive. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between abnormal body mass index (BMI) (overweight and obese) and clinical outcomes in critically ill cirrhotic patients. ⋯ Despite having similar Child-Pugh (CP) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score (SOFA) scores on admission, obese patients had better outcomes than non-obese patients, demonstrating the obesity paradox. Further research is required on BMI as a predictive score in a patient with critical cirrhosis as an indicator of obesity.
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Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) is an important risk factor for organ dysfunction, and it occurs in the early phase of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). We have reported a novel step-up approach and shown the benefit of performing abdominal paracentesis drainage (APD) ahead of percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) when treating Patients with SAP with fluid collections. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of APD in Patients with SAP complicated with IAH in the early phase. ⋯ Application of APD is beneficial to AP patients. It significantly attenuated inflammation injury, avoided further interventions, and reduced multiple organ failure.
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Letter Case Reports
A case of sporadic pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis.