Medicina
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Multicenter Study
Macrophage-Stimulating 1 Polymorphism rs3197999 in Pediatric Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Background and Objectives: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), often necessitates long-term treatment and hospitalizations and also may require surgery. The macrophage-stimulating 1 (MST1) rs3197999 polymorphism is strongly associated with the risk of IBD but its exact clinical correlates remain under investigation. We aimed to characterize the relationships between the MST1 rs3197999 genotype and the clinical characteristics in children and adolescents with IBD within a multi-center cross-sectional study. ⋯ The TT genotype was associated with higher C-reactive protein upon diagnosis (p = 0.023; CC: 4.3 mg/dL [0.7-21.8], CT 5.3 mg/dL [1.3-17.9], TT 12.2 mg/dL [3.0-32.9]). Conclusions: This study identified links between MST1 rs3197999 and the clinical characteristics of pediatric IBD: height Z-score and CRP. Further studies of the associations between genetics and the course of IBD are still warranted, with a focus on more extensive phenotyping.
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Background and Objectives: This is a propensity-matched, single-center study of limited versus extended resection for type A acute aortic dissection (AAAD). Materials and Methods: This study collected retrospective data for 440 patients with acute type A aortic dissection repairs (limited resection, LR-215; extended resection, ER-225), of which 109 pairs were propensity-matched to LR versus ER. Multivariate analysis was performed for inpatient death, long-term survival and the composite outcome of inpatient death/TIA/stroke. ⋯ At 15 years, aortic re-operation was 17% and freedom from re-operation and death was 42%. Conclusions: Type A aortic dissection repair has high mortality and morbidity, although results have improved over two decades. ER was a predictor of worse perioperative results and long-term survival.
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Background and Objectives: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may impact both maternal and fetal/neonatal health. The identification of prognostic indicators for GDM may improve risk assessment and selection of patient for intensive monitoring. The aim of this study was to find potential predictors of adverse pregnancy outcome in GDM and normoglycemic patients by comparing the levels of different biochemical parameters and the values of blood cell count (BCC) between GDM and normoglycemic patients and between patients with adverse and good outcome. ⋯ ROC curve was constructed in order to assess fibrinogen's biomarker potential. The established AUC value for diagnostic ROC was 0.816 (p < 0.001, 95% CI 0.691-0.941), while the AUC value for assessing fibrinogen's potential to predict poor pregnancy outcome in GDM was 0.751 (p = 0.0096, 95% CI 0.561-0.941). Conclusions: The results of our study demonstrated that the best prognostic potential in GDM showed inflammation related parameters, identifying fibrinogen as a parameter with both diagnostic and prognostic ability.
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Background and Objectives: Notwithstanding the major progress in the management of cancerous diseases in the last few decades, glioblastoma (GBM) remains the most aggressive brain malignancy, with a dismal prognosis, mainly due to treatment resistance and tumoral recurrence. In order to diagnose this disease and establish the optimal therapeutic approach to it, a standard tissue biopsy or a liquid biopsy can be performed, although the latter is currently less common. To date, both tissue and liquid biopsy have yielded numerous biomarkers that predict the evolution and response to treatment in GBM. ⋯ The survival rates were prolonged in patients younger than 60 years of age, in patients with gross total tumoral resection and less than 30% tumoral necrosis, as well as in those who underwent adjuvant radiotherapy. Conclusions: Despite significant advancements in relation to cancer diseases, GBM is still a field of great interest for research and in great need of new therapeutic approaches. Although the multimodal therapeutic approach can improve the prognosis, the survival rates are still short and the recurrences are constant.
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Background and Objectives: Tonsillitis is common in children and is predominantly caused by viruses and, less frequently, by bacteria such as group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus. The treatment primarily involves supportive care; however, the overuse of antibiotics remains a concern due to rising antibiotic resistance. Probiotics, particularly Lactobacillus strains, have been shown to modulate immune responses, offering a potential alternative treatment. ⋯ Overall, there was a substantial reduction in school days missed (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The use of paraprobiotic Lactobacillus helveticus MIMLh5 lozenges significantly reduced the incidence of recurrent throat and tonsil infections in children, decreased the need for antibiotics and corticosteroids, and improved overall clinical outcomes without adverse effects. These findings support the use of paraprobiotic supplements as a safe and effective preventive measure for pediatric throat and tonsil infections.