Plos One
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Cryoprecipitate is largely used for acquired hypofibrinogenemia in the setting of massive hemorrhage in liver transplantation (LT). However, the influence of intraoperative cryoprecipitate transfusion on biliary complications (BC) after LT has not been studied in detail. ⋯ These findings suggested that intraoperative cryoprecipitate transfusion was associated with BC after LT. The mechanism of BC occurrence might involve micro-thrombus formation and immune rejection.
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Earthquakes are the most violent type of natural disasters and injuries are the dominant medical problem in the early phases after earthquakes. However, likely because of poor data availability, high-quality research on injuries after earthquakes is lacking. Length of hospital stay (LOS) has been validated as a proxy indicator for injury severity in high-income settings and could potentially be used in retrospective research of injuries after earthquakes. In this study, we assessed LOS as an adequate proxy indicator for severe injury in trauma survivors of an earthquake. ⋯ Length of hospital stay was not validated as a proxy indicator for severe injury in earthquake survivors. However, LOS was found to be a proxy for major nonorthopaedic surgery and blood transfusion. These findings can be useful for retrospective research on earthquake-injured patients when detailed hospital records are not available.
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Postoperative respiratory complications are a major cause of mortality following liver transplantation (LT). Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) appears to be effective for respiratory complications in patients undergoing solid organ transplantation; however, mortality has been high in patients who experienced reintubation in spite of NIV therapy. The predictors of reintubation following NIV therapy after LT are not exactly known. ⋯ Because controlled preoperative infection, ABO-incompatibility or pneumonia prior to the start of NIV were independent risk factors for reintubation following NIV, caution should be used in applying NIV in patients with these conditions considering the high rate of mortality in patients requiring reintubation following NIV.
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COPD is characterized by variability in exercise capacity and physical activity (PA), and acute exacerbations (AEs). Little is known about the relationship between daily step count, a direct measure of PA, and the risk of AEs, including hospitalizations. ⋯ Lower daily step count, lower 6MWT distance, and worse SGRQ-AS predict future AEs and COPD-related hospitalizations, independent of pulmonary function and previous AE history. These results support the importance of assessing PA in patients with COPD, and provide the rationale to promote PA as part of exacerbation-prevention strategies.
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Myeloperoxidase is a strong oxidant stored in primary granules of neutrophils with potent antibacterial and proatherogenic properties. Myeloperoxidase has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the relationship of myeloperoxidase to health outcomes in COPD is not well known. ⋯ Individuals in the highest quintile of myeloperoxidase had a hazard ratio of cardiovascular mortality of 1.90 (95% confidence interval 1.00-3.58; p = 0.049) compared with those in the lowest quintile, which was particularly notable in patients who continued to smoke (adjusted p-value of 0.0396). However, serum myeloperoxidase concentration was not related to total mortality, respiratory mortality, or deaths from malignancies. In conclusion, increased serum myeloperoxidase levels are associated with rapid lung function decline and poor cardiovascular outcomes in COPD patients, which support the emerging role of myeloperoxidase in the pathogenesis of COPD progression and cardiovascular disease.