Plos One
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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) caused by liver lipid dysregulation is linked to obesity. Somatostatin (SST) and its analogs have been used to treat pediatric hypothalamic obesity. However, the application of such drugs for the treatment of NAFLD has not been evaluated. ⋯ Octreotide can ameliorate hepatic steatosis in obese rats, possibly by decreasing hepatic lipogenesis and increasing TG export from hepatocytes.
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Hyperkalemia is a common electrolyte disorder that can result in fatal cardiac arrhythmias. Despite the importance of insulin as a lifesaving intervention in the treatment of hyperkalemia in an emergency setting, there is no consensus on the dose or the method (bolus or infusion) of its administration. Our aim was to review data in the literature to determine the optimal dose and route of administration of insulin in the management of emergency hyperkalemia. ⋯ The limited data available in the literature shows no statistically significant difference between the different regimens of insulin used to acutely lower serum K+ concentration. Accordingly, 10 units of short acting insulin given intravenously may be used in cases of hyperkalemia. Alternatively, 20 units of short acting insulin may be given as a continuous intravenous infusion over 60 minutes in patients with severe hyperkalemia (i.e., serum K+ concentration > 6.5 mmol/L) and those with marked EKG changes related to hyperkalemia (e.g., prolonged PR interval, wide QRS complex) as an alternative to 10 units of short acting insulin. Because the risk of hypoglycemia is increased with using large insulin doses, sufficient glucose (60 grams with the administration of 20 units of insulin and 50 grams with the administration of 10 units) should be given to prevent hypoglycemia, and plasma glucose should be frequently monitored.
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Starting chest compressions immediately after a defibrillation shock might be harmful, if the victim already had a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and yet was still being subjected to external compressions at the same time. The objective of this study was to study the influence of chest compressions on circulation during the peri-cardiac arrest period. ⋯ Chest compressions might be detrimental to hemodynamics in the early post-ROSC stage. The deeper the compressions were, the better the effect on hemodynamics during cardiac arrest, but the worse the effect on hemodynamics after ROSC.
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Patients with dyslipidemia have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and diabetic patients often have dyslipidemia. Potential genetic connections of fasting plasma glucose with plasma lipid profile were evaluated using hyperlipidemic mice. ⋯ We have demonstrated a correlative relationship between fasting glucose and plasma lipids in a segregating F2 population under hyperlipidemic conditions, and this correlation is partially due to genetic linkage between the two disorders.
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Missing data is a common problem in many research fields and is a challenge that always needs careful considerations. One approach is to impute the missing values, i.e., replace missing values with estimates. When imputation is applied, it is typically applied to all records with missing values indiscriminately. ⋯ The effect of threshold can be estimated using the complete cases. The user can set an a priori relevant threshold for what is acceptable or use cross validation with the final analysis to choose the threshold. The choice can be presented along with argumentation for the choice rather than holding to conventions that might not be warranted in the specific dataset.