Plos One
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Observational Study
Occurrence and severity of non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI) after cardiovascular surgery correlate with preoperatively assessed FGF-23 levels.
To evaluate the value of preoperatively assessed fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) levels and to correlate FGF-23 with angiographic findings in non-occlusive mesenteric (NOMI) ischemia using a standardized scoring system. ⋯ FGF-23 significantly correlates with the severity of NOMI, which is in contrast to other renal function parameters. The applied scoring system allows to predict mortality in NOMI patients.
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Identifying essential competencies in end-of-life care, as well as general practitioners' (GPs) confidence in these competencies, is essential to guide training and quality improvement efforts in this domain. ⋯ GPs considered non-somatic competencies (such as spiritual, cultural, ethical and legal aspects) nearly as important as pain and symptom control. Yet, few GPs felt confident in these non-somatic competencies. These findings should inform training and quality improvement efforts in this domain, in particular for younger, less experienced GPs.
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To determine the differences in pupillary light reflex (PLR) between the acute and chronic phases of optic neuritis (ON) and nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). ⋯ Pupillary constriction velocity, constriction ratio, and latency were significantly decreased in the acute phase of ON and NAION compared to normal controls. ON showed delayed constriction latency compared to NAION. Decreased PLR were recovered in the chronic phase of ON, but not in NAION.
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Studies of the relation between polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of atrial fibrillation have been inconclusive. The risk of atrial fibrillation may depend on the interaction between n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids as both types of fatty acids are involved in the regulation of systemic inflammation. ⋯ This study suggests no association between intake of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of atrial fibrillation.
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Health care workers (HCWs) in contact with patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD) are exposed to a risk of viral contamination. Fomites contaminated with the patient's blood or body fluids represents this risk. Our study aims to detect Ebola virus (EBOV) RNA within the high- and low-risk areas of an Ebola treatment unit (ETU) located in inland Guinea during the 2014-2015 West African Ebola epidemics. For samples from patients' immediate vicinity, we aim to seek an association between viral RNA detectability and level of plasma viral load of patients (intermediate to high, or very high). ⋯ Our findings show the persistence of EBOV RNA in the environment of Ebola patients and of HCWs, in a Guinean ETU, despite strict infection prevention and control measures. This detection raises the possibility that patients' environment could be a potential source of contamination with the virus.