Hippokratia
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Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is an anatomic variant that may lead to several pathological conditions, notably right to left shunt, paradoxical embolism, hypoxemia, and cerebral fat embolism. Mechanical positive pressure ventilation may increase the prevalence of PFO opening in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients; however, the respiratory and hemodynamic determinants of PFO opening have been poorly investigated. Contrast-enhanced transesophageal echocardiogram (ce-TEE) is considered the gold standard for PFO detection. We prospectively performed a multicenter study using ce-TEE in order to determine the respiratory and hemodynamic factors that may lead to PFO opening. ⋯ In this group of mechanically ventilated, critically ill adult patients, right ventricular dilatation and plateau pressure above 26 mmHg were significantly associated with foramen ovale opening. Hippokratia 2016, 20(3): 209-213.
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Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a type of thyroid neoplasm which originates from parafollicular cells, and it is commonly diagnosed by calcitonin screening. Besides the sporadic form, the heritable form of MTC is characterized by constitutive activation of the RET (REarranged during Transfection) proto-oncogene caused by different mutations. ⋯ The RET gene mutation profile has a unique distribution in this study population when compared with the other European populations. The mutations in codon 634 are most common; therefore the cost-reducing genetic screening should primarily target this codon, and if the negative outcome appears, then other codons should be examined in the order that depends on their occurrence. Hippokratia 2016, 20(3): 187-191.
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Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a hematological malignancy that originates in an abnormal pluripotent bone marrow stem cell. CML is consistently associated with the expression of the BCR-ABL1 fusion gene, generated by the t(9;22) chromosomal translocation, thus creating the Philadelphia chromosome, a target for protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. There is no published data, demonstrating increased risk for development of second cancers, associated with the exposure to TKIs. ⋯ We report this case as we consider that any secondary neoplasia developing in patients treated with TKIs should be reported for assessment and further detailed analyzes. Hippokratia 2016, 20(3): 241-243.
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Severe or massive bleeding in cardiac surgery is an uncommon but important clinical scenario. Its existing definitions are diverse. Its characteristics constantly change during an active hemorrhage and, thus is difficult to define appropriately. ⋯ Severe perioperative hemorrhage in cardiac surgery carries significant morbidity and mortality. Currently, prediction and identification of massive bleeding is a feasible but incomplete clinical task despite the availability of effective treatment regimens. A still missing, compact definition of massive perioperative bleeding in cardiac surgery that incorporates all phases of treatment could augment clinical preparedness, allow for the development of accurate prediction tools and permit the application of well-validated protocols of management. Hippokratia 2016, 20(3): 179-186.
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This study aims at demonstrating the ability of BLADE sequences to reduce or even eliminate all the image artifacts as well as verifying the significance of using this technique in certain pathological conditions. ⋯ BLADE sequence was found to decrease both flow artifacts in the temporal lobes and motion artifacts from the orbits. Additionally, it was shown to improve flow artifacts and image quality in cystic pathologies such as arachnoid cysts. Hippokratia 2016, 20(3): 244-248.