Journal of clinical medicine
-
We aimed to address the impact of OSA and its treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In this current analysis of the revascularized ACS subgroup (n = 353) of the Randomized Intervention with CPAP in Coronary Artery Disease and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (RICCADSA) trial (Trial Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov; No: NCT00519597), participants with non-sleepy OSA (apnea-hypopnea-index [AHI] ≥ 15 events/h on a home sleep apnea testing, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS] score < 10; n = 171) were randomized to CPAP (n = 86) or no-CPAP (n = 85). The sleepy OSA patients (AHI ≥ 15 events/h and ESS ≥ 10) who were offered CPAP, and the ones with no-OSA (AHI < 5 events/h) were included in the observational arm. ⋯ Compared with the reference group, nonadherent/untreated OSA was associated with an increased cardiovascular risk (adjusted HR 1.97, 95% CI 1.03-3.77; p = 0.04). We conclude that OSA is an independent risk factor for adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with ACS. CPAP treatment may reduce this risk, if the device is used at least 4 h/day.
-
Pan-immunoglobulin assays can simultaneously detect IgG, IgM and IgA directed against the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the S1 subunit of the spike protein (S) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 S1-RBD Ig). In this work, we aim to evaluate a quantitative SARS-CoV-2 S1-RBD Ig electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) regarding analytical, diagnostic, operational and clinical characteristics. Our work takes the form of a population-based study in the principality of Liechtenstein, including 125 cases with clinically well-described and laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and 1159 individuals without evidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ⋯ A substantial proportion of individuals without evidence of past SARS-CoV-2 infection displayed non-S1-RBD antibody reactivities (248/1159, i.e., 21.4%, 95% CI, 19.1-23.4). In conclusion, a quantitative SARS-CoV-2 S1-RBD Ig assay offers favorable and sustained assay characteristics allowing the determination of quantitative associations between clinical characteristics (e.g., disease severity, smoking or fever) and antibody levels. The assay could also help to identify individuals with antibodies of non-S1-RBD specificity with potential clinical cross-reactivity to SARS-CoV-2.
-
Pain in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a major comorbidity and unique with acute pain due to recurrent and episodic vaso-occlusive crises as well as chronic pain, which can span an individual's entire life. Opioids are the mainstay treatment for pain in SCD. Due to recent health crises raised by adverse effects including deaths from opioid use, pain management in SCD is adversely affected. ⋯ The reliability of many of these products remains questionable, which poses a major health risk to the vulnerable individuals seeking pain relief. Therefore, this review provides up to date insights into available categories of cannabis-based treatment strategies, their mechanism of action and pre-clinical and clinical outcomes in SCD. It provides evidence for the benefits and risks of cannabis use in SCD and cautions about the unreliable and unvalidated products that may be adulterated with life-threatening non-cannabis compounds.
-
(1) Background: The currently proposed criteria for diagnosing overt disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) are not suitable for early detection of DIC. Thromboelastography (TEG) rapidly provides a comprehensive assessment of the entire coagulation process and is helpful as a guide for correcting consumptive coagulopathy in sepsis-induced DIC. This study aimed to investigate the role of TEG in the prediction of DIC in patients with septic shock. (2) Methods: TEG was conducted prospectively in 1294 patients with septic shock at the emergency department (ED) between January 2016 and December 2019. ⋯ Among the TEG values, the maximal amplitude (MA) had the highest discriminating power for DIC, with an area under the curve of 0.814. An MA < 60 indicated DIC with 79% sensitivity, 73% specificity, and 94% negative predictive value. Based on multivariable analysis, MA < 60 was an independent predictor of DIC (odds ratio 5.616 (95% confidence interval: 3.213-9.818)). (4) Conclusions: In patients with septic shock, the MA value in TEG could be a valuable tool for early prediction of DIC.
-
This study aimed to compare different types of right breast cancer radiotherapy planning techniques and to estimate the whole-body effective doses and the critical organ absorbed doses. The three planning techniques are intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT; two methods) and hybrid 3D-CRT/IMRT (three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy/intensity-modulated radiotherapy). The VMAT technique includes two methods to deliver a dose: non-continuous partial arc and continuous partial arc. ⋯ Hybrid 3D-CRT/IMRT has the lowest mean dose to contralateral breast (organs at risk). The whole-body effective doses for ICRP-60 and ICRP-103 were highest in continuous partial arc (2.01 Sv ± 0.23 and 2.89 Sv ± 0.15, respectively). In conclusion, the use of VMAT with continuous arc has a lower risk of radiation pneumonia, while hybrid 3D-CRT/IMRT attain lower secondary malignancy risk and cardiovascular complications.