Articles: function.
-
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Apr 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyInhaled Colistin in Patients with Bronchiectasis and Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection.
Chronic infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa is associated with an increased exacerbation frequency, a more rapid decline in lung function, and increased mortality in patients with bronchiectasis. ⋯ Although the primary endpoint was not reached, this study shows that inhaled colistin is a safe and effective treatment in adherent patients with bronchiectasis and chronic P. aeruginosa infection. Clinical trial registered with http://www.isrctn.org/ (ISRCTN49790596).
-
Patients who have undergone complete cavopulmonary anastomosis, the Fontan procedure, have passive venous blood flow from the superior and inferior vena cava into the pulmonary circulation without passing through the right ventricle. Although this procedure is an effective means of palliation, the resultant chronically increased central venous pressure, leads to several types of hepatic dysfunction including chronic congestion, cardiac cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma. In this case report, we describe a patient with Fontan-associated hepatocellular carcinoma who successfully underwent a right hepatectomy.
-
Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2014
Prevalence of and risk factors for poor functioning after isolated mild traumatic brain injury in children.
This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of poor 3 and 12 month quality of life outcomes in a cohort of pediatric patients with isolated mild TBI. We conducted a prospective cohort study of children and adolescents <18 years of age treated for an isolated mild TBI, defined as "no radiographically apparent intracranial injury" or "an isolated skull fracture, and no other clinically significant non-brain injuries." The main outcome measure was the change in quality of life from baseline at 3 and 12 months following injury, as measured by the Pediatric Quality of Life index (PedsQL). ⋯ Significant predictors of poor functioning included less parental education, Hispanic ethnicity (at 3 months following injury, but not at 12 months); low household income (at 3 and 12 months), and Medicaid insurance (at 12 months only). Children and adolescents sustaining a mild TBI who are socioeconomically disadvantaged may require additional intervention to mitigate the effects of mild TBI on their functioning.
-
Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2014
Assessment of an Experimental Rodent Model of Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
Childhood is one the highest risk periods for experiencing a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) from sports-related concussions, motor vehicle accidents, and falls. In addition, many children experience lingering symptomology (post-concussion syndrome) from these closed head injuries. Although the negative sequel of mTBI has been described, a clinically reliable animal model of mild pediatric brain injury has not. ⋯ Juvenile rats who experienced a single mTBI displayed significant motor/balance impairments when tested on the beam walking task and in the open field, as well as deficits of executive functioning as measured with the novel context mismatch task and the probe trial of the Morris water task. In addition, both male and female rats showed depression-like behavior in the forced swim task, with male rats also exhibiting decreased anxiety-related behaviors in the elevated plus maze. The results from this study suggest that the modified weight-drop technique induces a clinically relevant behavioral phenotype in juvenile rats, and may provide researchers with a reliable animal model of mTBI/concussion from which clinical therapeutic strategies could be developed.
-
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Apr 2014
Post-operative endothelial dysfunction assessment using laser Doppler perfusion measurement in cardiac surgery patients.
Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with systemic inflammatory response and endothelial dysfunction. Our hypothesis is that CPB-induced post-operative endothelial dysfunction may be detected using laser Doppler perfusion monitoring (LDPM) in the skin microcirculation. ⋯ We observed a significant impairment of systemic microvascular endothelial function and well-preserved endothelium-independent vasodilatation in the skin microcirculation of patients 1 week after CABG surgery with CPB. Our results suggest that LDPM is a useful tool for the assessment of on-pump CABG-induced subacute post-operative endothelial dysfunctions.