Articles: function.
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Both increased mast cells numbers and raised immune mediator concentrations indicate immune activation in the affected skin of patients with early complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), but little is known about regional immune cell involvement in late-stage CRPS. The aim of the current study was to determine skin immune cell populations in long-standing CRPS. ⋯ Immune cell abnormalities are maintained in late-stage CRPS disease as manifest by changes in epidermal LC density and tissue resident T-cell phenotype.
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Intensive care medicine · Nov 2015
Letter Multicenter Study Observational StudyDengue infection with multiorgan dysfunction: SOFA score, arterial lactate and serum albumin levels are predictors of outcome.
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In a cohort of well-characterized patients with different degrees of knee osteoarthritis (OA) and pain, the aims were to utilize mechanism-based quantitative sensory testing (QST) to (1) characterize subgroups of patients; (2) analyse the associations between clinical characteristics and QST; and (3) develop and apply a QST-based knee OA composite pain sensitivity index for patient classification. ⋯ Radiological scores, contrary to clinical pain intensity/duration, were poorly associated with QST parameters. The pain sensitivity index could classify OA patients with different degrees of OA and pain.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2015
A Perioperative Evaluation of Respiratory Mechanics Using the Forced Oscillation Technique.
The forced oscillation technique is a new approach for assessing perioperative respiratory function. ⋯ The forced oscillation technique is a clinical tool that can be used to assess the effects of perioperative ventilation strategies on respiratory mechanics.
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Critical care medicine · Nov 2015
Comparative StudyCorticosteroid Therapy Benefits Septic Mice With Adrenal Insufficiency But Harms Septic Mice Without Adrenal Insufficiency.
Corticosteroid therapy is frequently used in septic patients given the rationale that there is an increased demand for corticosteroid in sepsis, and up to 60% of severe septic patients experience adrenal insufficiency. However, the efficacy of corticosteroid therapy and whether the therapy should be based on the results of adrenal function testing are highly controversial. The lack of an adrenal insufficiency animal model and our poor understanding of the pathogenesis caused by adrenal insufficiency present significant barriers to address this long-standing clinical issue. ⋯ This study demonstrates that corticosteroid treatment benefits mice with adrenal insufficiency but harms mice without adrenal insufficiency. This study also reveals that inducible corticosteroid has both immunosuppressive and immunopermissive properties, suppressing interleukin-6 production, promoting phagocytosis of immune effector cells, but not inducing peripheral lymphocyte apoptosis. These findings support our hypothesis that corticosteroid is an effective therapy for a subgroup of septic patients with adrenal insufficiency but harms septic patients without adrenal insufficiency and encourage further efforts to test this hypothesis in clinic.