9 research outputs found
The experience of oppression and the price of nonconformity: a brief biography of Adam Podgórecki
Penal law in confrontation with the nightmares of the past and challenges of the present day
Germline mutations in the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene in patients from Poland: disease presentation in patients with deletions of the entire VHL gene
\u2022 Thirty-four Polish families with a clinical diagnosis of
VHL disease were studied in order to describe: (1) the
frequency of germline mutations in these families; (2) the
spectrum of germline VHL mutations in the Polish population; (3) the proportion of de novo mutations; and (4)
genotype-phenotype correlations in patients with a
deletion of the entire VHL gene.
\u2022 The coding region of the VHL gene was tested using
direct sequencing. Large deletions were analysed using
quantitative Southern blotting and/or multiplex PCR.
\u2022 (1) Germline VHL mutations were observed in 30/34
(88%) families. Mutations were not identified in 4/34
(12%) probands (five subjects/four families) with central
nervous system haemangioblastoma (cHAB) and/or
retinal angioma (rHAB). (2) Small intragenic mutations
were detected in 18/30 (60%) families; all were
located 3\u2032 of codon 53. Partial and complete gene
deletions were detected in 7/30 (23%) and 5/30
(17%) families, respectively. Five mutations were unique
to the Polish population. (3) Five of 30 (17%) VHL mutation positive probands were found to have no family
history of VHL. (4) Of 11 patients with complete
deletions, all developed cHAB, two presented with
rHAB, and none developed renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
\u2022 (1) Some patients with predominantly brain tumours
and/or retinal angioma do not have identifiable germline mutations in the VHL gene and may have somatic
mosaicism, or may be affected by mutations of different
nature or localisation than the mutations for which the
study assays are designed, or may be phenocopies of
the disease. An alternative explanation is the presence
of additional haemangioblastoma susceptibility genes.
(2) The main characteristics of germline VHL mutations
in the Polish population are similar to those reported in
other populations. However, we observed a higher proportion of patients with complete deletions (5/30,
17%), compared to those reported in other populations
(3-9%). There was no evidence of a founder effect for
complete deletions in our patients. (3) The apparent de
novo mutation rate is 3c20%. (4) A complete deletion of
the VHL gene results primarily in brain tumours. This
result may be useful in genetic counselling for subjects
with complete deletions
Comparison of Two Apnea Test Methods, Oxygen Insufflation and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure During Diagnosis of Brain Death: Final Report
Intracranial pressure monitoring in patients with acute brain injury in the intensive care unit (SYNAPSE-ICU): an international, prospective observational cohort study
Background: The indications for intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring in patients with acute brain injury and the effects of ICP on patients’ outcomes are uncertain. The aims of this study were to describe current ICP monitoring practises for patients with acute brain injury at centres around the world and to assess variations in indications for ICP monitoring and interventions, and their association with long-term patient outcomes. Methods: We did a prospective, observational cohort study at 146 intensive care units (ICUs) in 42 countries. We assessed for eligibility all patients aged 18 years or older who were admitted to the ICU with either acute brain injury due to primary haemorrhagic stroke (including intracranial haemorrhage or subarachnoid haemorrhage) or traumatic brain injury. We included patients with altered levels of consciousness at ICU admission or within the first 48 h after the brain injury, as defined by the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) eye response score of 1 (no eye opening) and a GCS motor response score of at least 5 (not obeying commands). Patients not admitted to the ICU or with other forms of acute brain injury were excluded from the study. Between-centre differences in use of ICP monitoring were quantified by using the median odds ratio (MOR). We used the therapy intensity level (TIL) to quantify practice variations in ICP interventions. Primary endpoints were 6 month mortality and 6 month Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE) score. A propensity score method with inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to estimate the association between use of ICP monitoring and these 6 month outcomes, independently of measured baseline covariates. This study is registered with ClinicalTrial.gov, NCT03257904. Findings: Between March 15, 2018, and April 30, 2019, 4776 patients were assessed for eligibility and 2395 patients were included in the study, including 1287 (54%) with traumatic brain injury, 587 (25%) with intracranial haemorrhage, and 521 (22%) with subarachnoid haemorrhage. The median age of patients was 55 years (IQR 39–69) and 1567 (65%) patients were male. Considerable variability was recorded in the use of ICP monitoring across centres (MOR 4·5, 95% CI 3·8–4·9 between two randomly selected centres for patients with similar covariates). 6 month mortality was lower in patients who had ICP monitoring (441/1318 [34%]) than in those who were not monitored (517/1049 [49%]; p<0·0001). ICP monitoring was associated with significantly lower 6 month mortality in patients with at least one unreactive pupil (hazard ratio [HR] 0·35, 95% CI 0·26–0·47; p<0·0001), and better neurological outcome at 6 months (odds ratio 0·38, 95% CI 0·26–0·56; p=0·0025). Median TIL was higher in patients with ICP monitoring (9 [IQR 7–12]) than in those who were not monitored (5 [3–8]; p<0·0001) and an increment of one point in TIL was associated with a reduction in mortality (HR 0·94, 95% CI 0·91–0·98; p=0·0011). Interpretation: The use of ICP monitoring and ICP management varies greatly across centres and countries. The use of ICP monitoring might be associated with a more intensive therapeutic approach and with lower 6-month mortality in more severe cases. Intracranial hypertension treatment guided by monitoring might be considered in severe cases due to the potential associated improvement in long-term clinical results. Funding: University of Milano-Bicocca and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine
Intracranial pressure monitoring in patients with acute brain injury in the intensive care unit (SYNAPSE-ICU): an international, prospective observational cohort study
Background: The indications for intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring in patients with acute brain injury and the effects of ICP on patients’ outcomes are uncertain. The aims of this study were to describe current ICP monitoring practises for patients with acute brain injury at centres around the world and to assess variations in indications for ICP monitoring and interventions, and their association with long-term patient outcomes. Methods: We did a prospective, observational cohort study at 146 intensive care units (ICUs) in 42 countries. We assessed for eligibility all patients aged 18 years or older who were admitted to the ICU with either acute brain injury due to primary haemorrhagic stroke (including intracranial haemorrhage or subarachnoid haemorrhage) or traumatic brain injury. We included patients with altered levels of consciousness at ICU admission or within the first 48 h after the brain injury, as defined by the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) eye response score of 1 (no eye opening) and a GCS motor response score of at least 5 (not obeying commands). Patients not admitted to the ICU or with other forms of acute brain injury were excluded from the study. Between-centre differences in use of ICP monitoring were quantified by using the median odds ratio (MOR). We used the therapy intensity level (TIL) to quantify practice variations in ICP interventions. Primary endpoints were 6 month mortality and 6 month Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE) score. A propensity score method with inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to estimate the association between use of ICP monitoring and these 6 month outcomes, independently of measured baseline covariates. This study is registered with ClinicalTrial.gov, NCT03257904. Findings: Between March 15, 2018, and April 30, 2019, 4776 patients were assessed for eligibility and 2395 patients were included in the study, including 1287 (54%) with traumatic brain injury, 587 (25%) with intracranial haemorrhage, and 521 (22%) with subarachnoid haemorrhage. The median age of patients was 55 years (IQR 39–69) and 1567 (65%) patients were male. Considerable variability was recorded in the use of ICP monitoring across centres (MOR 4·5, 95% CI 3·8–4·9 between two randomly selected centres for patients with similar covariates). 6 month mortality was lower in patients who had ICP monitoring (441/1318 [34%]) than in those who were not monitored (517/1049 [49%]; p<0·0001). ICP monitoring was associated with significantly lower 6 month mortality in patients with at least one unreactive pupil (hazard ratio [HR] 0·35, 95% CI 0·26–0·47; p<0·0001), and better neurological outcome at 6 months (odds ratio 0·38, 95% CI 0·26–0·56; p=0·0025). Median TIL was higher in patients with ICP monitoring (9 [IQR 7–12]) than in those who were not monitored (5 [3–8]; p<0·0001) and an increment of one point in TIL was associated with a reduction in mortality (HR 0·94, 95% CI 0·91–0·98; p=0·0011). Interpretation: The use of ICP monitoring and ICP management varies greatly across centres and countries. The use of ICP monitoring might be associated with a more intensive therapeutic approach and with lower 6-month mortality in more severe cases. Intracranial hypertension treatment guided by monitoring might be considered in severe cases due to the potential associated improvement in long-term clinical results. Funding: University of Milano-Bicocca and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine