Three Month Follow-Up of Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia Complicated by Pulmonary Embolism

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated persistent dyspnoea and impairment of respiratory function in the follow-up of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 pneumonia. However, no studies have evaluated the clinical and functional consequences of COVID-19 pneumonia complicated by pulmonary embolism. Objective: The aim of our study was to assess the pulmonary function and exercise capacity in COVID-19 patients 3 months after recovery from pneumonia, either complicated or not by pulmonary embolism. Methods: This was a retrospective, single-centre, observational study involving 68 adult COVID-19 patients with a positive/negative clinical history of pulmonary embolism (PE) as a complication of COVID-19 pneumonia. Three months after recovery all patients underwent spirometry, diffusion capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and 6 minute walk test (6MWT). In addition, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the lung was carried out and CT-pulmonary angiography was conducted only in the PE+ subgroup. Patients with a previous diagnosis of PE or chronic lung diseases were excluded from the study. Results: Of the 68 patients included in the study, 24 had previous PE (PE+) and 44 did not (PE-). In comparison with the PE- subgroup, PE+ patients displayed a FVC% predicted significantly lower (87.71 ± 15.40 vs 98.7 ± 16.7, p = 0.009) and a significantly lower DLCO% predicted (p = 0.023). In addition, a higher percentage of patients were dyspnoeic on exercise, as documented by a mMRC score ≥1 (75% vs 54.3%, p < 0.001) and displayed a SpO2 <90% during 6MWT (37.5% vs 0%, p < 0.001). HRCT features suggestive of COVID-19 pneumonia resolution phase were present in both PE+ and PE- subjects without any significant difference (p = 0.24) and abnormalities at CT pulmonary angiography were detected in 57% of the PE+ subgroup. Conclusion: At the 3 month follow-up, the patients who recovered from COVID-19 pneumonia complicated by PE showed more dyspnoea and higher impairment of pulmonary function tests compared with those without PE

From green technology development to green innovation: inducing regulatory adoption of pathogen detection technology for sustainable forestry

Technological entrepreneurship has been widely acknowledged as a key driver of modern industrial economies, and more recently, a panacea for environmental and social problems. However, our current understanding of how green-technology ventures emerge and diffuse more sustainable innovations remains limited. We advance theory on green entrepreneurship by drawing on institutional work to refine and extend our understanding of how entrepreneurs may influence government policies and practices in their attempts to diffuse green technology. We develop a theoretical framework that combines institutional work with a search tool, the technological, commercial, organizational, and societal (TCOS) framework of innovative uncertainties, which identifies key opportunities, hurdles, and potential unintended consequences at early stages of technology development. We present a detailed case study of a potential university-based green-tech venture developing pathogen detection technology for forestry protection. Foreign pathogens spread by international trade can have major detrimental impacts on forests and the industries that rely on them. Our analysis found that green technology demonstrating technological feasibility is necessary but not sufficient; green-tech ventures must also engage in institutional work, in this case, articulating the technology’s benefits to regulators to establish legitimacy and avoid misuse that can hinder its adoption. We thus add to previous studies by emphasizing that institutional work could be a main activity for a green-tech venture, a core entrepreneurial strategy rather than an afterthought

Molecular imaging of inflammation and intraplaque vasa vasorum: A step forward to identification of vulnerable plaques?

Current developments in cardiovascular biology and imaging enable the noninvasive molecular evaluation of atherosclerotic vascular disease. Intraplaque neovascularization sprouting from the adventitial vasa vasorum has been identified as an independent predictor of intraplaque hemorrhage and plaque rupture. These intraplaque vasa vasorum result from angiogenesis, most likely under influence of hypoxic and inflammatory stimuli. Several molecular imaging techniques are currently available. Most experience has been obtained with molecular imaging using positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography. Recently, the development of targeted contrast agents has allowed molecular imaging with magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound and computed tomography. The present review discusses the use of these molecular imaging techniques to identify inflammation and intraplaque vasa vasorum to identify vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques at risk of rupture and thrombosis. The available literature on molecular imaging techniques and molecular targets associated with inflammation and angiogenesis is discussed, and the clinical applications of molecular cardiovascular imaging and the use of molecular techniques for local drug delivery are addressed

Total gastrectomy after endotherapy failure for management of chronic gastric leakage from sleeve gastrectomy: The end of a nightmare

Obesity is a complex and multifactorial disease that is increasing worldwide. It has an important socio-economic impact and it led to the widespread use of bariatric surgery procedures. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is currently the most widely performed procedure. Possible postoperative complications are bleeding, abscess, strictures and nutrient deficiency, but the most dreaded one is gastric leakage. It may occur along the staple line, mostly in the upper third, with an incidence rate that ranges between 1% to 7%, and it may be burdened by additional morbidity and mortality. The management of leakage after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is challenging, resource intensive and involves multiple professionals including surgeons, endoscopists, interventional radiologists and nutritionists. A standardized treatment protocol is still missing. Several conservative strategies are currently proposed to treat gastric leakage, including surgical or percutaneous drainage, double-pigtail stent, leakage site clipping and partially or fully covered self-expandable stents and naso-jejunal tube for enteral feeding. However, when all conservative techniques fail and the fistula becomes chronic, the only chance of resolution relies on radical surgery. This case report describes the case of a young woman who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity with no comorbidities. Thirty-nine days after the procedure, the patient developed a gastric leakage that later became chronic, persisting for more than two years. After failure of several different conservative treatment modalities, resolution was eventually obtained by radical surgery

Altered expression of p53 and Rb tumor suppressor genes in lung cancer: Relationship with survival

The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of altered expression of pRb and p53, two well known tumor suppressor genes, in lung cancer and to relate it to the prognosis of the patients affected by this type of neoplasm. We evaluated 68 specimens from patients with surgically resected lung cancer. Of the 68 neoplasms investigated, 29 (42.6%) displayed a positive nuclear staining for p53. Ten (15.7%) of the investigated tumors showed absence of pRb nuclear immunoreactivity. p53 overexpression correlated statistically with short-term survival. On the other hand no statistically significant difference (p=ns) in survival was detected between pRb producers and nonproducer patients. In addition, we divided our specimens into two groups according to the p53 and pRb status. The first group consisted of all the p53+ pRb- specimens. The second group contained all the remaining specimens. Comparison between these two groups did not reveal any significant difference in overall survival time. These findings confirm that only p53 overexpression can be considered an independent prognostic factor in lung cancer