Latest findings on labetalol in severe hypertension during pregnancy and in postpartum — a systematic review

Hypertension during pregnancy is a significant problem, with severe hypertension being an especially dangerous condition. As pharmacological treatment options are limited mostly due to the unknown effects of multiple drugs on the fetus, labetalol is one of the more frequently used therapies. The other popular substances are methyldopa, nifedipine and hydralazine. In this paper, the effectiveness and limitations of labetalol in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are discussed based on the latest available original papers. As the accessible data implicates, labetalol has a high and proven ability to reduce blood pressure with non-severe side effects. The most common of which are headaches and nausea. The drug seems to be slightly less effective in blood pressure normalization than nifedipine, with inconclusive data about safety to the mother and her baby. However due to a small number of patients included in the presented studies, more high-population trials are necessary to give an unambiguous recommendation on its regular usage

Time-Dependent Changes of Plasma Concentrations of Angiopoietins, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, and Soluble Forms of Their Receptors in Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer Patients Following Surgical Resection

Even when patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer undergo surgical resection at an early stage, recurrent disease often impairs the clinical outcome. There are numerous causes potentially responsible for a relapse of the disease, one of them being extensive angiogenesis. The balance of at least two systems, VEGF VEGFR and Ang Tie, regulates vessel formation. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of surgery on the plasma levels of the main angiogenic factors during the first month after surgery in nonsmall cell lung cancer patients. The study group consisted of 37 patients with stage I nonsmall cell lung cancer. Plasma concentrations of Ang1, Ang2, sTie2, VEGF, and sVEGF R1 were evaluated by ELISA three times: before surgical resection and on postoperative days 7 and 30. The median of Ang2 and VEGF concentrations increased on postoperative day 7 and decreased on day 30. On the other hand, the concentration of sTie2 decreased on the 7th day after resection and did not change statistically later on. The concentrations of Ang1 and sVEGF R1 did not change after the surgery. Lung cancer resection results in proangiogenic plasma protein changes that may stimulate tumor recurrences and metastases after early resection

Stan odżywienia chorych po transplantacji komórek krwiotwórczych

Niedożywienie jest istotnym problemem dotykającym chorych poddanych transplantacji komórek krwiotwórczych (HCT). W okresie wczesnym po HCT, powikłania ze strony przewodu pokarmowego po postępowaniu przygotowawczym prowadzą do zmniejszonej podaży pokarmu i zaburzeń wchłaniania. Nasileniu niedożywienia sprzyja znacznie zwiększony katabolizm oraz rozwój choroby przeszczep przeciw gospodarzowi. Prowadzenie optymalnego leczenia żywieniowego pozostaje istotnym elementem opieki potransplantacyjnej. W pracy przedstawiono znaczenia regularnej oceny stanu odżywienia biorców HCT oraz omówiono dostępne metody leczenia żywieniowego. Żywienie doustne, które należy kontynuować tak długo jak jest to możliwe, można uzupełnić o preparaty wysokobiałkowe i wysokokaloryczne. Jeżeli żywienie doustne nie jest możliwe lub nie pokrywa zapotrzebowanie białkowo-kalorycznego, można rozważyć żywienie dojelitowe, jednak w praktyce klinicznej najczęściej stosowane jest żywienie pozajelitowe. W leczeniu żywieniowym chorych po HCT zastosowanie mogą znaleźć składniki immunomodulujące, w tym glutamina i kwasy tłuszczowe omega-3, oraz prebiotyki i probiotyki, które mogą korzystnie wpłynąć na skład mikrobiomu jelit

The significant impact of age on the clinical outcomes of laparoscopic appendectomy : results from the Polish Laparoscopic Appendectomy multicenter large cohort study

Acute appendicitis (AA) is the most common surgical emergency and can occur at any age. Nearly all of the studies comparing outcomes of appendectomy between younger and older patients set cut-off point at 65 years. In this multicenter observational study, we aimed to compare laparoscopic appendectomy for AA in various groups of patients with particular interest in the elderly and very elderly in comparison to younger adults. Our multicenter observational study of 18 surgical units assessed the outcomes of 4618 laparoscopic appendectomies for AA. Patients were divided in 4 groups according to their age: Group 1- 8 days. Logistic regression models comparing perioperative results of each of the 3 oldest groups compared with the youngest one showed significant differences in odds ratios of symptoms lasting >48hours, presence of complicated appendicitis, perioperative morbidity, conversion rate, prolonged LOS (>8 days). The findings of this study confirm that the outcomes of laparoscopic approach to AA in different age groups are not the same regarding outcomes and the clinical picture. Older patients are at high risk both in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative period. The differences are visible already at the age of 40 years old. Since delayed diagnosis and postponed surgery result in the development of complicated appendicitis, more effort should be placed in improving treatment patterns for the elderly and their clinical outcome

Risk factors for serious morbidity, prolonged length of stay and hospital readmission after laparoscopic appendectomy : results from Pol-LA (Polish Laparoscopic Appendectomy) multicenter large cohort study

Laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) for treatment of acute appendicitis has gained acceptance with its considerable benefits over open appendectomy. LA, however, can involve some adverse outcomes: morbidity, prolonged length of hospital stay (LOS) and hospital readmission. Identification of predictive factors may help to identify and tailor treatment for patients with higher risk of these adverse events. Our aim was to identify risk factors for serious morbidity, prolonged LOS and hospital readmission after LA. A database compiled information of patients admitted for acute appendicitis from eighteen Polish and German surgical centers. It included factors related to the patient characteristics, peri- and postoperative period. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify risk factors for serious perioperative complications, prolonged LOS, and hospital readmissions in acute appendicitis cases. 4618 laparoscopic appendectomy patients were included. First, although several risk factors for serious perioperative complications (C-D III-V) were found in the univariate analysis, in the multivariate model only the presence of intraoperative adverse events (OR 4.09, 95% CI 1.32-12.65, p = 0.014) and complicated appendicitis (OR 3.63, 95% CI 1.74-7.61, p = 0.001) was statistically significant. Second, prolonged LOS was associated with the presence of complicated appendicitis (OR 2.8, 95%CI: 1.53-5.12, p = 0.001), postoperative morbidity (OR 5.01, 95% CI: 2.33-10.75, p < 0.001), conversions (OR 6.48, 95% CI: 3.48-12.08, p < 0.001) and reinterventions after primary procedure (OR 8.79, 95% CI: 3.2-24.14, p < 0.001) in the multivariate model. Third, although several risk factors for hospital readmissions were found in univariate analysis, in the multivariate model only the presence of postoperative complications (OR 10.33, 95% CI: 4.27-25.00), reintervention after primary procedure (OR 5.62, 95% CI: 2.17-14.54), and LA performed by resident (OR 1.96, 95%CI: 1.03-3.70) remained significant. Laparoscopic appendectomy is a safe procedure associated with low rates of complications, prolonged LOS, and readmissions. Risk factors for these adverse events include complicated appendicitis, postoperative morbidity, conversion, and re-intervention after the primary procedure. Any occurrence of these factors during treatment should alert the healthcare team to identify the patients that require more customized treatment to minimize the risk for adverse outcomes

Pro Libris: Lubuskie Pismo Literacko-Kulturalne, nr 3 (2008)

152 s. : il.

Relationship between Glioblastoma Dose Volume Parameters Measured by Dual Time Point Fluoroethylthyrosine-PET and Clinical Outcomes

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is highly invasive. Despite irradiation with wide margins, GBM usually recurs in-field. Recent in vitro data have suggested that progression might be promoted by sublethal irradiation. Fluoroethylthyrosine-PET (FET-PET) can be used to detect glioblastoma invasion not apparent on MRI. We therefore performed a retrospective analysis of a prospective clinical study to examine whether glioblastoma outcomes depend on dose volume parameters measured by MRI and FET-PET. Twenty-three patients were prospectively recruited to a study examining the role of dual time point FET-PET in the treatment planning of GBM radiotherapy. The dose delivered to the site of recurrence was subdivided into suboptimal-dose (SOD) and high-dose (HD) areas. Types of progression were defined for correlation with dosimetric parameters including V100% of gross tumor volume (GTV)PET, GTVPETMRI, and GTVMRI. The HD area did not cover the entire GTVPETMRI in any case. Recurrences were significantly more frequent in the SubD area (chi-squared test, p = 0.004). There was no relationship between increasing dose volume and progression. The V100% for GTVPET and progression-free survival (PFS) was positively correlated (Spearman’s rho 0.417; p = 0.038). Progression is more common in areas with suboptimal dosing. Dose heterogeneity within GTVPET may be responsible for shorter PFS

Quality of life after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy – review of literature

Background: Last decade brought changes in trends of most frequently performed types of bariatric procedures. Despite the well-grounded knowledge of bariatric surgery positive impact on comorbidities, life prolongation, cancer risk, depression etc. there is still insufficient data on patients’ quality of life (QoL) after surgery. Methods: In this review PubMed and Scopus databases as well as Mendeley search engine were used for searching publications from last ten years focusing on QoL after LSG. 702 abstracts were reviewed. 13 publications, with 1630 patients in total were finally included. Results: Six different QoL tools were used: SF-36, BAROS, Moorehead-Ardelt II questionnaire, IWQOL-Lite, GIQLI and SF8. In majority of publications QoL was improved. Pre and postoperative assessment with SF-36 showed significant improvement. The mean BAROS score was 5.1-7.1 with 77-96% of patients achieving good to excellent outcomes. In some studies, QoL was better in females and in one study QoL did not achieve results of general population norms. There was no improvement in QoL after LSG in some studies or no correlation between %EWL and health related QOL. Conclusions: There is limited good quality research into QoL after LSG, though quality of life seems to be better after that procedure