Exposure to Perchlorate in Lactating Women and Its Associations With Newborn Thyroid Stimulating Hormone

Background: Perchlorate, thiocyanate, and nitrate can block iodide transport at the sodium iodide symporter (NIS) and this can subsequently lead to decreased thyroid hormone production and hypothyroidism. NIS inhibitor exposure has been shown to reduce iodide uptake and thyroid hormone levels; therefore we hypothesized that maternal NIS inhibitor exposure will influence both maternal and newborn thyroid function.Methods: Spot urine samples were collected from 185 lactating mothers and evaluated for perchlorate, thiocyanate, and nitrate concentrations. Blood and colostrum samples were collected from the same participants in the first 48 h after delivery. Thyroid hormones and thyroid-related antibodies (TSH, fT3, fT4, anti-TPO, anti-Tg) were analyzed in maternal blood and perchlorate was analyzed in colostrum. Also, spot blood samples were collected from newborns (n = 185) between 48 and 72 postpartum hours for TSH measurement. Correlation analysis was performed to assess the effect of NIS inhibitors on thyroid hormone levels of lactating mothers and their newborns in their first 48 postpartum hours.Results: The medians of maternal urinary perchlorate (4.00 μg/g creatinine), maternal urinary thiocyanate (403 μg/g creatinine), and maternal urinary nitrate (49,117 μg/g creatinine) were determined. Higher concentrations of all three urinary NIS inhibitors (μg/g creatinine) at their 75th percentile levels were significantly correlated with newborn TSH (r = 0.21, p < 0.001). Median colostrum perchlorate level concentration of all 185 participants was 2.30 μg/L. Colostrum perchlorate was not significantly correlated with newborn TSH (p > 0.05); however, there was a significant correlation between colostrum perchlorate level and maternal TSH (r = 0.21, p < 0.01). Similarly, there was a significant positive association between colostrum perchlorate and maternal urinary creatinine adjusted perchlorate (r = 0.32, p < 0.001).Conclusion: NIS inhibitors are ubiquitous in lactating women in Turkey and are associated with increased TSH levels in newborns, thus signifying for the first time that co-exposure to maternal NIS inhibitors can have a negative effect on the newborn thyroid function

Epidemiology of surgery associated acute kidney injury (EPIS-AKI): a prospective international observational multi-center clinical study

Purpose: The incidence, patient features, risk factors and outcomes of surgery-associated postoperative acute kidney injury (PO-AKI) across different countries and health care systems is unclear. Methods: We conducted an international prospective, observational, multi-center study in 30 countries in patients undergoing major surgery (> 2-h duration and postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) or high dependency unit admission). The primary endpoint was the occurrence of PO-AKI within 72 h of surgery defined by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Secondary endpoints included PO-AKI severity and duration, use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality, and ICU and hospital length of stay. Results: We studied 10,568 patients and 1945 (18.4%) developed PO-AKI (1236 (63.5%) KDIGO stage 1500 (25.7%) KDIGO stage 2209 (10.7%) KDIGO stage 3). In 33.8% PO-AKI was persistent, and 170/1945 (8.7%) of patients with PO-AKI received RRT in the ICU. Patients with PO-AKI had greater ICU (6.3% vs. 0.7%) and hospital (8.6% vs. 1.4%) mortality, and longer ICU (median 2 (Q1-Q3, 1-3) days vs. 3 (Q1-Q3, 1-6) days) and hospital length of stay (median 14 (Q1-Q3, 9-24) days vs. 10 (Q1-Q3, 7-17) days). Risk factors for PO-AKI included older age, comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease), type, duration and urgency of surgery as well as intraoperative vasopressors, and aminoglycosides administration. Conclusion: In a comprehensive multinational study, approximately one in five patients develop PO-AKI after major surgery. Increasing severity of PO-AKI is associated with a progressive increase in adverse outcomes. Our findings indicate that PO-AKI represents a significant burden for health care worldwide

Can Rotational Thromboelastometry be a New Predictive Tool for Retinal Vein Occlusion Development?

WOS: 000464751200004PubMed ID: 30512971Purpose: To evaluate clotting dynamics by a new tool called rotational tromboelastometry (ROTEM) in retinal vein occlusion.Materials and methods: Thirty-six patients who were diagnosed with retinal vein occlusion and 43 age and sex matched healthy controls were included in this study. Diabetes and use of anticoagulant therapy were exclusion criteria. All study participants underwent detailed ophthalmologic and systemic medical examination, including blood pressure measurement, hemoglobin-hematocrit levels, platelet count, coagulation parameters including prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen levels, and D-dimer levels. Peripheral blood samples were collected and analyzed with ROTEM Coagulation Analyzer (Tem International, Munich, Germany).Results: The RVO patients and controls did not differ with respect to age, sex, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelet numbers, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen levels, D-dimer levels, and glucose levels. When extrinsic thromboelastometry results were analyzed, RVO patients showed a significantly decreased clotting time (76.515.0 vs. 95.0 +/- 21s, respectively; p =0.01) and clot formation time (83.3 +/- 22 vs. 99.7 +/- 24s; p =0.01) as compared with healthy controls. Other ROTEM parameters did now show any difference between two groups.Conclusion: Patients with retinal vein occlusion showed faster clotting time and shorter clotting formation time as compared with healthy controls. ROTEM detects the altered clotting dynamics and may be a useful tool to elucidate the disease pathophysiology. Further studies are needed to investigate if it can be used as a screening test for individuals who are under risk to develop RVO or as a first step test to evaluate hypercoagulable state in RVO

Clinical importance of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (PER-1-type)-producing Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains

Recently, an extended-spectrum beta -lactamase (PER-I) was found to be disseminated among Acinetobacter spp, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates in Turkey. A population-based cohort study was conducted to elucidate predictive mortality factors in patients with nosocomial infections caused by Acinetobacter spp. and P. aeruginosa, with particular reference to PER-1-type extended-spectrum beta -lactamase (ESBL) production. The study group comprised 16 and 21 non-survivors and 82 and 126 survivors in cohorts infected with Acinetobacter and E. aeruginosa, respectively. In the Acinetobacter-infected cohort, nosocomial pneumonia, hypotension and infection with a PER-positive isolate were independent predictors of mortality. In the P. aeruginosa-infected cohort, impaired consciousness, a PER-positive isolate, male sex and (with a negative relative risk) urinary tract infection were independent predictors of death. This study demonstrated the relationship of PER-1-type ESBL-producing Acinetobacter spp. and P. aeruginosa with poor clinical outcome

Synthesis, characterization, and biological properties of composites of hydroxyapatite and hexagonal boron nitride

Hydroxyapatite (HA), obtained from bovine bones,was successfully reinforced with hexagonal boron nitrite (h-BN). h-BN/HA composites, with BN content up to 1.5 wt %,were sintered at various temperatures between 1000 and13008C, in air. Well-sintered samples were obtained after sin-tering at 1200 and 13008C. The presence of h-BN contributedto dense, fine, and well-crystallized microstructure. Theresults of X-ray diffraction analysis and FT-IR spectroscopyshowed that the produced composites comprised biphasic b-TCP/HCA (HCA: carbonate partially substituted HA). High val-ues of mechanical properties were achieved, namelycompression strength 155 MPa for the sample 0.5% h-BN/HAand Vickers microhardness of 716 HV for the samples 1.5% h-BN/HA, both sintered at 13008C. U2OS human bone osteosar-coma proliferation and cell viability showed no adverse effectin the presence of h-BN/HA, suggesting the potential use ofthe produced materials as safe biomaterials in bone tissueengineering

A Multicenter Study: How Do Medical Students Perceive Clinical Learning Climate?

Background The relationship between students and instructors is of crucial importance for the development of a positive learning climate. Learning climate is a multifaceted concept, and its measurement is a complicated process. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine medical students’ perceptions about the clinical learning climate and to investigate differences in their perceptions in terms of various variables. Methods Medical students studying at six medical schools in Turkey were recruited for the study. All students who completed clinical rotations, which lasted for 3 or more weeks, were included in the study (n=3,097). Data were collected using the Clinical Learning Climate Scale (CLCS). The CLCS (36 items) includes three subscales: clinical environment, emotion, and motivation. Each item is scored using a 5-point Likert scale (1: strongly disagree to 5: strongly agree). Results The response rate for the trainees was 69.67% (n=1,519), and for the interns it was 51.47% (n=917). The mean total CLCS score was 117.20±17.19. The rotation during which the clinical learning climate was perceived most favorably was the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation rotation (mean score: 137.77). The most negatively perceived rotation was the General Internal Medicine rotation (mean score: 104.31). There were significant differences between mean total scores in terms of trainee/intern characteristics, internal medicine/surgical medicine rotations, and perception of success. Conclusion The results of this study drew attention to certain aspects of the clinical learning climate in medical schools. Clinical teacher/instructor/supervisor, clinical training programs, students’ interactions in clinical settings, self-realization, mood, students’ intrinsic motivation, and institutional commitment are important components of the clinical learning climate. For this reason, the aforementioned components should be taken into consideration in studies aiming to improve clinical learning climate.PubMedWoSScopu

The prognostic factors in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: impact of treatment sequencing

The prognosis of patients with advanced HCC can vary widely depending on factors such as the stage of the cancer, the patient’s overall health, and treatment regimens. This study aimed to investigate survival outcomes and associated factors in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this retrospective study, data from 23 medical oncology clinics were analyzed. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) values were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Prognostic factors associated with survival which were identified in univariate analysis were subsequently evaluated in a multivariate Cox-regression survival analysis was conducted using the backward stepwise (Conditional LR) method to determine the independent predictors of PFS and OS. Of 280 patients, 131 received chemotherapy and 142 received sorafenib, 6 received atezolizumab plus bevacizumab and 1 received nivolumab for first-line setting. The median follow-up time was 30.4 (95%CI 27.1–33.6) months. For-first line, median PFS was 3.1 (95%CI2.7–3.5) months, and it was significantly longer in patients who received sorafenib or atezolizumab-bevacizumab or nivolumab (PFS 5.8 (95%CI 4.2–7.5) than in those received chemotherapy (PFS 2.1 (95%CI 1.9–2.3) in the first-line setting (p 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that male gender (HR: 2.75, 95% CI: 1.53–4.94, p = 0.01), poor ECOG performance score (HR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.10–3.21, p = 0.02), higher baseline AFP level (HR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.54–3.67, p 0.001) and upfront sorafenib treatment (HR,0.38; 95% CI: 0.23–0.62, p 0.001) were significantly associated with shorter PFS. The median OS was 13.2 (95%CI 11.1–15.2) months. It was significantly longer in patients who received sorafenib or atezolizumab-bevacizumab or nivolumab in the first-line setting followed by TKIs (sorafenib or regorafenib, OS 18.6 (95%CI 13.8–23.5)) compared to those who received chemotherapy (OS 10.3 (95%CI 6.6–14.1)) in the first-line setting. The multivariate analysis revealed that upfront chemotherapy treatment approach, male gender (HR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.07–2.94, p = 0.02), poor ECOG performance score (HR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.24–3.09, p = 0.004) and Child-Pugh score, presence of extrahepatic disease (HR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.09–2.18, p = 0.01), and higher baseline AFP value (HR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.03–2.19, p = 0.03) were significantly associated with poor prognosis. Additionally, regarding of treatment sequence, upfront sorafenib followed by regorafenib showed a significantly lower risk of mortality (HR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.25–0.66, p 0.001). Sorafenib followed by regorafenib treatment was associated with a significantly lower risk of mortality rather than upfront sorafenib followed by BSC group or upfront chemotherapy followed by TKIs. These findings underscore the importance of the optimal treatment sequences to improve survival in patients with advanced HCC. © 2024 Edizioni Scientifiche per l'Informazione su Farmaci e Terapia (Italian Society of Chemotherapy)