744 research outputs found
Managing benign tracheal stenosis during COVID-19 outbreak
If elective surgery has been recommended to be postponed
some diseases could potentially become life-threatening
and cannot be delayed. Among these conditions, tracheal idiopathic stenosis, primary caused by endotracheal intubation
or tracheostomy, usually become symptomatic when reach
50% obstruction.
Endoscopic procedures could be considered as frst
treatment in selected patients after stenosis evaluation, such
as non-complex stenosis with low grade of cartilage involvement or tracheomalaci
In Vitro Efficacy of Essential Oils from Melaleuca Alternifolia and Rosmarinus Officinalis, Manuka Honey-based Gel, and Propolis as Antibacterial Agents Against Canine Staphylococcus Pseudintermedius Strains
Abstract: Essential oils (EOs) and honeybee products (e.g., honey and propolis) are natural mixtures
of dierent volatile compounds that are frequently used in traditional medicine and for pathogen
eradication. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial properties of tea tree (Melaleuca
alternifolia) EO (TTEO), Rosmarinus ocinalis EO (ROEO), manuka-based gel, and propolis against
23 strains of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (SP) isolated from canine pyoderma. Antimicrobial
resistance screening was assessed using a panel of nine antimicrobial agents coupled with a PCR
approach. An aromatogram was done for both EOs, using the disk diusion method. The minimum
inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for all the compounds. Among the 23 SP strains,
14 (60.9%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR), 11 strains (47.8%) were methicillin-resistant (MRSP),
and 9 (39.1%) were non-MDR. The mean diameter of the inhibition zone for Melaleuca and Rosmarinus
were 24.5 8.8 mm and 15.2 8.9 mm, respectively, resulting as statistically dierent (p = 0.0006).
MIC values of TTEO and ROEO were similar (7.6 3.2% and 8.9 2.1%, respectively) and no
statistical significances were found. Honeybee products showed lower MIC compared to those of EOs,
0.22 0.1% for Manuka and 0.8 0.5% for propolis. These findings reveal a significant antibacterial
eect for all the tested products
Report of a Case of Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Resection of Bronchogenic Cyst Developed in the Aorto-Pulmonary Window
We report the case of a 28-years-old male with a bronchogenic cyst developed in the
aorto-pulmonary window. Left video-assisted thoracoscopy was performed and the cyst
was removed intact and completely. Operative time was 48 minutes. The postoperative
course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on the third postoperative day.
We believe that an uncomplicated mediastinal bronchogenic cyst can be successfully
approached by video-assisted thoracoscopy. In the case of an intraparenchymal or complicated
cyst, thoracoscopic resection can be technically difficult and hazardous, and
open approach is preferable
Long-term results of laryngotracheal resection for benign stenosis from a series of 109 consecutive patients
OBJECTIVES: Long-term results of patients undergoing laryngotracheal resection for benign stenosis are reported. This is the largest series ever published. METHODS: Between 1991 and March 2015, 109 consecutive patients (64 males, 45 females; mean age 39 ± 10.9 years) underwent laryngotracheal resection for subglottic postintubation (93) or idiopathic (16) stenosis. Preoperative procedures included tracheostomy in 35 patients, laser in 17 and laser plus stenting in 18. The upper limit of the stenosis ranged between actual involvement of the vocal cords and 1.5 cm from the glottis. Airway resection length ranged between 1.5 and 6 cm (mean 3.4 ± 0.8 cm) and it was over 4.5 cm in 14 patients. Laryngotracheal release was performed in 9 patients (suprahyoid in 7, pericardial in 1 and suprahyoid + pericardial in 1). RESULTS: There was no perioperative mortality. Ninety-nine patients (90.8%) had excellent or good early results. Ten patients (9.2%) experienced complications including restenosis in 8, dehiscence in 1 and glottic oedema requiring tracheostomy in 1. Restenosis was treated in all 8 patients with endoscopic procedures (5 laser, 2 laser + stent, 1 mechanical dilatation). The patient with anastomotic dehiscence required temporary tracheostomy closed after 1 year with no sequelae. One patient presenting postoperative glottic oedema underwent permanent tracheostomy. Minor complications occurred in 4 patients (3 wound infections, 1 atrial fibrillation). Definitive excellent or good results were achieved in 94.5% of patients. Twenty-eight post-coma patients with neuropsychiatric disorders showed no increased complication and failure rate. CONCLUSIONS: Laryngotracheal resection is the definitive curative treatment for subglottic stenosis allowing very high success rate at long term. Early complications can be managed by endoscopic procedures achieving excellent and stable results over time
The ligand-receptor interactions based on silicon technology
We explored the use of porous silicon (pSi) technology for the
construction of a biotechnological device, in which the ligand-receptor interactions are revealed by means of laser optical measurements.
Here we report the settling of chemical procedures for the functionalization of the silicon wafers and for the subsequent anchoring of biological molecules such as a purified murine monoclonal
antibody (UN1 mAb), an antibody anti-P8 protein of M13 phage and an antibody anti-A20 murine
lymphoma cell line. The optical analysis of the
interaction on the biochips between the bound
biomolecules and their corresponding ligands
indicated that the pSi is suitable for thi
Serologic diagnosis of celiac disease: May it be suitable for adults?
The diagnosis of coeliac disease (CD) in adult patients requires the simultaneous assessment of clinical presentation, serology, and typical histological picture of villous atrophy. However, several years ago, the European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition guidelines approved new criteria for the diagnosis in children: Biopsy could be avoided when anti-transglutaminase antibody (TGA) values exceed the cut-off of Ă 10 upper limit of normal (ULN) and anti-endomysium antibodies are positive, independently from value. This âno biopsyâ approach is a decisive need for pediatric population, allowing to avoid stressful endoscopic procedures in children, if unnecessary. This approach relies on the correlation existing in children between TGA levels and assessment of mucosal atrophy according to Marshâs classification. Several lines of evidence have shown that patients with villous atrophy have markedly elevated TGA levels. Therefore, we aim to perform a narrative review on the topic in adults. Despite that some studies confirmed that the Ă 10 ULN threshold value has a very good diagnostic performance, several lines of evidence in adults suggest that TGA cut off should be different from that of pediatric population for reaching a good correlation with histological picture. In conclusion, the heterogeneity of study reports as well as some conditions, which may hamper the serological diagnosis of CD (such as seronegative CD and non-celiac villous atrophy) and are much more common in adults than in children, could represent a limitation for the âno biopsyâ approach to CD diagnosis in patients outside the pediatric age
May antitransglutaminase levels predict severity of duodenal lesions in adults with celiac disease?
Background and Objective: Pediatric guidelines on celiac disease (CD) state that children with antiâtransglutaminase antibodies (TGAs) >Ă10 upper limit of normal (ULN) may avoid endos-copy and biopsy. We aimed to evaluate whether these criteria may be suitable for villous atrophy diagnosis in CD adults. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled patients with CD aged >18 years. TGAs were expressed as xULN. Duodenal lesions were classified as atrophic or non-atrophic according to MarshâOberhuber. Fisherâs exact and tâtest were used for variables compari-son. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was performed with estimation of area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value (PPV/NPV). Results: One hundred and twentyâone patients were recruited. Sixty patients (49.6%) had TGA >Ă10 ULN, and 93 (76.8%) had villous atrophy. The cutâoff of >Ă10 ULN had sensitivity = 53.7%, specificity = 64.3%, PPV = 83.3%, and NPV = 29.5% to predict atrophy. Therefore, considering pediatric criteria, in 50 (41.3%) patients, biopsy could have been avoided. Patient subgroup with atrophy had higher TGA levels despite being not significant (37.2 ± 15.3 vs. 8.0 ± 1.3 ULN, p = 0.06). In adults, a slightly better diagnostic performance was obtained using a cutâoff of TGA >Ă6.2 ULN (sensitivity = 57.1%, specificity = 65.6%, and AUC = 0.62). Conclusions: Despite our confirmation that villous atrophy is linked to high TGA levels, CD and atrophy diagnosis based only on serology is not reliable in adults
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