How should novelty be valued in science?

<p>Box plot analysis of serum concentrations of sRAGE (A), esRAGE (B), S100A9 (C) and HMGB1 (D) in patients with CTEPH (n = 26) and controls (n = 33). Independent Student’s t-test was used to compare groups. <i>RAGE</i> receptor for advanced glycation endproducts, <i>sRAGE</i> soluble RAGE, <i>esRAGE</i> endogenous secretory RAGE, <i>S100A9</i> member of S100 family of Ca+ binding proteins, <i>HMGB1</i> high mobility group box1, <i>CTEPH</i> chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.</p

Clinical relevance of lung transplantation for COVID-19 ARDS: a nationwide study

BACKGROUND: Although the number of lung transplantations (LTx) performed worldwide for COVID-19 induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is still low, there is general agreement that this treatment can save a subgroup of most severly ill patients with irreversible lung damage. However, the true proportion of patients eligible for LTx, the overall outcome and the impact of LTx to the pandemic are unknown. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed using a nationwide registry of hospitalised patients with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-Cov-2) infection admitted between January 1, 2020 and May 30, 2021 in Austria. Patients referred to one of the two Austrian LTx centers were analyzed and grouped into patients accepted and rejected for LTx. Detailed outcome analysis was performed for all patients who received a LTx for post-COVID-19 ARDS and compared to patients who underwent LTx for other indications. RESULTS: Between January 1, 2020 and May 30, 2021, 39.485 patients were hospitalised for COVID-19 in Austria. 2323 required mechanical ventilation, 183 received extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. 106 patients with severe COVID-19 ARDS were referred for LTx. Of these, 19 (18%) underwent LTx. 30-day mortality after LTx was 0% for COVID-19 ARDS transplant recipients. With a median follow-up of 134 (47–450) days, 14/19 patients are alive. CONCLUSIONS: Early referral of ECMO patients to a LTx center is pivotal in order to select patients eligible for LTx. Transplantation offers excellent midterm outcomes and should be incorporated in the treatment algorithm of post-COVID-19 ARDS

Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation during Pregnancy on Birth Weight: A Case-Control Study

ABSTRACTBackground: Previous studies revealed that maternal serum level of vitamin D can influence neonatal outcomes. In this controlled trial, we evaluated the effect of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on birth weight.Methods: In this interventional study, we enrolled 67 pregnant women (gestation: 10 weeks), who referred to Seyyedal Shohada Hospital during two years (from January 2014) with vitamin D less than 30 ng/ml. From gestational age of 14-24 weeks, vitamin D (50,000 IU/week) was administered to the patients, and its level was measured again in the 24th week of gestation. At this time, patients with vitamin D more than 30 ng/ml served as the intervention group, while the remaining patients were excluded (n=55 patients). In the control group, the level of vitamin D was measured at the time of delivery.Results: The mean vitamin D level in the intervention group was 43.04±20.09 ng/ml. The baseline patient characteristics such as gravidity, parity, and the number of deliveries were not significantly different between the two groups. However, the two groups were significantly different regarding neonates’ characteristics such as birth weight, height, and headcircumference.Conclusion: Our findings showed that administrating vitamin D during pregnancy increases the mean values of neonatal weight, head circumference, and height