Background: Hormone level changes after heart surgeries are a widely observed phenomenon due to neurohormonal feedback mechanisms that may affect postoperative morbidity and mortality. The current study aimed to analyze the changes in thyroid and sex hormones in the first 24 postoperative hours after heart surgery.
Methods: This prospective, observational study (registered on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03736499; 09/11/2018) included 49 patients who underwent elective cardiac surgical procedures at a tertiary heart center between March 2019 and December 2019. Thyroid hormones, including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4), and sex hormones, including prolactin (PRL) and total testosterone, were measured preoperatively and at 24 h postoperatively.
Results: Significant decreases in serum TSH (P < 0.001), T3 (P < 0.001) and total testosterone (P < 0.001) levels were noted, whereas T4 (P = 0.554) and PRL (P = 0.616) did not significantly change. Intensive care unit (ICU) hours (P < 0.001), mechanical ventilation (P < 0.001) and Vasoactive-Inotropic Score (VIS) (P = 0.006) were associated with postoperative T3 level. ICU hours were associated with postoperative T4 level (P = 0.028). Postoperative and delta testosterone levels were in connection with lengths of stay in ICU (P = 0.032, P = 0.010 respectively). Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores were associated with thyroid hormone levels and serum testosterone.
Conclusions: T3 may represent a marker of nonthyroidal illness syndrome and testosterone may reflect hepatic dysfunction. In addition, PRL may act as a stress hormone in female patients.
Background: Acute and chronic hepatic failure can lead to increased mortality in critically ill and perioperative patients. Understanding the pathophysiological principles of these conditions in critically ill patients is of great importance to reduce mortality. The aim of our systematic literature review was to identify all randomized controlled trials on any intervention that had a statistically significant documented reduction in mortality in patients with hepatic failure.
Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus and Embase databases for pertinent studies on January 1st 2021. The following studies were included: randomized controlled trials; studies investigating adult critically ill or perioperative patient populations with any form of hepatic failure; mortality as primary or secondary outcome; and statistically significant differences in mortality between the examined groups.
Results: We finally found nine trials in our systematic review on the effect of antibiotic administration and infectious diseases among patients with cirrhosis (three studies); immune modulation after liver transplantation (one study); administration of colloids in cirrhotic patients (one study); the effect of high-volume plasma exchange in acute liver failure (one study); administration of N-acetylcysteine in acute liver failure (one study); and treatment with terlipressin (two studies).
Conclusion: In the present review we found only nine randomized studies with a documented survival benefit in patients with liver failure. Strategies that most improved mortality were associated with the outcome of sepsis and renal function.
Background: Grip strength is a marker of future health conditions and is mainly generated by the extrinsic flexor muscles of the fingers. Therefore, whether or not there is a relationship between grip strength and forearm muscle size is vital in considering strategies for grip strength development during growth. Thus, this study aimed to examine the association between changes in grip strength and forearm muscle thickness in young children.
Methods: Two hundred eighteen young children (104 boys and 114 girls) performed maximum voluntary grip strength and ultrasound-measured muscle thickness measurements in the right hand. Two muscle thicknesses were measured as the perpendicular distance between the adipose tissue-muscle interface and muscle-bone interface of the radius (MT-radius) and ulna (MT-ulna). All participants completed the first measurement and underwent a second measurement one year after the first one.
Results: There were significant (P < 0.001) within-subject correlations between MT-ulna and grip strength [r = 0.50 (0.40, 0.60)] and MT-radius and grip strength [r = 0.59 (0.49, 0.67)]. There was no significant between-subject correlation between MT-ulna and grip strength [r = 0.07 (-0.05, 0.20)], but there was a statistically significant (P < 0.001) between-subject relationship between MT-radius and grip strength [r = 0.27 (0.14, 0.39)].
Conclusion: Although we cannot infer causation from the present study, our findings suggest that as muscle size increases within a child, so does muscle strength. Our between-subject analysis, however, suggests that those who observed the greatest change in muscle size did not necessarily get the strongest.
The classical myeloproliferative neoplasms are divided into chronic myeloid leukemia, and the Philadelphia negative polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis. These are heterogenous diseases, originating from the clonal proliferation of myeloid stem cells, resulting in increased mature cell numbers in one or more myeloid lineages. The most commonly seen mutations in the Philadelphia negative myeloproliferative neoplasms include those in Janus kinase, myeloproliferative leukemia protein and the calreticulin genes. Philadelphia negative myeloproliferative neoplasms occur infrequently, with a combined annual incidence of 2.58 per 100,000. There are many overlapping symptoms of Philadelphia negative MPNs, such as fatigue, night sweats, hepatosplenomegaly and circulatory symptoms due to increased cell numbers. Total Symptom Score of the MPN Symptom Assessment Form is used to assess symptom burden on patients. The most worrisome complications are thrombo-hemorrhagic events, and risk stratification is especially important as treatment of disease is based on their category. Phlebotomy and aspirin are the mainstay of treatment in low-risk polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia patients, whereas high-risk disease calls for additional cytoreduction, usually with hydroxyurea.
Background and aims: ADAMTS-4 is a protease enzyme involved in vascular remodeling and atherosclerosis. It was found to be upregulated in macrophages seen in atherosclerotic lesions. This study aimed to investigate the expression and regulation of ADAMTS-4 in oxidized LDL-induced human monocytes/macrophages system.
Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from human blood, and treated with oxidized LDL (50 μg mL-1) were used as the model system for the study. mRNA and protein expressions were studied by PCR, ELISA, and western blot analysis. ROS production and cell viability were determined by DCFDA staining and MTT assay, respectively.
Results: In the presence of oxidized LDL, monocytes get differentiated into macrophages, which were confirmed by the increased expression of macrophage differentiation markers and pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α. Oxidized LDL increased the mRNA and protein expression of ADAMTS-4 in monocytes/macrophages. N- Acetyl cysteine, ROS scavenger, downregulate the protein expression of ADAMTS-4. The expression of ADAMTS-4 was decreased significantly in the presence of NF-κB inhibitors. SIRT-1 activity was significantly downregulated in the macrophages and was reversed in the presence of the SIRT-1 agonist, resveratrol. Acetylation of NF-κB and hence the expression of ADAMTS-4 were significantly downregulated in the presence of SIRT-1 activator, resveratrol.
Conclusions: Our study suggests that oxidized LDL significantly upregulated the expression of ADAMTS-4 in the monocytes/macrophages through ROS- NF-κB- SIRT-1 pathway.
Functional conditions like lung function and exercise capacity are important limiting factors of chest surgery in lung cancer with co-morbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other chronic respiratory diseases). Pulmonary rehabilitation has a favourable effect on the cardiovascular system, metabolism, respiratory and peripheral muscles and lung mechanics. Our aim was to assess the role of pre-, post- and peri-operative pulmonary rehabilitation in lung cancer in this review. We sought to size up the importance of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients undergoing surgery with or without (neo)adjuvant treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, major physiological impairments and complications. Searches were performed in PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov databases using the terms "exercise", "rehabilitation", "small cell lung cancer", "non-small cell lung cancer", "exercise capacity", "chest surgery" and "quality of life" from inception to February 7th, 2022. Pulmonary rehabilitation has been recognized as an effective intervention to reduce lung cancer related symptoms and improve the pulmonary function, lung mechanics, chest kinematics, respiratory- and peripheral muscle function, physical activity and quality of life (QoL) of the patients. In conclusion, this review shows positive, highly encouraging and effective results of pulmonary rehabilitation in terms of the patients' lung function, functional mobility and quality of life. The tools for complex pulmonary rehabilitation have evolved considerably over the past two decades, thus this research has been conducted on a variety of studies about this subject and serves as a synthesis of the systematic and meta-analytic reviews.
Purpose: The frailty concept has become a fundamental part of daily clinical practice. In this study our purpose was to create a risk estimation method with a comprehensive aspect of patients' preoperative frailty.
Patients and methods: In our prospective, observational study, patients were enrolled between September 2014 and August 2017 in the Department of Cardiac Surgery and Department of Vascular Surgery at Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. A comprehensive frailty score was built from four main domains: biological, functional-nutritional, cognitive-psychological and sociological. Each domain contained numerous indicators. In addition, the EUROSCORE for cardiac patients and the Vascular POSSUM for vascular patients were calculated and adjusted for mortality.
Results: Data from 228 participants were included for statistical analysis. A total of 161 patients underwent vascular surgery, and 67 underwent cardiac surgery. The preoperatively estimated mortality was not significantly different (median: 2.700, IQR (interquartile range): 2.000-4.900 vs. 3.000, IQR: 1.140-6.000, P = 0.266). The comprehensive frailty index was significantly different (0.400 (0.358-0.467) vs. 0.348 (0.303-0.460), P = 0.001). In deceased patients had elevated comprehensive frailty index (0.371 (0.316-0.445) vs. 0.423 (0.365-0.500), P < 0.001). In the multivariate Cox model an increased risk for mortality in quartiles 2, 3 and 4 compared with quartile 1 as a reference was found (AHR (95% CI): 1.974 (0.982-3.969), 2.306 (1.155-4.603), and 3.058 (1.556-6.010), respectively).
Conclusion: The comprehensive frailty index developed in this study could be an important predictor of long-term mortality after vascular or cardiac surgery. Accurate frailty estimation could make the traditional risk scoring systems more accurate and reliable.
Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a prevalent cutaneous cancer with an increasing incidence. Nucleolar and spindle associated protein 1 (NUSAP1) is a cell proliferation-related protein that participates in the development of various cancers. However, its role and mechanism in BCC remain elusive.
Methods: The expression of NUSAP1 was detected by western blot. Gain- and loss-of-function assays were performed through the transfection of overexpression plasmid of NUSAP1 and si NUSAP1 into TE354.T cells. The role and mechanism of action of NUSAP1 in BCC were explored by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, transwell, flow cytometry and western blot assays.
Results: NUSAP1 was highly expressed in TE354.T cells. Overexpression of NUSAP1 enhanced cell viability, colony forming numbers, numbers of migrated and invasive cells and the relative protein expression of RAD51, but reduced the apoptosis rate and the relative protein expression of γH2AX in TE354.T cells. Inverse results were obtained in these indicators after TE354.T cells were downregulated with NUSAP1. Moreover, the relative expression of proteins involved in the Hedgehog signaling pathway was increased by transfection of the overexpression plasmid of NUSAP1 into TE354.T cells, but decreased by the transfection of si NUSAP1 into TE354.T cells.
Conclusion: Both gain- and loss-of-function results revealed that NUSAP1 promoted proliferation, migration and invasion but attenuated apoptosis and DNA damage in BCC, which was involved in the activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway.