Clinical characteristics and management of orbital apex syndrome: a 10-year multicentre experience.

BACKGROUND: Orbital apex syndrome (OAS) is a condition characterised by lesions within the orbital apex, leading to various ophthalmologic symptoms. This study aimed to analyse the clinical characteristics and treatment strategies of OAS with respect to aetiology. METHODS: This retrospective analysis utilised data from 5 medical institutions between 2013 and 2022. Patients who were diagnosed with OAS were initially enrolled, but patients who failed to follow up at least 1 month were excluded. The prevalence of initial ophthalmologic symptoms and visual improvement after treatment was compared according to aetiology. Factors related to visual improvement were analysed. RESULTS: Among 73 enrolled patients, the leading aetiology was tumours, followed by fungal infections and inflammation. Visual impairment and proptosis were prevalent in tumour-related OAS cases. Inflammation-related OAS exhibited a higher likelihood of painful eye movements and ophthalmoplegia. Ptosis was most frequently observed in fungal infection-related OAS. Notably, fungal infections emerged as the sole significant factor negatively impacting vision progression. In inflammation-related OAS, the time interval between symptom onset and the administration of steroids was longer in patients without visual improvement, even though there was no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: Tumours were the predominant cause of OAS. Visual impairment was a common manifestation in tumour-related OAS, while fungal infections were strongly associated with a poor visual prognosis. The timely administration of steroids might be helpful for improving vision in patients with inflammation-related OAS. However, further studies are needed to enhance understanding and management of OAS.

Erdafitinib versus pembrolizumab in pretreated patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer with select FGFR alterations: cohort 2 of the randomized phase III THOR trial.

BACKGROUND: Erdafitinib is an oral pan-fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved to treat locally advanced/metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) in patients with susceptible FGFR3/2 alterations (FGFRalt) who progressed after platinum-containing chemotherapy. FGFR-altered tumours are enriched in luminal 1 subtype and may have limited clinical benefit from anti-programmed death-(ligand) 1 [PD-(L)1] treatment. This cohort in the randomized, open-label phase III THOR study assessed erdafitinib versus pembrolizumab in anti-PD-(L)1-naive patients with mUC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients ≥18 years with unresectable advanced/mUC, with select FGFRalt, disease progression on one prior treatment, and who were anti-PD-(L)1-naive were randomized 1 : 1 to receive erdafitinib 8 mg once daily with pharmacodynamically guided uptitration to 9 mg or pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and safety. RESULTS: The intent-to-treat population (median follow-up 33 months) comprised 175 and 176 patients in the erdafitinib and pembrolizumab arms, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in OS between erdafitinib and pembrolizumab [median 10.9 versus 11.1 months, respectively; hazard ratio (HR) 1.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.92-1.51; P = 0.18]. Median PFS for erdafitinib and pembrolizumab was 4.4 and 2.7 months, respectively (HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.70-1.10). ORR was 40.0% and 21.6% (relative risk 1.85; 95% CI 1.32-2.59) and median duration of response was 4.3 and 14.4 months for erdafitinib and pembrolizumab, respectively. 64.7% and 50.9% of patients in the erdafitinib and pembrolizumab arms had ≥1 grade 3-4 adverse events (AEs); 5 (2.9%) and 12 (6.9%) patients, respectively, had AEs that led to death. CONCLUSIONS: Erdafitinib and pembrolizumab had similar median OS in this anti-PD-(L)1-naive, FGFR-altered mUC population. Outcomes with pembrolizumab were better than assumed and aligned with previous reports in non- FGFR-altered populations. Safety results were consistent with the known profiles for erdafitinib and pembrolizumab in this patient population.

Association of body mass index and bloodstream infections in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a single-centre, retrospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with poor clinical outcomes in critically ill patients. However, under some clinical conditions, obesity has protective effects. Bloodstream infections (BSI) are among the most common nosocomial infections associated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). BSI during ECMO is associated with higher mortality rates and poorer clinical outcomes. AIM: To analyse whether body mass index (BMI) is associated with BSI during ECMO or with in-hospital mortality. METHODS: All adult patients who had received ECMO support for >48 h were included in the analysis. The analysis of total duration of ECMO support, in-hospital mortality and BSI was stratified by BMI category. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare the risk of BSI among BMI categories. FINDINGS: In total, 473 patients were enrolled in the study. The average age was 56.5 years and 65.3% were men. The total duration of ECMO was approximately 11.8 days, with a mortality rate of 47.1%. The incidence rates of BSI and candidaemia were 20.5% and 5.5%, respectively. The underweight group required ECMO for respiratory support, whereas the overweight and obese groups required ECMO for cardiogenic support (P<0.0001). No significant difference in BSI rate was found (P=0.784). However, after adjusting for clinical factors, patients in Group 4 (BMI 25.0-<30.0 kg/m2) exhibited lower mortality compared with patients in Group 2 (normal BMI) (P=0.004). CONCLUSION: BMI was not associated with risk of BSI, but patients with higher BMI showed lower in-hospital mortality associated with ECMO support.

Appropriateness of antibiotic use for patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria or urinary tract infection with positive urine culture: a retrospective observational multi-centre study in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic resistance threatens public health worldwide, and inappropriate use of antibiotics is one of the main causes. AIM: To evaluate qualitative use of antibiotics in asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) and urinary tract infection (UTI). METHODS: Cases of positive urine culture (≥105 colony-forning units/mL) performed in inpatient, outpatient and emergency departments in April 2021 were screened in 26 hospitals in the Republic of Korea. The cases were classified as ABU, lower UTI and upper UTI. The appropriateness of antibiotic use was evaluated retrospectively by infectious disease specialists using quality indicators based on clinical guidelines for ABU and UTI. RESULTS: This study included a total of 2697 patients with ABU or UTI. The appropriateness of antibiotic use was assessed in 1157 patients with ABU, and in 677 and 863 patients with lower and upper UTI, respectively. Among the 1157 patients with ABU, 251 (22%) were prescribed antibiotics without appropriate indications. In 66 patients with ABU in which antibiotics were prescribed with appropriate indications, the duration was adequate in only 23 (34.8%) patients. The appropriateness of empirical and definite antibiotics was noted in 527 (77.8%) and 353 (68.0%) patients with lower UTI, and 745 (86.3%) and 583 (78.2%) patients with upper UTI, respectively. The duration of antibiotics was adequate in 321 (61.8%) patients with lower UTI and 576 (78.7%) patients with upper UTI. CONCLUSIONS: This nationwide qualitative assessment of antibiotic use in ABU and UTI revealed that antibiotics were often prescribed inappropriately, and the duration of antibiotics was unnecessarily prolonged.

Research Note: Preliminary assessment of the impact of dietary yeast products on egg production and cecal microbial profiles of laying hens.

The objective of the current study was to conduct an initial comparison of commercial yeast products in layer hen diets on egg production parameters and the corresponding impact on the cecal microbiota. A short-term feeding study was conducted with 35 laying hens receiving either a control, or 1 of 4 different yeast fermentation products, Immunowall, Hilyses (both from ICC, São Paulo, Brazil), Citristim (ADM, Decatur, IL), and Maxi-Gen Plus (CBS Bio Platforms, Calgary, Canada) with 7 hens per treatment from 40 to 46 wk of age. At the end of the trial, hens were euthanized, the ceca removed and prepared for denatured gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) microbial compositional analyses. Although initial shell weight and shell thickness were similar among the treatment groups, hens fed Hilyses had lower shell weight and thickness at the end of the experiment. The most predominant DGGE bands with the strongest intensity were identified as Lactobacillus species and excised double bands were identified as Bacillus, Clostridium, or Lachnospiraceae. In this short-term feeding trial, the commercial yeast products tested had little effect on egg production and shell quality, and only moderately impacted the composition of mature layer hen cecal microbiota.

Impact of tuberculosis on the incidence of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) and the disease burden of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures, there is still a lack of well-designed, large-scale studies demonstrating associations among them. We aimed to investigate the effect of TB on the incidence of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures. STUDY DESIGN: This was a nationwide population-based cohort study. METHODS: This study was conducted using the National Health Insurance Service Database of South Korea. We included patients with newly diagnosed TB aged >40 years from January 2006 to December 2017. An uninfected control for each TB patient was randomly extracted by frequency matching for sex, age, income level, residence, and registration date at a 2:1 ratio. The primary outcome was the incidence of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures between the two groups, adjusted for sex, age, income level, residence, comorbidities, body mass index, blood pressure, laboratory tests, alcohol drinking, and smoking. The risk factors associated with osteoporosis or osteoporotic fractures were also investigated. RESULTS: A total of 164,389 patients with TB and 328,778 matched controls were included (71.9% males). The mean duration of follow-up was 7.00 ± 3.49 years. The incidence of osteoporosis in patients with TB was 6.1 cases per 1000 person-years, which was significantly higher than that in matched controls (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.349, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.302-1.398, P < 0.001). The incidence of osteoporotic fractures was also higher in patients with TB than in controls (aHR 1.392, 95% CI 1.357-1.428, P < 0.001). Among fractures, the risk of hip fracture was the highest (aHR 1.703, 95% CI 1.612-1.798, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: TB independently contributes to the incidence of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures, particularly hip fractures.

Cerebral venous thrombosis after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review of case reports or case series regarding thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) and cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) related to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination to address the clinical features, laboratory findings, treatment modalities, and prognosis related with CVT. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We included 64 TTS patients from 19 articles, 6 case series and 13 case reports, in which thrombosis occurred after the first dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination published up to 30 June 2021 in Embase, ePubs, Medline/PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. RESULTS: Of the 64 TTS patients, 38 (59.3%) had CVT. Patients with CVT were younger (median 36.5 vs. 52.5 years, p<0.001), had lower fibrinogen levels (130 vs. 245 mg/dL, p=0.008), had more frequent history of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and had higher mortality rate (48.6% vs. 19.2%, p=0.020) than that of patients without CVT. In multivariable analysis, the possibility of presence of CVT was higher in younger age groups [odd ratio (OR): 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI): (0.86-0.97, p<0.001)] and those with accompanying intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) (OR: 13.60, 95% CI (1.28-144.12, p=0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that CVT related to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination was associated with younger age, low levels of fibrinogen, presence of ICH and more frequent mortality compared to those of non-CVT. If TTS occurs after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination, the presence of CVT in patients with young age or ICH should be considered.

Comparative efficacy evaluation of disinfectants against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2.

BACKGROUND: Disinfection is one of the most effective ways to block the rapid transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Due to the prolonged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, disinfectants have become crucial to prevent person-to-person transmission and decontaminate hands, clothes, facilities and equipment. However, there is a lack of accurate information on the virucidal activity of commercial disinfectants. AIM: To evaluate the virucidal efficacy of 72 commercially available disinfectants constituting 16 types of ingredients against SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: SARS-CoV-2 was tested with various concentrations of disinfectants at indicated exposure time points as recommended by the manufacturers. The 50% tissue culture infectious dose assay was used to calculate virus titre, and trypan blue staining and CCK-8 were used to assess cell viability after 3-5 days of SARS-CoV-2 infection. FINDINGS: This study found that disinfectants based on 83% ethanol, 60% propanol/ethanol, 0.00108-0.0011% sodium dichloroisocyanurate and 0.497% potassium peroxymonosulfate inactivated SARS-CoV-2 effectively and safely. Although disinfectants based on 0.05-0.4% benzalkonium chloride (BAC), 0.02-0.07% quaternary ammonium compound (QAC; 1:1), 0.4% BAC/didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC), 0.28% benzethonium chloride concentrate/2-propanol, 0.0205-0.14% DDAC/polyhexamethylene biguanide hydrochloride (PHMB) and 0.5% hydrogen peroxide inactivated SARS-CoV-2 effectively, they exhibited cytotoxicity. Conversely, disinfectants based on 0.04-4% QAC (2:3), 0.00625% BAC/DDAC/PHMB, and 0.0205-0.14% and 0.0173% peracetic acid showed approximately 50% virucidal efficacy with no cytotoxicity. Citric acid (0.4%) did not inactivate SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that most commercially available disinfectants exert a disinfectant effect against SARS-CoV-2. However, re-evaluation of the effective concentration and exposure time of certain disinfectants is needed, especially citric acid and peracetic acid.

Cluster Analysis of DSC MRI, Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI, and DWI Parameters Associated with Prognosis in Patients with Glioblastoma after Removal of the Contrast-Enhancing Component: A Preliminary Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: No report has been published on the use of DSC MR imaging, DCE MR imaging, and DWI parameters in combination to create a prognostic prediction model in glioblastoma patients. The aim of this study was to develop a machine learning-based model to find preoperative multiparametric MR imaging parameters associated with prognosis in patients with glioblastoma. Normalized CBV, volume transfer constant, and ADC of the nonenhancing T2 high-signal-intensity lesions were evaluated using K-means clustering. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 142 patients with glioblastoma who underwent preoperative MR imaging and total resection were included in this retrospective study. From the normalized CBV, volume transfer constant, and ADC maps, the parametric data were sorted using the K-means clustering method. Patients were divided into training and test sets (ratio, 1:1), and the optimal number of clusters was determined using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank tests were performed to identify potential parametric predictors. A multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was conducted to adjust for clinical predictors. RESULTS: The nonenhancing T2 high-signal-intensity lesions were divided into 6 clusters. The cluster (class 4) with the relatively low normalized CBV and volume transfer constant value and the lowest ADC values was most associated with predicting glioblastoma prognosis. The optimal cutoff of the class 4 volume fraction of nonenhancing T2 high-signal-intensity lesions predicting 1-year progression-free survival was 9.70%, below which the cutoff was associated with longer progression-free survival. Two Kaplan-Meier curves based on the cutoff value showed a statistically significant difference (P = .037). When we adjusted for all clinical predictors, the cluster with the relatively low normalized CBV and volume transfer constant values and the lowest ADC value was an independent prognostic marker (hazard ratio, 3.04; P = .048). The multivariate Cox proportional hazard model showed a concordance index of 0.699 for progression-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our model showed that nonenhancing T2 high-signal-intensity lesions with the relatively low normalized CBV, low volume transfer constant values, and the lowest ADC values could serve as useful prognostic imaging markers for predicting survival outcomes in patients with glioblastoma.

A Comparison of Folinic Acid, Fluorouracil and Irinotecan (FOLFIRI) plus Bevacizumab and FOLFIRI plus Aflibercept as Second-line Treatment for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

AIM: To compare the efficacy and safety of folinic acid, fluorouracil and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) plus bevacizumab or aflibercept in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients pretreated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analysed the treatment outcomes of patients receiving FOLFIRI in combination with bevacizumab or aflibercept as second-line treatment for mCRC between October 2017 and March 2020. This analysis included 67 patients receiving FOLFIRI plus aflibercept and 83 receiving FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab. RESULTS: The overall response rate (ORR) was 13.6% (95% confidence interval 4.85-22.34) in the FOLFIRI-aflibercept group and 14.7% (95% confidence interval 6.68-22.71) in the FOLFIRI-bevacizumab group. This difference in ORR was not statistically significant. The median progression-free survival was 8.6 months in the FOLFIRI-bevacizumab group and 8.5 months in the FOLFIRI-aflibercept group (P = 0.752). Patients in the FOLFIRI-bevacizumab group showed a median overall survival of 12.4 months, whereas patients in the FOLFIRI-aflibercept group had a median overall survival of 13.7 months (P = 0.276). There were no significant differences in survival between the two treatment groups. The adverse events were also largely similar between the two groups. However, hypertension of grade 3 or more was more frequent in the FOLFIRI-aflibercept group. CONCLUSION: FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab and FOLFIRI plus aflibercept had similar anti-tumour activities and toxicity profiles when used as second-line therapy in mCRC patients. Based on these data, both aflibercept and bevacizumab are suitable anti-angiogenic agents when used in combination with FOLFIRI for mCRC.

Dynamically disordered hydrogen bonds in the hureaulite-type phosphatic oxyhydroxide Mn5[(PO4)2(PO3(OH))2](HOH)4.

We report the temperature evolution of hydrogen bond (HB) chains and rings in Mn5[(PO4)2(PO3(OH))2](HOH)4 to reveal conduction pathways based on difference Fourier maps with neutron- and synchrotron x-ray diffraction data. Localized proton dynamics for the five distinct hydrogen sites were observed and identified in this study. Their temperature evaluation over ten orders of magnitude in time was followed by means of quasielastic neutron scattering, dielectric spectroscopy, and ab initio molecular dynamics. Two out of the five hydrogen sites are geometrically isolated and are not suitable for long-range proton conduction. Nevertheless, the detected dc conductivity points to long-range charge transport at elevated temperatures, which occurs most likely (1) over H4-H4 sites between semihelical HB chains (interchain-exchanges) and (2) by rotations of O1-H1 and site-exchanging H4-O10-O5 groups along each semihelical HB chain (intrachain-exchanges). The latter dynamics freeze into a proton-glass state at low temperatures. Rotational and site-exchanging motions of HOH and OH ligands seem to be facilitated by collective motions of framework polyhedra, which we detected by inelastic neutron scattering.

Punzi-loss:: a non-differentiable metric approximation for sensitivity optimisation in the search for new particles.

We present the novel implementation of a non-differentiable metric approximation and a corresponding loss-scheduling aimed at the search for new particles of unknown mass in high energy physics experiments. We call the loss-scheduling, based on the minimisation of a figure-of-merit related function typical of particle physics, a Punzi-loss function, and the neural network that utilises this loss function a Punzi-net. We show that the Punzi-net outperforms standard multivariate analysis techniques and generalises well to mass hypotheses for which it was not trained. This is achieved by training a single classifier that provides a coherent and optimal classification of all signal hypotheses over the whole search space. Our result constitutes a complementary approach to fully differentiable analyses in particle physics. We implemented this work using PyTorch and provide users full access to a public repository containing all the codes and a training example.

Validation of a Korean version of the quality-of-life profile for spine deformities (QLPSD) in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the adapted Korean version of the Quality-of-Life Profile for Spine Deformities (QLPSD) questionnaire. PATIENTS AND METHODS: English version of QLPSD was translated into Korean according to previously published guidelines. The Korean version of the QLPSD questionnaire and the Korean version of the SRS-22 was sent to 120 consecutive idiopathic scoliosis patients wearing braces recruited from the outpatient clinic. Reliability assessment and construct validity were evaluated. RESULTS: The intraobserver reliability of all items in the questionnaire had a kappa statistic of agreement greater than 0.6. The QLPSD showed good test/re-test reliability (ICC = 0.815). The internal consistency of Cronbach's α was found to be very good (α = 0.918). The Korean version of QLPSD showed a significant correlation with the SRS-22 total score (p<0.001, r=-0.811) and single SRS-22 domains scores. CONCLUSIONS: The adapted Korean version of the QLPSD was successfully translated and showed good measurement properties. As such, it is considered suitable for outcome assessments in Korean-speaking patients with idiopathic scoliosis.

Re-evaluation of the prognostic significance of oropharyngeal dysphagia in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic significance of videofluorographic swallowing study (VFSS)-confirmed oropharyngeal dysphagia in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). METHOD: We reviewed the medical records of patients who were diagnosed with IIM between 2009 and 2020 at Seoul St Mary's Hospital. All oropharyngeal dysphagia cases were limited to VFSS-confirmed dysphagia found during the initial diagnostic work-up for IIM. We described the findings on VFSS and the course of the dysphagic symptoms. Logistic regression and survival analyses were performed to evaluate the risk of pneumonia and mortality, respectively. RESULTS: We found 88 patients with IIM who met the criteria. Among them, 17 patients (19%) had oropharyngeal dysphagia. Except for two cases lost to follow-up and one deceased case, all of the patients with dysphagia (14 of 14) had swallowing function restored within 6 months. The risk of pneumonia within 3 months from the diagnosis of IIM was significant [odds ratio = 4.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-18.88]. The median follow-up duration was 34 and 27 months for the groups without and with dysphagia, respectively. The survival analysis failed to demonstrate that the presence of oropharyngeal dysphagia increased the risk of death (hazard ratio = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.085-7.00). CONCLUSIONS: Oropharyngeal dysphagia found at the initial diagnosis of IIM improved within 3-6 months in nearly all cases. Furthermore, IIM patients who had oropharyngeal dysphagia at the initial diagnosis of IIM were not likely to have shorter survival, even if the risk of pneumonia was increased in the short term.

Research Note: Subzero saline chilling improved chilling efficiency and bacterial reduction of turkey carcasses.

The poultry industry has attempted to improve carcass chilling efficiency, meat quality, and product safety. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of subzero saline chilling on carcass chilling time and microbial safety. Eviscerated tom turkeys were randomly picked from a local turkey processing plant and subjected to chilling in one of the 3 chilling solutions: 1) 0% NaCl/0.5°C (ice slurry control), 2) 4% NaCl/-2.41°C, and 3) 8% NaCl/-5.08°C. The turkey carcasses in subzero saline solutions were chilled more efficiently and reduced the chilling time over the carcasses in ice slurry solution. No significant difference was observed for carcass chilling yield and fillet cooking yield regardless of chilling method (P > 0.05). The number of mesophilic aerobic bacteria (MAB), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and total coliform cells were significantly reduced in the carcasses chilled in subzero saline solutions over the icy control, except MAB in 4% NaCl/-2.41°C (P < 0.05). Based on these results, the chilling of turkey carcass in subzero saline solution appears to improve carcass chilling efficiency and bacterial reduction, especially Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli and total coliforms.

Complications during repeated tracheal intubation in the Intensive Care Unit. A prospective, observational study comparing the first intubation and the reintubation.

BACKGROUND AND GOAL OF THE STUDY: The goal of the study was to compare the incidence of complications, technical difficulty of intubation and physiologic pre-intubation status between the first intubation and reintubation performed on the same patient in an ICU. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was approved by the ethics committee of Galicia (Santiago-Lugo, code No. 2015-012). Due to the observational, noninterventional, and noninvasive design of this study, the need for written consent was waived by the ethics committee of Galicia. Patients requiring tracheal intubation and reintubation in the ICU were included in this prospective observational study. Main endpoint was to compare the incidence of complications, physiologic pre-intubation status, and the rate of technical difficulty of intubation between the first intubation and reintubation performed on the same patient in an ICU. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: 504 patients were intubated in our ICU during the study period, and 82 (16%) required reintubation. There was no difference between the first intubation and reintubation regarding number of total complication (35% vs 33%; P = ,86), hypotension (24% vs 24%; P = 1), hypoxia (26% vs 26%; P = 1), esophageal intubation (1% vs 1%; P = 1), and bronchoaspiration (2% vs 1%; P = ,86). Physiologic pre-intubation status and technical difficulty of intubation did not differ between the first intubation and reintubation. CONCLUSIONS: In our ICU patients requiring tracheal reintubation, incidence of complications, physiologic pre-intubation status, and technical difficulty of intubation did not differ between the first intubation and reintubation.

Indole-3-carbinol inhibits the proliferation of colorectal carcinoma LoVo cells through activation of the apoptotic signaling pathway.

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) is a phytochemical that exhibits growth-inhibitory activity against various cancer cells. However, there are limited studies on the effects of I3C on colon cancer cells. In this study, the growth-inhibitory activity of I3C against the human colorectal carcinoma cell line (LoVo) was examined. The results of the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, colony formation, and cell counting assays revealed that I3C suppressed the proliferation of LoVo cells. Microscopy and wound-healing analyses revealed that I3C affected the morphology and inhibited the migration of LoVo cells, respectively. I3C induced apoptosis and DNA fragmentation as evidenced by the results of fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated annexin V staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling assay, respectively. Additionally, I3C arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase and enhanced the reactive oxygen species levels. Western blotting analysis revealed that treatment with I3C resulted in the activation of apoptotic proteins, such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, caspase-3, caspase-7, caspase-9, Bax, Bim, and p53 in LoVo cells. These results indicate that I3C induces apoptosis in LoVo cells by upregulating p53, leading to the activation of Bax and caspases. Taken together, I3C exerts cytotoxic effects on LoVo cells by activating apoptosis.

Investigation of the optimal medium and application strategy for foot-and-mouth disease vaccine antigen production.

AIMS: For the effective production of 146S particles, which determines foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine efficacy, we aimed to identify the optimal medium that is easy-to-use, productive and economically affordable for the large-scale production of FMD vaccine. METHODS AND RESULTS: Nine combinations of cell growth media and replacement media were tested for virus propagation. Apart from the replacement strategy, we tested a simple addition strategy involving the addition of 30% v/v of fresh medium to the total spent medium using the Cellvento BHK-200 (Vento). Unlike other tested media that produced poor yields of 146S particles when the spent media were not eliminated, Vento exhibited high productivity with the 30% addition strategy. CONCLUSIONS: Considering its lower price and media consumption compared to those of other media that require media replacement, the 30% addition strategy of Vento is highly effective. Furthermore, owing to its simple application strategy, it makes the scale-up process easy and helps in saving the time and labour involved in spent media removal. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Through the first comparative assessment of commercial media for the 146S particle recovery, this study suggests the best practical medium for the industrial-scale production of FMD vaccines.