Pseudoaneurysm temporary embolization as a new method for the management of catheter-related complication.

A new minimally invasive method for the management of catheter-related pseudoaneurysms (PSAs) using percutaneous temporary guidewire embolization (TGE) is presented. We performed percutaneous insertion of a flexible 0.018-in. guidewire into the PSA cavity under ultrasound guidance. Once thrombosis of the PSA cavity was achieved, the guidewire was removed. In all seven cases, TGE was technically feasible and achieved complete thrombosis of the PSA. The time required for PSA thrombosis from insertion to removal of the guidewire ranged from 5 to 40 minutes. TGE is a highly effective, safe, and minimally invasive treatment of PSA.

Hepatobiliary system and intestinal injury in new coronavirus infection (COVID-19): A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: An important area of effective control of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is the study of the pathogenic features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, including those based on assessing the state of the intestinal microbiota and permeability. AIM: To study the clinical features of the new COVID-19 in patients with mild and moderate severity at the stage of hospitalization, to determine the role of hepatobiliary injury, intestinal permeability disorders, and changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of the microbiota in the development of systemic inflammation in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: The study was performed in 80 patients with COVID-19, with an average age of 45 years, 19 of whom had mild disease, and 61 had moderate disease severity. The scope of the examination included traditional clinical, laboratory, biochemical, instrumental, and radiation studies, as well as original methods for studying microbiota and intestinal permeability. RESULTS: The clinical course of COVID-19 was studied, and the clinical and biochemical features, manifestations of systemic inflammation, and intestinal microbiome changes in patients with mild and moderate severity were identified. Intestinal permeability characteristics against the background of COVID-19 were evaluated by measuring levels of proinflammatory cytokines, insulin, faecal calprotectin, and zonulin. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the role of intestinal permeability and microbiota as the main drivers of gastroenterological manifestations and increased COVID-19 severity.

Cytokine Profiling in Different SARS-CoV-2 Genetic Variants.

This study is a successor of our previous work concerning changes in the chemokine profile in infection that are associated with different SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants. The goal of our study was to take into account both the virus and the host immune system by assessing concentrations of cytokines in patients infected with different SARS-CoV-2 variants (ancestral Wuhan strain, Alpha, Delta and Omicron). Our study was performed on 340 biological samples taken from COVID-19 patients and healthy donors in the timespan between May 2020 and April 2022. We performed genotyping of the virus in nasopharyngeal swabs, which was followed by assessment of cytokines' concentration in blood plasma. We noted that out of nearly 30 cytokines, only four showed stable elevation independently of the variant (IL-6, IL-10, IL-18 and IL-27), and we believe them to be 'constant' markers for COVID-19 infection. Cytokines that were studied as potential biomarkers lose their diagnostic value as the virus evolves, and the specter of potential targets for predictive models is narrowing. So far, only four cytokines (IL-6, IL-10, IL-18, and IL-27) showed a consistent rise in concentrations independently of the genetic variant of the virus. Although we believe our findings to be of scientific interest, we still consider them inconclusive; further investigation and comparison of immune responses to different variants of SARS-CoV-2 is required.

Intraoperative visualization and quantitative assessment of tissue perfusion by imaging photoplethysmography: comparison with ICG fluorescence angiography.

Intraoperative monitoring of tissue perfusion is of great importance for optimizing surgery and reducing postoperative complications. To date, there is no standard procedure for assessing blood circulation in routine clinical practice. Over the past decade, indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence angiography is most commonly used for intraoperative perfusion evaluation. Imaging photoplethysmography (iPPG) potentially enables contactless assessment of the blood supply to organs. However, no strong evidence of this potential has been provided so far. Here we report results of a comparative assessment of tissue perfusion obtained using custom-made iPPG and commercial ICG-fluorescence systems during eight different gastrointestinal surgeries. Both systems allow mapping the blood-supply distribution over organs. It was demonstrated for the first time that the quantitative assessment of blood perfusion by iPPG is in good agreement with that obtained by ICG-fluorescence imaging in all surgical cases under study. iPPG can become an objective quantitative monitoring system for tissue perfusion in the operating room due to its simplicity, low cost and no need for any agent injections.

A Comparative Study of the Plasma Chemokine Profile in COVID-19 Patients Infected with Different SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

BACKGROUND: Infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 mostly affects the upper and lower respiratory tracts and causes symptoms ranging from the common cold to pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Chemokines are deeply involved in the chemoattraction, proliferation, and activation of immune cells within inflammation. It is crucial to consider that mutations within the virion can potentially affect the clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 infection because disease severity and manifestation vary depending on the genetic variant. Our objective was to measure and assess the different concentrations of chemokines involved in COVID-19 caused by different variants of the virus. METHODS: We used the blood plasma of patients infected with different variants of SARS-CoV-2, i.e., the ancestral Wuhan strain and the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants. We measured the concentrations of 11 chemokines in the samples: CCL2/MCP-1, CCL3/MIP-1α, CCL4/MIP-1ß, CCL7/MCP-3, CCL11/Eotaxin, CCL22/MDC, CXCL1/GROα, CXCL8/IL-8, CXCL9/MIG, CXCL10/IP-10, and CX3CL1/Fractalkine. RESULTS: We noted a statistically significant elevation in the concentrations of CCL2/MCP-1, CXCL8/IL-8, and CXCL1/IP-10 independently of the variant, and a drop in the CCL22/MDC concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: The chemokine concentrations varied significantly depending on the viral variant, leading us to infer that mutations in viral proteins play a role in the cellular and molecular mechanisms of immune responses.