Outcomes Following Implementation of an Electronic Model for Perioperative Hematologic Consultation.

INTRODUCTION: Electronic consultations (e-consults) for periprocedural hematologic questions were introduced at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in 2011. We sought to explore the relationship between the availability of e-consults, referral patterns, and surgical outcomes. METHODS: A single-center retrospective study of all perioperative hematologic consultations from 2006 to 2018 was conducted. Patient characteristics, indications, and outcomes were analyzed. Primary outcome measures were time from consult to surgery and operative morbidity via Clavien-Dindo classification. Secondary outcomes included consult volume and procedural outcomes of interest. RESULTS: Of 357 consultations, 62% were conducted via e-consults. 68.3% had associated procedural data and constituted the study cohort. Annual consult volume increased from 7 in 2006 to 41 in 2018, a 5.8-fold increase. E-consults comprised 20% of consults in 2011 but had risen to 92.3% in 2018. Time to resolution of e-consults after 2011 improved compared to pre-face-to-face (FTF-pre, P = 0.001) and FTF-post (P = 0.002). Time from consult to surgery remained unchanged. 8.4% had major complications (Clavien-Dindo >2) with readmission or reoperation occurring in 4.0% and 3.7%, respectively. Intraoperative and postoperative transfusions were required in 15.2% and 13.1% of cases, respectively. Hematologic complications (i.e., deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism) occurred in 3.5%. Comparison between FTF and e-consults revealed no significant differences in these outcomes (P > 0.05, all). CONCLUSIONS: E-consults for perioperative hematologic issues were rapidly adopted and addressed more quickly than FTF consultation while time to surgery was unchanged despite increased consult volume. Adoption of the e-consult model was not associated with changes in the assessed operative outcomes.

Influence of terahertz waves on the binding of choline to choline acetyltransferase: insights from molecular dynamics simulations.

Acetylcholine (Ach) is a common neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). It is one of the neurotransmitters in the autonomic nervous system and the main neurotransmitter in all autonomic ganglia. Experiments have confirmed that electromagnetic waves can affect the synthesis of animal neurotransmitters, but the microscopic effects of electromagnetic waves in the terahertz (THz) frequency band are still unclear. Based on density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods, this paper studies the effect of THz electromagnetic waves on the binding of choline to choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). By emitting THz waves that resonate with the characteristic vibration mode of choline near the active site, it was found that THz waves with a frequency of 45.3 THz affected the binding of choline to ChAT, especially the binding of the active site histidine His324 to choline. The main evidence is that under the action of THz waves, the binding free energy of choline to histidine His324 and ChAT at the active site was significantly reduced compared to noE, which may have a potential impact on the enzymatic synthesis of Ach. It is expected to achieve the purpose of regulating the synthesis of the neurotransmitter Ach under the action of THz waves and treat certain nervous system diseases.

Efficacy of cognitive training on cognition, symptoms and functioning: Impact of motivation and attendance.

While cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) and compensatory strategy training both have large literature bases supporting their efficacy on both proximal and distal outcomes, the research base on stand-alone cognitive training (CT) is smaller and less consistent, with little information about factors associated with better outcomes. In this study, we examined the efficacy of CT on training task, cognitive, symptom, and functional ability measures as well as the impact of motivational interviewing (MI), motivation level, and session attendance on treatment outcomes. Adults with psychotic spectrum disorders (n = 114) were randomized to MI or a sham control interview (CI), followed by 4 months of computerized CT. In whole sample analyses, participants improved on training tasks, cognitive performance, and psychiatric symptoms, but self-reported cognition, self-reported depression, and functional ability did not change. Compared to CI, MI was associated with greater reductions in self-reported depressive symptoms. Motivation level and session attendance did not significantly influence outcomes. Findings support the efficacy of CT on several key outcomes, and its simplicity may be advantageous in uptake in community clinics with limited staffing. The lack of functional gains underscores the need to incorporate treatment ingredients that promote generalization and real-world implementation of learned skills. We also speculate that engagement during course of training may be a better predictor of training success than baseline task-specific motivation.

FGF1 attenuates sepsis-induced coagulation dysfunction and hepatic injury via IL6/STAT3 pathway inhibition.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Sepsis, a globally prevalent and highly lethal condition, remains a critical medical challenge. This investigation aims to assess the relevance of FGF1 as a potential therapeutic target for sepsis. METHODS: Sepsis was induced in C57BL/6 mice through LPS administration to establish an in vivo animal model. Various in vitro assays were conducted using human umbilical vein endothelial cells to elucidate the role of FGF1 in the disruption of the coagulation system and liver injury associated with sepsis, as well as to explore its underlying molecular mechanisms. RESULTS: In in vivo experiments, FGF1 ameliorated coagulation system disruption in septic mice by reducing the levels of pro-inflammatory and coagulation-related factors in the bloodstream. FGF1 also enhanced liver function in septic mice, mitigating liver inflammation and cell apoptosis, fostering liver vascular regeneration, increasing liver blood perfusion, and improving mouse survival. In vitro experiments demonstrated that FGF1 could inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory responses and apoptosis in endothelial cells, fortify endothelial cell barrier function, decrease endothelial cell permeability, promote endothelial cell proliferation, and restore endothelial cell tube-forming ability. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments substantiated that FGF1 improved sepsis by inhibiting the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: In summary, our study indicates that FGF1 mitigates excessive inflammatory responses in sepsis by suppressing the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway, thereby improving systemic blood circulation and ameliorating liver damage in septic organisms. Consequently, this research identifies FGF1 as a potential clinical target for the treatment of human sepsis.

Persistent and multiclonal malaria parasite dynamics despite extended artemether-lumefantrine treatment in children.

Standard diagnostics used in longitudinal antimalarial studies are unable to characterize the complexity of submicroscopic parasite dynamics, particularly in high transmission settings. We use molecular markers and amplicon sequencing to characterize post-treatment stage-specific malaria parasite dynamics during a 42 day randomized trial of 3- versus 5 day artemether-lumefantrine in 303 children with and without HIV (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT03453840). The prevalence of parasite-derived 18S rRNA is >70% in children throughout follow-up, and the ring-stage marker SBP1 is detectable in over 15% of children on day 14 despite effective treatment. We find that the extended regimen significantly lowers the risk of recurrent ring-stage parasitemia compared to the standard 3 day regimen, and that higher day 7 lumefantrine concentrations decrease the probability of ring-stage parasites in the early post-treatment period. Longitudinal amplicon sequencing reveals remarkably dynamic patterns of multiclonal infections that include new and persistent clones in both the early post-treatment and later time periods. Our data indicate that post-treatment parasite dynamics are highly complex despite efficacious therapy, findings that will inform strategies to optimize regimens in the face of emerging partial artemisinin resistance in Africa.