Mesenchymal stem cell-based therapies for treating well-studied neurological disorders: a systematic review.

Background: Millions of people across the globe are affected by conditions like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's Disease (PD), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), although most occurrences are common in the elderly population. This systematic review aims to highlight the safety of the procedures, their tolerability, and efficacy of the available therapies conducted over the years using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in treating the neurological conditions mentioned above. Methods: PubMed was used to search for published data from clinical trials performed using mesenchymal stem cells. Studies that provided the necessary information that mentioned the efficacy and adverse effects of the treatment in patients were considered for this review. Results: In total, 43 manuscripts were selected after a strategic search, and these studies have been included in this systematic review. Most included studies reported the safety of the procedures used and the treatment's good tolerability, with mild adverse events such as fever, headache, mild pain at the injection site, or nausea being common. A few studies also reported death of some patients, attributed to the progression of the disease to severe stages before the treatment. Other severe events, such as respiratory or urinary infections reported in some studies, were not related to the treatment. Different parameters were used to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment based on the clinical condition of the patient. Conclusion: Mesenchymal stem cells transplantation has so far proven to be safe and tolerable in select studies and patient types. This systematic review includes the results from the 43 selected studies in terms of safety and tolerability of the procedures, and several adverse events and therapeutic benefits during the follow-up period after administration of MSCs.

Intraoperative Anesthetic Strategies to Mitigate Early Allograft Dysfunction After Orthotopic Liver Transplantation: A Narrative Review.

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is the most effective treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD). Hepatic insufficiency within a week of OLT, termed early allograft dysfunction (EAD), occurs in 20% to 25% of deceased donor OLT recipients and is associated with morbidity and mortality. Primary nonfunction (PNF), the most severe form of EAD, leads to death or retransplantation within 7 days. The etiology of EAD is multifactorial, including donor, recipient, and surgery-related factors, and largely driven by ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). IRI is an immunologic phenomenon characterized by dysregulation of cellular oxygen homeostasis and innate immune defenses in the allograft after temporary cessation (ischemia) and later restoration (reperfusion) of oxygen-rich blood flow. The rising global demand for OLT may lead to the use of marginal allografts, which are more susceptible to IRI, and thus lead to an increased incidence of EAD. It is thus imperative the anesthesiologist is knowledgeable about EAD, namely its pathophysiology and intraoperative strategies to mitigate its impact. Intraoperative strategies can be classified by 3 phases, specifically donor allograft procurement, storage, and recipient reperfusion. During procurement, the anesthesiologist can use pharmacologic preconditioning with volatile anesthetics, consider preharvest hyperoxemia, and attenuate the use of norepinephrine as able. The anesthesiologist can advocate for normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) and machine perfusion during allograft storage at their institution. During recipient reperfusion, the anesthesiologist can optimize oxygen exposure, consider adjunct anesthetics with antioxidant-like properties, and administer supplemental magnesium. Unfortunately, there is either mixed, little, or no data to support the routine use of many free radical scavengers. Given the sparse, limited, or at times conflicting evidence supporting some of these strategies, there are ample opportunities for more research to find intraoperative anesthetic strategies to mitigate the impact of EAD and improve postoperative outcomes in OLT recipients.

Farmers Interpretation of Pesticides Pictograms and Their Adherence to Different Ergonomic Principles for Different Sizes.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the size of pesticide pictograms on comprehensibility and their adherence to principles of familiarity, compatibility, and standardization. Pictograms usually involve complex details, and space limitation demands size reductions, which reduces overall comprehensibility, especially in agriculture and healthcare. METHODS: Two experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, the effect of different sizes of pictograms on comprehension was tested. In experiment 2, the level of compliance for different ergonomic principles on different sizes of pictograms was investigated. RESULTS: Results of experiment 1 indicated significant variation in comprehension level (p < .05), with maximum comprehension for the size 15 mm × 15 mm (87.6%) and minimum comprehension for the size 7 mm × 7 mm (69.4%). Results of experiment 2 indicated significant variation in compliance of ergonomic principles with different pictogram sizes (p < .05), with maximum compliance for the size 15 mm × 15 mm (7.7, 7.7, 7.6) and minimum compliance for the size 7 mm × 7 mm (6.3, 6.3, 6.3). A significant increase in the comprehensibility of pictograms and their adherence to familiarity, compatibility, and standardization was observed with the increase in the sizes of pictograms. CONCLUSION: The smallest size of pictograms with a mean comprehension level ≥ 65% and scores for familiarity, compatibility, and standardization ≥ 7 (on a scale of 1 to 10) was 10 mm × 10 mm. The potential application of this research is to identify the most comprehensible size of pictograms that adhere to the principles of familiarity, compatibility, and standardization.

Malignant Adenomyoepithelial Tumour of the Breast - a Rare Diagnosis - Case Report.

Breast adenomyoepithelioma is an unusual tumour characterized by a biphasic proliferation of epithelial and myoepithelial cells. Most of the breast adenomyoepitheliomas are considered to be benign and characterized by propensity for local recurrence. Malignant change can occur rarely in one or both cellular components. We here present a case of a 70-year-old previously healthy female who initially presented with a painless breast lump. The patient underwent wide local excision in view of suspicion of malignancy and sent for frozen section regarding the diagnosis and margins which surprisingly came as adenomyoepithelioma. Final histopathology came as low-grade malignant adenomyoepithelioma. The patient shows no sign of tumour recurrence in the follow up.

Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia: A clinical perspective and a brief review.

ABSTRACT: Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH) is a benign entity of the breast and typically found incidentally or as a palpable mass. It usually affects women in the reproductive age group. In men, it is associated with gynecomastia. While the exact etiology is unknown, PASH is considered hormonally responsive. The mammography and ultrasonography findings are nonspecific. Grossly, PASH is a well-circumscribed, firm, rubbery mass with solid, homogenous, gray-white cut surface. On histologic examination, it is characterized by the presence of open slit-like spaces in dense collagenous stroma. The spindle cells express progesterone receptors and are positive for vimentin, actin, and CD34. PASH lesions should be surgically excised if increasing in size or associated with symptoms, also in cases of suspicious imaging findings or other lesions are synchronously diagnosed that require excision. In other small incidentally detected asymptomatic cases observation with clinicoradiological follow-up can be considered. It is associated with a good prognosis with no increased risk to develop breast cancer. Hence, the operating surgeon and pathologist should be aware of this not so uncommon entity so that patients are not subjected to unnecessary excision and subsequent physical and mental morbidity associated with it. In this article, we present a case report and also provide a brief review of the sparse literature on PASH, discussing clinical presentation, etiology and pathogenesis, radiopathological features, differential diagnosis, and the implications for further patient management and prognosis.

A Case of Glycogenic Hepatopathy as a Complication of Poorly Controlled Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

A 23-year-old African American male with a medical history significant for poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) presented with abdominal pain and vomiting. His laboratory workup was consistent with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). An acute elevation of liver enzymes was noted as the DKA resolved, with the alanine transferase and aspartate transferase levels elevated to more than 50 times the normal limit within the next 24 hours. Because abnormal liver function tests are found frequently in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, it is important to have a broad differential diagnosis. Furthermore, a low threshold of suspicion is required to identify a relatively underdiagnosed etiology like glycogenic hepatopathy (GH). This case report describes how patterns and trends of liver function tests provide important clues to the diagnosis of GH; how imaging modalities like ultrasonography, computerized tomography (CT) scan, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan could be used to differentiate GH from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); and how the diagnosis of GH can be made without the need for invasive liver biopsy. The knowledge about GH should prevent its delayed diagnosis and improve the outcomes by appropriately managing uncontrolled type 1 DM.

Worrisome Trends in Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer: Now Is the Time for Action.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) in the young adult population is of increasing incidence and concern. Since 1994, CRC incidence in individuals younger than 50 years has been increasing by 2% per year. The surge of CRC incidence in young adults is particularly alarming as the overall CRC frequency has been decreasing. Young-onset CRCs are characterized by more advanced stage at diagnosis, poorer cell differentiation, higher prevalence of signet ring cell histology, and left-colon sided location of the primary tumor. Genetic predisposition and heritable syndromes contribute to this trend, but perhaps more concerning is the majority of new diagnoses that involve no traceable genetic risk factors are sporadic. This review provides a summary of key aspects related to colorectal cancer in young adults, including epidemiology, etiology, genetics, clinical difficulties, early diagnosis, and prevention with emphasis on screening age.

Decreased Cerebral Perfusion Under Anesthesia During Radiation Treatment: A Case Report.

Radiation therapy allows patients to receive focused radiation to a tumor. Some patients require anesthesia for their daily treatments. For head and neck tumors, a thermoplastic mask is created to minimize movement. We describe a case where a patient's neck circumference increased during the course of treatment. Given that the patient was under anesthesia for each treatment, he was not able to relay the tightness of the mask. This led to cerebral hypoxia. Cerebral oximetry confirmed this diagnosis, and the patient's mask was refitted-remaining anesthetics were uneventful. Mask fitness should be reassessed during the treatment series.

Role of Serum Interleukin-6 and C-reactive Protein in Early Prediction of Severe Acute Pancreatitis.

Background: Early prediction of severity is an important goal in acute pancreatitis (AP), to identify 20% of patients who are likely to have a severe course. Such patients have an expected mortality of 15-20% and may benefit from early admission to high dependency or intensive care units, with parenteral or nasojejunal feeding and prophylactic antibiotics. In severe AP (SAP), multiorgan dysfunction accounts for most of early deaths. Aims: The aim of this article is to assess the role of serum interleukin (IL)-6 and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in early prediction of severity of AP. Materials and Methods: This observational analytical study was conducted in the Department of General Surgery and Department of Biochemistry in our hospital in 62 patients as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: IL-6 on day 1 and day 2 as well as CRP on day 2 was 100% sensitive but IL-6 on day 1 and day 2 had a maximum specificity of 88.37% among them when compared with a specificity of 81.4% of CRP on day 2. Though CRP on day 1 also had a specificity of 88.37%, its sensitivity was 89.47%. Conclusion: IL-6 and CRP together appear to be a promising marker for assessing the severity of AP within 48 h. We recommend to do IL-6 and CRP in patients with AP, which can help in predicting severity of the disease in patients.

Difficult Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Predictors and its Significance: Our Experience.

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has become the procedure of choice for the management of symptomatic gallstone disease. In LC, the surgeons encountered difficulties with acutely inflamed or gangrenous gallbladder (GB), dense adhesions at Calot's triangle, fibrotic and contracted GB, and cholecystoenteric fistula. Depending on the difficulty faced during the surgery, the outcome of LC may vary from abandoning the procedure or partial cholecystectomy to conversion into open cholecystectomy. Complications related to biliary tract or adjoining structures or vessels may also occur. Our aim was to assess the different preoperative factors in patients of cholelithiasis and ascertain the validity of the scoring system devised by Randhawa and Pujahari in preoperatively predicting the difficult LC in our hospital scenario. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based observational study was conducted in the Department of General Surgery for a period of 2 years. All diagnosed cases of cholelithiasis admitted for elective LC during the study period in our hospital were included in the study. Results: In total, 154 patients, aged≥50 years, history of hospitalization for acute cholecystitis (AC), body mass index of 25 kg/m2 and more, abdominal scar, palpable GB, GB wall thickness ≥4 mm, pericholecystic collection, impacted stone found to be significant factors to predict difficult LC preoperatively. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and pancreatitis were found as independent risk factor for difficult LC. Conclusion: We recommend that the scoring system should be regularly used as a protocol for predicting difficulty levels preoperatively in LC. It can help to decide the surgical approach, counsel the patients, and reduce the complication rate, rate of conversion, and overall medical cost. The scoring system proposed by Randhawa and Pujahari is effective but has some lacunae.

Maximal Thymectomy via Mini Sternotomy with Pleural Preservation.

Gaurav PatelBackground There are different surgical techniques used for maximal thymectomy. Each technique has its own advantages and disadvantages. We propose a mini sternotomy with pleural preservation approach for complete maximal thymectomy. Methods Over time range of 5 years, 32 patients with diagnosis of thymoma with or without myasthenia gravis (MG) underwent maximal thymectomy by mini sternotomy in our institute. Patient records were examined for the following parameters: age, sex, preoperative medication, symptoms of MG as per Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America grading system, operating time, duration of postoperative ventilation, length of stay in the intensive care unit, overall length of hospitalization, and postoperative complications. Results The mean age of patients in our study was 43.66. Sex ratio in this study was almost equal. Sixty-nine percent of patients were stage I thymoma according to Masaoka staging. Size of the tumor ranged from 3 to 8 cm with mean size being 4.54 cm. Complete resection with negative tumor margins was possible in all the cases. Four patients had intraoperative pleural injury out of which two patients required intercostal tube insertion. We did not have any serious postoperative complications with no perioperative mortality. Conclusions Mini sternotomy allows maximal removal of thymus through a less invasive approach and is associated with a significantly smoother postoperative course, less overall complications, and good clinical outcome. It is a simple technique that can be performed by any thoracic and surgical oncologists especially in Indian subcontinent where facilities of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and robotic video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery are not available in all areas and are expensive.

Effects of previous coronary artery bypass graft surgery on in-hospital mortality in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: National dataset analysis.

BACKGROUND: Association of history of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) with clinical outcomes in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is unclear from current data. METHODS: Using Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data from 2003 to 2014, adult patients hospitalized with principal diagnosis of STEMI were extracted. The cohort was divided into patients with a history of CABG and those without a history of CABG. The primary outcome measure was in-hospital mortality (IHM). RESULTS: 2,710,375 STEMI patients were included in final analysis of which 110,066 had history of CABG. Patients with history of CABG had higher unadjusted (12.2% vs. 8.8%, P < 0.001) and adjusted (odds ratio [OR]1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14 to1.19, P < 0.001) IHM compared to those without previous CABG. Compared to a trend of decreasing IHM in STEMI patients without previous CABG, a trend of increasing IHM was observed over the study period in those with a history of previous CABG. Although patients with previous CABG when treated with primary PCI (PPCI) had a higher unadjusted IHM compared to those without previous CABG, (4.8% vs 4.3%, P < 0.001), after adjusting for comorbidities and in-hospital complications no significant increase in IHM was observed in patients with previous CABG treated with PPCI. CONCLUSION: STEMI patients with previous CABG have a significantly higher IHM compared to those without previous CABG. PPCI improves IHM with no independent mortality disadvantage attributable to previous CABG.

Is Surgical Management of Primary Beneficial in Metastatic Breast Cancer??

Metastatic breast cancer is not a curable disease, but women with metastatic disease are living longer. Although the relative survival has improved in recent years still patients who present with metastatic disease have a less than 30% 5-year survival. Historically, removal of the primary breast tumor has been offered to these patients only for palliation. However, there have been recent reports that removal of the primary tumor may improve survival. These are mostly retrospective studies limited by selection bias. Prospective and randomized trials have not shown a clear survival advantage. Although the definitive role of removal of the primary tumor in metastatic breast cancer is not settled, it is critical to understand the complexities of this debate in order to make further gains in breast cancer survivorship.

Variances in BCG protection against COVID-19 mortality: A global assessment.

The BCG vaccine is known to impart nonspecific immunological benefits alongside conferring protection to tuberculosis in endemic regions. It is also known to protect against bladder cancer and other respiratory tract infections. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the BCG vaccine has gained attention due to its role in conferring protective immunity. We demonstrate the potential immunological protective mechanisms that play a role against COVID-19. We conduct a global assessment of the countries that have the highest and lowest mortality rates determined by an a priori methodology. Lastly, we discuss the potential limitations of incorporating BCG vaccines as potential strategies against COVID-19 and provide recommendations regarding their use in ongoing and future epidemics.

Trends, Outcomes, and Predictive Score For Emergency Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery After Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (from a Nationwide Dataset).

The temporal trends and preprocedural predictors of emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery (ECABG) after elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the contemporary era are largely unknown. From January 2003 to December 2014 elective hospitalizations with PCI as the primary procedure were extracted from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. ECABG was identified as CABG within 24 hours of elective PCI. Temporal trends of elective PCI, ECABG, comorbidities, and in-hospital mortality were analyzed. Logistic regression model was used to identify preprocedural independent predictors of ECABG and post-PCI ECABG risk score was developed using the regression coefficients from the logistic regression model in the development cohort. The score was then validated in the validation cohort. Of 1,605,641 elective PCI procedures included in the final analysis, 5,561 (0.3%) patients underwent ECABG. The incidence of ECABG, co-morbidities and overall in-hospital mortality increased over the study period, whereas the in-hospital mortality after ECABG remained unchanged. An increasing trend of elective PCI performed at facilities without on-site CABG was noted, with a higher unadjusted in-hospital mortality in this cohort. ECABG risk score, performed well with a significantly higher risk of ECABG in those patients with a score in the highest tertile compared with those with lower ECABG score (0.6% vs 0.3%, p = 0.0005). In conclusion, an increasing trend of adverse outcomes after elective PCI is observed. We describe an easy-to-use predictive score using preprocedural variables that may allow the operator to triage the patient to an appropriate setting in an effort to improve outcomes.

Association between distance from the radiation source and radiation exposure: A phantom-based study.

OBJECTIVES: The study evaluated the association between distance from radiation source and radiation exposure. BACKGROUND: Radiation exposure during medical procedures is associated with increased risk of cancer and other adverse effects. METHODS: An American National Standards Institute phantom was used to study the relationship between measured entrance surface exposure (MESE) and distance from the X-ray source in postero-anterior, left anterior oblique, and right anterior oblique projections. Three distance settings for table height were evaluated with "low" defined as 52 cm, "mid" 66 cm, and "high" 80 cm from the focal point of the X-ray source. Air-kerma and dose-area product measurements were recorded. Operator exposure with each of these conditions was measured, in a short operator (150 cm) as well as in a tall operator (190 cm). RESULTS: Aggregate results for the three projections were as follows. MESE (µGy/frame) significantly decreased as table-height increases (median, interquartile range, p-value) (low table-height 192.5 [122.4-201.2], mid table-height 105.8 [82.7-115.8], and high table-height 71.7 [58.4-75], p < .0005). The operator exposure (µGy/frame), significantly increased as the table-height increased (low table-height 0.0943 [0.0598-0.1157], medium table-height 0.1128 [0.0919-0.1397], and high table-height 0.158 [0.1339-0.2165], p < .0005). A shorter operator received higher radiation exposure compared to a taller operator (short operator 0.1405 [0.1155-0.1758] and tall operator 0.0995 [0.0798-0.1212], p < .0005). CONCLUSIONS: Increasing table-height is associated with a significant decrease in MESE. Operator radiation exposure increases with increasing table-height and shorter operators receive greater radiation exposure compared to taller operators.

Use of Intravenous Hydroxocobalamin for Vasoplegic Syndrome in Simultaneous Liver-Kidney Transplant: A Case Report.

Vasoplegic syndrome can occur after reperfusion in liver transplantation. Generally, vasopressor infusions along with volume resuscitation are used to combat this process. There are case reports of the use of hydroxocobalamin to improve vasoplegia in liver transplant and cardiac surgery. In this case report, we describe a patient who received hydroxocobalamin for a simultaneous liver-kidney transplant. Use of this medication facilitated a prompt decrease of very high-dose vasopressor infusions and allowed completion of the kidney transplantation portion of this case. To our knowledge, use in combined liver-kidney transplant has not been described. In light of the dearth of medications to improve vasoplegia outside of vasopressor infusions, the use of hydroxocobalamin as a therapeutic intervention may gain importance.

Updates in primary neuroendocrine breast carcinoma - A case report and review of literature.

We present here a case of a 35-year-old woman diagnosed with primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast (NECB) - small cell type. We discuss the importance of histological and molecular criteria for primary neuroendocrine mammary neoplasm, established by the World Health Organization in 2003 and 2012. We present information about differential diagnosis, prognostic factors, surgical treatment, adjuvant treatment, and novel therapies for primary NECB. Although this disease is not so uncommon but it is highly underreported and with consistent diagnostic criteria, surgeons should be able to keep this entity as differential diagnosis to enable them a timely treatment.

Study of risk factors, clinical spectrum, and outcome for head injury in pediatric age group in Western India.

AIM: To study various risk factors which leads to head injury, severity of head injury and to compare survival as predicted by the Revised Trauma Score (RTS) and Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS) in pediatric patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: 300 consecutive pediatric patients below 12 years of age with head injury admitted in our institute were analysed as per a set proforma. Data pertaining to patient's demographic details, mode of injury, computed tomography (CT) findings, type of management, severity of head injury, and outcome were recorded. The results were tabulated and analyzed. RTS and PTS scores were calculated to predict the survival of an individual patient. RESULTS: The most commonly affected age group was 1-5 years. Boys outnumbered girls in the incidence. Fall was the most common injury, with road traffic accident being the most common cause of mortality. Skull fracture was the most common CT scan finding. Most of the patients presented with mild head injury (Glasgow Coma Scale 13-15), and they improved with conservative management only. RTS and PTS scores were calculated and were equally effective in predicting the outcome for a particular patient. CONCLUSION: Head injury occurs more commonly in 1-5 years' age group due to fall from unprotected roof tops. The overall prognosis in majority of the cases is excellent. However, road traffic accident shows the highest mortality and hence, we propose to include mode of injury as a variable for designing future predictive outcome models.

Intrathoracic hemangioma.

We report the very rare case of recurrent unilateral pleural effusion in a 53-year-old male. Computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a left-sided paravertebral mass at D3 level. Multiple biopsy and CT scan lead us to the diagnosis of "Angiomatous Malformation." The lesion was excised surgically which on final histopathological report termed hemangioma.