Cardiovascular Calcifications Are Correlated with Inflammation in Hemodialysis Patients.

Background and Objectives: The main cause of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients is cardiovascular disease, which is quite common. The main objective of our study was to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress, inflammation, and vascular and valvular calcifications in hemodialysis patients. Materials and Methods: This observational study had 54 hemodialysis patients, with an average age of 60.46 ± 13.18 years. Cardiovascular ultrasound was used to detect and/or measure aortic and mitral valve calcifications, carotid and femoral atheroma plaques, and common carotid intima-media thickness. The aortic calcification score was determined using a lateral abdomen plain radiograph. The inflammatory, oxidative, metabolic, and dietary statuses, as well as demographic characteristics, were identified. Results: There were significant correlations between the levels of IL-6 and carotid plaque number (p = 0.003), fibrinogen level and aortic valve calcifications (p = 0.05), intima-media thickness (p = 0.0007), carotid plaque number (p = 0.035), femoral plaque number (p = 0.00014), and aortic calcifications score (p = 0.0079). Aortic annulus calcifications (p = 0.03) and intima-media thickness (p = 0.038) were adversely linked with TNF-α. Nutrition parameters were negatively correlated with atherosclerosis markers: number of carotid plaques with albumin (p = 0.013), body mass index (p = 0.039), and triglycerides (p = 0.021); number of femoral plaques with phosphorus (0.013), aortic calcifications score with albumin (p = 0.051), intima-media thickness with LDL-cholesterol (p = 0.042). Age and the quantity of carotid plaques, femoral plaques, and aortic calcifications were linked with each other (p = 0.0022, 0.00011, and 0.036, respectively). Aortic annulus calcifications (p = 0.011), aortic valve calcifications (p = 0.023), and mitral valve calcifications (p = 0.018) were all associated with an increased risk of death. Conclusions: Imaging measures of atherosclerosis are adversely connected with dietary status and positively correlated with markers of inflammation and risk of mortality.

Paragangliomas and Anemia: Literature Review and Case Report.

Paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors that arise from the extra-adrenal autonomic paraganglia, i.e., small organs consisting mainly of neuroendocrine cells that are derived from the embryonic neural crest and have the ability to secrete catecholamines. Paragangliomas can derive from either parasympathetic or sympathetic paraganglia. Most of the parasympathetic ganglia-derived paragangliomas are nonfunctional, and symptoms result from mass effect. Conversely, the sympathetic paragangliomas are functional and produce catecholamine. Although such patients could have symptoms similar to pheochromocytoma, mass effect symptoms, or non-specific symptoms, being benign tumors, they can also present with anemia, specifically iron-deficiency anemia. Considering that neoplastic pathology is chronically accompanied by moderate, normochromic, normocytic anemia, association between paragangliomas that are mostly benign but with a potential degree of malignancy and anemia is not as frequent as expected, with only 12 cases reported in the literature. We report a case of a 54-year-old female patient diagnosed with a paraganglioma of the carotid glomus accompanied by severe normochromic, normocytic anemia, which reached normal limits after excision of the paraganglioma.

Quality of Life in Patients with Surgically Removed Skin Tumors.

Background and Objectives: Skin cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies. The main goal of the therapeutic management is total excision with the prevention of recurrence and metastasis. The quality of life of the patients with skin cancer is affected by the morbidity risk, surgery, and cosmetic or functional aspects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life of patients with skin cancer prior to and post surgical intervention. Material and methods: We performed a prospective study on 247 patients with skin tumors. Quality of life was evaluated through an initial questionnaire that was given to all consenting patients. This was used to determine patients' mobility, selfcare, normal activities, pain, and despair, using a five-point Likert scale. The general autoperceived health state was also recorded using a 100-point scale. The study included the responses of all patients at hospital admission, after one month of surgery, and after one year of surgery. Results: In patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the general health state indicator statistically significantly decreased one month after surgery and increased at one-year follow-up. In malignant melanoma (MM) patients, mobility, selfcare, normal activities, and discomfort presented a decrease in values one year after surgery, compared to the values registered at hospital admission. In patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), all indicators of quality of life presented an impaired value one year after surgery, after a decreasing trend. The general health state indicator statistically significantly increased one month after surgery and after one year. Conclusions: Surgery is one of the main steps in treating skin cancer. It has a great impact on patients' quality of life because of pain andthe effect on mobility and normal activities. Skin cancers influence the quality of life of patients both psychologicallyand physically.

The Pivotal Role of Presepsin in Assessing Sepsis-Induced Cholestasis.

BACKGROUND: The serum levels of presepsin correlate with parameters indicating cholestasis in sepsis; however, the probability and significance of this association remain uncertain. We aimed to ascertain whether infection, as signaled by presepsin levels, is the primary determinant of elevated biliary parameters in sepsis. METHODS: A unicenter, retrospective study included 396 COVID-free emergency-admitted patients, in which presepsin level was determined. Presepsin, neutrophil count, leukocyte count, C reactive protein, and fibrinogen evaluated the septic/inflammatory state. The statistically significant factors associated with cholestasis, ALT, and AST were analyzed by Fisher's exact test and Spearman regression with Bonferroni's correction. RESULTS: Presepsin emerged as the most likely variable correlated with all cholestasis markers: alkaline phosphatase (p = 7 × 10-8), gamma-glutamyl transferase (p = 5 × 10-10), and conjugated bilirubin (p = 4 × 10-15). Thrombocyte count, C reactive protein, age, creatinine, urea, lactate, and blood pressure, were associated with only one or two of these markers. CONCLUSIONS: In a sepsis setting, the increase in cholestasis-related parameters is associated with presepsin with a higher probability than hemodynamic, inflammatory, or coagulation-related variables. Determining this robust link between sepsis and cholestasis could eliminate unnecessary imaging procedures in critically ill patients, enabling clinicians to focus efforts on addressing the primary infectious cause.

The cutoff value of presepsin for diagnosing sepsis increases with kidney dysfunction, a cross-sectional observational study.

As presepsin levels increase with kidney dysfunction (KD), our aim was to establish cutoff points for presepsin adapted to the level of KD in order to avoid bacterial infection overdiagnosis, antibiotic overprescription, and risk of bacterial resistance. This is a unicenter retrospective study, which included all patients admitted on an emergency basis to 2 departments of a teaching hospital during a 2-year interval to whom presepsin level was determined at the emergency department prior to admission. Serum creatinine (sCrt) was employed to estimate the severity of KD using 3 thresholds (1.5, 2, and 4 mg/dL) resulting in 4 degrees of severity: KD_1, KD_2, KD_3, KD_4. There is an ascending exponential relationship between presepsin and sCrt: presepsin = 600.03e0.212sCrt. Presepsin levels are significantly different between the patients with KD_1, KD_2, KD_3, and KD_4. In the receiver operating characteristic curves exploring the usefulness of presepsin in sepsis diagnosis, the area under the curve was satisfactory for KD_1 (0.78), KD_2 (0.78), and KD_3 (0.82), but unacceptably low for KD_4 (0.59), while the optimal cutoff points were (depending on the computational method) 700/ 982, 588/ 1125, 1065, and 2260 pg/mL for KD_1, KD_2, KD_3, and KD_4 respectively. The threshold for abnormal presepsin should be about 600, 1000, and 1300 pg/mL in patients with KD_1, KD_2, and KD_3, respectively. In patients with KD_4, presepsin has a poor discriminating power for sepsis diagnosis. If, notwithstanding, it is used for this purpose, the cutoff point should be at least at 2200.

Critical Damage of Lung Parenchyma Complicated with Massive Pneumothorax in COVID-19 Pneumonia.

It is already known that Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may lead to various degrees and forms of lung parenchyma damage, but some cases take a strikingly severe course that is difficult to manage. We report the case of a 62-year old male, non-obese, non-smoker, and non-diabetic, who presented with fever, chills, and shortness of breath. The infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was diagnosed by real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction. Although the patient had been vaccinated with 2 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine 7 months earlier and had no risk factors for a severe outcome, serial computed tomography (CT) scan revealed lung involvement progressively extending from an initial 30% to 40% to almost 100% 2.5 months later. The spectrum of lung lesions included at first only ground-glass opacities and some tiny emphysema bullae, but later also bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, and large emphysema bullae as post-COVID-19 pulmonary sequelae. For fear of severe evolution of superimposed bacterial infection (Clostridoides difficile enterocolits and possibly bacterial pneumonia) the administration of corticosteroids was intermittent. Massive right pneumothorax secondary to bulla rupture, possibly favored by the indispensable high flow oxygen therapy, led to respiratory failure compounded by hemodynamic instability, and ultimately to the patient's final demise. COVID-19 pneumonia may cause severe lung parenchyma damage which requires long-term supplemental oxygen therapy. Beneficial or even lifesaving as it might be, high flow oxygen therapy may nonetheless have deleterious effects too, including the development of bullae that may rupture engendering pneumothorax. Corticosteroid treatment should probably be pursued despite superimposed bacterial infection to limit the viral induced damage to lung parenchyma.

Pathophysiology of sepsis-induced cholestasis: A review.

Sepsis is a critical condition resulting from the excessive activation of the inflammatory/immune system in response to an infection, with high mortality if treatment is not administered promptly. One of the many possible complications of sepsis is liver dysfunction with consequent cholestasis. The aim of this paper is to review the main mechanisms involved in the development of cholestasis in sepsis. Cholestasis in a septic patient must raise the suspicion that it is the consequence of the septic condition and limit the laborious attempts of finding a hepatic or biliary disease. Prompt antibiotic administration when sepsis is suspected is essential and may improve liver enzymes. Cholestasis is a syndrome with a variety of etiologies, among which sepsis is frequently overlooked, despite a number of studies and case reports in the literature demonstrating not only the association between sepsis and cholestasis but also the role of cholestasis as a prognostic factor for sepsis-induced death.

Giant Renal Artery Aneurysm With Hydronephrosis and Severe Atrophy of the Renal Parenchyma: Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: It is known that renal artery aneurysms may lead to hydronephrosis, but utter shrinking of the renal parenchyma due to a giant renal artery aneurysm has not yet been reported. This report is of an 88-year-old woman with resistant hypertension, hydronephrosis, and renal atrophy due to a giant saccular aneurysm of the left renal artery. Case Report: The patient presented with 2 weeks of worsening low back pain on the left side and resistant hypertension. The discovery of a left flank mass on physical examination, lead to the ultrasound detection of a para-aortic mass and a cyst-like partially septate structure replacing the left kidney. Thereafter, a contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan revealed a giant saccular aneurysm of the left renal artery causing severe hydronephrosis with severe parenchymal thinning. The extreme parenchymal atrophy of the left kidney made it an unlikely culprit of resistant hypertension, therefore the interventional radiologist considered that an endovascular attempt to re-establish the patency of the left renal artery would have scarcely produced any benefit. Given the advanced age of the patient, the vascular surgeon considered that risk of a nephrectomy outweighed the benefit, in agreement with the patient's unwillingness to accept an invasive intervention. Therefore, she was discharged with blood pressure lowering and pain relief medication and was thereafter lost to follow-up. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the most severe kidney parenchymal shrinking in association with a renal artery aneurysm reported in the literature.

Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Liver Transplant Recipients: Does It Make Any Difference?

The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was diagnosed in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Since then, this novel infectious disease, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has grown into a pandemic with over 330 million infected individuals worldwide, many of them with innate or acquired immunosuppression. Liver transplantation (LT) is offered as a curative therapy for end-stage liver disease as well as for acute liver failure cases. Advances in immunosuppressive therapy decreased the rates of acute and chronic graft rejection, significantly improving the quality of life. Liver transplant recipients are considered at particularly high risk for developing critical COVID-19 infection because of their chronic immunosuppressed state. Available data are heterogeneous, and the mortality rate is variably reported in the literature. There is controversy regarding whether their immunosuppressive status is a risk or a protective factor for developing severe respiratory disease. Moreover, the mechanism of action is still unclear. We report the clinical outcome of three liver transplant recipients who had COVID-19 pneumonia at different moments following liver transplantation. All patients received a standard immunosuppression regimen and specific antiviral therapy, requiring no invasive mechanical ventilation. They were discharged from the hospital with no long-term COVID-19 complications.

Isolated liver trauma: A clinical perspective in a non-emergency center for liver surgery.

The management of liver trauma is, currently, still heterogeneous ranging from conservative to major invasive liver resections. When appropriate, these cases should be referred to a regional care center. The objective of this study was to analyze the expertise of a non-emergency center for liver surgery from Romania after initial stabilization in county hospitals. This study is a monocentric, retrospective, observational study, including 12 patients with hepatic trauma after a car accident, admitted between 2015 and 2019. We analyzed various clinical and biochemical data as independent variables, and the main outcome was considered the intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay. Our results revealed that intubation status at admission, norepinephrine infusion during surgery, hyperfibrinogenemia and duration of mechanical ventilation in patients with isolated liver trauma were correlated with prolonged ICU length of stay. Further prospective, more comprehensive studies are needed in order to evaluate the exact prognostic factors in terms of short- and long-term mortality.

Histopathological evaluation of cutaneous malignant melanoma: A retrospective study.

Malignant melanoma is a melanocytic neoplasm with a steadily increasing incidence worldwide. In order to define a proper diagnostic protocol and to establish an accurate prognostic method for the disease, specific biomarkers are of notable importance. Their contribution is also significant in the treatment of melanoma for the improvement of newer and more targeted therapeutic approaches. To emphasize the importance of specific immune markers in the diagnosis of melanoma, immunohistochemical analysis was performed on 56 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded cutaneous melanomas. Besides the traditional prognostic factors, depth of invasion and mitotic rate, the markers tested in the present study were S100 protein family, Melan A, Ki67 and HMB-45. The present results indicated that immunocytochemistry represents a valuable test in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant melanoma and each biomarker had different associations with the progression and prognosis of the disease. Patients with S100 expression were 4.83 times (95% CI=1.2-20.8) more likely to suffer a relapse, whereas patients with a Ki67 expression of >30% had a 5.41-fold higher risk (95% CI=1.3-22.0). The correlation between S100 and the Breslow depth was statistically significant (r-value: 0.43; P=0.027). In addition, the importance of a multidisciplinary team including a plastic surgeon, anatomopathologist and oncologist was highlighted.

Overview of the anatomical basis of the piriformis syndrome-dissection with magnetic resonance correlation.

The piriformis syndrome is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed causes of lower back and gluteal pain caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve and the internal pudendal neurovascular bundle by the piriformis muscle. Although this syndrome was first suggested over 90 years ago, its diagnosis still represents a challenge for clinicians. In the present study, dissection was used to determine the intra- and extrapelvic anatomical course of the internal pudendal nerve and the data were compared with the information obtainable through MRI examination, in order to identify the piriformis syndrome and to differentiate it from other causes of internal pudendal neuralgia. Thorough dissections of the pelvis and deep gluteal region were conducted on female cadavers, which were correlated with MRI scans, in order to describe the course of the internal pudendal nerve in contact with the piriformis muscle. The dissection findings and MRI scans obtained allowed us to describe and demonstrate the compression points along the course of the sciatic nerve and the internal pudendal bundle, the anatomical correlations between the piriformis muscle and the nervous structures around it, emphasizing the areas most susceptible to possible nerve impingement syndromes. In the anatomic trajectory of the sciatic nerve and the internal pudendal bundle there are multiple contact points with anatomical structures that may lead to compression of the nerve structures, generating symptoms that comprise the piriformis syndrome. The present study sought to establish clear osseous landmarks that may help evaluate these associations and possible nerve compressions on pelvic MRI examination.

Management of acute intradialytic cardiovascular complications: Updated overview (Review).

An increasing number of patients require renal replacement therapy through dialysis and renal transplantation. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects a large percentage of the world's population and has evolved into a major public health concern. Diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and a family history of kidney failure are all major risk factors for CKD. Patients in advanced stages of CKD have varying degrees of cardiovascular damage. Comorbidities of these patients, include, on the one hand, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia and, on the other hand, the presence of mineral-bone disorders associated with CKD and chronic inflammation, which contribute to cardiovascular involvement. Acute complications occur quite frequently during dialysis. Among these, the most important are cardiovascular complications, which influence the morbidity and mortality rates of this group of patients. Chronic hemodialysis patients manifest acute cardiovascular complications such as intradialytic hypotension, intradialytic hypertension, arrhythmias, acute coronary syndromes and sudden death. Thus, proper management is extremely important.

Dyselectrolytemia-management and implications in hemodialysis (Review).

Hemodialysis is a method for the renal replacement therapy followed by series of acute and chronic complications. Dyselectrolytemia appears in patients undergoing dialysis through mechanisms related to the chronic kidney disease and/or to the dialysis therapy and for this group of patients it is associated with an increase of morbidity and mortality. The dialysate has a standard composition, which can be modified according to the patient's characteristics. During hemodialysis patients are exposed to 18,000-36.000 litres of water/year, and the water purity along with the biochemical composition of the dialysate are essential. The individualization of the dialysis prescription is recommended for each patient and it has an important role in preventing the occurrence of dyselectrolyemia. The individualization of the treatment prescription according to the blood constants of each patient is the prerogative of the nephrologist and the association of the electrolyte imbalances with the patients cardiovascular mortality explains the importance of paying special attention to them.

Kidney aging process and the management of the elderly patient with renal impairment (Review).

As life expectancy increases, a rise in the number of chronically ill patients is observed due to the aging population. Among the various diseases, chronic kidney disease is at present one of the main causes of morbidity and, due to its typical complications, it is also one of the most important causes of mortality in the general population. For these reasons, the understanding of the kidney aging process, its consequences and its adequate management are essential. The judicious use of certain types of drugs, the prevention of episodes of renal injury either by toxic mechanisms or by dehydration are important aspects and are part of the apropriate approach for elderly patients. The most effective treatment of various types of conditions with a negative impact on renal function and for which an increased incidence is known as we age should also be considered. Thus, in the case of elderly patients, in order to protect the kidneys, an integrative approach is recommended, one that includes both elements of prevention and the appropriate treatment of existing diseases.

Mechanisms of Herbal Nephroprotection in diabetes mellitus.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a leading cause of kidney morbidity. Despite the multilayered complexity of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of DN, the conventional treatment is limited to just a few drug classes fraught with the risk of adverse events, including the progression of renal dysfunction. Phytoceuticals offer a promising alternative as they act on the many-sidedness of DN pathophysiology, multitargeting its intricacies. This paper offers a review of the mechanisms underlying the protective action of these phytoagents, including boosting the antioxidant capabilities, suppression of inflammation, averting the proliferative and sclerosing/fibrosing events. The pathogenesis of DN is viewed as a continuum going from the original offense, high glucose, through the noxious products it generates (advanced glycation end-products, products of oxidative and nitrosative stress) and the signaling chains consequently brought into action, to the harmful mediators of inflammation, sclerosis, and proliferation that eventually lead to DN, despite the countervailing attempts of the protective mechanisms. Special attention was given to the various pathways involved, pointing out the ability of the phytoagents to hinder the deleterious ones (especially those leading to, driven by, or associated with TGF-ß activation, SREBP, Smad, MAPK, PKC, NF-κB, NLRP3 inflammasome, and caspase), to promote the protective ones (PPAR-α, PPAR-γ, EP4/Gs/AC/cAMP, Nrf2, AMPK, and SIRT1), and to favorably modulate those with potentially dual effect (PI3K/Akt). Many phytomedicines have emerged as potentially useful out of in vitro and in vivo studies, but the scarcity of human trials seriously undermines their usage in the current clinical practice-an issue that stringently needs to be addressed.

Giant Cavernous Hemangioma of the Liver in a Patient with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is frequently associated with liver cysts, but an association with giant cavernous liver hemangioma is not mentioned in the literature. CASE REPORT We report the case of a 41-year-old man with ADPKD, secondary arterial hypertension, and stage 4 chronic kidney disease who presented with a 2-week history of persistent pain at the base of the right hemithorax and in the right hypochondrium. An ultrasound examination and a contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan revealed a giant cavernous liver hemangioma. Surgery was intially taken into account (however, twice delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic) but later refused because it would have left the patient with dangerously few liver parenchyma. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of ADPKD associated with cavernous liver hemangioma. Vascular endothelial growth factor could be the pathophysiological link between the 2 conditions. Further research may unravel the molecular biology that underlies this possible association, pointing to new therapeutic avenues for ADPKD.

Primary thyroid angiosarcoma in a non-endemic region - a rare case.

Thyroid angiosarcoma (AS) is a specific type of vascular tumor that arises from the endothelial cells, being highly aggressive, with increased recurrence rates and metastasis. It is characterized by positive endothelial markers and co-positive markers for cytokeratins and epithelial membrane antigen. We are describing the case of a 76-year-old patient who presented to the hospital for dyspnea and asthenia. The clinical and paraclinical investigations confirmed the presence of a right large thyroid nodule, which turned out positive at immunostaining for AS. Even if thyroid AS is a rare type of tumor, mainly described in the Alps, one has to take into account that it can evolve in any other regions and should be considered as a differential diagnosis.

Abdominal aortic calcification in predialysis patients: Contribution of traditional and uremia-related risk factors.

Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Recent population based epidemiological studies demonstrated a correlation between reduced renal function and risk for all causes and cardiovascular mortality, 50% of patients dying before the commencement of renal replacement therapy. Vascular calcifications (VC) and arterial stiffness are major contributors to cardiovascular disease and are independent predictors of cardiovascular mortality in ESRD patients. Scarce information is available on the risk factors and prognosis of predialysis patients with VC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of traditional and uremia related risk factors to abdominal aortic calcification in predialysis patients. A single center, retrospective study was performed on 305 adult patients monitored at the Bucharest University Emergency Hospital for at least 6 months. Our study reports an increased incidence of VC in predialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, higher in those with advanced age, history of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and declining renal function.

Infection with hepatitis C virus in hemodialysis patients: An overview of the diagnosis and prevention rules within a hemodialysis center (Review).

Increase in the number of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) calls for improved management of these patients. In stage 5 CKD, when the initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) becomes necessary, there is an increase in the infection risk of the patients and immunological tests for hepatitis C virus (HCV) detection turn positive at an alarmingly higher rate compared to general population. With the introduction into clinical practice of diagnostic tests, the increased prevalence of HCV among CKD patients has been known since the 1990s. Also, the negative impacts of HCV infection on CKD evolution as well as the unfavorable evolution of grafts received by HCV infected patients are known. Chronic hemodialysis patients are a category of patients whose risk of HCV infection is substantial. Currently, in the hemodialysis centers, at the base of the transmission of HCV infection there are a multitude of factors. Infection with HCV has a different impact on patient with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Comorbidities in this case have significant sources of mortality and morbidity. It was proven that the post transplantations problems were prevented and mortality was reduced for patients who were diagnosed with HCV and in whom the infection was treated before the kidney transplant (KT). Consequently, early detection of the infection and the application of specific treatment has a considerable impact on the outcome of the patients. Another important component of the management of HCV infection in the chronic hemodialysis patients is the prevention of the infection transmission by applying specific methods.