Hemoglobin in large vessel occlusion: Look further than collaterals.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal hemoglobin (Hb) levels lead to poorer outcomes in ischemic stroke, though the mechanisms remain elusive. We aimed to study the role of Hb on imaging and clinical outcomes, namely on collaterals as it is a known mediator of infarct growth. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of patients with large vessel occlusion ischemic stroke admitted to our center. Demographics, clinical and imaging variables were collected, particularly baseline hemoglobin, presence of anemia and collateral score. Collaterals were scored from 0 to 3 and defined as poor if 0-1. Multivariable analyses were performed for collateral score and clinical outcomes (3-month mortality and good prognosis). RESULTS: We included 811 patients, 215 (26.5 %) with anemia. Patients with anemia were older, had more comorbidities and more severe strokes. Hemoglobin levels and anemia were not associated with collateral score (OR 0.97, 95 % CI 0.89-1.05, p = 0.414 and OR 0.89, 95 % CI 0.64-1.24, p = 0.487, respectively) nor with poor collaterals (OR 0.96, 95 % CI 0.88-1.05, p = 0.398 and OR 0.86, 95 % CI 0.60-1.23, p = 0.406, respectively). Hb levels were associated with 3-month mortality (OR 0.85, 95 % CI 0.76-0.96, p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Hemoglobin or anemia were not found to be associated with collateral status. Our results raise further questions regarding the pathophysiology of anemia and outcomes in ischemic stroke, highlighting the need for future research.

Non-ketotic hyperglycaemia induced occipital reflex focal seizures.

A myriad of neurological manifestations can occur in association with ketotic and non ketotic hyperglycaemic states. Contrary to diabetic coma, which is a universal complication under relatively established metabolic circumstances, the pathophysiology beyond hyperglycaemic-associated positive neurological manifestations, including seizures, remains to be elucidated. The occurrence of symptomatic focal epilepsy as a manifestation of diabetes-related hyperglycaemia is seldom reported. Herein, we present a case of focal epilepsy with alternating positive and negative neurological manifestations as the initial manifestation of diabetes-related hyperglycaemia. The electroencephalogram confirmed the diagnosis of focal occipital seizures, and the brain magnetic resonance imaging depicted the associated typical transient imaging findings in the occipital lobe. Seizures were refractory to antiepileptics, and symptomatic control was achieved after achieving normoglycemia. On follow-up, complete clinical and imaging recovery occurred. Reflex focal epilepsy in the context of hyperglycaemic states is a rare condition, and the possibility of misdiagnosis is likely high. As reported in similar cases, seizures can be resistant to antiepileptics. An important message to highlight is that seizures associated with hyperglycaemic status can be resistant to antiepileptic treatment and only cease with glycaemic control.

Coccygeoplasty: preliminary experience with this new alternative treatment of refractory coccydynia in patients with coccyx hypermobility.

BACKGROUND: Coccydynia has many causes, including fracture, subluxation, and hypermobility of sacrococcygeal segments. Existing treatments are limited in their effectiveness. Coccygeoplasty (CP) is a relatively new, minimally invasive treatment that appears to address this difficult clinical challenge. OBJECTIVE: To describe clinical results at the time of the procedure and at 3- and 12-months' follow-up of patients with coccydynia related to subluxation and coccyx hypermobility treated with the CP technique. Additionally, to determine if there is any correlation between the final imaging and clinical results at 3- and 12-months' follow-up. METHODS: A prospectively maintained database was used, and all patients who underwent CP for chronic coccydynia between January 2005 and October 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. All the patients had painful hypermobility (greater than 25°) with anterior flexion confirmed on radiological imaging. Alternative causes of coccydynia were excluded using CT and MRI. Procedures were performed under local anesthesia with combined fluoroscopic and CT guidance. Clinical follow-up was performed at two time points: 3 and 12 months after treatment using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). RESULTS: Twelve patients were treated in a single center. No procedural complications occurred. At 3- and 12-months' follow-up, the majority (75%) of patients had significantly lower VAS scores than at baseline, with mean changes of 3.5 and 4.9, respectively. There was no pain recurrence at 12 months and just one patient had no improvement of the pain. Follow-up CT images confirmed fixation of the sacrococcygeal bone segments in nine patients; however, no correlation was found between final imaging results and clinical outcome (p=0.1). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with refractory painful coccyx subluxation and hypermobility undergoing CP have a favorable clinical response at 3- and 12-months' follow-up. Further studies are required to validate this technique and to identify predictors of treatment response. Coccygeoplasty may be considered a reasonable alternative to coccygectomy.

Cystic Lymph Node Identification Is More Reliable Than Critical View of Safety in Difficult Cholecystectomies.

BACKGROUND: The cystic lymph node (CLN) represents an anatomic safety marker and a surrogate marker of technique during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). We aim to demonstrate the value of CLN in comparison to the critical view of safety (CVS) and study the effects of increasing difficulty on the 2 approaches. METHODS: A prospective study of consecutive LC was conducted. Patient demographics, type of admission, clinical presentation, operative difficulty grade, visualization of CLN, identification of CVS, operative time, and complications were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: Of 393 LCs, half of the admissions were emergencies. Thirty-four percent had obstructive jaundice or acute cholecystitis. The CLN was visually identified in 81.7% with a small difference between operative difficulty grades 1 to 3 versus 4 to 5. Although CVS was unachievable in 62 patients, 43 (69.4%) still had an identifiable CLN. The median operating time was 68 minutes with 1 mortality but no conversions or intraoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying the CLN during LC could compliment the CVS in avoiding major ductal injury. Dissecting lateral to the CLN to commence the process of displaying the cystic pedicle structures may be a strategy in safely achieving the CVS. During the more difficult LC where displaying the CVS is impossible, the CLN may be the key anatomic landmark.

Intra-osseous basivertebral nerve radiofrequency ablation (BVA) for the treatment of vertebrogenic chronic low back pain.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective experimental uncontrolled trial. BACKGROUND: Vertebrogenic pain is a frequently underestimated cause of chronic low back pain (LBP). Vertebral endplate degeneration, characterized by cortical bone damage and subchondral bone inflammatory reaction, is a significant source of LBP, the responsible of the pain transmission being the Basivertebral Nerve (BVN). Radiofrequency ablation of the BVN (BVA) leads to thermal injury of nerve tissue and interruption of the of chronic vertebrogenic pain transmission. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness, in terms of pain and disability reduction, of percutaneous (BVA) in treating patients affected by vertebrogenic chronic LBP. Moreover, as a secondary endpoint, the purpose is to assess the feasibility and safety of a percutaneous CT-guided technique. METHODS: We performed percutaneous CT-guided BVN ablation in 56 consecutive patients presenting with vertebrogenic chronic LBP in local anesthesia using an articulating bipolar radiofrequency electrode (STAR™ Tumor Ablation System Merit). A 1-month follow-up MRI was performed to evaluate the ablation area in order to assess the target success of the procedure. A 3-month follow-up CT study was performed to evaluate bone mineral density in order to exclude structural bone abnormalities that might have been induced by the treatment. Pre- and post-procedure pain and disability levels were measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). A 2-cm improvement threshold was set as clinical success for the VAS score and a 10-point improvement threshold was set as clinical success for the ODI score. RESULTS: At 3- and 12-month follow-up, VAS and ODI scores decreased significantly compared to baseline. Clinical success was reached in 54/56 patients (96.5%) for pain and 54/56 patients (96.5%) for disability, exceeding significantly the MCID. CT-assisted targeting of the ablation zone was determined successful in 100% of patients. Mean operative time was 32 min. No immediate or delayed complications were detected. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous CT-guided intra-osseous BVA seems to be a safe, fast, and powerful technique for pain relief in patients with vertebrogenic chronic LBP, when the selection of patients is based on a multidisciplinary approach including both conventional Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine imaging.

Achieving the critical view of safety in the difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a prospective study of predictors of failure.

BACKGROUND: Bile duct injury rates for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) remain higher than during open cholecystectomy. The "culture of safety" concept is based on demonstrating the critical view of safety (CVS) and/or correctly interpreting intraoperative cholangiography (IOC). However, the CVS may not always be achievable due to difficult anatomy or pathology. Safety may be enhanced if surgeons assess difficulties objectively, recognise instances where a CVS is unachievable and be familiar with recovery strategies. AIMS AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted to evaluate the achievability of the CVS during all consecutive LC performed over four years. The primary aim was to study the association between the inability to obtain the CVS and an objective measure of operative difficulty. The secondary aim was to identify preoperative and operative predictors indicating the use of alternate strategies to complete the operation safely. RESULTS: The study included 1060 consecutive LC. The median age was 53 years, male to female ratio was 1:2.1 and 54.9% were emergency admissions. CVS was obtained in 84.2%, the majority being difficulty grade I or II (70.7%). Displaying the CVS failed in 167 LC (15.8%): including 55.6% of all difficulty grade IV LC and 92.3% of difficulty grade V. There were no biliary injuries or conversions. CONCLUSION: All three components of the critical view of safety could not be demonstrated in one out of 6 consecutive laparoscopic cholecystectomies. Preoperative factors and operative difficulty grading can predict cases where the CVS may not be achievable. Adapting instrument selection and alternate dissection strategies would then need to be considered.

One-session laparoscopic management of Mirizzi syndrome: feasible and safe in specialist units.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the laparoscopic management of Mirizzi syndrome, seldom diagnosed preoperatively causing difficulty when performing cholecystectomy and increasing complication risks. METHODS: Analysis of a prospective single-surgeon database of 5700 laparoscopic cholecystectomies found 58 Mirizzi syndrome cases. They were managed with an intention to treat during the index admission according to protocol of single-session management of bile duct stones. RESULTS: 38/58 patients were females (65.5%). The median age was 55 years. 53 cases were emergency admissions. 34 cases (58.6%) only had ultrasound scanning. Operative difficulty was Grade IV in 34 cases (58.6%) and Grade V in 20 (34.5%) (Nassar Scale). There were 33 Mirizzi Type IA, 7 Type IB, 16 Type II and one each of Type III and Type IV. Bile duct exploration was performed in 94.8% through choledochotomy/ transfistula in 58.6% or transcystic in 36.2%. Four cases required conversion to open. Postoperative morbidity occurred in 29%. Two 30-day mortalities occurred from pneumonia in two elderly patients who were late referrals. CONCLUSION: Although the utilization of the laparoscopic approach in managing bile duct stones is not currently widely practiced it was safer in this series than in reported series of open surgery in Mirizzi Syndrome. The optimal approach to Mirizzi Type II is via cholecystocholedochal fistula to explore the bile duct then drain with T-tube through the fistula. It is unnecessary to perform bilioenteric bypass in majority of cases, reducing the morbidity and mortality.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome associated with the use of chemotherapeutic agents: a rare complication after treatment with vinorelbine.

The posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a clinicoradiological syndrome characterised by a combination of headache, encephalopathy, seizures and visual disturbances, associated with high-intensity abnormalities on T2-weighted images affecting subcortical white and grey matter of the occipital and parietal lobes. Among other causes, PRES has been associated with the use of several medications including chemotherapeutic agents. Here we report a case of a 65-year-old patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung treated with cisplatin/vinorelbine. Following the second administration of vinorelbine, she was admitted to the hospital for a generalised seizure. Blood pressure was just slightly elevated and, except for drowsiness, she had a near-normal neurological examination. MRI corroborated the diagnosis. Vinorelbine-induced PRES has been reported only once in the literature, also in association with cisplatin. Our case underlines the role of vinorelbine and suggests that its association with cisplatin in this setting may enhance the risk of PRES.

A Novel Agonist of the Type 1 Lysophosphatidic Acid Receptor (LPA1), UCM-05194, Shows Efficacy in Neuropathic Pain Amelioration.

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a complex chronic pain state with a prevalence of almost 10% in the general population. Pharmacological options for NP are limited and weakly effective, so there is a need to develop more efficacious NP attenuating drugs. Activation of the type 1 lysophosphatidic acid (LPA1) receptor is a crucial factor in the initiation of NP. Hence, it is conceivable that a functional antagonism strategy could lead to NP mitigation. Here we describe a new series of LPA1 agonists among which derivative (S)-17 (UCM-05194) stands out as the most potent and selective LPA1 receptor agonist described so far (Emax = 118%, EC50 = 0.24 µM, KD = 19.6 nM; inactive at autotaxin and LPA2-6 receptors). This compound induces characteristic LPA1-mediated cellular effects and prompts the internalization of the receptor leading to its functional inactivation in primary sensory neurons and to an efficacious attenuation of the pain perception in an in vivo model of NP.

Estimation of the number of exposed people during highly pathogenic avian influenza virus outbreaks in EU/EEA countries, October 2016-September 2018.

We estimated that more than 11,000 people were exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in EU/EEA countries over the outbreak period October 2016-September 2018 by cross-linking data submitted by Member States to European Food Safety Authority and EMPRES-i. A stronger framework for collecting human exposure data is required.

Effectiveness of a Dietary Supplement Containing Hydrolyzed Collagen, Chondroitin Sulfate, and Glucosamine in Pain Reduction and Functional Capacity in Osteoarthritis Patients.

This observational, open, multicenter clinical trial with a single treatment group aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a dietary supplement whose main ingredients are hydrolyzed gelatin, chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine sulfate, and devil's claw and bamboo extracts for pain reduction and improvement of functional capacities in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee and/or hip (REDART study). In all, 130 patients with OA recruited from Spanish hospitals received the dietary supplement for 6 months. The primary outcome was the patients' global assessment of pain in the affected joint as measured with a visual analogue scale (VAS). Other outcome measurements included the Lequesne Functional Index (subindexes for pain/discomfort, distance walked, and daily living) and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC; subindexes for pain, stiffness, and physical function). Scores were taken at months 3 and 6 of the treatment. Patients (N = 78) showed a reduction of pain of 3.77 ± 1.77 points after 6 months (p < .0001) in the VAS. The total reduction in the Lequesne Functional Index was 6.30 ± 4.08 points after 6 months (p < .0001), with significant reductions in all subindexes of the scale. A similar pattern was found for the WOMAC index, with an overall reduction of 22.49 ± 14.03 points after 6 months (p < .0001) and significant reductions in all subindexes. No major adverse events were noted during the treatment. This exploratory study shows that treatment with the dietary supplement significantly reduces pain and improves locomotor function in patients with OA of the knee and/or hip.

Screening colonoscopy and risk of adverse events among individuals undergoing fecal immunochemical testing in a population-based program: A nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Screening by means of biennial fecal occult blood test has provided a reduction in overall colorectal cancer mortality. Notwithstanding, we should not underestimate the harms that it can produce. AIM: The aim of this article is to identify the independent risk factors of complications after a screening colonoscopy. METHODS: A six-year, nested case-control study was conducted. Mortality/complications within 30 days after colonoscopy were registered and its predictors identified through logistic regression. RESULTS: After 39,254 colonoscopies, the complication rate was 1.0%. Independent predictors were sex (OR 1.68 for men; CI 95% 1.18-2.39), ASA physical status classification system (OR 1.73 for ASA II-III; CI 95% 1.53-3.69), history of abdominal surgery (OR 2.37; CI 95% 1.72-4.08), diverticulosis (OR 2.89; CI 95% 1.94-4.30), inadequate cleansing (OR 29.35; CI 95% 6.52-132.17), detection of advanced neoplasia (AN) (OR 4.92; CI 95% 3.29-7.36), detection of stage I adenocarcinoma (OR 9.44; CI 95% 4.46-20.0), polyps in right colon OR 2.27 CI 95% 1.38-3.74) and complex polypectomy (OR 2.00; CI 95% 1.25-3.20). The logistic model explained 82% of the complications (CI 95% 0.798-0.854, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Colonoscopy, with or without removal of a lesion, is an invasive procedure with a non-deniable risk of major complications. Factors like inadequate cleansing or detection of AN are determinants. Therefore, it is vital to know which aspects predict their appearance to implement countermeasures.

Triple synchronous gastric tumors: A rare combination diffuse adenocarcinoma, B-cell MALT lymphoma and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma / Tumores gástricos sincrónicos triples: una rara combinación de adenocarcinoma difuso, linfoma MALT de células B y CNECG

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