Intensive procedure preferences at the end of life (EOL) in older Latino adults with end stage renal disease (ESRD) on dialysis.

BACKGROUND: Latinos in the U.S. are almost twice as likely to progress to End Stage Renal disease (ESRD) compared to non-Latino whites. Patients with ESRD on dialysis experience high morbidity, pre-mature mortality and receive intensive procedures at the end of life (EOL). This study explores intensive procedure preferences at the EOL in older Latino adults. METHODS: Seventy-three community-dwelling Spanish- and English-Speaking Latinos over the age of 60 with and without ESRD participated in this study. Those without ESRD (n = 47) participated in one of five focus group sessions, and those with ESRD on dialysis (n = 26) participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Focus group and individual participants answered questions regarding intensive procedures at the EOL. Recurring themes were identified using standard qualitative content-analysis methods. Participants also completed a brief survey that included demographics, language preference, health insurance coverage, co-morbidities, Emergency Department visits and functional limitations. RESULTS: The majority of participants were of Mexican origin with mean age of 70, and there were more female participants in the non-ESRD group, compared to the ESRD dialysis dependent group. The dialysis group reported a higher number of co-morbidities and functional limitations. Nearly 69% of those in the dialysis group reported one or more emergency department visits in the past year, compared to 38% in the non-ESRD group. Primary themes centered on 1) The acceptability of a "natural" versus "invasive" procedure 2) Cultural traditions and family involvement 3) Level of trust in physicians and autonomy in decision-making. CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the need for improved patient- and family-centered approaches to better understand intensive procedure preferences at the EOL in this underserved population of older adults.

Fístula de alto gasto / High output fistula

Se presenta a un paciente de 37 años de edad que acude a nuestro Cuerpo de Guardia politraumatizado, con lesiones torácicas y abdominales, con síntomas y signos sugestivos de fracturas costales múltiples, con hemotórax derecho y hemoperitoneo, corroborado imaginológicamente y en la punción abdominal. Se realiza pleurostomía mínima intermedia y laparotomía exploratoria. Se le encuentran lesiones hepáticas de los segmentos VI, V, VIII y IV, con una profundidad mayor de 3 cm, además, deserosamientos en las asas delgadas intestinales y colon. Se realiza hepatorrafia y empaquetamiento hepático. Posteriormente van apareciendo complicaciones, por lo que tiene que ser reintervenido en máqs de 60 ocasiones. Entre ellas, la aparición de una fístula de alto gasto, que lo llevó a la desnutrición y a la permanencia con el abdomen expuesto durante 7 meses hasta el egreso. Se revisa la literatura correspondiente a estas entidades(AU)

A 37 years-old multi-traumatized male patient went to our emergency service. He had many injures in the thorax and the abdomen, together with symptoms and signs suggestive of multiple costal fractures, with right hemothorax and hemoperitoneum, all of which was confirmed by imaging techniques and by abdominal puncture. Minimal intermediate pleurostomy and exploratory laparoscopy were performed. We found hepatic lesions in the 6th, 5th, 8th and 4th segments, over 3 cm deep; additionally, the loss of serosa from the intestinal ansae and from the colon. Hepatorrhaphy and hepatic packing were also performed. Later on, more complications appeared, so he had to be re-operated more than 60 times. The occurrence of a high output fistula led him to malnutrition and his abdomen remained exposed for 7 months until he was finally discharged from hospital. This paper also presented a literature review on this topic(AU)

Fístula de alto gasto / High output fistula

Se presenta a un paciente de 37 años de edad que acude a nuestro Cuerpo de Guardia politraumatizado, con lesiones torácicas y abdominales, con síntomas y signos sugestivos de fracturas costales múltiples, con hemotórax derecho y hemoperitoneo, corroborado imaginológicamente y en la punción abdominal. Se realiza pleurostomía mínima intermedia y laparotomía exploratoria. Se le encuentran lesiones hepáticas de los segmentos VI, V, VIII y IV, con una profundidad mayor de 3 cm, además, deserosamientos en las asas delgadas intestinales y colon. Se realiza hepatorrafia y empaquetamiento hepático. Posteriormente van apareciendo complicaciones, por lo que tiene que ser reintervenido en máqs de 60 ocasiones. Entre ellas, la aparición de una fístula de alto gasto, que lo llevó a la desnutrición y a la permanencia con el abdomen expuesto durante 7 meses hasta el egreso. Se revisa la literatura correspondiente a estas entidades(AU)

A 37 years-old multi-traumatized male patient went to our emergency service. He had many injures in the thorax and the abdomen, together with symptoms and signs suggestive of multiple costal fractures, with right hemothorax and hemoperitoneum, all of which was confirmed by imaging techniques and by abdominal puncture. Minimal intermediate pleurostomy and exploratory laparoscopy were performed. We found hepatic lesions in the 6th, 5th, 8th and 4th segments, over 3 cm deep; additionally, the loss of serosa from the intestinal ansae and from the colon. Hepatorrhaphy and hepatic packing were also performed. Later on, more complications appeared, so he had to be re-operated more than 60 times. The occurrence of a high output fistula led him to malnutrition and his abdomen remained exposed for 7 months until he was finally discharged from hospital. This paper also presented a literature review on this topic(AU)

High-resolution, noninvasive longitudinal live imaging of immune responses.

Intravital imaging emerged as an indispensible tool in biological research, and a variety of imaging techniques have been developed to noninvasively monitor tissues in vivo. However, most of the current techniques lack the resolution to study events at the single-cell level. Although intravital multiphoton microscopy has addressed this limitation, the need for repeated noninvasive access to the same tissue in longitudinal in vivo studies remains largely unmet. We now report on a previously unexplored approach to study immune responses after transplantation of pancreatic islets into the anterior chamber of the mouse eye. This approach enabled (i) longitudinal, noninvasive imaging of transplanted tissues in vivo; (ii) in vivo cytolabeling to assess cellular phenotype and viability in situ; (iii) local intervention by topical application or intraocular injection; and (iv) real-time tracking of infiltrating immune cells in the target tissue.

D-(+)-pinitol, a component of the heartwood of Enterolobium cyclocarpum (Jacq.) Griseb.

D-(+)-Pinitol, a natural product of the group of cyclitols, was purified for the first time from an aqueous extract of the heartwood of Enterolobium cyclocarpum, and its chemical structure was determined.