Interstitial Lung Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Review.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder. Although the joints are typically the first area affected in RA, it can also involve extra-articular regions. This article provides an overview on rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD), a component of the disease manifestations leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Managing these pulmonary symptoms in people with RA poses a number of difficulties for medical professionals. In this review article, we shed light on the prevalence of RA-ILD and the common pulmonary manifestations of RA, while focusing on the evolving pathogenesis concepts that link them to RA's autoimmune cascade. We also address the diagnostic challenges and the available screening modalities that aid in the early recognition and effective management of these pulmonary complications. Furthermore, glucocorticoids, disease-modifying antirheumatic medications, immunosuppressive medications, and biological agents are among the pharmacological approaches that have been explored in this review study.

The Relation Between Arterial Hypertension and Cognitive Impairment: A Literature Review.

The global increase in dementia cases, driven by improved life expectancy and reduced elderly mortality rates, presents a significant public health challenge. Dementia, characterized by a gradual and irreversible decline in cognitive abilities, affects individuals aged 65 and older, disrupting lives and straining healthcare systems. Hypertension significantly influences dementia development. Research consistently links midlife hypertension to cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia, but findings in older adults vary. While some studies suggest that late-life hypertension accelerates cognitive decline and dementia risk, others propose a protective effect. The impact of hypertension on cognition varies across age groups, spanning from childhood to late life. High blood pressure during midlife and earlier life stages consistently predicts poorer cognitive outcomes. Executive function, attention, and motor speed are the cognitive domains most affected by hypertension, particularly in subcortical diseases. Memory impairments in hypertension-related dementias are complex, often overlapping with other causes. Understanding the inconsistent findings in older adults regarding hypertension, cognitive decline, and dementia risk requires comprehensive exploration of methodological and biological factors. Addressing hypertension and its management may hold the key to reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, especially in midlife and earlier life stages.

Antipyretic Use in Noncritically Ill Patients With Fever: A Review.

Antipyretics are one of the most frequently used agents in medicine. Numerous pharmacological agents, such as acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs), salicylates, and selective cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitors, and nonpharmacological treatment modalities, such as tepid sponging and cooling blankets, are available for temperature reduction. There is a scarcity of definitive clinical guidelines on the choice of various agents in noncritically ill febrile patients. Our review examined the various modalities available for antipyresis and compared their safety and efficacy. The rationale for the choice of a particular pharmacological agent and route of administration were scrutinized. Our review also envisaged the perceived beneficial effects of antipyretics against the harmful side effects, including the evaluation of morbidity or mortality advantage conferred by antipyretics. The various toxicities associated with these agents were also highlighted.

Hypothyroidism and Cardiovascular Disease: A Review.

Hypothyroidism is an endocrine disorder more commonly in older adults. Simultaneously, this population has an increased incidence of cardiovascular risk factors and disease, which remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Thyroid hormones (THs) promote adequate function of the cardiovascular system as they exert their effects through receptors located in the myocardium and the vasculature. In hypothyroidism, this homeostasis is disrupted, which leads to the emergence of pathogenic pathways that accelerate the progression of cardiovascular disease and aggravate its outcomes in these individuals. This article has reviewed existing literature on the relationship between hypothyroidism and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We have explored the pathogenic mechanisms linking both conditions and highlighted the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors as well as the increased incidence of cardiovascular events in overt and subclinical diseases. Furthermore, indications of hormone replacement therapy in subclinical disease and its efficacy in reducing CVD morbidities in a particular subset of patients have been discussed.

Behind the Mask: Parkinson's Disease and Depression.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common, prevalent neurodegenerative disease. It is mainly characterized by motor symptoms such as rigidity, tremors, and bradykinesia, but it can also manifest with non-motor symptoms, of which depression is the most frequent. The latter can impair the quality of life, yet it gets overlooked and goes untreated because of the significant overlap in their clinical features, hence making the diagnosis difficult. Furthermore, there is limited data on the availability of appropriate criteria for making the diagnosis of depression in PD patients, as it can occur with varying expressions throughout the course of PD or it can also precede it. This review article has included a brief discussion on the diagnosis of depression in PD patients and their overlapped clinical manifestations. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the disease processes of PD and depression and the pathways interconnecting them gives better knowledge on devising treatment options for the patients. Only studies from Pubmed were included and all other databases were excluded. Studies from the last 50 years were included. Suitable references included in these studies were also extracted. Thus, depression in PD and PD in depression, along with their pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options, have been discussed.

Underrepresentation of Low- and Middle-Income Nations in Ophthalmology Journals: A Critical Analysis on Diversity, Equity, and Global Representation.

Purpose: Low- to middle-income nations contain more than 80% of the world's population; however, only 4% of articles in ophthalmology journals belong to these countries. We aim to analyze the global diversity of the editorial boards of ophthalmology journals. Methods: Cross-sectional study, including all journals in the Ophthalmology section of the SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR). Journals were classified according to the country of origin, SJR interquartile range (Q1-Q4), impact factor, and open-access policy. Global diversity among journals was determined by the country of affiliation of editors-in-chief and editorial board members. Nations were classified by income according to the World Bank's 2022 system. The association between editorial diversity and the journal's metrics and country of origin was analyzed using the χ2 test and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: A total of 116 journals were included and 83.6% belonged to high-income nations. Only 18 (13.3%) editors-in-chief and 582 (13.5%) board members were affiliated with middle-income nations. The most prevalent middle-income countries in editorial boards were Brazil (n = 184, 4.26%), India (n = 150, 3.47%), Turkey (n = 42, 0.97%), and Iran (n = 36, 0.83%). Only 40 (1.07%) editorial board members of Q1 journals were affiliated with non-high-income nations, most belonging to India (n = 28, 70%). Journals from middle-income nations had a statistically significant lower prevalence in the first- and second-quartile ranking (P < 0.001) and a higher proportion of open-access policies (P = 0.019). Conclusions: A clear underrepresentation of low- to middle-income nations was observed in ophthalmology journals. Promoting editorial diversity and minimizing the possibility of editorial bias could lead to greater exposure to real-world data from resource-constrained settings. Translational Relevance: The documented underrepresentation of low- to middle-income nations in ophthalmology journals highlights the importance of promoting diversity and inclusion.

Efficacy of AI Chats to Determine an Emergency: A Comparison Between OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Bing AI Chat.

Background The escalating overload and saturation of emergency services, primarily caused by non-urgent cases overwhelming the system, have spurred a critical necessity for innovative solutions that can effectively differentiate genuine emergencies from situations that could be managed through alternative means, such as using AI chatbots. This study aims to evaluate and compare the accuracy in differentiating between a medical emergency and a non-emergency of three of the most popular AI chatbots at the moment. Methods In this study, patient questions from the online forum r/AskDocs on Reddit were collected to determine whether their clinical cases were emergencies. A total of 176 questions were reviewed by the authors, with 75 deemed emergencies and 101 non-emergencies. These questions were then posed to AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Bing AI, with their responses evaluated against each other and the authors' responses. A criteria-based system categorized the AI chatbot answers as "yes," "no," or "cannot determine." The performance of each AI chatbot was compared in both emergency and non-emergency cases, and statistical analysis was conducted to assess the significance of differences in their performance. Results In general, AI chatbots considered around 12-15% more cases to be an emergency than reviewers, while they considered a very low number of cases as non-emergency compared to reviewers (around 35% fewer cases). Google Bard detected the most true emergency cases (87%) and true non-emergency cases (36%). However, no real difference in performance between the three AI chatbots was found in detecting true emergencies (p-value = 0.35) and non-emergency cases (p-value = 0.16).  Conclusions These AI systems require further refinement to identify emergency situations accurately, but they could potentially be an innovative tool for emergency care and improving patient outcomes. The integration of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Bing Chat offers a promising avenue to mitigate ED strain and enhance emergency management.

Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy-Related Inflammation (CAA-ri): Presentation at an Unusual Age.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation (CAA-ri) is a less common but aggressive manifestation of CAA caused by an autoimmune reaction to the amyloid-beta (Ab) deposits in affected vessels. Here, we report the case of a 96-year-old patient, with a history of Alzheimer's disease, who presented to our hospital due to a sudden onset of high-intensity holocranial headache followed by dysarthria, left hemiplegia, and gaze deviation to the right. MRI of the brain was performed, which revealed a heterogeneous hypointense signal on the right frontal T2 and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences, with an asymmetric hyperintensity surrounding the lesion compatible with perilesional vasogenic edema. Given the clinical radiographic findings, a diagnosis of CAA-ri was established and immediate treatment with intravenous corticosteroids was started, with a rapid clinical response and remarkable improvement in follow-up neuroimaging.

Casuística y seguimiento telemático de pacientes Covid-19 en Vinces ­Ecuador, Marzo a Junio 2020 / Casuistry and telematic follow-up of patients Covid-19 in Vinces ­ Ecuador, March to June, 2020

Covid-19 al ser una enfermedad nueva, sin un tratamiento específico, cuyo protocolo de actuación está en continua revisión y sujeto a modificaciones según los reportes clínicos, epidemiológicos y terapéuticos. El presente estudio planteó como objetivo: conocer la casuística y seguimiento telemático de pacientes Covid-19 atendidos en el "Centro Médico Popular" ciudad de Vinces durante el periodo Marzo­junio 2020, en la provincia de Los Ríos, Ecuador. Estudio epidemiológico, descriptivo, observacional, prospectivo, realizado en dos fases: (1) Revisión de 83 historias clínicas de los pacientes Covid-19 y (2) Entrevista a personal de salud para identificar criterios de selección y seguimiento a través de la telemedicina de la evolución del caso durante el aislamiento domiciliario. Los resultados evidenciaron entre la casuística que el 33,73% eran de 46-64 años, y el 22,89% de 30 a 45 años; el 54,22% masculino; el 90,36% de Vinces; los 5 síntomas de mayor frecuencia fueron: tos 12.76%, malestar general 11.93%, fiebre 11.73%, dolor de garganta 9.67%, rinorrea 8.85%; hubo 10 pacientes de hipertensión grado 1, 2, y 3 47 pacientes con frecuencia respiratoria elevada, en 48 pacientes se presentó frecuencia cardiaca elevada; 26 pacientes con hipoxemia leve, moderada y severa; las 3 comorbilidades más frecuentes fueron HTA 55.56%, DM 13.89% y Obesidad 11.11%; los resultados de tomografía se los clasificó en leve 84.34%, moderado 14.46% y grave el 1.20%; la confirmación de laboratorio mediante prueba específica cualitativa 92%, Rt.PCR 78% y la prueba cuantitativa para control de inmunidad 85%. : la telemedicina permitió un mejor telemonitoreo y teleseguimiento del paciente Covid-19 desde la plataforma tecnológica. No se presentaron complicaciones, el 98,79% de los casos se recuperaron, no hubo fallecidos. Se cumplieron en todo momento los protocolos de bioseguridad y bioética emitidos por la OMS y OPS para la atención de pacientes Covid-19(AU)

Covid-19 is a new disease, without specific treatment, whose protocol of action is under continuous review and subject to modifications according to clinical, epidemiological and therapeutic reports. The objective of this study was to know the casuistics and telematic follow-up of Covid-19 patients attended in the "Popular Medical Center" city of Vances during the period March­June 2020, in the province of Los Rios, Ecuador. Epidemiological, descriptive, observational, prospective study carried out in two phases: (1) Review of 83 case histories of the patients Covid-19 and (2) Interviews to health personnel to identify criteria of selection and follow-up across the telemedicina of the evolution of the case during the home isolation. . The results showed among the casuistics that 33,73% were 46-64 years old, and 22,89% were 30 to 45 years old; 54,22% male; 90,36% Vince; the 5 most frequent symptoms were: Cough 12.76%, general malaise 11.93%, fever 11.73%, sore throat 9.67%, rhinorrhea 8.85%; there were 10 patients with grade 1, 2 hypertension, and 3 47 patients with high respiratory rate, in 48 patients there was high heart rate; 26 patients with mild, moderate, and severe hypoxemia; the 3 most frequent comorbidities were 55.56% HBP, 13.89% DM, and 11.11% Obesity; the tomography results were classified as mild 84.34%, moderate 14.46%, and severe 1.20%; Laboratory confirmation by specific qualitative test 92%, RT.PCR 78% and quantitative test for immunity control 85%. : Telemedicine allowed for better telemonitoring and tele-telegument of the patient Covid-19 from the technological platform. No complications occurred, 98,79% of cases recovered, no deaths. The biosecurity and bioethics protocols issued by WHO and PAHO for the care of Covid-19 patients were always complied with(AU)

Cooperative Full-Duplex V2V-VLC in Rectilinear and Curved Roadway Scenarios.

We study here the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) visible light communication (VLC) between two cars moving along different roadway scenarios: (i) a multiple-lane rectilinear roadway and (ii) a multiple-lane curvilinear roadway. Special emphasis was given to the implementation of full-duplex (FD) cooperative communication protocols to avoid communication disruption in the absence of a line-of-sight (LOS) channel. Importantly, we found that the cooperative FD V2V-VLC is promising for avoiding communication disruptions for cars traveling in realistic curvilinear roadways. Results in this work can be easily extended to the case of vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), which can also be promising in cases of low-car-density environments.

Análisis de supervivencia de implantes dentales en la determinación de su éxito o fracaso, practicados en consultorios de la ciudad de pereira, colombia

Los implantes dentales han representado un gran avance en la odontología moderna y los esfuerzos realizados de la investigación científica y desarrollo industrial han permitido conseguir excelentes resultados de fiabilidad de las técnicas. El número de consultas odontológicas debido a pérdidas de piezas dentales ha arrojado como causas más comunes: edad, enfermedades bucofaríngeas que pueden conllevar a pérdida ósea, mala higiene bucal, deficiencias óseas, traumatismos, enfermedades sistémicas, entre otras. Como consecuencia de ello, los profesionales buscan permanentemente mejorar y diversificar los procesos tecnológicos de implantología; optimizan el tipo de material y los elementos usados en dichos procesos, con el afán de encontrar los mejores resultados de fijación y adaptación en sus pacientes. Esto les permite acceder a tecnología de punta con el fin de mejorar los resultados. El propósito de la investigación realizada es determinar el número de éxitos y fracasos en procesos de implantología en pacientes de consultorios odontológicos de la ciudad de Pereira, Colombia. Se realizó un estudio de tipo descriptivo, la caracterización de la técnica fue tipo de implantes. Se realizó una aplicación de ficha de recolección de datos a los odontólogos de los consultorios. Se determinó que el porcentaje de implantes exitosos corresponde al 97,1%, de modo que la mayoría de los implantes son de tipo largo con un porcentaje del 94,58%. No se identificó que exista relación directa entre el fracaso del implante y el tipo de consultorio.

Dental implants have represented a great advance in modern dentistry. The efforts made in scientific research and industrial development have allowed to achieve excellent results regarding reliability of the techniques. The amount of patients consulting the dentist due to the loss of teeth, have shown that the main causes are, age, oropharyngeal diseases that can produce bone loss, poor oral hygiene, bone deficiencies, trauma, systemic diseases, among others. As a result, dental professionals permanently seek to improve and diversify the technological implant processes, optimizing the type of material and tools used in these processes, with the purpose of achieving the best results of fixation and adaptation for patients; which allows them to access to the latest technology, and have the best results. The purpose of this research is to determine the amount of success and failure of dental implants in patients of dental offices in the city of Pereira, Colombia. A descriptive study was carried out, the characterization of the technique, type of implants; support the research by applying to the dentists an instrument of data collection. It was determined that the percentage of successful implants corresponds to 97.1%. Evidencing that most of the implants are long type 94.58% respectively, it was not stablished that there is a direct relationship between the failure of the implant and the type of dentist office.

Os implantes dentários têm representado um avanço na odontologia moderna. Os esforços de investigação científica e desenvolvimento industrial tornaram possível alcançar excelentes resultados de confiabilidade das técnicas. O número de visitas ao dentista devido à perda de dentes, têm como causas mais comuns: idade, doenças da orofaringe que podem levar à perda óssea, má higiene oral, deficiência óssea, trauma, doenças sistêmicas, entre outros. Como resultado, os profissionais estão constantemente procurando melhorar e diversificar os processos tecnológicos de implantologia, otimizando o tipo de material utilizado nestes processos, com o objetivo de encontrar os melhores resultados de fixação e adaptação para os pacientes; o que lhes permite acessar tecnologia de ponta, a fim de melhorar os resultados. O objetivo da pesquisa feita é determinar o número de sucessos e falhas nos processos de implantologia em pacientes de clínicas odontológicas na cidade de Pereira, Colômbia. Foi realizado um estudo descritivo, a caracterização da técnica, tipo de implantes, suportando a pesquisa mediante a aplicação de um formulário de coleta de dados para os dentistas dos consultórios. Foi determinado que a porcentagem de implantes de sucesso corresponde a 97,1%. É evidenciando que a maioria dos implantes são de tipo longo, com uma percentagem de 94,58%. Não é identificada relação direta entre a falha do implante e o tipo de consultório.

Anticuerpos antinucleares en rosácea / Antinuclear antibodies in rosacea

Introducción y objetivo: La rosácea es una enfermedad crónica de etiología multifactorial que genera principalmente una respuesta inflamatoria. El objetivo del presente estudio fue describir la presencia de anticuerpos antinucleares (ANAS) en pacientes diagnosticados con rosácea en un centro dermatológico de Bogotá. Métodos: Estudio prospectivo que describe la presencia de ANAS por IFI en pacientes con rosácea de cualquier edad que consultaron a FUNINDERMA. Mediante la estimación de frecuencias absolutas y relativas, se caracteriza-ron variables como la edad, sexo, presencia de ANAS, diluciones de los positivos y duración de la enfermedad. Los análisis estadísticos y la recopilación de la información se realiza-ron en Microsoft Excel 2016. El presente estudio se califica sin riesgo para los pacientes. Resultados: En total, se analizaron 42 pacientes con rosácea, 73,8% mujeres. La edad pro-medio fue de 46,6 años (rango 15-98).

A review of the clinical experience in pulsed dose rate brachytherapy.

Pulsed dose rate (PDR) brachytherapy is a treatment modality that combines physical advantages of high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy with the radiobiological advantages of low dose rate brachytherapy. The aim of this review was to describe the effective clinical use of PDR brachytherapy worldwide in different tumour locations. We found 66 articles reporting on clinical PDR brachytherapy including the treatment procedure and outcome. Moreover, PDR brachytherapy has been applied in almost all tumour sites for which brachytherapy is indicated and with good local control and low toxicity. The main advantage of PDR is, because of the small pulse sizes used, the ability to spare normal tissue. In certain cases, HDR resembles PDR brachytherapy by the use of multifractionated low-fraction dose.