Effect of maternal dyslipidaemia on the cardiorespiratory physiology and biochemical parameters in male rat offspring.

The present study evaluated the effects of maternal dyslipidaemia on blood pressure (BP), cardiorespiratory physiology and biochemical parameters in male offspring. Wistar rat dams were fed either a control (CTL) or a dyslipidaemic (DLP) diet during pregnancy and lactation. After weaning, both CTL and DLP offspring received standard diet. On the 30th and 90th day of life, blood samples were collected for metabolic analyses. Direct measurements of BP, respiratory frequency (RF), tidal volume (VT) and ventilation (VE) under baseline condition, as well as during hypercapnia (7 % CO2) and hypoxia (KCN, 0·04 %), were recorded from awake 90-d-old male offspring. DLP dams exhibited raised serum levels of total cholesterol (TC) (4·0-fold), TAG (2·0-fold), VLDL+LDL (7·7-fold) and reduced HDL-cholesterol (2·4-fold), insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis at the end of lactation. At 30 d of age, the DLP offspring showed an increase in the serum levels of TC (P<0·05) and VLDL+LDL (P<0·05) in comparison with CTL offspring. At 90 d of age, DLP offspring exhibited higher mean arterial pressure (MAP, approximately 34 %). In the spectral analysis, the DLP group showed augmented low-frequency (LF) power and LF:high-frequency (HF) ratio when compared with CTL offspring. In addition, the DLP animals showed a larger delta variation in arterial pressure after administration of the ganglionic blocker (P=0·0003). We also found that cardiorespiratory response to hypercapnia and hypoxia was augmented in DLP offspring. In conclusion, the present data show that maternal dyslipidaemia alters cardiorespiratory physiology and may be a predisposing factor for hypertension at adulthood.

Volume-controlled ventilation versus pressure-controlled ventilation during spine surgery in the prone position: A meta-analysis.

Background: Many studies have investigated a comparison of the potency and safety of PCV versus VCV modes in spinal surgery in prone position. However, controversy about the maximal benefits of which ventilation modes remains. The main purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate which one is the optimal ventilation for surgery patients undergoing spine surgery in prone position between the two ventilation modes as PCV and VCV. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar for potentially eligible articles. The continuous outcomes were analyzed using the mean difference and the associated 95% confidence interval. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 software. Results: Our meta-analysis included 8 RCTs involving a total of 454 patients between 2012 and 2020. The results demonstrated that IOB, Ppeak and CVP for VCV are significantly superior to PCV in spinal surgery in prone position. And PCV had higher Cdyn and PaO2/FiO2 than VCV. But there was no significant difference between PCV and VCV in terms of POB, Hb, HCT, HR and MAP. Conclusions: The PCV mode displayed a more satisfying effect than VCV mode. Compared to VCV mode in same preset of tidal volume, the patients with PCV mode in prone position demonstrated less IOB, lower Ppeak and CVP, and higher PaO2/FiO2 in spinal surgery. However, there is no obvious difference between PCV and VCV in terms of hemodynamics variables (HR and MAP).

Severe COVID-19 during pregnancy treated with pulse corticosteroid therapy and mid-trimester termination: A case report.

BACKGROUND: At the early stage of the pandemic, severe COVID-19 was thought to be rare among pregnant women. However, cumulating data showed that gestational state is a risk factor for severe pneumonia, particularly due to the hyperinflammatory state. Recent reports suggested the efficacy of pulse corticosteroids in stopping the cytokine storm in people infected with SARS-CoV-2, but limited data exists regarding its use in pregnant women. Moreover, pregnancy termination is a treatment option in this population, but it has been reported mainly in the third trimester and rarely in the second trimester. CASE PRESENTATION: A 37-year-old woman infected with SARS-CoV-2 at 23 weeks of gestation presented with fatigue and dyspnea but soon deteriorated to severely acute respiratory failure and cytokine storm requiring mechanical ventilation combined with hemodialysis just one day after hospitalization. Low-dose corticosteroids and antibiotics were initiated, followed by antiviral therapy, anticoagulant and high-dose corticosteroid therapy. On hospital day 3, a decision to terminate her pregnancy was made; termination led to significant improvement in her clinical condition and a gradual decrease in demand for oxygen supplementation as well as the corticosteroid dose. She was discharged two weeks after admission. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the specific immune response, pregnant women with COVID-19 may differ from others in their clinical presentation, especially the probability of classic acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This report provides evidence related to the efficacy of pulse corticosteroids on this group and the influence of the mid-trimester termination on recovery.

Medical devices in allergy practice.

Medical devices provide people with some health benefits in terms of diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and monitoring of disease processes. Different medical specialties use varieties of medical devices more or less specific for them. Allergology is an interdisciplinary field of medical science and teaches that allergic reactions are of systemic nature but can express themselves at the level of different organs across the life cycle of an individual. Subsequently, medical devices used in allergology could be regarded as: 1) general, servicing the integral diagnostic and management principles and features of allergology, and 2) organ specific, which are shared by organ specific disciplines like pulmonology, otorhinolaryngology, dermatology, and others. The present position paper of the World Allergy Organization (WAO) is meant to be the first integral document providing structured information on medical devices in allergology used in daily routine but also needed for sophisticated diagnostic purposes and modern disease management. It is supposed to contribute to the transformation of the health care system into integrated care pathways for interrelated comorbidities.

Chest Compressions During Sustained Inflation During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Newborn Infants Translating Evidence From Animal Studies to the Bedside.

Newborn infants receiving chest compressions in the delivery room have a high incidence of mortality (41%) and short-term neurological morbidity (e.g., 57% hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and seizures). Furthermore, infants who have no signs of life at 10 min despite chest compressions have 83% mortality, with 93% of survivors experiencing moderate-to-severe disability. The poor prognosis associated with receiving chest compressions in the delivery room raises questions as to whether improved cardiopulmonary resuscitation methods specifically tailored to the newborn could improve outcomes. Combining chest compressions during sustained inflation (CC+SI) has recently been shown to improve morbidity and mortality outcomes during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Overall, CC+SI accomplishes the following: 1) significantly reduces time to return of spontaneous circulation, mortality, and epinephrine administration, and improves systemic and regional hemodynamic recovery; 2) significantly increases tidal volume and minute ventilation, and therefore alveolar oxygen delivery; 3) allows for passive ventilation during chest compression; and 4) does not increase lung or brain injury markers compared with the current standard of using 3:1 compression:ventilation ratio. A randomized trial comparing CC+SI versus a 3:1 compression:ventilation ratio during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the delivery room is therefore warranted.

Data on respiratory variables in critically ill patients with acute respiratory failure placed on proportional assist ventilation with load adjustable gain factors (PAV+).

The data show respiratory variables in 108 critically ill patients with acute respiratory failure placed on proportional assist ventilation with load adjustable gain factors (PAV+) after at least 36 h on passive mechanical ventilation. PAV+ was continued for 48 h until the patients met pre-defined criteria either for switching to controlled modes or for breathing without ventilator assistance. Data during passive mechanical ventilation and during PAV+ are reported. Data are acquired from the whole population, as well as from patients with and without acute respiratory distress syndrome. The reported variables are tidal volume, driving pressure (ΔP, the difference between static end-inspiratory plateau pressure and positive end-expiratory airway pressure), respiratory system compliance and resistance, and arterial blood gasses. The data are supplemental to our original research article, which described individual ΔP in these patients and examined how it related to ΔP when the same patients were ventilated with passive mechanical ventilation using the currently accepted lung-protective strategy "Driving pressure during assisted mechanical ventilation. Is it controlled by patient brain?" [1].