Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Klin Monbl Augenheilkd 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Ophthalmology, Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Egitim ve Arastirma Hastanesi, Istanbul, Turkey.

Purpose: To analyze the central macular thickness (CMT), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT), ganglion cell layer thickness (GCLT), and choroidal thickness (ChT) measurements in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: The study was conducted cross-sectionally 4 weeks after the completed treatment of COVID-19. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was based on the polymerase chain reaction test and/or clinical and radiological findings. Read More

Am J Perinatol 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Objective:  The aim of this study was to compare outcomes following receipt of high continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) versus nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in extremely preterm neonates.

Study Design:  We retrospectively compared outcomes of preterm neonates (22-28 weeks' gestation) following their first episode of either high CPAP (≥ 9 cmHO) or NIPPV. Primary outcome was failure of high CPAP or NIPPV within 7 days, as determined by either need for intubation or use of an alternate noninvasive mode. Read More

JMIR Hum Factors 2021 Apr 14;8(2):e21270. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Center for Health Innovations and Outcomes Research, Manhasset, NY, United States.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-limiting genetic disease that causes chronic lung infections. We developed an internet-based decision aid (DA) to help patients with CF make better informed decisions regarding treatments and advance care planning. We built the DA around two major treatment decisions: whether to have a lung transplant and whether to agree to invasive mechanical ventilation (intubation). Read More

Int J Clin Pharm 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Doha, Qatar.

This commentary outlines how the clinical pharmacist can support the safe administration of emergency medications in trauma anesthesia for seriously injured children. Promoting the professional development of the clinical pharmacist provided an opportunity to strengthen a key step in our trauma care pathway. We describe the implementation of this process in a new hospital, which was to become the designated children's trauma center for an entire country. Read More

North Clin Istanb 2021 22;8(2):119-123. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Department of Public Health, Istanbul Medeniyet University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.

Objective: The objective of this study was to understand the observational relationship between adoption of favipiravir into the national COVID-19 treatment protocol and intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates in Istanbul due to COVID-19.

Methods: Data were harvested from the "Public Health Management System-HSYS," which collate centrally the records of all known cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases, numbers admitted to ICU, and number undergoing intubation were compared between 2 time periods: 11 of March, the date on which the first case in Turkey was confirmed, to 30 of March; and March 30, to 10 of April, 5 days after Favipiravir was introduced into the treatment algorithm when, the records were examined. Read More

Inflamm Intest Dis 2021 Feb 29;6(1):25-31. Epub 2020 Oct 29.

Crohn's & Colitis Center, Gastroentérologie Beaulieu SA, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Background: Long-standing ulcerative colitis has been associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Current guidelines recommend endoscopic CRC screening after 8 years of disease duration. The objectives of our study were to assess the adherence to recommendations and the quality of endoscopic procedure in long-standing ulcerative colitis. Read More

Int J Crit Illn Inj Sci 2020 Oct-Dec;10(4):206-212. Epub 2020 Dec 29.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Vidant Medical Center, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, USA.

Background: Protocolized ventilator weaning (PW) strategies utilizing spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs) result in shorter intubation duration and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS). We compared respiratory therapy (RT)-driven PW versus usual care (UC) as it pertains to physiologic respiratory parameters, intubation duration, extubation success/reintubation rates, and ICU LOS.

Methods: prospective, multicentric, randomized controlled trial was performed in closed medical and surgical ICUs with 24/7 in-house intensivist coverage at six academic medical centers in a resource-limited setting from October 18, 2007, to May 03, 2014. Read More

Int J Crit Illn Inj Sci 2020 Oct-Dec;10(4):170-176. Epub 2020 Dec 29.

Department of Surgery, Trauma Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar.

Background: We aimed to study the clinical implication of high serum myoglobin levels in trauma patients.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from trauma patients who were admitted to a level 1 trauma center between January 2012 and December 2015. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed for the optimum myoglobin cutoff plotted against hospital length of stay of >1 week. Read More

World Allergy Organ J 2021 Mar 26;14(3):100525. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Aimmune Therapeutics, a Nestle Health Science Company, Brisbane, CA, USA.

Background: There is limited research demonstrating the real-world economic burden of peanut allergy (PA) in the United States. The Peanut Allergy Burden Study (PABS) is a cross-sectional quantitative survey designed to determine the real-world experience of patients and caregivers with PA. The objective of the study was to understand the real-world utilization of PA-related healthcare resources and the impact of PA on productivity. Read More

Respir Care 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Background: A weaning trial can be considered a stress test of the cardiorespiratory system; it increases oxygen demand and thus warrants a higher cardiac index and elevated breathing effort. We hypothesized that the combination of easily performed ultrasound measurements of heart, lungs, and diaphragm would yield good diagnostic accuracy to predict extubation failure.

Methods: Adult subjects ventilated for > 72 h with a successful spontaneous breathing trial were included. Read More

Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2021 Apr 13:1-6. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

NSW Poisons Information Centre, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, Australia.

Objective: Adulteration, substitution or contamination of illicit substances can have clinically significant implications when other illicit substances are included. Such circumstances can present as clusters of poisonings, including severe toxicity and death following exposure to unexpected illicit substances. We report a cluster of laboratory-confirmed lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in a powder that was sold as cocaine and used recreationally. Read More

Ann Palliat Med 2021 Mar;10(3):3354-3363

Department of Anesthesiology, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.

Background: Anesthesia airway management is challenging during tracheal resection and reconstruction as these surgical procedures involve the airway. This case series describes four approaches to airway management in patients undergoing tracheal resection and reconstruction and discusses their advantages and disadvantages.

Methods: Thirteen patients underwent 1 of the following 4 kinds of airway management techniques during tracheal resection and reconstruction between 2013 and 2019: intubation, intubation with high frequency jet ventilation (HFJV), non-intubation, and venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). Read More

Respiration 2021 Apr 13:1-8. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Beckman Laser Institute, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.

Background: Despite increased use of rigid bronchoscopy (RB) for therapeutic indications and recommendations from professional societies to use performance-based competency, an assessment tool has not been utilized to measure the competency of trainees to perform RB in clinical settings.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate a previously developed assessment tool - Rigid Bronchoscopy Tool for Assessment of Skills and Competence (RIGID-TASC) - for determining the RB learning curve of interventional pulmonary (IP) trainees in the clinical setting and explore the variability of learning curve of trainees.

Methods: IP fellows at 4 institutions were enrolled. Read More

Anesthesiology 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Background: Tracheal intubation for patients with COVID-19 is required for invasive mechanical ventilation. The authors sought to describe practice for emergency intubation, estimate success rates and complications, and determine variation in practice and outcomes between high-income and low- and middle-income countries. The authors hypothesized that successful emergency airway management in patients with COVID-19 is associated with geographical and procedural factors. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Apr;100(15):e25255

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.

Rationale: Fibrinolysis shutdown associated with severe thrombotic complications is a recently recognized syndrome that was previously seldom investigated in patients with severe severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. It presents a unique therapeutic dilemma, as anticoagulation with heparin alone is insufficient to address the imbalance in fibrinolysis. And while the use of fibrinolytic agents could limit the disease severity, it is often associated with bleeding complications. Read More

Laryngoscope 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Anaesthesiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

Laryngoscope 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Anesthesiology, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

G Ital Cardiol (Rome) 2021 Mar;22(3):5-11

U.O.C. Cardiologia, Dipartimento Cardio-Toraco-Vascolare, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Policlinico S. Orsola, Bologna - Dipartimento di Medicina Specialistica, Diagnostica e Sperimentale, Università degli Studi, Bologna.

Background: Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) represents a therapeutic option for the treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in patients who are not eligible for surgical pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) or with persistent/recurrent symptomatic pulmonary arterial hypertension after PEA. This study evaluated the safety of BPA during 5 years of experience of the only Italian center systematically performing this procedure.

Methods: The BPA program was activated at the S. Read More

Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim 2020 Oct 26. Epub 2020 Oct 26.

Servicio de Anestesiología y Reanimación, Hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcón, Alcorcón, Madrid, España.

Iatrogenic tracheal rupture is a serious complication secondary to procedures such as emergent orotracheal intubation or tracheostomy, among others. The management of iatrogenic tracheal rupture depends on the size, extension and location of the injury, along with the patient's respiratory status and comorbidities. The priority of treatment is to keep the airway permeable to ensure adequate ventilation. Read More

J Intensive Care 2021 Apr 12;9(1):32. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Postgraduate School of Medical Science, Hiroshima University Hospital, 3-2-1, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan.

Background: Noninvasive respiratory support devices may reduce the tracheal intubation rate compared with conventional oxygen therapy (COT). To date, few studies have compared high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) use with noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV). We conducted a network meta-analysis to compare the effectiveness of three respiratory support devices in patients with acute respiratory failure. Read More

BMC Anesthesiol 2021 Apr 12;21(1):111. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Anesthesiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University Health Science Center, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, P.R. China.

Background: Airway management is one of the most important techniques in anesthesia practice and inappropriate airway management is related with airway injury, brain hypoxia, and even death. The patients with cervical spondylosis are often confronted with difficult laryngoscopy who are more prone to appear difficult airway, so it is important to figure out valuable predictors of difficult laryngoscopy in these patients.

Methods: We randomly enrolled 270 patients undergoing elective cervical spine surgery and analyzed the cervical mobility data in predicting difficult laryngoscopy. Read More

Anesth Pain Med (Seoul) 2021 Apr 8. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, Korea.

Background: The direct entry of the camera under the epiglottis may provide a better view of the glottis than the indirect lifting of the epiglottis by placing the Macintosh blade tip on the vallecula when using the video laryngoscope. This study aimed to compare the efficiency of two different methods of lifting the epiglottis during the visualization of glottis using video laryngoscopy in the same patient.

Methods: This prospective study enrolled 60 patients who underwent general anesthesia with tracheal intubation. Read More

Respir Med 2021 Apr 2;181:106379. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Department of Internal Medicine, Divisions of Critical Care, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School, TX, 77030, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Awake prone positioning has been recommended as an adjunctive measure in spontaneously breathing patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure during the COVID-19 pandemic. It remains uncertain as to how long this should be implemented, what variables to follow and who would be the ideal candidates for this adjunctive therapy.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients admitted from April to August 2020 within our institution with multifocal pneumonia and hypoxemic respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 who underwent awake-proning for at least 3 hours was conducted. Read More

J Hepatol 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Servicio de Gastroenterología y Hepatología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address:

Background And Aims: Antibiotic prophylaxis reduces the risk of infection and mortality in cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding (AVB). This study examines the incidence and risk factors of bacterial infections during hospitalization in patients with AVB on antibiotic prophylaxis.

Methods: Post-hoc analysis of the database of an international, multicenter, observational study designed to examine the role of preemptive TIPS in patients with cirrhosis and AVB. Read More

Arch Endocrinol Metab 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Research Unit in Endocrine Diseases, Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Mexico City, Mexico,

Objective: Describe the demographic, clinical, and biochemical characteristics of overweight or obese people with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and evaluate its association with mechanical ventilation requirements in a Mexican cohort.

Methods: Data were obtained from medical electronic records. Patients were divided in three groups according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of body mass index (BMI): lean, overweight and obese. Read More

IBRO Neurosci Rep 2021 Jun 21;10:66-74. Epub 2021 Jan 21.

Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.

and are two underutilised spices that are hypothesized to be important in the management and treatment of certain stress-induced diseases such as depression. The present study was designed to test the anti-depressant effects of the essential oils of (EOMM) and (EOXA) and the possible underlying mechanisms in a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) - induced depression in the rat. Forty-two male Wistar rats were assigned to seven groups (n = 6); group I received corn oil (p. Read More

AEM Educ Train 2021 Apr 1;5(2):e10589. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Division of Emergency Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA.

Background: This study characterizes clinical and educational practices around the use of videolaryngoscopy in pediatric emergency airway management through qualitative exploration.

Methods: This is a descriptive qualitative study using semi-structured interviews of emergency medicine physicians. Physicians were selected by theoretical sampling from urban, tertiary care pediatric hospitals across the United States until theoretical data saturation was achieved. Read More

Ann Transl Med 2021 Mar;9(5):403

Department of Thoracic Surgery and Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, Guangzhou, China.

Background: Subxiphoid approach for mediastinal tumor resection was reported to provide a better view and less postoperative pain. Non-intubated video-assisted thoracic surgery (NI-VATS) without muscle relaxant would decrease the possibility of postoperative airway collapse for anterior mediastinal mass operation. Herein, we sought to describe the use of NI-VATS through subxiphoid approach for anterior mediastinal tumor resection. Read More

Front Med (Lausanne) 2021 25;8:582896. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS Orthopedic Institute Galeazzi, Milan, Italy.

Italy was one of the worst affected European countries during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. More than 50% of Italian cases occurred in the northern region of Lombardy, where the saturation of health services between March and April 2020 forced hospitals to allocate patients according to available resources. Eighteen severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients were admitted to our hospital needing intensive support. Read More

IDCases 2021 Apr 7:e01116. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, NY, USA.

Epiglottitis is an uncommon, potentially fatal infection of the epiglottis that can lead to complete upper airway obstruction. Isolated pathogens are usually nasopharyngeal bacteria, most commonly type b (Hib). While the incidence of epiglottitis has diminished significantly over the years due to widespread vaccination against Hib, the proportion of epiglottitis caused by other pathogens has increased. Read More