Clinical Severity Score Infection

IMPORTANCE: Self-report surveys suggest that long-lasting taste deficits may occur after SARS-CoV-2 infection, influencing nutrition, safety, and quality of life. However, self-reports of taste dysfunction are inaccurate, commonly reflecting deficits due to olfactory not taste system pathology; hence, quantitative testing is needed to verify the association of post-COVID-19 condition with taste function. OBJECTIVE: To use well-validated self-administered psychophysical tests to investigate the association of COVID-19 with long-term outcomes in taste and smell function...

BACKGROUND: Hearing loss is a common sequala of Streptococcus suis ( S. suis ) meningitis, but few have addressed cochlear implantation (CI) candidates with S. suis meningitis. OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical characteristics and CI postoperative outcomes in S. suis meningitis patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight S. suis meningitis patients underwent CI at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital between 2020 and 2023. Control groups included (1) non-Suis meningitis patients ( n  = 12) and (2) non-meningitis patients ( n  = 35)...

INTRODUCTION: During the Sars-Cov-2 crisis, some of the resources committed to emergency surgery services were transiently reallocated to the care of patients with severe COVID-19, preserving immediate treatment of mostly non-deferrable conditions. Moreover, the fear of contracting infections or hindering the treatment of critical COVID-19 patients has caused many individuals to defer seeking emergency care. This situation has then possibly modified the standard of care of some common surgical conditions and the relative outcomes...

The penicillin binding protein 2a (PBP2a) is a key enzyme associated with bacterial cell wall synthesis and bacterial infection. Therefore, targeting PBPa2 offers a promising approach for the therapeutics of bacterial resistance and infection. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of alpha-mangostin as a potential inhibitor of PBPa2. Molecular docking simulations revealed a strong binding affinity between alpha-mangostin and PBP2a, with an affinity score of -6.01 kcal/mol. Notably, alpha-mangostin formed a preferential hydrogen bond with THR216 of PBP2a, alongside several other polar and hydrophobic interactions...

BACKGROUND: Following years of pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections labelled Covid-19, long lasting impairment summarized as post-Covid syndrome (PCS) challenges worldwide healthcare. Patients benefit from rehabilitation programs, but sex specific aspects of improvement remain little understood. The aim of the study was to assess whether women and men differ in response to outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation for PCS. METHODS: 263 (54...

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenges are commonly used in animal studies as a model for infection with gram-negative bacteria and innate immune activation. We used a low-dose LPS challenge for evaluating interindividual variation in innate immune responses in calves. This was part of a larger study aimed at predicting interindividual variation in feed efficiency in veal calves by variation in feeding motivation, digestion, metabolism, immunology, and behavioral traits. However, due to unexpected high mortality, this LPS challenge was performed in 32 calves rather than in 130 calves, which was initially intended in that larger study, and the 32 calves subjected to the LPS challenge were removed from that larger study...

The increasing prevalence of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) pulmonary disease poses a significant therapeutic challenge, particularly due to the limited efficacy and systemic toxicity associated with conventional guideline-based therapy. Amikacin liposome inhalation suspension (ALIS) has been developed, yet its real-world application remains underreported. This retrospective analysis, conducted from March 2021 to February 2024, examined ALIS's clinical use in patients aged 20 years or older with refractory MAC pulmonary disease at our institution...

AIM: The authors analyze their published work and update their experience with 374 cases of cervical radiculopathy and/or myelopathy related to spinal degeneration that includes ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). The role of atlantoaxial and subaxial spinal instability as the nodal point of pathogenesis and focused target of surgical treatment is analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During the period from June 2012 to November 2022, 374 patients presented with acute or chronic symptoms related to radiculopathy and/or myelopathy that were attributed to degenerative cervical spondylotic changes or due to OPLL...

OBJECTIVES: Paracolic gutter exudation (PGE) may influence the severity of acute pancreatitis, but no study has explored it extensively. The objective of this study was to evaluate PGE for assessing the severity of disease. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 488 patients from three tertiary hospitals in Guangxi, China. General clinical information, severity, and clinical courses were recorded. The PGE score were classified as follows: 0 for no exudation, 1 for unilateral exudation, and 2 for bilateral exudation...

BACKGROUND: There are few thorough studies assessing predictors of severe encephalitis, despite the poor prognosis and high mortality associated with severe encephalitis. The study aims to evaluate the clinical predictors of mortality and poor outcomes at hospital discharge in patients with severe infectious encephalitis in intensive care units. METHOD: In two Chinese hospitals, a retrospective cohort study comprising 209 patients in intensive care units suffering from severe infectious encephalitis was carried out...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. We unveiled the diagnostic value of serum NLRP3, metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels in post-craniotomy intracranial infections and hydrocephalus in patients with severe craniocerebral trauma to investigate the high risk factors for these in patients with TBI, and the serological factors predicting prognosis, which had a certain clinical predictive value. Study subjects underwent bone flap resection surgery and were categorized into the intracranial infection/hydrocephalus/control (without postoperative hydrocephalus or intracranial infection) groups, with their clinical data documented...

INTRODUCTION: Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTI) are increasing, posing a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. Due to nonspecific symptoms, a high index of suspicion is crucial. Treatment involves a multidisciplinary approach, with broad-spectrum antibiotics, early surgical debridement, and life support. This study analyzes the characteristics, demographics, complications, and treatment of NSTI in a hospital in Madrid, Spain. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted, including all surgically treated NSTI patients at our center from January 2016 to December 2022, examining epidemiological and clinical data...

INTRODUCTION: Achieving stability in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is crucial for long-term implant survival. In cases of severe deformity or ligament laxity, constrained implants may be required. Traditionally, increasing constraint involved intramedullary stems. However, there are intermediary alternatives, including employing a constrained polyethylene insert without stems, thereby avoiding complications related to them. The study aims to evaluate our experience with a non-modular constrained (NMC) implant in primary TKA...

BACKGROUND: The Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) has been considered as a valid and reliable tool for predicting poor clinical outcomes and mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, its relationship with the severity of pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has not been thoroughly explored. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to identify the impact of the comorbidity burden, quantitatively assessed by applying CCI, on the severity of inpatient community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by SARS-CoV-2...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Gastric cancer (GC) is a major leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Systemic inflammation and the nutrition-based score are feasible prognostic markers for malignancies. Emerging evidence has also revealed the C-reactive protein -albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index to be a prognostic marker for several cancer types. However, its clinical significance to predict surgical and oncological outcomes of GC patients remains unclear. METHODS: We assessed the preoperative CALLY index in 426 GC patients who received gastrectomy...

BACKGROUND: The use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has increased over time. Several studies indicate that paternal use of medication may adversely affect the developing fetus. Only a few studies have investigated the association between preconceptional paternal exposure to SSRIs and the risks of adverse health outcomes in children. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess adverse birth outcomes and adverse early life events in children fathered by men using SSRIs prior to conception...

AIM: To explore whether CD3ε is involved in the adaptive immunity of Aspergillus fumigatus ( A. fumigatus ) keratitis in mice and the role of innate and adaptive immunity in it. METHODS: Mice models of A. fumigatus keratitis were established by intra-stromal injection and corneal epithelial scratching. Subconjunctival injections of natamycin, wedelolactone, LOX-1 inhibitor (poly I) or Dectin-1 inhibitor (laminarin) were used to treat mice with A. fumigatus keratitis...

BACKGROUND: In the post-epidemic era, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) remains one of the most prevalent and detrimental infectious diseases worldwide. The incidence of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) in AIDS patients is 100 times higher than that in healthy individuals. Although Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) is ultimately necessary for most patients, there is still a dearth of evidence regarding its safety and efficacy in Chinese AIDS patients. METHODS: The clinical data of 49 patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were retrospectively analyzed...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the psychosocial burden in children and adolescents with juvenile rheumatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: As part of the multicentre observational KICK-COVID study linked to the National Pediatric Rheumatology Database, adolescents < 21 years and parents of children < 12 years with rheumatic diseases answered questions on perceptions of health risk (PHR) due to SARS-CoV2, stress, well-being (WHO-5) and symptoms of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7)...

BACKGROUND: Long-COVID is a multisystem disease that can lead to significant impairments in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Following COVID-19 infection, abnormalities on pulmonary function tests (PFT) are common. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate for any correlation between PFT abnormalities and impairment in HRQoL scores following COVID-19 infection. METHODS: This is an analysis of a prospective cohort of patients in Louisville, KY who were infected with COVID-19...