Nanophase surface arrays on poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) upregulate sensory cell features.

2%. The proportion of patients with a persistence of at least 12 months per practice ranged from 0 to 80% in Germany and from 0 to 85% in the UK. The prevalence of practices with good persistence was lower in Germany than in the UK (9.6 versus 54.8%). CONCLUSION Physicians play an important role with respect to the persistence of the dementia patients they treat. Further studies are needed to better understand the role of physicians of other specialties in patients' adherence.
.OBJECTIVE Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a fatal demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, caused by reactivation of John Cunningham polyomavirus, affecting mainly patients in an immunocompromised state. Recently, drug-associated PML is gaining attention as more cases of PML in connection with the use of various immunomodulatory drugs emerge. Over the last couple of years, sporadic reports have occurred about a possible association between PML and the use of a new immunomodulatory drug, ibrutinib (Imbruvica), primarily indicated for the treatment of various B-cell malignancies. CASE REPORT Herein, we report a case of a 62-year-old female patient with bilateral mantle cell lymphoma of conjunctiva diagnosed at IVA clinical stage (according to the Ann Arbor staging of lymphomas) of the disease. As a first line of treatment, the patient was given 6 cycles of rituximab-based chemotherapy followed by a complete remission. Seven years later, the patient relapsed, at which point the treatment with ibrutinib was initiated. Three weeks after the initial dosage, the patient started to show signs of progressive neurological symptomatology and died 4 months thereafter due to bilateral bronchopneumonia. Due to unspecific MRI signs and negative PCR results, the diagnosis of PML was confirmed only postmortem. CONCLUSION This case report demonstrates a possible severe adverse effect of the immunomodulatory drug ibrutinib and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in its diagnosis. Since PML is a rare but highly fatal disease, it is of utmost importance to be aware of the possible connection with the use of this drug to prevent missed or delayed diagnosis, considering that timely therapeutic intervention is crucial for improved prognosis.
.OBJECTIVE Respiratory alkalosis (RA) and dilutional hyperchloremic acidosis (DHA) are the most common acid-base balance (ABB) disorders in patients with liver cirrhosis. The aims of this study were to clarify whether RA develops in relation to DHA via respiratory compensation of metabolic acidosis and whether spironolactone in combination with low-dose furosemide - diuretics known to ameliorate DHA - positively affects RA in liver cirrhosis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS 59 patients with advanced cirrhosis were divided into two groups. Group D consisted of individuals (urine sodium concentration (UNa+) > 20 mmol/L) who responded to combination therapy consisting of spironolactone and low-dose furosemide. The non-D group consisted of individuals (UNa+ ≤ 20 mmol/L) who either did not respond to the treatment or who were not administered it. In both groups, we examined serum and urine concentrations of electrolytes and ABB parameters, including SNa+-SCl- and SNa+/SCl- values. learn more RESULTS In group D, we found a statistically significant relationship between pCO2 and SHCO3- r = 0.756 (p less then 0.001) and between pCO2 and SNa+-SCl- r = 0.522 (p = 0.001). Neither Salb nor the corrected anion gap were associated with changes in SHCO3- or pCO2 values. Although SHCO3- values were normal, abnormal pCO2 values were observed in one third of group D patients. Based on multivariable analysis, SHCO3- proved to be a statistically significant influencing factor on pCO2 values. CONCLUSION DHA contributes to the development of RA in individuals with liver cirrhosis. Reducing DHA by means of effective diuretic therapy comprising spironolactone and furosemide has a beneficial effect on RA in such patients.
.An elderly Japanese woman with bilateral renal artery occlusion who developed massive proteinuria after unilateral percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) is reported. She had a history of percutaneous coronary intervention and subsequently developed refractory hypertension. She was diagnosed with renovascular hypertension caused by bilateral total occlusion of the renal arteries, and underwent PTRA for the left renal artery. Nephrotic-range proteinuria from the left kidney, confirmed by split urine collection from each kidney under cytoscopic examination, and low-grade fever with positive C-reactive protein became obvious after PTRA. Giant cell arteritis (GCA) was also diagnosed by positive findings on fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography in the common carotid arteries, subclavian arteries, and aorta, but not in the renal arteries. Administration of corticosteroid and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor decreased the proteinuria (> 9 - 2 g/day). Possible mechanisms for the development of nephrotic-range proteinuria and a hypothesis that GCA became obvious after PTRA are discussed.
.BACKGROUND The use of a catheter for hemodialysis is associated with a 5-fold increased risk of septicemia. Early detection of catheter-related bloodstrean infection (CRBSI) may decrease morbidity and mortality, but the benefits of systematic blood cultures have not been demonstrated. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively studied the blood culture results of patients who had been dialyzed with a tunneled jugular catheter for more than 1 month in a dialysis unit from January to December 2015. Systematic monthly catheter blood cultures were taken from the heparin lock solutions in the arterial and venous branches, at the beginning or end of the session. CRBSI was assessed using patient symptoms (fever, chills, hemodynamic instability) and positive catheter blood cultures. RESULTS 75 patients were included. We analyzed the results of 577 systematic catheter blood cultures. 27 (5%) were positive, including 23 from patients who did not develop CRBSI in the following month. For the latter, there was a predominance of coagulase-negative staphylococci.learn more