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Background Hemolytic uremic syndrome secondary to Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli infection (STEC-HUS) generally shows a favorable outcome. Few cases develop extra-renal complications, since neurological involvement is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. The role of complement in STEC-HUS has been recently highlighted, and the use of eculizumab in severe cases has been communicated. HUS results from environmental and genetic factors, but the simultaneous occurrence of STEC and complement mutations remains undetermined. Methods A pediatric case with severe STEC-HUS carrying CFH mutations, with favorable response to eculizumab is analyzed. Results STEC-HUS was diagnosed in a 4-year-old girl with classic HUS, including low C3. Peritoneal dialysis was started due to hypertension, oligoanuria, and pleural effusion. She evolved with generalized tonic-clonic seizures and required mechanical ventilation. MRI reported multiple supra- and infratentorial ischemic lesions with laminar/striatal cortical necrosis and leukoencephalopathy. After two eculizumab doses, a significative stabilization in diuresis, blood pressure, creatinine, and C3 was achieved. At the third week, episodes of massive digestive bleeding and a life-threatening condition required a colectomy thus preserving the ileocecal valve. Due to atypical evolution, a genetic study was considered, identifying two heterozygous variants (CFH S1191L/V1197A). Conclusion STEC-HUS in patients with a genetic predisposition has been previously reported, but the low frequency of occurrence makes it a rare disease. As in the present case, patients with atypical course might benefit from genetic analysis to evaluate early eculizumab initiation and to better understand its phenotype. Graphical abstract A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information, Author(s): Carla Galvez [sup.1] , Paola Krall [sup.1] [sup.2] , Alejandro Rojas [sup.2] , Jun Oh [sup.3] , Francisco Cano [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.443909.3, 0000 0004 0385 4466, Department [...]

Post-Acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) is a multisystem disorder causing persistent musculoskeletal deconditioning and reduced lower extremity strength. Electrical stimulation (E-Stim) to the gastrocnemius muscle can enhance strength outcomes by increasing the frequency of muscle fiber activation. We investigated its effect on individuals with PASC. Participants were randomized into intervention (IG) or control (CG) groups. The IG self-administered daily one-hour E-Stim to both their gastrocnemius muscles using a functional device over 4-week, while the CG used a sham device. Primary outcomes were ankle dorsiflexion strength assessed via dynamometry during maximum voluntary contractions, and gastrocnemius voluntary activation (GVA) via surface electromyography. The secondary outcome assessed activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADL, and mobility queries. Percentage improvement was calculated. Eighteen patients were analyzed (IG = 10; CG = 8). After 4 week, the IG showed a significantly higher improvement in ankle dorsiflexion strength (222.64%) compared to the CG (51.27%, p = 0.002). Additionally, the IG's ankle dorsiflexion strength improvement significantly correlated with GVA improvement (rho = 0.782) at 4 week. The secondary outcomes did not reveal significant changes in neither group. Self-administered gastrocnemius E-Stim improves ankle dorsiflexion strength in individuals with PASC. However, larger sample sizes and longer interventions are needed to validate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Transmetatarsal amputation (TMA) with primary closure has long been an option for limb salvage in patients with advanced chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) with extensive tissue loss of the forefoot. However, TMA healing and closure techniques are challenging, specifically in high-risk patients. Guillotine transmetatarsal amputations (gTMA) with staged closure may provide an alternative treatment in this population. We report long-term outcomes of such technique. Materials and Methods: A single-center retrospective cohort study of CLTI patients undergoing gTMA between 2017 and 2020 was performed. Limb salvage, wound healing, and survival rates were quantified using Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis. Multivariate regression was used to identify the effect of patient characteristics on the outcomes. Results: Forty-four gTMA procedures were reviewed. Median follow-up was 381 (interquartile range [IQR], 212–539.75) days. After gTMA, 87.8% (n=36) of the patients were able to ambulate after a median interval of 2 (IQR, 1–3) days. Eventual coverage was achieved in a personalized and staged approach by using a combination of skin substitutes (88.6%, n=39) ± split thickness skin grafts (STSG, 61.4%, n=27). KM estimates for limb salvage, wound healing, and survival were 84.1%, 54.5%, and 88.6% at 1 year and 81.8%, 63.8%, and 84.1% at 2 years. Wound healing was significantly associated with STSG application (p=0.002, OR=16.5, 95% CI 2.87–94.81). Conclusion: gTMA resulted in high limb salvage rates during long-term follow-up in CLTI patients. Adjunctive STSG placement may enhance wound healing at the gTMA site, thus leading to expedited wound closure. Surgeons may consider gTMA as an alternative to reduce limb loss in CLTI patients at high risk of major amputation. Clinical Impact: Currently, the clinical presentation of CLTI is becoming more complex to deal with due to the increasing comorbidities as the society becomes older. The data shown in this article means for clinicians that when facing diffused forefoot gangrene and extensive tissue loss, limb preservation could still be considered instead of major amputation. Guillotine transmetatarsal amputations in the setting of an aggressive multidisciplinary group, can be healed by the responsibly utilization of dermal substitutes and skin grafts leading to the preservation of the extremity, allowing mobility, avoiding of sarcopenia, and decreasing frailty. This will equate to maintenance of independent living and preservation of lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FDE , LP and |$\mathbf {K_{3}}$| are closely related to each other and admit of an intuitive informational interpretation. However, all these logics are co-NP complete, and so idealized models of how an agent can think. We address this issue by shifting to signed formulae, where the signs express imprecise values associated with two bipartitions of the corresponding set of standard values. We present proof systems whose operational rules are all linear and have only two structural branching rules that express a generalized Principle of Bivalence. Each of these systems leads to defining an infinite hierarchy of tractable approximations to the respective logic, in terms of the maximum number of allowed nested applications of the two branching rules. Further, each resulting hierarchy admits of an intuitive 5-valued non-deterministic semantics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi ssp.) are endangered in Mexico. Safe anesthetic protocols are important for in situ and ex situ conservation problems. Such protocols are scarce in the literature; nor have safety and physiologic responses been reported. High doses and volume are a counter side for field immobilizations. We tested an anesthetic protocol with a combination of tiletamine-zolazepam (5 mg/kg) plus xylazine (1 mg/kg) in 14 black-handed spider monkeys under human care from two facilities in Mexico. Physiological parameters such as HR, RR, T, SPO2, systolic arterial pressure (), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), and median arterial pressure (MAP) were obtained. HR and RR decreased over time, but T increased significantly during the anesthetic time for the whole group; RR and T decreased for juveniles only. Variation between individuals was observed for HR, RR, and DAP. Volume reduction of drugs was achieved compared to previously reported anesthesia protocols. Induction time was fast (6.2 ± 10.4 min) and no tail prehension was seen. Recovery was prolonged (mean and SD). Physiologic parameters remained stable throughout. The protocol proved to be safe for the chemical immobilization of black-handed spider monkeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]