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Background: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is the most commonly performed bariatric surgery performed in North America. As our knowledge of the importance in limiting narcotic use in postoperative patients increases, we sought to evaluate the effect of transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks on inpatient narcotic use in patients undergoing LSG., Methods: A retrospective review of LSG performed at a single institution by 3 bariatric surgeons was performed. All cases over a 15-month period were included, and anesthesia records were reviewed to stratify patients that received a TAP block and those that did not. Demographic, as well as surgical, outcomes were collected for all patients. Narcotic utilization, as reported in morphine equivalents (ME), was evaluated between the 2 groups., Results: 384 LSG patients were identified, of which 37 (9.6%) received a TAP block. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative morbidity, length of stay, or readmission between groups. Median narcotic utilization in hospital days 1 and 2 in patients with TAP blocks was 49 ME (Interquartile Range (IQR) 14.5-84.5) to 82.5 ME (IQR 57.4-106) in the no-TAP group ( P < .001). After controlling for multiple demographic- and patient-related cofactors, multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated TAP block patients utilized 22.48 ME less than the no-TAP group ( P < .001) in the first 2 days of their hospitalization., Discussion: Patients that received a TAP block as a part of their perioperative anesthetic care utilized less in-hospital narcotics than those patients that did not receive a TAP block. TAP blocks should be considered as part of a multimodal pain control strategy for patients undergoing LSG.

Background: There is an increasing amount of literature describing the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia and its associated complications. Historically, a small pneumothorax has been shown to be successfully treated without chest tube insertion, but this management has yet to be proven in COVID-19 pneumonia patients. In addition, pneumothorax in an intubated patient with high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) provides additional uncertainty with pursuing non-operative management., Case Presentation: In this series we report four cases of patients with respiratory distress who tested positive for COVID-19 via nasopharyngeal swab and developed ventilator-induced pneumothoraces which were successfully managed with observation alone., Conclusions: Management of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia on positive pressure ventilation who develop small stable pneumothoraces can be safely observed without chest tube insertion.

Background: Platelets are important for effective hemostasis and considered to be involved in pathophysiological processes, e.g. in cardiovascular diseases. Platelets provided for research or for therapeutic use are frequently separated from citrated whole blood (WB) stored for different periods of time. Although functionally intact platelets are required, the stability of platelet integrity, e.g. adenosine diphosphate (ADP) mediated responsiveness, has never been thoroughly investigated in citrated WB under ex vivo conditions., Objectives: Platelet integrity was evaluated at different time points in citrated WB units, collected from healthy donors and stored for 5 days at ambient temperature. The analysis included the measurement of activation markers, of induced light transmission aggregometry and of purinergic receptor expression or function. Inhibitory pathways were explored by determination of basal vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP)-phosphorylation, intracellular cyclic nucleotide levels and the content of phosphodiesterase 5A. Fresh peripheral blood (PB) samples served as controls., Results: On day 5 of storage, thrombin receptor activating peptide-6 (TRAP-6) stimulated CD62P expression and fibrinogen binding were comparable to PB samples. ADP induced aggregation continuously decreased during storage. Purinergic receptor expression remained unchanged, whereas the P2Y1 activity progressively declined in contrast to preserved P2Y12 and P2X1 function. Inhibitory pathways were unaffected except for a slight elevation of VASP phosphorylation at Ser239 on day 5., Conclusion: After 5 days of storage in citrated WB, platelet responsiveness to TRAP-6 is sufficiently maintained. However, ADP-mediated platelet integrity is more sensitive to deterioration, especially after storage for more than 2 days. Decreasing ADP-induced aggregation is particularly caused by the impairment of the purinergic receptor P2Y1 activity. These characteristics should be considered in the use of platelets from stored citrated WB for experimental or therapeutic issues.

Platelets express key proteins of the proteasome system and contain protein ubiquitination pathways. The functional role of the proteasome system in platelets, however, is still subject of studies. In addition to its role as anticancer drug, the potent and selective proteasome inhibitor bortezomib can be used for experimental proteasome research. Since it is mandatory to know exact dose-effect relationships, we intended to evaluate dose-dependent specific bortezomib effects on basal and on agonist-induced proteasome activitiy, on levels of poly-ubiquitinated proteins and on platelet aggregation. In washed platelets, unstimulated or stimulated with different agonists and pre-incubated with various bortezomib concentrations, the proteasome activity was determined by a fluorometric assay. The levels of poly-ubiquitinated proteins were assessed by an immunoassay kit. Platelet aggregation was measured by light transmission aggregometry in platelet-rich-plasma. Platelet agonists stimulate both, the proteasome activity and the accumulation of poly-ubiquitinated proteins in platelets. Bortezomib inhibits the basal and the agonist induced proteasome activity and increased the content of poly-ubiquitinated proteins in a concentration dependent manner. Bortezomib concentrations in the nM-range causing complete blockade of platelet proteasome activity do not affect agonist induced platelet aggregation, indicating that the level of platelet proteasome activity is not directly linked with the induction of platelet aggregation. Bortezomib in the µM-range may tamper platelet aggregation, possibly due to unspecific and toxic effects., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic inflammatory diseases of the bowel that are of unknown etiology. These diseases either progress with intermittent flare-ups interrupted by periods of remission or on a chronic active progressive mode. IBDs include Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Clinical and imaging diagnosis often is challenging, hence explaining the frequent time delay between onset of disease and initiation of therapy. Clinical evaluation is characterized by three consecutive steps: consider a diagnosis of IBD; exclude other causes of inflammatory bowel disease; differentiate CD from UC since a definitive curative surgical treatment is available for UC. US is non-invasive, widely available, easy to perform, and relatively inexpensive and thus represents a significant advance in the evaluation of these three steps. The role of US in the evaluation of patients with suspected IBD will be reviewed.

Background: Mometasone furoate is a potent glucocorticoid that can markedly inhibit proinflammatory Th2 cytokines in vitro. An aqueous nasal spray formulation has been shown to be clinically active in reducing the symptoms of perennial and seasonal allergic rhinitis., Objective: To determine whether pretreatment with mometasone furoate 200 microg once daily decreases specific indices of early and late phase nasal inflammation compared with placebo., Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study was conducted using nasal provocation with ragweed antigen in 21 patients with ragweed-induced allergic rhinitis out of the ragweed season; the treatment period was 2 weeks. Symptom scores, rhinoprobe cytology, and nasal lavage fluid were collected during early and late phase periods for nasal cytokines (interleukin, 1, 4, 5, 6, and 8) and leukotriene B4 determinations using ELISA and RIA., Results: Mean nasal symptom scores and sneezing frequency were consistently lower with mometasone furoate compared with placebo. Treatment was associated with a statistically significant early phase (30-minute time point) reduction in nasal lavage histamine levels compared with placebo (14.3 versus 20.2 ng/mL, P = .02). Within-treatment comparisons suggested that mometasone furoate reduced the antigen-induced late-phase response for IL-6, IL-8, and eosinophils compared with pretreatment. There were similar, but smaller, changes seen in the placebo group for these measurements. There were no statistically significant changes following antigen challenge in IL-1, IL-4, IL-5, LTB4, or in other nasal cytology parameters., Conclusion: These results suggest that the clinical activity of mometasone furoate nasal spray in seasonal allergic rhinitis is likely due, in part, to a reduction in the levels of histamine in nasal secretions related to the early phase response, and reductions in IL-6, IL-8, and eosinophils during the late phase response.

A multidisciplinary Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) committee consisting of pharmacists, nurses, and physician was formed. The committee developed an ADR Reporting Form and a 24-hour ADR Reporting Hotline to simplify ADR Reporting throughout the hospital. An ADR Newsletter and an extensive inservice education program was also implemented. Suspected ADRs are investigated by a pharmacist and presented to committee. A formal report is then forwarded to the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, as well as the clinical departments within the hospital. The establishment of a formalized multidisciplinary ADR committee was successful in generating 2.1 ADR reports per 100 hospital admissions. These ADRs were reported from a variety of healthcare professionals.

A 45-year-old woman was administered oral and intravenous diphenhydramine 25 mg for the treatment of an allergic reaction. Within 2 minutes she rapidly developed trismus, dysarthria, tremors of the upper extremities, left-sided weakness, and diminished consciousness. She was treated with intravenous diazepam and benztropine with good response. After approximately 12 hours the patient's condition was completely resolved except for minor subjective weakness of her left extremities. Her hospital stay was uneventful, and she was discharged after 4 days after refusing rechallenge with the drug. Several cases of acute dystonic reactions secondary to antihistamines have been reported in the literature, four of which involved diphenhydramine. Such reactions may occur after short- or long-term therapy. Most patients experienced rapidly developing trismus, facial dystonia, dysarthria, and occasionally, decreases in consciousness, motor incoordination, and weakness. Because of the widespread availability of diphenhydramine and other antihistamines to the general public, awareness of this effect is of great importance.

The causes and management of endocrine disorders associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are reviewed. Endocrine disorders observed in HIV-positive patients include adrenal abnormalities, hyporeninemic hypoaldosteronism, pituitary insufficiency, pancreatic abnormalities, thyroid and parathyroid disorders, and testicular abnormalities. Opportunistic pathogens implicated in these disorders include cytomegalovirus, Cryptococcus, Toxoplasma, mycobacteria, Candida, and Aspergillus. Neoplasma such as Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphoma can also cause endocrine abnormalities. Several drugs used in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are associated with the development of endocrine disorders. These drugs include ketoconazole, itraconazole, rifampin, vidarabine, pentamidine, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, didanosine, and ganciclovir. Severe patient debilitation can contribute to the development of endocrine abnormalities. Monitoring of adrenal gland function may be prudent in HIV-infected patients who have nonspecific symptoms of adrenal insufficiency. If adrenal insufficiency is diagnosed, replacement therapy with oral hydrocortisone is required. Administration of fludrocortisone can rapidly alleviate the signs and symptoms of hyporeninemic hypoaldosteronism. Fluid restriction is the first step in managing the pituitary abnormality known as the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone. Drug-induced endocrine abnormalities often resolve after withdrawal of the offending agent. Endocrine complications in HIV-infected patients may be caused by infection, malignancy, or drugs. Adjusting or instituting drug therapy may be necessary to control symptomatic endocrine abnormalities.

The authors report an unusual case of hepatic lipoma the originality of which consists in the demonstration on the radiograph of a large translucid image in the hepatic area suggestive of a lipoma.

A 16-year-old adolescent with metaphysial osteolysis of the proximal end of the fibula was found to have radiological and histological signs suggesting an aneurysmal cyst. Repeated radiological examinations demonstrated local signs of malignancy, followed by the appearance of pulmonary metastases. At the same time, however, histological examination of various tissue samples gave contradictory results leading to a diagnosis of angioblastosarcoma. This is a rare tumor, and the authors describe its principal radiological characteristics and its progression as reported in cases published in the literature.