Due to an increase in survival, a growing population of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) is present. However, female CCS are at risk of developing premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) after cancer treatment. POI involves a decreased chance of conceiving and the increased infertility state has a large impact on affected individuals‘ health and mental life. The objective of this study was to investigate health state and well-being among female CCS with and without POI and healthy controls (HC).

Female CCS treated in southern Sweden between 1964 and 2008 were included. Each patient was matched with a HC. The final study population included 167 female CCS and 164 HC that were examined between October 2010 and January 2015 at the Reproductive Medicine Centre at Skåne University Hospital in Malmö, Sweden. All participants, except for two HCs, answered an EQ-5D-3L questionnaire for measuring health state including a visual analogue scale (VAS) for estimating well-being.

There were 22 CCS with POI, none of the HC had POI. The mean health state differed among groups (unadjusted P = 0.002; adjusted P = 0.007). A difference in mean experienced well-being among groups was noted (unadjusted P = 0.003; adjusted P = 0.012). Lowest well-being was found in the CCS group with POI (P = 0.024).

Female CCS have a significantly decreased health state and well-being. Female CCS with POI additionally have the lowest self-estimated well-being.

Female CCS with POI should be identified early in order to give them adequate information and support.

Female CCS with POI should be identified early in order to give them adequate information and support.Luteolin is a flavonoid with antioxidant properties already demonstrated in studies related to inflammation, tumor, and cardiovascular processes; however, there are no available information regarding its antioxidant effects at the venous endothelial site. We investigated the effects of luteolin (10, 20, and 50 μmol/L) in cultures of rat venous endothelial cells. Nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were analyzed by fluorimetry; 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) residues were evaluated by immunofluorescence, and prostacyclin (PGI2) release was investigated by colorimetry. Intracellular NO levels were significantly enhanced after 10 min of luteolin incubation, with a parallel decrease in ROS generation. These results were accompanied by a significant reduction in the expression of 3-NT residues and enhanced PGI2 rates. Therefore, luteolin is effective in reducing ROS thereby improving NO availability in venous endothelial cells. Besides, luteolin-induced decrease in 3-NT residues may correlate with the enhancement in endothelial PGI2 bioavailability. These findings suggest the future application of this flavonoid as a protective agent by improving endothelial function in several circulatory disorders related to venous insufficiency.In in vitro culture systems, dexamethasone (DEX) has been applied with ascorbic acid (ASC) and β-glycerophosphate (βGLY) as culture media supplementation to induce osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. However, there are some inconsistencies regarding the role of DEX as osteogenic media supplementation. Therefore, this study verified the influence of DEX culture media supplementation on the osteogenic differentiation, especially the capacity to mineralize the extracellular matrix of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED). Five groups were established G1-SHED + Dulbecco’s Modified Eagles‘ Medium (DMEM) + fetal bovine serum (FBS); G2-SHED + DMEM + FBS + DEX; G3-SHED + DMEM + FBS + ASC + βGLY; G4-SHED + DMEM + FBS + ASC + βGLY + DEX; G5-MC3T3-E1 + α Minimal Essential Medium (MEM) + FBS + ASC + βGLY. DNA content, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, free calcium quantification in the extracellular medium, and extracellular matrix mineralization quantification through staining with von Kossa, alizarin red, and tetracycline were performed on days 7 and 21. Osteogenic media supplemented with ASC and β-GLY demonstrated similar effects on SHED in the presence or absence of DEX for DNA content (day 21) and capacity to mineralize the extracellular matrix according to alizarin red and tetracycline quantifications (day 21). In addition, the presence of DEX in the osteogenic medium promoted less ALP activity (day 7) and extracellular matrix mineralization according to the von Kossa assay (day 21), and more free calcium quantification at extracellular medium (day 21). In summary, the presence of DEX in the osteogenic media supplementation did not interfere with SHED commitment into mineral matrix depositor cells. We suggest that DEX may be omitted from culture media supplementation for SHED osteogenic differentiation in vitro studies.Since the first appearance of the severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) earlier this year, clinicians and researchers alike have been faced with dynamic, daily challenges of recognizing, understanding, and treating the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to SARS-CoV-2. Those who are moderately to severely ill with COVID-19 are likely to develop acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and require administration of supplemental oxygen. Assessing the need to initiate or titrate oxygen therapy is largely dependent on evaluating the patient’s existing blood oxygenation status, either by direct arterial blood sampling or by transcutaneous arterial oxygen saturation monitoring, also referred to as pulse oximetry. While the sampling of arterial blood for measurement of dissolved gases provides a direct measurement, it is technically challenging to obtain, is painful to the patient, and can be time and resource intensive. Pulse oximetry allows for non-invasive, real-time, continuous monitoring ilar to pulse oximetry which can be applied to a patients finger, and then continuously monitored from outside the room is essential in preventing a particularly dangerous situation of unrealized hypoxia in this critically-ill patient population. Additionally, it would appear that conventional two-wavelength pulse oximetry may not accurately predict the arterial oxygen content of blood in these patients. This discordance of oxygenation measurements poses a critical concern in the evaluation and management of the acute hypoxemic respiratory failure seen in patients with COVID-19.

A variety of postprocessing algorithms for CT perfusion are available, with substantial differences in terms of quantitative maps. Although potential advantages of a Bayesian estimation algorithm are suggested, direct comparison with other algorithms in clinical settings remains scarce. We aimed to compare performance of a Bayesian estimation algorithm and singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithms for the assessment of acute ischemic stroke using an 80-detector row CT perfusion.

CT perfusion data of 36 patients with acute ischemic stroke were analyzed using the Vitrea implemented a standard SVD algorithm, a reformulated SVD algorithm and a Bayesian estimation algorithm. Correlations and statistical differences between affected and contralateral sides of quantitative parameters (cerebral blood volume [CBV], cerebral blood flow [CBF], mean transit time [MTT], time to peak [TTP] and delay) were analyzed. Agreement of the CT perfusion-estimated and the follow-up diffusion-weighted imaging-derived infarct better delineation of abnormal perfusion areas and accurate estimation of infarct volume.

Preliminary reports suggest a hypercoagulable state in COVID-19. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is perceived as a frequent finding in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, but data describing the prevalence of DVT are lacking.

We aimed to report the prevalence of DVT in COVID-19 patients in general wards, blinded to symptoms/signs of disease, using lower extremities duplex ultrasound (LEDUS) in random patients. We tested the association of DVT with clinical, laboratory and inflammatory markers and also reported on the secondary endpoint of in-hospital mortality.

n =263 COVID-19 patients were screened with LEDUS between March 01, 2020 and April 05, 2020 out of the overall n = 1012 admitted with COVID-19.

DVT was detected in n=67 screened patients (25.5%), n=41 patients (15.6%) died during the index hospitalization. Multiple logistic regression demonstrated that only C-reactive protein (odds ratio 1.009, 95% CI 1.004-1.013, p < 0.001) was independently associated with the presence of DVT at LEDUS. Both age (odother clinical or laboratory variables, age or D-dimer included, are instead not independently associated with DVT.Treatment of pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) has been increasingly debated in the last few years due to limited knowledge of treatment strategies and therapeutic options. When MS develops at a young age, it usually has a very inflammatory disease course, with many relapses and disease activity as seen in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Therefore, treatment with immunomodulatory drugs may be beneficial in these patients. However, limited data are available to date on the treatment of pediatric MS. Although observational, prospective, and retrospective studies provide some information on its treatment course, only one clinical trial in pediatric patients has been published, the PARADIGMS trial, which showed an 82% reduction in relapse rate with fingolimod (0.5 mg/day) versus interferon β-1a (30 μg once weekly intramuscularly). Here, we present the case of a pediatric patient with MS (age of onset, 13 years), who was initially treated with interferon β-1a for 2 years and subsequently switched to fingolimod, owing to clinical and radiological activity despite treatment with interferon β-1a.

Gut dysfunction and resulting chronic low-grade inflammation have been linked to metabolic and chronic diseases in the general population. In this review, we present recently published studies of HIV-associated gut dysfunction and comorbidities including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and neurocognitive disease.

Biomarkers of microbial translocation, dysbiosis, or intestinal epithelial integrity have been used to investigate relationships between HIV-associated gut dysfunction and metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurologic complications. Many studies point to worsened comorbidities associated with gut dysfunction in people with HIV (PWH), but some studies show mixed results, and thus, the data are still inconclusive and limited to surrogate biomarkers rather than direct intestinal assessments. Inflammation and immune activation stemming from changes in intestinal epithelial integrity and dysbiosis are present in PWH and relate to metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurologic complica needed to investigate the direct contributory role of gastrointestinal dysfunction to comorbidities of HIV.

Despite the growing interest in sarcopenia in clinical medicine, there is little evidence to support the association between muscle strength and functional prognosis in patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of low handgrip strength (HGS) on functional outcomes in older patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures.

A prospective cohort study was performed between 2017 and 2019 on consecutive patients with conservatively treated vertebral compression fractures who were newly admitted for post-acute rehabilitation. HGS was measured on admission. Outcomes included the Functional Independence Measure-motor (FIM-motor) score at discharge and length of hospital stay. Multivariate linear regression analyses were utilized to determine whether HGS at baseline was significantly associated with these outcomes after adjustment for potential confounders.

Of the 207 patients admitted, 159 patients (mean age 83years; 78% women) were enrolled in the analysis. LY2780301 nmr The mean (standard deviation SD) HGS was 15.