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PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine associations between markers of inflammation and endogenous anticoagulant activity with delirium and coma during critical illness. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, we enrolled adults with respiratory failure and/or shock treated in medical or surgical intensive care units (ICUs) at 5 centers. Twice per day in the ICU, and daily thereafter, we assessed mental status using the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) and the Confusion Assessment Method-Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU)...

When the authors were 12 and 14 years old, their worlds shifted suddenly without warning or consent, and bifurcated our lives into "a before" and "an after." They were both diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and found themselves in an "in between" space-young but not healthy, sick but not dying, treatments but not cures, intestines swollen and bleeding but appearing fine on the outside, in every sense the definition: an invisible illness. Their own chronic illness experiences helped to shape our pursuit of careers in healthcare, with one of them choosing pediatric IBD psychology (Jennie David) and the other choosing pediatric gastroenterology (Samantha R...

Health professionals spend their careers in the expert care of patients experiencing difficult and chronic illnesses. However, there is no equivalent in professional training for personal, lived experiences as patients or loved ones of patients, both of which can serve as unforgettably humanizing teachers for building empathy, compassion, and perspective-taking skills. This 55-word story is a reflection on a memorable moment in one such experience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)...

Parechovirus A (PeV-A) infections have been detected with increasing frequency in US infants under 6 months of age, leading to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health advisory in July 2022. Clinicians are advised to consider PeV-A laboratory testing of blood and cerebrospinal fluid when infants present with unexplained fever, sepsis-like illness, or neurological issues. Clinical laboratories are encouraged to offer in-house molecular testing for PeV-A to avoid diagnostic delays, unnecessary use of antibiotics, and prolonged hospitalization of infants presenting with sepsis-like illness...

Steinkrauss and Slotnick (this issue) argue against hippocampal involvement in implicit memory, bringing up some important considerations. Their critique, however, exhibits significant flaws. The argumentation is based on an ill-defined key concept of 'implicit memory,' and important theoretical context is missed. Potential confounds are brought to bear against a rather narrow selection of studies, often without explaining how exactly the studies are biased. Refining the conceptual scope, including a broader range of literature, and arguing more inclusively would provide more nuanced insights into the hippocampus's role in implicit memory...

Low-pathogenic human coronaviruses (HCoVs) infect the upper respiratory tract and cause mild, cold-like respiratory illness. Although several studies have shown evidence of the global distribution of HCoVs, information about their distribution in Italy are often focused only on hospitalized children and elderly with respiratory symptoms. In this study, a total of 916 swab samples collected during the first two SARS-CoV-2 pandemic waves in Abruzzo region (central Italy) was selected for molecular screening of low pathogenic HCoVs by real-time RT-PCR...

Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) enables healthcare providers to share knowledge and best practices via telementoring. The ECHO model builds provider capacity and improves care for patients with a variety of health conditions. This study describes a Canada-wide National ECHO pilot project in the area of geriatric mental health and reports on the program's impact on providers' care practices. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze surveys completed by participating healthcare providers...

BACKGROUND: This study investigates clinical and biomarker differences between standard interval dosing (SID) and extended interval dosing (EID) of ocrelizumab therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: This is a prospective, double-arm, open-label, multi-center study in Denmark. Participants diagnosed with MS on ocrelizumab therapy >12 months were included ( n = 184). Clinical, radiological, and blood-based biomarker outcomes were evaluated. MRI disease activity, relapses, worsening of neurostatus, and No Evidence of Disease Activity-3 (NEDA-3) were used as a combined endpoint...

AIMS AND METHOD: We aimed to assess whether viewing expert witness evidence regarding the mental health of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in the 2022 court case in the USA would affect viewers' attitudes towards the mental health of the two protagonists and towards mental illness in general. After viewing excerpts of the cross-examination evidence, 38 trial-naive undergraduate students completed the Prejudice towards People with a Mental Illness (PPMI) scale. RESULTS: Following viewing, participants held more stigmatising views of the protagonists than they held about mental disorders in general...

Aims Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) is a chronic progressive respiratory disorder occurring at a rate ranging from 4.2 to 278.1 cases per 100,000 persons, depending on age, in the United States. For many patients with NCFB, the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) makes treatment more complicated and typically has worse outcomes. Management of NCFB can be challenging, warranting a better understanding of the burden of illness for NCFB, treatments applied, healthcare resources used, and subsequent treatment costs...

BACKGROUND: Traumatic injury is one of the top public health challenges globally. Injury survivors often experience poor health and functioning and restricted participation in employment. In Ethiopia, there is a paucity of evidence about the long-term consequences of injuries, particularly about their employment outcomes and disability status. This study characterizes injury survivors by their preinjury status, injury characteristics, postinjury employment outcomes and disability status 1 year post injury...

PURPOSE: An increasing number of studies have indicated the important role of cytokines in the development of depressive disturbances (DD). In medically ill patients, cytokines can provoked sickness behavior, the signs of which resemble DD. This results in alterations in behavior to limit energy expenditure and redirect it to cope with particular diseases. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of pro-inflammatory IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β and anti-inflammatory IL-10 and TGF-β in DD observed in patients suffering from pain caused by disk herniation (DH) qualified for surgery...

Flea-borne typhus (FBT), also known as murine typhus, is a zoonotic infection caused by R. typhi with world-wide distribution. In the United States, the infection is uncommon but remains endemic in some areas, including Los Angeles County. It typically manifests as a benign acute febrile illness but can be complicated in a minority of cases. Associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) has been described in a limited number of cases. Here, we present a case of a patient with FBT complicated by HLH treated empirically with doxycycline with subsequent resolution of HLH...

Objectives  We sought to describe characteristics of mechanically ventilated pregnant patients, evaluate utilization of low-tidal-volume ventilation (LTVV) and high-tidal-volume ventilation (HTVV) by trimester, and describe maternal and fetal outcomes by ventilation strategy. Study Design  This is a retrospective cohort study of pregnant women with mechanical ventilation for greater than 24 hours between July 2012 and August 2020 at a tertiary care academic medical center. We defined LTVV as average daily tidal volume 8 mL/kg of less of predicted body weight, and HTVV as greater than 8 mL/kg...

During the transition period, dairy cows are often exposed to negative energy balance (NEB), leading to lipid mobilization from adipose tissue into nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), a common indicator of heightened illness risk. This study aimed to use blood near-infrared (NIR) spectra data to classify NEB into high or low categories, based on early-lactation cow NEFA thresholds. We collected a total of 186 plasma samples from 100 Holstein cows. The samples were categorized into critical thresholds, based on previous literature, of ≥0...

In pediatric-aged patients, hyperthyroidism generally results from the autoimmune disorder, Graves' disease (GD). Excessive levels of thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine and thyroxine) result in irritability, emotional lability, nervousness, tremors, palpitations, tachycardia, and arrhythmias. The risk of morbidity and mortality is increased when surgical intervention is required in patients with hyperthyroidism due to the potential for the development of thyroid storm (TS). A 3-year, 1-month-old child with a past medical history of GD presented for total thyroidectomy when pharmacologic control with methimazole was not feasible due to intolerance following development of a serum sickness-like illness...

OBJECTIVE:  There is limited data on the pathogenic microorganisms associated with anorectal abscesses. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyze the types and quantities of pathogenic microorganisms in the pus cultures of patients with anorectal abscesses and to explore the correlation between pathogenic microorganisms and types of anorectal abscesses. METHODS:  A retrospective analysis was conducted on the microbiological data of 517 inpatient surgical patients with anorectal abscesses treated at a single center from January 2017 to December 2021...

Critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) and myopathy (CIM) are underreported conditions in critically ill children with prolonged intensive care unit stays and mechanical ventilation. We report a case of a 10-year-old boy with pneumococcal meningoencephalitis with severe sepsis and multiorgan dysfunction. The child required prolonged ventilation, sedation, and inotropic support. He had repeated extubation failures and the development of quadriparesis with areflexia. Electrophysiology studies were consistent with CIP with acute motor and sensory axonal polyneuropathy and elevated muscle enzymes...

In today's world, it is becoming increasingly important to address not only the need for awareness of mental illnesses but also the undue glorification of the same by certain segments of society. Social media has been a major influence on Generation Z in terms of self-diagnosing mental illnesses and romanticizing them. More and more individuals have started recognizing online trends of self-diagnosis of mental illness, and it is increasingly plausible in the process of normalizing the conversation around mental health through memes, TikTok videos, and viral tweets; this has had the paradoxical effect of romanticization of mental illness in certain segments of society...

INTRODUCTION: Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is used to manage various life-threatening illnesses. It is widely performed by nephrologists, intensivists, pathologists, or experts in transfusion medicine worldwide. However, the costs of TPE sessions are exceedingly high, and they have a huge impact on patients' financial burden. Herein, we investigated the outcomes of the reuse of plasma filters in TPE on several occasions. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of patients receiving TPE from January 1, 2020, to April 30, 2023, in the Department of Nephrology...