Prospective Assessment of the Abdominal Hernia-Q (AHQ)—Patient Burden, Reliability, and Longitudinal Assessment of Quality of Life in Hernia Repair

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Prospective Assessment of the Abdominal Hernia-Q (AHQ)—Patient Burden, Reliability, and Longitudinal Assessment of Quality of Life in Hernia Repair via Annals of Surgery - Most Popular Articles Objective: This study assesses the user burden, reliability, and longitudinal validity of the AHQ, a novel VH patient-reported outcomes measure (PROM). Background: We developed and psychometrically validated the AHQ as the first VH-specific, stakeholder-informed PROM. Yet, there remains a need to assess the AHQ's clinical applicability and further validate its psychometric properties. Methods: To assess patient burden, pre- and postoperative patients were timed while completing the corresponding AHQ form. To measure test-retest reliability, a subset of patients completed the AHQ within a week of initial completion, and consecutive responses were correlated. Lastly, patients undergoing VH repair were prospectively administered the pre- and postoperative AHQ forms, the Hernia-Related Quality of Life Survey and the Short Form-12 both preoperatively and at postoperative intervals, up to over a year after surgery. Quality-of-Life scores were correlated from the 3 PROMs and effect sizes were compared using analysis of normal variance. Results: Median response times for the pre- and postoperative AHQ were 1.1 and 2.7 minutes, respectively. The AHQ demonstrates high test-retest reliability coefficients for pre- and postoperative instruments (r = 0.91, 0.89). The AHQ appropriately and proportionally measures expected changes following surgery and significantly correlates with all times points of the Hernia-Related Quality of Life Survey and Short Form-12 MS and 4/5 (80%) SF12-PS. Conclusion: The AHQ is a patient-informed, psychometrically-validated, clinical instrument for measuring, quantifying, and tracking PROMs in VH patients. The AHQ exhibits low response burden, excellent reliability, and effectively measures hernia-specific changes in quality-of-Life following ventral hernia repair. View on Web

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Gimap5 promoted RSV degradation through interaction with M6PR

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Gimap5 promoted RSV degradation through interaction with M6PR via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract Backgroud Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the main pathogens of viral pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants and young children and a life threatening diseases among infants and young children. GTPases of the immune-associated protein family (GIMAP) are a new family members of immune-associated GTPases. In recent years, much attention has been paid to the function of the GIMAP family in coping with infection and stress. Gimap5 is a member of the GIMAP family, which may be correlated with anti-infectious immunity. Methods RT-qPCR, Western blot and indirect immunofluorescence (IFA) were used to detect the expression of Gimap5, M6PR and IGF1R(the major RSV receptor). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to detect the degradation of RSV in Gimap5-overexpressed or -silent cell lines. Computer virtual screening was used to screen small molecule compounds targeting Gimap5 and the anti-RSV effects were explored through in vivo and in vitro experiments. Results GIMAP5 and M6PR were significantly down-regulated after RSV infection. Gimap5 accelerated RSV degradation in lysosomes by interacting with M6PR, and further prevented RSV invasion by down-regulating the expression of RSV surface receptor IGF1R. Three small molecule compounds targeting Gimap5 were confirmed to be the agonists of Gimap5. The three compounds effectively inhibited RSV infection and RSV-induced complications. Conclusion Gimap5 promotes the degradation of RSV and its receptor through interacting with M6PR. Gimap5 agonists can effectively reduce RSV infection and RSV-induced complication in vivo and in vitro, which provides a new choice for the treatment of RSV. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on Web

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Evaluation the efficacy and safety of N‐acetylcysteine inhalation spray in controlling the symptoms of patients with COVID‐19: An open‐label randomized controlled clinical trial

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Evaluation the efficacy and safety of N‐acetylcysteine inhalation spray in controlling the symptoms of patients with COVID‐19: An open‐label randomized controlled clinical trial via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect and safety of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) inhalation spray in the treatment of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods This randomized controlled clinical trial study was conducted on patients with COVID-19. Eligible patients (n=250) were randomly allocated into the intervention group (routine treatment + NAC inhaler spray one puff per 12 hours, for 7 days) or the control group who received routine treatment alone. Clinical features, hemodynamic, hematological, biochemical parameters and patient outcomes were assessed and compared before and after treatment. Results The mortality rate was significantly higher in the control group than in the intervention group (39.2% vs 3.2%, P<0.001). Significant differences were found between the two groups (intervention and control, respectively) for white blood cell count (6.2 vs 7.8, P<0.001), hemoglobin (12.3 vs 13.3, P=0.002), C-reactive protein (CRP: 6 vs 11.5, P<0.0001) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST: 32 vs 25.5, P<0.0001). No differences were seen for hospital length of stay (11.98±3.61 vs 11.81±3.52, P=0.814) or the requirement for ICU admission (7.2% vs 11.2%, P=0.274). Conclusions NAC was beneficial in reducing the mortality rate in patients with COVID-19 and inflammatory parameters, and a reduction in the development of severe respiratory failure; however, it did not affect the length of hospital stay or the need for ICU admission. Data on the effectiveness of NAC for SARS-CoV-2 is limited and further research is required. Clinical Trial Registration This study Registered at Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20080901001165N55) dated 23-05-2020. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on Web

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The prognostic significance of hematogones in childhood B‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader The prognostic significance of hematogones in childhood B‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia via Pediatric Blood & Cancer Abstract Background Recent studies have demonstrated hematogones (HGs) expansion to be associated with favorable outcomes in hematological diseases, especially in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common form of cancer in children. As of now, minimal residual disease (MRD) remains the most compelling independent prognostic factor in childhood ALL. There is need for more prognostic tools for evaluating relapse risk. Procedure The goal of this study was to assess the prognostic value of HGs on relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in childhood ALL. In this prospective cohort study, a total of 122 subjects with definitive diagnosis of precursor B lymphoblastic leukemia were evaluated. Flow cytometric HG detection was performed in bone marrow aspirates after induction and consolidation therapy. Results The median follow-up period of patients was 35.5 ± 9.4 (SD) months. Patients who had at least 1.0% HGs had a significantly better RFS (p = .023). Moreover, univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that positive HGs were independently associated with longer RFS (unadjusted model: hazard ratio = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.12–0.91, p = .031; adjusted model: hazard ratio = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.11–0.82, p = .020). Conclusions Along with the role of MRD, our study shows the significance of HGs as an independent prognostic factor. The results indicate the independent prognostic value of HGs on RFS after adjustment for other prognostic factors, and can be beneficial for risk stratification and treatment modifications amongst pediatric B-cell ALL patients. View on Web

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Duration of antibiotic treatment for acute graft pyelonephritis: What's the standard of care?

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Duration of antibiotic treatment for acute graft pyelonephritis: What's the standard of care? via Transplant Infectious Disease Abstract Background Limited evidence is available to inform the duration of antibiotic treatment in kidney transplant recipients with bacterial acute graft pyelonephritis. Guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Community of Practice of the American Society of Transplantation suggest a 14–21 day duration. Methods A four-question survey was constructed to determine the current standard of practice for the duration of treatment for acute graft pyelonephritis. The survey was distributed among members of the Infectious Diseases and the Kidney Pancreas Communities of Practice of the American Society of Transplantation. Results Among 144 survey respondents, 87 (60%) were infectious disease physicians, and 36 (25%) were transplant nephrologists. Although most (55%) respondents preferred a 14-day duration, a spread between 7 and 28 days was observed. Goals of treatment and drivers for longer duration differed between infectious disease physicians and transplant nephrologists. Conclusions Although most respondents prefer a 14-day duration of treatment for acute graft pyelonephritis, a wide range of responses was seen between 7 and 28 days. More evidence is needed to inform optimal treatment duration in this common infectious complication after transplantation. View on Web

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