Total bilirubin trend as a predictor of common bile duct stones in acute cholecystitis and symptomatic cholelithiasis

Background

We hypothesized that trends in total bilirubin in the context of cholecystitis and symptomatic cholelithiasis could be used to guide testing for the presence of common bile duct stones (CBDS).

Changes in Health Literacy during the first year following a kidney transplantation: Using the Health Literacy Questionnaire

ObjectivesThe study aimed to identify changes in health literacy (HL) and associated variables during the first year following a kidney transplantation.MethodsA total of 196 transplant recipients were included in a prospective follow-up study. The patients answered the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) at 5 days, 8 weeks, 6 and 12 months following the kidney transplantation. Mixed linear models were used to analyze changes in HL and backward elimination was used to identify variables associated with HL.ResultsTwo main patterns of change were identified: a) HL increased during the first 8 weeks of close follow-up and b) in several domains, the positive increase from 5 days to 8 weeks flattened out from 5 days to 6 and 12 months. Self-efficacy, transplant-related knowledge, and general health were core variables associated with HL.ConclusionsOverall, HL increased during the 8 weeks of close follow-up following the kidney transplantation, while 6 months seem to be a more vulnerable phase. Furthermore, low self-efficacy, less knowledge, and low self-perceived health may represent vulnerable characteristics in patients.Practical implicationsFuture kidney transplant care should take into account patients’ access to and appraisal of health information and social support, and draw attention to potentially vulnerable groups.     

Problematic Gaming and Subjective Well-Being: How Does Mindfulness Play a Role?

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction - Video game use becomes problematic when it disrupts the ability to fulfill social and personal responsibilities. It has also been associated...     

Adult primary nephrotic syndrome trends by race: a diminished frequency of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in non-black patients

International Urology and Nephrology - There have been conflicting data on the relative frequency of common forms of primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS). We undertook this study to look at the causes...     

Evaluation of Glass Delamination Risk in Pharmaceutical 10 mL/10R Vials

Glass delamination is characterized by the dissociation of glass flakes from the glass surface. Since glass delamination is time dependent, 5 vial types were investigated to assess delamination under accelerated stress conditions published as quick tests in literature and compared to stress testing recommended per United States Pharmacopoeia <1660>. A broad panel of analytical techniques was employed to test the solution for visible/subvisible particles and leachables and characterize topography and composition of the surface. The vial types showed significant differences in surface durability when applying the same stress conditions. An increase in glass leachables and change in topography were shown for uncoated vials. An indication for an elevated delamination risk was confirmed for Expansion 33 vials only by the compiled analytical data set including particle assessment and change in elemental composition of the near glass surface investigated by dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry. The delamination test protocols differ in test solution, handling, and time. Before choosing the most appropriate protocol to predict delamination propensity and mimic real-time conditions, long-term storage data are needed. A combination of analytical techniques to study the risk for long-term corrosion of glass is highly recommended covering the 3 aspects: visible/subvisible particle assessment, solution analysis, and surface characterization.     

Synthesis,evaluation, and molecular docking studies of aryl urea‐triazole‐based derivatives as anti‐urease agents

Considering the importance of urease inhibitors in the treatment of ureolytic bacterial infections, in this work, the synthesis of novel, aryl urea‐triazole‐based derivatives as effective urease inhibitors is described. Dichloro‐substituted derivative 4o , with IC₅₀ = 22.81 ± 0.05 μM, is found to be the most potent urease inhibitor, determined by Berthelot colorimetric assay. Docking studies were also carried out for compound 4o to confirm the effective interactions with the urease active site.

     

Aqua cycling for immunological recovery after intensive,eccentric exercise

Purpose

Alterations in immunological homeostasis induced by acute exercise have been frequently reported. In view of the growing amount of repetitive exercise stimuli in competitive sports, quick recovery plays a superior role. Therefore, we examined whether aqua cycling affects cellular immunological recovery.

Methods

After performing 300 countermovement jumps with maximal effort male sport students (n = 20; 24.4 ± 2.2 years) were randomized into either an aqua cycling (AC) or a passive recovery (P) group. AC pedaled in chest-deep water without resistance, while P lay in a supine position. Each recovery protocols lasted 30 min. Blood samples were taken at Baseline, Post-exercise, Post-recovery and 1 h (h), 2 h, 4 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after recovery. Outcomes comprised white blood cell (WBC) counts, lymphocyte (LYM) counts and LYM subsets (CD4/CD8 ratio). Additionally, cellular inflammation markers (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII)) were calculated.

Results

In both groups, WBC, NLR and SII were significantly increased compared to Baseline up to and including 4 h after recovery. Significant interaction effects were found for WBC (Post-recovery, 2 h and 4 h), NLR (Post-recovery), SII (Post-recovery) and CD4/CD8 ratio (2 h) with values of AC being higher than of P.

Conclusions

Interestingly, AC provoked a stronger but not prolonged immunological disturbance than P. NLR and SII may present simple, more integrative markers to screen exercise-induced alterations in immune homeostasis/recovery in athletes and clinical populations. More research is warranted to elucidate the clinical and practical relevance of these findings.