A heavy metal impregnation technique revealed that platelets from patients with idiopathic scoliosis (IS) are more frequently ‘metallophilic’ and have a higher surface to volume ratio of the dense tubular system (DTS) than age-matched controls. These findings suggest that the fundamental defects in IS platelets involve membrane abnormalities related to cation binding and transport.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained tachyarrhythmia encountered in clinical practice, with the majority of patients aged > 65 years. With an increasingly ageing population, the burden of AF in society continues to rise. One of the principal controversies in AF management is whether to control the ventricular rate and accept the underlying rhythm, or to attempt to achieve sinus rhythm. Until recently there were no clinical trial data directly comparing a rate versus rhythm strategy, and most physicians have opted for rhythm control, based on its theoretical benefits. We present an up-to-date evidence-based overview of the relative merits of rate versus rhythm control in AF, including data from five recent randomized trials. We draw conclusions from these studies and present evidence-based guidance on when to adopt which approach in routine clinical practice.
Infected walled-off pancreatic necrosis (WOPN) is a severe complication of acute pancreatitis. Surgery in these critically ill patients can be associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Hence, minimally invasive therapies have emerged as an alternative to surgery. Herein, we report a case of severe acute pancreatitis with WOPN which was treated percutaneously with a flexible endoscope through an esophageal self-expanding metal stent using a total retroperitoneal approach. Percutaneous direct endoscopic necrosectomy (p-DEN) using the retroperitoneal route improved the patient’s parameters dramatically with resolution of sepsis without the need for surgery. p-DEN using a flexible endoscope passed through a large bore metal stent shows promise in selected patients with WOPN and can be used in patients who are not ideal candidates for transmural or surgical drainage.
For patients with persistent AF the use of a higher initial-energy monophasic shock of 360 J achieves a significantly greater success rate, with less skeletal muscle damage (and no cardiac muscle damage) as compared with the traditional starting energy of a 200 J DC shock.
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