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Query: UMLS:C0036690 (sepsis)
 59,461 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The foot complications of diabetic patients are one of the commonest and most devastating of medical problems that occurs in the Caribbean. The scale of the problem is reflected in the fact that, on average, 75% of the beds in the general surgical wards of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados are occupied by patients with this problem. Of the patients admitted, a third lose a limb by amputation and another third of the patients lose toes or part of their feet and remain in hospital an average of two months as doctors struggle to prevent them losing their limbs. Half of the patients are in their 70s when they are admitted to hospital but 4 per cent are as young as thirty to forty years. It is clear to the surgeons who struggle to save the limbs of these patients that preventive care and early and aggressive intervention, when problems occur, are the best way to avoid prolonged hospitalization and loss of limb. The events that precipitate the problems often appear trivial to most people. a little nick cutting a nail or a callus, a crack under the toe, an ingrowing nail, stepping on a rock in the yard or, even more devastating, on a dirty or rusty nail. The diabetic's foot is more susceptible to injury, sepsis and gangrene because of an altered inflammatory response and an increased incidence of occlusive vascular disease and neuropathy. Injuries normally considered minor can threaten the limb in diabetics by rapid progression of necrosis along tissue planes. Prevention is of primary importance and patients need to be educated and to remind themselves over and over again to clean their feet daily, paying particular attention to the interdigital areas: looking at them to make sure that there is no swelling or cuts or change in colour. Looking is important since diabetics, especially those with neuropathy, cannot rely-on pain as a symptom of injury. Patients have to be trained to recognise and respond to the signs of injury and infection without relying on the signal of pain that they and the health care workers usually rely upon to assess the seriousness of most conditions. Diabetics should wear something on their feet at all times, in and out of the house. What is worn should have a good firm sole to prevent penetration. If a sandal is worn, it should be strapped on so that it does not slip off easily. If something goes wrong, or is noticed to be wrong with the feet, professional help should be sought the same day. Treatment and observation are needed on a daily basis. In order to try and save a limb, patients may need to have a series of minor operations and for those who are seen by surgeons early enough, four out of every five persons will have their limbs preserved. However, after the limb is saved, it is in greater danger for further problems and patients may require special shoes to prevent recurrence. The area of rehabilitation and prevention needs a great deal of improvement in the Caribbean for specialist orthotic advice and skills are scarce. Team work is essential for, by working together, patients, doctors, nurses, chiropodists and orthotic technicians can improve outcomes for the diabetic patient.
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PMID:The Caribbean experience with the diabetic foot management of the diabetic foot. 1597 11

Platelets are circulating blood cells that will normally not interact with the intact vessel wall but that may swiftly respond to vascular disruption by adhering to subendothelial structures, followed by interaction with each other, thereby forming a platelet aggregate. The activated platelet (phospholipid) membrane may form a suitable surface on which further coagulation activation may occur. These processes are part of the first line of defence of the body against bleeding but may also contribute to pathological thrombus formation in vascular disease, such as thrombus formation on top of a ruptured atherosclerotic plaque. In case of systemic inflammatory syndromes, such as the response to sepsis, disseminated intravascular platelet activation may occur, which will contribute to microvascular failure and thereby play a role in the development of organ dysfunction. In addition, in this situation platelets may be directly involved in the inflammatory response by releasing inflammatory mediators and growth factors.
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PMID:Platelets in sepsis. 1618 53

Phenoptosis, the programmed death of organisms akin to cellular apoptosis, constitutes a type of Darwinian selection that enhances inclusive fitness. It provides a means by which senescent and pre-senescent members can self-terminate if they have incurred sufficient cumulative stress such that their continued survival detracts from inclusive fitness. Sepsis, vascular disease, menopause, cancer, and aging all represent examples of phenoptosis at work. We previously proposed that feed-forward autonomic dysfunction fundamentally drives phenoptosis in all its guises. Accordingly, we now postulate that osteoarthritis defines a type of biomechanical phenoptosis, mediated by feed-forward autonomic dysfunction, and manifested through joint destruction associated with fitness disadvantages. Biomechanical capability plays a significant role in evolutionary fitness, and sustained joint insults such as immobility or undue biomechanical stress may serve as proxies for inferior fitness. By both hindering an individual's ability to compete for energy and increasing that individual's vulnerability to predation, feed-forward joint destruction may facilitate adaptive phenoptosis among impaired or senile members. Empirical data suggests that contrary to common belief, heavy joint use does not necessarily cause osteoarthritis, whereas immobility and neuropathy can predispose to the condition. From a Darwinian perspective, another process mediated by sympathetic activity, the alarm cry of attacked prey, simultaneously promotes the escape of kin while attracting predators and scavengers. By effectively enabling the martyrdom of biomechanically-challenged individuals, osteoarthritis may serve to optimize system energy efficiency in a similar fashion. This framework may generalize to other situations where regenerative capacity dissipates in conjunction with maturation, typically leading to fibrosis. By allowing environmental pressure to sort the phenotypes, imperfect repair mechanisms may accelerate adaptation and optimize long-term inclusive fitness for all individuals. As the basis of competition shifts from biomechanical to cognitive skills, and as novel triggers for physical stress emerge, osteoarthritis may now represent a modern maladaptation.
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PMID:Osteoarthritis: an example of phenoptosis through autonomic dysfunction? 1658 Jul 87

Left ventricular end diastolic (LVEDP) and mean right atrial (RAP) pressures were recorded simultaneously in 30 patients with shock (14 acute myocardial infarction, 10 acute pulmonary embolism or severe bronchopulmonary disease, and 6 sepsis). Myocardial infarction was characterized by a predominant increase in LVEDP, pulmonary disease by a predominant increase in RAP, and sepsis by a normal relationship between LVEDP and RAP. In all three groups a significant positive correlation was noted between RAP and LVEDP, with the regression line in cor pulmonale deviated significantly toward the RAP axis and the regression line in myocardial infarction exhibiting a zero RAP intercept at an elevated LVEDP.Low cardiac outputs with elevated LVEDP in myocardial infarction indicated severe left ventricular failure. Low outputs with elevated RAP in cor pulmonale were consistent with right ventricular overload. Although cardiac outputs often were normal in sepsis, low outputs with elevated cardiac filling pressures in some patients were consistent with a hemodynamic or humoral-induced generalized depression of cardiac performance.Vasoconstrictor and inotropic drugs often produced a functional disparity between the two ventricles, with the gradient between LVEDP and RAP increasing, apparently because of an increase in left ventricular work or an inadequacy of left ventricular oxygen delivery. Acute plasma volume expansion with dextran in patients with pulmonary vascular disease resulted in a somewhat more rapid rise in RAP than in LVEDP. In septic and myocardial infarction shock, however, LVEDP and RAP usually rose proportionally, with the absolute rise of LVEDP surpassing that of RAP. Although the absolute level of the central venous pressure thus may not be a reliable indicator of left ventricular function in shock, changes in venous pressure during acute plasma volume expansion should serve as a fairly safe guide to changes in LVEDP.
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PMID:Studies in clinical shock and hypotension: VI. Relationship between left and right ventricular function. 1669 56

Intestinal failure is a specific disease entity resulting from intestinal resection or disease-associated malabsorption and characterized by the inability to maintain protein-energy, fluid, electrolyte or micronutrient balance. We performed a MEDLINE search (1966-2006) to identify relevant articles, using keywords intestinal failure, parenteral or enteral nutrition, intestinal fistula and short bowel syndrome. Causes of intestinal failure are varied, with self-limiting or 'Type 1' intestinal failure occurring relatively commonly following abdominal surgery, necessitating short-term fluid or nutritional support. The rarer, 'Type 2' intestinal failure, is associated with septic, metabolic and complex nutritional complications, usually following surgical resection in patients with Crohn's or mesenteric vascular disease. A multidisciplinary approach to the management of patients with Type 2 intestinal failure is crucial: resolution of sepsis is required before adequate nutritional repletion can be achieved, and it is important to optimize nutritional status, not only through enteral or parenteral supplementation, but also by addressing complications of short bowel syndrome, before considering definitive surgical reconstruction. A structured approach to the management of Type 2 intestinal failure should reduce the likelihood of these complex patients developing 'Type 3' intestinal failure, which is characterized by the need for long-term parenteral nutrition.
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PMID:Review article: intestinal failure. 1680

This registry describes a multicentre experience of Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) in nine European countries covering 27 centres and 194 patients. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of life and prognosis of patients on HPN. Patients started HPN at 44 +/- 1 years old (mean +/- SEM), and received 200 courses of HPN for a mean of 12 +/- 1 months representing a cumulative duration of 207 years. The four commonest indications for HPN were inflammatory bowel disease (30%), mesenteric vascular disease (21%), malignancy (17%) and radiation enteritis (13%). The nutritional status during HPN was clinically normal or subnormal in 93% of cases. The yearly incidence of catheter related complications leading to a catheter change was 0.74, sepsis accounting for half of this. The duration of hospital readmission for HPN complications was 4 +/- 1% of time spent at home, which represents 2 weeks per year and 41% of the total readmission time. Mortality was mainly influenced by the underlying disease since only 3% of patients died of HPN complications. A good social rehabilitation was observed in 52% of patients who during treatment recovered their pre-HPN occupational status. The poorest social rehabilitation was observed in patients over 65 years of age, and patients with malignancies and radiation enteritis, who also had the poorest prognosis. Caution seems necessary before recommending HPN in these patients.
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PMID:Home parenteral nutrition in adults: a multicentre survey in Europe. 1683 59

Vascular disease in the patient with diabetes represents a potentially devastating complication. Tri-neuropathy (sensory, motor, and autonomic) often predisposes patients to ulceration and vascular disease leads to delayed healing. Vascular pathology compromises blood flow and oxygen provision, affecting healing, infection, sepsis, amputation, and mortality. Recent research suggests that vascular reconstruction should not be withheld on the basis of arteriolar-capillary involvement and while oxygen levels may provide important prognostic and diagnostic information, no single noninvasive parameter or test can reliably predict healing of existing wounds. Hyperglycemia has been identified as a risk factor for macrovascular disease but evidence to substantiate that improved glucose control affects vascular pathology or wound healing is limited. Similarly, the exact role of vascular endothelial growth factor or nicotine on vascular pathology and healing remains unclear. Although the literature may be mired in discrepancies, vascular health is known to affect healing. Further research to resolve controversy and to better direct care is needed.
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PMID:Controversies regarding vascular disease in the patient with diabetes: a review of the literature. 1805 45

Sixteen patients with ballism not related to vascular disease are reported. Ballism was caused by subthalamic metastases and cerebral tumours in four patients, lesions after functional stereotaxy in three, presumed neurodegenerative disease in two, and by an ipsilateral intraventricular cyst after resection of a meningioma, cerebral toxoplasmosis with AIDS, severe head trauma and sepsis, late recurrence of rheumatic fever, meningoencephalitis, perinatal hypoxia, and conversion syndrome in one, respectively. Two patients had bilateral ballism, 11 had hemiballism, and three had monoballism. Involvement of the contralateral subthalamic nucleus was found in 10/13 patients with symptomatic unilateral ballism. One patient with presumed neurodegenerative disease had bilateral alterations of caudate and putamen on MR. The effect of different treatment strategies was evaluated. Treatment was directed to the underlying disease and/ or to the movement disorder. Response to pharmacotherapy was poor except in one patient. Five patients underwent various neurosurgical interventions. Functional stereotactic operations were performed in eight patients. Lesions were placed in the contralateral ventrolateral thalamus and the zona incerta, the internal pallidum, and in the zona incerta and the pulvinar thalami. Four out of eight patients had complete sustained relief of hemiballism after the operation. No patient was lost to follow-up, which ranged from 3 months to 27 years. After various therapeutic strategies ballism was no longer present in 10 patients and had improved in three, while another three patients did not benefit from therapy. Review of the literature illustrates the shift of aetiologic factors over decades underlying this rare symptom. A multidisciplinary approach should be considered in these patients to alleviate the severe and disabling movement disorder.
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PMID:Ballism not related to vascular disease: A report of 16 patients and review of the literature. 1859 Oct 15

Stroke after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is an infrequent, yet devastating complication with increased morbidity and mortality. We sought to determine risk factors for early (intraoperatively to 24 hours) and delayed (>24 hours to discharge) stroke and to identify their impact on long-term mortality after CABG. We studied 4,140 consecutive patients who underwent isolated CABG from 1992 to 2003. Long-term survival data (mean follow-up 7.4 years) were obtained from the National Death Index. Independent predictors for stroke and in-hospital mortality were determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis including all available preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative risk factors. Independent predictors for long-term mortality were determined by multivariate Cox regression analysis. One hundred two patients (2.5%) developed early stroke and 36 patients (0.9%) delayed stroke. Independent predictors for early stroke were age, recent myocardial infarction, smoking, femoral vascular disease, body mass index, reoperation for bleeding, postoperative sepsis and/or endocarditis, and respiratory failure, whereas those for delayed stroke were female gender, white race, preoperative renal failure, respiratory failure, and postoperative renal failure. Early stroke was an independent predictor for in-hospital (odds ratio 3.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.56 to 7.80, p = 0.002) and long-term (hazard ratio 1.70, 95% CI 1.30 to 2.21, p <0.001) mortalities. Delayed stroke was not an independent predictor for in-hospital (odds ratio 0.90, 95% CI 0.23 to 3.51, p = 0.878) or long-term (hazard ratio 0.66, 95% CI 0.38 to 1.17, p = 0.156) mortality. In conclusion, risk factors for early in-hospital stroke differ from those of delayed in-hospital stroke after CABG. Early stroke is an independent predictor for in-hospital and long-term mortalities, suggesting the need for a more frequent follow-up and appropriate pharmacologic therapy after discharge.
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PMID:Impact of early and delayed stroke on in-hospital and long-term mortality after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. 1867 97

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) carries an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Macrophage migration inhibiting factor (MIF) is a proinflammatory cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of sepsis, autoimmune disease, atherogenesis, and plaque instability, and is a known cardiac depressant. This post-hoc, cross-sectional study examined whether MIF serum concentrations are elevated in CKD patients. Our study included CKD 3-5 patients with moderate to severe renal dysfunction (n = 257) (mean age SD; 55 +/- 12 years) and 53 controls (60 +/- 12 years). Serum MIF concentrations, measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), were studied in relation to glomerular filtration rate (GFR), presence of CVD, outcome and inflammatory and oxidative stress markers. MIF was significantly elevated in CKD patients compared with controls (CKD: median 676 [range 118-8275 pg/mL] controls: 433 [142-4707] pg/mL; P = 0.008). MIF was also associated with 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) levels (rho = 0.26; P = 0.001), a marker of oxidative stress, and ICAM-1 levels (rho = 0.14; P = 0.02), a marker of endothelial activation. However, the elevated MIF concentrations were neither correlated with glomerular filtration rate (GFR) nor inflammatory markers such as CRP, IL-6, and TNF. When combining MIF and IL-6 as a marker of inflammation, a significant increase in risk for CVD was found, but when analyzing all-cause mortality, this did not differ significantly with regard to mortality from inflamed patients with low MIF levels. The data suggest that increased serum MIF levels found in CKD is not caused primarily by poor renal function, but is associated with markers of oxidative stress and endothelial activation and may play a role in vascular disease associated with CKD.
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PMID:Elevated serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) concentrations in chronic kidney disease (CKD) are associated with markers of oxidative stress and endothelial activation. 1908 68


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