Baseline:

Selective IgA deficiency individuals reported significantly increased fear of contracting infections (p < 0.01). Those scoring high on fear also perceived significantly poorer physical health (p < 0.01). SF-36 results indicated that SIgAD individuals perceived poorer HRQL, although this was not statistically significant. Follow-up: Compared with Selleckchem IACS-10759 SF-36 responses at baseline, SIgAD individuals reported significantly more pain (p < 0.01) at 6 months, poorer general health (p < 0.05) and summarised physical HRQL (p < 0.01) at 6 and 12 months and decreased vitality at 12 months. The summarised mental scale remained stable over time. Risk factors for poor HRQL: The number of antibiotic treatments during the previous year (p < 0.001), number of daily medications (p < 0.01), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (p < 0.05), chronic musculoskeletal symptoms

at least every week (p < 0.05) and anxiety and/or insomnia (p < 0.05) were identified as independent risk factors for poor HRQL.

The study highlights the importance of identifying and thoroughly evaluating, educating and following up individuals with SIgAD, as their HRQL may be negatively affected due to health problems possible to prevent and treat.”
“Study Design. A prospective clinical trial was conducted.

Objective. To compare the clinical and radiologic late results learn more of monosegmental transpedicular fixation versus short-segment

pedicle instrumentation (SSPI) in management of thoracolumbar burst fractures and evaluate the efficacy IPI-549 nmr of monosegmental transpedicular fixation.

Summary of Background Data. SSPI ( 1 level above and 1 below the fracture level) are accepted by many surgeons as an accepted technique for the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures. To preserve more motion segments, some authors have advocated monosegmental pedicle instrumentation ( MSPI). The recent developments showed that MSPI yielded good clinical results; however, there were no report about comparison of clinical outcome between monosegmental and biosegmental transpedicular fixation in management of thoracolumbar burst fractures.

Methods. Eighty-five patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The patients were randomized by a simple method into 2 groups. Group 1 were treated with monosegmental transpedicular fixation (n = 47), and group 2 were treated with biosegmental transpedicular fixation (n = 38). Clinical ( Low Back Outcome Score and Oswestry Disability Index) and radiologic (load-sharing classification index, sagittal index, and percentage of anterior body height compression) outcomes were analyzed.

Results. The 2 groups were similar in age, follow-up period, and severity of the deformity and fracture.

Univariate and multivariate propensity score analyses were used to search for independent risk factors for postoperative complications. The RGB + LSG group (n = 46) had a mean age of 42 and a mean BMI of 44 kg/m(2). The indication for surgery was renewed weight gain or insufficient weight loss in 68 % of these cases. The LSG group (n = 259) had a mean age of 41 and a mean BMI of 49.2 kg/m(2). All procedures were performed laparoscopically. The complication rate was 8.6 % in the RGB + LSG group and 8 % in the SG EGFR signaling pathway group (p = 0.42). The fistula rates in the two groups were 4.3 and 3.4 %, respectively (p = 0.56), and the mean BMI at 2 years was 33.4 kg/m(2) (RGB + LSG group)

and 34.4 kg/m(2), respectively (p = 0.83). The operating time for LSG (after subtracting the time associated with RGB for a combined procedure) averaged 107 min, whereas the operating time for front-line LSG was 89 min (p = 0.011). The propensity score analysis failed selleck chemical to find independent risk factors for postoperative complications.

The performance of RGB + LSG is feasible and does not increase the postoperative morbidity rate. Weight loss after RGB + LSG validates the concept of “”restrictive surgery after restrictive surgery”". We did not find any independent risk factors that would have justified the avoidance of RGB + SG.”
“Background: Disturbances in blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity contribute to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD). Aging is positively associated with AD and VaD risk, but this may reflect comorbidities or DMXAA cost the effects of other chronic modulators of vascular function such as diet. Objective: To explore putative synergistic effects

of aging with diet, in this study genetically unmanipulated mice were maintained on diets enriched in saturated fatty acids (SFA) or cholesterol and compared to mice provided with low-fat (LF) feed formula. Methods:The functional integrity of the BBB was assessed following 3,6 and 12 months of dietary intervention commenced at 6 weeks of age, by determining the brain parenchymal extravasation of immunoglobulin G (IgG). Results: Mice maintained on the SFA- or cholesterol-enriched diet showed significant parenchymal IgG abundance following 3 months of feeding, concomitant with diminished expression of the tight junction protein occludin. LF control mice had essentially no evidence of BBB disturbances. Six months of SFA feeding exacerbated the difference in IgG abundance compared to the LF mice. At 12 months of feeding, the control LF mice also had significant parenchymal IgG that was comparable to mice fed the SEA- or cholesterol-enriched diet for 3 months. However, there may have been an adaptation to the fat-enriched diets because SFA and cholesterol did not exacerbate IgG parenchymal accumulation beyond 6 months of feeding.

Three types of ecologically friendly flame retardants (FRs) based on ammonium polyphosphate were used to improve the FR properties of the composites. The flame retardancy of the PP/WF composites was characterized with thermogravimetric analysis

(TGA), vertical burn testing (UL94-V), and limiting oxygen index (LOI) measurements. The TGA data showed that all three types of FRs could enhance the thermal stability of the PP/WF/FR systems at high temperatures and effectively increase the char residue formation. The FRs could effectively this website reduce the flammability of the PP/WF/FR composites by achieving V-0 UL94-V classification. The increased LOT also showed that the flammability of the PP/WF/FR composites was reduced with the addition of FRs. The mechanical property study revealed that, with the incorporation of FRs, the tensile strength and flexural strength were decreased, but the tensile

and flexural moduli were increased in all cases. The presence of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) resulted in an improvement of the filler matrix bonding between the WF/intumescent FR and PP, and this consequently enhanced the overall mechanical properties of the composites. Morphological studies carried out with scanning electron microscopy revealed clear evidence that the adhesion G418 at the interfacial region was enhanced with the addition of MAPP to the PP/WF/FR composites.

(C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 116: 2714-2722, 2010″
“Objective: We tested the hypothesis that secondary generalized seizures (SGS) are not truly generalized and may involve selective regions.

Methods: The spread from focal to generalized seizures in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) was studied in 20 SGS recorded via stereo-EEG (SEEG) in 15 candidates for surgery. Electrodes were assigned to fronto-orbital, prefrontal, and temporal cortex, cingulate, hippocampus, and amygdala. The onset of SGS was ascertained by behavioral analysis of the video recordings. EEG recordings were evaluated using the rating scale developed by Blumenfeld [Blumenfeld H, Rivera M, Selleckchem Compound Library McNally KA, Davis K, Spencer DD, Spencer SS. Ictal neocortical slowing in temporal lobe epilepsy. Neurology 2004:63:1015-21]. The seizure rating in each region was compared with the rating in the hippocampus.

Results: Ranking significantly differed in the cingulate and fronto-orbital cortex; there was a trend toward significance in the prefrontal cortex. In these regions, slow activity dominated.

Conclusion: The onset of secondary generalization, when the head, face and all limbs are involved, does not implicate global cortical involvement. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Background: 3D histology-guided surgery provides high cure rates and tissue-sparing for the treatment of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs).

simiae in two patients. Two patients had check details two different mycobacteria species: 1 patient with M. simiae and

MAC and the other with TB and MAC. All eight patients were negative for microscopy.

CONCLUSION: Based on our results, we suggest that routine culture of bronchial specimens for TB is not indicated in patients with a low clinical suspicion of active TB in countries with a low TB burden.”
“It has been observed that a perpendicular interface contribution to the magnetic anisotropy can rotate the easy magnetization direction from within the film plane to perpendicular to the film plane when the Co thickness in Co/Pt multilayers is below a critical value that is in the range of (sub) nanometers. In this work, mixed CoPt phases mainly consisting of disordered fcc CoPt were found to be responsible for the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) for the film deposition end-Hall voltage equal to 140 V. Estimates of mechanisms that could be responsible for the PMA such as “”orange peel”" coupling, exchange bias, and magnetostriction indicate that they are too weak. We believe that this PMA is driven by the heat of mixing

and relatively higher Galunisertib research buy interfacial energy since the Co layer thickness is about 1 nm. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3070639]“
“BACKGROUND: It is well known that oxidant-antioxidant imbalance plays a key role in the pathophysiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary XL184 Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor disease (COPD).

OBJECTIVES: To examine the role of altered levels of oxidant-antioxidants in disease severity of COPD and correlate it with the degree of airflow obstruction.

METHODS: We assessed malondialdehyde (MDA), total protein carbonyl and sulfhydryl levels in blood plasma and examined the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase

and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in erythrocytes. We also evaluated the level of total blood glutathione in whole blood and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) in plasma.

RESULTS: Levels of MDA (P < 0.001) and total protein carbonyls (P < 0.01) were significantly increased, while total protein sulfhydryl (P < 0.01) was decreased in COPD patients. We also observed decreased SOD (P < 0.05), GPx (P < 0.01) and catalase (P < 0.05) activity. FRAP (P < 0.001) in plasma was also decreased, whereas total blood glutathione was increased (P < 0.01). Correlations between oxidative stress and antioxidant markers with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%) in COPD were negative with plasma TBARS and total blood glutathione, whereas a positive correlation was noticed with erythrocyte GPx and FRAP.

CONCLUSION: These results support the hypothesis that an oxidant-antioxidant imbalance, associated with oxidative stress in COPD patients, plays an important role in the progression of disease severity.

Their etiopathogenesis is largely unknown, but may be linked to trauma, Scheuermann’s disease or a degenerative back.

We report two brothers with a symptomatic thoracic Crenigacestat ic50 disc herniation at T11-T12 and address the possibility of a genetic factor as well as other factors in the etiopathogenesis of (symptomatic) thoracic disc herniations.

Both brothers were in their early thirties and had a physically demanding job, however, only the first one was a smoker and was diagnosed with Scheuermann’s disease.

The etiology of thoracic disc herniations is likely multifactorial. Their occurrence in siblings may reflect some genetic predisposition or may be

merely coincidental, given the high prevalence of thoracic disc herniations in asymptomatic individuals. Further research, including genetic studies, is warranted.”
“Eighty cases of echovirus 18 infection

among young children during an outbreak in 2006 in Taiwan were enrolled. Twenty percent of the patients had a comorbid condition. Twenty-five cases (31%) were complicated by aseptic meningitis. selleckchem The most frequent diagnoses in children without meningitis were pharyngitis/tonsillitis (35%) and vesicular viral exanthem (33%). The case-fatality rate among the children with meningitis was 4%. Echovirus 18 was isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of 68% of the children.”
“The present study was designed to systematically compare the conventional and reverse transfection methodologies for chitosan/DNA complexes using a low molecular weight (MW) chitosan. The hydrodynamic diameter of the complexes, measured by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) was found to be similar to 216 nm and TEM investigations showed spherical and compact complexes with an average size of 200 nm. The transfection efficiency of chitosan using the two methodologies was assessed by employing reporter gene coding for green

fluorescent protein (GFP) and luciferase. More than 50% of HEK 293 cells were transfected when transfection done using reverse transfection strategy at pH 6.5 with 10% serum for 24 Idasanutlin price h followed by media replenishment with pH 7.4 with 10% serum for an additional 24 h period. Also, the cytotoxicity of chitosan/DNA complexes was also considerably lower than the commercially available transfection reagent lipofectamine. Our investigation concludes that maximal transgene expression levels could be achieved using reverse transfection where the chitosan/DNA complexes are pre-incubated on the plate surface followed by plating of cells at pH 6.5 with 10% serum for 24h and media resupplemented with pH 7.4 with 10% serum for an additional 24 h period. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012″
“Background: Polysubstance use is common in substance users, and may complicate their clinical course.

Preoperative prostate volume of 76 +/- 38, 70 +/- 39, and 88 +/- 49 cc decreased by 49 +/- 16, 51 +/- 20, and 63 +/- 16% for the SF, STW, and LTW fibers, respectively. This difference was highly significant when the LTW was compared to the other two fibers (p < 0.001). Prostate volume reduction post-operatively within each group as compared BI-D1870 clinical trial to the pre-operative volume was highly significant (p < 0.001). The ablation rate was highest in LTW, being 1.31 +/- 0.59, 1.09 +/- 0.51, and 1.54 +/- 0.44 cc/min for the SF, STW, and

LTW fibers, respectively. The LTW fiber resisted degradation more than the other fibers and the STW more than the SF fiber (p < 0.001). This study demonstrates the higher ablation efficiency and resistance to degradation of the LTW fiber as compared to the STW and SF fibers. The STW fiber has a similar ablation rate of the SF fiber but resists degradation better.”
“Background and objective: The aim of this study was to explore the pathogenesis of chronic cough caused by non-acid reflux.

Methods: Seven patients

with chronic cough due to non-acid reflux, 12 patients with chronic cough due to acid reflux, 10 patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease without cough and 12 healthy volunteers were recruited for the study. All subjects underwent oesophageal multi-channel intraluminal impedance measurements combined with pH monitoring, and assessment of cough reflex sensitivity to capsaicin and induced sputum cytology. The concentrations of substance P, mast cell tryptase, prostaglandin D2 and histamine in induced sputum were measured by ELISA.

Results: Cough threshold C2 and C5 did not differ GSK1210151A clinical trial between patients with chronic cough due to non-acid or acid reflux, but the values were significantly lower than those for patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease without cough https://www.selleckchem.com/products/azd2014.html and healthy volunteers. Weakly acidic reflux episodes were obviously more frequent in patients with chronic cough due to non-acid reflux than in the other three groups. Sputum substance P and mast cell tryptase concentrations were remarkably increased in patients with chronic cough, but were similar for those with

cough due to non-acid or acid reflux. There were significant inverse correlations between substance P levels and cough threshold C2 or C5 in patients with cough due to non-acid or acid reflux, and between mast cell tryptase levels and cough threshold C2 in patients with cough due to acid reflux.

Conclusions: Chronic cough due to non-acid reflux may be related to cough reflex hypersensitivity caused by neurogenic airway inflammation and mast cell activation, in which weakly acidic reflux is possibly a major factor.”
“Obesity is nowadays a serious worldwide public health problem. In order to give patients a better quality of live, there are now medical and surgical treatments that may be offered to those patients. Since 2005, the Hospital de Santar,m has been doing bariatric surgery.

It is suspected that SP plasma has strongly neutralizing antibodies (NAb) targeting specific HIV viral epitopes.

Methods:

NAbs levels of 11 HIV-1-infected SPs were detected by PBMC-based neutralization assays. To investigate SP NAb epitope, this study used a biopanning approach to obtain mimotopes of LEE011 clinical trial HIV-1 that were recognized by SP plasma NAbs. IgG was purified from high-titer NAb SP plasma, and used as the ligand for three rounds of biopanning to select HIV-specific mimotopes from a phage-displayed random peptide library. Double-antibody sandwich ELISA, competitive inhibition assays, and peptide sequence analysis were used to evaluate the characteristics of phage-borne mimotopes.

Results: SPs had significantly more plasma neutralizing activity than typical progressors (TPs) (p = 0.04). P2 and P9 plasma, which have highest-titer HIV-NAb, were selected as ligands for biopanning. After three rounds of biopanning, 48 phage clones were obtained, of which 22 clones were consistent with requirement, binding with HIV-1 positive plasma and unbinding with HIV-1 negative plasma. Compared with linear HIV-1 protein sequence and HIV-1 protein structure files, only

12 clones were selleck chemicals possible linear mimotopes of NAbs. In addition, the C40 clone located in gp41 CHR was found to be a neutralizing epitope, which could inhibit pooled HIV-1 positive plasma reaction.

Conclusion: Biopanning of serum IgG can yield mimotopes of HIV-1-related antigen SBI-0206965 in vivo epitopes. This methodology provides a

basis for exploration into HIV-1-related antigen-antibody interactions and furthers NAb immunotherapy and vaccine design. (C) 2012 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.”
“Background: Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is characterized by underdevelopment of the left ventricle (LV) and increased biomechanical stress on the right ventricle (RV) from single ventricle physiology Despite the clinical significance. the signaling pathways active during RV remodeling and disease progression are not known. To address this, we examined differential changes in expression of genes associated with transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta)/bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling in RV tissue isolated from HLHS patients relative to RV and LV tissue from control subjects

Methods and Results: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect changes in expression of 84 genes involved in TGF-beta/BMP-mediated cardiac development, cell growth. and differentiation in RV tissue collected from 6 neonates with HLHS undergoing stage 1 Norwood procedure (age. 1-7 days. mean, 4 days) and RV and LV tissue obtained from 5 infants with noncardiac pathology (age range. 1-135 days mean.

For drug delivery systems in particular, there is often no clear rationale for selection of the silicone elastomer grade, particularly in respect of optimizing the manufacturing conditions to ensure thermal stability of the active agent and short cycle times.

In this study, the click here cure characteristics of a range of addition-cure and condensation-cure, low-consistency, implant-grade silicone elastomers, either as supplied or loaded with the model protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the model hydrophilic excipient glycine, were investigated using oscillatory rheology with a view to better understanding the isothermal cure characteristics. The results demonstrate the influence of elastomer type, cure temperature, protein loading, and glycine loading on isothermal cure properties. By measuring the cure time required to achieve tan

delta values representative of early and late-stage cure conditions, a ratio t(1)/t(2) was defined that allowed the cure characteristics of the various systems to be compared. Sustained in vitro release of BSA from glycine-loaded silicone elastomer covered rod devices was also demonstrated over 14 days. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 116: 2320-2327, 2010″
“Objective-To determine the phenotype, inheritance GW4869 supplier characteristics, and risk factors for idiopathic epilepsy (IE) in Finnish Spitz dogs (FSDs).

Design-Prospective epidemiological study.

Animals-2,141 FSDs.

Procedures-From 2003 to 2004, questionnaires (n = 5,960) were sent to all owners of 1-to 10-year-old FSDs in Finland. Phone interviews were performed 1 to 2 years later.

Results-Estimated prevalence of IE was 5.36% (111/2,069 of FSDs that were still alive). Males were predisposed to IE. The median age of onset was 3 years (range, 0.6 to 10 years). The median seizure frequency was 2 seizures/y (range, 0.5 to 48 seizures/y), and the median duration of the seizure episode was 11.75 minutes (range, 1.5 to 90 minutes). The majority (85%) of the seizures had a focal onset, and 54% were characterized as generalized selleck PD-L1 抑制剂 secondary. A generalized

seizure phase was determined to be a risk factor for development of progressive disease. Factors associated with the occurrence of a generalized phase were the age of onset, duration of the seizure, number of feeding times per day, and whether the dog was used for hunting. The seizures were not progressing in 67.8% of the dogs and were easily controlled by antiepileptic treatment in 78.9% of the dogs. The heritability estimate of IE in FSDs was 0.22; IE was best explained as a polygenic trait.

Conclusions-and Clinical Relevance In the present study conducted in Finland, complex focal seizures were the most common seizure type for FSDs with IE, and a generalized seizure phase was a risk factor for progression of the disease. Results suggested a benign course of epilepsy in FSDs.

% of bulk mechanically alloyed n-type Pb1-xSnxTe (when x = 7% and 27%) significantly increase the electrical power produced Ricolinostat by the material when it is doped above 10(19) cm(-3) range. The experimentally measured temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of Pb0.93Sn0.07Te

doped to 1.2 x 10(19) cm(-3) and Pb0.73Sn0.27Te doped to 3.8 x 10(18) cm(-3) are shown to be consistent with those calculated in the framework of the Boltzmann transport equations using the relaxation time approximation and a three-band model for which the materials-specific constants are taken from published literature. The SnO2 inclusions are shown to impact the transport coefficients by changing the energy dependence and SNX-5422 in vivo magnitude of the relaxation time due to the charge carrier scattering by a collection of inclusions in a geometry consistent with analysis of the x-ray diffraction data. Analysis of the experimental data shows that Pb0.93Sn0.07Te doped to 1.2 x 10(19) cm(-3) generates more power than would a material without the 2 vol. % of 15 nm SnO2 inclusions. Calculations using the experimentally validated model show that for carrier concentrations greater than 1 x 10(19) cm(-3), the presence

of these inclusions increases the power factor of both alloys in the 300-700 K temperature range. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3651173]“
“Nephrotoxicity is a major problem of Cyclosporine A (CsA) treatment, despite its beneficial role in organ transplantation and in a variety of immunologic disorders. This study was undertaken to investigate the potential renoprotective role of telmisartan in amelioration of chronic CsA induced nephrotoxicity. The rats were randomized into 4 equal groups. Group 1 received normal saline (control), group 2 received Cremophor EL and ethanol (CsA vehicle), group 3 received CsA 25 mg/kg/day s.c and group 4 received telmisartan

3 mg/kg/day orally in addition to CsA. The rats were pair fed with a standard chow diet throughout the experiment period (8 weeks). CsA nephrotoxicity NU7441 in vitro was assessed in terms of increased S.Cr (from 0.52 +/- 0.16 to 1.29 +/- 0.20 mg/ml), blood urea (from 24.69 +/- 1.89 to 75.88 +/- 2.33 mg/ml) and serum K (from 3.43 +/- 0.18 to 5.23 +/- 0.43 meq/l). CsA also caused significant increase (p<0.01) in MDA (from 0.74 +/- 0.13 to 2.96 +/- 0.43 nmol/mg protein) and significant decrease (p<0.01) in GSH and catalase in renal tissue. Telmisartan failed to restore the altered renal functions. On the other hand, it causes a significant improvement in the histological changes including the tubulointerstitial fibrosis and arteriolopathy (p<0.01). It also caused significant reduction (p<0.01) in CsA-induced oxidative stress. These findings suggested that telmisartan has a promising renoprotective effect against chronic CsA induced nephrotoxicity.

“
“Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a

devastating type of stroke with no effective therapies. Clinical advances in ICH treatment are limited by an incomplete Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for secondary injury and poor outcome. Increasing evidence suggests that cerebral edema is a major contributor to secondary injury and poor outcome in ICH. ICH activates specific signaling pathways that promote edema and damage neuronal tissue. By increasing our understanding of these pathways, we may be able to target them pharmaceutically to reduce edema in ICH patients. In this review, we focus on three major signaling pathways that promote edema after ICH: (1) the coagulation cascade and thrombin, (2) the inflammatory response and matrix metalloproteinases, and (3) the complement cascade and hemoglobin toxicity. We will describe the experimental evidence that confirms these pathways promote edema in ICH, discuss potential targets for new therapies, and comment on important directions for future research.”
“Background: Delirium is considered to worsen life prognosis in elderly patients with stroke. selleckchem We examined the effects of the melatonin receptor agonist ramelteon for treating

delirium in elderly stroke patients with insomnia in comparison to the other drugs. Methods: Elderly patients with delirium and insomnia after acute stroke who were treated with ramelteon (7 patients; mean age 76 years) and the other drugs (21 patients; mean age 77.3 years) between July 2011 and March 2012 at our hospital were retrospectively examined. Results: All patients treated with ramelteon had a significant improvement within a week and were started on early and aggressive rehabilitation. No patient experienced oversedation, neurologic deterioration, or any other worsening effect associated with ramelteon treatment. Conclusions: Melatonin receptor agonists may be effective for the treatment of delirium in elderly patients with acute stroke.”
“BACKGROUND:

Severe sepsis in pregnancy is associated with multiorgan failure and a high risk of death for the mother CH5424802 price and fetus.

CASE: We present the case of a pregnant patient at 26 weeks of gestation with severe sepsis secondary to pneumonia. She was admitted to the intensive care unit and started on combination antibiotics and bilevel positive airway pressure. Her condition continued to deteriorate, and she was treated with recombinant activated protein C (drotrecogin alfa). She improved and delivered at 28 weeks of gestation after preterm labor; neither the patient nor the neonate had evidence of drug-related complications.

CONCLUSION: This report describes a case of severe sepsis at 26 weeks of gestation secondary to pneumonia, with successful maternal and fetal outcome after use of drotrecogin alfa (activated). (Obstet Gynecol 2011;118:492-4) DOI:10.1097/AOG.06013e3182255467″
“Low-level laser (LLL) has been used on peri-implant tissues for accelerating bone formation.