A meta-analysis of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 （sST2） and clinical outcomes in pulmonary hypertension

Suppression of Tumorigenicity 2 （ST2） is a member of the interleukin （IL）-1 receptor family The ST2 receptor exists in two isoforms - ST2 ligand （ST2L） and soluble ST2 （sST2）.ST2L is a membrane receptor and sST2 is a trun- cated receptor which is soluble in the blood, allowing it to be detected in serum. IL-33 is a member of the IL-1 family of ligand and is the fimctional ligand of ST2L receptor. It binds to the ST2L, thereby mediating its immune function.

Pattern of Stroke Admissions, Radiodiagnostic Compliance, and Outcomes in the Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Hospital, South-South, Nigeria

Background: Stroke patients form an integral part of patients admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU);and may need airway maintenance, supplemental oxygen and even endotracheal intubation for mechanical ventilation. Method: In this retrospective study, the medical records and radiological investigations of the patients were assessed. Also, their socio-demographics, and clinical diagnosis and background co-morbidities were noted. The radiological diagnosis post CT was used to determine the type of stroke for those compliant;while clinical assessment alone was used to determine the diagnosis in those who did not do CT. They were also classified into 2 groups: those requiring mechanical ventilation (for ICU care) and those without the need for mechanical ventilation (for high dependency Unit (HDU) care). The eventual clinical outcome was noted. Result: A total of eighty-eight cases, 67% (n = 59) were males and 33% (n = 29) females. 89.8% (n = 79) had hypertension, 3.4% (n = 3) had diabetes while 6.8% (n = 6) had both hypertension and diabetes. Of the hypertensives, 36.7% (n = 29) had hemorrhagic stroke and 66.3% (n = 50) had ischaemic stroke. 53.3% (n = 46) patients had High dependency Unit (HDU care while 47.7% (n = 42) were mechanically ventilated. Of the number in HDU, 51.5% (n = 17) were haemorrhagic, while 52.7% (n = 29) were ischaemic. Clinical diagnosis of ischemic stroke was done in 55 (62.5%) and hemorrhagic stroke in 37.5% (n = 33). Of the lot, only 19.3% (n = 17) of them did CT and 80.7% (n = 71) did not have CT done. None did MRI. Late presentation (beyond 24 hrs) was a common feature for most of the patients, for whom immediate cardio-respiratory support became necessary. Overall mortality rate was 62.5% (n = 55). 39.1% (n = 18) of the HDU (46) patients died, while 88.1% (n = 37) of the ventilated (42) patients died. 56.6% (n = 26) were discharged from the HDU and 4.3% (n = 2) referred to another facility. Of the 42 patients on mechanical ventilation 88.1% (37) died, 9.5% (n = 4) discharged, and 2.4% (n = 1) referred to another health facility. Summary: Low neuroimaging compliance by Stroke patients in our environment and late presentation to hospital, impacts negatively on good outcome of the disease. This, coupled with the high cost of these facilities, makes their use unaffordable, suggesting a strong indication for comprehensive quality and affordable health care and health insurance in the country.

Surgical management of colonic diverticular disease:Discrepancy between right- and left-sided diseases

AIM:To compare the outcome of the surgical management of left-sided and right-sided diverticular disease.METHODS:The medical records of 77 patients who were surgically treated for diverticular disease between 1999 and 2010 in a tertiary referral hospital were retrospectively reviewed.The study population was limited to cases wherein the surgical specimen was confirmed as diverticulosis by pathology.Rightsided diverticula were classified as those arising from the cecum,ascending colon,and transverse colon,and those from the descending colon,sigmoid colon,and rectum were classified as left-sided diverticulosis.To assess the changing trend of occurrence of diverticulosis,data were compared with two previous studies of 51 patients.RESULTS:The proportion of left-sided disease cases was significantly increased compared to the results of our previous studies in 1994 and 2001,(27.5%vs48.1%,P<0.05).Moreover,no differences in gender,body mass index,multiplicity of the diverticula,fever,or leukocytosis were noted between patients with rightsided and left-sided disease.However,patients with right-sided disease were significantly younger(50.9year vs 64.0 year,P<0.01).Furthermore,left-sided disease was significantly associated with a higher incidence of complicated diverticulitis(89.2%vs 57.5%,P<0.01),combined resection due to extensive inflammation(21.6%vs 5.0%,P<0.05),operative complications(51.4%vs 27.5%,P<0.05),and in-hospital mortality(10.8%vs 0%,P<0.05),along with longer post-operative hospitalization duration(21.3±10.2 d vs 10.6±8.1 d,P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Compared with right-sided diverticular disease,the incidence of left-sided disease in Korea has increased since 2001 and is associated with worse surgical outcomes.

HER2-positive circulating tumor cells indicate poor clinical outcome in stageⅠto Ⅲ breast cancer patients

Metastases may occur in node-negative breast cancer patients. It indicates that breast cancer cells can bypass regional lymph nodes and hematogenously disseminate to distant organs. In a recent paper (Clin Cancer Res 2006, 12:1715-1720) , Wulfing et al. evaluated the prognostic value of blood-borne, HER2-positive circulating tumor cells (CTC) in the peripheral blood from 42 breast cancer patients with a median follow-up of 95 months. HER2-