Recent findingsEven though intra-abdominal fungal infections have been recognized with increasing frequency in the recent years, most clinical experience is limited to case reports or uncontrolled case series. These infections are more common than clinically

recognized disease. The clinical presentation varies broadly depending on the organism and host’s immune status, but it is frequently severe, difficult to treat, and associated with significant morbimortality. Predisposing factors, clinical characteristics, and advances in the management are discussed.SummaryIntra-abdominal fungal infections are increasingly important in clinical practice. Early recognition and a combined treatment approach, usually consisting of surgical intervention and systemic antifungal therapy, are required for improved outcomes.”
“BackgroundSoluble TWEAK (sTWEAK) and PLX3397 asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA) concentrations have been associated with endothelial function in patients find more with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We tested the hypothesis that the improvement in endothelial function observed after renal transplantation is directly linked to the normalization of both sTWEAK and

ADMA. Materials and methodsOne hundred and seventy-five kidney transplant recipients (71% men; 31694years) were studied immediately before and on the 180th day post-transplantation. At each visit, blood samples were taken to assess circulating levels of sTWEAK and ADMA. Brachial artery endothelium-dependent vasodilatation (FMD) assessments were also performed. ResultsRenal transplantation was followed by an improvement in FMD.

This improvement was paralleled by an increase in CYT387 concentration sTWEAK and a reduction in ADMA after transplantation (P smaller than 0001 for all). Cross-sectionally, both molecules associated with FMD before as well as after transplantation (P smaller than 0001 for all). Longitudinally, the changes observed in sTWEAK (=026, P smaller than 0001) and ADMA (=-044, P smaller than 0001) levels were independently associated with the improvement of FMD (r(2)=030). ConclusionsRenal transplantation is followed by an improvement of FMD that is independently associated with the normalization of both sTWEAK and ADMA concentrations. We identify two surrogate biomarkers of endothelial function with potential as therapeutic targets.”
“Medetomidine and ketamine are injectable drugs that can be used in combination to induce general anesthesia in rats. After noticing a high incidence of morbidity and mortality in pregnant Wistar rats given medetomidine and ketamine for anesthesia, the authors further investigated the effects of this combination of anesthetic drugs in both pregnant and nonpregnant Wistar rats. The time to recumbency and the duration of general anesthesia were similar between pregnant and nonpregnant rats. Pregnancy status did not affect the rats’ pulse rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, oxygen saturation or perfusion index during 2 h of anesthesia.