Airway management is a vital part of anesthesia practices, intensive care units, and emergency departments, and a proper pre-operative assessment can guide clinicians’ plans for securing an airway. Complex airway assessment has recently been at the forefront of anesthesia research, with a substantial increase in annual publications during the last 20 years. In this paper, we provide an extensive overview of the literature connected with pre-operative airway evaluation procedures, ranging from essential bedside physical examinations to advanced imaging techniques such as ultrasound (US), radiography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We discuss transnasal endoscopy, virtual endoscopy, 3D reconstruction-based technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI) as emerging airway evaluation techniques. The management of distorted upper airways associated with head and neck pathology can be challenging due to the intricate anatomy. We present and discuss the role of recent technological advancements in recognizing difficult airways and assisting clinical decision making while highlighting current limitations and pinpointing future research directions.

In this analysis, we aimed to investigate the effect of COVID-19 disease on eating behavior. A total of 55 right-handed adults, <50 years of age, without overweight or obesity, from two cross-sectional studies were included. The first one enrolled subjects between September 2018 and December 2019 (non-COVID-19 group). The second one included subjects enrolled between March 2022 and May 2023; for this analysis, 28 with a history of COVID-19 (COVID-19 group) were retained. Hunger, TFEQ-18, plasma ghrelin, neuropeptide Y (NPY) and resting-state fMRI were assessed during fasting. Intraregional neuronal synchronicity and connectivity were assessed by voxel-based regional homogeneity (ReHo) and degree of centrality (DC). Significantly higher ghrelin and NPY levels were observed in the COVID-19 group than in the non-COVID-19 group (ghrelin 197.5 pg/mL vs. 67.1 pg/mL, p < 0.001; NPY 128.0 pg/mL vs. 84.5 pg/mL, p = 0.005). The NPY levels positively correlated with the DC and ReHo in the left lingual (r = 0.67785 and r = 0.73604, respectively). Similar scores were noted for cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating and emotional eating in both groups according to the TFEQ-18 questionnaire results (p > 0.05 for all). Our data showed increased levels of appetite-related hormones, correlated with activity in brain regions involved in appetite regulation, persisting long after COVID-19 infection.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACR) rupture is a frequent injury in professional sports players. We conducted a retrospective cohort study, including 41 professional female handball players, undergoing ACR reconstruction surgery, using a Ligament Advanced Reinforcement System (LARS) graft (n = 12) or a Soft Tissue (ST) graft (n = 29). After return-to-play, the patients were asked to take a survey, reporting subjective and objective performance indexes before the injury and after return-to-play. Time from surgery to first practice and to return-to-play were significantly shorter in the LARS group (3.92 ± 1.14 vs. 6.93 ± 2.19 months, p < 0.001 and 4.71 ± 1.2 vs. 8.81 ± 2.9, respectively). While there was no difference between postoperative mean time on court, number of goals/match, number of matches played at 6 months return-to-play and 50 m, 100 m and gate-to-gate sprint times, there was a significantly greater increase in preoperative times in the ST group than in the LARS group (1.45 ± 1.05 s vs. 0.21 ± 0.58 s slower than preoperatively, p < 0.001 for 50 m; 1.09 ± 0.95 s vs. 0.08 ± 1 s, p = 0.01 for 100 m; 1.66 ± 1 s vs. 0.21 ± 0.66 s for gate-to-gate). In conclusion, LARS grafts provide a faster recovery time and better functional outcome, significantly impacting the performance of professional handball players.

Background/Objectives: The Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI) is an important metric for evaluating the quality of donor kidneys and predicting post-transplant outcomes. The Estimated Post-Transplant Survival (EPTS) score is a tool for estimating kidney transplant candidates’ long-term survival. However, their validity in Eastern European cohorts is yet to be explored. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive accuracy of the KDPI and EPTS in a local cohort. Methods: We conducted a seven-year retrospective observational study at a high-volume transplant center in Romania. Data from 353 patients who received kidney transplants from brain-dead donors (DBDs) between 2017 and 2023 were analyzed. The KDPI scores were stratified into 85%, while EPTS was stratified into 60%. Primary outcomes included one-, three-, and five-year post-transplant graft function as estimated by eGFR, while secondary outcomes involved patient and graft survival rates at one, three, and five years. Results: Graft function and survival rates were significantly lower with increasing KDPI and EPTS scores, reinforcing the utility of both scores in clinical decision-making. Conclusions: Despite their limitations, KDPI and EPTS remain valuable predictors in our patient population.

Difficulties or failures in securing the airway still occur and can lead to permanent disabilities and mortality. Patients with head and neck pathologies ... Jove

Introduction: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a standard orthopedic procedure. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism are potential life-threatening postoperative complications. Aim of the study: This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of systemic inflammatory indices [monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelets-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic inflammatory index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI)] and their potential association with acute postoperative DVT. Materials and methods: We designed a multicentric, retrospective, observational cohort study, including adult patients undergoing elective HTA. Patients were divided into two groups, the DVT and non-DVT groups. We investigated the development of acute DVT early, and at 4 weeks after surgery and also registered length of hospital stay and mortality. All demographic data and laboratory data, hematological indices were extracted from patients files. Results: 199 patients were included. Of those, 12 (6.03%) developed DVT and 187 (93.97%) did not. There was no statistically significant difference between patient age, gender, BMI, smoking status or comorbidities. No difference was founds between the two groups regarding median values of MLR (0.31 vs 0.27, p=0.12), NLR (3.16 vs 2.42, p=0.27), PLR (163.39 vs 123.01, p=0.27), SII (660.26 vs 568.52, p=0.33), SIRI (67.5 vs 65.26, p=0.89) and AISI (302.35 vs 290.48, p=0.85). Length of hospital stay was not significantly different (median 9 days in the DVT group vs 7 days in the non-DVT group, p=0.38), but mortality was significantly higher in the DVT group (3 deaths vs none in the non-DVT group, p<0.001). Conclusion: MLR, NLR, PRL, SII, SIRI and AISI were not associated with the development of acute DVT following HTA in our study population.