Saint Francis University

About: Saint Francis University is a education organization based out in Loretto, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Osteoblast. The organization has 1694 authors who have published 2038 publications receiving 87149 citations.

Severe necrotizing soft-tissue infections: report of 22 cases.

Abstract: Twenty-two cases of severe necrotizing soft-tissue infections (SNSTIs), seen by the infectious disease service from 1983 to 1988 in a community teaching hospital, are described and compared with previously reported series. Clinical findings were distinguishable from cellulitis at the time of surgery in only 45% of the patients who had either necrosis, crepitus, vesicle or bullae, and/or an abnormal air pattern on x-ray studies. Patients with "cellulitis" were not less sick than patients with "necrosis" findings (ie, presence of shock, leukocytosis with left shift, fever, or anion gap). Despite the fact that all but one of the patients were seen by the infectious disease service preoperatively, and 55% underwent surgical intervention within 48 hours of admission, patient mortality (18%) was not better than some reported in earlier series. However, the epidemiology of SNSTI was different: in our series there were more diabetic patients (64%) and fewer postsurgical infections (14%). Among the diabetic patients, SNSTI developed more frequently at a site not related to peripheral vasculopathy or neuropathy. Abdominal wall involvement was 10 times more likely be diagnosed as cellulitis (5/8 vs 2/14 with involvement elsewhere, P < 0.02).

Proximal Sessile Serrated Adenomas Are More Prevalent in Caucasians, and Gastroenterologists Are Better Than Nongastroenterologists at Their Detection.

Abstract: Background and Aim. Proximal sessile serrated adenomas (PSSA) leading to colorectal cancer (CRC) represent an alternate pathway for CRC development. In this study, we aim to determine the prevalence of PSSAs and the impact of patient, colonoscopy, and endoscopist-related factors on PSSA detection. Methods. Patients ≥ 50 years of age undergoing a screening colonoscopy between 2012 and 2014 were included. Detection rates based on patient gender, race, colonoscopy timing, fellow participation, bowel preparation quality, and specialty of the endoscopist were calculated. t-tests were used to compare detection rates and a multivariate-adjusted analysis was performed. Results. 140 PSSAs were detected from 4151 colonoscopies, with a prevalence of 3.4%. Detection rate was higher in Caucasians compared to African-Americans (AA) (3.7 ± 4.1 versus 0.96 ± 3.5; ). Gastroenterologists detected more PSSAs compared to nongastroenterologists (3.9 ± 3.5 versus 2.2 ± 3.0; ). These findings were still significant after adjusted multivariate analysis. The rest of the factors did not make significant difference in PSSA detection rate. Conclusions. PSSAs are more prevalent in Caucasians compared to AAs. Racial difference in prevalence of PSSAs is intriguing and warrants further investigation. Gastroenterologists have a significantly higher PSSADR compared to nongastroenterologists. Educational measures should be implemented in nongastroenterologists to improve their PSSA detection rates.

Pseudoephedrine-induced ischemic colitis: Case report and literature review

Abstract: Ischemic colitis is the consequence of a sudden reduction in colonic blood supply, which in turn results in an ischemic injury. The incidence of ischemic colitis ranges from 4.5 to 44 cases/100 000 person-year. It occurs more frequently in the elderly, in those with a mean age of early seventies, and is more common in women. Its prevalence increases with age and has increased over time in the last few decades.

Efficacy of low-dose and/or adjuvant methadone in palliative medicine.

Abstract: Objectives To summarise the current body of published evidence on the use of low-dose and/or adjuvant methadone in the palliative care setting. Methods The authors searched multiple databases (PubMED, SCORPUS, EMBASE and the Cochrane library) for relevant articles using the terms ‘methadone’, ‘palliative’, ‘low dose’ and ‘adjuvant’. The review was restricted to articles published between 2003 and 2018. Paediatric and single-case studies were also excluded. Evidence quality was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) method. Results Our search yielded 171 results, of which seven met the inclusion criteria. Four were retrospective chart reviews, one was a retrospective cohort study, one was a case series and one was a double-blind randomised control trial. The overall quality was found to be very low. Of the seven articles, all seven reported some improvement in pain with the addition of low-dose or adjuvant methadone. This improvement was statistically significant in four out of seven articles; statistical significance was not commented on in the remaining three articles. Conclusion While case series and chart reviews offer promising results about the utility of adjuvant and/or low-dose methadone in the management of complex pain, the very low evidence quality, relative dearth of studies and near absence of randomised controlled trials make it impossible to draw firm conclusions. Thus, while very preliminary evidence suggests methadone is a potentially effective and valuable agent, further research must be performed before such findings can be implemented into clinical practice.