Mckenzie Pihl (musclestage1)

51 vs in healthy controls 21.39; p = 0.03). In the majority of patients, IL-33 concentrations did not exceed the detection limit. Anti-SRP-positive patients presented significantly higher concentrations of sST2 as compared to anti-SRP-negative patients (p = 0.04). In patients with anti-Ro52 antibodies, sST2 concentrations were significantly lower than in anti-Ro52-negative patients (p = 0.02). Concentrations of sST2 correlated with the degree of disability evaluated with Health Assessment Questionnaire. sST2 is increased in patients with IIM and its concentration correlates with the degree of disability. In patients with anti-SRP antibodies, levels of sST2 are exceptionally high.PURPOSE Otorhinolaryngological abnormalities are common complications of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its treatment. The main aim of this study was to provide a brief and precise review of the current knowledge regarding CKD and its treatment-related influence on head and neck organs. METHODS The Medline and Web of Science databases were searched using the terms "chronic kidney disease", "kidney transplantation", "immunosuppression", "dialysis" in conjunction with "otorhinolaryngological manifestation". Articles that did not address the topics, low-quality studies, case reports, and studies based on nonsignificant cohorts were excluded, and the full text of remaining high-quality, novel articles were examined and elaborated on. RESULTS Patients with CKD are prone to develop sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, recurrent epistaxis, opportunistic infections including oropharyngeal candidiasis or rhino-cerebral mucormycosis, taste and smell changes, phonatory and vestibular dysfunctions, deep neck infections, mucosal abnormalities, gingival hyperplasia, halitosis or xerostomia. Immunosuppressive therapy after kidney transplantation increases the risk of carcinogenesis, both related and not-related to latent viral infection. The most commonly viral-related neoplasms observed in these patients are oral and oropharyngeal cancers, whereas the majority of not-related to viral infection tumors constitute lip and thyroid cancers. CKD-related otorhinolaryngological dysfunctions are often permanent, difficult to control, have a significant negative influence on patient's quality of life, and can be life threatening. CONCLUSION Patients with CKD suffer from a number of otorhinolaryngological CKD-induced complications. The relationship between several otorhinolaryngological complications and CKD was widely explained, whereas the correlation between the rest of them and CKD remains unclear. Further studies on this subject are necessary.BACKGROUND Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is one of the most serious complications following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, the diagnosis remains a challenge for clinicians. In 2011, the muscoskeletal infection society (MSIS) criteria provided a consensus which has been updated in 2013, but these criteria are complex and contain tests that are time-consuming. The same is applicable to the pro-Implant guidelines. Therefore, a simpler diagnostic test is desirable. OBJECTIVES The value of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), leucocyte esterase (LE) levels, and the white blood cell (WBC) count in synovial fluid to diagnose PJI after TKA was evaluated. METHODS In a retrospective cohort study, we analyzed 89 synovial fluid samples from 86 patients with suspected PJI after TKA. Thirteen and 23 of those samples were classified as PJI according to the MSIS and pro-Implant criteria, respectively. Subsequently, NGAL, LE levels, and the WBC count were determined, the former one using an immunoassay. Using either the MSIS or pro-Implant criteria as the golden standard for PJI, sensitivity and specificity of those markers were determined with ROC curves, and medians were compared with Mann-Whitney U and Pearson Chi-square tests. RESULTS When applying the MSIS criteria, NGAL revealed 92% sensitivity and 83% specifi