Data on Adiponectin from 2010 to 2020: Therapeutic Target and Prognostic Factor for Liver Diseases?

The review describes the role of adiponectin in liver diseases in the presence and absence of surgery reported in the literature in the last ten years. The most updated therapeutic strategies based on the regulation of adiponectin including pharmacological and surgical interventions and adiponectin knockout rodents, as well as some of the scientific controversies in this field, are described. Whether adiponectin could be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of liver diseases and patients submitted to hepatic resection or liver transplantation are discussed. Furthermore, preclinical and clinical data on the mechanism of action of adiponectin in different liver diseases (nonalcoholic fatty disease, alcoholic liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma) in the absence or presence of surgery are evaluated in order to establish potential targets that might be useful for the treatment of liver disease as well as in the practice of liver surgery associated with the hepatic resections of tumors and liver transplantation.

Prevalence and pattern of facial burns: a 5-year assessment of 808 patients.

PURPOSE: Retrospective studies on the types and causes of facial burns are important because the patterns might vary in different societies. Our aim was to assess the burn-related factors of significance that might be useful in healthcare planning and implementing preventive strategies, adding to the body of current data on the subject. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the data from a major burns referral center during a 5-year period (2009 to 2013). The data relevant to age, gender, cause, source, location, burn degree, extent (body surface area [BSA]) of the burns, and mortality were gathered from comprehensive patient medical records, recorded, and analyzed using SPSS, version 20, software (SPSS, Chicago, IL). RESULTS: Within the study period, we found 808 documented cases of second- and third-degree facial burns. These burns were more common in men (81.9%) and in the 16- to 35-year age group (42.3%). The mean hospitalization was 9.85 ± 8.94 days. In 443 patients (54.83%), 10 to 19% of their BSA was burned, and 3.06% had associated inhalation burns. The most common burn was scalding (19%), and the deadliest was burns from acid, with a mortality rate of 7.4%. Accidents accounted for 776 burns (96.03%). Other causes were attempted homicide (16 cases, 1.98%) and suicide attempts (16 cases, 1.98%). The overall mortality was 1.6%. CONCLUSIONS: The key findings were that second- and third-degree facial burns were more common in males aged 16 to 35 years with burns covering 10 to 19% of the BSA. Accidental scalding was commonly responsible for the second-degree burns, and electrical accidents were commonly responsible for third-degree facial burns. Burn accidents occurred more often at the patient's home.