Sleep Disordered Breathing and Mortality in Patients With Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy Undergoing Septal Myectomy

ObjectiveTo determine the impact of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) on survival in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) following septal myectomy.Patients and MethodsPatients with obstructive HCM undergoing septal myectomy from 2007 to 2016 were reviewed. Those who had an overnight oximetry test within 6 months before myectomy were included in analysis. Oxygen desaturation index was examined continuously and also categorically (SDB [>5/h] and severe SDB [>15/h]).ResultsA total of 619 of 1500 patients undergoing septal myectomy had overnight oximetry tests. Sleep-disordered breathing (oxygen desaturation index >5/h) was identified in 338 (54.6%) patients, and among those patients, 117 (18.9%) were classified as severe. Patients with SDB were older, had greater body mass index and body surface area, were more likely to have arterial hypertension and atrial fibrillation, and had an increased E/e’ ratio on Doppler echocardiography. Notably, there was no difference in preoperative resting left ventricular outflow tract pressure gradient between patients with SDB and those with normal overnight oximetry (55 (interquartile range: 25 to 86) mm Hg versus 52 (interquartile range: 21 to 85) mm Hg; P=.29). There was no difference in age-adjusted survival among patients with normal oximetry compared with those with mild SDB (hazard ratio: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.45 to 2.17), and severe SDB (hazard ratio: 1.06, 95% CI 0.42 - 2.71).ConclusionSleep-disordered breathing is present in more than half of patients with obstructive HCM in whom septal myectomy is indicated, and is mainly associated with aging, overweight, and male sex. However, SDB does not alter survival following septal myectomy.     

Preoperative Management of Endocrine,Hormonal, and Urologic Medications: Society for Perioperative Assessment and Quality Improvement (SPAQI) Consensus Statement

Perioperative medical management is challenging due to the rising complexity of patients presenting for surgical procedures. A key part of preoperative optimization is appropriate management of long-term medications, yet guidelines and consensus statements for perioperative medication management are lacking. Available resources utilize the recommendations derived from individual studies and do not include a multidisciplinary focus or formal consensus. The Society for Perioperative Assessment and Quality Improvement (SPAQI) identified a lack of authoritative clinical guidance as an opportunity to utilize its multidisciplinary membership to improve evidence-based perioperative care. SPAQI seeks to provide guidance on perioperative medication management that synthesizes available literature with expert consensus. The aim of this Consensus Statement is to provide practical guidance on the preoperative management of endocrine, hormonal, and urologic medications. A panel of experts with anesthesiology, perioperative medicine, hospital medicine, general internal medicine, and medical specialty experience was drawn together and identified the common medications in each of these categories. The authors then utilized a modified Delphi approach to critically review the literature and generate consensus recommendations.     

Physical activity as a proxy to ameliorate inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes and periodontal disease at high cardiovascular risk

While the beneficial impact of physical activity has been ascertained in a variety of pathological scenarios, including diabetes and low-grade systemic inflammation, its potential remains still putative for periodontal health. Periodontal disease has been associated with inflammatory systemic alterations, which share a common denominator with type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Physical exercise, along with nutritional counseling, is a cornerstone in the treatment and prevention of type 2 diabetes, also able to reduce the prevalence of periodontal disease and cardiovascular risk. In addition, considering the higher incidence of periodontitis in patients with type 2 diabetes compared to healthy controls, the fascinating research question would be whether physical activity could relieve the inflammatory pressure exerted by the combination of these two diseases. This multi-disciplinary viewpoint discusses available literature in order to argument the hypothesis of a “three–way relationship” linking diabetes, periodontitis, and physical activity.     

Medical treatment of vestibular disorders

Background: The lifelong prevalence of rotatory vertigo is 30%. Despite this high figure, patients with vertigo generally receive either inappropriate or inadequate treatment. However, the majority of vestibular disorders have a benign cause, take a favorable natural course, and respond positively to therapy. Objective: This review puts special emphasis on the medical rather than the physical, operative, or psychotherapeutic treatments available. Methods: A selected review of recent reports and studies on the medical treatment of peripheral and central vestibular disorders. Results/conclusions: In vestibular neuritis, recovery of the peripheral vestibular function can be improved by oral corticosteroids; in Menière's disease, there is first evidence that high-dose, long-term administration of betahistine reduces attack frequency; carbamazepine or oxcarbamazepine is the treatment of first choice in vestibular paroxysmia, a disorder mainly caused by neurovascular cross-compression; the potassium channel blocker aminopyridine provides a new therapeutic principle for treatment of downbeat nystagmus, upbeat nystagmus, and episodic ataxia type 2.     

Large‐scale bone mineral histomorphometry – report of a simplified technique

Karantzoulis V, Liapi C & Papaggelopoulos P
(2012) Histopathology
Large‐scale bone mineral histomorphometry – report of a simplified technique Aims: The aim of this study was the development of a simplified technique for bone mineral histomorphology on large undecalcified bone samples. Established techniques, such as undecalcified bone thin sectioning, ultrathin grinding, surface‐stained block grinding and micro‐computerized tomography (CT), are expensive, time‐consuming and put very high demands on equipment, safety standards, personnel and laboratory facilities. Methods and results: The method is based on the surface‐stained block‐grinding principle; however, its novelty lies in the selection of user‐friendly, safe and low‐cost materials, equipment and digitization techniques. We describe in detail the relevant steps, as well as many practical tips for their successful implementation: accurate bone cutting in thin sections with a customized arrangement on a commercial bandsaw, defatting with sodium hypochlorite, embedding in epoxy resin blocks at room temperature, silicon carbide paper grinding, von Kossa staining, flatbed scanner digitization and image processing. Conclusion: We believe that the proposed methodology could contribute to the expansion of the study of bone tissue, as it enables the rapid examination of bone specimens on a large scale with minimal laboratory requirements and consumables costs.     

加味温胆汤治疗自发性高血压大鼠Ⅰ、Ⅲ型胶原及AngⅡ的影响

目的:本课题旨在探讨加味温胆汤与开博通(卡托普利)联用对自发性高血压大鼠(SHR)血压Ⅰ、Ⅲ型胶原及AngⅡ的影响。方法:将48只10周龄雄性SHR随机分为6组,分别为SHR对照组(SHR-K)、加味温胆汤高剂量和开博通联合用药组(ZX-H)、加味温胆汤中剂量和开博通联合用药组(ZX-M)、加味温胆汤低剂量和开博通联合用药组(ZX-L)、加味温胆汤中剂量组(Z)及开博通组(X),每组8只,治疗8周后,测量大鼠尾动脉收缩压,观察Ⅰ、Ⅲ型胶原及AngII的改变。结果:加味温胆汤和开博通联用药治疗后,各剂量组大鼠收缩压均有所下降。加味温胆汤和开博通联用药高、中剂量组大鼠下降最明显(P<0.01),且降压效果优于加味温胆汤中剂量及开通博;各治疗组均可显著降低SHR大鼠左心室心肌组织胶原Ⅰ、Ⅲ型蛋白的表达,温胆汤和开博通联合用药组作用显著,明显优于纯中药组和西药开博通组;局部心肌AngⅡ与自然病程对照组相比,各药物治疗组均可明显降低局部心肌AngⅡ浓度(P<0.05),其中加味温胆汤大剂量与开博通联合用药组效果最佳,与自然病程对照组相比,各药物治疗组均可明显降低血浆AngⅡ浓度(P<0.01~0.05)。其中加味温胆汤各剂量与开博通联合用药组作用相似,降低血AngⅡ最显著,均优于加味温胆汤与开博通单用组(P<0.01~0.05)。结论:味温胆汤和开博通联合用药具有降压、降低左心室心肌组织胶原Ⅰ、Ⅲ型蛋白的表达及降低血浆和心肌肉组织中AngⅡ的浓度。     

15例重症新生儿单纯型大疱性表皮松解症的护理体会

对15例重症新生儿单纯型大疱型表皮松解症的患儿，通过正确的皮肤无菌护理，环境的消毒处置，适当的喂养，避免感染性休克。     

Type II natural killer T cells: a new target for immunomodulation?

Natural killer (NK) T lymphocytes are potent immunoregulatory cells that can regulate diverse immune responses. NK T cells display a low degree of inherent autoreactivity and are activated by endogenous or pathogen-specific glycolipids presented on the cluster of differentiation (CD)1d molecule. Recent studies have focused attention to type II NK T cells, which, in contrast to type I NK T cells, display a diverse T-cell receptor repertoire. Type II NK T cells in mice and humans demonstrate a unique regulatory role in autoimmunity, tumor immunity and infections. Immunotherapy targeting type II NK T cells in experimental models prevents autoimmune disease and protects mice from experimental hepatitis. Current efforts aim to reveal the underlying regulatory mechanisms of type II NK T cells in mice and humans and to identify the parameters that guide their activation, working toward the development of selective immunotherapies targeting type II NK T cells in autoimmunity and other immune-mediated diseases.