Increased Plasma‐Free Hemoglobin Levels Identify Hemolysis in Patients With Cardiogenic Shock and a Trans valvular Micro‐Axial Flow Pump

Hemolysis is a potential limitation of percutaneously delivered left‐sided mechanical circulatory support pumps, including trans valvular micro‐axial flow pumps (TVP). Hemolytic biomarkers among durable left ventricular assist devices include lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) >2.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) and plasma‐free hemoglobin (pf‐Hb) >20 mg/dL. We examined the predictive value of these markers among patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) receiving a TVP. We retrospectively studied records of 116 consecutive patients receiving an Impella TVP at our institution between 2012 and 2017 for CS. Twenty‐three met inclusion/exclusion criteria, and had sufficient pf‐Hb data for analysis. Area under receiver‐operator characteristic (ROC) curve for diagnosing hemolysis were calculated. Mean age was 62 ± 14 years and ejection fraction was 15 ± 5%. Mean duration of support was 5.4 ± 3.5 days. Pre‐device LDH levels were >2.5x ULN in 71% (n = 5/7) of 5.0 and 29% of CP patients, while pre‐device pf‐Hb levels were >20 mg/dL in 14% (n = 1/7) of 5.0 and 25% (n = 4/16) of CP patients. Given elevated baseline LDH and pf‐Hb levels, we defined hemolysis as a pf‐Hb level >40 mg/dL within 72 h post‐implant plus clinical evidence of device‐related hemolysis. We identified that 30% (n = 7/23) had device‐related hemolysis. Using ROC curve‐derived cut‐points, an increase in delta pf‐Hb by >27mg/dL, not delta LDH, within 24 h after TVP implant (delta pf‐Hb: C‐statistic = 0.79, sensitivity: 57%, specificity: 93%, p <0.05) was highly predictive of hemolysis. In conclusion, we identified a change in pf‐Hb, not LDH, levels is highly sensitive and specific for hemolysis in patients treated with a TVP for CS.     

Size Estimation of People Who Inject Drugs and Their Geographical Distribution in Dogonbadan,Iran, During 2018: a Mapping Method

The aim of this cross-sectional study was investigation of geographical distribution and size estimation of people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in Dogonbadan, Iran, in 2018 using geographical mapping method. Data was obtained through interviewing primary and secondary key informants as well as field team observations. Population size was estimated by median in Stata software (version 14). GIS software (version 10.6.1) was used to prepare the density and distribution maps of the hotspots. We identified 52 hotspots of drug users; injection of drugs occurred in 31 of the hotspots. The prevalence of injecting drugs was 232.4 per 100,000 adults, while it was 21.9 and 441.8 among females and males, respectively. A large number of identified hotspots are not covered by harm reduction services. Increasing outreach teams, equipping of harm reduction centers, and moving them to the nearest location to hotspots are suggested.

     

Heterogeneity in amount of growth factors secreted by platelets in platelet-rich plasma samples from alopecia patients

Platelet α-granules release growth factors (GFs) that promote healing and tissue regeneration. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is shown to be beneficial in treating alopecia, and however, clinical response can be inconsistent. Due to several fold enrichment of platelets secreting large quantities of GFs following PRP injections, heterogeneity in amounts of GFs secreted by platelets may contribute to inconsistent clinical responses. Herein, we evaluated factors that could potentially contribute to heterogeneous secretion of GFs by platelets. We measured platelet secretion of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFβ1), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB), epidermal growth factor (EGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) in aliquots of de-identified PRP samples from female patients undergoing therapy in the hair disease clinic. Although secretion of GFs by platelets was comparable in PRP samples of patients with non-cicatricial and cicatricial alopecia, a Shapiro-Wilk test for normal distribution indicated significant variability across all patient samples. The amount of GF secreted by platelets was comparable when PRP prepared from two FDA-cleared devices with distinct techniques were compared. We provide evidence of platelets secreting heterogeneous amounts of GFs within each sample as high and low secretion of random factors could be simultaneously detected. These results suggest inherent heterogeneity in secretion of GFs by platelets in patient samples that are not influenced by the device used to prepare PRP. Since some GFs could have antagonistic effects on hair growth, a balance between amounts of growth promoting and inhibiting factors may be crucial in determining clinical response to PRP therapy.     

Definition and Prioritization of Data Elements for Cohort Studies and Clinical Trials on Patients with Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms: Proposal of a Multidisciplinary Research Group

Introduction

Variability in usage and definition of data characteristics in previous cohort studies on unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA) complicated pooling and proper interpretation of these data. The aim of the National Institute of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke UIA and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) Common Data Elements (CDE) Project was to provide a common structure for data collection in future research on UIA and SAH.

Methods

This paper describes the development and summarization of the recommendations of the working groups (WGs) on UIAs, which consisted of an international and multidisciplinary panel of cerebrovascular specialists on research and treatment of UIAs. Consensus recommendations were developed by review of previously published CDEs for other neurological diseases and the literature on UIAs. Recommendations for CDEs were classified by priority into ‘Core,’ ‘Supplemental—Highly Recommended,’ ‘Supplemental,’ and ‘Exploratory.’

Results

Ninety-one CDEs were compiled; 69 were newly created and 22 were existing CDEs. The CDEs were assigned to eight subcategories and were classified as Core (8), Supplemental—Highly Recommended (23), Supplemental (25), and Exploratory (35) elements. Additionally, the WG developed and agreed on a classification for aneurysm morphology.

Conclusion

The proposed CDEs have been distilled from a broad pool of characteristics, measures, or outcomes. The usage of these CDEs will facilitate pooling of data from cohort studies or clinical trials on patients with UIAs.

     

Citation analysis of the most influential articles on traumatic spinal cord injury

Objective: We conducted a citation analysis in order to catalog and pay tribute to the 100 most influential clinical research articles in traumatic spinal cord injury.

Design: The Thomson Reuters Web of Science was searched in a two-step process without time period limitations. Review articles were excluded. In the first stage of data extraction, a Boolean query was used to identify the top 100 most cited clinical papers on traumatic spinal cord injury. One hundred and seven keywords were manually chosen and extracted from titles and abstracts. A second Boolean query used these keywords to broaden search results. The top 100 articles from this second stage search comprised the final list.

Outcome Measures: For each article, measures evaluated were number of citations, average number of citations per year, time elapsed before first citation, and time elapsed until the year in which each article received its respective highest number of citations in a one-year period.

Results: 119,991 articles were found in the second stage search. The top 100 most cited articles meeting inclusion criteria were identified within the first 2,104 results. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation was the most represented journal, with 20 of the top 100 articles. The top 100 list averaged 255 citations per article. The most highly cited article was the NASCIS 2 trial by Bracken et al., cited 1500 times, which investigated the efficacy of methylprednisolone or naloxone for spinal cord injury.

Conclusion: Clinical research in traumatic spinal cord injury has grown over time, expanding to encompass rehabilitation and experimental therapies in addition to acute management trials. The list may serve as an archive and reference for further studies in this field.     

The effects of curcumin supplementation on body mass index,body weight,and waist circumference in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and dose–response meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major cause of liver‐related morbidity; its prevalence is elevating due to the rising epidemic of obesity. Several clinical trials have examined the effects of curcumin supplementation on anthropometric variables in NAFLD patients with inconclusive results. This dose–response meta‐analysis aimed to evaluate the impact of curcumin supplementation on body mass index (BMI), body weight, and waist circumference (WC) in patients with NAFLD. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Sid.ir, and Magiran.com to identify eligible studies up to March 2019. A meta‐analysis of eligible studies was performed using the random‐effects model to estimate the pooled effect size. Eight randomized controlled trials with 520 participants (curcumin group = 265 and placebo group = 255) were included. Supplementation dose and duration ranged from 70 to 3,000 mg/day and 8 to 12 weeks, respectively. Curcumin supplementation significantly reduced BMI (weighted mean difference [WMD] = ?0.34 kg/m², 95% CI [?0.64, ?0.04], p < .05) and WC (WMD = ?2.12 cm, 95% CI [?3.26, ?0.98], p < .001). However, no significant effects of curcumin supplementation on body weight were found. These results suggest that curcumin supplementation might have a positive effect on visceral fat and abdominal obesity that have been associated with NAFLD.     

Exercise Improves Self-Reported Sexual Function Among Physically Active Adults

BackgroundSexual dysfunction is common among adults and takes a toll on quality of life for both men and women.AimTo determine whether higher levels of weekly cardiovascular exercise are protective against self-reported sexual dysfunction among men and women.MethodsWe conducted an international online, cross-sectional survey of physically active men and women between April and December 2016, assessing exercise activity categorized into sextiles of weekly metabolic equivalent-hours. Odds ratios (ORs) of sexual dysfunction for each activity sextile compared with the lowest sextile were calculated using multivariable logistic regression, controlling for age, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, tobacco/alcohol use, sport, and marital status.Main Outcome MeasuresFemale sexual dysfunction was defined as a score ≤26.55 on the Female Sexual Function Inventory and erectile dysfunction (ED) was defined as a score ≤21 on the Sexual Health Inventory for Men.Results3,906 men and 2,264 women (median age 41–45 and 31–35 years, respectively) met the inclusion criteria for the study. Men in sextiles 2–6 had reduced odds of ED compared with the reference sextile in adjusted analysis (P_trend = .03), with an OR of 0.77 (95% CI = 0.61–0.97) for sextile 4 and 0.78 (95% CI = 0.62–0.99) for sextile 6, both statistically significant. Women in higher sextiles had a reduced adjusted OR of female sexual dysfunction (P_trend = .02), which was significant in sextile 4 (OR = 0.70; 95% CI = 0.51–0.96). A similar pattern held true for orgasm dissatisfaction (P_trend < .01) and arousal difficulty (P_trend < .01) among women, with sextiles 4–6 reaching statistical significance in both.Clinical ImplicationsMen and women at risk for sexual dysfunction regardless of physical activity level may benefit by exercising more rigorously.Strengths & LimitationsStrengths include using a large international sample of participants with a wide range of physical activity levels. Limitations include the cross-sectional design, and results should be interpreted in context of the study population of physically active adults.ConclusionHigher cardiovascular exercise levels in physically active adults are inversely associated with ED by self-report in men and protective against female sexual dysfunction in women.Fergus KB, Gaither TW, Baradaran N, et al. Exercise Improves Self-Reported Sexual Function Among Physically Active Adults. J Sex Med 2019;16:1236–1245.