Carotid intima-media thickness is increased in subjects with ischemic heart disease having a familial incidence

OBJECTIVES: A family history of ischemic heart disease (IHD) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events. However, the mechanisms underlying this susceptibility have not been fully elucidated. The authors hypothesized that an important mediator of the familial incidence of IHD is subclinical atherosclerosis, which is detectable by noninvasive imaging. METHODS: One hundred forty-seven consecutive subjects (mean age 61.9 years, 57% men) were studied for one year using carotid ultra-sonogrophy for general medical screening, and familial IHD events were validated. Using a 7.5 MHz linear array transducer, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and carotid plaque were assessed. Subjects were subsequently divided into four groups based on the severity of IMT. RESULTS: The familial incidence of IHD and incidence of plaque were associated with the severity of IMT. No significant differences in risk factors were found between subjects with and without a family history of IHD. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that subclinical atherosclerosis, as assessed in the carotid arteries, is more prevalent in individuals with a family history of IHD.     

Intrahepatic Portosystemic Venous Shunt: Diagnosis by Color Doppler Imaging

Intrahepatic portosystemic venous shunt is a rare clinical entity; only 33 such cases have been reported. It may be congenital, or secondary to portal hypertension. Five patients with this disorder are presented, each of whom was diagnosed by color Doppler imaging, including waveform spectral analysis. One patient with clinical evidence of cirrhosis and portal hypertension had episodes of hepatic encephalopathy and elevated blood levels of ammonia. This patient had a large tubular shunt between the posterior branch of the portal vein and the inferior vena cava. Shunts of this type are considered to be collateral pathways which develop in the hepatic parenchyma as a result of portal hypertension. The other four patients had no evidence of liver disease, and all four evidenced an ancurysmal portohepatic venous shunt within the liver parenchyma. Shunts of this type are considered congenital. The diagnosis of intrahepatic portosystemic venous shunts was established by color Doppler imaging, which demonstrated a direct communication of color flow signals between the portal vein and hepatic vein, in addition to the characterization of the Doppler spectrum at each sampling point from a continuous waveform signal (portal vein) to a turbulent signal (aneurysmal cavity), and finally, to a biphasic waveform signal (hepatic vein). As demonstrated by the five patients, color Doppler imaging is useful in the diagnosis of an intrahepatic portosystemic hepatic venous shunt, and the measurement of shunt ratio may be useful in the follow-up and determining the therapeutic option.     

Pneumothorax after diagnostic laparoscopy

Here we want to call laparoscopist's attention to pneumothorax after diagnostic laparoscopy. Diagnostic laparoscopy has less complications, compared with laparoscopic surgery. In our experience, only one case (0.04%) developed pneumothorax during routine diagnostic laparoscopic procedure. This complication is presented in a 50-year-old female. She complained of dyspnea just after the decrease of intraabdominal pressure and deflation of intraperitoneal gas. The chest roentgenogram showed a right pneumothorax, and a right chest tube was inserted with immediate relief of tension. Pneumothorax during diagnostic laparoscopy is relatively rare but a major complication; Medline literature research showed six reported cases of pneumothorax after diagnostic laparoscopy from 1983 to 1998 including our case. The etiology was idiopathy in 5 and diaphragmatic injury in 1. Hypotension, elevation of inspiratory pressure, dyspnea, a decrease in systemic oxygen saturation, and loss of breath sounds suggest tension pneumothorax. The clinical condition of the patients improved rapidly because of the easy diffusion of the gas used in laparoscopy. Diagnostic laparoscopists should be aware of this complication and treat ventilatory problems.     

The characteristics of dissemination of embolic materials during renal artery stenting.

BACKGROUND: Though one of the major complications of renal artery stenting is dissemination of embolic materials which may cause deterioration of renal function, the characteristics of this phenomenon are unclear. We investigated the characteristics of embolization in renal artery stenting by intrarenal duplex ultrasound monitoring. METHOD: A total of 17 patients with 21 lesions that underwent primary renal artery stenting were prospectively included. Intrarenal artery blood flow velocity spectra exhibiting microembolic signals (MES) were examined during renal artery intervention. RESULT: Renal artery stenting was successful in all cases. Predilatation was needed in eight cases, and direct stenting without predilatation was performed in 13 cases. Postdilatation or flare formation was performed in 13 cases. Multiple stenting was not performed in any patients, though stenting of both renal arteries was performed in four cases. Major embolization and no reflow/slow flow were not determined by angiography. Except for one case of technical kidney failure, real-time intrarenal duplex ultrasound monitoring was possible and the study protocol was completed. MES were detected during all procedural phases. The number of cardiac beats with MES was significantly higher in stenting (11.1 +/- 2.8) following postdilatation/flare formation (8.3 +/- 4.1) than in predilatation (3.3 +/- 2.1) (predilatation vs. stenting: P < 0.001, predilatation vs. postdilatation/flare: P = 0.009, stenting vs. postdilatation/flare: P = 0.03). The mean creatinine value was 1.31 +/- 0.68 mg/dl at baseline and 1.54 +/- 1.08 at 1 month. Deterioration of renal function was observed in 43% (3/7) of patients with renal impairment, whereas 10% (1/10) of patients without renal impairment experienced deterioration of renal function (P = 0.250). CONCLUSION: Dissemination of embolic materials was detected in all procedures. Higher MES were detected in stenting following postdilatation/flare formation. Pre-existing renal impairment yielded a trend toward the deterioration of renal function after renal artery stenting during the short-term follow-up. Protected renal artery stenting might be considered advisable, at least in atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis patients with renal impairment though a larger number and long-term study will be required.     

Association between absolute blood eosinophil count and CKD stages among cardiac patients

Elevated eosinophil count was shown to be associated with the development of cholesterol embolization syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition, after catheter-based procedures. We investigated the association between stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the absolute eosinophil count (AEC) among cardiac patients. CKD stages were determined solely on the estimated glomerular filtration rate or requirement for hemodialysis. Eosinophilia is defined as an eosinophil count exceeding 500/μL. A total of 1022 patients were enrolled in the current study, and eosinophil counts (/μL) in the first through fourth eosinophil count quartiles were <88, 88 to 154, 155 to <238, and 238≤, respectively, and 29 patients (2.8 %) had eosinophilia. Correlation coefficient between the AEC and age was ?0.188 (P = 0.001) in women and ?0.042 (n.s.) in men (by Spearman’s correlation test). Patients with higher CKD stages had a higher prevalence of the highest AEC quartile or eosinophilia. Logistic regression analysis using severe renal dysfunction (i.e., CKD stage 4 or 5) as the dependent variable, the highest AEC quartile had a significant positive association with an odds ratio of 1.99 (95 % confidence interval, 1.20–3.31, P < 0.01) after adjustment for sex, age, systolic blood pressure, and total white blood cell count. Similarly, after adjustment for the same variables, eosinophilia was associated with severe renal dysfunction with an odds ratio of 2.60 (95 % confidence interval, 1.08–6.26, P < 0.05). Eosinophil count was positively associated with higher CKD stages among cardiology patients, some fraction of which might be related to subclinical cholesterol embolization.     

Anxiety,Depression, and Resilience of Healthcare Workers in Japan During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak

Objective Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading around the world. The aim of this study was to assess the degree of anxiety, depression, resilience, and other psychiatric symptoms among healthcare workers in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This survey involved medical healthcare workers at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center (Tokyo, Japan) between April 22 and May 15, 2020. The degree of symptoms of anxiety, depression, and resilience was assessed using the Japanese versions of the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Furthermore, we added original questionnaires comprising three factors: (i) anxiety and fear of infection and death; (ii) isolation and unreasonable treatment; and (iii) motivation and escape behavior at work. Results In total, 848 healthcare workers participated in this survey: 104 doctors, 461 nurses, 184 other co-medical staff, and 99 office workers. Among all participants, 85 (10.0%) developed moderate-to-severe anxiety disorder, and 237 (27.9%) developed depression. Problems with anxiety and fear of infection and death, isolation and unreasonable treatment, and motivation and escape from work were higher in the depression group than in the non-depression group (total CES-D score ≥ 16 points). Being a nurse and high total GAD-7 scores were risk factors of depression. Older workers and those with higher resilience were less likely to develop depression than others. Conclusion During the COVID-19 epidemic, many healthcare workers suffered from psychiatric symptoms. Psychological support and interventions for protecting the mental health of them are needed.     

High prevalence of equine-like G3P[8] rotavirus in children and adults with acute gastroenteritis in Thailand

Group A rotavirus (RVA) is a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in infants and young children worldwide. This study aims to clarify the distribution of G/P types and genetic characteristics of RVAs circulating in Thailand. Between January 2014 and September 2016, 1867 stool specimens were collected from children and adults with acute gastroenteritis in six provinces in Thailand. RVAs were detected in 514/1867 (27.5%) stool specimens. G1P[8] (44.7%) was the most predominant genotype, followed by G3P[8] (33.7%), G2P[4] (11.5%), G8P[8] (7.0%), and G9P[8] (1.3%). Unusual G3P[9] (0.8%), G3P[10] (0.4%), G4P[6] (0.4%), and G10P[14] (0.2%) were also detected at low frequencies. The predominant genotype, G1P[8] (64.4%), in 2014 decreased to 6.1% in 2016. In contrast, the frequency of G3P[8] markedly increased from 5.5% in 2014 to 65.3% in 2015 and 89.8% in 2016. On polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, most (135/140; 96.4%) of the G3P[8] strains exhibited a short RNA profile. Successful determination of the nucleotide sequences of the VP7 genes of 98 G3P[8] strains with a short RNA profile showed that they are all equine-like G3P[8] strains. On phylogenetic analysis of genome segments of two representative Thai equine-like G3P[8] strains, it was noteworthy that they possessed distinct NSP4 genes, one bovine-like and the other human-like. Thus, we found that characteristic equine-like G3P[8] strains with a short RNA electropherotype are becoming highly prevalent in children and adults in Thailand.     

One-pot synthesis of conjugated triphenylamine macrocycles and their complexation with fullerenes

Triphenylamine derivates have been utilized as building blocks in hole-transporting materials. Herein, we describe the synthesis of three octyl-derived conjugated triphenylamine macrocycles with different sizes, and a 4-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-substituted cyclic triphenylamine hexamer using a palladium-catalyzed C–N coupling reaction. These conjugated triphenylamine macrocycles not only have interesting structures, but also are capable of complexing with C₆₀, C₇₀ and PC₆₁BM. Their binding stoichiometries with fullerenes were all determined to be 1 : 1 by an emission titration method. The association constants of these complexes were measured to be in the range of 0.115–1.53 × 10⁵ M⁻¹ depending on the cavity size of the triphenylamine macrocycles and the volume of the fullerenes. The space-charge-limited current properties of the complexes were further investigated using the fabricated ITO/PEDOT:PSS/active layer/Au devices.

Cyclic triphenylamine (TPA) oligomers synthesized by C–N coupling were found to be capable of complexing with fullerenes, and the applications in optoelectronic devices were investigated by using the fabricated ITO/PEDOT:PSS/active layer/Au devices.