Association diastolic function by echo and infarct size by magnetic resonance imaging after STEMI

Objectives. Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is a predictor of increased morbidity and mortality; however, little is known about diastolic function and the degree of myocardial damage after myocardial infarction (MI). The aim was to assess the association between diastolic dysfunction by echocardiography and myocardial salvage assessed with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in patients with ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI). Design. In a prospective study, echocardiography and CMR were performed in STEMI patients in the early post-MI phase assessing diastolic dysfunction according to E/A and E/e’_average and area at risk, and after three months with measurement of final infarct size and salvage index. Linear regression analyses were performed testing the association of diastolic dysfunction with area at risk, final infarct size and salvage index. Results. A total of 193 patients (61?±?11 years) were included. Median system delay (first medical contact to primary PCI) was 185?min, 123 patients (63%) had TIMI 0/1 flow before intervention and 85 (46%) sustained an anterior MI. In 74 patients (38%), diastolic function was normal. The presence of diastolic dysfunction was associated with larger area at risk of median 6.6% (p?<?0.001), larger final infarct size of 4.5% (p?<?0.001), and lower salvage index of ?5.9% (p?=?0.02) compared with patients with normal diastolic function. Conclusion. Diastolic dysfunction in the early phase after STEMI is associated with more extensive myocardial damage and significantly poorer myocardial salvage after three months, and the presence of diastolic dysfunction acutely after STEMI may therefore be used as a marker of worse myocardial outcome.     

No certain predictors for mutation status in a Danish cohort with familial hypercholesterolemia: a descriptive study

OBJECTIVE: In order to enable clinicians to refer the right persons suspected of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) for mutation screening, a retrospective study was conducted in a Danish FH cohort. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study comprised 643 probands and 395 relatives, of which 421 individuals had a pathogenic mutation, and 211 had cardiovascular disease (CVD). Logistic regression, Cox regression, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to find optimal predictive variables for mutation status and evaluate risk factors for CVD. RESULTS: Age alone had significant predictive power in both genders. ROC curves and area under the curve plots found no parameters capable of predicting mutation status. The only significant risk factor for CVD in both genders was mutation carrier status. CONCLUSIONS: No parameters could decipher mutation status a priori. All individuals fulfilling the FH criteria should therefore be referred in order to facilitate family tracing and genetic counseling.     

Cognitive impairment and associations with structural brain networks,endocrine status,and risk genotypes in newly orchiectomized testicular cancer patients

Brain Imaging and Behavior - A higher incidence of cognitive impairment (CI) has previously been reported among orchiectomized testicular cancer patients (TCPs), but little is known about the...     

Self-disorders and Schizophrenia: A Phenomenological Reappraisal of Poor Insight and Noncompliance

Poor insight into illness is considered the primary cause of treatment noncompliance in schizophrenia. In this article, we critically discuss the predominant conceptual accounts of poor insight, which consider it as an ineffective self-reflection, caused either by psychological defenses or impaired metacognition. We argue that these accounts are at odds with the phenomenology of schizophrenia, and we propose a novel account of poor insight. We suggest that the reason why schizophrenia patients have no or only partial insight and consequently do not comply with treatment is rooted in the nature of their anomalous self-experiences (ie, self- disorders) and the related articulation of their psychotic symptoms. We argue that self-disorders destabilize the patients’ experiential framework, thereby weakening their basic sense of reality (natural attitude) and enabling another sense of reality (solipsistic attitude) to emerge and coexist. This coexistence of attitudes, which Bleuler termed “double bookkeeping,” is, in our view, central to understanding what poor insight in schizophrenia really is. We suggest that our phenomenologically informed account of poor insight may have important implications for early intervention, psychoeducation, and psychotherapy for schizophrenia.Key words: compliance, phenomenology, double bookkeeping, vulnerability     

Management of persistent postsurgical inguinal pain

Purpose

Severe persistent pain is a major postsurgical complication affecting 2–4 % of patients following inguinal hernia repair and may cause critical physical and socioeconomic disability. This review introduces relevant criteria and analyses the current evidence base underlying recommended management strategies.

Results

Development of persistent postsurgical pain (PPP) following inguinal hernia repair cannot automatically be considered to follow a simple trajectory from acute to chronic pain. Surgical management comprising neurectomy with or without meshectomy was described in 25 studies. Local anesthetic blocks, pharmacological management, and treatment with sensory stimulation methods were presented in seven studies. In spite of shortcomings, the data on surgical management demonstrate that neurectomy with or without mesh removal may provide long-lasting analgesic effects in most patients with severe PPP following inguinal hernia repair. The evidence base for other management methods is still fragile, although promising results appear in the neuromodulation studies.

Conclusions

There is a need for improved study designs and, launching of large multicenter collaborative studies supplying the necessary long-term data for recommendation of future management strategies.     

Identification of Cellular Voids in the Human Otic Capsule

Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology - The otic capsule consists of dense highly mineralized compact bone. Inner ear osteoprotegerin (OPG) effectively inhibits perilabyrinthine...     

Capillary transit time heterogeneity and flow-metabolism coupling after traumatic brain injury

Most patients who die after traumatic brain injury (TBI) show evidence of ischemic brain damage. Nevertheless, it has proven difficult to demonstrate cerebral ischemia in TBI patients. After TBI, both global and localized changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) are observed, depending on the extent of diffuse brain swelling and the size and location of contusions and hematoma. These changes vary considerably over time, with most TBI patients showing reduced CBF during the first 12 hours after injury, then hyperperfusion, and in some patients vasospasms before CBF eventually normalizes. This apparent neurovascular uncoupling has been ascribed to mitochondrial dysfunction, hindered oxygen diffusion into tissue, or microthrombosis. Capillary compression by astrocytic endfeet swelling is observed in biopsies acquired from TBI patients. In animal models, elevated intracranial pressure compresses capillaries, causing redistribution of capillary flows into patterns argued to cause functional shunting of oxygenated blood through the capillary bed. We used a biophysical model of oxygen transport in tissue to examine how capillary flow disturbances may contribute to the profound changes in CBF after TBI. The analysis suggests that elevated capillary transit time heterogeneity can cause critical reductions in oxygen availability in the absence of ‘classic'' ischemia. We discuss diagnostic and therapeutic consequences of these predictions.