The society for cardiovascular angiography and interventions structural heart disease early career task force survey results: Endorsed by the society for cardiovascular angiography and interventions

Over the last decade, structural heart disease interventions have emerged as a new field in interventional cardiology. Currently, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited interventional cardiology fellowship programs in the United States provide high‐quality and well established training curriculum in coronary and peripheral interventions, but training in structural interventions remains in its infancy. The current survey seeks to collect relevant information and assess the opinion of interventional cardiology program directors in ACGME‐accredited institutions that are actively involved in structural interventional training. Our study describes the actual number of structural procedures performed by interventional cardiology fellows in ACGME‐accredited programs, the form of the structural training today and the suggestions from program directors who are actively trying to integrate structural training in the interventional cardiology fellowship programs. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Outcomes of toric IOL implantation guided by iris-registered femtosecond laser capsulotomy markings

Purpose

To assess the accuracy and stability of iris-registered femtosecond laser-assisted anterior capsule axis markings (compensating cyclotorsion) along with refractive and visual outcomes after toric IOL implantation.

Methods

This prospective case series included eyes with visually significant cataracts and regular corneal astigmatism ranging from 1.25D to 4.0D, which received FLACS and toric IOL implantation, at The Eye Institute of West Florida, Largo, Florida, USA. Preoperative iris registration was used in conjunction with a femtosecond laser platform to create cyclotorsion corrected axis marks at the capsulotomy edge to facilitate toric IOL axial alignment. Patients were examined one, seven and thirty days after surgery to assess capsulotomy marks axis, toric IOL axis along with visual and refractive outcomes.

Results

Eighteen eyes of 13 patients aged 74.35?±?8.65 years were included. Mean pre-op CDVA was 0.24?±?0.16 LogMAR, while mean post-op UDVA was 0.09?±?0.09 LogMAR. Mean pre-op corneal astigmatism was 1.85?±?0.41 D, decreasing to 0.24?±?0.41 D of refractive astigmatism postoperatively (p?<?0.001). The capsular toric axis markings were visible in 100% of eyes throughout the follow-up; the mean difference between intended capsulotomy mark axis and measured capsulotomy mark axis was 1.6°, 1.7° and 1.3 ^o at the 1, 7 and 30 day intervals (p?>?0.05), respectively. No capsule-related or any other type of complications was noted.

Conclusions

Iris-registered femtosecond laser-assisted anterior capsule axis markings are safe and may be considered as an alternative option to the known axis marking techniques for toric IOL axial alignment at the time of cataract surgery.

     

Thalidomide for Treatment of Bleeding Angiodysplasias during Hemodialysis

Renal transplant patients are more prone to tuberculosis infection due to the underlying intense immunosuppression, with an incidence 20–74 times higher than that in the general population. It is associated with graft dysfunction and increased mortality rates. It can be frequently pulmonary but extra-pulmonary involvement is not rare, and in the latter case, it may be misinterpreted as genital malignancies. In this case report, we discuss a renal transplant patient with pelvic pain and fever, who was later diagnosed as having abdominopelvic tuberculosis.     

Effects of Strength vs. Ballistic-Power Training on Throwing Performance

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of 6 weeks strength vs. ballistic-power (Power) training on shot put throwing performance in novice throwers. Seventeen novice male shot-put throwers were divided into Strength (N = 9) and Power (n = 8) groups. The following measurements were performed before and after the training period: shot put throws, jumping performance (CMJ), Wingate anaerobic performance, 1RM strength, ballistic throws and evaluation of architectural and morphological characteristics of vastus lateralis. Throwing performance increased significantly but similarly after Strength and Power training (7.0-13.5% vs. 6.0-11.5%, respectively). Muscular strength in leg press increased more after Strength than after Power training (43% vs. 21%, respectively), while Power training induced an 8.5% increase in CMJ performance and 9.0 - 25.8% in ballistic throws. Peak power during the Wingate test increased similarly after Strength and Power training. Muscle thickness increased only after Strength training (10%, p < 0.05). Muscle fibre Cross Sectional Area (fCSA) increased in all fibre types after Strength training by 19-26% (p < 0.05), while only type IIx fibres hypertrophied significantly after Power training. Type IIx fibres (%) decreased after Strength but not after Power training. These results suggest that shot put throwing performance can be increased similarly after six weeks of either strength or ballistic power training in novice throwers, but with dissimilar muscular adaptations.

Key points

• Ballistic-power training with 30% of 1RM is equally effective in increasing shot put performance as strength training, in novice throwers, during a short training cycle of six weeks.
• In novice shot putters with relatively low initial muscle strength/mass, short-term strength training might be more important since it can increase both muscle strength and shot put performance.
• The ballistic type of power training resulted in a significant increase of the mass of type IIx muscle fibres and no change in their proportion. Thus, this type of training might be used effectively during the last weeks before competition, when the strength training load is usually reduced, in order to increase muscle power and shot put performance in novice shot putters.

Key words: Shot put, muscle fibres, ultrasound, ballistic training, muscle mass.     

Enamel Matrix Derivative in Intrabony Defects: Prognostic Parameters of Clinical and Radiographic Treatment Outcomes

Background: The purpose of this retrospective case series study is to identify possible preoperative parameters that could predict postoperative probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL) gain, or radiographic defect resolution in intrabony defects treated with enamel matrix derivative (EMD). Methods: Sixty‐one chronic periodontitis patients, each contributing a 2‐ or 3‐wall intrabony defect treated with EMD, were included. Clinical parameters recorded included the following: PD; CAL; gingival margin position; supracrestal soft tissue (SST); surgical distances of cemento‐enamel junction (CEJ) to bone crest (CEJ‐BC), CEJ to base of the defect (CEJ‐BD), and BC to BD (BC‐BD); and depth of 2‐ and 3‐wall components. Radiographic parameters recorded included the following: CEJ‐BC, CEJ‐BD, BC‐BD distances, and radiographic defect angle. Postoperative assessments were performed at 12 months. Results: The probability of postoperative PD >4 mm increased 1.6‐fold (odds ratio [OR] = 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2 to 2.3) with each 1‐mm baseline PD increase. Baseline PD and surgical CEJ‐BD were statistically significant predictors of CAL gain; the greater the baseline PD (OR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.3 to 0.8) and bone loss (OR = 0.6; 95% CI = 0.3 to 0.9), the less likely that postoperative CAL gain was ≤3 mm. Smoking and SST were significantly associated with defect resolution; failure to achieve ≥65% defect resolution was six‐fold greater for smokers (OR = 6.5; 95% CI = 1.7 to 24.5) and almost double (OR = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.1 to 2.8) for each millimeter of SST increase. Conclusion: In EMD‐treated intrabony defects, baseline PD predicts both CAL gain and postoperative PD. Smoking and SST are predictors of defect resolution.