Individualized norms of optimal fetal growth: fetal growth potential

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that individualized optimal fetal growth norms, accounting for physiologic and pathologic determinants of fetal growth, better identify normal and abnormal outcomes of pregnancy than existing methods. METHODS: In a prospective cohort of 38,033 singleton pregnancies, we identified 9,818 women with a completely normal outcome of pregnancy and characterized the physiologic factors affecting birth weight using multivariable regression. We used those physiologic factors to individually predict optimal growth trajectory and its variation, growth potential, for each fetus in the entire cohort. By comparing actual birth weight with growth potential, population, ultrasound, and customized norms, we calculated for each fetus achieved percentiles, by each norm. We then compared proportions of pregnancies classified as normally grown, between 10th and 90th percentile, or aberrantly grown, outside this interval, by growth potential and traditional norms, in 14,229 complicated pregnancies, 1,518 pregnancies with diabetes or hypertensive disorders, and 1,347 pregnancies with neonatal complications. RESULTS: Nineteen physiologic factors, associated with maternal characteristics and early placental function, were identified. Growth potential norms correctly classified significantly more pregnancies than population, ultrasound, or customized norms in complicated pregnancies (26.4% compared with 18.3%, 18.7%, 22.8%, respectively, all P<.05), pregnancies with diabetes or hypertensive disorders (37.3% compared with 23.0%, 28.0%, 34.0%, respectively, all P<.05) and neonatal complications (33.3% compared with 19.7%, 24.9%, 29.8%, respectively, all P<.05). CONCLUSION: Growth potential norms based on the physiologic determinants of birth weight are a better discriminator of aberrations of fetal growth than traditional norms. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.     

骨髓病理检查在贫血诊断中的价值

目的:通过对贫血患者的骨髓病理观察,探讨其病理改变在临床诊断中的价值.方法:用骨髓环钻法获取骨髓组织,采用常规包埋切片染色后,观察骨髓病理结构.结果:再障患者的骨髓病理为严重的骨髓脂肪变,急性白血病的骨髓病理为骨髓的正常结构消失,包括骨小梁的结构均被大量白血病细胞侵润替代.而溶血性贫血和缺铁性贫血骨髓病理为增生活跃,造血组织面积增多.结论:骨髓病理检查在贫血的诊断特别是再生障碍性贫血的诊断中具有重要意义.     

The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention,Detection, Evaluation,and Treatment of High Blood Pressure: the JNC 7 report

"The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure" provides a new guideline for hypertension prevention and management. The following are the key messages(1) In persons older than 50 years, systolic blood pressure (BP) of more than 140 mm Hg is a much more important cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor than diastolic BP; (2) The risk of CVD, beginning at 115/75 mm Hg, doubles with each increment of 20/10 mm Hg; individuals who are normotensive at 55 years of age have a 90% lifetime risk for developing hypertension; (3) Individuals with a systolic BP of 120 to 139 mm Hg or a diastolic BP of 80 to 89 mm Hg should be considered as prehypertensive and require health-promoting lifestyle modifications to prevent CVD; (4) Thiazide-type diuretics should be used in drug treatment for most patients with uncomplicated hypertension, either alone or combined with drugs from other classes. Certain high-risk conditions are compelling indications for the initial use of other antihypertensive drug classes (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers); (5) Most patients with hypertension will require 2 or more antihypertensive medications to achieve goal BP (<140/90 mm Hg, or <130/80 mm Hg for patients with diabetes or chronic kidney disease); (6) If BP is more than 20/10 mm Hg above goal BP, consideration should be given to initiating therapy with 2 agents, 1 of which usually should be a thiazide-type diuretic; and (7) The most effective therapy prescribed by the most careful clinician will control hypertension only if patients are motivated. Motivation improves when patients have positive experiences with and trust in the clinician. Empathy builds trust and is a potent motivator. Finally, in presenting these guidelines, the committee recognizes that the responsible physician's judgment remains paramount.     

国人缺血性心血管病发病危险的评估方法及简易评估工具的开发研究

目的 研究开发适合我国人群疾病特点且方便临床使用的心血管病发病危险度评估方法和评估工具。方法 依据中美心肺血管疾病流行病学合作研究队列随访资料，采用Cox比例风险模型拟合最优预测模型，并校正人群危险因素长期变化趋势的影响，采用独立人群回代检验和计算ROC曲线下面积来检验模型的预测能力。进一步建立简易预测模型，并据此制定适合我国人群的心血管病综合危险度简易评估工具。结果 中美心肺血管疾病流行病学合作研究1983～1984年基线调查年龄35～59岁，剔除基线患有冠心病、脑卒中及主要危险因素资料不全者后男女共计9903人，截止到2000年平均随访15．1年，共发生冠心病事件105例、缺血性脑卒中266例、缺血性心血管病360例。基线年龄、性别、血压、血清总胆固醇、体重指数、吸烟和糖尿病与冠心病、缺血性脑卒中和缺血性心血管病(ischemic cardiovascular diseases，ICVD)事件发病有互相独立的显著关联，且联系的方向和规律一致。据此建立的分性别ICVD事件10年发病危险预测模型，经过校正人群危险因素的长期变化趋势，证明能够很好地用于1992～1994年新建立队列的ICVD发病预测，其ROC曲线下面积(AUC)男性最优模型为0．799，女性最优模型为0．844。简易模型的AUC与最优模型几乎相同。结论 初步开发的ICVD事件10年发病危险预测模型和简易评估工具具有令人满意的预测能力，也能够较好地反映国人发生心血管病的综合危险。     

Frequency of laboratory testing and associated abnormalities in patients with hypertension

Clinical practice guidelines recommend several routine laboratory tests in patients diagnosed with hypertension. However, the rates of clinically relevant laboratory abnormalities are unknown. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective cohort study using administrative and laboratory data of patients diagnosed with hypertension between April 2010 and March 2015 in Alberta, Canada. Laboratory investigations for renal function, serum electrolytes (sodium and potassium), low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and diabetes (fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c), measured within 1 year of diagnosis, were examined, and the frequency of abnormalities determined. A total of 225 296 cases of incident hypertension were identified. Of these, 74.3% received at least one of the four guideline‐recommended laboratory tests, but only 42.3% received all four tests. Patients who received any testing, compared to subjects who did not, were on average older (median age 55.9 vs 51.2 years, P < .001) and had more comorbidity (14.5% vs 2.8% with a Charlson comorbidity index ≥ 3, P < .001). Laboratory abnormalities with the potential to affect clinical decision‐making were more common among multi‐comorbid patients. Patients with renal dysfunction (6.7% vs 11.6%, 26.3%, P < .001), electrolyte abnormalities (9.8% vs 12.6%, 20.5%, P < .001), and diabetes (13.4% vs 25.1% vs 38.8%, P < .001) were found in patients with Charlson scores of 0 vs 1‐2 vs ≥3, respectively. Our study found most patients diagnosed with hypertension received some laboratory testing, but rates of laboratory testing and frequency of abnormalities varied by clinical context. Testing and abnormalities detected were both more common among older patients and patients with comorbidities.     

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d concentration and mortality from heart failure and cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality from all-cause in United States adults

We aimed to examine associations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentration and mortality from heart failure (HF) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and premature death from all causes using data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which included 13,131 participants (6,130 men, 7,001 women) ≥35 years old at baseline (1988 to 1994) and followed through December 2000. Premature death was defined all-cause death at <75 years of age. Results indicated that during an average 8-year follow-up, there were 3,266 deaths (24.9%) including 101 deaths from HF, 1,451 from CVD, and 1,066 premature all-cause deaths. Among HF deaths, 37% of decedents had serum 25(OH)D levels <20 ng/ml, whereas only 26% of those with non-HF deaths had such levels (p <0.001). Multivariate-adjusted Cox model indicated that subjects with serum 25(OH)D levels <20 ng/ml had 2.06 times higher risk (95% confidence interval 1.01 to 4.25) of HF death than those with serum 25(OH)D levels ≥30 ng/ml (p <0.001). In addition, hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for premature death from all causes were 1.40 (1.17 to 1.68) in subjects with serum 25(OH)D levels <20 ng/ml and 1.11 (0.93 to 1.33) in those with serum 25(OH)D levels of 20 to 29 ng/ml compared to those with serum 25(OH)D levels ≥30 ng/ml (p <0.001, test for trend). In conclusion, adults with inadequate serum 25(OH)D levels have significantly higher risk of death from HF and all CVDs and all-cause premature death.     

Association of frontal QRS-T angle--age risk score on admission electrocardiogram with mortality in patients admitted with an acute coronary syndrome

Risk assessment is central to the management of acute coronary syndromes. Often, however, assessment is not complete until the troponin concentration is available. Using 2 multicenter prospective observational studies (Evaluation of Methods and Management of Acute Coronary Events [EMMACE] 2, test cohort, 1,843 patients; and EMMACE-1, validation cohort, 550 patients) of unselected patients with acute coronary syndromes, a point-of-admission risk stratification tool using frontal QRS-T angle derived from automated measurements and age for the prediction of 30-day and 2-year mortality was evaluated. Two-year mortality was lowest in patients with frontal QRS-T angles <38° and highest in patients with frontal QRS-T angles >104° (44.7% vs 14.8%, p <0.001). Increasing frontal QRS-T angle-age risk (FAAR) scores were associated with increasing 30-day and 2-year mortality (for 2-year mortality, score 0 = 3.7%, score 4 = 57%; p <0.001). The FAAR score was a good discriminator of mortality (C statistics 0.74 [95% confidence interval 0.71 to 0.78] at 30 days and 0.77 [95% confidence interval 0.75 to 0.79] at 2 years), maintained its performance in the EMMACE-1 cohort at 30 days (C statistics 0.76 (95% confidence interval 0.71 to 0.8] at 30 days and 0.79 (95% confidence interval 0.75 to 0.83] at 2 years), in men and women, in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, and compared favorably with the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score. The integrated discrimination improvement (age to FAAR score at 30 days and at 2 years in EMMACE-1 and EMMACE-2) was p <0.001. In conclusion, the FAAR score is a point-of-admission risk tool that predicts 30-day and 2-year mortality from 2 variables across a spectrum of patients with acute coronary syndromes. It does not require the results of biomarker assays or rely on the subjective interpretation of electrocardiograms.     

Antialbuminuric advantage of cilnidipine compared with L-type calcium channel blockers in type 2 diabetic patients with normoalbuminuria and microalbuminuria

We evaluated the antialbuminuric advantage of cilnidipine, an N/L-type calcium channel blocker (CCB), compared with L-type CCBs in diabetic patients with normoalbuminuria and microalbuminuria. The study was a multicenter, non-randomized crossover trial. Participants were 90 type 2 diabetic patients exhibiting either normo- or microalbuminuria, and undergoing CCB treatment for ≥6 months prior to study entry. The CCB at the time of entry was continued for the first 6 months (Period 1). Treatment was subsequently switched from cilnidipine to an L-type CCB, or vice versa, for the second 6-month observation period (Period 2). During Period 1, the L-type CCB group showed a significant increase of urinary albumin excretion (UAE) over time, while the cilnidipine group showed no significant elevation. During Period 2, switching of the treatment from the L-type CCB to cilnidipine resulted in significant reduction of the UAE, whereas switching from cilnidipine to the L-type CCB resulted in no significant change in the UAE. This study demonstrated that the antialbuminuric effect of Cilnidipine, but not the L-type CCBs, was sustained even in patients treated for a long time. In addition, the antialbuminuric effect can be anticipated after switching from an L-type CCB to cilnidipine, but not vice versa.