Examining Relations Between Obsessive-Compulsive Features,Substance-Use Disorders,and Antisocial Personality Disorder in the Vietnam Era Twin Cohort

Classes of obsessive-compulsive features differing both quantitatively and qualitatively have been linked to gambling disorder. This secondary data analysis sought to extend this line of investigation to examine the extent to which previously reported latent obsessive-compulsive classes may relate to externalizing conditions in a sample of 1675 twin male veterans recruited and surveyed for studies of gambling behaviors/disorder. Using latent class analysis and multivariate regression, we found that participants who reported the highest levels of obsessive-compulsive features were more likely to meet criteria for cannabis abuse and dependence and antisocial personality disorder. When adjusting for co-occurring disorders, the relationship with antisocial personality disorder remained significant whereas those for cannabis use disorders did not. These results highlight the potential utility of considering obsessive-compulsive features within a transdiagnostic framework and suggest that specific externalizing disorders have important links to obsessive-compulsive features. Future research is needed to extend these findings to other samples.

     

Noninvasive in vivo and in vitro study of the St. Jude mitral valve prosthesis: Evaluation using two dimensional and M mode echocardiography,phonocardiography and cinefluoroscopy

Fifteen patients with clinically normal function of a St. Jude mitral valve prosthesis were studied with two dimensional and M mode echocardiography, Cinefluoroscopy and phonocardiography 8 to 292 days after valve replacement. The valve was readily imaged from the left sternal edge and cardiac apex in all patients. On two dimensional echocardiography from the long axis and four chamber views, minimal end-diastolic and endsystolic distances between the interventricular septum and prosthetic valve were 18 ± 5 mm and 13 ± 3 mm, respectively (mean ± standard deviation). On M mode echocardiography both leaflets were imaged throughout the cardiac cycle from the left sternal edge and their motion relative to the valve ring and to one another was easily evaluated. The apical transducer position permits quantitative assessment of individual leaflet motion. Maximal individual diastolic leaflet excursion was 8.7 ± 1 mm and the velocity of leaflet opening and closure was 364 ±103 and 678 ±115 mm/s, respectively.Asynchronous early closure of the posterior leaflet was observed during long cardiac cycles in six of seven patients with atrial fibrillation; the seventh patient had a rapid ventricular response and no long cardiac cycles. Diastolic fluttering of one or both leaflets was also seen during atrial fibrillation after rotation of the patient from the supine to the left lateral decubitus position. Three of the six patients with asynchronous leaflet closure underwent Cinefluoroscopy, and similar leaflet behavior was documented in all. An atrial systolic wave was inscribed in the valve echogram in six of eight patients with sinus rhythm.Phonocardiography recorded prosthetic valve opening and closing sounds occurring 60 ± 20 ms after aortic closure and 61 ± 12 ms after the QRS complex, respectively. The prosthetic valve opening and closure sound amplitude ratio was 0.11 ± 0.06.A clear plexiglass water bath phantom was fitted to a pulse duplicator and constructed so as to permit in vitro simulation of valve echograms under a variety of conditions. With this method, it was possible to reproduce or approximate all images obtained in patients from both echocardiographic transducer positions.     

Purulent pericarditis caused by Candida: report of three cases and identification of high-risk populations as an aid to early diagnosis

Purulent pericarditis due to fungal organisms is rare and often unrecognized because of the subtle clinical clues and insidious onset. The records of 11 cases of purulent pericarditis were selected from records of 11,000 cases of pericarditis at Duke University Medical Center and reviewed, and experience with three cases of candida purulent pericarditis (CPP) was evaluated. One case occurred in a patient recovering from complicated cardiac surgery, one in a patient with hematologic malignancy, and one in an alcoholic patient requiring intubation for a severe respiratory infection. Each case is representative of a group at increased risk for the development of CPP. Given the poor prognosis for CPP, treatment should include both medical and surgical interventions. Although amphotericin B achieves good penetration into the inflamed pericardial space, the only survivors of CPP have received both amphotericin B and pericardiectomy. Careful attention to clinical indications of pericardial inflammation and systemic infection in the three groups of patients may lead to earlier recognition of CPP, implementation of appropriate therapy, and perhaps a higher rate of cure.     

Effectiveness of methyl-GAG (methylglyoxal-bis[guanylhydrazone]) in patients with advanced malignant lymphoma

We treated 51 patients with advanced malignant lymphoma refractory to conventional therapy with methyl-glyoxal-bis(guanylhydrazone) (methyl- GAG) at doses ranging from 400 to 800 mg/sq m. Therapy was started on a weekly schedule and was switched to every other week in responding patients at the onset of toxicity. Partial responses were observed in 6 of 13 evaluable patients with Hodgkin's disease (46%), 5 of 10 patients with diffuse poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma (50%), 2 of 4 patients with nodular poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma (50%), and 3 of 13 patients with diffuse histiocytic lymphoma (23%). Two of six patients with mycosis fungoides showed objective improvement in cutaneous disease. Toxicity was generally mild and included muscular weakness, myalgia, mucositis, and diarrhea; two patients developed bronchospasm following drug infusions. We conclude that methyl-GAG has major antitumor activity when administered on this schedule to patients with advanced malignant lymphoma. The low degree of toxicity, unique mechanism of action, and minimal myelosuppressive effects suggest that methyl-GAG will prove useful in future trials of combination chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of lymphoma.     

Functional short- and long-term effects of nasal CPAP with and without humidification on the ciliary function of the nasal respiratory epithelium

Purpose

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the gold standard in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but its impact on ciliary function is unclear to date. Furthermore, CPAP is associated with numerous side effects related to the nose and upper airway. Humidified CPAP is used to relieve these symptoms, but again, little is known regarding its effect on ciliary function of the nasal respiratory epithelium.

Methods

In this prospective, randomized, crossover trial, 31 patients with OSA (AHI >15/h) were randomized to two treatment arms: nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) with humidification or nCPAP without humidification for one night in each modality to assess short-term effects of ciliary beat frequency (CBF) and mucus transport time (MTT) and consecutively for 8 weeks in each modality to assess long-term effects in a crossover fashion.

Results

The baseline CBF was 4.8?±?0.6 Hz, and baseline MTT was 540?±?221 s. After one night of CPAP with and without humidification, ciliary function increased moderately yet with statistical significance (p <0.05). The short-term groups with and without humidification did not differ statistically significant. Regarding long-term effects of CPAP, a statistically significant increase in ciliary function above the baseline level and above the short-term level was shown without humidification (7.2?±?0.4 Hz; 402?±?176 s; p <0.01). The increase above baseline level was even more pronounced with humidification (9.3?±?0.7 Hz; 313?±?95 s; p <0.01). There was a statistically significant difference between both groups at long-term assessment with regard to CBF (p <0.01).

Conclusions

Independent of airway humidification, nCPAP has moderate effects on short-term ciliary function of the nasal respiratory epithelium. However, a significant increase in ciliary function—both in terms of an increased CBF and a decreased MTT—was detected after long-term use. The effect was more pronounced when humidification was used during nCPAP.     

Biological and Analytical Stability of a Peripheral Blood Gene Expression Score for Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease in the PREDICT and COMPASS Studies

A gene expression score (GES) for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) has been validated in two multicenter studies. Receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) analysis of the GES on an expanded Personalized Risk Evaluation and Diagnosis in the Coronary Tree (PREDICT) cohort (NCT no. 00500617) with CAD defined by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) or clinical reads yielded similar performance (area under the curve (AUC)?=?0.70, N?=?1,502) to the original validation cohort (AUC?=?0.70, N?=?526). Analysis of 138 non-Caucasian and 1,364 Caucasian patients showed very similar performance (AUCs?=?0.72 vs. 0.70). To assess analytic stability, stored samples of the original validation cohort (N?=?526) was re-tested after 5 years, and the mean score changed from 20.3 to 19.8 after 5 years (N?=?501, 95 %). To assess patient scores over time, GES was determined on samples from 173 Coronary Obstruction Detection by Molecular Personalized Gene Expression (COMPASS) study (NCT no. 01117506) patients at approximately 1 year post-enrollment. Mean scores increased slightly from 15.9 to 17.3, corresponding to a 2.5 % increase in obstructive CAD likelihood. Changes in cardiovascular medications did not show a significant change in GES.