A prospective study of a hand-held ultrasound device in abdominal aortic aneurysm evaluation

PURPOSE: Effective treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) requires both early detection and timely repair to reduce aneurysm-related mortality. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the utility of a hand-held ultrasonography (US) device in AAA screening in a Veterans Affairs vascular surgical service. METHODS: During a 16-month period, patients with risk factors for AAA were evaluated in a blinded fashion with a hand-held US device performed by physicians. A conventional abdominal duplex US examination was also performed by a certified vascular ultrasonographer. Results of the hand-held US was compared with the conventional duplex US examination. RESULTS: A total of 104 patients were evaluated (97 men, mean age 67 +/- 6.3 years). The mean times for hand-held and conventional duplex US examinations were 5.3 +/- 3.2 minutes and 3.1 +/- 2.4 minutes (not significant), respectively. Using the conventional duplex US as a reference, the sensitivity and specificity of the hand-held device in detecting a AAA were 93% and 97%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values of the hand-held device were 89% and 98%, respectively. The likelihood ratios of positive and negative tests of the hand-held US device examination were 82 and 0.14, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of the hand-held US device as compared with the conventional duplex US was 98%. CONCLUSIONS: A hand-held portable US device is effective and accurate in AAA screening with results comparable to the conventional abdominal duplex examination. Moreover, hand-held portable US for AAA screening can be performed expeditiously during physical examination. It should be used as an extension in routine physical examination in vascular patients.     

Heparin-coated balloon-expandable stent reduces intimal hyperplasia in the iliac artery in baboons

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of heparin-coated balloon-expandable iliac stent placement on intimal hyperplasia in a baboon model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Balloon-expandable (Palmaz-Schatz) stents were placed in bilateral common iliac arteries in 20 male baboons (mean weight: 8.8 kg). In each animal, a heparin-coated iliac stent was placed on one side and the contralateral iliac artery received an uncoated stent that served as a control. The iliac artery stents were harvested at 30 days (n = 10) and 90 days (n = 10). Arteriography was performed to assess iliac patency and intravascular ultrasonography was used to determine neointimal and luminal areas. Histologic and morphometric analysis and scanning electron microscopy were performed in the stent-implanted iliac arteries. RESULTS: One animal was excluded in the 30-day group because of premature death. In the remaining nine surviving animals, seven control stents (78%) and nine heparin-coated stents (100%) remained patent. Morphometric analysis showed that the iliac arteries with heparin-coated stents had larger luminal areas (17%, P <.05), less neointimal area (26%, P <.05), lower neointima-to-media ratios (32%, P <.05), and equivalent medial areas (P =.92) compared to the control group at 30 days. In contrast, all control and heparin-coated stents were patent (100%) in the 90-day group. In that group, the heparin-coated stent group had less neointimal area (28%, P <.05), lower neointima-to-media ratios (42%, P <.05), and equivalent medial area (P =.92) and luminal area (P =.07) compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrate that heparin-coated balloon-expandable stents reduce intimal hyperplasia after iliac artery stent placement. This approach may represent a useful strategy for prolonging luminal patency after iliac stent placement.     

Isolated abdominal aortic rupture in a child due to all-terrain vehicle accident--a case report

Rupture of the abdominal aorta as the result of blunt trauma is uncommon, due in part to its protected position in the retroperitoneum. Isolated aortic rupture following blunt injury is even more rare. A case of isolated abdominal aortic rupture in a 6-year-old girl following blunt trauma due to an all-terrain vehicle accident is reported. The girl survived following an emergent aortoiliac reconstruction.     

Thyrotrophin estimation in diagnosis and treatment of childhood thyroid disorders

Serum thyrotrophin (TSH) was estimated by double-antibody radioimmunoassay in 200 children aged 2 months to 16 years with normal thyroid function. There was no apparent variation in TSH with age or sex and only 4 children had TSH levels greater than 5 muU/ml. High TSH values were obtained in 9 children with primary hypothyroidism, in 3 children with thyroiditis, and in one girl with a lingual thyroid. Moderately raised TSH was found in 3 girls with thyroiditis, 2 brothers with goitres due to enzyme defect, and a girl with an ectopic thyroid. In one girl with a defect of iodine organification and in 3 boys with thyroxine binding globulin deficiency the TSH levels were normal despite very low serum thyroxine values. Serum TSH was also estimated in 20 children during treatment for primary hypothyroidism. 3 of these children showed slightly raised TSH levels despite apparently adequate replacement therapy with L-thyroxine. One girl showed a very high TSH level 3 weeks after treatment had been temporarily withdrawn.     

A humanized monoclonal antibody against interleukin-2 that can inactivate the cytokine/receptor complex

Inhibition of the interleukin-2 (IL-2) pathway has potent immunosuppressive activity in humans as is evident from the broad therapeutic utility of cyclosporine, rapamycin, tacrolimus, and monoclonal antibodies blocking the high-affinity subunit of the IL-2 receptor (CD25). Here we describe a humanized antibody, MT204, interfering with IL-2 signaling by a novel mechanism. Although MT204 did not prevent IL-2 from binding to CD25, it potently antagonized downstream signaling events of IL-2 at sub-nanomolar concentrations, such as STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation, expression of CD124, production of gamma-interferon and cell proliferation. While MT204 and the anti-CD25 mAb daclizumab were equally effective in inhibiting autocrine growth of human CD4(+) T cells, MT204 was far superior in preventing proliferation of NKL lymphoma cells, production of gamma-interferon by natural killer (NK) cells and proliferation of primary NK cells. MT204 has potential as a novel immunosuppressive and anti-proliferative therapy with an apparently broader spectrum of activities than anti-CD25 antibodies.     

Hybrid approach to complex thoracic aortic aneurysms in high-risk patients: surgical challenges and clinical outcomes

BACKGROUND: Endovascular therapy is a less invasive alternative treatment for high-risk patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms. However, this technology alone is often not applicable to complex aneurysmal morphology. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of hybrid strategies in high-risk patients who are otherwise unsuitable for endovascular therapy alone. METHODS: During an 18-month period, 31 high-risk patients (mean age, 69 years; range, 52-89 years) underwent combined open and endovascular approaches for complex aneurysms, including 16 patients with ascending and arch aneurysms and 15 patients with aneurysms involving visceral vessels. Among them, 11 patients had histories of aneurysm repairs. To overcome the anatomic limitations of endovascular repairs, various adjunctive surgical maneuvers were used, including aortic arch reconstruction in 3 patients, supra-aortic trunk debranching in 13 patients (including 8 patients who required aortas as inflow sources), and visceral vessel bypasses in 15 patients (including 10 patients who required bypasses to all 3 visceral branches). Additionally, carotid artery access was obtained in 1 patient, and iliac artery conduits were created in 12 patients. RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in all patients. There was one perioperative death (3.2%) due to postoperative bleeding. Two patients (6.4%) had immediate type II endoleaks, which were resolved by the 1-month follow-up. Other procedure-related complications occurred in three patients (9.6%), including renal bypass thromboses in two patients and retroperitoneal hematoma, which was successfully managed conservatively, in one patient. During a mean follow-up of 16 months, two patients died of unrelated causes, whereas the remainder of patients were asymptomatic, without aneurysm enlargement. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights how hybrid strategies incorporating surgical and endovascular approaches can be used successfully in treating patients with complex thoracic aortic aneurysms. This combined approach potentially expands the field of endovascular stent grafting and is an attractive solution for patients with poor cardiopulmonary reserves.     

Relationship between Serum 25(OH)D and Depression: Causal Evidence from a Bi-Directional Mendelian Randomization Study

The relationship between depression and vitamin D deficiency is complex, with evidence mostly from studies affected by confounding and reverse causality. We examined the causality and direction of the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and depression in bi-directional Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses using information from up to 307,618 white British participants from the UK Biobank and summary results from the SUNLIGHT (n = 79,366) and Psychiatric Genomics consortia (PGC 113,154 cases and 218,523 controls). In observational analysis, the odds of depression decreased with higher 25(OH)D concentrations (adjusted odds ratio (OR) per 50% increase 0.95, 95%CI 0.94–0.96). In MR inverse variance weighted (IVW) using the UK Biobank, there was no association between genetically determined serum 25(OH)D and depression (OR per 50% higher 0.97, 95%CI 0.90–1.05) with consistent null association across all MR approaches and in data from PGC consortium. In contrast, genetic liability to depression was associated with lower 25(OH)D concentrations (MR IVW −3.26%, −4.94%–−1.55%), with the estimates remaining generally consistent after meta-analysing with the consortia. In conclusion, we found genetic evidence for a causal effect of depression on lower 25(OH)D concentrations, however we could not confirm a beneficial effect of nutritional vitamin D status on depression risk.