Myocardial infarction classification and its implications on measures of cardiovascular outcomes,quality, and racial/ethnic disparities

Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 805 000 cumulative deaths from myocardial infarctions (MI) from 2005 to 2014. Gender and racial/ethnic disparities in MI diagnoses are becoming more evident in quality review audits. Although recent changes in diagnostic codes provided an improved framework, clinically distinguishing types of MI remains a challenge. MI misdiagnoses and health disparities contribute to adverse outcomes in cardiac medicine. We conducted a literature review of relevant biomedical sources related to the classification of MI and disparities in cardiovascular care and outcomes. From the studies analyzed, African Americans and women have higher rates of mortality from MI, are more probably to be younger and present with other comorbidities and are less probably to receive novel therapies with respect to type of MI. As high-sensitivity troponin assays are adopted in the United States, implementation should account for how race and sex differences have been demonstrated in the reference range and diagnostic threshold of the newer assays. More research is needed to assess how the complexity of health disparities contributes to adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Creating dedicated medical quality teams (physicians, nurses, clinical documentation improvement specialists, and medical coders) and incorporating a plan-do-check-adjust quality improvement model are strategies that could potentially help better define and diagnose MI, reduce financial burdens due to MI misdiagnoses, reduce cardiovascular-related health disparities, and ultimately improve and save lives.     

Occlusal dysesthesia: a topical narrative review

Occlusal dysesthesia (OD) is a disorder characterised by the sensation of uncomfortable bite with no obvious occlusal discrepancy. It is usually associated with emotional distress and is elicited by dental occlusal procedures. Multiple dental treatments are often provided to try to resolve the symptoms, but the outcome is usually dissatisfying for the dentist and disappointing for the patient. To summarise the specific features of OD, a PubMed search was carried out looking for all papers related to the topic. The references from the studies selected and from review articles were also examined for further relevant papers. A total of 138 articles were first identified, of which 18 of them were considered relevant to the topic. This article reviews the epidemiology, taxonomy and etio‐pathophysiology, symptomatology, diagnosis and treatment of OD, with special relevance to issues of clinical importance and dental therapy. Any dental treatment must be avoided in patients with OD, because the results could be inadequate and it usually worsens the symptoms.     

EBOLA Ag K-SeT rapid test: field evaluation in Sierra Leone

ObjectivesEfficient interruption of Ebola virus disease (EVD) transmission chains critically depends on reliable and fast laboratory diagnosis. We evaluated the performance of the EBOLA Virus Antigen Detection K-SeT (EBOLA Ag K-SeT), a new rapid diagnostic antigen test in field settings.MethodsThe study was conducted in a field laboratory located in Freetown (Sierra Leone) by the Italian National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘L. Spallanzani’ and the EMERGENCY Onlus NGO. The EBOLA Ag K-SeT was tested on 210 residual plasma samples (EVD prevalence 50%) from patients hospitalized at the EMERGENCY Ebola treatment center in Goderich (Freetown), comparing the results with quantitative real-time PCR.ResultsOverall, the sensitivity of EBOLA Ag K-SeT was 88.6% (95% confidence interval (CI), 82.5–94.7), and the corresponding specificity was 98.1% (95% CI, 95.5–100.7). The positive and negative predictive values were 97.9% (95% CI, 95.0–100.8) and 89.6% (95% CI, 84–95.2), respectively. The sensitivity strongly increased up to 98.7% (95% CI, 96.1–101.2) for those samples with high virus load (≥6.2 log RNA copies/mL).ConclusionsOur results suggest that EBOLA Ag K-SeT could represent a new effective diagnostic tool for EVD, meeting a need for resource-poor settings and rapid diagnosis for individuals with suspected EVD.     

Imaging benign gynaecological conditions

Radiology continues to play an essential role in the management of benign gynaecological conditions. Multiple imaging modalities are utilised to investigate benign conditions: ultrasound; computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Each modality has a different role in diagnosis, treatment selection and follow-up. This review discusses the different imaging modalities and their recommended roles in the imaging benign gynaecological conditions. The imaging findings of common benign female pelvic pathology are discussed and illustrated.     

1.5T磁共振T2 mapping成像诊断腰椎间盘退行性变的价值

目的探讨1.5T磁共振T2 mapping成像在腰椎间盘退行性变之中的诊断价值。方法选择2018年1月—2019年1月在本院行1.5T磁共振检查的50例腰背疼痛患者当做研究对象,所有患者均进行矢状位T₁WI、T₂WI、横断位T₂WI、正中矢状位T2 mapping成像。以Pfirrmann标准作为依据,进行腰椎间盘分级,并对髓核、纤维环前缘和后缘T2值进行测量,分别对各级髓核及纤维环的前缘及后缘T2值进行对比,并对T2值、分级以及年龄之间的相关性进行分析,同时,选择15例患者时隔6个月进行第2次磁共振检查,对两次椎间盘T2值之间产生的差异进行对比。结果腰椎间盘各级髓核T2值中,Ⅳ级与Ⅴ级之间未见明显差异,无统计学意义,P>0.05,其余各级间均存在明显差异,有统计学意义,P<0.05;患者年龄与分级呈正相关,年龄与T2值呈负相关,T2值与分级呈负相关;15例患者前后两次检测中,椎间盘纤维环前缘、后缘、髓核T2值均不存在明显差异,无统计学意义,P>0.05。结论腰椎间盘退行性变采用1.5T磁共振T2 mapping成像进行检查,能够实现有效的定量评估,特别是髓核T2值可对Ⅰ~Ⅳ级椎间盘退行性变程度差异进行有效反映,值得应用。     

MRI三维动脉自旋标记法对TIA的诊断价值

目的本研究拟运用MRI三维动脉自选标记法(3D-ASL),结合DWI及时间飞跃法MRA(3DTOF-MRA),探讨3D-ASL在TIA的诊断、血流灌注评估等方面的应用价值,为临床超早期诊断、治疗提供更多的理论依据。方法发病24 h内的TIA患者13例,入院时进行常规MRI、DWI、3D-TOF-MRA及3D-ASL扫描。观察所有患者MRA图,分析颅内血管及颈内动脉有无狭窄及异常,比较DWI所示梗死面积(SDWI)和全脑血流量(CBF)图上灌注异常面积(SASL)的差异,分别计算DWI和3D-ASL对TIA患者的检出率,并结合MRA分析造成脑组织血流灌注异常的原因。对于DWI阴性但ASL灌注异常,且MRA(或CTA)显示血管狭窄的患者,计算病灶侧和对侧相应区域的CBF值的比值(rCBF),比较rCBF与入院时(发病24 h内)的NIHSS、Glasgow昏迷评分量表(GCS)、mRS及神经内科临床评分量表(ABCD2)评分、患者发病时间以及一过性脑缺血症状发作持续时间有无相关性,并且比较分析rCBF值与MRA(或CTA)所示血管直径狭窄程度的相关性。结果(1)SASL>SDWI:13例TIA患者中,11例DWI未发现病灶,即SDWI=0,而SASL>0,且显示灌注减低;2例DWI阳性,但病灶面积仍SASL>SDWI。(2)3D-ASL对TIA的检出率明显高于DWI:DWI对TIA患者病灶的检出率为15%;3D-ASL对TIA患者病灶的检出率为69%。(3)rCBF与入院时(发病24 h内)的NIHSS、GCS、mRS及ABCD2评分的分值均无相关性;rCBF与患者发病时间及一过性脑缺血症状发作持续时间无相关性;rCBF值与MRA(或CTA)所示血管直径狭窄程度呈负相关关系(rs=-0.697,P=0.011)。结论3DASL与DWI相比,对TIA的诊断敏感性较高。及早行3D-ASL检查,并与DWI、MRA等序列联合应用,能更早发现灌注异常,并初步提示责任血管狭窄程度,为临床治疗提供科学依据。