Predictive model of coronary heart disease in Egypt (a disease with multiple risk factors)

As a multifactorial disease and with the need of primordial prevention coronary heart disease (CHT), a risk scoring system for the prediction of CHD was devised at Community Medicine Department Ain Shams University, Cairo, EGYPT. In this matched case-control study of 119 cases and 121 age and sex matched controls, current cigarette smoking, lack of siesta, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, low occupational physical activity, hypercholesterolemia, marital status, urban residence, level of education, work index, coffee consumption, positive family history, BMI, elevated W/H ratio, low HDL and elevated TC/HDL were studied for association with CHD. The additive risk scoring system based on the results of conditional multiple logistic regression identified the first six factors with statistical weights of 1, 5, 10, 6, 6, 11, respectively. On back validation receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, a total score of 17 was found to be the cut off point above which there was increased risk of CHD. The overall predictive accuracy of this system--equivalent to the area under the ROC curve--was 0.873. Future studies need to assess the risk scoring system in population based studies.     

Conventional magnetic resonance imaging in confirmed progressive supranuclear palsy and multiple system atrophy

Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) is often used to aid the diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and multiple system atrophy (MSA), but its ability to predict the histopathological diagnosis has not been systematically studied. cMRI from 48 neuropathologically confirmed cases, including PSP (n = 22), MSA (n = 13), Parkinson's disease (PD) (n = 7), and corticobasal degeneration (n = 6), and controls (n = 9) were assessed blinded to clinical details and systematically rated for reported abnormalities. Clinical diagnosis and macroscopic postmortem findings were retrospectively assessed. Radiological assessment of MRI was correct in 16 of 22 (72.7%) PSP cases and 10 of 13 (76.9%) MSA cases with substantial interrater agreement (Cohen's kappa 0.708; P < .001); no PSP case was misclassified as MSA or vice versa. MRI was less sensitive but more specific than clinical diagnosis in PSP and both more sensitive and specific than clinical diagnosis in MSA. The “hummingbird” and “morning glory” signs were highly specific for PSP, and “the middle cerebellar peduncle sign” and “hot cross bun” for MSA, but sensitivity was lower (up to 68.4%) and characteristic findings may not be present even at autopsy. cMRI, clinical diagnosis, and macroscopic examination at postmortem have similar sensitivity and specificity in predicting a neuropathological diagnosis. We have validated specific radiological signs in pathologically confirmed PSP and MSA. However, the low sensitivity of these and macroscopic findings at autopsy suggest a need for imaging techniques sensitive to microstructural abnormalities without regional atrophy. © 2012 Movement Disorder Society     

Use of antidepressants in the treatment of depression in Asia: Guidelines,clinical evidence,and experience revisited

Major depressive disorder is prevalent worldwide, and only about half of those affected will experience no further episodes or symptoms. Additionally, depressive symptoms can be challenging to identify, with many patients going undiagnosed despite a wide variety of available treatment options. Antidepressants are the cornerstone of depression treatment; however, a large number of factors must be considered in selecting the treatment best suited to the individual. To help support physicians in this process, international and national treatment guidelines have been developed. This review evaluates the current use of antidepressant treatment for major depressive disorder in six Asian countries (China, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand). No remarkable differences were noted between Asian and international treatment guidelines or among those from within Asia as these are adapted from western guidelines, although there were some local variations. Importantly, a shortage of evidence‐based information at a country level is the primary problem in developing guidelines appropriate for Asia, so most of the guidelines are consensus opinions derived from western research data utilized in western guidelines. Treatment guidelines need to evolve from being consensus based to evidence based when evidence is available, taking into consideration cost/effectiveness or cost/benefit with an evidence‐based approach that more accurately reflects clinical experience as well as the attributes of each antidepressant. In everyday practice, physicians must tailor their treatment to the patient's clinical needs while considering associated external factors; better tools are needed to help them reach the best possible prescribing decisions which are of maximum benefit to patients.     

Markscheidenentartung bei Epilepsie

Zusammenfassung Bei 6 Gehirnen von Epilepsie, die unter Kr?mpfen gestorben sind, wird an dem in Alkohol fixierten Gehirn die Ablagerung einer Substanz ausschlie?lich im Mark nachgewiesen, die sich mitBestschem Carmin rot f?rbt und in ihren Eigenschaften dem Glykogen sehr ?hnlich ist. Wegen des negativen Ergebnisses der chemischen Untersuchung auf Glykogen und der Metachromasie mit derFeyrterschen F?rbung wird das Vorliegen glykosidartiger Spaltprodukte der Cerebroside angenommen, die bei dem degenerativen Untergang von Markscheiden in Erscheinung treten. Mit 7 Abbildungen im Text.     

Effects of prediabetes and diabetes on left ventricular and coronary microvascular functions

Background

Coronary flow reserve (CFR) provides independent prognostic information in diabetic patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. However, there have been no substantial data to evaluate CFR in prediabetics. Accordingly, we aimed to evaluate CFR in subjects with prediabetes using second harmonic transthoracic Doppler echocardiography.

Methods and Results

We measured CFR of 65 subjects with prediabetes, 45 patients with overt type 2 diabetes, and 43 sex and age matched normoglycemic healthy subjects with normal glucose tolerance. Ages, gender, existence of hypertension or hypercholesterolemia, smoking status were similar among the groups. CFR was significantly lower in diabetics (2.15 ± 0.39) than in prediabetics (2.39 ± 0.45) and controls (2.75 ± 0.35); in addition, it was significantly lower in prediabetics than controls. Only 2 (5%) of control subjects had abnormal CFR (< 2) but 11 (17%) prediabetic subjects and 19 (42%) diabetic patients had abnormal CFR. We found that only age (β = − 0.31, P < 0.01) and presence of the diabetes (β = − 0.57, P < 0.01) were significant predictors of lower CFR in a multivariable model that adjusted for other variables. CFR was significantly and inversely correlated with age (r = − 0.15, P = 0.04), fasting glucose level (r = − 0.27, P = 0.001), postprandial glucose level (r = 0.43, P < 0.001), hemoglobin A1C level (r = − 0.34, P < 0.001), LDL cholesterol level (r = 0.22, P = 0.009), mitral A velocity (r = − 0.27, P = 0.001) and Tei index (r = − 0.19, P = 0.02), whereas mitral E/A ratio, mitral Em (r = 0.18, P = 0.02), mitral Em/Am ratio (r = 0.23, P = 0.004) were significantly and positively correlated with CFR.

Conclusion

CFR is impaired in subjects with prediabetics, but this impairment is not as severe as that in diabetics.     

Die Farbensinnprüfung bei der Kriegsmarine

Ohne ZusammenfassungHerrn Prof. Dr.W. Löhlein zum 60. Geburtstage gewidmet.