Atrial functional tricuspid regurgitation: An underappreciated cause of secondary tricuspid regurgitation

Secondary tricuspid regurgitation (TR) caused by right ventricular enlargement in the setting of left heart disease/pulmonary hypertension has been well described. In contrast, that associated with right atrial enlargement—atrial functional TR (AF‐TR)—remains largely underappreciated. AF‐TR most often occurs in the setting of lone atrial fibrillation, although it is also seen in its absence (idiopathic AF‐TR). Several recent studies have found that the prevalence, hemodynamic significance, and prognosis of AF‐TR are not inconsequential, suggesting increased physician awareness of this novel clinical entity is warranted. This article discusses the pathogenesis, echocardiographic findings, and treatment of this underappreciated cause of secondary TR.     

High plasma microfibrillar-associated protein 4 is associated with reduced surgical repair in abdominal aortic aneurysms

ObjectiveIdentifying biomarkers for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) could prove beneficial in prognosis of AAA and thus the selection for treatment. Microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) is an extracellular matrix protein that is highly expressed in aorta. MFAP4 is involved in several tissue remodeling-related diseases. We aimed to investigate the potential role of plasma MFAP4 (pMFAP4) as a biomarker of AAA.MethodsPlasma samples and data were obtained for 504 male AAA patients and 188 controls in the Viborg Vascular (VIVA) screening trial. The pMFAP4 levels were measured by Alphalisa. The Mann-Whitney U test assessed differences in pMFAP4 levels between the presence and absence of different exposures of interest. The correlation between pMFAP4 and aorta growth rate were investigated through spearman's correlation analysis. Immunohistochemistry and multiple logistic regression adjusted for potential confounders assessed the association between pMFAP4 and AAA. Multiple linear regression assessed the correlation between pMFAP4 and aorta growth rate. Cox regression and competing risk regression were used to investigate the correlation between AAA patients with upper tertile pMFAP4 and the risk of undergoing later surgical repair.ResultsA significant negative correlation between pMFAP4 and aorta growth rate was observed using spearman's correlation analysis (ρ = −0.14; P = .0074). However, this finding did not reach significance when applying multiple linear regression. A tendency of decreased pMFAP4 was observed in AAA using immunohistochemistry. Competing risk regression adjusted for potential confounders indicated that patients with upper tertile pMFAP4 had a hazard ratio of 0.51 (P = .001) for risk of undergoing later surgical repair.ConclusionsHigh levels of pMFAP4 are associated with a decreased likelihood of receiving surgical repair in AAA. This observation warrants confirmation in an independent cohort.     

北京市养老机构老年人营养状况调查及其影响因素研究

背景　在人口老龄化日益加剧的社会背景之下，家庭养老功能不断减弱，机构养老成为今后发展的必然趋势。据报道，很多养老机构的老年人营养不合理，严重影响老年人的健康状况与生活质量。目的　通过调查北京市养老机构老年人营养现状及其影响因素，为全科医师营养教育及老年人生活质量提升提供理论依据。方法　2014年10月-2015年12月，采用方便整群抽样的方法，抽取了北京市7家养老机构，对符合纳入标准的老年人进行面对面问卷调查，问卷内容包括：一般情况、微型营养评定量表（MNA）、日常生活活动能力指数（BI）、老年人抑郁量表（GDS）。采用二元Logistic回归分析养老机构老年人营养状况的影响因素。结果　本研究共发放问卷258份，回收有效问卷258份，有效回收率为100%。被调查的258例老年人中，存在营养不良及存在营养不良发生风险的老年人共计75例（29.1%）。不同年龄、性别、婚姻状况、体质指数（BMI）、医疗费用支付方式、生活自理能力及精神状态的老年人营养状况比较，差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。二元Logistic回归分析结果显示：年龄〔OR（95%CI）=2.349（1.070，5.156）〕、BMI〔OR（95%CI）=0.092（0.036，0.239）〕、医疗费用支付方式〔OR（95%CI）=0.208（0.083，0.522）〕、日常活动能力〔OR（95%CI）=10.214（3.099，33.669）〕、患病种数〔OR（95%CI）=2.682（1.248，5.763）〕及精神状态〔OR（95%CI）=4.822（2.005，11.600）〕是老年人营养状况的影响因素（P<0.05）。结论　北京地区养老机构的老年人面临着营养不良及营养不良发生风险的健康威胁，高龄、低BMI、抑郁、合并多种疾病、日常活动能力低下及无医保是其独立危险因素，需要对老年人加强个性化营养教育和营养治疗。     

一次性根管与常规根管治疗后冠修复对隐裂性牙髓炎患者的影响

目的 探讨一次性根管与常规根管治疗后冠修复对隐裂性牙髓炎患者的治疗效果。方法 选取2014年5月至2017年5月诊治的187例隐裂性牙髓炎患者随机分为观察组和对照组,观察组给予一次性根管治疗后冠修复,对照组给予常规根管治疗后冠修复,比较两组术前及术后1周Mohd Sulong疼痛分级、术后3个月临床疗效、术后6个月X线改变、术后2年治疗成功率。结果 术前两组Mohd Sulong疼痛分级无统计学差异(P＞0.05),冠修复术后1周两组疼痛分级无统计学差异(P＞0.05),术后3个月观察组临床疗效总有效率为97.83%较对照组88.41%显著提高(P＜0.05),术后6个月观察X线改变率为3.26%较对照组14.74%显著降低(P＜0.05),术后2年观察组治疗成功率为94.57%较对照组82.11%显著提高(P＜0.05)。结论 一次性根管治疗后冠修复能够缓解隐裂性牙髓炎疼痛,提高临床疗效,提高患者咀嚼功能和生活质量,值得在临床上推广。