Effect of statin therapy on coronary inflammation assessed by pericoronary adipose tissue CT attenuation.

Aims: Pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) attenuation on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is an imaging biomarker of coronary inflammation. The natural history of PCAT attenuation remains unknown. High-intensity statin therapy has pleiotropic anti-inflammatory effects.

The Association of Opioid Prescriptions to Children after Discharge from Surgery and New Opioid Prescription Fills in Family Members.

Objective: To determine whether family members of pediatric surgical patients who filled a discharge opioid prescription would have higher rates of new opioid prescription fills compared with family members of patients who did not fill a pediatric surgical discharge opioid prescription.

Study Design: Using OptumLabs Data Warehouse administrative claims, we performed a retrospective cohort study of pediatric surgery patients aged 5 through18 and their family members, based on whether an opioid prescription for the child was filled after surgery. Neither patients nor family members had any history of prior opioid use.

Coronary plaque characteristics quantified by artificial intelligence-enabled plaque analysis: Insights from a multi-ethnic asymptomatic US population.

Background: Ethnic differences in coronary atherosclerosis remain to be fully elucidated. We aimed to assess quantitative plaque characteristics from coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) in relation to ethnicity and cardiovascular risk factors in a multi-ethnic asymptomatic US population.

Methods: This cross-sectional study retrospectively evaluated 388 asymptomatic patients selected from a prospective CCTA registry.

Feasibility and Safety of Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Advanced Navigation to Optimize Intra-arterial Chemotherapy Infusion of Skull Base Tumors.

 To assess the feasibility and safety of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) advanced navigation for optimizing intra-arterial chemotherapy infusion (IACI) in patients with skull base tumors.  Retrospective review on 10 consecutive IACI procedures performed in five patients (four women, 1 man) over a 1-year period. The median age of the patients was 71 years (interquartile range: 34-74).

Phenotyping atherosclerotic plaque and perivascular adipose tissue: signalling pathways and clinical biomarkers in atherosclerosis.

Computed tomography coronary angiography provides a non-invasive evaluation of coronary artery disease that includes phenotyping of atherosclerotic plaques and the surrounding perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT). Image analysis techniques have been developed to quantify atherosclerotic plaque burden and morphology as well as the associated PVAT attenuation, and emerging radiomic approaches can add further contextual information. PVAT attenuation might provide a novel measure of vascular health that could be indicative of the pathogenetic processes implicated in atherosclerosis such as inflammation, fibrosis or increased vascularity.

Myocardial ischaemia following COVID-19: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance study.

The pathophysiology of myocardial injury following COVID-19 remains uncertain. COVID-HEART was a prospective, multicentre study utilising cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to characterise COVID-related myocardial injury. In this pre-specified analysis, the objectives were to examine (1) the frequency of myocardial ischaemia following COVID-19, and (2) the association between ischaemia and myocardial injury.

Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography Is Feasible and Reliable for Proximal Coronary Segment Interpretation in Patients with Elevated Body Mass Index.

Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is under-utilised in detecting coronary artery disease (CAD) in obese patients due to concerns about non-evaluable testing. We hypothesise that these concerns are predominantly related to smaller and branch coronary vessels, and CTCA remains adequate for proximal segment stenosis interpretation, which has significant clinical implications. This retrospective cohort study, on consecutive patients referred for CTCA for suspected CAD, grouped patients by body mass index.

Research Priorities for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response: An Interdisciplinary Delphi Study.

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a multisensory experience most often associated with feelings of relaxation and altered consciousness, elicited by stimuli which include whispering, repetitive movements, and close personal attention. Since 2015, ASMR research has grown rapidly, spanning disciplines from neuroscience to media studies but lacking a collaborative or interdisciplinary approach. To build a cohesive and connected structure for ASMR research moving forwards, a modified Delphi study was conducted with ASMR experts, practitioners, community members, and researchers from various disciplines.

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Prevent Anastomotic Leak: A Porcine Ischemic Esophagectomy Model.

Introduction: Esophagectomy is a lifesaving procedure plagued by an anastomotic leak rate of 11%-35%. Ischemia is widely accepted to be the most significant risk factor for anastomotic leak. We hypothesized that the injection of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) into an ischemic esophagogastric anastomosis would prevent leakage.

Coronary Plaque Radiomic Phenotypes Predict Fatal or Nonfatal Myocardial Infarction: Analysis of the SCOT-HEART Trial.

Background: Coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography-derived attenuation-based plaque burden assessments can identify patients at risk of myocardial infarction.

Objectives: This study sought to assess whether more detailed plaque morphology assessment using patient-based radiomic characterization could further enhance the identification of patients at risk of myocardial infarction during long-term follow-up.

Methods: Post hoc analysis of coronary CT angiography was performed within the SCOT-HEART (Scottish Computed Tomography of the HEART) clinical trial.

Catheter ablation vs advanced therapy for patients with severe heart failure and ventricular electrical storm.

Background: Current data on outcomes of an initial strategy of catheter ablation vs advanced therapy in patients with severe heart failure (HF) and electric storm (ES) are limited.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation vs left ventricular assist device (LVAD) or heart transplantation (HT) in patients with severe HF and ventricular ES.

Methods: Patients with severe HF and ES who underwent VT ablation, LVAD, or HT between 2012 and 2022 at our medical center were reviewed.

Optimization of diformylfuran production from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural catalytic oxidation in a packed-bed continuous flow reactor.

DFF's diverse applications in pharmaceuticals, fungicides, and polymer synthesis motivate the development of efficient production methods. This study reports the continuous-flow synthesis of DFF from 5-HMF in a packed-bed reactor. The Box-Behnken design coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the reaction parameters (catalyst, solvent, temperature, oxygen flow rate, catalyst amount) for DFF yield.

Sleep disruption in patients with active and treated endogenous Cushing's syndrome.

Context: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is a critical regulator of circadian rhythm in humans. Impaired sleep adversely affects metabolic, emotional, and cognitive health.

Objective: To characterize sleep disturbances in patients with active and treated Cushing's syndrome (CS), and identify factors associated with impaired sleep in treated patients.

Isatuximab for Delayed Red Cell Engraftment after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Isatuximab is an IgG1-derived monoclonal antibody against CD38 approved for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma. Here we describe the successful treatment of a therapy-refractory pure red cell aplasia case following ABO-mismatched allogeneic stem cell transplantation with isatuximab. Our patient was a 75-year-old female with acute myeloid leukemia who received an HLA-B antigen mismatched, unrelated peripheral blood stem cell transplant with a major ABO incompatibility (blood group A+ in the donor and blood group O+ in the recipient).

Coronary Artery Calcium Density and Risk of Cardiovascular Events: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: There is increasing evidence that coronary artery calcium (CAC) density is inversely associated with plaque vulnerability and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk.

Objectives: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to examine the predictive value of CAC density for future cardiovascular events in asymptomatic individuals undergoing noncontrast CAC scoring computed tomography.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched for studies reporting CAC density and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) or coronary heart disease (CHD) events.