Factors Associated with High-Risk Plaque Characteristics Among Patients with Medium to Severe Carotid Artery Stenosis.

Background: There has been a large discussion in literature regarding the proper management of asymptomatic patients with significant carotid artery stenosis. This study aims to identify potential risk factors associated with high-risk carotid plaques.

Methods: This is a retrospective study based on a prospective database.

Wildfire risk management in the era of climate change.

The August 8, 2023R Lahaina fire refocused attention on wildfires, public alerts, and emergency management. Wildfire risk is on the rise, precipitated through a combination of climate change, increased development in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), decades of unmitigated biomass accumulation in forests, and a long history of emphasis on fire suppression over hazard mitigation. Stemming the tide of wildfire death and destruction will involve bringing together diverse scientific disciplines into policy.

The effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on the final outcome of patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of the combination of systemic steroids (SS) and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL).

Materials And Methods: Fifty patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss were allocated into 2 groups: the control group received Dexamethasone IV (SS) and the therapy group received Dexamethasone IV combined with 15 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (SS + HBOT) as initial treatment. Hearing assessment was performed at the admission to hospital and 3 months after the onset of treatment.

Omentin Is Independently Associated with Stroke Severity and Ipsilateral Carotid Artery Stenosis in Patients with Acute Cerebral Ischemia.

Mounting evidence indicates an association between adipokines and inflammation-related atherosclerosis. Here, we sought to investigate the association of vaspin and omentin with clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with acute cerebral ischemia (ACI). Consecutive ACI patients were evaluated within 24 h from symptom-onset.

Computational modeling of atherosclerotic plaque progression in carotid lesions with moderate degree of stenosis.

Carotid atherosclerotic plaque growth leads to the progressive luminal stenosis of the vessel, which may erode or rupture causing thromboembolism and cerebral infarction, manifested as stroke. Carotid atherosclerosis is considered the major cause of ischemic stroke in Europe and thus new imaging-based computational tools that can improve risk stratification and management of carotid artery disease patients are needed. In this work, we present a new computational approach for modeling atherosclerotic plaque progression in real patient-carotid lesions, with moderate to severe degree of stenosis (>50%).

Calibrations and validations of biological models with an application on the renal fibrosis.

We calibrate a mathematical model of renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis by Hao et al which is used to explore potential drugs for Lupus Nephritis, against a real data set of 84 patients. For this purpose, we present a general calibration procedure which can be used for the calibration analysis of other biological systems as well. Central to the procedure is the idea of designing a Bayesian Gaussian process (GP) emulator that can be used as a surrogate of the fibrosis mathematical model which is computationally expensive to run massively at every input value.

Left ventricular geometry as a major determinant of left ventricular ejection fraction: physiological considerations and clinical implications.

The limited myocardial fibre thickening and shortening alone cannot explain the marked left ventricular (LV) volume reduction during LV ejection. This can only be achieved with LV helical (spiral) orientation of myocardial fibres, which is determined by the non-contractile LV myocardial components (intrasarcomeric and extrasarcomeric cytoskeleton, extracellular matrix). Preservation of LV ejection fraction (LVEF) in heart failure (HF) is due to the presence of normal ellipsoid LV configuration and spiral myocardial fibre orientation.

Favorable Pulse Wave Augmentation Indices and Left Ventricular Diastolic Profile in β-Thalassemia Minor.

β-Thalassemia minor (β-Τm) is associated with rheological and biochemical alterations that can affect cardiovascular function. We aimed to evaluate the elastic arterial properties and the pulse wave augmentation indices in a population of patients with β-Τm. Seventy-five individuals with β-Τm (age 55.

SPECT and PET in ischemic heart failure.

Heart failure is a common clinical syndrome associated with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of heart failure, at least in the industrialized countries. Proper diagnosis of the syndrome and management of patients with heart failure require anatomical and functional information obtained through various imaging modalities.

Digital clubbing: forms, associations and pathophysiology.

Among proposed mechanisms to explain digital clubbing, the release of cytokines, specifically vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor, from aggregated platelets and megakaryocytes has emerged as the most likely explanation. This review describes these and other contributory processes.

Usefulness of Rabbit Anti-thymocyte Globulin in Patients With Giant Cell Myocarditis.

Giant cell myocarditis (GCM) is an aggressive inflammatory myocardial disease. Immunosuppression is an effective treatment for some cases. However, the duration of action of agents such as muromonab CD3 is short and others such as the calcineurin inhibitors may lead to renal failure.

Palliative treatment of rectal carcinoma recurrence using radiofrequency ablation.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of CT-guided radiofrequency (RF) ablation for the palliative treatment of recurrent unresectable rectal tumors.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-seven patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer were treated with computed tomography (CT)-guided RF ablation. Therapy was performed with the patient under conscious sedation with a seven- or a nine-array expandable RF electrode for 8-10 min at 80-110°C and a power of 90-110 W.

Risk factors for the development of persistent type II endoleaks after endovascular repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Purpose: To determine, based on preoperative imaging findings, which patients treated with endovascular abdominal aneurysm repair are at high risk for the development of persistent type II endoleaks.

Materials And Methods: Preoperative computed tomography (CT) angiographies of 136 patients, treated endovascularly, were retrospectively examined for possible anatomic predictors of type II endoleak development. Specifically, the number of patent aortic branches and thrombus load parameters (i.

Headache, idiopathic intracranial hypertension and slipped capital femoral epiphysis during growth hormone treatment: a safety update from the KIGS database.

Background: Several uncommon adverse effects may be related to growth hormone (GH) treatment. Three potential side effects, headache, idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), will be discussed. Data from 57,968 children in the KIGS (Pfizer International Growth Study database) were analyzed to determine the effects of recombinant human GH (Genotropin) on these side effects.

Recurrence of brain tumours in patients treated with growth hormone: analysis of KIGS (Pfizer International Growth Database).

Background: Growth hormone (GH) has been used successfully in the treatment of short stature secondary to GH deficiency in survivors of childhood brain tumours. There has been concern that GH might increase the risk of recurrence.

Aim: To analyse KIGS (Pfizer International Growth Database) with respect to tumour recurrence in patients with brain tumours.