Peripheral Nervous System Adverse Events after the Administration of mRNA Vaccines: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Large-Scale Studies.

Although neurological complications after the administration of vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are rare, they might result in long-term morbidity. This study was designed to determine the risk of peripheral nervous system (PNS) adverse events after the administration of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. Large-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies were systematically searched in databases, and 15 cohort studies were included in the synthesis.

An induced pluripotent stem cell-based model identifies molecular targets of vincristine neurotoxicity.

To model peripheral nerve degeneration and investigate molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration, we established a cell system of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived sensory neurons exposed to vincristine, a drug that frequently causes chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Sensory neurons differentiated from iPSCs exhibit distinct neurochemical patterns according to the immunocytochemical phenotypes, and gene expression of peripherin (PRPH, hereafter referred to as Peri) and neurofilament heavy chain (NEFH, hereafter referred to as NF). The majority of iPSC-derived sensory neurons were PRPH positive/NEFH negative, i.

Angiotensin receptor blockers and β blockers in Marfan syndrome: an individual patient data meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Background: Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and β blockers are widely used in the treatment of Marfan syndrome to try to reduce the rate of progressive aortic root enlargement characteristic of this condition, but their separate and joint effects are uncertain. We aimed to determine these effects in a collaborative individual patient data meta-analysis of randomised trials of these treatments.

Methods: In this meta-analysis, we identified relevant trials of patients with Marfan syndrome by systematically searching MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL from database inception to Nov 2, 2021.

An update of medical care in Marfan syndrome.

Marfan syndrome (MFS), a multisystemic connective disorder, caused by fibrillin 1 gene mutations with autosomal dominant inheritance. The disease spectrum is wide and the major causes of death are related to aortic root aneurysm or dissection. The purposes of medical treatment are to reduce structural changes in the aortic wall and slow aortic root dilatation.

Clinical manifestations and genetic characteristics in the Taiwan thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection cohort - a prospective cohort study.

Background: Thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD) is a devastating but treatable disease if detected early. The clinical manifestations and genetic characteristics underlying TAAD patients in Taiwan, however, remain unclear.

Methods: We consecutively recruited patients referred for TAAD screening and/or management at a tertiary medical center in Taiwan.

Med-Tech Industry Entry Strategy Analysis under COVID-19 Impact.

COVID-19 has been impacting the Med-Tech industry dramatically since the beginning of 2020. Along with the pandemic continuously growing, the demand for major global medical products such as masks and protective clothing has surged. The Med-Tech industry is facing the huge challenge of a lack of production capacity, including raw material, production equipment, production line, professional human resources, and more.

Exercise Capacity and Ventricular Remodeling After Transcatheter Ventricular Septal Defect Closure in Asymptomatic or Minimally Symptomatic Adolescents and Adults.

Background: Transcatheter ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure is a safe and efficacious alternative to surgery. However, its benefits in asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients remain unknown.

Methods: Sixty patients with VSD aged 12 to 60 years underwent cardiopulmonary exercise test and echocardiography 1 day before transcatheter VSD closure and 6 months after intervention (closure group).

The effects of losartan versus beta-blockers on cardiovascular protection in marfan syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Purpose: Variable effects of beta-blockers (BB) and/or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) were reported to retard aortic root growth in Marfan syndrome (MFS). This study aimed to compare the effects of BB therapy and ARB-related therapies on cardiovascular protection in MFS.

Methods: Studies of randomized control trials comparing the efficacy of only-BB and ARB-related (only-ARB or ARB-plus-BB) therapies for MFS published before July 31, 2018 in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were selected.

Assessing utility of exercise test in determining exercise prescription in adolescent and adult patients with repaired tetralogy of fallot.

Parameters from cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) are useful prognostic factors for patients with repaired tetralogy of fallot (TOF). Its application in exercise prescription remains unclear. This study sought to define its role.

Preconception Counseling for Women with Congenital Heart Disease.

Unlabelled: With advances that have been made over the recent decades in transcatheter and surgical interventions, most patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) can survive into adulthood. Overall, probably half of these surviving patients are female. When these female CHD patients reach childbearing age, however, pregnancy management will be a major issue.

Assessing Late Cardiopulmonary Function in Patients with Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot Using Exercise Cardiopulmonary Function Test and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance.

Background: Patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) usually experience progressive right ventricle (RV) dysfunction due to pulmonary regurgitation (PR). This could further worsen the cardiopulmonary function. This study aimed to compare the changes in patient exercise cardiopulmonary test and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and consider the implication of these changes.

High Sensitivity C Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) in Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with History of Kawasaki Disease.

Background: For children with a history of Kawasaki disease (KD), low grade inflammation was generally reported to be associated with persistent coronary artery lesions (CAL). However, this association has not been clearly demonstrated to hold true in KD adolescents and young adults (10-25 years of age).

Methods: We enrolled 104 subjects into our study, who were separated into the following 3 groups and controls: 1): 22 KD patients with angiography-confirmed CAL which persisted for an average of 12.

Does altered aortic flow in marfan syndrome relate to aortic root dilatation?

Purpose: To examine possible hemodynamic alterations in adolescent to adult Marfan syndrome (MFS) patients with aortic root dilatation.

Materials And Methods: Four-dimensional flow MRI was performed in 20 MFS patients and 12 age-matched normal subjects with a 3T system. The cross-sectional areas of 10 planes along the aorta were segmented for calculating the axial and circumferential wall shear stress (WSSaxial , WSScirc ), oscillatory shear index (OSIaxial , OSIcirc ), and the nonroundness (NR), presenting the asymmetry of segmental WSS.

Design and rationale of a prospective, collaborative meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials of angiotensin receptor antagonists in Marfan syndrome, based on individual patient data: A report from the Marfan Treatment Trialists' Collaboration.

Rationale: A number of randomized trials are underway, which will address the effects of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) on aortic root enlargement and a range of other end points in patients with Marfan syndrome. If individual participant data from these trials were to be combined, a meta-analysis of the resulting data, totaling approximately 2,300 patients, would allow estimation across a number of trials of the treatment effects both of ARB therapy and of β-blockade. Such an analysis would also allow estimation of treatment effects in particular subgroups of patients on a range of end points of interest and would allow a more powerful estimate of the effects of these treatments on a composite end point of several clinical outcomes than would be available from any individual trial.

Comparison of 3 Risk Estimation Methods for Predicting Cardiac Outcomes in Pregnant Women With Congenital Heart Disease.

Background: Three risk estimation methods for predicting the cardiac outcomes of pregnancy in women with heart disease have been proposed. This study was designed to compare their prediction performance in an Asian cohort with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Methods And Results: This study enrolled pregnant women with CHD who delivered their babies after the 20th gestational week between 1985 and 2011.

Ventricular geometric characteristics and functional benefit of mild right ventricular outflow tract obstruction in patients with significant pulmonary regurgitation after repair of tetralogy of Fallot.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) outflow tract obstruction (RVOTO) might protect the RV from adverse remodeling caused by significant pulmonary regurgitation (PR) in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF), but the underlying mechanisms and influences on exercise tolerance remain unclear. This study sought to investigate the impacts from mild RVOTO on ventricular remodeling and exercise capacity in rTOF.

Methods: Eighty-five rTOF patients with a PR fraction ≥20% were assessed with cardiac magnetic resonance, cardiopulmonary exercise test, and echocardiography.

Epidemiological profile of Marfan syndrome in a general population: a national database study.

Objective: To explore the current epidemiological profile of Marfan syndrome in a general population.

Patients And Methods: Patients who had received a diagnosis of Marfan syndrome were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance database records from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2012 (average population size, 22,765,535). Cardiovascular events and interventions were identified by using the respective International Classification of Diseases codes.

Prognostic value of submaximal exercise data for cardiac morbidity in Fontan patients.

Introduction: Submaximal exercise parameters are associated with an increased risk of hospitalization in patients with heart failure, but the implication in patients with Fontan circulation remains unknown. We investigated the prognostic value of these parameters in a Fontan cohort, in whom maximal exercise effort is often limited.

Methods: Fifty-two Fontan patients received cardiopulmonary exercise tests at least 12 months after Fontan completion.

Long-Term Outcomes of Native Coarctation of the Aorta after Balloon Angioplasty or Surgical Aortoplasty in Newborns and Young Infants Less Than 3 Months of Age.

Background: Balloon angioplasty of native coarctation of the aorta, though effective, is frequently associated with early restenosis, repeated interventions and aneurysm formation, especially in very young patients. However, available long-term data are limited.

Methods: From Jan.

Losartan added to β-blockade therapy for aortic root dilation in Marfan syndrome: a randomized, open-label pilot study.

Objective: To assess the tolerability and efficacy of the investigational use of the angiotensin II receptor blocker losartan added to β-blockade (BB) to prevent progressive aortic root dilation in patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS).

Patients And Methods: Between May 1, 2007, and September 31, 2011, 28 patients with MFS (11 males [39%]; mean ± SD age, 13.1±6.

Detection of pulmonary arterial morphology in tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia by computed tomography: 12 years of experience.

Unlabelled: Our aim was to evaluate the feasibility of using computed tomography (CT) to define the pulmonary artery anatomy in patients with tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia (TOF-PA). We retrospectively reviewed 110 patients with TOF-PA between 1995 and 2008. Those who received cardiac catheterization and surgery within 3 months of their CT examinations were enrolled.

Cardiorespiratory function of pediatric heart transplant recipients in the early postoperative period.

In this study, we sought to assess the cardiopulmonary functions in three pediatric heart transplant recipients, two of whom are with dilated cardiomyopathy, whereas one is with cyanotic heart disease, in early postoperative period. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed using an incremental cycling at 1 mo after surgery. The results revealed that our study subjects had obvious impairment in workload, oxygen consumption, and oxygen pulse at peak exercise and ventilatory threshold at 1 mo after orthotropic heart transplantation.