Plasma Aβ/Aβ is sensitive to early cerebral amyloid accumulation and predicts risk of cognitive decline across the Alzheimer's disease spectrum.

Introduction: The availability of amyloid beta (Aβ) targeting therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing the demand for scalable biomarkers that are sensitive to early cerebral Aβ accumulation.

Methods: We evaluated fully-automated Lumipulse plasma Aβ/Aβ immunoassays for detecting cerebral Aβ in 457 clinically unimpaired (CU) and clinically impaired (CI) Stanford Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (Stanford ADRC) participants and 186 CU in the Stanford Aging and Memory Study (SAMS). Longitudinal change in ADRC plasma Aβ/Aβ and cognition and cross-sectional associations with SAMS memory and tau positron emission tomography (PET) were examined.

Variability and relative contribution of surgeon- and anesthesia-specific time components to total procedural time in cardiac surgery.

Background: Decreasing variability in time-intensive tasks during cardiac surgery may reduce total procedural time, lower costs, reduce clinician burnout, and improve patient access. The relative contribution and variability of surgeon control time (SCT) and anesthesia control time (ACT) to total procedural time is unknown.

Methods: A total of 669 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery were enrolled.

Performance of a fully-automated Lumipulse plasma phospho-tau181 assay for Alzheimer's disease.

Background: The recent promise of disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) has reinforced the need for accurate biomarkers for early disease detection, diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Advances in the development of novel blood-based biomarkers for AD have revealed that plasma levels of tau phosphorylated at various residues are specific and sensitive to AD dementia. However, the currently available tests have shortcomings in access, throughput, and scalability that limit widespread implementation.

A case report of an open aortic valve replacement followed by open adrenalectomy in a patient with symptomatic pheochromocytoma and critical aortic stenosis.

Background: Pheochromocytoma is a rare medical condition caused by catecholamine-secreting tumor cells. Operative resection can be associated with significant hemodynamic fluctuations due to the nature of the tumor, as well as associated post-resection vasoplegia. To allow for cardiovascular recovery before surgery, patients require pre-operative alpha-adrenergic blockade, which would be limited in the setting of co-existent severe aortic stenosis.

Plasma Biomarkers of Tau and Neurodegeneration During Major Cardiac and Noncardiac Surgery.

This analysis compares plasma biomarkers of tau and neurodegeneration during major cardiac and noncardiac surgeries.