Significance of admission hypoalbuminemia in acute intracerebral hemorrhage.

Low levels of serum albumin may increase the risk of infections and mortality in critically ill patients. We tested the hypothesis that admission hypoalbuminemia predicted infectious complications and poor outcome in subjects with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We analyzed a single center cohort of ICH patients collected between 1994 and 2015.

MRI-visible perivascular spaces in cerebral amyloid angiopathy and hypertensive arteriopathy.

Objective: To assess MRI-visible enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) burden and different topographical patterns (in the centrum semiovale [CSO] and basal ganglia [BG]) in 2 common microangiopathies: cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) and hypertensive arteriopathy (HA).

Methods: Consecutive patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) from a prospective MRI cohort were included. Small vessel disease MRI markers, including cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), cortical superficial siderosis (cSS), and white matter hyperintensities (WMH), were rated.

Comparative Inactivation of Murine Norovirus and MS2 Bacteriophage by Peracetic Acid and Monochloramine in Municipal Secondary Wastewater Effluent.

Chlorination has long been used for disinfection of municipal wastewater (MWW) effluent while the use peracetic acid (PAA) has been proposed more recently in the United States. Previous work has demonstrated the bactericidal effectiveness of PAA and monochloramine in wastewater, but limited information is available for viruses, especially ones of mammalian origin (e.g.

Small vessel disease burden in cerebral amyloid angiopathy without symptomatic hemorrhage.

Objective: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a common age-related small vessel disease (SVD). Patients without intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) typically present with transient focal neurologic episodes (TFNEs) or cognitive symptoms. We sought to determine if SVD lesion burden differed between patients with CAA first presenting with TFNEs vs cognitive symptoms.

Blood pressure regulation determined by ambulatory blood pressure profiles in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus: Impact on diabetic complications.

Background: The combination of high blood pressure and hyperglycemia contributes to the development of diabetic complications. Ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure (ABPM) is seen as standard to assess blood pressure (BP) regulation.

Objective: We evaluated 24-hour BP regulation in 3529 children with type 1 diabetes, representing 5.

Lymphopenia, Infectious Complications, and Outcome in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Background: Lymphopenia is increasingly recognized as a consequence of acute illness and may predispose to infections. We investigated whether admission lymphopenia (AL) is associated with increased risk of infectious complications and poor outcome in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a prospectively collected cohort of ICH patients ascertained between 1994 and 2015.

Association of Key Magnetic Resonance Imaging Markers of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease With Hematoma Volume and Expansion in Patients With Lobar and Deep Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Importance: Hematoma expansion is an important determinant of outcome in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) due to small vessel disease (SVD), but the association between the severity of the underlying SVD and the extent of bleeding at the acute phase is unknown to date.

Objective: To investigate the association between key magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers of SVD (as per the Standards for Reporting Vascular Changes on Neuroimaging [STRIVE] guidelines) and hematoma volume and expansion in patients with lobar or deep ICH.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Analysis of data collected from 418 consecutive patients admitted with primary lobar or deep ICH to a single tertiary care medical center between January 1, 2000, and October 1, 2012.

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 activity and low-density lipoprotein subfractions after a 2-year treatment with atorvastatin in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Background: The objective of the study was to assess the effect of atorvastatin on inflammation markers and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) subfractions.

Methods: In a prospective, randomized, double-blind pilot study involving 28 adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D), lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) activity, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and subfractions of LDL were measured at baseline, after 1 year and 2 years of treatment with atorvastatin (10 mg/day) vs. placebo.

Intracranial atherosclerosis and cerebral small vessel disease in intracerebral hemorrhage patients.

Background: The association between cerebral small vessel diseases (cSVD) and intracranial atherosclerosis is debated and conflicting results have been reported. We sought to investigate this association in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), due to severe cSVD.

Methods: Consecutive ICH patients were divided into those meeting criteria for cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) and those with deep hypertensive ICH consistent with hypertensive cSVD (HTN-SVD).

Quantum Nondemolition Measurement of a Quantum Squeezed State Beyond the 3 dB Limit.

We use a reservoir engineering technique based on two-tone driving to generate and stabilize a quantum squeezed state of a micron-scale mechanical oscillator in a microwave optomechanical system. Using an independent backaction-evading measurement to directly quantify the squeezing, we observe 4.7±0.

Florbetapir-PET to diagnose cerebral amyloid angiopathy: A prospective study.

Objective: We hypothesized that florbetapir, a Food and Drug Administration-approved PET tracer, could distinguish cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA)-related intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) from hypertensive ICH (HTN-ICH).

Methods: We prospectively enrolled survivors of primary ICH related to probable CAA (per Boston Criteria, n = 10) and HTN-ICH (n = 9) without dementia. All patients underwent florbetapir-PET and multimodal MRI, and patients with CAA had additional Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) PET.

Noncontrast Computed Tomography Hypodensities Predict Poor Outcome in Intracerebral Hemorrhage Patients.

Background And Purpose: Noncontrast computed tomographic (CT) hypodensities have been shown to be associated with hematoma expansion in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), but their impact on functional outcome is yet to be determined. We evaluated whether baseline noncontrast CT hypodensities are associated with poor clinical outcome.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of a prospectively collected cohort of consecutive patients with primary ICH presenting to a single academic medical center between 1994 and 2016.

Association Between Serum Calcium Level and Extent of Bleeding in Patients With Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Importance: Calcium is a key cofactor of the coagulation cascade and may play a role in the pathophysiology of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

Objective: To investigate whether a low serum calcium level is associated with an increase in the extent of bleeding in patients with ICH as measured by baseline hematoma volume and risk of hematoma expansion.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Prospective cohort study of 2103 consecutive patients with primary ICH ascertained during the period between 1994 and 2015 at an academic medical center.

Recurrent hemorrhage risk and mortality in hereditary and sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

Objective: To determine whether hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis-Dutch type (HCHWA-D), a monogenetic disease model for the sporadic variant of amyloid angiopathy (sCAA), has a comparable recurrent intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) risk and mortality after a first symptomatic ICH.

Methods: We included patients with HCHWA-D from the Leiden University Medical Center and patients with sCAA from the Massachusetts General Hospital in a cohort study. Baseline characteristics, hemorrhage recurrence, and short- and long-term mortality were compared.

Progression of Brain Network Alterations in Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy.

Background And Purpose: We recently showed that cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is associated with functionally relevant brain network impairments, in particular affecting posterior white matter connections. Here we examined how these brain network impairments progress over time.

Methods: Thirty-three patients with probable CAA underwent multimodal brain magnetic resonance imaging at 2 time points (mean follow-up time: 1.

Development of Hemolytic Anemia in a Nivolumab-Treated Patient with Refractory Metastatic Squamous Cell Skin Cancer and Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia.

Management of patients with metastatic squamous cell skin cancer, refractory to initial therapy with standard chemotherapy and radiation protocols, remains difficult with poor overall prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Recently, promising response rates with nivolumab, a programmed death receptor-1-blocking antibody, in squamous cancer of the head and neck have been demonstrated. Considering the similar histological patterns of squamous cell cancer of the skin and squamous cell cancer of the head and neck, we assumed that nivolumab could also be effective in our patients with refractory metastatic squamous cell cancer of the skin.

Blood pressure burden and outcome in warfarin-related intracerebral hemorrhage.

Background and purpose Blood pressure reduction is a promising intervention for acute intracerebral hemorrhage, but clinical trials of this treatment often exclude those with anticoagulant-associated intracerebral hemorrhage, leaving it unclear whether this population might benefit. We examined whether persistently elevated blood pressure values (blood pressure burden) over the first 24 h are associated with hematoma expansion and mortality in anticoagulant-associated intracerebral hemorrhage. Methods We retrospectively identified consecutive patients with primary anticoagulant-associated intracerebral hemorrhage (warfarin anticoagulation) who presented within 6 h after symptom onset and a matched set of non-anticoagulant-associated intracerebral hemorrhage patients.

Exploring the capabilities of fluorometric online monitoring on chinese hamster ovary cell cultivations producing a monoclonal antibody.

Online monitoring of Chinese hamster ovary fed-batch cell cultures via two-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy (2DFS) was evaluated in this work. Particular attention was directed toward different process strategies regarding the use of nutrient-rich feed media and temperature shifts. These intentionally performed process manipulations broadened the variances in the obtained fluorescence spectra and this was suspected to hamper the generation of reliable soft sensors.

Use of Pathogen-Specific Antibody Biomarkers to Estimate Waterborne Infections in Population-Based Settings.

Purpose Of Review: This review discusses the utility of pathogen-specific antibody biomarkers for improving estimates of the population burden of waterborne infections, assessing the fraction of infections that can be prevented by specific water treatments, and understanding transmission routes and the natural history and ecology of disease in different populations (including asymptomatic infection rates).

Recent Findings: We review recent literature on the application of pathogen-specific antibody response data to estimate incidence and prevalence of acute infections and their utility to assess the contributions of waterborne transmission pathways. Advantages and technical challenges associated with the use of serum versus minimally invasive salivary antibody biomarkers in cross-sectional and prospective surveys are discussed.

Floors and Toilets: Association of Floors and Sanitation Practices with Fecal Contamination in Peruvian Amazon Peri-Urban Households.

Over two billion people worldwide lack access to an improved sanitation facility that adequately retains or treats feces. This results in the potential for fecal material containing enteric pathogens to contaminate the environment, including household floors. This study aimed to assess how floor type and sanitation practices impacted the concentration of fecal contamination on household floors.

Association Between Hypodensities Detected by Computed Tomography and Hematoma Expansion in Patients With Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Importance: Hematoma expansion is a potentially modifiable predictor of poor outcome following an acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The ability to identify patients with ICH who are likeliest to experience hematoma expansion and therefore likeliest to benefit from expansion-targeted treatments remains an unmet need. Hypodensities within an ICH detected by noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) have been suggested as a predictor of hematoma expansion.

Effect of CTA Tube Current on Spot Sign Detection and Accuracy for Prediction of Intracerebral Hemorrhage Expansion.

Background And Purpose: Reduction of CT tube current is an effective strategy to minimize radiation load. However, tube current is also a major determinant of image quality. We investigated the impact of CTA tube current on spot sign detection and diagnostic performance for intracerebral hemorrhage expansion.

Cortical atrophy in patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy: a case-control study.

Background: Loss of cortical grey matter is a diagnostic marker of many neurodegenerative diseases, and is a key mediator of cognitive impairment. We postulated that cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), characterised by cortical vascular amyloid deposits, is associated with cortical tissue loss independent of parenchymal Alzheimer's disease pathology. We tested this hypothesis in patients with hereditary cerebral haemorrhage with amyloidosis-Dutch type (HCHWA-D), a monogenetic disease with minimal or no concomitant Alzheimer's disease pathology, as well as in patients with sporadic CAA and healthy and Alzheimer's disease controls.

Leukocyte Count and Intracerebral Hemorrhage Expansion.

Background And Purpose: Acute leukocytosis is a well-established response to intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Leukocytes, because of their interaction with platelets and coagulation factors, may in turn play a role in hemostasis. We investigated whether admission leukocytosis was associated with reduced bleeding after acute ICH.

Lung Transplant Outcomes in Systemic Sclerosis with Significant Esophageal Dysfunction. A Comprehensive Single-Center Experience.

Rationale: Consideration of lung transplantation in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) remains guarded, often due to the concern for esophageal dysfunction and the associated potential for allograft injury and suboptimal post-lung transplantation outcomes.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to systematically report our single-center experience regarding lung transplantation in the setting of SSc, with a particular focus on esophageal dysfunction.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all lung transplants at our center from January 1, 2000 through August 31, 2012 (n = 562), comparing the SSc group (n = 35) to the following lung transplant diagnostic subsets: all non-SSc (n = 527), non-SSc diffuse fibrotic lung disease (n = 264), and a non-SSc matched group (n = 109).