Frailty and associated outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion: findings from the NCDR LAAO registry.

Background: Frailty is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and may have clinical implications in an advanced age population with atrial fibrillation undergoing left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO). We sought to develop a novel frailty scale to predict worse outcomes in patients undergoing LAAO.

Methods: Patients in the NCDR LAAO Registry between 2016 and 2021 receiving percutaneous LAAO devices were categorized as non-frail (0 points), pre-frail (1-3 points), or frail (4-5 points) based on a 5-point scale representing multiple domains of frailty: hemoglobin <13.

Characterizing Profiles of TBI Severity: Predictors of Functional Outcomes and Well-Being.

Objective: To identify profiles of acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) severity and relate profiles to functional and well-being outcomes.

Setting: Acute inpatient rehabilitation and general community settings.

Participants: Three hundred and seventy-nine individuals with moderate-severe TBI participating in the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems.

Field study of visitors' behavior in incense burning and its induced air pollution assessment and treatment.

This study conducted a field investigation in the behavior of visitors in the pagoda and burning incense as well as its air pollution situation in Vietnam, and revealed that 92% of people used stick form for offering incense and mainly burning either 1 or 3 sticks/time. Incense smoke exposure caused aroma, comfortable, eye irritation, or hard to breathe. There were 70% of people being aware of the hazard of incense smoke.

Sex Differences in Procedural Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion: Insights From the NCDR LAAO Registry.

Importance: Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) has emerged as an alternative to anticoagulation for select patients with atrial fibrillation; however, women have been underrepresented in clinical trials of LAAO, and sex-specific subanalyses are limited.

Objective: To evaluate the sex differences in the baseline characteristics of patients undergoing LAAO implant and in the in-hospital outcomes after LAAO implant.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A total of 49 357 patients in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry LAAO Registry undergoing LAAO with the Watchman device between January 1, 2016, and June 30, 2019, were included in this study.

A Comparison of Biomarker Rise in Type 1 and Type 2 Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Despite differing underlying pathophysiology, type 1 and type 2 myocardial infarction share many of the same diagnostic criteria and can be challenging to differentiate in clinical practice. Correctly differentiating type 1 from type 2 myocardial infarction is important because they are managed differently. The aim of this study was to compare the patterns of rise of cardiac troponin (cTn) and creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) in type 1 and type 2 myocardial infarction.

A novel nonsense mutation of in a Vietnamese family with xeroderma pigmentosum syndrome group D.

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) group D, a severe disease often typified by extreme sun sensitivity, can be caused by mutations. encodes an adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent DNA helicase, namely XP group D protein (XPD). The XPD, one of ten subunits of the transcription factor TFIIH, plays a critical role in the nucleotide-excision repair (NER) pathway.

The Prognosis of Axial vs. Extra-Axial Lesions on Functional Status After Traumatic Brain Injury.

Head computed tomography (CT) scans are widely used in acute head injury for medical triage and surgical decisions, yet there are contradictions on the prognostic value of different head CT classifications. The intra-axial (axial) lesion vs. extra-axial lesion is a well-known systemic classification but has not been applied into clinical practice since there is no evidence-based support for its prognostic value.

Burden of Care Implications and Association of Intracranial Hypertension With Extremely Severe Post-traumatic Amnesia After Traumatic Brain Injury: A 5-Year Retrospective Longitudinal Study.

Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) is characterized by a state of disorientation and confusion following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Few studies have looked at the effect of prolonged PTA on the functional outcomes beyond 1 year post-injury. This study aims to evaluate the burden of care in individuals with extremely severe PTA (esPTA; PTA >28 days) from acute inpatient rehabilitation admission to 5 years post-injury as well as the association between intracranial hypertension (ICH; Intracranial pressure (ICP) ≥20 mmHg) and esPTA status.

Depression in Men and Women One Year Following Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): A TBI Model Systems Study.

In the general population, females experience depression at significantly higher rates than males. Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at substantially greater risk for depression compared to the overall population. Treatment of, and recovery from, TBI can be hindered by depression; comorbid TBI and depression can lead to adverse outcomes and negatively affect multiple aspects of individuals' lives.

Frequency, Indications, and Outcomes of Guide Catheter Extension Use in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: The frequency and outcomes of guide catheter extension use during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have received limited study.

Methods: We retrospectively examined 1539 consecutive PCIs performed between May 2010 and November 2013 to determine the frequency and outcomes of guide catheter extension utilization.

Results: During the study period, a guide catheter extension was used in 83 cases (5.

Interpretation of Coronary Angiograms Recorded Using Google Glass: A Comparative Analysis.

Introduction: Google Glass (Google, Inc) is a voice-activated, hands-free, optical head-mounted display device capable of taking pictures, recording videos, and transmitting data via wi-fi. In the present study, we examined the accuracy of coronary angiogram interpretation, recorded using Google Glass.

Methods: Google Glass was used to record 15 angiograms with 17 major findings and the participants were asked to interpret those recordings on: (1) an iPad (Apple, Inc); or (2) a desktop computer.

Structure of neurotropic adeno-associated virus AAVrh.8.

Adeno-associated virus rhesus isolate 8 (AAVrh.8) is a leading vector for the treatment of neurological diseases due to its efficient transduction of neuronal cells and reduced peripheral tissue tropism. Toward identification of the capsid determinants for these properties, the structure of AAVrh.

Structural insights into the molecular mechanism of Escherichia coli SdiA, a quorum-sensing receptor.

Escherichia coli SdiA is a quorum-sensing (QS) receptor that responds to autoinducers produced by other bacterial species to control cell division and virulence. Crystal structures reveal that E. coli SdiA, which is composed of an N-terminal ligand-binding domain and a C-terminal DNA-binding domain (DBD), forms a symmetrical dimer.

Structural and functional characterization of an Isd-type haem-degradation enzyme from Listeria monocytogenes.

Bacterial pathogens have evolved diverse types of efficient machinery to acquire haem, the most abundant source of iron in the human body, and degrade it for the utilization of iron. Gram-positive bacteria commonly encode IsdG-family proteins as haem-degrading monooxygenases. Listeria monocytogenes is predicted to possess an IsdG-type protein (Lmo2213), but the residues involved in haem monooxygenase activity are not well conserved and there is an extra N-terminal domain in Lmo2213.

A hierarchical modeling approach to data analysis and study design in a multi-site experimental fMRI study.

We propose a hierarchical Bayesian model for analyzing multi-site experimental fMRI studies. Our method takes the hierarchical structure of the data (subjects are nested within sites, and there are multiple observations per subject) into account and allows for modeling between-site variation. Using posterior predictive model checking and model selection based on the deviance information criterion (DIC), we show that our model provides a good fit to the observed data by sharing information across the sites.

Impact of late post-traumatic seizures on physical health and functioning for individuals with brain injury within the community.

Primary Objective: To better characterize, describe and highlight issues that individuals with TBI and active LPTS may face in their daily lives.

Design: Prospective multi-centre mixed method qualitative and quantitative interview.

Participants: Twenty-five individuals, 5-13 years post-injury, who had reported having LPTS and TBI.

Multiplexed detection of mRNA using porosity-tuned hydrogel microparticles.

Transcriptional profiling, which is directly or indirectly associated with expressed protein levels, has been used in various applications including clinical prognosis and pharmaceutical investigation of drug activities. Although the widely used reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) allows for the quantification of absolute amounts of mRNA (mRNA) from inputs as small as a single cell, it is an indirect detection method that requires the amplification of cDNA copies of target mRNAs. Here, we report the quantification of unmodified full-length transcripts, using poly(ethylene) glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel microparticles synthesized via stop flow lithography (SFL).

Superior semicircular canal dehiscence in patients with spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SCD) in patients with spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) otorrhea.

Study Design: Case series with chart review.

Setting: Tertiary care referral center.

An effective community-based mentoring program for return to work and school after brain and spinal cord injury.

Information is presented on a community-based mentoring program, developed to work with existing community agencies and provide structure to the frequently confusing network of services for young adults, ages 16 to 26 years, with a recently acquired disability including TBI, SCI, and other neurological disorders. The over-arching goal of the Mentoring Program was to improve the ability of individuals with disabilities to access and maximally utilize the services and programs that are available in the community. The two objectives of this study were: (1) to demonstrate continuing increases in standardized measures of community integration from the time of enrollment in the program to the time of exit from the program, and (2) to improve the percentage of youth and young adults with disabilities who successfully access post-secondary education or employment opportunities.

Mortality in late post-traumatic seizures.

The objective of this study was to examine the mortality rates in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who were classified as having experienced late post-traumatic seizures (LPTS) in the first 2 years post-TBI compared to those who were seizure-free (non-LPTS). Participants were a pooled sample (n = 508) from two studies which enrolled individuals with TBI who were injured between March 31, 1992 and December 20, 1999. The first sample was made up of individuals enrolled in a study of risk factors for LPTS development; the second sample was composed of individuals enrolled in the TBI National Database from a single rehabilitation center.