Effect of Corticosteroid Premedication on Adrenal Vein Sampling in Patients with Primary Aldosteronism and Iodinated Contrast Allergy.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of corticosteroid premedication on the performance of adrenal vein sampling (AVS) in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) and allergy to iodinated contrast media (ICM).

Materials And Methods: Patients who underwent AVS for PA, between September 1990 and October 2023, were retrospectively identified. Patients with ICM allergy who received corticosteroid pre-medication were matched 1:1 with patients without contrast allergy.

The Effect of Depression on Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Introduction: Depression is among the most common mental illnesses, with an estimated 8.1% of adults in the United States living with the condition. Despite its prevalence, the effect of depression on surgical outcomes is not well studied.

Prediction of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias using multiple cardiovascular risk-factor polygenic risk scores.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) prediction improves by combining clinical scores with a polygenic risk score (PRS) for AF (AF-PRS), but there are limited studies of PRS for ventricular arrhythmia (VA) prediction.

Objective: We assessed the value of including multiple PRS for cardiovascular risk factors (CV-PRS) for incident AF and VA prediction.

Methods: We used 158,733 individuals of European ancestry from UK Biobank to build 3 models for AF: CHARGE-AF (AF1), AF1 + AF-PRS (AF2), AF2 + CV-PRS (AF3).

Peripherally Restricted Activation of Opioid Receptors Influences Anxiety-Related Behaviour and Alters Brain Gene Expression in a Sex-Specific Manner.

Although effects of stress-induced anxiety on the gastrointestinal tract and enteric nervous system (ENS) are well studied, how ENS dysfunction impacts behaviour is not well understood. We investigated whether ENS modulation alters anxiety-related behaviour in rats. We used loperamide, a potent μ-opioid receptor agonist that does not cross the blood-brain barrier, to manipulate ENS function and assess changes in behaviour, gut and brain gene expression, and microbiota profile.

Fructosamine as an Indicator for Glycemic Control in the Veteran Community.

Objective: Glycemic monitoring via Hemoglobin A1(HbA1c) proves to be inaccurate when a patient is diagnosed with a hemoglobinopathy/erythrocyte disorder. Moreover, any acute changes of glycemic intake within 6 weeks of blood sampling have been noted to impart a greater effect on HbA1c than the remaining days of the supposed overall 3-to-4-month average of glycemic control. Fructosamine, an alternative to HbA1c, allows physicians to analyze glycemic control in the presence of an underlying hemoglobinopathy/erythrocyte disorder.