Selective scalp block decreases short term post-operative pain scores and opioid use after craniotomy: A case series.

There is no consensus on the management of post-craniotomy pain. Several randomized controlled trials have examined the use of a regional scalp block for post-craniotomy pain. We aim to investigate whether scalp block affected short or long-term pain levels and opioid use after craniotomy.

Risk Markers for Limited Coronary Artery Calcium in Persons With Significant Aortic Valve Calcium (From the Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis).

The early stages of aortic valve calcification (AVC) and coronary artery calcification (CAC) include shared ASCVD risk factors, yet there is considerable heterogeneity between the burden of AVC, and CAC. We sought to identify the markers associated with limited CAC among persons with significant AVC. There were 325 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis without clinical ASCVD and with AVC ≥100 Agatston units (AU) at Visit 1.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events among statin eligible individuals with and without long-term healthy arterial aging.

Background And Aims: A large proportion of statin eligible candidates have a baseline absence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) and low 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. We sought to determine the proportion of statin eligible individuals who had long-term healthy arterial aging (persistent CAC = 0) and their examined 15-year ASCVD outcomes.

Methods: We included 561 statin eligible candidates from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis who were not on statin therapy with CAC = 0 at Visit 1 (2000-02) and underwent a subsequent CAC scan at Visit 5 (2010-11).

Predicting Long-Term Absence of Coronary Artery Calcium in Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes: The MESA Study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of healthy arterial aging (long-term coronary artery calcification [CAC] of 0) among individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS) or type 2 diabetes (T2D), which may improve primary prevention strategies.

Background: Individuals with MetS or T2D have a heterogeneously increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and not all have a high-intermediate risk.

Methods: We included 574 participants from the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) with MetS or T2D who had CAC=0 at baseline and a repeat CAC scan 10 years later.

Association Between Homocysteine and Vascular Calcification Incidence, Prevalence, and Progression in the MESA Cohort.

Background While elevated homocysteine has been associated with calcification in several studies, its importance as a cardiovascular risk factor remains unclear. This study examines the relationship between homocysteine and vascular and valve calcification in the MESA (Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) cohort. Methods and Results MESA participants with baseline homocysteine measurements and cardiac computed tomography scans were included (N=6789).

Speeding of oxygen uptake kinetics is not different following low-intensity blood-flow-restricted and high-intensity interval training.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Can interval blood-flow-restricted (BFR) cycling training, undertaken at a low intensity, promote a similar adaptation to oxygen uptake ( ) kinetics to high-intensity interval training? What is the main finding and its importance? Speeding of pulmonary on-kinetics in healthy young subjects was not different between low-intensity interval BFR training and traditional high-intensity interval training. Given that very low workloads are well tolerated during BFR cycle training and speed on-kinetics, this training method could be used when high mechanical loads are contraindicated.

Abstract: Low-intensity blood-flow-restricted (BFR) endurance training is effective to increase aerobic capacity.

Apixaban versus warfarin in evaluation of progression of atherosclerotic and calcified plaques (prospective randomized trial).

Warfarin has been showed to increase vascular calcification. Apixaban, a direct factor Xa inhibitor, has no interaction with vitamin K and its effect on coronary plaques is unknown. We randomized and compared warfarin and apixaban on progression of coronary atherosclerotic plaques measured by coronary computed tomographic angiography in 66 subjects with non-valvular atrial fibrillation over the period of one-year follow up.

The association between left main coronary artery calcium and cardiovascular-specific and total mortality: The Coronary Artery Calcium Consortium.

Background And Aims: Left main (LM) coronary artery disease is associated with greater myocardial infarction-related mortality, however, coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring does not account for disease location. We explored whether LM CAC predicts excess mortality in asymptomatic adults.

Methods: Cause-specific cardiovascular and all-cause mortality was studied in 28,147 asymptomatic patients with non-zero CAC scores in the CAC Consortium.

Fine-mapping scan of bipolar disorder susceptibility loci in Latino pedigrees.

We previously identified bipolar disorder (BD) susceptibility loci on 8q24, 14q32, and 2q12-14 in a genome-wide nonparametric linkage screen in a Latino cohort. We now perform a fine mapping analysis using a dense map of additional SNPs to identify BD susceptibility genes within these regions. One thousand nine hundred and thirty-eight individuals with Latino ancestry (880 individuals with BD Type I or Schizoaffective, Bipolar Type) from 416 Latino pedigrees from the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala were genotyped with 3,074 SNPs to provide dense coverage of the 8q24 (11.

Coronary Artery Calcium Progression Among the US and Japanese Men.

Background The risk of coronary heart disease remains low in Japan, although distributions of several coronary risk factors have become comparable with those in the United States. We prospectively compared coronary atherosclerosis burden, measured with coronary artery calcium (CAC) progression, between men in the 2 countries. Methods In 2 population-based samples of 1712 US White, Black, Hispanic, Chinese men (baseline, 2000-2002) and 697 Japanese men in Japan (2006-2008) aged 45-74 years without clinical cardiovascular disease, we quantified CAC progression by serial computed tomography with medians of 3.

Randomized trial of rivaroxaban versus warfarin in the evaluation of progression of coronary atherosclerosis.

Warfarin, a vitamin K antagonist, is associated with systemic vascular calcification. We evaluated whether rivaroxaban (a direct oral factor Xa inhibitor with no interaction with vitamin K) will slow the progression in coronary plaque volumes compared with warfarin in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation using coronary computed tomography angiography.

Sex differences in calcified plaque and long-term cardiovascular mortality: observations from the CAC Consortium.

Aims: Pathologic evidence supports unique sex-specific mechanisms as precursors for acute cardiovascular (CV) events. Current evidence on long-term CV risk among women when compared with men based on measures of coronary artery calcium (CAC) remains incomplete.

Methods And Results: A total of 63 215 asymptomatic women and men were enrolled in the multicentre, CAC Consortium with median follow-up of 12.

Endogenous Sex Hormones and Incident Cardiovascular Disease in Post-Menopausal Women.

Background: Higher androgen and lower estrogen levels are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in women. However, studies on sex hormones and incident CVD events in women have yielded conflicting results.

Objectives: The authors assessed the associations of sex hormone levels with incident CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD), and heart failure (HF) events among women without CVD at baseline.

Correlation of Arterial Stiffness With Left Atrial Volume Index and Left Ventricular Mass Index in Young Adults: Evaluation by Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography.

Background: Increased arterial stiffness is reportedly associated with cardiac remodelling, including the left atrium and left ventricle, in middle-aged and older adults. However, little is known about this association in young adults.

Methods: In total, 73 patients (44 (60%) men) aged 25 to 45 years with suspected coronary artery disease were included in the analysis.

A genome-wide quantitative trait locus (QTL) linkage scan of NEO personality factors in Latino families segregating bipolar disorder.

Personality traits have been suggested as potential endophenotypes for Bipolar Disorder (BP), as they can be quantitatively measured and show correlations with BP. The present study utilized data from 2,745 individuals from 686 extended pedigrees originally ascertained for having multiplex cases of BP (963 cases of BPI or schizoaffective BP). Subjects were assessed with the NEO Personality Inventory, Revised (NEO PI-R) and genotyped using the Illumina HumanLinkage-24 Bead Chip, with an average genetic coverage of 0.

Evaluation of Plaque Morphology by 64-Slice Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography Compared to Intravascular Ultrasound in Nonocclusive Segments of Coronary Arteries.

Rationale And Objectives: Although intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is the current gold standard for plaque characterization, noninvasive coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) requires further evaluation. The ability to detect plaque morphology by CCTA remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CCTA for plaque detection and morphology.

Thoracic aortic calcium, cardiovascular disease events, and all-cause mortality in asymptomatic individuals with zero coronary calcium: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Background And Aims: TAC is associated with incident CVD and all-cause mortality. Nevertheless, the independent 10-year prognostic value of TAC in individuals with CAC = 0 beyond traditional risk factors is not well established.

Methods: 3415 MESA participants with baseline CAC = 0 were followed for CHD, CVD events and all-cause mortality.

Fractional flow reserve derived from coronary computed tomography angiography: diagnostic performance in hypertensive and diabetic patients.

Aims: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) derived from coronary computed tomography (FFRCT) has high diagnostic performance in stable coronary artery disease (CAD). The diagnostic performance of FFRCT in patients with hypertension (HTN) and diabetes (DM), who are at risk of microvascular impairment, is not known.

Methods And Results: We analysed the diagnostic performance of FFRCT, in patients (vessels) with DM (n = 16), HTN (n = 186), DM + HTN (n = 58) vs.

Sequence Type 131 30 Is the Main Driver of Emerging Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing . at a Tertiary Care Center.

The 30 strain of sequence type 131 (ST131-30) is a recently emerged, globally disseminated lineage associated with fluoroquinolone resistance and, via its 30Rx subclone, the CTX-M-15 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL). Here, we studied the clonal background and resistance characteristics of 109 consecutive recent clinical isolates (2015) and 41 historical ESBL-producing blood isolates (2004 to 2011) from a public tertiary care center in California with a rising prevalence of ESBL-producing isolates. Among the 2015 isolates, ST131, which was represented mainly by ST131-30, was the most common clonal lineage (23% overall).

Physiological responses to interval endurance exercise at different levels of blood flow restriction.

Purpose: We aimed to identify a blood flow restriction (BFR) endurance exercise protocol that would both maximize cardiopulmonary and metabolic strain, and minimize the perception of effort.

Methods: Twelve healthy males (23 ± 2 years, 75 ± 7 kg) performed five different exercise protocols in randomized order: HI, high-intensity exercise starting at 105% of the incremental peak power (P ); I-BFR30, intermittent BFR at 30% P ; C-BFR30, continuous BFR at 30% P ; CON30, control exercise without BFR at 30% P ; I-BFR0, intermittent BFR during unloaded exercise. Cardiopulmonary, gastrocnemius oxygenation (StO), capillary lactate ([La]), and perceived exertion (RPE) were measured.

Replication of genome-wide association study (GWAS) susceptibility loci in a Latino bipolar disorder cohort.

Objectives: Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified numerous putative genetic polymorphisms associated with bipolar disorder (BD) and/or schizophrenia (SC). We hypothesized that a portion of these polymorphisms would also be associated with BD in the Latino American population. To identify such regions, we tested previously identified genetic variants associated with BD and/or SC and ancestral haploblocks containing these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a sample of Latino subjects with BD.

Glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria associations with coronary artery calcium among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study.

Background: Decreased kidney function and greater albuminuria are associated with increased incidence and extent of coronary artery calcium (CAC). We investigated whether the associations between kidney function and urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR) with CAC differ by HIV serostatus.

Methods: Using data from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, a prospective multicenter US study of men who have sex with men, we carried out a cross-sectional study comprised of 592 HIV-infected (HIV+) and 378 uninfected (HIV-) men who underwent noncontrast computed tomography to measure CAC.

CT Angiography for the Prediction of Hemodynamic Significance in Intermediate and Severe Lesions: Head-to-Head Comparison With Quantitative Coronary Angiography Using Fractional Flow Reserve as the Reference Standard.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) versus quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) for the detection of lesion-specific ischemia using fractional flow reserve (FFR) as the gold standard.

Background: Coronary CTA has emerged as a noninvasive method for accurate detection and exclusion of high-grade coronary stenoses. FFR is the gold standard for determining lesion-specific ischemia and has been shown to improve clinical outcomes when guiding revascularization.

Treatment Failure Outcomes for Emergency Department Patients with Skin and Soft Tissue Infections.

Introduction: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are commonly evaluated in the emergency department (ED). Our objectives were to identify predictors of SSTI treatment failure within one week post-discharge in patients with cutaneous abscesses, as well as to identify predictors of recurrence within three months in that proportion of participants.

Methods: This was a sub-analysis of a parent study, conducted at two EDs, evaluating a new, nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) for Staphylococcus aureus in ED patients.