Predicting the risk of infant mortality for newborns operated for congenital heart defects: A population-based cohort (EPICARD) study of two post-operative predictive scores.

Background: Whereas no global severity score exists for congenital heart defects (CHD), risk (Risk Adjusted Cardiac Heart Surgery-1: RACHS-1) and/or complexity (Aristotle Basic Complexity: ABC) scores have been developed for those who undergo surgery. Population-based studies for assessing the predictive ability of these scores are lacking.

Objective: To assess the predictive ability of RACHS-1 and ABC scores for the risk of infant mortality using population-based cohort (EPICARD) data for newborns with structural CHD.

New treatment strategies for non-metastatic rectal cancer.

The most widely practiced (standard) treatment of non-metastatic rectal cancer is based on proctectomy with mesorectal excision (partial or total according to the location of the tumor and commonly called TME). Surgery is preceded by CAP50-type chemoradiotherapy (capecitabineand 50 Grays radiation) and performed 6-8 weeks after the end of chemoradiotherapy. The development of new endoscopic, surgical, radiation-based and chemotherapeutic modalities leads surgeons to envisage customized treatment to find the best compromise between functional and oncologic results according to the locoregional extension of the tumor.

2020 Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology Consensus Recommendations on the Use of P2Y Receptor Antagonists in the Asia-Pacific Region.

The unique characteristics of patients with acute coronary syndrome in the Asia-Pacific region mean that international guidelines on the use of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) cannot be routinely applied to these populations. Newer generation P2Y inhibitors (i.e.

Immunometabolism at the cornerstone of inflammaging, immunosenescence, and autoimmunity in COVID-19.

Inflammaging constitutes the common factor for comorbidities predisposing to severe COVID-19. Inflammaging leads to T-cell senescence, and immunosenescence is linked to autoimmune manifestations in COVID-19. As in SLE, metabolic dysregulation occurs in T-cells.

Comparative analysis of the variability of carotid intima-media thickness in primary prevention populations of Moscow and Paris.

It is well-known that the distribution of traditional cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) of atherosclerosis, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, obesity, and diabetes is considerably variable between different countries, however, with some important geographical trends. Thus, CVRFs contribute differently to atherosclerosis development in different countries. Common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA IMT) is a validated biomarker of subclinical atherosclerosis that is used in clinical and epidemiological studies to evaluate the impact of CVRFs on atherosclerosis development.

Assessment of Inflammation and Calcification in Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum Arteries and Skin with 18F-FluroDeoxyGlucose and 18F-Sodium Fluoride Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Imaging: The GOCAPXE Trial.

Background: Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is an inherited metabolic disease characterized by elastic fiber fragmentation and ectopic calcification. There is growing evidence that vascular calcification is associated with inflammatory status and is enhanced by inflammatory cytokines. Since PXE has never been considered as an inflammatory condition, no incidence of chronic inflammation leading to calcification in PXE has been reported and should be investigated.

ApoCIII: A multifaceted protein in cardiometabolic disease.

ApoCIII has a well-recognized role in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins metabolism. A considerable amount of data has clearly highlighted that high levels of ApoCIII lead to hypertriglyceridemia and, thereby, may influence the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, recent findings indicate that ApoCIII might also act beyond lipid metabolism.

Appropriate thresholds for accurate screening for β-thalassemias in the newborn period: results from a French center for newborn screening.

Objectives: Newborn screening (NBS) for β-thalassemia is based on measuring the expression of the hemoglobin A (HbA) fraction. An absence or very low level of HbA at birth may indicate β-thalassemia. The difficulty is that the HbA fraction at birth is correlated with gestational age (GA) and highly variable between individuals.

Direct puncture of the superficial temporal artery for ethylene vinyl alcohol embolization of a type 3 arteriovenous fistula with a dual lumen balloon.

Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) may be difficult to treat by endovascular means, especially when the arterial feeders to the fistula are tortuous. 1 The usual main feeder to intracranial dAVFs is the middle meningeal artery, which may present very tight loops that are often difficult to cross with a microcatheter. 2 Direct puncture of a subcutaneous artery feeding the fistula indirectly via transosseous branches may be a valuable strategic option to overcome this limitation.

Sugar, Gravel, Fish, and Flowers: Dependence of Mesoscale Patterns of Trade-Wind Clouds on Environmental Conditions.

Trade-wind clouds exhibit a large diversity of spatial organizations at the mesoscale. Over the tropical western Atlantic, a recent study has visually identified four prominent mesoscale patterns of shallow convection, referred to as flowers, fish, gravel, and sugar. We show that these four patterns can be identified objectively from satellite observations by analyzing the spatial distribution of infrared brightness temperatures.

Occasional human infestations by feral pigeons' ectoparasites: Two case reports.

infestation is a rural parasitic problem occurs occasionally in urban areas in people with close contact to pigeons. It can be diagnosed through clinical cutaneous symptoms in exposed body parts, nocturnal itching, and presence of mites in infested locations and can be treated by antiacaricide, environmental, and symptomatic treatments.

Impact of Astaxanthin on Diabetes Pathogenesis and Chronic Complications.

Oxidative stress (OS) plays a pivotal role in diabetes mellitus (DM) onset, progression, and chronic complications. Hyperglycemia-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been shown to reduce insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells, to impair insulin sensitivity and signaling in insulin-responsive tissues, and to alter endothelial cells function in both type 1 and type 2 DM. As a powerful antioxidant without side effects, astaxanthin (ASX), a xanthophyll carotenoid, has been suggested to contribute to the prevention and treatment of DM-associated pathologies.

Subjective cognitive and non-cognitive complaints and brain MRI biomarkers in the MEMENTO cohort.

Introduction: Subjective cognitive complaints may be a signature of preclinical stage Alzheimer's disease. However, the link between subjective cognitive and non-cognitive complaints and brain alterations remains unclear.

Methods: The relationship between cognitive and non-cognitive complaints and brain biomarkers, measured by structural magnetic resonance imaging, was investigated in 2056 participants of the MEMENTO cohort of outpatients, who were dementia-free at baseline.

The interplay between cardiology and diabetology: a renewed collaboration to optimize cardiovascular prevention and heart failure management.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) portends high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular (CV) events and of CV mortality; moreover, this group of patients has a very high probability of developing heart failure (HF). In this review, we discuss new advances in pharmacological treatment both in CV prevention and in HF management with a special focus on T2DM patients. A large number of randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses provided strong evidence about therapeutic strategies acting on glucose metabolism, such as GLP-1 RA and SGLT2i and about lipid-lowering treatment, such as PCSK9i and icosapent ethyl.

Miscarriage is associated with cervical ribs in thoracic outlet syndrome patients.

The constancy of the number of cervical vertebrae in mammals is probably the result of selection against associated variations. A survey among patients with and without cervical ribs showed an association between miscarriage and the presence of cervical ribs. This supports the hypothesized selection against variations in cervical vertebral number.

Impact of Modifiable Bleeding Risk Factors on Major Bleeding in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Anticoagulated With Rivaroxaban.

Background Reducing major bleeding events is a challenge when managing anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation. This study evaluated the impact of modifiable and nonmodifiable bleeding risk factors in patients with atrial fibrillation receiving rivaroxaban and estimated the impact of risk factor modification on major bleeding events. Methods and Results Modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors associated with major bleeding events were identified from the XANTUS (Xarelto for Prevention of Stroke in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation) prospective registry data set (6784 rivaroxaban-treated patients).

IGF-1 is an independent predictor of retinal arterioles remodeling in subjects with uncontrolled acromegaly.

Context: Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of morbidity in active acromegaly due to the increased prevalence of risk factors and arterial consequences of increased growth hormone levels. No in vivo study has evaluated the consequences of acromegaly on the retinal microvasculature.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify in vivo the presence of morphological alterations of retinal arterioles in subjects with acromegaly.

Assessing species richness trends: Declines of bees and bumblebees in the Netherlands since 1945.

Estimating and predicting temporal trends in species richness is of general importance, but notably difficult because detection probabilities of species are imperfect and many datasets were collected in an opportunistic manner. We need to improve our capabilities to assess richness trends using datasets collected in unstandardized procedures with potential collection bias. Two methods are proposed and applied to estimate richness change, which both incorporate models for sampling effects and detection probability: (a) nonlinear species accumulation curves with an error variance model and (b) Pradel capture-recapture models.

Influenza Infections and Emergent Viral Infections in Intensive Care Unit.

Critically ill patients are admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) for multiple reasons. In this study, we aim to analyze the current evidence and findings associated with influenza and other emergent viral infections, namely, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV).Among medical conditions, community-acquired respiratory infections are the most frequent reason for ventilatory support in ICUs.