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@#BACKGROUND: To assess the association between relevant brain computed tomography (CT) parameters at different time and neurological prognosis in adult comatose survivors after cardiac arrest (CA). METHODS: A total of 94 CA patients who underwent early and late CT scans (within 24 h and 24 h to 7 d respectively after CA) between January 2018 and April 2020 were enrolled in this retrospective study. According to the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) score at hospital discharge, the patients were divided into either a good outcome (CPC 1-2) group or a poor-outcome group (CPC 3-5). The grey-to-white matter ratio (GWR) and the proportion of cerebrospinal fluid volume (pCSFV) were measured. In predicting poor outcomes, the prognostic performance of relevant CT parameters was evaluated, and the comparison analysis (expressed as the ratio of parameters in late CT to those in the early CT) of different CT time was conducted. RESULTS: Totally 26 patients were in the good-outcome group, while 68 patients were in the poor-outcome group. The putamen density, GWR, and pCSFV in late CT were significantly lower in the poor-outcome group (P<0.05). The ratios of GWR and pCSFV in the poor-outcome group were significantly decreased according to comparison analysis of different CT time (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in the ratio of putamen density. GWR-basal ganglia <1.18 in late CT showed the best predictive value. The ratio of pCSFV <0.98 predicted unfavorable neurological outcomes with a sensitivity of 65.9% and a specificity of 93.8% (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Brain CT performed >24 h after CA may be a good choice as a neuroimaging approach to evaluating prognosis. To predict neurological prognosis, comparison analysis of different CT time can be used as another promising tool in comatose CA survivors.
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@#Thyroid emergency is a rare but potent ially life-threatening condition if not recognized early and managed properly. It is usually due to a severe exacerbation of a preexisting thyrotoxicosis, which later leads to decompensation in different organ systems. The treatment of thyroid emergency remains challenging even with the armamentarium of modern intensive care technologies, especially in patients with cardiac failure and major organ dysfunction.[1–3] Herein, the authors described a case of thyroid emergency with cardiac arrest (CA) supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
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@#BACKGROUND: This meta-analysis aimed to determine whether extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR), compared with conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCPR), improves outcomes in adult patients with cardiac arrest (CA). DATA RESOURCES: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and China Biological Medicine Database were searched for relevant articles. The baseline information and outcome data (survival, good neurological outcome at discharge, at 3–6 months, and at 1 year after CA) were collected and extracted by two authors. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using Review Manager 5.3. RESULTS: In six studies 2260 patients were enrol ed to study the survival rate to discharge and long-term neurological outcome published since 2000. A significant effect of ECPR was observed on survival rate to discharge compared to CCPR in CA patients (RR 2.37, 95%CI 1.63–3.45, P<0.001), and patients who underwent ECPR had a better long-term neurological outcome than those who received CCPR (RR 2.79, 95%CI 1.96–3.97, P<0.001). In subgroup analysis, there was a significant difference in survival to discharge favoring ECPR over CCPR group in OHCA patients (RR 2.69, 95%CI 1.48–4.91, P=0.001). However, no significant difference was found in IHCA patients (RR 1.84, 95%CI 0.91–3.73, P=0.09). CONCLUSION: ECPR showed a beneficial effect on survival rate to discharge and long-term neurological outcome over CCPR in adult patients with CA.
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BACKGROUND: Genetic variations of the 5-lipoxygenase activating protein and leukotriene A4 hydrolase genes that confer an increased risk of ischemic stroke have implicated the family of leukotrienes as potential mediators of ischemic stroke. This study aimed to explore the association of ALOX5,LTA4H andLTC4S gene polymorphisms with ischemic stroke risk in a cohort of Chinese in east China.METHODS: This case-control study consisted of 690 patients with ischemic stroke and 690 controls. Polymorphisms ofALOX5 rs2029253 A/G,LTA4H rs6538697 T/C, andLTC4S rs730012 A/C were genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to exclude the effects of conventional risk factors on ischemic stroke.RESULTS: Carriers of C allele in rs730012 were more susceptible to ischemic stroke (OR: 1.37; 95%CI: 1.08-1.73;P=0.009). The rs2029253 GG genotype showed a risk-reducing effect on ischemic stroke (OR: 0.72; 95%CI: 0.55-0.93;P=0.013) while the rs6538697 CC genotype had an increased risk of ischemic stroke (OR: 1.77; 95%CI: 1.09-2.89;P=0.022). The rs730012 variant was not associated with ischemic stroke risk after adjusting confounding factors (P>0.05).CONCLUSION: The present study suggested that gene polymorphisms in the leukotrienes pathway may exert infl uences, with independent genetic effects, on ischemic stroke susceptibility in a cohort of Chinese in east China.
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BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (MiRNA) are a novel class of non-coding RNAs involved in the regulation of gene expression post-transcriptionally by cleavage or translational repression of their specific target miRNAs. Numerous studies have demonstrated that circulating miRNAs are stable and abundant in blood and aberrantly expressed under pathological conditions, including cardiovascular diseases. The implications of circulating miRNAs in acute myocardial infarction have recently been recognized. This review will highlight the potential role of miRNA as a novel class of biomarkers in acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: This systemic review is based on our own work and other related reports. RESULTS: During diseases circulating miRNAs are derived from not only circulating blood cells but also other tissues affected by ongoing diseases. These disease-related miRNAs in the blood can serve as potential biomarkers. CONCLUSION: The circulating miRNAs can be used as novel biomarkers potentially offering more sensitive and specific tests than those currently available for diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction.
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BACKGROUND: 5-lipoxygenase protein (ALOX5AP) has been recognized as a susceptibility gene for stroke and coronary artery diseases. The present study was to explore the role of this gene in the eastern Chinese patients with ischemic stroke.METHODS: Using a case-control design, we studied 658 patients with ischemic stroke and 704 unrelated population-based controls who were age- and sex-matched. The 658 patients were classified by the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST). Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering ALOX5AP were genotyped.RESULTS: The genotype frequencies of TG of the SNPs rs17222919 located in the promoter of the ALOX5AP gene were significantly higher in patients with ischemic stroke than in controls (OR*=1.34, 95％CI*=1.02-1.75), especially in patients with ischemic stroke caused by small-artery occlusion (SAO) (OR*=1.40, 95％CI*=1.02-1.93). Meanwhile, the genotype frequencies of TG and TG/GG were higher in female patients than in the controls. After specification, the genotype frequencies of TG and TG/GG were higher in the patients than in controls with hypertension. The genotype frequencies of AG and AG/GG of the SNPs rs9579646 located in the intron of the ALOX5AP gene were higher in the controls than in the patients. After specification, the genotype frequencies of TG were higher in the controls than patients without hypertension.CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that sequence variants in the ALOX5AP gene are significantly associated with ischemic stroke.