ABSTRACT
Objective@#To determine the level of Soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity-2 (sST2) in patients with heart failure(HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF), and to explore its diagnostic and prognostic value in patients with HF and AF.@*Methods@#A prospective cohort study was carried out to investigate the data of 185 HF patients who were hospitalized between January 2018 and June 2018 in department of cardiology or department of cardiac care unit in TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital. And according to whether they had atrial fibrillation before admission, we categorized patients into: HF with sinus rhythm (HF-SR, n=90) and HF with AF(HF-AF, n=95). Meanwhile, 40 healthy controls were collected. Baseline data of HF-SR and HF-AF groups and plasma sST2 levels in different ejection fraction groups were compared. Plasma sST2 level was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Statistical methods such as nonparametric test and Spearman correlation analysis were used. The receiver operating characteristic curve was applied to evaluate the diagnostic value of sST2 in HF-SR and HF-AF groups. And by using the COX risk model, Multi-factor COX analysis was used to analyze the prognosis of patients.@*Results@#Compared with healthy controls, the median (P25, P75) of Plasma sST2 levels in HF patients increased remarkably [32.93 (20.31-51.39) ng/mL vs 15.99(7.97-22.69) ng/mL, Z=-4.373, P<0.001]. Patients with HF-AF group had significantly higher test results [39.86 (27.20-59.21)] ng/mL than HF-SR group [24.74 (14.83-44.11)] ng/mL, Z=-6.783, P<0.001].In the HFmrEF and HFpEF subgroups, the plasma sST2 level of patients in the HF-AF group was higher than that in the HF-SR group (Z=-2.381, P=0.017; Z=-3.701, P<0.001).Spearman correlation analysis showed that, in HF-AF patients, plasma sST2 level was positively correlated with diastolic blood pressure, Hypertension, New York Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification Ⅲ to Ⅳ, white blood count(WBC), and the level of Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Υ-glutamine transaminase (Υ-GT), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) (r>0, P<0.05).Also, there is a negative correlation between sST2, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) (r<0, P<0.05). At ROC analysis, sST2 showed predictive value in both HF-AF and HF-SR group, with an optimal cut-off value of 25.33 ng/mL(AUC 0.872, 95%CI: 0.805-0.935, P<0.001, sensitivity 81.1%, specificity 87.5%) and 23.34 ng/mL(AUC 0.665, 95%CI: 0.570-0.761, P<0.001, sensitivity 55.6%, specificity 77.5%).The AUC of BNP and sST2 in differential diagnosis of HF-SR and HF-AF was 0.604 and 0.699, respectively, and the AUC of sST2 was higher than that of BNP. Multi-factor COX analysis indicated that plasma sST2 level, BNP, NYHA cardiac function grading could be risk factors for cardiac events in HF patients. Plasma sST2, left atrial diameter (LA-D), and associated cardiomyopathy are risk factors for cardiac events in patients with HF-AF. The incidence of cardiac events in HF patients with sST2≥20.31 ng/mL was significantly higher than that of patients with sST2<20.31 ng/mL (χ2=7.625, P=0.006). The incidence of cardiac events in HF-AF patients with plasma sST2≥39.86 ng/mL was significantly higher than that in patients with sST2<39.86 ng/mL (χ2=4.287, P=0.038).@*Conclusions@#The plasma sST2 level in patients with HF-AF is significantly higher than that both in HF-SR and healthy controls. The diagnostic value of plasma sST2 in patients with HF-AF is higher than that in patients with HF-SR. It is suggested that sST2 are more valuable for the differential diagnosis of HF-SR, HF-AF than BNP. HF-AF Patients with plasma sST2 ≥ 39.86 ng/mL are prone to cardiovascular events.
ABSTRACT
@# Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN ) is one of the most frequent complications of herpes zoster, with the feature of intractable chronic pain. The higher incidence of PHN has been found in elder people and the people with low immunity. Because its pathogenesy is not clear, the clinical treatment appears to be very difficult, and all kinds of the treatments just relieve pain. Neurotropin combined with nerve block is one of the new therapies recently, which is deserved to be used in clinic and to be generalized.
ABSTRACT
Achalasia is a primary esophageal motility disorder, with the main symptom of dysphagia; and caused by the tonus increase and abnormal relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter(LES). The etiology remains unclear, the objective of the current treatment approaches for achalasia containing the reduction of the LES tone and obstruction to relieve the patients' symptoms; including pharmacologic treatment, botulinum toxin treatment, surgical myotomy, pneumatic dilatation and cardia stent dilatation. The temporary cardia stent dilatation possesses some better advantages and effects; and ought to be the first choice of minimal invasive interventional management for achalasia.