Cardiac Transthyretin Amyloidosis With Coincident Paget's Disease: A Case Report.

Cardiac amyloidosis is a condition that results from the accumulation of amyloid proteins in the extracellular matrix of the myocardium. The diagnosis of this disease was challenging as it lacked distinct clinical symptoms and required a biopsy to confirm amyloid deposition. However, there is increasing evidence of non-invasive diagnostic criteria for cardiac amyloidosis, especially for the transthyretin (TTR) type. We report a case of a patient with both cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) and Paget's disease, and we highlight the various radiological features of these two conditions using hybrid imaging techniques. In addition, we discuss the diagnostic imaging characteristics of ATTR cardiac amyloidosis.

The effect of COVID-19 on nuclear medicine and radiopharmacy activities: A global survey.

Globally, COVID-19 affected radiopharmaceutical laboratories. This study sought to determine the economic, service, and research impacts of COVID-19 on radiopharmacy. This online survey was conducted with the participation of employees from nuclear medicine and radiopharmaceutical companies. The socioeconomic status of the individuals was collected. The study was participated by 145 medical professionals from 25 different countries. From this work, it is evident that 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (2-[18F]FDG), and 99mTc-labeled macro aggregated albumin 99mTc-MAA were necessary radiopharmaceuticals used by 57% (83/145and 34% (49/145;) respondents, respectively for determining how COVID infections affect a patient's body. The normal scheduling procedure for the radiopharmacy laboratory was reduced by more than half (65%; 94/145). In COVID-19, 70% (102/145) of respondents followed the regulations established by the local departments. Throughout the pandemic, there was a 97% (141/145) decrease in all staffing recruitment efforts. The field of nuclear medicine research, as well as the radiopharmaceutical industry, were both adversely affected by COVID-19.

Perception of Heart Attack Risk Factors and Their Complications Among the Adult Population in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia.

Background Among the young population, many have risk factors that are nonmodifiable, modifiable, or both, increasing their chances of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and/or experiencing a heart attack later in life. Knowledge of both risk factors has a major role in preventing CVD by encouraging screening and applying the necessary lifestyle modifications. This study aims to assess the knowledge of risk factors and complications associated with heart attacks among individuals in the early adulthood age group. Methodology This descriptive cross-sectional study encompassed residents of the Eastern Region who met the specified inclusion criteria. Data were collected and recorded on a structured questionnaire regarding their demographic information, current risk factors, and knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors and complications. The questionnaire was distributed in hard copy among schools, colleges, and primary healthcare centers. The statistical analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). The results were presented in tables as percentages and frequencies for all variables, and the scores were presented as mean and standard deviation.  Results Among the 334 participants, the average overall score was 15.47 out of 28. The participants exhibited varying levels of knowledge across different aspects of the risk factors. The correct response rate ranged from as high as 84.4% (282) to as low as 41.6% (139) in the assessment of risk factors items. The majority of the participants showed a good understanding of the preventive measures, such as exercise and weight reduction. However, 43.4% (145) of participants reported not participating in physical activity and 29.1% (97) had a body mass index of 25 and above. Conclusions The outcome of this study suggests that there's a need for structured educational programs in schools and public health campaigns. The general public must have a reliable source of information rather than the mass media and false information read from social media.

Saudi Arabian real-life experience with biologic therapy in severe asthma.

BACKGROUND: Severe asthma (SA) is a common health problem associated with increased morbidity and mortality and high medical costs. Biological therapies have emerged in recent decades as promising treatment options for patients with high type 2 (T2) SA. This retrospective observational study from Saudi Arabia aimed to investigate the effects of additional biologics therapy on reducing oral corticosteroid (OCS) consumption, frequency of asthma exacerbations, improvement in lung function, and asthma control. METHODS: This multicenter observational study enrolled a cohort of 97 patients from March 2019 to February 2021. Outcomes of anti-IgE, anti-IL5/IL5R, and anti-IL4R therapies in severe type 2 asthma were recorded and analyzed in terms of number of exacerbations (emergency visits or hospitalizations required), asthma symptoms, and use of oral corticosteroids, blood eosinophil count, asthma control according to GINA classification, and FEV1 before and during biologic therapy. RESULTS: Ninety-seven patients were included in the analysis The mean age was 46.7±14.1 years, and 69.1% of them were female. The average duration of biological treatment was 16.4±6.8 months. At the time of data collection, the four biologic therapies reduced the exacerbation rate per year from 82/97 (84.5%) to 14/97 (14.4%) with a percent improvement of 83% from 2.9 per year in the year before biologic treatment to 1.6 per year (p<0.001). OCS was reduced from 75/97 (77.3%) to 10/97 (10.3%) for a percent improvement of 86.7%, and the average OCS dose decreased from 7.12 mg to 6.8 mg. Mean blood eosinophil count also decreased after biologic therapy from 750.5±498.5 to 188.0±122.4 cells/µl, most significant result achieved with benralizumab, and mean FEV1 improved from 59.0±12.9% to 76.0±10.2%, most significant result achieved with omalizumab. ll patients had uncontrolled asthma before biologics therapy, but asthma control improved by 91.8% after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Biologic as add-on therapy for high T2 SA was found to reduce asthma exacerbations, systemic glucocorticoid doses, and SA symptoms.