A Prospective Cohort Study of Inter-Alpha-Trypsin Inhibitor Heavy Chain 4 as a Serologic Marker in Relation to Severity and Functional Outcome of Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Background: The inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain 4 (ITIH4) may regulate immunity and inflammation. The current study was conducted to determine its role as a biomarker for reflecting the severity and predicting outcomes of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 185 patients with supratentorial ICH were enrolled, among whom 62 had blood obtained not only at admission but also on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14. In addition, 62 healthy controls underwent blood collection at the start of the study. The serum ITIH4 levels were then quantified. We recorded early neurological deterioration (END) and poor prognosis (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] scores of 3-6]) six months after ICH. Results: Serum ITIH4 levels decreased prominently in the early phase after ICH, continued to decline until day 5, then gradually increased until day 14, and were significantly lower during 14 days in patients than in controls. Serum ITIH4 levels on admission were independently associated with serum C-reactive protein levels, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores and hematoma volume. Admission serum ITIH4 levels were independently associated with mRS scores, END, and poor prognosis. No substantial differences existed in the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of END and poor prognosis prediction between the serum ITIH4 levels, NIHSS scores, and hematoma volume. Prediction models, in which serum ITIH4 levels, NIHSS scores, and hematoma volume were integrated, were relatively reliable and stable using a series of statistical methods. In addition, the prediction model of poor prognosis had a higher discriminatory ability than the NIHSS scores and hematoma volume alone. Conclusion: A dramatic decline in serum ITIH4 levels during the early period following ICH is independently related to the inflammatory response, stroke severity, and poor neurologic outcomes, suggesting that serum ITIH4 may be a useful prognostic biomarker of ICH.

Simulation Training in Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effect of minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) simulator for cardiac residency training. METHODS: A total of 26 resident surgeons who had never trained for coronary artery anastomosis participated in this training program. They received coronary artery anastomosis training on off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) simulator for 15 h. After training, their performance of anastomosis was evaluated on the OPCAB simulator according to 12 items and a 5-point global rating scale. Based on the total score of assessment, those with an individual score of 12-36 formed group A, while group B was composed of the remaining trainees. The two groups then received another 15 h coronary artery anastomosis training on the MIDCAB simulator, and the performance was assessed. RESULTS: Trainees improved their performance of coronary artery anastomosis after training on the OPCAB simulator. Group A was composed of 7 trainees with an individual with a total score of 12-36 points and group B was composed of the remaining 19 trainees. After MIDCAB simulator training, significant differences were noted in the pre- and post-training values in the A group (P < .001), and the assessment value of group A was significantly better than those of group B (P < .05). No significant difference was detected between pre- and post-training values in group B after MIDCAB simulator training (P > .05). CONCLUSION: We concluded that trainees who performed well in OPCAB simulation training can also perform better in MIDCAB, and our designed MIDCAB simulator was useful for residency training.

Identification of Vinculin as a Potential Diagnostic Biomarker for Acute Aortic Dissection Using Label-Free Proteomics.

Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is an emergent vascular disease. Currently, its diagnosis depends on clinical and radiological investigations but lacking of serum biomarkers. In this study, we aimed to identify potential serum biomarkers for AAD using label-free proteomics approach. A total of 90 serum samples were collected from three groups: patients with acute aortic dissection (AAD, n = 30), patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI, n = 30), and healthy controls (n = 30), and the first four samples from each group were selected for label-free proteomics analysis. Using label-free approach, a total of 22 differentially expressed proteins were identified in the serum samples of the AAD group, of which 15 were upregulated and 7 were downregulated as compared to the AMI and healthy control groups. The most prominent increased protein was vinculin, which was selected to validate in total samples. The level of vinculin was significantly elevated in AAD patients (15.8 ng/ml, IQR: 9.3-19.9 ng/ml) than that in AMI patients (8.6 ng/ml, IQR:5.3-11.4 ng/ml) and healthy volunteers (5.3 ng/ml, IQR:2.8-7.6 ng/ml), P < 0.0001. Furthermore, the concentration of vinculin both increased in type A and B dissection. At the early stage of AAD, vinculin maintained a high level to 48 hours compared with that of AMI. Our study demonstrated that vinculin may play a role in the early diagnosis of AAD.