ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Vascular conditions can affect the recanalization rates after endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Chest radiography can assess the conditions of the aortic arch based on the presence or absence of aortic arch calcification (AoAC). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between AoAC on chest radiography and first-pass successful recanalization (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction 2b/3 after the first-pass). METHODS: We compared the rate of first-pass successful recanalization between patients with and without AoAC. A total of 193 patients with anterior circulation occlusion who underwent EVT between January 2017 and December 2021 were included. RESULTS: AoAC was observed in 80 (41.5%) patients. Patients with AoAC were older (74.5 ± 7.78 vs. 63.9 ± 12.4 years, p < 0.001), had more EVT attempts (3.04 ± 1.95 vs. 2.01 ± 1.34 times, p < 0.001), and a longer procedural time (71.7 ± 31.2 vs. 48.7 ± 23.1 min, p < 0.001) than those without AoAC. Moreover, Patients with AoAC showed a lower incidence of first-pass successful recanalization (18.8% vs. 47.8%, p < 0.001) and a higher incidence of postprocedural hemorrhage (45.0% vs. 27.7%, p = 0.015) than those without AoAC. On multivariate analysis, AoAC was independently associated with first-pass successful recanalization (odds ratio: 0.239 [0.121-0.475], p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: AoAC on chest radiography can be used as a preoperative predictor of successful first-pass recanalization in patients undergoing EVT for AIS.
ABSTRACT
The primary objective of this study was to investigate the association of certain genetic alterations and intraoperative fluorescent activity of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) in brain metastasis (BM) of lung adenocarcinoma. A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 72 patients who underwent surgical resection of BM of lung adenocarcinoma at our institute for five years. Cancer cell infiltration was estimated by the intraoperative fluorescent activity of 5-ALA, and genetic alterations were analyzed by next-generation sequencing (NGS). The sensitivity and specificity for detecting cancer cell infiltration using 5-ALA were 87.5% and 96.4%, respectively. Genes associated with cell cycle regulation (p = 0.003) and cell proliferation (p = 0.044) were significantly associated with positive fluorescence activity of 5-ALA in the adjacent brain tissue. Genetic alterations in cell cycle regulation and cell proliferation were also associated with shorter recurrence-free survival (p = 0.013 and p = 0.042, respectively) and overall survival (p = 0.026 and p = 0.042, respectively) in the multivariate analysis. The results suggest that genetic alterations in cell cycle regulation and cell proliferation are associated with positive fluorescence activity of 5-ALA in the adjacent infiltrative brain tissue and influence the clinical outcome of BM of lung adenocarcinoma.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (QOD) is a self-report questionnaire that provides subjective information about olfactory dysfunction. The QOD is widely used in clinical practice because of its high level of reliability and efficacy in Western countries. In this study we evaluated the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the QOD. METHODS: A total of 213 patients with subjective olfactory dysfunction completed 2 different surveys (the QOD and the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey [SF-36]). Patients' olfactory function was evaluated by a screening cross-cultural smell identification test or the Korean version of the Sniffin' Sticks (KVSS) II Test. The Korean version of the QOD was evaluated for split-half reliability and internal consistency. Criterion validity of QOD was determined by comparing with the SF-36. RESULTS: The split-half reliability was 0.967. Cronbach α coefficients for internal consistency of the QOD parosmia statements (QOD-P), QOD life quality statements (QOD-LQ), QOD sincerity statements (QOD-S), and QOD visual analog scale statements (QOD-VAS) were 0.705, 0.909, 0.243, and 0.953, respectively. There were statistically significant correlations between the SF-36 and the QOD-P, QOD-LQ, QOD-S, and QOD-VAS scores. There were no significant differences in QOD scores among patients with anosmia, hyposmia, and normosmia on the olfactory function test. Mean scores on the QOD-P, QOD-LQ, and QOD-VAS were significantly higher in 15 patients with normosmia on the olfactory function test when compared with 13 healthy controls. CONCLUSION: The Korean version of the QOD has proven to be a generally reliable and valid questionnaire to assess the degree of subjective olfactory dysfunction in the evaluation of Korean patients suspected of having olfactory dysfunction.
