Prediction model of atrial fibrillation recurrence after Cox-Maze IV procedure in patients with chronic valvular disease and atrial fibrillation based on machine learning algorithm. / åŸºäºŽæœºå™¨å­¦ä¹ çš„æ ¢æ€§ç“£è†œç— åˆå¹¶å¿ƒæˆ¿é¢¤åŠ¨æ‚£è€ è¡ŒCox迷宫IV手术后心房颤动复发风险预测模型.

OBJECTIVES: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent cardiac arrhythmia, and Cox-maze IV procedure (CMP-IV) is a commonly employed surgical technique for its treatment. Currently, the risk factors for atrial fibrillation recurrence following CMP-IV remain relatively unclear. In recent years, machine learning algorithms have demonstrated immense potential in enhancing diagnostic accuracy, predicting patient outcomes, and devising personalized treatment strategies. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of CMP-IV on treating chronic valvular disease with AF, utilize machine learning algorithms to identify potential risk factors for AF recurrence, construct a CMP-IV postoperative AF recurrence prediction model. METHODS: A total of 555 patients with AF combined with chronic valvular disease, who met the criteria, were enrolled from January 2012 to December 2019 from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University and the Affiliated Xinqiao Hospital of the Army Medical University, with an average age of (57.95±7.96) years, including an AF recurrence group (n=117) and an AF non-recurrence group (n=438). Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the sinus rhythm maintenance rate, and 9 machine learning models were developed including random forest, gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), bootstrap aggregating, logistic regression, categorical boosting (CatBoost), support vector machine, adaptive boosting, and multi-layer perceptron. Five-fold cross-validation and model evaluation indicators [including F1 score, accuracy, precision, recall, and area under the curve (AUC)] were used to evaluate the performance of the models. The 2 best-performing models were selected for further analyze, including feature importance evaluation and Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) analysis, identifying AF recurrence risk factors, and building an AF recurrence risk prediction model. RESULTS: The 5-year sinus rhythm maintenance rate for the patients was 82.13% (95% CI 78.51% to 85.93%). Among the 9 machine learning models, XGBoost and CatBoost models performed best, with the AUC of 0.768 (95% CI 0.742 to 0.786) and 0.762 (95% CI 0.723 to 0.801), respectively. Feature importance and SHAP analysis showed that duration of AF, preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction, postoperative heart rhythm, preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, preoperative left atrial diameter, preoperative heart rate, and preoperative white blood cell were important factors for AF recurrence. Conclusion: Machine learning algorithms can be effectively used to identify potential risk factors for AF recurrence after CMP-IV. This study successfuly constructs 2 prediction model which may enhance individualized treatment plans.

Machine learning-based analysis of risk factors for atrial fibrillation recurrence after Cox-Maze IV procedure in patients with atrial fibrillation and chronic valvular disease: A retrospective cohort study with a control group.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of the Cox-Maze IV procedure (CMP-IV) in combination with valve surgery in patients with both atrial fibrillation (AF) and valvular disease and use machine learning algorithms to identify potential risk factors of AF recurrence. Methods: A total of 1,026 patients with AF and valvular disease from two hospitals were included in the study. 555 patients received the CMP-IV procedure in addition to valve surgery and left atrial appendage ligation (CMP-IV group), while 471 patients only received valve surgery and left atrial appendage ligation (Non-CMP-IV group). Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate the sinus rhythm maintenance rate. 58 variables were selected as variables for each group and 10 machine learning models were developed respectively. The performance of the models was evaluated using five-fold cross-validation and metrics including F1 score, accuracy, precision, and recall. The four best-performing models for each group were selected for further analysis, including feature importance evaluation and SHAP analysis. Results: The 5-year sinus rhythm maintenance rate in the CMP-IV group was 82.13% (95% CI: 78.51%, 85.93%), while in the Non-CMP-IV group, it was 13.40% (95% CI: 10.44%, 17.20%). The eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), LightGBM, Category Boosting (CatBoost) and Random Fores (RF) models performed the best in the CMP-IV group, with area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.768 (95% CI: 0.742, 0.786), 0.766 (95% CI: 0.744, 0.792), 0.762 (95% CI: 0.723, 0.801), and 0.732 (95% CI: 0.701, 0.763), respectively. In the Non-CMP-IV group, the LightGBM, XGBoost, CatBoost and RF models performed the best, with AUC values of 0.738 (95% CI: 0.699, 0.777), 0.732 (95% CI: 0.694, 0.770), 0.724 (95% CI: 0.668, 0.789), and 0.716 (95% CI: 0.656, 0.774), respectively. Analysis of feature importance and SHAP revealed that duration of AF, preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction, postoperative heart rhythm, preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, preoperative left atrial diameter and heart rate were significant factors in AF recurrence. Conclusion: CMP-IV is effective in treating AF and multiple machine learning models were successfully developed, and several risk factors were identified for AF recurrence, which may aid clinical decision-making and optimize the individual surgical management of AF.

Infective endocarditis with anomalous origin of coronary arteries and an abnormal aortic root bulge: A case report.

Background: The aortic bulge sign possibly indicates an arterial aneurysm, pseudoaneurysm, aortic dissection, or aortic diverticulum. The aortic diverticulum is a congenital abnormality of the aorta, mainly known as an aneurysmal remnant of the dorsal fourth aortic arch or ductus arteriosus. However, the diverticulum of another part of the aorta has rarely been reported. Case summary: We report a case of a 24-year-old male with a history of oral ulcer presented with recurrent hyperpyrexia and chest pain. Echocardiography and computed tomography showed the anomalous origin of the coronary arteries, aortic valve vegetations, and a bulge at the aortic root. The patient then received a Bentall procedure. The aorta and aortic valves were replaced by a valved conduit. The bulge with a normal arterial wall at the aortic root was considered to be a diverticulum. The infective endocarditis was verified as a secondary oral-derived streptococcal infection. The patient was discharged 15 days after surgery. Post-operative echocardiography had no positive findings. Conclusion: Our case report highlights the role of multimodal cardiovascular imaging for the diagnostic workup of rare disorders, such as the presence of a diverticulum in the aortic root in a patient with endocarditis and anomalous origin of the right coronary artery.

Efficacy of combination therapy with ezetimibe and statins versus a double dose of statin monotherapy in participants with hypercholesterolemia: a meta-analysis of literature.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare and summarize the lipid-altering effects of combination therapy with ezetimibe and statins (E/S) and a double dose of statin (D/S) monotherapy on patients with hypercholesterolemia. METHODS: We conducted search on 2 medical databases, PubMed and EMBASE to identify all relevant studies. A meta-analysis was performed to clarify the efficacy in the two groups. Only double-blind Randomized controlled study (RCTs) of efficacy evaluation in the two groups with ezetimibe and statins and a double dose of statin in participants with hypercholesterolemia that examined low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were included. Two reviewers extracted data from all primary studies independently. The primary data were the level of LDL-C, TC and HDL-C concentrations at the end point and are expressed as mean and standard deviation (SD). RESULTS: A total of 11 double-blind, active or placebo-controlled studies with 1926 hypercholesterolemia adults randomized to ezetimibe 10 mg added to ongoing statins (N = 994) or statin titration (doubling) (N = 932) were pooled for the global meta-analysis. The effect size between treatment groups within individual studies was assessed by weighted mean difference (MD) using a random- or fixed-effect model. The result showed that the participants in E/S group get obvious lower LDL-C [MD = -13.14 mg/dL, 95%CI (-16.83, -9.44), p = 0.00001] and TC concentration [MD = -23.79 mg/dL, 95%CI (-38.65, -8.93), p = 0.002] from baseline to follow-up, comparing to the D/S group. Besides, no significant between-group differences were observed for concentrations of HDL-C [MD = 0.46 mg/dL, 95%CI (- 1.14, 2.06), p = 0.57]. According to subgroup analysis, the combination of ezetimibe and atorvastatin (10 mg) [MD = -16.98 mg/dL, p < 0 .0001] or simvastatin (20 mg) [MD = -17.35 mg/dL, p < 0 .0001] showed stronger ability of reducing LDL-C than combination of ezetimibe and rosuvastatin (10 mg) [MD = -9.29 mg/dL, p = 0.05]. The efficacy of short-term (endpoint time between 6 to 16 week) and long-term (52 week) treatment in the LDL-C between two groups did not show significant differences. Besides, only participants from Asia treated with combination therapy were associated with a significant lower LDL-C concentration [MD = -14.7 mg/dL, p < 0 .0001]. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of ezetimibe to statin appears to be more effective on reducing LDL-C and TC concentrations than doubling the statin dose. Moreover, the ability to reduce cholesterol levels of combinations therapy with ezetimibe and different statins or to participants from different geographic location may vary, based on this meta-analysis, while more samples are needed to verify.

miRNA-mRNA crosstalk in myocardial ischemia induced by calcified aortic valve stenosis.

Aortic valve stenosis is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in valvular heart disease in aged people. Both microRNA (miRNA) and mRNA are potential targets for the diagnosis and therapeutic intervention of myocardial ischemia induced by calcified aortic valve stenosis (CAVS), with unclear mechanisms. Here, 3 gene expression profiles of 47 male participants were applied to generate shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with significant major biological functions. Moreover, 20 hub genes were generated by a Weighted Genes Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) and were cross-linked to miRNA based on miRanda/miRwalk2 databases. Integrated miRNA/mRNA analysis identified several novel miRNAs and targeted genes as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets in CAVS patients. In addition, the clinical data suggested that myocardial hypertrophy and myocardial ischemia in CAVS patients are likely associated with hub genes and the upstream regulatory miRNAs. Together, our data provide evidence that miRNAs and their targeted genes play an important role in the pathogenesis of myocardial hypertrophy and ischemia in patients with CAVS.

Thrombocytosis as a prognostic factor in patients with renal cell carcinoma: a meta-analysis of literature.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic implications of perioperative thrombocytosis in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted search on two medical databases, PubMed and EMBASE, to identify all studies. A meta-analysis was performed to clarify the prognostic role of thrombocytosis. RESULTS: Twelve studies (N = 8735) were included which evaluated the relation of thrombocytosis and 5-year overall survival (OS) or cancer-specific survival (CSS). One thousand and fifty-nine (12.1%) of the 8735 patients exhibited thrombocytosis, and for OS, their estimated risk of death in 5 years was 1.61-fold higher compared with the normal platelet count group [(RR = 1.61, 95% CI = (1.31-1.98), P < 0.001)]. While for CSS, the mortality was 2.56-fold higher [(RR = 2.56, 95% CI = (1.73-3.80), P < 0.00001). According to subgroup analyses, significant positive influence of thrombocytosis on 5-year OS and CSS was displayed only in patients with localized RCC and was also found in patients originated from different areas, such as Asian, Europe or North American. CONCLUSIONS: Thrombocytosis indicates worse OS and CSS for patients with RCC, and it showed stronger specificity or sensitivity for CSS. Thrombocytosis is more frequently in patients with metastatic RCC but only showed significant influence on survival of localized RCC patients.

Psychosocial response and symptom burden for male smokers with lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Cigarette smoking causes many kinds of cancer, and it is more closely related with lung cancer, rather than other cancers. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer and ninety percent of the smokers are male in China, but there is little published data concerning the psychological responses in the male smokers with lung cancer and its influence on the symptom burden. The aim of the study was to verify the hypothesis that male smokers with lung cancer have more positive attitude and less symptom burden, comparing to male non-smokers. METHODS: A total of 194 men with cancer in West China Hospital, Sichuan, China, were assessed by self-administered questionnaire. Psychological response was measured by the Chinese version of Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer scale (Mini-MAC), and symptom burden was measured by the physical symptom distress scale from the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL). RESULTS: We found that smokers with lung cancer got higher scores in positive attitude and a smaller symptom burden than non-smokers. Patients with education lower than high school got higher scores of positive attitude compared to college graduate patients (p=0.038). Smokers with lung cancer who knew the potential carcinogenicity of cigarette showed less negative emotions (p=0.011). The psychological response was not affected by age, clinical stage, cell type, smoking duration and amount. CONCLUSIONS: Male smokers with lung cancer have a more positive attitude and fewer symptoms, comparing to male non-smokers. Appropriate psychological intervention for non-smokers with lung cancer deserves more attention.

Intratumoral vessel density as prognostic factors in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a meta-analysis of literature.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to comprehensively and quantitatively summarize the prognostic value of microvessel density (MVD) and lymphatic vessel density (LVD) for the survival of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: Relevant literatures were identified using Medline and EMBASE. A meta-analysis was performed to clarify the prognostic role of MVD and LVD. RESULTS: A total of 18 articles (13 for MVD and 5 for LVD; n = 1279 and n = 408) were pooled for the global meta-analysis. The mortality was 1.23-fold higher for patients whose MVD counts were above the cutoff (risk ratio [RR], 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99-1.52), compared with those below it, and this result was on a borderline (p = .06). The mortality of patients with high LVD counts was 2.07-fold higher (RR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.16-3.71; p = .01). CONCLUSION: High counts of LVD, not MVD, are associated with worse 5-year overall survival (OS) in patients with HNSCC.

Pretreatment thrombocytosis as a prognostic factor in women with gynecologic malignancies: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to analyze the prognostic implications of pretreatment or preoperative thrombocytosis in women with gynecologic malignancies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We surveyed 2 medical databases, PubMed and EMBASE, to identified all relevant studies. A total of 14 (n=3,490) that evaluated the link between thrombocytosis and 5-year survival were included. REVMAN version 5.1 was used for our analysis and publication bias was evaluated using the Begg's funnel plot and tested by STATA 11.0. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) generated by the random effect model were used to assess the strength of any association. RESULTS: 709(20.3%) of the 3,490 patients exhibited thrombocytosis (platelet counts >400?109/L) at primary diagnosis, and their mortality was 1.62-fold higher compared with the others (RR=1.62, 95%CI= [1.28- 2.05], p<0.0001). Thrombocytosis failed to have a stronger effect on the survival of advanced patients of stages III to IV in our study (n=478, RR=1.29, 95% CI= [1.13-1.48], p=0.0003), nor in women with cervical cancer in stage IB (n=1371, RR= 1.73, 95% CI= [1.71-2.58], p=0.007). In addition, when adjusted for different carcinoma, it was associated with worse prognosis for all except the ones with vulvar cancer (n=201, RR= 0.43, 95% CI= [0.14-1.29], p=0.13). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis indicated that thrombocytosis might be associated with a worse prognosis for patients with gynecologic malignancies but without specificity or sensitivity for the ones in advanced stage. When adjusted for different gynecologic malignancies, it showed a significant effect on survival of all except vulvar cancers.