Trends in diagnosis of cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis: 3-year analysis of scintigraphic studies: Prevalence of myocardial uptake and its predictor factors.

To determine the prevalence of myocardial uptake (MU) and to identify predictors of MU in patients undergoing scintigraphy. Retrospective single-center series of technetium-99 m-labelled 3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid (99mTc-DPD) scans performed from March 2017 to March 2020. All patients undergoing scintigraphy were included, except those with preexisting amyloidosis. The features of MU, patients' characteristics and comorbidities were documented. Multivariate analysis was used to find items predicting MU. A total of 3,629 99mTc-DPD scans (total 11,444) were performed in patients aged > 70. The overall prevalence of MU was 2.7% (82/3,629); 1.2% in 2017-2018, to 2% in 2018-2019, and to 3.7% in 2019-2020. The prevalence of MU in patients without suspected cardiomyopathy was 1.2%; 1.1% in 2017-2018, 1.5% in 2018-2019 and 1% in 2019-2020. There is an increase in the number of requests due to suspected cardiomyopathy from 0.2% in 2017-2018 to 1.4% in 2018-2019 and to 4.8% in 2019-2020. Age, male sex, hypertension, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, atrioventricular block, aortic stenosis, and carpal tunnel syndrome were found to be predictors of MU. In patients without heart failure, only age, atrial fibrillation, and carpal tunnel syndrome were predicted MU. The prevalence of MU in scintigraphic studies surged over time due to the incremental referrals under the indication of cardiomyopathy workup. Atrial fibrillation and carpal tunnel syndrome were predictors for MU in patients without heart failure. Identifying patients with MU and no heart failure for extended screening for ATTR can lead to an earlier diagnosis and application of novel treatments.

Efficacy and safety of intranasal haloperidol in an acute Psychiatry Unit: a pilot study on schizophrenic patients with mild-modedate agitation.

To study the efficacy and safety of intranasal administration of 5 mg haloperidol on mild-moderate agitated patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in an acute psychiatry unit setting.

Eficacia y seguridad del haloperidol intranasal en una Unidad de Agudos: estudio piloto en pacientes esquizofrénicos con leve-moderada agitación / Efficacy and safety of intranasal haloperidol in an acute Psychiatry Unit: a pilot study on schizophrenic patients with mild-modedate agitation

Objetivo: Estudiar la eficacia y seguridad de la administración de 5 mg de haloperidol intranasal en pacientes conesquizofrenia y trastorno esquizoafectivo, con leve o moderada agitación, ingresados en una unidad de agudos depsiquiatría.Método. Diseño: Estudio piloto de ensayo clínico, fase IV,con evaluador ciego, unicéntrico, aleatorizado y controladode grupos paralelos, comparando la administración intranasalcon la intramuscular. Sujetos: 16 pacientes; 7 administraciónintranasal y 9 administración intramuscular. Medidas de eficacia: Escala de Síntomas Positivas y Negativos-ComponenteExcitación (PANSS-EC); Escala de Impresión Clínica Global(CGI). Medidas de seguridad: Cambios en el ECG registrados5 minutos pretratamiento y 5 minutos postratamiento.Resultados. La administración intranasal mostró mayorrapidez de acción en comparación con la intramuscular enla PANSS-EC (p = 0,042) y la CGI (p = 0,041) a los 10 minutos de la administración, con similar eficacia a los 20, 30 y60 minutos. Sin diferencias significativas en el QTc basal ypostratamiento.Conclusión. El haloperidol intranasal fue una alternativarápida, efectiva y bien tolerada para reducir la agitación leve-moderada en estos pacientes. (AU)

Aim: To study the efficacy and safety of intranasal administration of 5mg haloperidol on mild-moderate agitatedpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in anacute psychiatry unit setting.Method. Design: Pilot study of clinical trial, phase IV,open-label, observer-blind, single-center, randomized a haloperidol-controlled trial comparing intranasal with intramuscular administration. Subjects: 16 patients; 7 intranasaladministration, and 9 intramuscular administration. Efficacymeasurement: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale-Excited Component (PANSS-EC); Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale (CGI). Safety measurement: Changes inthe ECG registered 5 minutes pre-treatment and 5 minutespost-treatment.Results. Intranasal administration showed more quickaction compared with intramuscular on the PANSS-EC(p=0.042) and CGI (p=0.041) 10 minutes after administration, with similar efficacy up to 20, 30, and 60 minutes. There were no significant differences between QTc baseline andpost-treatment.Conclusion. Intranasal haloperidol was a rapid, effective,and well-tolerated alternative for reducing acute mild-moderate agitation. (AU)

Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the Clinical Frailty Scale through correlation with a frailty index.

BACKGROUND: Care for the elderly patient is a challenge that geriatricians now share with other medical specialties. Frailty has emerged as a key concept. Due to its simplicity and applicability, the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is gaining increasing acceptance. AIM: Compare the CFS with the Frail-VIG index (IF-VIG), an index based on the accumulation of deficits and developed on the basis of comprehensive geriatric assessment. METHODS: Cross-sectional and single-center study carried out at the Acute Geriatric Unit of a University Hospital. Patients consecutively recruited on admission over a 6-month period (n = 184). The concurrent validity of the CFS was measured by assessing the concordance between the two measurement methods. The degree of association was determined by applying a linear regression model, calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). RESULTS: The prevalence of frailty was 91.8%. A mean IF-VIG score of 0.41 (SD ± 0.14) was found. The two most frequently recorded CFS categories were 6 and 7. An effective correlation was established (r = 0.706, p < 0.001). In the cohort with severe dementia, the association fell (r = 0.442). In the whole population, it rose adding Charlson index score (r = 0.747). CONCLUSIONS: The strong correlation of the CFS with a frailty index supports its use. Incorporating comorbidity into the physical function domains of the CFS improved the correlation. However, the CFS was unsuitable in patients with dementia. To infer prognosis, in categories 6 and 7, the situational diagnosis should be extended with more discriminative tools.

Cognitive profile in patients with a first-ever lacunar infarct with and without silent lacunes: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: The detection of early neuropsychological abnormalities as precursors of cognitive decline of vascular origin in patients with lacunar stroke is a subject of increasing interest. The objective of this study was to assess whether there were differences in the performance of a battery of neuropsychological tests in first-ever lacunar stroke patients with and without associated silent multiple lacunar infarctions found incidentally on the brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. METHODS: A total of 72 consecutive patients with first-ever lacunar infarction were studied 1 month after stroke. All patients underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation, which included the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), Phonetic Verbal Fluency Test (PMR), Semantic Verbal Fluency Test (category "animals"), Digit Span Forward and Backward from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III), and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). RESULTS: A total of 38 patients (52.7%) had silent multiple lacunar infarcts, with corona radiata as the most frequent topography (P < 0.023). White matter hyperintensities (leukoaraiosis) were observed in 81.1% of patients with silent multiple lacunar infarcts and in 50% with a single lacunar infarction (P < 0.007). Patients in both groups showed similar scores in the MMSE, but those with associated silent lacunar infarctions showed a poorer performance in the semantic fluency test (P < 0.008) and in short delayed verbal memory (P < 0.001). In both cases, however, leukoaraiosis was not statistically significant in multivariate linear regression models adjusted by confounding covariates. In these models, multiple silent lacunar infarctions and education were independent predictors of poor performance in the semantic fluency test and in short delayed verbal memory. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of silent multiple lacunar infarctions documented on brain MRI scans in patients with first-ever lacunar stroke was associated with mild neuropsychological abnormalities, particularly in the performance of executive functions (semantic fluency) and short delayed verbal memory. According to these findings, in the initial stages of small vessel disease, mild neuropsychological abnormalities appear to be related to lacunes rather than to leukoaraiosis or perivascular hyperintensities of vascular cause.