Impact of Preeclampsia on Long-Term Cognitive Function.

Preeclampsia increases a woman's risk of stroke and leads to short-term cognitive complaints. Our objective was to assess the impact of preeclampsia on long-term cognitive performance. This is a retrospective cohort study using data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults cohort of healthy individuals (18-30 years) recruited from the general population in 3 cities in the United States, followed for 25 years (1985-2010). Psychomotor speed (Digit Symbol Substitution Test), executive function (Stroop Test), and memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test) were contrasted between women with and without preeclampsia using multivariate linear regression. We included 568 parous women (193 with preeclampsia and 375 with normotensive pregnancy) without baseline neurological disease or depression matched according to delivery period. Approximately 18 years after delivery, preeclamptic women scored significantly lower on Digit Symbol Substitution Test than women with normotensive pregnancy (73.21±14.79 versus 75.87±15.22; P=0.047) and on the third trial of Stroop Test (correct answers: 38.85±3.62 versus 39.42±1.87; P=0.014; completion time: 44.02±10.48 versus 41.62±10.61 seconds; P=0.01), but there were no differences in Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. These differences were attenuated after adjustment for age, body mass index, hypertension, education, and depression. Similar differences in neurocognitive scores were noted between women with other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and normotensive pregnancy. Hypertension in pregnancy does not seem to be independently associated with neurocognitive impairment later in life.

A graphical perspective of marginal structural models: An application for the estimation of the effect of physical activity on blood pressure.

Estimating causal effects requires important prior subject-matter knowledge and, sometimes, sophisticated statistical tools. The latter is especially true when targeting the causal effect of a time-varying exposure in a longitudinal study. Marginal structural models are a relatively new class of causal models that effectively deal with the estimation of the effects of time-varying exposures. Marginal structural models have traditionally been embedded in the counterfactual framework to causal inference. In this paper, we use the causal graph framework to enhance the implementation of marginal structural models. We illustrate our approach using data from a prospective cohort study, the Honolulu Heart Program. These data consist of 8006 men at baseline. To illustrate our approach, we focused on the estimation of the causal effect of physical activity on blood pressure, which were measured at three time points. First, a causal graph is built to encompass prior knowledge. This graph is then validated and improved utilizing structural equation models. We estimated the aforementioned causal effect using marginal structural models for repeated measures and guided the implementation of the models with the causal graph. By employing the causal graph framework, we also show the validity of fitting conditional marginal structural models for repeated measures in the context implied by our data.

Normative data for TM electrocochleography measures.

OBJECTIVE: Establish normative data for tympanic electrocochleography (TM ECochG) parameters in normal hearing adults without Ménière's disease's (MD) symptoms. Describe TM ECochG variables that help to distinguish normal from MD ears. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We enrolled 100 subjects (N = 200 ears), 59 females, aged between 19 and 71 years from 09/2010 to 04/2014. Inclusion criteria: normal otomicroscopy, hearing thresholds ≤25 dB nHL from 250 to 4000 Hz, normal tympanogram, no symptoms of MD according to the AAO-HNS 1995 criteria and Gibson's score <7. We excluded subjects with dizziness, aural fullness or other symptoms of endolymphatic hydrops. The following parameters were analyzed: SP/AP amplitude ratio, SP/AP area ratio and the difference between AP latency with rarefaction and condensation stimuli. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between right and left ears (Intraclass correlation coefficient < 0.6). SP/AP amplitude ratio varied between 0.084 and 0.356 and SP/AP area ratio between 0.837 and 1.671 (percentiles 5 and 95). The AP latency difference to rarefaction and condensation clicks was between 0.0 and 0.333 ms. CONCLUSION: Normative data for TM ECochG parameters were established in 100 normal hearing subjects without MD. These data can be used to distinguish normal from pathological findings and in follow-up of MD patients.

Are Auditory Steady-State Responses Useful to Evaluate Severe-to-Profound Hearing Loss in Children?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate Auditory Steady-State Responses (ASSR) at high intensities in pediatric cochlear implant candidates and to compare the results to behavioral tests responses. METHODS: This prospective study evaluated 42 children with suspected severe-to-profound hearing loss, aged from 3 to 72 months. All had absent ABR and OAE responses. ASSR were evoked using binaural single frequency stimuli at 110 dB HL with a 10 dB down-seeking procedure. ASSR and behavioral test results were compared. RESULTS: Forty-two subjects completed both ASSR and behavioral evaluation. Eleven children (26.2%) had bilateral responses. Four (9.5%) showed unilateral responses in at least two frequencies, all confirmed by behavioral results. Overall 61 ASSR responses were obtained, most (37.7%) in 500 Hz. Mean thresholds were between 101.3 and 104.2 dB HL. Among 27 subjects with absent ASSR, fifteen had no behavioral responses. Seven subjects showed behavioral responses with absent ASSR responses. No spurious ASSR responses were observed at 100 or 110 dB HL. CONCLUSION: ASSR is a valuable tool to detect residual hearing. No false-positive ASSR results were observed among 42 children, but in seven cases with absent ASSR, the test underestimated residual hearing as compared to the behavioral responses.

A cautionary note concerning the use of stabilized weights in marginal structural models.

Marginal structural models are commonly used to estimate the causal effect of a time-varying treatment in presence of time-dependent confounding. When fitting an MSM to data, the analyst must specify both the structural model for the outcome and the treatment models for the inverse-probability-of-treatment weights. The use of stabilized weights is recommended because they are generally less variable than the standard weights. In this paper, we are concerned with the use of the common stabilized weights when the structural model is specified to only consider partial treatment history, such as the current or most recent treatments. We present various examples of settings where these stabilized weights yield biased inferences while the standard weights do not. These issues are first investigated on the basis of simulated data and subsequently exemplified using data from the Honolulu Heart Program. Unlike common stabilized weights, we find that basic stabilized weights offer some protection against bias in structural models designed to estimate current or most recent treatment effects.

The evolution of a Canadian Hypertension Education Program recommendation: the impact of resistance training on resting blood pressure in adults as an example.

Ever since the first set of hypertension recommendations which were generated from the Canadian Hypertension Education Program, lifestyle and health behaviour have been a key focus. An initial recommendation focused on the benefits of aerobic exercise to reduce resting blood pressure (BP). However, until the 2013 edition, resistance exercise (RT) was not included. The current article describes a meta-analysis that was conducted which helped inform the creation of the newly introduced recommendation. Literature searches were conducted in 4 electronic databases. Inclusion criteria included: (1) randomized controlled trials with 4-week minimum, RT-alone intervention arms; (2) BP-lowering as the primary outcome; (3) human, adult participants; and (4) reporting control data, baseline, and postintervention resting systolic BP and diastolic BP. Nine studies (11 intervention groups, 452 participants) were identified. The analyses indicated that diastolic BP was significantly reduced (-2.2 mm Hg; 95% confidence interval, -3.9 to -0.5) in those randomized to RT compared with control participants. In contrast, no statistically significant change in systolic BP (-1.0 mm Hg; 95% confidence interval, -3.4 to 1.4) was observed. None of the studies found RT to increase BP and no adverse effects of RT were explicitly reported. Results suggest that participation in RT is not harmful and does not increase BP. However, more evidence is needed before recommending RT as a specific BP-lowering therapy.

The impact of metabolic syndrome and endothelial dysfunction on exercise-induced cardiovascular changes.

OBJECTIVE: There is limited information regarding the synergistic or additive effects of metabolic syndrome (MS) and endothelial dysfunction (ED) on cardiovascular disease (CVD). Altered cardiovascular responses to exercise have been shown to predict future cardiovascular events as well as assess autonomic function. The present study evaluated the impact of MS and brachial artery reactivity (a proxy of ED) on peak exercise-induced cardiovascular changes. DESIGN AND METHODS: Individuals (n = 303) undergoing a standard nuclear medicine exercise stress test were assessed for MS. Participants underwent a Forearm Hyperaemic Reactivity test and were considered to have dysfunctional reactivity if their rate of uptake ratio (RUR) was <3.55. Resting and peak blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were measured. Reactivity was calculated as the difference between peak and resting measures. RESULTS: Analyses, adjusting for age, sex, resting HR, total metabolic equivalents (METs), and a history of major CVD, revealed a main effect of MS (F = 5.51, η(2) = 0.02, P = 0.02) and RUR (F = 6.69, η(2) = 0.02, P = 0.01) on HR reactivity, such that patients with MS and/or poor RUR had reduced HR reactivity. There were no interactive effects of RUR and MS. There were no effects of RUR or MS on systolic BP (SBP) or diastolic BP (DBP) reactivity or rate pressure product (RPP) reactivity. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of decreased HR reactivity among participants with MS or poor brachial artery reactivity, combined with the lack of difference in other exercise-induced cardiovascular changes, indicates that these patients may have some degree of parasympathetic dysregulation. Further longitudinal studies are needed to understand the long-term implications of MS and endothelial abnormalities in this context.

The impact of physical activity on mortality in patients with high blood pressure: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity has been shown to be beneficial for the prevention and management of hypertension. In the general population, physical activity has been shown to decrease mortality. PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic review was to identify and synthesize the literature examining the impact of physical activity on mortality in patients with high blood pressure (BP). METHODS: An extensive search was conducted by two independent authors using Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library electronic databases (between 1985 and January 2012) and manual search from the reference list of relevant articles. Inclusion criteria were as follows: longitudinal design with minimum 1-year follow-up; hypertensive status of the cohort was indicated; and BP, physical activity, and mortality were measured. RESULTS: Six articles evaluating a combined total of 48 ,448 men and 47 ,625 women satisfied the inclusion criteria. Cardiovascular and/or all-cause mortality were shown to be inversely related to physical activity in all studies. For example, patients with high BP who participated in any level of physical activity had a reduced risk (by 16-67%) of cardiovascular mortality, whereas a greater than two-fold increase in risk of mortality was noted in nonactive individuals. However, activity classification and parameters, such as frequency, duration, intensity, and volume, as well as BP status, were not consistent across studies. CONCLUSIONS: Regular physical activity is beneficial for reducing mortality in patients with high BP. More research is needed to establish the impact of specific kinds of physical activity and whether any differences exist between sexes.

Objectively assessed physical activity, sedentary time, and coronary artery calcification in healthy older adults.

OBJECTIVE: Physical activity is related to lower risk of cardiovascular disease, but data relating to coronary lesions have been conflicting. These inconsistencies may in part be due to unreliable assessment of physical activity and limitations imposed by self-reported data. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between objectively measured physical activity and coronary artery calcium (CAC). METHODS AND RESULTS: Participants were 443 healthy men and women (mean age=66±6 years), without history or objective signs of coronary heart disease, drawn from the Whitehall II epidemiological cohort. Physical activity was objectively measured using accelerometers worn during waking hours for 7 consecutive days (average daily wear time=889±68 minutes/day). CAC was measured in each participant using electron beam computed tomography and was quantified according to the Agatston scoring system. On average, 54.4% of the sample recorded at least 30 minutes/day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). There was no association between MVPA and presence of detectable CAC. For the participants with detectable CAC (n=283) a weak inverse relationship between MVPA (minutes/day) and log Agatston score was observed (B=-0.008, 95% CI: -0.16 to 0.00, P=0.05), although the association was no longer present after adjustments for age, sex, and conventional risk factors. No associations were seen for light activity or sedentary time. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm no association between objectively assessed physical activity and CAC. Because CAC measures cannot identify more vulnerable lesions, additional studies are required to examine whether physical activity can promote plaque stability.

Altered mitochondrial regulation in quadriceps muscles of patients with COPD.

Evidence exists for locomotor muscle impairment in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including fiber type alterations and reduced mitochondrial oxidative capacity. In this study high-resolution respirometry was used to quantify oxygen flux in permeabilized fibres from biopsies of the vastus lateralis muscle in patients with COPD and compared to healthy control subjects. The main findings of this study were that (i) routine state 2 respiration was higher in COPD; (ii) state 3 respiration in the presence of ADP was similar in both groups with substrate supply of electrons to complex I (COPD 38·28 ± 3·58 versus control 42·85 ± 3·10 pmol s(-1) mg tissue(-1) ), but O(2) flux with addition of succinate was lower in COPD patients (COPD 63·72 ± 6·33 versus control 95·73 ± 6·53 pmol s(-1) mg tissue(-1) ); (iii) excess capacity of cytochrome c oxidase in COPD patients was only ~50% that of control subjects. These results indicate that quadriceps muscle mitochondrial function is altered in patients with COPD. The regulatory mechanisms underlying these functional abnormalities remain to be uncovered.

Relato de caso: otoliquorreia espontânea em adulto / Case study spontaneous otoliquorrhea in adult

Introdução: As fístulas liquóricas otológicas espontâneas (FLOEs) são entidades raras. Geralmente manifestam-se em crianças com meningite e perda sensorioneural profunda e em adultos com quadro de otite média com efusão. Objetivo: Descrever o quadro clínico, o diagnóstico e o tratamento cirúrgico de uma paciente com FLOE. Relato do Caso: Paciente do sexo feminino, 57 anos, com história de hipoacusia, plenitude aural e tinnitus à direita há 10 anos. Após colocação de tubo de ventilação à direita em outro serviço, iniciou otorreia líquida, transparente e constante em grande quantidade. O diagnóstico foi realizado através da cisternocintilografia, sugestiva de fístula liquórica; e da cisternotomografia que mostrou área de deiscência óssea em região de tegmen tympani à direita, velamento parcial de células mastóideas e de orelha média à direita, além concentração do meio de contraste no espaço sub-aracnoídeo à direita menor em relação ao lado esquerdo. Através de via transmastoídea foi localizada fístula liquórica e meningoencefalocele na região de tegmen tympani à direita. O fechamento da fístula foi realizado através do uso de retalho de músculo temporal, cola de fibrina e Surgicel®. Comentários Finais: Em adultos com história clínica sugestiva de otite média com efusão recorrente, a hipótese diagnóstica de fístula liquórica deve ser levantada. A investigação deve prosseguir com exames de imagem, destacando-se a cisternotomografia. O tratamento cirúrgico nesta paciente, através da técnica transmastoídea, se revelou eficaz a curto e a longo prazo...

Introduction: The spontaneous otological CSF leaks are rare entities. Usually they manifest themselves in children with meningitis and deep sensorineural hearing loss and in adults with middle otitis and effusion clinical picture. Objective: To describe the clinical picture, diagnosis and surgical treatment of a patient with CSF otological. Case Report: A female sex patient, 57 years old, with hearing loss, aural fullness and right ear tinnitus case history 10 years ago. After insertion of tympanostomy tubes on the right in another service, it began liquid, transparent and constant otorrhea in large quantities. The diagnosis was performed by suggestive cisternoscintigraphy of CSF leak, and by cisternography that showed that the area of bone dehiscence in the tegmen tympani region to the right, partial opacification of mastoid cells and middle ear to the right, besides concentration of contrast medium in sub-arachnoid space to the lower right compared to the left side. Through transmastoid via was located the CSF leak and meningoencephalocele in the region of the right tegmen tympani. The closure of the fistula was accomplished through the use of the temporal muscle flap, fibrin glue and Surgicel®. Final Comments: In adults with symptoms suggestive of recurrent otitis media with effusion, the diagnosis of CSF fistula should be raised. The research should proceed with imaging, highlighting the CTC. Surgical treatment in this patient using the transmastoid technique has proved effective in the short and long term...