简介:AbstractPreeclampsia (PE), a multisystem disorder in pregnancy, is a main cause of perinatal mortality and is associated with long-term maternal complications. For a long time, PE was defined as the new onset hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks’ gestation. It had been shown that this "gold standard definition" is not able to provide a sufficient prediction of PE-related fetal and/or maternal complications. In 2018 the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy recommended a broader definition of the disease. The new definition of the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy ruled out proteinuria as mandatory for the diagnosis of PE. This new definition increases the number of patients diagnosed as preeclamptic by nearly 21%, which is not accompanied by an increased severity of maternal outcomes. Including angiogenic biomarkers, however, has been shown to increase detection of adverse outcomes.The pathophysiology of PE is complex and not yet completely explained. Advances in prediction and diagnosis have been achieved by discovery and clinical evaluation of biomarkers, especially of placental origin. A broad spectrum of biomarkers has been tested, a few of them have been introduced into the clinical practice as of today. Especially angiogenic biomarkers that are rooted in the pathophysiology of PE have been demonstrated to be important in the prediction and diagnosis of adverse outcomes. At a cut-off value of the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1)/placental growth factor (PlGF)-ratio of 85, early-onset PE <34+0 weeks of gestation can accurately be diagnosed with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 97%. The Prediction of short-term outcome in pregnant women with suspected preeclampsia (PROGNOSIS) study has shown that the high negative predictive value (99.3%) of the sFlt-1/PlGF-ratio below 38 in patients with suspected PE rules out the onset of the disease within one week. PROGNOSIS Asia, evaluating the sFlt-1/PlGF-ratio cut-off of 38 in an Asian population, confirmed the excellent accuracy in prediction.Recently, the angiogenic biomarkers have been integrated in multi-marker prediction models. Digital approaches, integrating algorithm-based decision support tools paired with home monitoring devices may be the next step in enhancing predictive accuracy and thus bear the potential to reduce maternal and/or fetal morbidity and mortality and save costs for the payer in parallel. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of current methods for predicting and diagnosing PE.
简介:AbstractBackground:Leukocyte telomere length shortening is a characteristic of premature senescence, a process that can be accelerated by oxidative stress. In general, patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing regular hemodialysis (HD) are repeatedly exposed to oxidative stress. Patients undergoing HD tend to have cardiovascular diseases associated with oxidative stress and inflammation. Therefore, we assumed that telomere length is associated with HD vintage and the degree of vascular calcification.Methods:A total of 144 patients undergoing regular HD before kidney transplantation and 62 patients on hemodialysis, but not undergoing kidney transplantation, were enrolled. We measured common laboratory values, such as calcium, phosphate, and hemoglobin levels, and assessed the degree of vascular calcification in the patients. The leukocyte telomere length was measured using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and Spearman correlation was used for correlation analysis.Results:The leukocyte telomere length was negatively associated with age (rho = -0.306, P <0.01); it was shorter in middle-aged patients than in young patients (13.48 ± 4.80 vs. 15.86 ± 4.51, P < 0.01). The telomere length was significantly different among patients aged 52-74 years in groups with different HD vintages. Additionally, the telomere length was positively associated with serum hemoglobin (Hb) levels in all patients (rho = 0.290, P < 0.01). There was a significant difference among patients divided into three groups according to the degree of anemia (17.09 ± 5.64 vs. 14.40 ± 4.07 vs. 13.99 ± 3.95, P < 0.01). Further, a significant difference was observed in the telomere length among patients with different degrees of vascular calcification (16.79 ± 4.91 vs. 13.61 ± 2.82 vs. 14.62 ± 3.63 vs. 10.71 ± 3.74, P < 0.01). The telomere length was shorter in the patients on hemodialysis who did not receive a kidney transplant than in the surgical patients (8.12 ± 1.83 vs. 14.33 ± 4.63, P < 0.01).Conclusion:This study demonstrated that the telomere length was significantly correlated with HD vintage in patients of a certain age group. The telomere length was shorter in patients on hemodialysis who matched for age and dialysis vintage with kidney transplant patients. It was also associated with vascular calcification and serum Hb levels in all patients undergoing HD.
简介:AbstractBackground:The development of the technique has improved the success rate of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for instent chronic total occlusion (IS-CTO). However, long-term outcomes remain unclear. The present study sought to investigate long-term outcomes of PCI for IS-CTO.Methods:A total of 474 IS-CTO patients were enrolled at two cardiac centers from 2015 to 2018 retrospectively. These patients were allocated into either successful or failed IS-CTO PCI groups. The primary endpoint (major adverse cardiac events [MACE]) consisted of recurrent angina pectoris (RAP), target-vessel myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure, cardiac death, or ischemia-driven target-vessel revascularization (TVR) at follow-up. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to investigate the association between treatment appropriateness and clinical outcomes.Results:A total of 367 patients were successfully treated with IS-CTO PCI while 107 patients had failed recanalization. After a median follow-up of 30 months (interquartile range: 17-42 months), no significant difference was observed between the two groups for the following parameters: cardiac death (successful PCI vs. failed PCI: 0.9% vs. 2.7%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.442; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.21-9.887; P = 0.709), RAP (successful PCI vs. failed PCI: 40.8% vs. 40.0%; adjusted HR: 1.025; 95% CI: 0.683-1.538; P = 0.905), heart failure (successful PCI vs. failed PCI: 6.1% vs. 2.7%; adjusted HR: 0.281; 95% CI: 0.065-1.206; P = 0.088), target-vessel related MI (successful PCI vs. failed PCI: 1.5% vs. 2.7%; adjusted HR: 1.150; 95% CI: 0.221-5.995; P = 0.868), MACE (successful PCI vs. failed PCI: 44.2% vs. 45.3%; adjusted HR: 1.052; 95% CI: 0.717-1.543; P = 0.797). More patients were free of angina in the successful IS-CTO PCI group compared with failed PCI in the first (80.4% vs. 60%, P < 0.01) and second years (73.3% vs. 60.0%, P = 0.02) following up. Successful IS-CTO PCI had a lower incidence of MACE in the first and second years (20.2% vs. 40.0%, P < 0.01; 27.9% vs. 41.3%, P = 0.023) compared with failed PCI. After a median follow-up of 30 months, the reocclusion rate was 28.5% and TVR was 26.1% in the successful IS-CTO PCI group. Receiving >18 months of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) was an independent predictor of decreased risk of TVR (HR: 2.682; 95% CI: 1.295-5.578; P = 0.008) or MACE (without TVR) (HR: 1.898; 95% CI: 1.036-3.479; P = 0.038) in successful IS-CTO PCI.Conclusions:After a median follow-up of 30 months, the successful IS-CTO PCI group had MACE similar to that of the failed PCI group. However, the successful IS-CTO PCI group had improved angina symptoms and were free from requiring coronary artery bypass grafting in the first or second years. To decrease MACE, DAPT was found to be essential and recommended for at least 18 months for IS-CTO PCI.
简介:AbstractBackground:Obesity and insulin resistance (IR) are common features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Metformin (MET) increases insulin sensitivity, but it is associated with unsatisfactory weight loss. The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist exenatide has been shown to reduce weight and IR in patients with diabetes. This study aimed to explore the therapeutic effects of exenatide once-weekly (QW) combined with MET on body weight, as well as metabolic and endocrinological parameters in overweight/obese women with PCOS.Methods:Fifty overweight/obese women with PCOS diagnosed via the Rotterdam criteria were randomized to one of two treatment groups: MET (500 mg three times a day [TID]) or combination treatment (COM) (MET 500 mg TID, exenatide 2 mg QW) for 12 weeks. The primary outcomes were anthropometric changes associated with obesity, and the secondary outcomes included changes in reproductive hormone levels, glucose and lipid metabolism, and C-reactive protein.Results:Forty (80%) patients completed the study. COM therapy was superior to MET monotherapy in reducing weight (P = 0.045), body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.041), and waist circumference (P = 0.023). Patients in the COM group on an average lost 3.8 ± 2.4 kg compared with 2.1 ± 3.0 kg in the MET group. In the COM group, BMI and waist circumference decreased by 1.4 ± 0.87 kg/m2 and 4.63 ± 4.42 cm compared with 0.77 ± 1.17 kg/m2 and 1.72 ± 3.07 cm in the MET group, respectively. Moreover, levels of fasting glucose, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) 2-h glucose, and OGTT 2-h insulin were significantly lower with COM therapy than with MET (P < 0.050). Mild and moderate gastrointestinal reactions were the most common adverse events in both groups.Conclusions:COM therapy was more effective than MET alone in reducing body weight, BMI, and waist circumference, and improving insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese women with PCOS, with acceptable short-term side effects.Trial registration:ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04029272. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04029272
简介:AbstractObjective:To characterize and compare the microbiome signature in the maternal, intrauterine, and fetal environments and the associated bacterial species in women who experienced preterm birth and term birth.Methods:A total of 140 women with singleton pregnancies were enrolled in this study. Among them, 31 experienced spontaneous preterm delivery (gestational age < 37 weeks), and 28 of them experienced vaginal delivery at term. Maternal peripheral blood, saliva, and vaginal discharge samples and fetal membrane, amniotic fluid, and cord blood samples were collected immediately after delivery under sterile conditions. DNA was isolated from the fetal membrane and umbilical cord blood samples, and the V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was sequenced. The sequence data were quality-filtered, chimera-checked, and organized into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on phylogeny. Principal coordinate analysis of beta diversity measures was used for visualization. The linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) algorithm and Wilcoxon test were used to differentiate the microbiomes found in the fetal membranes and cord blood in the cases of preterm birth.Results:OTU analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene showed similar microbiomes in the maternal peripheral blood, amniotic fluid, fetal membranes, and cord blood. However, the LEfSe algorithm revealed significantly different bacterial compositions in the fetal environment between the preterm and term groups, with some of the bacterial species originating from the maternal peripheral blood or saliva.Conclusions:The bacteria in the intrauterine and fetal environments may originate from other body sites through hematogenous transmission, and may cause the occurrence of preterm birth.
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简介:AbstractObjective:To compare the efficacy of the traditional Chinese medicine SanJieZhenTong (SJZT) capsules versus gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa) or oral contraceptives (OCs) in the postoperative treatment of moderate-to-severe endometriosis.Methods:In this prospective clinical trial, women with stage III-IV endometriosis according to the revised American Fertility Society scoring system received three doses of GnRHa immediately after laparoscopic conservative surgery, followed by random assignment to receive treatment with SJZT, GnRHa, or OCs for another 6 months. The primary endpoint was 2-year recurrence, and the secondary endpoints were adverse events, changes in physical function, and quality of life (QoL). Recurrence was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. Generalized estimating equations were used to determine the parameters of the secondary endpoints.Results:A total of 66 women were randomly assigned to the SJZT (n = 21), GnRHa (n = 21), and OCs (n = 24) groups. At a median follow-up of 22 months, no difference in recurrence was found (P = 0.72), with one (4.8%), two (9.5%), and one (4.2%) incidence in the SJZT, GnRHa, and OCs groups, respectively. Expectedly, the incidence of side effects such as hot flush, insomnia, and arthralgia in the SJZT and OCs groups was significantly lower than that in the GnRHa group (P = 0.00). In addition, the female sexual function index was significantly improved in the SJZT group, with a higher value than that in the GnRHa (odds ratio [OR] = 5.25, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.09-13.14, P = 0.00) and OCs (OR = 3.94, 95% CI: 1.58-9.83, P = 0.00) groups.Conclusions:SJZT showed more effective pain relief and QoL improvement in patients with moderate-to-severe endometriosis than GnRHa or OCs did. Fewer adverse events than those observed with other agents indicate that this alternative medicine, SJZT, could be a novel option for the long-term management of endometriosis.
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简介:摘 要 对2007年~2013年期间海南地区TYC-1测高仪观测到的扩展F资料按照频率、区域和混合扩散等三种类型进行了分析研究。结果表明:频率扩散主要活跃在每年的夏季。区域扩散主要活跃在太阳低年的春夏季和太阳中年、高年的春秋季。混合扩散在太阳低年、中年的夏季和高年的秋季更为活跃。随着太阳活动从低年到高年的变化,频率扩散的出现次数在低年缓慢下降,太阳活动中年频率扩散出现次数大幅提升后,到高年出现次数又大幅下降。区域扩散在太阳活动低年出现次数缓慢下降,随着太阳活动从低年到高年的变化,区域扩散的出现次数在缓慢上升。混合扩散在太阳活动低年出现次数在缓慢上升,随着太阳活动由低年到高年,混合扩散的出现次数随之下降。
简介:AbstractBackground:Early microsurgical clipping is recommended for ruptured intracranial aneurysms to prevent rebleeding. However, dilemma frequently occurs when managing patients with current acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) use. This study aimed to examine whether aspirin use was associated with worse outcomes after early surgery for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH).Methods:We retrieved a consecutive series of 215 patients undergoing early microsurgical clipping within 72 h after aneurysmal rupture from 2012 to 2018 in the neurosurgery department of Beijing Tiantan Hospital. The medical records of each case were reviewed. Twenty-one patients had a history of long-term aspirin use before the onset of aSAH, and 194 patients did not. To reduce confounding bias, propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance some characteristics of the two groups. The intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hemorrhagic events, postoperative hospital stay, and functional outcome at discharge were compared between aspirin and non-aspirin group.Results:We matched all the 21 patients in aspirin group with 42 patients in non-aspirin group (1:2). Potential confounding factors were corrected between the two groups by PSM. No hospital mortality occurred after surgery. No significant differences were found in intraoperative blood loss (P = 0.540), postoperative hemorrhagic events (P > 0.999), postoperative hospital stay (P = 0.715), as well as functional outcome at discharge (P = 0.332) between the two groups.Conclusions:Our preliminary results showed that long-term low-dose aspirin use was not associated with worse outcomes. Early surgery can be safe for ruptured intracranial aneurysms in patients with long-term aspirin use.
简介:AbstractBackground:Although endovascular therapy has been widely used for focal aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD), its performance for extensive AIOD (EAIOD) is not fully evaluated. We aimed to demonstrate the long-term results of EAIOD treated by endovascular therapy and to identify the potential risk factors for the loss of primary patency.Methods:Between January 2008 and June 2018, patients with a clinical diagnosis of the 2007 TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus II (TASC II) C and D AIOD lesions who underwent endovascular treatment in our institution were enrolled. Demographic, diagnosis, procedure characteristics, and follow-up information were reviewed. Univariate analysis was used to identify the correlation between the variables and the primary patency. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the independent risk factors associated with primary patency. Five- and 10-year primary and secondary patency, as well as survival rates, were calculated by Kaplan-Meier analysis.Results:A total of 148 patients underwent endovascular treatment in our center. Of these, 39.2% were classified as having TASC II C lesions and 60.8% as having TASC II D lesions. The technical success rate was 88.5%. The mean follow-up time was 79.2 ± 29.2 months. Primary and secondary patency was 82.1% and 89.4% at 5 years, and 74.8% and 83.1% at 10 years, respectively. The 5-year survival rate was 84.2%. Compared with patients without loss of primary patency, patients with this condition showed significant differences in age, TASC II classification, infrainguinal lesions, critical limb ischemia (CLI), and smoking. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed age <61 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 6.47; 95% CI: 1.47-28.36; P = 0.01), CLI (aOR: 7.81; 95% CI: 1.92-31.89; P = 0.04), and smoking (aOR: 10.15; 95% CI: 2.79-36.90; P < 0.01) were independent risk factors for the loss of primary patency.Conclusions:Endovascular therapy was an effective treatment for EAIOD with encouraging patency and survival rate. Age <61 years, CLI, and smoking were independent risk factors for the loss of primary patency.