Abstract Objective To assess 3- and 12-month angiographic restenosis rates and their clinical impact after infrapopliteal angioplasty. Design Prospective multicenter study. Materials and methods We ...analyzed 68 critical ischemic limbs (tissue loss: 58 limbs) from 63 consecutive patients due to isolated infrapopliteal lesions who underwent angioplasty alone. Primary endpoint was 3-month angiographic restenosis rate; secondary endpoints were 12-month angiographic restenosis rate, and 3- and 12-month rates of mortality, major amputation and reintervention. Three- and 12-month frequency of ambulatory status and of freedom from ischemic symptoms, and time to wound healing in the ischemic wound group, were compared between restenotic and non-restenotic groups. Angiographic restenosis predictors were assessed by multivariable analysis. Results 95% of cases had 3-month angiography; restenosis rate was 73%: 40% restenosis and 33% re-occlusion. Twelve-month follow-up angiography was conducted for the patients without 3-month angiographic restenosis, and restenosis rate at 12 months was 82%. Non-administration of cilostazol and statin, and chronic total occlusion were 3-month angiographic restenosis predictors. Three- and 12-month mortality was 5% and 12%, respectively. Despite no patients having undergone amputation, 15% had persistent ischemic symptoms, and 48% of limbs underwent reintervention within 12 months. During the same study period, ambulatory status and limbs with complete healing were more frequently observed in the non-restenosis group than in the restenosis group. In the tissue loss group, time to wound healing in the restenosis group was longer than in the non-restenosis group (127 days vs. 66 days, p = 0.02). Conclusion The extremely high angiographic restenosis rate after infrapopliteal angioplasty may adversely impact clinical status improvement.
Primary infected aneurysms of the abdominal aorta and iliac arteries are potentially life-threatening. However, because of the rarity of the disease, its pathogenesis and optimal treatment strategy ...remain poorly defined.
A nationwide retrospective cohort study investigated patients who underwent surgical treatment for a primary infected abdominal aortic and/or common iliac artery (CIA) aneurysm between 2011 and 2017 using a Japanese clinical registry. The study evaluated the relationships between preoperative factors and postoperative outcomes including 90-day and 3-year mortality, and persistent or recurrent aneurysm-related infection. Propensity score matching was used to compare survival between patients who underwent in situ prosthetic grafting and those who had endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).
Some 862 patients were included in the analysis. Preceding infection was identified in 30.2 per cent of the patients. The median duration of postoperative follow-up was 639 days. Cumulative overall survival rates at 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, 3 years and 5 years were 94.0, 89.7, 82.6, 74.9 and 68.5 per cent respectively. Age, preoperative shock and hypoalbuminaemia were independently associated with short-term and late mortality. Compared with open repair, EVAR was more closely associated with persistent or recurrent aneurysm-related infection (odds ratio 2.76, 95 per cent c.i. 1.67 to 4.58; P < 0.001). Propensity score-matched analyses demonstrated no significant differences between EVAR and in situ graft replacement in terms of 3-year all-cause and aorta-related mortality rates (P = 0.093 and P =0.472 respectively).
In patients undergoing surgical intervention for primary infected abdominal aortic and CIA aneursyms, postoperative survival rates were encouraging. Eradication of infection following EVAR appeared less likely than with open repair, but survival rates were similar in matched patients between EVAR and in situ graft replacement.
The frequency delta-sigma modulation (FDSM) technique was applied to the microphone sensors. The FDSM is a superior analogue-to-digital conversion technique, which outputs wide band, large dynamic ...range digital signals without precision analogue components. In this implementation, a microwave cavity resonator having movable membrane on its one end, together with a gain block consisting of a heterojunction field effect transistor, was used for sound-frequency converter. The output of this converter (frequency modulated intermediate signal) was sampled and converted to 1-bit delta sigma modulated digital signals. The noise shaping behaviour with a clear signal peak was demonstrated for the fabricated devices.
Objectives Acceptable limb salvage rates underlie the widespread use of endovascular therapy (EVT) for patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) secondary to isolated infrapopliteal lesions; ...however, post-EVT delayed wound healing remains a challenge. Predictors of delayed wound healing and their use in risk stratification of EVT in patients with CLI due to isolated infrapopliteal lesions are explored. Methods This was a retrospective multicenter study. 871 consecutive critically ischemic limbs were studied. There was tissue loss in 734 patients (age: 71 ± 10 years old; 71% male) who had undergone EVT between April 2004 and December 2012. The wound healing rate after EVT was estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method. The association between baseline characteristics and delayed wound healing was assessed by the Cox proportional hazard model. Results Diabetes mellitus and regular dialysis were present in 75% (553/734) and 64% (476/734) of patients, respectively; 67% of limbs (585/871) had Rutherford class 5 CLI; 8% (67/871) of wounds were located in the heel only; 25% (219/871) of limbs had Rutherford 6 (involving not only the heel); and 42% (354/871) of wounds were complicated by infection. The rate of freedom from major amputation at 1 year reached 88%, whereas the wound healing rate was 67%. Median time to wound healing was 146 days. By multivariate analysis, non-ambulatory status (hazard ratio HR, 1.58; 95% confidence interval CI 1.31–1.91) serum albumin <3 g/dL (HR 1.42; 95% CI 1.08–1.86), Rutherford 6 (not only heel) (HR 1.68; 95% CI 1.33–2.14), wound infection (HR 1.24; 95% CI 1.03–1.50), EVT not based on angiosome concept (HR 1.28; 95% CI 1.06–1.55), and below the ankle (BTA) 0 vessel runoff after EVT (HR 1.45; 95% CI 1.14–1.86) were independent predictors of delayed wound healing. Conclusions Non-ambulatory status, low albumin level, Rutherford 6 (not only heel), wound infection, indirect intervention, and poor BTA runoff were independent predictors for delayed wound healing after EVT in patients with CLI secondary to infrapopliteal lesions, and their use in risk stratification allows estimation of the wound healing rate.
Surgical resection of skin tumors leads to large defects in surrounding normal tissues, which should be reconstructed thereafter using the patient's own tissues taken from the other site. Our ...challenge is to solve this problem in dermal malignant melanoma (MM) by a novel process, named extracorporeal high pressure therapy (EHPT), in which the tissue containing tumor is resected and pressurized, and the treated tissue is re-transplant back to the same position as a tumor-free autologous dermal substitute. The key points are complete tumor death and preservation of native extra cellular matrix (ECM) by the hydrostatic pressure. We found that high hydrostatic pressure at 200 MPa for 10 min at room temperature is completely cytocidal against MM cells in suspension form, in monolayer form, and even in the solid tumor form. MM tumor-bearing nude mice were established by injected human MM cells intradermally and treated by EHTP. The denaturation of the dermal extra cellular matrices was so mild that the pressurized skin was well engrafted as tumor free autologous dermal tissues, resulting in the complete eradication of the MM without any unnecessary skin reconstruction surgery. This very simple and short pressing treatment was proved to make the tumor tissue to the transplantable and tumor-free autologous dermal substitute, which can be applicable to the other temporally resectable tissues.
Summary
Background
Myositis‐specific autoantibodies (MSAs) are associated with unique clinical subsets in polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM). Autoantibodies against transcriptional intermediary ...factor (TIF)‐1γ and TIF‐1α are known to be MSAs. Previously, we reported that TIF‐1β is also targeted in patients with DM with or without concomitant anti‐TIF‐1α/γ antibodies.
Objectives
To evaluate the clinical features of seven cases with anti‐TIF‐1β antibodies alone.
Methods
Serum autoantibody profiles were determined, and protein and RNA immunoprecipitation studies were conducted. Western blotting was performed to confirm autoantibody reactivity against TIF‐1β.
Results
Anti‐TIF‐1β antibody was identified by immunoprecipitation assay in 24 cases. Among them, seven patients were positive for anti‐TIF‐1β antibody alone. Six of the seven patients were classified as having DM. Among the six cases of DM, two patients had no muscle weakness and normal creatine kinase (CK) levels, and were classified as having clinically amyopathic DM. Four patients had muscle weakness, but three of them had normal serum CK levels that responded well to systemic steroids. Characteristic features of DM included skin rashes, such as Gottron sign, periungual erythema, punctate haemorrhage on the perionychium and facial erythema including heliotrope, which were observed in 86%, 57%, 86% and 71% of our cases, respectively. One of the seven patients had appendiceal cancer. None of the patients had interstitial lung disease.
Conclusions
Seven patients were confirmed to have anti‐TIF‐1β antibody without any other MSAs, including TIF‐1α/γ antibodies, and six of them were diagnosed with DM. We suggest that anti‐TIF‐1β antibody is an MSA, and that it is associated with clinically amyopathic DM or DM with mild myopathy.
What's already known about this topic?
Previously we reported that transcriptional intermediary factor (TIF)‐1β is also targeted in patients with dermatomyositis with or without concomitant anti‐TIF‐1α/γ antibodies.
Anti‐TIF‐1β antibody could be a myositis‐specific autoantibody.
What does this study add?
We describe seven patients with anti‐TIF‐1β antibody but without anti‐TIF‐1α/γ reactivity.
Anti‐TIF‐1β antibody is possibly associated with clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis or dermatomyositis with mild myopathy.
Linked Comment: Fiorentino. Br J Dermatol 2019; 180:709–710.
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