There are limited data regarding the role of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We analyzed 557 asymptomatic type 2 diabetic ...patients who underwent CCTA. Cardiac event was defined as a composite of cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome requiring hospitalization, or late revascularization. Atherosclerotic plaques were observed in 395 patients (70.9%), and 170 patients (30.5%) showed significant coronary artery disease (CAD) on CCTA. Ninety-two patients (16.5%) were associated with a significant stenosis in the left main or proximal left anterior descending artery. During the follow-up period (33.7 ± 7.8 months), although an excellent prognosis was observed in patients without significant CAD on CCTA, those with significant CAD showed more cardiac events (7.1% vs 0.5%) and lower 3-year event-free survival rates (99.2 ± 0.6% vs 90.9 ± 2.6%, p <0.001). Furthermore, in group with significant CAD, patients with significant CAD in the left main or proximal left anterior descending artery had more cardiac events (10.9% vs 2.6%) and lower 3-year event-free survival rates (97.4 ± 1.8% vs 86.1 ± 4.2%, p = 0.049). On multivariate analysis, family history of premature CAD, previous history of stroke, higher UK Prospective Diabetes Study 10-year risk scores, neuropathy, and retinopathy were independent clinical predictors of having significant CAD and left main or proximal left anterior descending artery significant CAD on CCTA. In conclusion, about 1/3 of asymptomatic type 2 diabetic patients had significant CAD on CCTA with a subsequent high risk for cardiac events. These findings suggest that CCTA may have a potential role in identifying patients with high cardiovascular risks in asymptomatic type 2 diabetes.
Abstract Objectives This study sought to evaluate the long-term prognostic value of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Background ...There are limited data on the long-term prognostic impact of coronary CTA in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods This study analyzed clinical outcomes of 591 consecutive asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who underwent coronary CTA (mean age 62.2 ± 8.3 years and 352 men 59.6%). A cardiac event was defined as a composite of cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina requiring hospitalization, or late coronary revascularization. Patients were categorized into 3 groups according to severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) on coronary CTA: normal coronary arteries, nonobstructive CAD (<50%), and obstructive CAD (≥50%). Results One hundred sixty-eight patients (28.4%) had normal coronary arteries, whereas 236 (39.9%) patients had nonobstructive CAD and 187 (31.6%) had obstructive CAD. During the follow-up period (median 5.3 years interquartile range: 4.7 to 5.8 years), 37 cardiac events occurred in 29 patents: 10 cardiac deaths, 2 nonfatal myocardial infarctions, 8 cases of unstable angina, and 17 late coronary revascularizations. The 6-year event-free survival rates were 99.3 ± 0.7% in patients with normal coronary arteries, 96.7 ± 1.2% in patients with nonobstructive CAD, and 86.2 ± 3.0% in patients with obstructive CAD (log-rank p < 0.001). Conclusions Asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with normal coronary arteries or nonobstructive CAD on coronary CTA show excellent clinical outcomes over a follow-up period of more than 5 years, whereas prognosis is worse in patients with obstructive CAD. These findings suggest long-term prognostic value of coronary CTA for asymptomatic type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The aim of the present study was to assess the intravascular ultrasound predictors for angiographic edge restenosis after newer generation drug-eluting stent implantation. A total of 820 patients ...(987 lesions) who underwent newer generation drug-eluting stent placement (236 Endeavor zotarolimus-eluting stents, 246 Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stents, and 505 everolimus-eluting stents) with 9 months of angiographic surveillance were enrolled. The post-stenting angiographic and intravascular ultrasound images of 1,668 reference segments (681 proximal and 987 distal) were analyzed. Overall, 37% of angiographically normal proximal reference segments and 21% of angiographically normal distal reference segments had plaque burden >50%. In the overall cohort of 1,668 reference segments, 47 (2.8%) had 9-month angiographic edge restenosis (diameter stenosis >50%). Edge restenosis was predicted by a post-stenting reference segment plaque burden >54.5% (sensitivity 81%, specificity 80%) and a reference segment minimum lumen area of 5.7 mm2 (sensitivity 72%, specificity 59%). The edge restenosis rate was 2.1% in the Endeavor zotarolimus-eluting stents, 2.4% in the Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stents, and 3.4% in the everolimus-eluting stents lesions (p = 0.311). The predictive cutoff of the reference plaque burden was 56.3% for Endeavor zotarolimus-eluting stents, 57.3% for Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stents, and 54.2% for everolimus-eluting stents. The criteria for residual plaque burden were similar between proximal and distal reference segments (56.4% vs 51.9%, respectively), but the minimum lumen area criteria were quite different (<7.1 mm2 for proximal vs <4.8 mm2 for distal reference segments). In conclusion, after newer drug-eluting stent implantation, edge restenosis was predicted by post-stenting reference segment plaque burden >55%.
To compare efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization with and without radiation therapy (RT) versus sorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT).
...This single-center retrospective study involved 557 patients with HCC with PVTT who initially received chemoembolization (1997-2002; n = 295), chemoembolization and RT (2003-2008; n = 196), or sorafenib (2009-2012; n = 66) according to eligibility criteria among an initial population of 617. The three groups were divided into three pairs (chemoembolization vs chemoembolization/RT, chemoembolization vs sorafenib, and chemoembolization/RT vs sorafenib), and time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) were compared by propensity-score analyses.
The chemoembolization/RT group had longer median TTP and OS than the chemoembolization-alone and sorafenib groups (P < .001). Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that chemoembolization/RT treatment was an independent predictor of favorable TTP and OS. In the matched cohort, median TTP and OS were significantly longer in the chemoembolization/RT group than the chemoembolization-alone group (102 pairs; TTP, 8.7 mo vs 3.6 mo P < .001; OS, 11.4 mo vs 7.4 mo P = .023) or the sorafenib group (30 pairs; TTP, 5.1 mo vs 1.6 mo P < .001; OS, 8.2 mo vs 3.2 mo P < .001), in agreement with the inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) outcomes. In matching analyses, the chemoembolization-alone group had longer median TTP and OS than the sorafenib group (46 pairs; TTP, 3.4 mo vs 1.8 mo P < .001; OS, 5.9 mo vs 4.4 mo P = .003). There was no significant difference in terms of OS with the IPTW approach (P = .108), but there was one in terms of TTP (P < .001).
Within the limitation of a retrospective study, the present data indicate that transarterial chemoembolization combined with RT could be considered as an alternative to the standard sorafenib in the treatment of patients with advanced-stage HCC with PVTT.
Summary Background In 2015, a large outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection occurred following a single patient exposure in an emergency room at the Samsung ...Medical Center, a tertiary-care hospital in Seoul, South Korea. We aimed to investigate the epidemiology of MERS-CoV outbreak in our hospital. Methods We identified all patients and health-care workers who had been in the emergency room with the index case between May 27 and May 29, 2015. Patients were categorised on the basis of their exposure in the emergency room: in the same zone as the index case (group A), in different zones except for overlap at the registration area or the radiology suite (group B), and in different zones (group C). We documented cases of MERS-CoV infection, confirmed by real-time PCR testing of sputum samples. We analysed attack rates, incubation periods of the virus, and risk factors for transmission. Findings 675 patients and 218 health-care workers were identified as contacts. MERS-CoV infection was confirmed in 82 individuals (33 patients, eight health-care workers, and 41 visitors). The attack rate was highest in group A (20% 23/117 vs 5% 3/58 in group B vs 1% 4/500 in group C; p<0·0001), and was 2% (5/218) in health-care workers. After excluding nine cases (because of inability to determine the date of symptom onset in six cases and lack of data from three visitors), the median incubation period was 7 days (range 2–17, IQR 5–10). The median incubation period was significantly shorter in group A than in group C (5 days IQR 4–8 vs 11 days 6–12; p<0·0001). There were no confirmed cases in patients and visitors who visited the emergency room on May 29 and who were exposed only to potentially contaminated environment without direct contact with the index case. The main risk factor for transmission of MERS-CoV was the location of exposure. Interpretation Our results showed increased transmission potential of MERS-CoV from a single patient in an overcrowded emergency room and provide compelling evidence that health-care facilities worldwide need to be prepared for emerging infectious diseases. Funding None.
Abstract Objectives This study sought to evaluate the optimal percutaneous coronary intervention techniques using drug-eluting stents for bifurcation coronary lesions. Background The optimal ...bifurcation stenting technique needs to be evaluated. Methods The trial included 2 randomization studies separated by the presence of side branch (SB) stenosis for patients having non–left main bifurcation lesions. For 306 patients without SB stenosis, the routine final kissing balloon or leave-alone approaches were compared. Another randomization study compared the crush or single-stent approaches for 419 patients with SB stenosis. Results Between the routine final kissing balloon and leave-alone groups for nondiseased SB lesions, angiographic restenosis occurred in 17.9% versus 9.3% (p = 0.064), comprising 15.1% versus 3.7% for the main branch (p = 0.004) and 2.8% versus 5.6% for the SB (p = 0.50) from 214 patients (69.9%) receiving 8-month angiographic follow-up. Incidence of major adverse cardiac events including death, myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization over 1 year was 14.0% versus 11.6% between the routine final kissing balloon and leave-alone groups (p = 0.57). In another randomization study for diseased SB lesions, 28.2% in the single-stent group received SB stents. From 300 patients (71.6%) receiving angiographic follow-up, between the crush and single-stent groups, angiographic restenosis rate was 8.4% versus 11.0% (p = 0.44), comprising 5.2% versus 4.8% for the main branch (p = 0.90) and 3.9% versus 8.3% for the SB (p = 0.12). One-year major adverse cardiac events rate between the crush and single-stent groups was 17.9% versus 18.5% (p = 0.84). Conclusions Angiographic and clinical outcomes were excellent after percutaneous coronary intervention using drug-eluting stents with any stent technique for non–left main bifurcation lesions once the procedure was performed successfully.
Objectives This study sought to evaluate the association between newly revealed abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI) and clinical outcomes in patients with significant coronary artery stenosis. ...Background Little is known about the prevalence and clinical implications of ABI in patients with no claudication or previous history of peripheral artery disease who undergo diagnostic coronary angiography. Methods Between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2009, ABI was evaluated in 2,543 consecutive patients with no clinical history of claudication or peripheral artery disease who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography. Abnormal ABI was defined as ≤0.9 or ≥1.4. The primary endpoint was the composite of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke over 3 years. Results Of the 2,543 patients, 390 (15.3%) had abnormal ABI. Of the 2,424 patients with at least 1 significant stenosis (≥50%) in a major epicardial coronary artery, 385 (15.9%) had abnormal ABI, including 348 (14.4%) with ABI ≤0.9 and 37 (1.5%) with ABI ≥1.4. During a median follow-up of 986 days, the 3-year major adverse event rate was significantly higher in patients with abnormal than normal ABI (15.7% vs. 3.3%, p < 0.001). After multivariate analysis, abnormal ABI was identified as a predictor of primary endpoint (hazard ratio HR: 1.87; 95% confidence interval CI: 1.23 to 2.84; p = 0.004). After adjustment by propensity-score matching, abnormal ABI could predict adverse clinical events in patients with established coronary artery disease (HR: 2.40; 95% CI: 1.41 to 4.10; p = 0.001). Conclusions The prevalence of newly revealed abnormal, asymptomatic ABI among patients who have significant CAD on coronary angiography was 15.9%. The presence of abnormal ABI was associated with a higher incidence of adverse clinical outcomes over 3 years.
Although beta-lactams are 1 of the major causative agents of severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCAR), their epidemiology and clinical aspects have been poorly studied. This study aimed to ...investigate the characteristics of SCAR caused by beta-lactams in the Korean SCAR registry.
We retrospectively analyzed beta-lactam-induced SCAR cases collected from 28 tertiary university hospitals in Korea between 2010 and 2015. The SCAR phenotypes included Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), SJS-TEN overlap, and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS). Beta-lactams were classified according to their chemical structures: penicillins, cephalosporins, and carbapenems. The causative beta-lactams, clinical and laboratory features, treatments, and outcomes were evaluated.
Among the 275 antibiotic-induced SCAR cases, 170 patients developed SCAR induced by beta-lactams. Beta-lactam antibiotic-induced SCAR showed more frequent SJS/TEN compared to SCAR induced by non-beta-lactam antibiotics (SJS/TEN/SJS-TEN overlap/DRESS: 36.5/11.2/5.9/46.5% vs. 23.8/10.5/2.9/62.9%, P = 0.049). Cephalosporin was the most common culprit drug. Particularly, 91 and 79 patients presented with SJS/TEN and DRESS, respectively. The odds ratio (OR) for poor prognosis, such as sequelae and death, was significantly increased in subjects with SJS-TEN overlap and TEN and carbapenem as culprit drug in the multivariate analysis (OR, 35.61; P = 0.016, OR, 28.07; P = 0.006, OR 30.46; P = 0.027).
Among antibiotic-induced SCAR, clinical features were different depending on whether the culprit drug was a beta-lactam antibiotic or SCAR type. The poor prognosis was related to SJS-TEN overlap, TEN type, and carbapenem as the culprit drug.
Urbanization is frequently associated with allergic conditions during childhood; however, the literature lacks studies on the association between allergies and degree of urbanization in the elderly ...population.
To determine how the degree of urbanization affects the prevalence of allergic sensitization and self-reported rhinitis symptoms in elderly community populations.
The study population consisted of 1,311 elderly subjects identified from 2 community population cohort datasets who were divided into 3 groups according to the degree of urbanization (urban, semirural, and rural) where they resided. Current rhinitis symptoms were assessed using a questionnaire. Sensitization to inhalant allergen was measured using skin prick tests for 9 common allergens.
Sensitization to inhalant allergen showed a positive correlation with degree of urbanization (urban 17.2%, semirural 9.8%, rural 6.0%; P for trend <.001), with a significant correlation observed between house dust mite allergens and degree of urbanization. Self-reported rhinitis symptoms were mostly nonallergic, but showed a positive correlation with degree of urbanization (urban 26.8%, semirural 18.2%, rural 11.5%; P for trend <.001). Self-reported rhinoconjunctivitis also correlated with urbanization. Correlations between self-reported allergic conditions and urbanization remained statistically significant in multivariate logistic regression tests.
The present analyses found significant correlations between degree of urbanization with self-reported rhinitis symptoms and sensitization to inhalant allergen in the elderly population. These findings warrant further investigation of the roles that urban factors play in the development of elderly rhinitis and allergen sensitization.
Although the severity of hypersensitivity reactions to iodinated contrast media varies, it is well correlated with the severity of recurrent reactions; however, prophylaxis protocols are not ...severity-stratified.
To assess the outcomes of tailored prophylaxis according to the severity of hypersensitivity reactions to iodinated contrast media.
Our premedication protocols were stratified based on the severity of previous reactions: (1) 4 mg of chlorpheniramine for mild reactions, (2) adding 40 mg of methylprednisolone for moderate reactions, and (3) adding multiple doses of 40 mg of methylprednisolone for severe index reactions. Cases of reexposure in patients with a history of hypersensitivity reactions were routinely monitored and mandatorily recorded.
Among a total of 850 patients who underwent enhanced computed tomography after severity-tailored prophylaxis, breakthrough reactions occurred in 17.1%, but most breakthrough reactions (89.0%) were mild and did not require medical treatment. Additional corticosteroid use did not reduce the breakthrough reaction rate in cases with a mild index reaction (16.8% vs 17.2%, P = .70). However, underpremedication with a single dose of corticosteroid revealed significantly higher rates of breakthrough reaction than did double doses of corticosteroid in cases with a severe index reaction (55.6% vs 17.4%, P = .02). Changing the iodinated contrast media resulted in an additional reduction of the breakthrough reaction rate overall (14.9% vs 32.1%, P = .001).
In a total severity-based stratified prophylaxis regimens and changing iodinated contrast media can be considered in patients with a history of previous hypersensitivity reaction to iodinated contrast media to reduce the risk of breakthrough reactions.
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