Jim Y. Wan

Serum uric acid, diuretic treatment and risk of cardiovascular events in the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP)

Objective To assess longitudinally the association of serum uric acid and its change due to diuretic treatment with cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients. Design Cohort study in a randomized trial. Setting Cohort of hypertensive patients. Participants A total of 4327 men and women, aged ≥ 60 years, with isolated systolic hypertension, randomized to placebo or chlorthalidone, with the addition of atenolol or reserpine if needed, were observed for 5 years. Main outcome measures Major cardiovascular events, coronary events, stroke and all-cause mortality. Results Cardiovascular event rates for quartiles of baseline serum uric acid were: I, 32.7 per 1000 person-years; II, 34.5 per 1000 person-years; III, 38.1 per 1000 person-years; and IV, 41.4 per 1000 person-years (P for trend = 0.02). The adjusted hazard ratio (HR), of cardiovascular events for the highest quartile of serum uric acid versus the lowest quartile was 1.32 (95% CI, 1.03–1.69). The benefit of active treatment was not affected by baseline serum uric acid. After randomization, an increase of serum uric acid < 0.06 mmol/l (median change) in the active treatment group was associated with a HR of 0.58 (0.37–0.92) for coronary events compared with those with a serum uric acid increase ≥ 0.06 mmol/l. This difference was not explained by blood pressure effects. Those with a serum uric acid increase ≥ 0.06 mmol/l in the active treatment group had a similar risk of coronary events as the placebo group. Conclusions Serum uric acid independently predicts cardiovascular events in older persons with isolated systolic hypertension. Monitoring serum uric acid change during diuretic treatment may help to identify patients who will most benefit from treatment.

Bedside limited echocardiography by the emergency physician is accurate during evaluation of the critically ill patient.

Objective. Echocardiography can be a rapid, noninvasive, objective tool in the assessment of ventricular function and preload during resuscitation of a critically ill or injured child. We sought to determine the accuracy of bedside limited echocardiography by the emergency physician (BLEEP) in estimation of (1) left ventricular function (LVF) and (2) inferior vena cava (IVC) volume, as an indirect measure of preload. Methods. We conducted a prospective observational study of a convenience sample of patients who were admitted to our intensive care unit. All patients underwent BLEEP followed by an independent formal echocardiogram by an experienced pediatric echocardiography provider (PEP). IVC volume was assessed by measurement of the maximal diameter of the IVC. LVF was determined by calculating shortening fraction (SF) using M-mode measurements on the parasternal short-axis view at the level of the papillary muscle. An independent blinded pediatric cardiologist reviewed all images for accuracy and quality. Estimates of SF obtained on the BLEEP examination were compared with those obtained by the PEP. Results. Thirty-one patients were enrolled. The mean age was 5.1 years (range: 23 days–16 years); 48.4% (15 of 31) were girls; 58.1% (18 of 31) were on mechanical ventilatory support at the time of their study. There was good agreement between the emergency physician (EP) and the PEP for estimation of SF (r = 0.78). The mean difference in the estimate of SF between the providers was 4.4% (95% confidence interval: 1.6%–7.2%). This difference in estimate of SF was statistically significant. Similarly, there was good agreement between the EP and the PEP for estimation of IVC volume (r = 0.8). The mean difference in the estimate of IVC diameter by the PEP and the EP was 0.068 mm (95% confidence interval: −0.16 to 0.025 mm). This difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions. Our study suggests that PEP sonographers are capable of obtaining images that permit accurate assessment of LVF and IVC volume. BLEEP can be performed with focused training and oversight by a pediatric cardiologist.

Proinflammatory cytokines in response to insulin-induced hypoglycemic stress in healthy subjects.

Hyperglycemic crises of diabetic ketoacidosis and nonketotic hyperglycemia are associated with elevation of counterregulatory hormones and proinflammatory cytokines, markers of lipid peroxidation, and oxidative stress. To investigate if other conditions besides hyperglycemia could evoke such a prompt increase in cytokine levels, lipid peroxidation, and oxidative stress markers, we induced hypoglycemic stress by standard insulin tolerance test and measured proinflammatory cytokines, markers of lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and counterregulatory hormones. Insulin tolerance test was performed in 13 healthy male subjects with no history of infection, cardiovascular risk factors, or abnormal glucose. At baseline and at 30, 45, 60, 120, and 240 minutes after insulin injection, the following parameters were measured: glucose, cortisol, corticotropin, epinephrine (EP), norepinephrine (NE), growth hormone, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL) 1beta, IL-6, IL-8, free fatty acids, white blood cells, lipid peroxidation markers by thiobarbituric acid assay, and ROS by dichlorofluorescein method. The peak value of white blood cell count at 120 minutes was significantly associated with the peak values of NE at 30 minutes and cortisol at 60 minutes. By comparing the area under the curve of measured parameters, EP emerged as significant predictor of TNF-alpha (P = .05) and IL-8 (P = .027). Cortisol emerged as predictor of IL-1beta significantly (P = .05). Corticotropin predicted area under the curve of IL-6 with borderline significance (P = .06). In the present study, insulin-induced hypoglycemia in nondiabetic male subjects is associated with increased proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8), markers of lipid peroxidation, ROS, and leukocytosis. Elevations of NE, EP, corticotropin, and cortisol in hypoglycaemia are associated with the elevation of the proinflammatory cytokines and leukocytosis.

Comparison of rates and risk factors for developing chronic renal insufficiency, proteinuria and metabolic acidosis after radical or partial nephrectomy

To investigate the incidence of and risk factors for developing chronic renal insufficiency (CRI), proteinuria and metabolic acidosis (MA) in patients treated with radical nephrectomy (RN) or nephron‐sparing surgery (NSS).

Concomitant radiation therapy and targeted cisplatin chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced pyriform sinus carcinoma : disease control and preservation of organ function

Squamous cell carcinoma of the pyriform sinus is an unfavorable disease which frequently presents in advanced stages. Despite aggressive “standard treatment” involving debilitating surgery and postoperative radiation therapy treatments, the survival and functional outcome for pyriform sinus carcinoma remains poor. Hence, we reviewed our experience in the management of advanced pyriform sinus carcinoma using “organ preservation” chemoradiation therapy.

Psychological distress, drug and alcohol use as correlates of condom use in HIV-serodiscordant heterosexual couples.

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between psychological distress, alcohol, drug and condom use in HIV-serodiscordant heterosexual couples. MethodsStructured interviews were conducted to collect demographic information, detailed data on psychological distress, drug and alcohol use and sexual behavior. ResultsAnalyses were based on 106 pairs of sexually active discordant couples. Significant differences among heterosexual condom users and non-users varied according to gender and HIV serostatus. Affect domains of interpersonal sensitivity and hostility were significant, as were the variables of regular drug or alcohol use and combining sex with drugs or alcohol. Employment was strongly associated with condom use in HIV-negative women whose regular sexual partners were HIV-positive men. ConclusionThe risk of vaginal sex without condoms in HIV-serodiscordant heterosexual couples may be reduced by specific psychological counseling and attention to drug and alcohol use as risk factors. Further research on the effect of employment of HIV-negative women is required.

Lower body osteoarticular pain and dose of analgesic medications in older disabled women: the Women's Health and Aging Study.

OBJECTIVES This study assessed use and dosage of analgesic medications in relation to severity of osteoarticular pain. METHODS The type and dose of analgesic medication and the severity of pain in the lower back, hips, knees, or feet of 1002 older disabled women were assessed. RESULTS Severe pain and the use of analgesic medications were reported by 48.5% and 78.8% of women, respectively. Among those who had severe pain, 41.2% were using less than 20% of the maximum analgesic dose. Overall, 6.6% of women were using more than 100% of the maximum dose. CONCLUSIONS Severe pain is common. Additional, more effective, and safe analgesic treatments are needed for controlling pain in older persons.

Comparison of Propofol With Pentobarbital/Midazolam/Fentanyl Sedation for Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain in Children

OBJECTIVE. Propofol and pentobarbital, alone or combined with other agents, are frequently used to induce deep sedation in children for MRI. However, we are unaware of a previous comparison of these 2 agents as part of a randomized, controlled trial. We compared the recovery time of children after deep sedation with single-agent propofol with a pentobarbital-based regimen for MRI and considered additional variables of safety and efficacy. METHODS. This prospective, randomized trial at a tertiary childrens hospital enrolled 60 patients 1 to 17 years old who required intravenous sedation for elective cranial MRI. Patients were assigned randomly to receive a loading dose of propofol followed by continuous intravenous infusion of propofol or to receive sequential doses of midazolam, pentobarbital, and fentanyl until a modified Ramsay score of >4 was attained. A nurse who was blind to group assignment assessed discharge readiness (Aldrete score > 8) and administered a follow-up questionnaire. We compared recovery time, time to induction of sedation, total sedation time, quality of imaging, number of repeat-image sequences, adverse events, caregiver satisfaction, and time to return to presedation functional status. RESULTS. The groups were similar in age, gender, race, American Society of Anesthesiology physical status class, and frequency of cognitive impairment. No sedation failure or significant adverse events were observed. Propofol offered significantly shorter sedation induction time, recovery time, total sedation time, and time to return to baseline functional status. Caregiver satisfaction scores were also significantly higher in the patients in the propofol group. CONCLUSIONS. Propofol permits faster onset and recovery than, and comparable efficacy to, a pentobarbital/midazolam/fentanyl regimen for sedation of children for MRI.

Health Information Exchange Reduces Repeated Diagnostic Imaging for Back Pain

STUDY OBJECTIVE This study seeks to determine whether health information exchange reduces repeated diagnostic imaging and related costs in emergency back pain evaluation. METHODS This was a longitudinal data analysis of health information exchange patient-visit data. All repeated emergency department (ED) patient visits for back pain with previous ED diagnostic imaging to a Memphis metropolitan area ED between August 1, 2007, and July 31, 2009, were included. Use of a regional health information exchange by ED personnel to access the patients record during the emergency visit was the primary independent variable. Main outcomes included repeated lumbar or thoracic diagnostic imaging (radiograph, computed tomography [CT], or magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) and total patient-visit estimated cost. RESULTS One hundred seventy-nine (22.4%) of the 800 qualifying repeated back pain visits resulted in repeated diagnostic imaging (radiograph 84.9%, CT 6.1%, and MRI 9.5%). Health information exchange use in the study population was low, at 12.5%, and health care providers as opposed to administrative/nursing staff accounted for 80% of the total health information exchange use. Health information exchange use by any ED personnel was associated with reduced repeated diagnostic imaging (odds ratio 0.36; 95% confidence interval 0.18 to 0.71), as was physician or nurse practitioner health information exchange use (odds ratio 0.47; 95% confidence interval 0.23 to 0.96). No cost savings were associated with health information exchange use because of increased CT imaging when health care providers used health information exchange. CONCLUSION Health information exchange use is associated with 64% lower odds of repeated diagnostic imaging in the emergency evaluation of back pain. Health information exchange effect on estimated costs was negligible. More studies are needed to evaluate specific strategies to increase health information exchange use and further decrease potentially unnecessary diagnostic imaging and associated costs of care.

Anal intraepithelial neoplasia in women with genital intraepithelial neoplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of anal intraepithelial neoplasia in heterosexual women with genital intraepithelial neoplasia, and to compare anal cytology with colposcopy for their effectiveness in anal intraepithelial neoplasia screening. METHODS: Women with confirmed intraepithelial neoplasia on the cervix, vagina, or vulva were referred for gynecologic oncology care. All patients underwent anal cytology and high-resolution anoscopy. Any lesion detected on anoscopy was biopsied. Wilson score method was used to estimate 95% confidence interval for prevalence. McNemars test compared the two screening methods. RESULTS: Women with average age of 39.6 years (range 14 to 83 years) underwent anal cytology and anoscopy (N=205). Of the 205 patients with genital intraepithelial neoplasia, 25 patients (12.2%) had biopsy-proven anal intraepithelial neoplasia. Twelve patients (5.9%) had abnormal anal cytology (nine with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance [ASC-US], three with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions [LSIL]). None of the nine patients with anal ASC-US had biopsy-proven anal intraepithelial neoplasia. Of the three patients with anal LSIL, two had anal intraepithelial neoplasia II and one had condyloma on biopsy. However, 78 patients (38%) had abnormal anoscopy findings that resulted in 25 biopsy-proven anal intraepithelial neoplasias (8 anal intraepithelial neoplasia I, 5 anal intraepithelial neoplasia II, 12 anal intraepithelial neoplasia III)), condylomas (n=11), and hyperkeratosis (n=8). Anoscopy identified 32% (25 patients) with anal intraepithelial neoplasia out of 78 abnormal anoscopic examinations. In diagnosing anal intraepithelial neoplasia, anoscopy has 100% sensitivity and 71% specificity; anal cytology has 8% sensitivity and 94% specificity. CONCLUSION: Patients with cervical, vulvar, and vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia have 12.2% prevalence of anal intraepithelial neoplasia and should be screened with high-resolution anoscopy. In anal intraepithelial neoplasia screening, anoscopy is more sensitive but less specific than anal cytology. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II