Cervical Vascular and Upper Airway Asymmetry in Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome: Correlation of Nasopharyngoscopy With MRA

Purpose Velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS), the most common genetic syndrome causing cleft palate, is associated with internal carotid and vertebral artery anomalies, as well as upper airway asymmetry. Medially displaced internal carotid arteries, often immediately submucosal, present a risk of vascular injury during pharyngeal flap surgery for velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). We evaluate the frequency and spectrum of cervical vascular anomalies in a large cohort of VCFS patients correlating MRA with nasopharyngolaryngoscopy in detecting at risk carotid arteries. Furthermore, we assess the relationship with respect to laterality between cervical vascular patterns and the asymmetric abnormalities of these subjects’ upper airways. Methods Cervical MRAs of 86 subjects with VCFS and 50 control subjects were independently reviewed by three neuroradiologists. The course of the internal carotid and vertebral arteries was identified within the pharyngeal soft tissues. Medial deviation, level of bifurcation, dominance, anomalous origin, and vessel tortuosity were recorded. Nasopharyngoscopy examinations were available for retrospective review in 43 patients and were assessed for palatal and posterior pharyngeal wall symmetry, true vocal cord motion and size, and for the presence or absence of carotid pulsations. The endoscopic findings were compared with MRA results. Results Of the 86 subjects, 80 (93%) had one or more vascular anomalies. 42 subjects (49%) were found to have medial deviation of at least one internal carotid artery. In 24 subjects (28%) the anomalous internal carotid artery was directly submucosal; four of these were bilateral (5% of the total sample, 17% of those with a submucosal internal carotid). Other carotid anomalies included low carotid bifurcation (44 subjects or 51%), anomalous origin of the right common carotid (32 cases, or 37%), and two cases of internal carotid agenesis/hypoplasia. Vertebral artery anomalies included vessel tortuosity (34 cases, or 40%), hypoplasia (10 cases, or 12%), looping (4 cases, or 5%), and one case of a double left vertebral artery. Though patients in our study showed an asymmetric distribution of vascular anomalies, no association was found between the laterality of palatal motion, pharyngeal fullness, or laryngeal movement and structure with ipsilateral vertebral or carotid artery anomalies. Of the 33 pulsatile carotid arteries visualized at nasopharyngoscopy, only nine were found to be submucosal on MRA. In contrast, 11 submucosal carotid arteries confirmed at MRA demonstrated no visible pulsations. Positive and negative predictive values of pulsative arteries seen endoscopically for MRA confirmation of a submucosal carotid course was 27% and 79% respectively. Conclusions Carotid and vertebral artery anomalies are common in VCFS including marked medial deviation of the internal carotid artery in close proximity to the donor site for pharyngeal flap surgery. Lack of correlation between laterality of vascular anomalies and upper airway structural asymmetry in VCFS does not support the hypothesis that palatal, pharyngeal, and laryngeal anomalies are due to secondary developmental sequences caused by in utero vascular insufficiency. The presence or absence of carotid pulsations seen by nasopharyngoscopy does not correlate with the carotid arterial depth identified on MRA. Furthermore, identification of the relative medial–lateral retropharyngeal position of a submucosal carotid affords the opportunity to modify the surgical approach. These findings further support the routine use of pre-operative neck MRA in VCFS patients in surgical planning

Relations of Change in Plasma Levels of LDL‐C, Non‐HDL‐C and apoB With Risk Reduction From Statin Therapy: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Trials

Background: Identifying the best markers to judge the adequacy of lipid‐lowering treatment is increasingly important for coronary heart disease (CHD) prevention given that several novel, potent lipid‐lowering therapies are in development. Reductions in LDL‐C, non‐HDL‐C, or apoB can all be used but which most closely relates to benefit, as defined by the reduction in events on statin treatment, is not established. Methods and Results: We performed a random‐effects frequentist and Bayesian meta‐analysis of 7 placebo‐controlled statin trials in which LDL‐C, non‐HDL‐C, and apoB values were available at baseline and at 1‐year follow‐up. Summary level data for change in LDL‐C, non‐HDL‐C, and apoB were related to the relative risk reduction from statin therapy in each trial. In frequentist meta‐analyses, the mean CHD risk reduction (95% CI) per standard deviation decrease in each marker across these 7 trials were 20.1% (15.6%, 24.3%) for LDL‐C; 20.0% (15.2%, 24.7%) for non‐HDL‐C; and 24.4% (19.2%, 29.2%) for apoB. Compared within each trial, risk reduction per change in apoB averaged 21.6% (12.0%, 31.2%) greater than changes in LDL‐C (P<0.001) and 24.3% (22.4%, 26.2%) greater than changes in non‐HDL‐C (P<0.001). Similarly, in Bayesian meta‐analyses using various prior distributions, Bayes factors (BFs) favored reduction in apoB as more closely related to risk reduction from statins compared with LDL‐C or non‐HDL‐C (BFs ranging from 484 to 2380). Conclusions: Using both a frequentist and Bayesian approach, relative risk reduction across 7 major placebo‐controlled statin trials was more closely related to reductions in apoB than to reductions in either non‐HDL‐C or LDL‐C

Cessation and Resumption of Elective Neurointerventional Procedures during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic and Future Pandemics

At the time of this writing, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic continues to be a global threat, disrupting usual processes, and protocols for delivering health care around the globe. There have been significant regional and national differences in the scope and timing of these disruptions. Many hospitals were forced to temporarily halt elective neurointerventional procedures with the first wave of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, in order to prioritize allocation of resources for acutely ill patients and also to minimize coronavirus disease 2019 transmission risks to non-acute patients, their families, and health care workers. This temporary moratorium on elective neurointerventional procedures is generally credited with helping to flatten the curve and direct scarce resources to more acutely ill patients; however, there have been reports of some delaying seeking medical care when it was in fact urgent, and other reports of patients having elective treatment delayed with the result of morbidity and mortality. Many regions have resumed elective neurointerventional procedures, only to now watch coronavirus disease 2019 positivity rates again climbing as winter of 2020 approaches. A new wave is now forecast which may have larger volumes of hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 patients than the earlier wave(s) and may also coincide with a wave of patients hospitalized with seasonal influenza. This paper discusses relevant and practical elements of cessation and safe resumption of nonemergent neurointerventional services in the setting of a pandemic

iEcology: Harnessing Large Online Resources to Generate Ecological Insights

Digital data are accumulating at unprecedented rates. These contain a lot of information about the natural world, some of which can be used to answer key ecological questions. Here, we introduce iEcology (i.e., internet ecology), an emerging research approach that uses diverse online data sources and methods to generate insights about species distribution over space and time, interactions and dynamics of organisms and their environment, and anthropogenic impacts. We review iEcology data sources and methods, and provide examples of potential research applications. We also outline approaches to reduce potential biases and improve reliability and applicability. As technologies and expertise improve, and costs diminish, iEcology will become an increasingly important means to gain novel insights into the natural world.Peer reviewe

Vertebral Augmentation: Is It Time to Get Past the Pain? A Consensus Statement from the Sardinia Spine and Stroke Congress

Vertebral augmentation has been used to treat painful vertebral compression fractures and metastatic lesions in millions of patients around the world. An international group of subject matter experts have considered the evidence, including but not limited to mortality. These considerations led them to ask whether it is appropriate to allow the subjective measure of pain to so dominate the clinical decision of whether to proceed with augmentation. The discussions that ensued are related below

Comparison of Questionnaire Responses with Biomarkers of Tobacco Smoke Exposure in A Canadian Birth Cohort at Three Months of Age

Background Exposure to tobacco smoke increases the risk for several adverse health effects in children including wheeze, asthma, and asthma exacerbation. Accurately assessing tobacco smoke exposure is important for understanding and preventing these health effects. Questionnaires are a flexible and relatively inexpensive method of assessing exposure, but biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure are considered more accurate. We developed questionnaire-based exposure models predicting urinary levels of biomarkers cotinine and trans-3’-hydroxycotinine (3HC) (metabolites of nicotine) in 3-month old infants using parent-reported questionnaire responses about tobacco smoke exposure from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study. Methods We used a manual model building process to build multiple linear regression models predicting urinary concentrations of cotinine, 3HC, and the sum of cotinine and 3HC on a molar basis (Cot+3HC) for 987, 1003, and 983 infants, respectively. Questions were included on the infant’s exposure assessed at 3 months of age and tobacco smoke odour in the home. We also included questions on maternal smoking status and history, passive exposure, and family socio-economic status assessed during pregnancy, as potential indirect measures of the infant’s exposure at 3 months. Adjusted R2 values were maximized in the final models. Results During pregnancy, the prevalence of maternal smoking was 2.4 %, and 115 (11.4 %) mothers reported smoking by at least 1 person at home. Of the 144 (14.3 %) infants whose mothers reported that smoking occurred at home when their child was 3 months, 129 (89.6%) and 136 (94.4%) had cotinine and 3HC levels above the detection limit (0.03 ng/mL), respectively. Of the 811 infants who had no parent-reported exposure at 3 months, 538 (66.3%) and 715 (88.2%) had detectable cotinine and 3HC levels, respectively. After correcting for urine dilution, the geometric mean levels were 0.085 ng/mL for cotinine, 0.20 ng/mL for 3HC, and 1.62 picomole/mL for Cot+3HC. The final questionnaire models explained 43.4%, 41.0%, and 42.9% of the variance in cotinine, 3HC, and Cot+3HC levels, respectively. Conclusions Our results indicate that exposure of these infants to tobacco smoke is not completely captured by questionnaires, suggesting that exposure assessment could be improved by using a combination of biomarker and questionnaire methods. Though more detectable, the inclusion of 3HC did not increase the ability of the questionnaires to explain variance in metabolite levels, but 3HC may be important since the ratio of 3HC to cotinine can be used to quantify the rate of nicotine metabolism and variation within population

The Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) birth cohort study: Assessment of environmental exposures

The Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development birth cohort was designed to elucidate interactions between environment and genetics underlying development of asthma and allergy. Over 3600 pregnant mothers were recruited from the general population in four provinces with diverse environments. The child is followed to age 5 years, with prospective characterization of diverse exposures during this critical period. Key exposure domains include indoor and outdoor air pollutants, inhalation, ingestion and dermal uptake of chemicals, mold, dampness, biological allergens, pets and pests, housing structure, and living behavior, together with infections, nutrition, psychosocial environment, and medications. Assessments of early life exposures are focused on those linked to inflammatory responses driven by the acquired and innate immune systems. Mothers complete extensive environmental questionnaires including time-activity behavior at recruitment and when the child is 3, 6, 12, 24, 30, 36, 48, and 60 months old. House dust collected during a thorough home assessment at 3–4 months, and biological specimens obtained for multiple exposure-related measurements, are archived for analyses. Geo-locations of homes and daycares and land-use regression for estimating traffic-related air pollution complement time-activity-behavior data to provide comprehensive individual exposure profiles. Several analytical frameworks are proposed to address the many interacting exposure variables and potential issues of co-linearity in this complex data set

In search of the authentic nation: landscape and national identity in Canada and Switzerland

While the study of nationalism and national identity has flourished in the last decade, little attention has been devoted to the conditions under which natural environments acquire significance in definitions of nationhood. This article examines the identity-forming role of landscape depictions in two polyethnic nation-states: Canada and Switzerland. Two types of geographical national identity are identified. The first – what we call the ‘nationalisation of nature’– portrays zarticular landscapes as expressions of national authenticity. The second pattern – what we refer to as the ‘naturalisation of the nation’– rests upon a notion of geographical determinism that depicts specific landscapes as forces capable of determining national identity. The authors offer two reasons why the second pattern came to prevail in the cases under consideration: (1) the affinity between wild landscape and the Romantic ideal of pure, rugged nature, and (2) a divergence between the nationalist ideal of ethnic homogeneity and the polyethnic composition of the two societies under consideration