Causal ambiguity: deciphering the etiology of secondary thrombotic microangiopathy with systemic lupus erythematosus and vivax malaria

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) falls under the spectrum of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and thrombi in small vessels leading to end-organ damage. It's classified into typical HUS (caused by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli), atypical HUS (due to uncontrolled complement activation), and secondary HUS (sHUS) linked with coexisting conditions. We present a compelling case of a 21-year-old female with fever, jaundice, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and oliguric acute kidney injury (AKI), ultimately diagnosed with Plasmodium vivax malaria. Despite adequate antimalarial therapy, the patient's clinical trajectory remained intricate, characterized by sustained hematological abnormalities and renal dysfunction. A comprehensive assessment revealed Coombs-negative hemolytic anemia. Subsequently, a renal biopsy confirmed TMA. Considering the rarity of vivax malaria causing TMA, an autoimmune workup was conducted, suggesting systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Systemic autoimmune disease-associated HUS (SAID-HUS) is a rare entity that exhibits diverse clinical presentations, with SLE being best-described etiology in literature. SLE-associated HUS was considered and was managed with steroids and hydroxychloroquine resulting in significant renal and hematological improvement. This report underscores significance of assessing autoimmune factors in case of secondary TMA, while also shedding light on evolving understanding of vivax malaria's potential relationship with TMA

Practice Patterns and Trends in the Use of Medical Therapy in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Ontario

Background Clinical guidelines emphasize medical therapy as the initial approach to the management of patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the extent to which medical therapy is applied before and after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in contemporary clinical practice is uncertain. We evaluated medication use for patients with stable CAD undergoing PCI, and assessed whether the COURAGE study altered medication use in the Canadian healthcare system. Methods and Results A population‐based cohort of 23 680 older patients \u3e65 years old) with stable CAD undergoing PCI in Ontario between 2003 and 2010 was assembled. Optimal medical therapy (OMT) was defined as prescription for a β‐blocker, statin, and either angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker in the 90 days before PCI, and the same medications plus thienopyridine 90 days following PCI. Prior to PCI, 8023 (33.9%) patients were receiving OMT, 11 891 (50.2%) were on suboptimal therapy, and 3766 (15.9%) were not prescribed any medications of interest. There was significant improvement in medical therapy following PCI (OMT: 11 149 [47.1%], suboptimal therapy: 11 591 [48.9%], and none: 940 [4.0%], PPP\u3c0.001). Conclusions OMT was prescribed in about 1 in 3 patients prior to PCI and less than half after PCI. In contrast to the anticipated impact of COURAGE, we found lower rates of medication use in PCI patients after its publication

TCT-509 Impact On Outcome Of Different Types Of Carotid Stents: Results From The European Registry Of Carotid Artery Stenting.

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Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

A model for simulation and control of open-circuit rod milling operation

Based on the analysis of large amount of data on several laboratory scale and industrial scale rod mills operating in the open-circuit mode, an empirical model has been recently proposed by Gupta to describe the relationship between the feed and product size distributions and feed rate to the mill. This model is based on the well known phenomenon ‘Zero Order Production of Fines’. In this paper, Gupta model has been demonstrated to be applicable over a reasonably wide range of feed rates for: Calcite ground in a laboratory scale mill; and for one Copper ore and a Lead-Zinc ore ground in large industrial mills in Canada and Australia. This model can be used to control the product size distribution by manipulating the feed rate to the mill