Estimation of free calcium levels after thyroidectomy

Total calcium is routinely measured after thyroidectomy in a clinical setting, while the measurement or calculation of the free calcium level is not generally performed. We reviewed total and free calcium levels in patients who underwent lobectomy (n=15), subtotal thyroidectomy (n=15) and total thyroidectomy (n=15). Postoperative total calcium levels decreased significantly in comparison to preoperative levels in all thyroidectomies (p<0.01), and this fall was significantly related to the extent of surgery (p<0.01). In contrast, there was no significant difference between preoperative and postoperative free calcium levels in patients undergoing lobectomy, although we found a decrease in free calcium levels after both subtotal and total thyroidectomy. Total protein levels decreased regardless of the type of operation. Serum total calcium levels were thought to be altered by serum protein levels through the change of protein-bound calcium levels. When examined for free calcium levels, some patients were administered unnecessary calcium supplementation because hypocalcemia had been judged from the total calcium level. Since the wrong diagnosis may be given with regard to hypoparathyroidism by measurement of total calcium levels alone, we propose that free calcium levels should be routinely measured or calculated after thyroidectomy

Eosinophilic myocarditis without hypereosinophilia accompanied by giant cell infiltration

AbstractA 53-year-old woman with a history of allergic disease was admitted to our hospital because of syncope induced by sustained ventricular tachycardia. The clinical course and the laboratory data did not correspond to those of acute myocarditis. Although eosinophils in the peripheral blood count were not increased, the diagnosis of eosinophilic myocarditis was made following a right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy that showed a remarkable infiltration of eosinophils. While giant cells were another histopathological feature of this case, they were considered to be an expression of the disease severity. This is a rare case of eosinophilic myocarditis, without peripheral eosinophilia.<Learning objective: Eosinophils in the peripheral blood usually increase in eosinophilic myocarditis. We describe a case of eosinophilic myocarditis without hypereosinophilia. Even in the absence of hypereosinophilia, endomyocardial biopsy should be performed during the investigation of unexplained myocardial disease.

Comparison among random forest, logistic regression, and existing clinical risk scores for predicting outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation: A report from the J-RHYTHM registry

BACKGROUND: Machine learning (ML) has emerged as a promising tool for risk stratification. However, few studies have applied ML to risk assessment of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). HYPOTHESIS: We aimed to compare the performance of random forest (RF), logistic regression (LR), and conventional risk schemes in predicting the outcomes of AF. METHODS: We analyzed data from 7406 nonvalvular AF patients (median age 71 years, female 29.2%) enrolled in a nationwide AF registry (J‐RHYTHM Registry) and who were followed for 2 years. The endpoints were thromboembolisms, major bleeding, and all‐cause mortality. Models were generated from potential predictors using an RF model, stepwise LR model, and the thromboembolism (CHADS(2) and CHA(2)DS(2)‐VASc) and major bleeding (HAS‐BLED, ORBIT, and ATRIA) scores. RESULTS: For thromboembolisms, the C‐statistic of the RF model was significantly higher than that of the LR model (0.66 vs. 0.59, p = .03) or CHA(2)DS(2)‐VASc score (0.61, p < .01). For major bleeding, the C‐statistic of RF was comparable to the LR (0.69 vs. 0.66, p = .07) and outperformed the HAS‐BLED (0.61, p < .01) and ATRIA (0.62, p < .01) but not the ORBIT (0.67, p = .07). The C‐statistic of RF for all‐cause mortality was comparable to the LR (0.78 vs. 0.79, p = .21). The calibration plot for the RF model was more aligned with the observed events for major bleeding and all‐cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The RF model performed as well as or better than the LR model or existing clinical risk scores for predicting clinical outcomes of AF

Atrasentan and renal events in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (SONAR): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Short-term treatment for people with type 2 diabetes using a low dose of the selective endothelin A receptor antagonist atrasentan reduces albuminuria without causing significant sodium retention. We report the long-term effects of treatment with atrasentan on major renal outcomes. Methods: We did this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial at 689 sites in 41 countries. We enrolled adults aged 18–85 years with type 2 diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)25–75 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 of body surface area, and a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR)of 300–5000 mg/g who had received maximum labelled or tolerated renin–angiotensin system inhibition for at least 4 weeks. Participants were given atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily during an enrichment period before random group assignment. Those with a UACR decrease of at least 30% with no substantial fluid retention during the enrichment period (responders)were included in the double-blind treatment period. Responders were randomly assigned to receive either atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily or placebo. All patients and investigators were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was a composite of doubling of serum creatinine (sustained for ≥30 days)or end-stage kidney disease (eGFR <15 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 sustained for ≥90 days, chronic dialysis for ≥90 days, kidney transplantation, or death from kidney failure)in the intention-to-treat population of all responders. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of their assigned study treatment. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01858532. Findings: Between May 17, 2013, and July 13, 2017, 11 087 patients were screened; 5117 entered the enrichment period, and 4711 completed the enrichment period. Of these, 2648 patients were responders and were randomly assigned to the atrasentan group (n=1325)or placebo group (n=1323). Median follow-up was 2·2 years (IQR 1·4–2·9). 79 (6·0%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 105 (7·9%)of 1323 in the placebo group had a primary composite renal endpoint event (hazard ratio [HR]0·65 [95% CI 0·49–0·88]; p=0·0047). Fluid retention and anaemia adverse events, which have been previously attributed to endothelin receptor antagonists, were more frequent in the atrasentan group than in the placebo group. Hospital admission for heart failure occurred in 47 (3·5%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 34 (2·6%)of 1323 patients in the placebo group (HR 1·33 [95% CI 0·85–2·07]; p=0·208). 58 (4·4%)patients in the atrasentan group and 52 (3·9%)in the placebo group died (HR 1·09 [95% CI 0·75–1·59]; p=0·65). Interpretation: Atrasentan reduced the risk of renal events in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease who were selected to optimise efficacy and safety. These data support a potential role for selective endothelin receptor antagonists in protecting renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of developing end-stage kidney disease. Funding: AbbVie

Predictive ability of visit-to-visit blood pressure indices for adverse events in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: Subanalysis of the J-RHYTHM Registry

Background: We previously reported that standard deviation (SD) of systolic blood pressure (SBP), an index of BP variability, and SBP-time in target range (TTR), an index of BP consistency, were significantly associated with adverse events in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Thus, this study aimed to compare predictive ability for adverse events among visit-to-visit BP variability/consistency indices using data from the J-RHYTHM Registry. Methods: Of 7406 outpatients with NVAF, 7226 (age, 69.7 ± 9.9 years; men, 70.7%), in whom BP was measured 4 times or more (14.6 ± 5.0 times) during the 2-year follow-up period or until occurrence of an event, were included. As BP consistency for target SBP between 110 and 130 mmHg, SBP-TTR by the Rosendaal method and SBP-frequency in range (FIR) were calculated. Predictive ability was expressed by the area under receiver-operating-characteristic curve (AUC). AUCs of SBP-TTR and SBP-FIR for adverse events were compared with those of SBP-SD by the DeLong’s test. Results: SBP-SD, SBP-TTR, and SBP-FIR were 11.0 ± 4.2 mmHg, 49.5 ± 28.3%, and 52.3 ± 23.0%, respectively. AUCs of these indices for thromboembolism, major hemorrhage, and all-cause death were 0.62, 0.64, and 0.63 for SBP-SD; 0.56, 0.55, and 0.56 for SBP-TTR; and 0.55, 0.56, and 0.58 for SBP-FIR; respectively. AUCs of SBP-SD were significantly larger than those of SBP-TTR for major hemorrhage (P = 0.010) and all-cause death (P = 0.014), and SBP-FIR for major hemorrhage (P = 0.016). Conclusion: Among visit-to-visit BP variability/consistency indices, predictive ability of SBP-SD for major hemorrhage and all-cause death was superior to that of SBP-TTR and SBP-FIR in patients with NVAF