Complex diagnostic imaging of acute ischemic stroke - case study

Wstęp. Udar niedokrwienny jest trzecią pod względem częstości przyczyną zgonów w krajach rozwiniętych. W obliczu możliwości leczenia trombolitycznego istotna jest prawidłowa kwalifikacja pacjentów, a najlepszymi kandydatami do trombolizy są ci chorzy, u których strefa penumbry znacznie przewyższa obszar zawału. Opis przypadku. W pracy przedstawiono opis przypadku pacjenta hospitalizowanego z powodu objawów udaru niedokrwiennego w obszarze unaczynienia tętnicy środkowej mózgu (MCA, middle cerebral artery) lewej. Przeprowadzono u niego badanie tomografii komputerowej (CT, computed tomography) głowy, a następnie perfuzji CT, dyfuzji rezonansu magnetycznego (DWI, diffusion-weighted imaging) oraz angiografii MR (angio-MR). W badaniu CT uwidoczniono wczesne cechy udaru niedokrwiennego; w perfuzji CT stwierdzono, że penumbra znacznie przeważa nad zawałem; w angio-MR uwidoczniono upośledzenie przepływu w tętnicy szyjnej wewnętrznej (ICA, internal carotid artery) i MCA po stronie lewej. Na podstawie wykonanej serii badań zrezygnowano z trombolizy systemowej na rzecz dotętniczej. Wnioski. Protokół diagnostyczny zawierający badanie podstawowe (CT), funkcjonalne (np. perfuzji CT) oraz naczyniowe (angiografia CT, angio-MR) pozwala zobrazować rozległość zaburzeń niedokrwiennych (penumbra/zawał) i patologię dotyczącą naczyń, co jest pomocne w kwalifikacji do trombolizy, a zwłaszcza w podjęciu decyzji o sposobie podania preparatu trombolitycznego.Introduction. Ischemic stroke is the third most frequent cause of death in developed countries. Nowadays, when thrombolytic treatment is available, a proper qualification of patients is very important and the best candidates to thrombolysis are the patients in whom area of penumbra is larger than area of stroke. Case report. We present a case of patient hospitalized due to symptoms of acute ischemic stroke in area of left middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory. The patient underwent brain computed tomography (CT) followed by perfusion CT (CTP), magnetic resonance diffusion (DWI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). CT revealed early signs of ischemic stroke; CTP demonstrated area of penumbra, which predominated over area of infarction; MRA revealed loss of flow within left internal carotid artery (ICA) and left MCA. Based on performed examinations intraarterial thrombolytic treatment was indicated, instead of systemic thrombolysis. Conclusions. Diagnostic protocol consisting of basic (CT), functional (e.g. CTP) and vascular examinations (CT angiography or MRA) may show extent of ischemic lesion (penumbra/infarction) and vascular pathology, that is helpful in qualification to thrombolytic treatment, particularly when undertaking decision, which method of thrombolysis should be used

Diagnosis and management of hyperglycaemia in patients treated with antipsychotic drugs

Research results indicate the presence of an association between mental disorders, certain antipsychotics, and the risk of developing prediabetes (preDM) and specific type diabetes mellitus (DM). However, there are no precise recommendations for their diagnosis and treatment. The obtained data suggest the necessity to perform diagnostics of carbohydrate disorders at the onset of the first symptoms of psychosis, even before the implementation of antipsychotic drugs, and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) seems to be the optimal tool. There is a lot of controversy regarding the timing of control tests addressing the development of dysglycaemia during the use of antipsychotic drugs. We suggest that it should be carried out during the first 4–8 weeks, and in the absence of disorders it should be repeated once a year or with a change in antipsychotic treatment. The diagnostic regimen should then include the need for OGTT supportedby routine determination of the percentage of glycated haemoglobin. If dysglycaemia is diagnosed, the therapeutic management should include non-pharmacological management and hypoglycaemic agents. These recommendations should be individually tailored to each patient and take into account the presence of obesity, which is often found in this group of patients. Weight reduction can be achieved with a properly balanced diet, physical effort, and in justified situations also with drugs effectively reducing body weight. For this reason, drugs are recommended that, if preDM and DM are diagnosed, simultaneously lower glucose levels and reduce body weight. So far, effectiveness in this area has been demonstrated for 2 incretinomimetics: exenatide and liraglutide. Due to the mechanism of preDM/DM development in patients using antipsychotics, the usefulness of other hypoglycaemic drugs with insulin-sensitizing potential — metformin and pioglitazone — has also been suggested. To date, there has been no research on the benefits of other hypoglycaemic drugs in this group of patients

Endocrine diseases as causes of secondary hyperlipidemia

Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of increased morbidity and mortality in developed and developing countries. One of the most important risk factors responsible for atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular diseases is hyperlipidaemia. Currently, hyperlipidaemias are divided into several clinical entities. The greatest risk is associated with hypercholesterolaemia. As a result, modern guidelines for the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis focus predominantly on the reduction of LDL-cholesterol. Hypertriglyceridaemia and atherogenic dyslipidaemia, which are responsible for a less significant increase in the cardiovascular risk, are nowadays secondary targets of the treatment. During the work-up for hyperlipidaemia one of the essential actions is the exclusion of secondary causes of the lipid abnormalities. Those include, among others, endocrine diseases, diabetes, drugs, nephrotic syndrome, and pregnancy. Data regarding the impact of endocrine disease and diabetes on the lipid profile are scattered. In this review, the authors aimed to perform a thorough analysis of the available publications regarding the topic and the preparation of a comprehensive review dealing with the incidence, clinical features, and the therapy of hyperlipidaemias in patients with endocrine disease.

Colchicine — From rheumatology to the new kid on the block: Coronary syndromes and COVID-19

Colchicine is an effective anti-inflammatory agent used to treat gout, coronary artery disease, viral pericarditis, and familial Mediterranean fever. It has been found to act by preventing the polymerization of the protein called tubulin, thus inhibiting inflammasome activation, proinflammatory chemokines, and cellular adhesion molecules. Accumulating evidence suggests that some patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) suffer from “cytokine storm” syndrome. The ideal anti-inflammatory in this setting would be one that is readily available, cheap, orally administered, with a good safety profile, well-tolerated, and that prevents or modulates inflammasome activation. The researchers selected colchicine for their study. This paper is a review of the literature describing the effects of colchicine, which is a drug that is being increasingly used, especially when standard therapy fails. Colchicine was shown to reduce inflammatory lung injury and respiratory failure by interfering with leukocyte activation and recruitment. In this publication, we try to systematically review the current data on new therapeutic options for colchicine. The article focuses on new data from clinical trials in COVID-19, rheumatic, cardiovascular, and other treatment such as familial Mediterranean fever, chronic urticaria, and PFAPA syndrome (periodic fever, aphthous, stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis). We also summarize new reports on the side effects, drug interactions, and safety of colchicine

Kardiomiopatia połogowa a ostre zapalenie trzustki i tkanki tłuszczowej — reakcja autoimmunologiczna?

A case of 26 year-old female with peripartum cardiomyopathy, acute pancreatitis, periadipose tissue inflammation due to unknown cause and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome complication is presented

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362