Cryopreserved whole blood for the quantification of monocyte, T-cell and NK-cell subsets, and monocyte receptor expression by multi-color flow cytometry: A methodological study based on participants from the canadian longitudinal study on aging.

Immunophenotyping by multi-color flow cytometry is arguably the best tool to identify and quantify distinct cell lineages from the peripheral blood and other biological fluids/tissues. Effective in both clinical and research settings, it can be used to estimate the frequency of a given cell type or measure its phenotypic or functional properties. Normally, immunophenotyping is performed in fresh or fractionated blood (i.e., PBMCs) the same day, or within 24 hours of collection; however, this may not be feasible for all study designs. We have previously shown that cryopreserved blood, a biospecimen that is simple and inexpensive to prepare, is comparable to fresh blood for the enumeration of major leukocyte cell types. For the following study, we sought to extend these observations to distinct subsets of: monocytes (classical, intermediate, and non-classical), T-cells (CD4/CD8 naïve, central and effector memory, senescent, and terminally differentiated, and regulatory T-cells), and NK-cells (CD56 bright and dim); we also examined the expression of monocyte cell-surface receptors CX3CR1, CCR2, TLR2, and TLR4. Our results indicate that cryopreserved blood is comparable to fresh blood; with exception to relatively rare subsets and lowly expressed receptors, the absolute or relative frequency of cell subsets generally correlated >0.80 between blood types, while monocyte receptor expressed was mostly >0.70. Furthermore, the day-to-day coefficient of variation for most cell subsets and parameters was below 20%. Given these findings, we suggest that cryopreserved peripheral blood be given greater consideration for studies in which the quantification of distinct leukocyte subsets is required. © 2018 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

The relation between DNA methylation patterns and serum cytokine levels in community-dwelling adults: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: The levels of circulating cytokines fluctuate with age, acute illness, and chronic disease, and are predictive of mortality; this is also true for patterns of DNA (CpG) methylation. Given that immune cells are particularly sensitive to changes in the concentration of cytokines in their microenvironment, we hypothesized that serum levels of TNF, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 would correlate with genome-wide alterations in the DNA methylation levels of blood leukocytes. To test this, we evaluated community-dwelling adults (n = 14; 48-78 years old) recruited to a pilot study for the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), examining DNA methylation patterns in peripheral blood mononuclear cells using the Illumina HumanMethylation 450 K BeadChip. RESULTS: We show that, apart from age, serum IL-10 levels exhibited the most substantial association to DNA methylation patterns, followed by TNF, IL-6 and IL-8. Furthermore, while the levels of these cytokines were higher in elderly adults, no associations with epigenetic accelerated aging, derived using the epigenetic clock, were observed. CONCLUSIONS: As a preliminary study with a small sample size, the conclusions drawn from this work must be viewed with caution; however, our observations are encouraging and certainly warrant more suitably powered studies of this relationship.

Tulip deformity with Cera atrial septal defect devices: a report of 3 cases.

Device closure of secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) is the treatment of choice when anatomy is favourable. Amplatzer device has remained the gold standard for closure of ASD. Cobra deformity is a well-reported problem with devices. Recently, Tulip deformity has been reported in a single case. We report a series of cases where we noted Tulip deformity along with inability to retract the device in the sheath in Cera Lifetech devices. This resulted in prolongation of procedure, excessive fluoroscopic exposure and additional interventional procedures not usually anticipated in ASD device closure. We believe that the problem is due to the stiffness of the device resulting in its inability to be retracted into the sheath. We also report a unique way of retrieving the device.

Oral flecainide is effective in management of refractory tachycardia in infants.

BACKGROUND: Propranolol and digoxin have been used as first line drugs for treatment of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) in infants. Flecainide and other drugs have been effective as a second line treatment for controlling refractory SVT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a prospective study without randomization and control. The inclusion criteria were: infants (≤12 months) with tachyarrhythmia who failed to respond to first line drugs. Patients having post-surgical arrhythmias were excluded from the study. RESULTS: A total of 8 infants were treated with flecainide for refractory tachyarrhythmia's. Diagnosis on electrocardiogram (ECG) was atrioventricular reentry tachycardia (AVRT) in 5, atrial ectopic tachycardia (AET) in 2, a combination of AVRT and atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT) in 1. All patients had failed trial of antiarrhythmic drugs prior to presentation: digoxin and propranolol in 7, amiodarone in 3, cardioversion in 1. Flecainide (80-130 mg/m(2) orally) resulted in termination of the tachycardia in all 8 patients. Acute pharmacological termination of arrhythmia occurred with oral flecainide loading in 1 and temporarily with intravenous esmolol loading in 1 patient. Adjuvant therapy in form of propranolol was used in 5 and digoxin in 2. There were no side effects noted. Four episodes of recurrence were noted in 3 patients over 2 years, all of which responded to dose increase. Mean follow up time is 24.75 months. CONCLUSION: This small case series indicates that flecainide is an effective antiarrhythmic agent, free of side effects and when used orally is capable of terminating and controlling relatively resistant supraventricular tachycardia in children.

Indian Guidelines for Indications and Timing of Intervention for Common Congenital Heart Diseases: Revised and Updated Consensus Statement of the Working Group on Management of Congenital Heart Diseases. Abridged Secondary Publication.

JUSTIFICATION: A number of guidelines are available for management of congenital heart diseases from infancy to adult life. However, these guidelines are for patients living in high income countries. Separate guidelines, applicable to Indian children, are required when recommending an intervention for congenital heart diseases, as often these patients present late in the course of the disease and may have co-existing morbidities and malnutrition. PROCESS: Guidelines emerged following expert deliberations at the National Consensus Meeting on Management of Congenital Heart Diseases in India, held on 10th and 11th of August 2018 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. The meeting was supported by Children's HeartLink, a non-governmental organization based in Minnesota, USA. OBJECTIVES: To frame evidence based guidelines for (i) indications and optimal timing of intervention in common congenital heart diseases; (ii) follow-up protocols for patients who have undergone cardiac surgery/catheter interventions for congenital heart diseases. RECOMMENDATIONS: Evidence based recommendations are provided for indications and timing of intervention in common congenital heart diseases, including left-to-right shunts (atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, atrioventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus and others), obstructive lesions (pulmonary stenosis, aortic stenosis and coarctation of aorta) and cyanotic congenital heart diseases (tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of great arteries, univentricular hearts, total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, Ebstein anomaly and others). In addition, protocols for follow-up of post surgical patients are also described, disease wise.

Indian guidelines for indications and timing of intervention for common congenital heart diseases: Revised and updated consensus statement of the Working group on management of congenital heart diseases.

A number of guidelines are available for the management of congenital heart diseases (CHD) from infancy to adult life. However, these guidelines are for patients living in high-income countries. Separate guidelines, applicable to Indian children, are required when recommending an intervention for CHD, as often these patients present late in the course of the disease and may have coexisting morbidities and malnutrition. Guidelines emerged following expert deliberations at the National Consensus Meeting on Management of Congenital Heart Diseases in India, held on August 10 and 11, 2018, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The meeting was supported by Children's HeartLink, a nongovernmental organization based in Minnesota, USA. The aim of the study was to frame evidence-based guidelines for (i) indications and optimal timing of intervention in common CHD; (ii) follow-up protocols for patients who have undergone cardiac surgery/catheter interventions for CHD; and (iii) indications for use of pacemakers in children. Evidence-based recommendations are provided for indications and timing of intervention in common CHD, including left-to-right shunts (atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, atrioventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and others), obstructive lesions (pulmonary stenosis, aortic stenosis, and coarctation of aorta), and cyanotic CHD (tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of great arteries, univentricular hearts, total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, Ebstein's anomaly, and others). In addition, protocols for follow-up of postsurgical patients are also described, disease wise. Guidelines are also given on indications for implantation of permanent pacemakers in children.

Guidelines for the management of common congenital heart diseases in India: A consensus statement on indications and timing of intervention.

INTRODUCTION: A number of guidelines are available for management of congenital heart diseases from infancy to adult life. However, these guidelines are for patients living in high-income countries. Separate guidelines, applicable to Indian children, are required when recommending an intervention for congenital heart diseases, as often these patients present late in the course of the disease and may have co-existing morbidities and malnutrition. PROCESS: Guidelines emerged following expert deliberations at the National Consensus Meeting on Management of Congenital Heart Diseases in India, held on the 10th and 11th of August, 2018 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to frame evidence-based guidelines for (i) indications and optimal timing of intervention in common congenital heart diseases and (ii) follow-up protocols for patients who have undergone cardiac surgery/catheter interventions for congenital heart diseases. RECOMMENDATIONS: Evidence-based recommendations are provided for indications and timing of intervention in common congenital heart diseases, including left-to-right shunts, obstructive lesions, and cyanotic congenital heart diseases. In addition, protocols for follow-up of postsurgical patients are also described.

Voriconazole in newborns.

Voriconazole is a newer systemic antifungal agent effective against Candida and Aspergillus. There are few reports of its safe use in newborns. We report the first case series of safe Voriconazole use in critically ill newborns with cardiac disease along with several other cardiac drugs without any significant drug interaction or side-effect.

A comprehensive assessment of immunophenotyping performed in cryopreserved peripheral whole blood.

BACKGROUND: Monitoring the frequency and phenotype of white blood cell subsets using flow cytometry (immunophenotyping) has proven to be an incredibly powerful tool in the assessment of health. Although improved technologies have aided in the practical implementation of immunophenotyping in clinical and epidemiological studies, the transportation of blood from the site of collection to a central laboratory for analysis within a reasonable timeframe may not be feasible. Hence, the purpose of the following study was to investigate the validity of cryopreserved whole blood as a simple to prepare and cost-effective biospecimen for multi-colour immunophenotyping in a large epidemiological study-namely, The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). METHODS: In fresh and cryopreserved blood and cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) we measured cellular viability and the quantities (absolute counts and relative frequencies) of total leukocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, CD4/CD8 T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, NKT cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), and basophils. RESULTS: Estimates obtained from immunophenotyping in cryopreserved blood were comparable to fresh blood (Avg. rho: absolute cell counts = 0.71, frequency relative to CD45 leukocytes = 0.84, frequency relative to PBMCs = 0.86), cryopreserved PBMCs (0.86), and complete blood counts by hematological analyzer (0.71) and exhibited good intra- and inter-assay precision (Avg. CV = 4% and 3%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Given this, cryopreserved blood should be considered a feasible biospecimen in clinical and epidemiological studies requiring leukocyte immunophenotyping. © 2017 International Clinical Cytometry Society.

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia in two boys aged 5 and 10 years.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant lipid disorder. Homozygous FH (HFH), though rare, presents in early childhood. Two different presentations of HFH are reported. The first child presented at 5 years of age with xanthomas on the knees, elbows and buttocks and failure to thrive since the second year of life. He was found to be hypertensive with moderate aortic regurgitation. He is now stable on statins and antihypertensives. The second child presented at 10 years of age with multiple xanthomas and severe aortic stenosis. He died of refractory cardiac failure despite emergency aortic balloon valvoplasty due to diffuse coronary artery disease. Strong clinical suspicion can aid early diagnosis and delay cardiovascular complications.

Infective endocarditis.

Infective Endocarditis (IE) is a known and a well-described complication of congenital and acquired heart disease. Its onset may be related to a procedure (which is commonly dental) or to poor dental hygiene. Use of antibiotics prior to the procedure prevents IE. General awareness of dental hygiene and use of prophylactic antibiotic is as much a responsibility of the Pediatrician as it is of the Pediatric Cardiologist. This article reviews the changing epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and the microbiology of IE. Duke criteria for diagnosis of IE and the role of echocardiography in diagnosis of IE are discussed. There is special emphasis on the prevention of IE.

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty following Kawasaki Disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) can result in coronary artery disease in the form of ectasia, aneurysm and stenosis. The final complication can be myocardial infarction. We report a child who presented with severe left ventricular dysfunction following KD and was detected on angiography to have total left anterior descending artery occlusion. Angioplasty was done which resulted in improvement in the flow. Follow up angiography a year later showed recurrence of total occlusion.

Gastrointestinal bleed with clopidogrel and aspirin.

Anti-platelet drugs have been used to prevent thrombosis of systemic to pulmonary artery shunts. Aspirin has traditionally been used. Clopidogrel is being studied as an alternative and in combination with aspirin for shunt patients. We report a near fatal gastro-intestinal bleed in a patient with shunt and on aspirin and clopidogrel. This combination has been known to produce similar bleeds. The authors recommend caution in combining them. Prospective studies currently underway should evaluate this aspect of the antiplatelet drugs.

Posttransplant complex inferior venacava balloon dilatation after hepatic vein stenting.

Orthotopic and living related liver transplantation is an established mode of treatment of end-stage liver disease. One of the major causes of postoperative complications is vascular anastomotic stenosis. One such set of such complications relates to hepatic vein, inferior vena cava (IVC), or portal vein stenosis, with a reported incidence of 1-3%. The incidence of vascular complications is reported to be higher in living donor versus cadaveric liver transplants. We encountered a patient with hepatic venous outflow tract obstruction, where the hepatic vein had been previously stented, but the patient continued to have symptoms due to additional IVC obstruction. The patient required double-balloon dilatation of the IVC simultaneously from the internal jugular vein and IVC.

Pentalogy of Cantrell with left ventricular diverticulum: a case report and review of literature.

Pentalogy of Cantrell is a rare congenital anomaly involving deficiency of the following structures: anterior diaphragm, supraumbilical abdominal wall, diaphragmatic pericardium, lower sternum, and associated congenital intracardiac abnormality. We describe a 3-month-old child with this syndrome having left ventricular diverticulum along with omphalocele who presented to us with a pulsating mass in the epigastrium. The defect was evaluated and defined by computed tomography scan. A team of pediatric, cardiac, and plastic surgeons successfully repaired the defects. This case report discusses the review of literature along with management options and concludes that there must be an emphasis on early repair of left ventricular diverticulum to prevent complications. Antenatal ultrasound can also detect the anomaly, and early postnatal diagnosis of the syndrome, followed by immediate surgical repair, can prevent lethal complications.