YKL-40 in patients with end-stage renal disease receiving haemodialysis.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine serum YKL-40 in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on haemodialysis (HD) and to evaluate the prognostic value of serum YKL-40. METHODS: Patients >18 years on maintenance HD were included. Serum YKL-40 was measured using ELISA before and after a single HD treatment. RESULTS: A total of 306 patients were included. Median serum YKL-40 concentration was 238 µgL-1 (IQR: 193-291 µgL-1) before HD treatment and 198 µgL-1 (IQR: 147-258 µgL-1) after HD treatment, which corresponded to age-corrected 93th percentile in healthy subjects. All-cause mortality after 2.8 years was 35.9%. Patients with serum YKL-40 in the highest quartile compared with the lowest quartile had a univariate HR of 4.0 (95% CI: 2.2-7.3, p < 0.001) for all-cause mortality which decreased to 2.4 (95% CI: 1.1-4.5, p = 0.01) in multivariate analysis. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves showed that serum YKL-40 after HD treatment had significant higher area under the curves from 90 d (p = 0.004) and throughout the rest of the follow-up period when compared to serum YKL-40 before HD treatment. CONCLUSION: YKL-40 was highly elevated in patients with ESRD on HD, and dialysis reduced serum YKL-40 concentrations approximately one-sixth. YKL-40 measured after dialysis was independently associated with mortality in HD patients.

Prevalence of infective endocarditis in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia: the value of screening with echocardiography.

AIMS: Staphylococcus aureus infective endocarditis (IE) is a critical medical condition associated with a high morbidity and mortality. In the present study, we prospectively evaluated the importance of screening with echocardiography in an unselected S. aureus bacteraemia (SAB) population. METHODS AND RESULTS: From 1 January 2009 to 31 August 2010, a total of 244 patients with SAB at six Danish hospitals underwent screening echocardiography. The inclusion rate was 73% of all eligible patients (n= 336), and 53 of the 244 included patients (22%; 95% CI: 17-27%) were diagnosed with definite IE. In patients with native heart valves the prevalence was 19% (95% CI: 14-25%) compared with 38% (95% CI: 20-55%) in patients with prosthetic heart valves and/or cardiac rhythm management devices (P= 0.02). No difference was found between Main Regional Hospitals and Tertiary Cardiac Hospitals, 20 vs. 23%, respectively (NS). The prevalence of IE in high-risk patients with one or more predisposing condition or clinical evidence of IE were significantly higher compared with low-risk patients with no additional risk factors (38 vs. 5%; P < 0.001). IE was associated with a higher 6 months mortality, 14(26%) vs. 28(15%) in SAB patients without IE, respectively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: SAB patients carry a high risk for development of IE, which is associated with a worse prognosis compared with uncomplicated SAB. The presenting symptoms and clinical findings associated with IE are often non-specific and echocardiography should always be considered as part of the initial evaluation of SAB patients.

Whole-genome sequencing of bloodstream Staphylococcus aureus isolates does not distinguish bacteraemia from endocarditis.

Most Staphylococcus aureus isolates can cause invasive disease given the right circumstances, but it is unknown if some isolates are more likely to cause severe infections than others. S. aureus bloodstream isolates from 120 patients with definite infective endocarditis and 121 with S. aureus bacteraemia without infective endocarditis underwent whole-genome sequencing. Genome-wide association analysis was performed using a variety of bioinformatics approaches including SNP analysis, accessory genome analysis and k-mer based analysis. Core and accessory genome analyses found no association with either of the two clinical groups. In this study, the genome sequences of S. aureus bloodstream isolates did not discriminate between bacteraemia and infective endocarditis. Based on our study and the current literature, it is not convincing that a specific S. aureus genotype is clearly associated to infective endocarditis in patients with S. aureus bacteraemia.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients with end-stage kidney disease on hemodialysis.

The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in hemodialysis patients with spirometry and to examine the effects of fluid removal by hemodialysis on lung volumes. Patients ≥18 years at two Danish hemodialysis centers were included. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1 ), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1 /FVC ratio were measured with spirometry before and after hemodialysis. The diagnosis of COPD was based on both the GOLD criteria and the lower limit of normal criteria. There were 372 patients in treatment at the two centers, 255 patients (69%) completed spirometry before dialysis and 242 of these (65%) repeated the test after. In the initial test, 117 subjects (46%) had airflow limitation indicative of COPD with GOLD criteria and 103 subjects (40.4%) with lower limit of normal criteria; COPD was previously diagnosed in 24 patients (9%). Mean FVC and FEV1 decreased mildly after dialysis (FVC: 2.84 to 2.79 L, P < 0.01. FEV1 : 1.97 to 1.93 L, P < 0.01) Hemodialysis did not affect the FEV1 /FVC ratio or number of subjects with airflow limitation indicative of COPD (113 vs. 120, P = 0.324; n = 242). COPD is a frequent and underdiagnosed comorbidity in patients on chronic hemodialysis. Spirometry should be considered in all patients on dialysis in order to address dyspnea adequately. Hemodialysis induced a small fall in mean FEV1 and FVC, which was more pronounced in patients with little or no fluid removal, but the FEV1 /FVC ratio and the number of subjects with airflow limitation indicative of COPD were not affected by dialysis.

[Severe dysautonomy as a result of intra-cranial bleeding can cause an electrical storm with auricular fibrillation]. / Svær dysautonomi som følge af intrakranial blødning kan udløse elektrisk storm med ventrikelflimren.

A 69-year-old woman with a medical history of stroke and an ICD device due to torsade de pointes was admitted with a right basal ganglia haemorrhage. In the hours after admission the patient's condition severely declined and she developed fever, hypertension and flushing consistent with autonomic dysfunction with sympathetic storming. ICD interrogation revealed electrical storm with 138 appropriate shocks delivered at the night of admission. We wish to draw attention to the close link between brain and heart, which in predisposed patients with a new stroke can cause malignant arrhythmias.

[Stress-induced Takotsubo cardiomyopathy]. / Stressinduceret takotsubokardiomyopati.

A case of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is described in a postmenopausal woman admitted for suspected recent myocardial infarction, triggered by significant social stress during a family Christmas dinner. Coronary angiography showed no significant lesions. Acute echocardiography demonstrated apical ballooning and an ejection fraction of 30%. The clinical course was uneventful and after one month, echocardiography showed complete resolution of the apical ballooning and recovery of left ventricular systolic function.

Variability of insulin-stimulated myocardial glucose uptake in healthy elderly subjects.

The aim of this study was to assess regional and global variability of insulin-stimulated myocardial glucose uptake in healthy elderly subjects and to evaluate potentially responsible factors. Twenty men with a mean age of 64 years, no history of cardiovascular disease, and normal blood pressure, bicycle exercise test, electrocardiogram and echocardiography were studied [ P(coronary artery disease) <5%]. Whole-body insulin sensitivity and insulin-stimulated myocardial glucose uptake were measured during hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic glucose clamp with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose, and myocardial rest and hyperaemic blood flow during dipyridamole infusion were measured with nitrogen-13 ammonia and positron emission tomography in 16 left ventricular myocardial segments. Intra-individual and inter-individual variability of insulin-stimulated myocardial glucose uptake [relative dispersion = (standard deviation/mean)] was 13% and 29% respectively. Although inter-individual variability of glucose uptake and blood flow at rest was of the same magnitude, no correlation was found between these measures. Regional and global insulin-stimulated myocardial glucose uptake correlated linearly with whole-body insulin sensitivity ( r=0.51, P<0.05 and r=0.56, P<0.01). The strongest independent association by multivariate linear regression analysis was found between myocardial glucose uptake and hyperaemic blood flow ( r=0.63, P<0.005). We conclude that in healthy elderly subjects, insulin-stimulated myocardial glucose uptake is homogeneous throughout the left ventricle, but has moderate inter-individual variability. Inter-individual variability of insulin-stimulated myocardial glucose uptake is primarily explained by variability in coronary vascular reactivity and tissue insulin sensitivity.