Two Cases of Painful Thyroiditis With Subsequent Hypothyroidism Following Cord Blood Transplant.

We report two rare cases of painful thyroiditis approximately 100 days after unrelated cord blood transplantation (CBT), which progressed to hypothyroidism. Patient one, a 45-year-old woman, developed goiter, tenderness, and thyrotoxicity on day 100 after CBT for relapsed acute lymphocytic leukemia. Scintigraphy suggested destructive thyroiditis; symptoms improved with one-month beta-blocker and prednisolone treatment. Two months later, hypothyroidism developed which required supplementation-based treatment. Patient two, a 49-year-old man, developed goiter, tenderness, and thyrotoxicosis on day 96 after CBT for acute myelogenous leukemia. Hypothyroidism developed after nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatment. Thyroiditis and hypothyroidism should be considered in patients who develop neck pain after CBT.

Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index is associated with adverse outcomes in patients with hypertension: the Fukushima Cohort study.

Malnutrition is reportedly associated with adverse clinical outcomes in various populations. However, associations between nutritional status and adverse outcomes in patients with hypertension have not been sufficiently elucidated. We therefore aimed to investigate the impact of nutritional status as evaluated by the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) on adverse outcomes in patients with hypertension. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1588 hypertensive patients enrolled in the Fukushima Cohort Study. Participants were categorized into tertiles (T1-T3) according to GNRI at baseline. The primary endpoint of the present study was a kidney event, defined as a combination of a 50% decline in eGFR from baseline and end-stage kidney disease requiring kidney replacement therapy. Associations between GNRI and kidney events were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Median age was 64 years, 55% were men, median eGFR was 63.1 mL/min/1.73 m2, and median GNRI was 101.3. The lower GNRI group (T1) showed an increased incidence of kidney events in the Kaplan-Meier curve analysis. Compared to the highest GNRI group (T3), lower GNRI carried a higher risk of kidney events for both T2 (hazard ratio [HR] 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.71-2.68) and T1 (HR 3.59, 95%CI 1.96-6.63). Similar relationships were observed for risks of all-cause death and cardiovascular events. Lower GNRI was associated with kidney events, all-cause death, and cardiovascular events in patients with hypertension. Nutritional status as evaluated by GNRI could offer a simple and useful predictor of adverse outcomes in this population.

Antithrombin supplementation attenuates heparin resistance in plasma spiked with Gla-domainless factor Xa S195A in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Andexanet alfa is a Gla-domainless mutant (S195A) factor Xa (GDXa) approved for acute reversal of oral factor Xa inhibitors. Cardiac surgery patients exposed to andexanet before cardiopulmonary bypass often exhibit severe heparin resistance. There is a paucity of data on the effectiveness and optimal dosage of antithrombin use in this setting. The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro effect of increased heparin with antithrombin levels on attenuating heparin resistance induced by GDXa. METHODS: Heparinised normal pooled plasma and cardiopulmonary bypass plasma were spiked with GDXa 4 µM. Tissue factor-activated thrombin generation was used to assess heparin reversal effects of GDXa and restoration of anticoagulation with additional heparin with and without antithrombin. Serum thrombin-antithrombin complex, antithrombin activity, and tissue factor pathway inhibitor were also measured in tissue factor-activated, recalcified cardiopulmonary bypass plasma spiked with GDXa. RESULTS: In normal pooled plasma, GDXa-induced heparin reversal was mitigated by maintaining a high heparin concentration (12 U ml-1) and supplementing antithrombin (1.5-4.5 µM) based on peak and velocity of thrombin generation. Heparin reversal by GDXa was also demonstrated in cardiopulmonary bypass plasma, but supplementing both heparin (8 U ml-1) and antithrombin (3 µM) attenuated GDXa-induced changes in peak and velocity of thrombin generation by 72.5% and 72.2%, respectively. High heparin and antithrombin levels attenuated thrombin-antithrombin complex formation in tissue factor-activated, GDXa-spiked cardiopulmonary bypass plasma by 85.7%, but tissue factor pathway inhibitor remained depleted compared with control cardiopulmonary bypass plasma. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous supplementation of heparin and antithrombin mitigate GDXa-induced heparin resistance by compensating for the loss of tissue factor pathway inhibitor.

Point-of-care testing for tranexamic acid efficacy: a proof-of-concept study in cardiac surgical patients.

BACKGROUND: Low-dose tranexamic acid (TXA) has been recently recommended for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to reduce associated complications. Although point-of-care laboratory tests for TXA concentrations are unavailable, a novel TPA-test on the ClotPro® system can measure TXA-induced inhibition of fibrinolysis. We evaluated the performance of the TPA-test in vitro and in patients undergoing surgery requiring CPB. METHODS: Blood samples were obtained from six volunteers for in vitro evaluation of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)-triggered fibrinolysis and the effects of TXA. This was followed by an observational study in 20 cardiac surgery patients to assess clinical effects of TXA on the TPA-test. RESULTS: Hyperfibrinolysis induced by tPA was inhibited by TXA ≥2 mg L-1 in a concentration-dependent manner, and was completely inhibited at TXA ≥10 mg L-1. In patients undergoing CPB, antifibrinolytic effect was detectable on TPA-test parameters after a 0.1 g bolus of TXA at the end of CPB, and complete inhibition of fibrinolysis was obtained with TXA ≥0.5 g. The antifibrinolytic effects of 1 g TXA on TPA-test parameters were gradually attenuated over 18 h after surgery. However, the fibrinolytic inhibition continued in four patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≤30 ml min-1 1.73 m-2. The eGFR had strong correlations with TPA-test parameters at 18 h after surgery (r=0.86-0.92; P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The TPA-test is sensitive to low concentrations of TXA and serves as a practical monitoring tool for postoperative fibrinolytic activity in cardiac surgery patients. This test might be particularly useful in patients with severe renal impairment.

Texture Features of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography for Predicting Programmed Death-Ligand-1 Levels in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Identifying programmed death-ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression is crucial for optimizing treatment strategies involving immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, the role of intratumoral metabolic heterogeneity specifically derived from 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) images in predicting PD-L1 expression in patients with newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the association between FDG PET texture features and PD-L1 expression by retrospectively analyzing the data of patients newly diagnosed with NSCLC who underwent FDG PET/CT scans and PD-L1 immunohistochemical staining before treatment. Methods: Patients were categorized based on their tumor proportion scores (TPSs) into negative-, low-, and high-PD-L1 expression groups. We computed the maximum standardized uptake value and 31 texture features for the primary tumor from PET images and compared differences in parameters among the groups. Results: Of the 83 patients, 12, 45, and 26 were assigned to the negative-, low-, and high-PD-L1 expression groups, respectively. Six specific texture features (low gray-level run emphasis, short-run low gray-level emphasis, long-run high gray-level emphasis, low gray-level zone emphasis, high gray-level zone emphasis, and short-zone low gray-level emphasis) helped distinguish among all possible combinations. Conclusions: Our findings revealed that FDG PET texture features are potential imaging biomarkers for predicting PD-L1 expression in patients newly diagnosed with NSCLC.

Role of perirenal adiposity in renal dysfunction among CKD individuals with or without diabetes: a Japanese cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: It remains unclear whether increased perirenal fat (PRF) accumulation is equally related to renal involvement in patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). We evaluated the association between PRF volume (PRFV) and low glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and proteinuria in people with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 473 individuals without T2DM (non-DM, n=202) and with T2DM (DM, n=271). PRFV (cm3), obtained from non-contrast CT, was indexed as PRF index (PRFV/body surface area, cm3/m2). Multivariate-adjusted models were used to determine the ORs of PRFV and PRFV index for detecting estimated GFR (eGFR) decrease of <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 proteinuria onset, or both. RESULTS: Although body mass index (BMI), visceral fat area, and waist circumference were comparable between the non-DM and DM groups, kidney volume, PRFV, and PRFV index were higher in individuals with T2DM than in those without T2DM. In the multivariate analysis, after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, hypertension, smoking history, and visceral fat area ≥100 cm2, the cut-off values of PRFV index were associated with an eGFR<60 in individuals with DM (OR 6.01, 95% CI 2.20 to 16.4, p<0.001) but not in those without DM. CONCLUSIONS: PRFV is associated with low eGFR in patients with T2DM but not in those without T2DM. This suggests that PRF accumulation is more closely related to the onset and progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) than non-DKD. Clarifying the mechanisms through which PRF influences DKD development could pave the way for novel prevention and treatment strategies.

Predicting CKD progression using time-series clustering and light gradient boosting machines.

Predicting the transition of kidney function in chronic kidney disease is difficult as specific symptoms are lacking and often overlooked, and progress occurs due to complicating factors. In this study, we applied time-series cluster analysis and a light gradient boosting machine to predict the trajectories of kidney function in non-dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease patients with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ≥ 45 mL/min/1.73 m2. Based on 5-year changes in estimated GFR, participants were stratified into groups with similar trajectories by cluster analysis. Next, we applied the light gradient boosting machine algorithm and Shapley addictive explanation to develop a prediction model for clusters and identify important parameters for prediction. Data from 780 participants were available for analysis. Participants were classified into five classes (Class 1: n = 78, mean [± standard deviation] estimated GFR 100 ± 19.3 mL/min/1.73 m2; Class 2: n = 176, 76.0 ± 9.3 mL/min/1.73 m2; Class 3: n = 191, 59.8 ± 5.9 mL/min/1.73 m2; Class 4: n = 261, 52.7 ± 4.6 mL/min/1.73 m2; and Class 5: n = 74, 53.5 ± 12.0 mL/min/1.73 m2). Declines in estimated GFR were 8.9% in Class 1, 12.2% in Class 2, 4.9% in Class 3, 12.0% in Class 4, and 45.1% in Class 5 during the 5-year period. The accuracy of prediction was 0.675, and the top three most important Shapley addictive explanation values were 1.61 for baseline estimated GFR, 0.12 for hemoglobin, and 0.11 for body mass index. The estimated GFR transition of patients with preserved chronic kidney disease mostly depended on baseline estimated GFR, and the borderline for estimated GFR trajectory was nearly 50 mL/min/1.73 m2.

Protamine dosing and its impact in cardiac surgery transfusion practice-A retrospective bi-institutional analysis.

BACKGROUND: Bleeding after cardiac surgery is common and continues to require 10-20% of the national blood supply. Transfusion of allogeneic blood is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Excessive protamine in the absence of circulating heparin after weaning off CPB can cause anticoagulation and precipitate bleeding. Hence, adequate dose calculation of protamine is crucial yet under evaluated. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective bi-institutional analysis of cardiac surgical patients who underwent cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)-assisted cardiac surgery to assess the impact of protamine dosing in transfusion practice. Total 762 patients were identified from two institutions using electronic medical records and the Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS) database who underwent cardiac surgery using CPB. Patients were similar in demographics and other baseline characteristics. We divided patients into two groups based on mg of protamine administered to neutralize each 100 U of unfractionated heparin (UFH)-low-ratio group (Protamine: UFH ≤ 0.8) and high-ratio group (Protamine: UFH > 0.8). RESULTS: We observed a higher rate of blood transfusion required in high-ratio group (ratio >0.8) compared with low-ratio group (ratio ≤0.8) (p < .001). The increased requirement was consistently demonstrated for intraoperative transfusions of red blood cells, plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate. CONCLUSION: High protamine to heparin ratio may cause increased bleeding and transfusion in cardiac surgical patients. Protamine to heparin ratio of 0.8 or lower is sufficient to neutralize circulating heparin after weaning off cardiopulmonary bypass.

Finding a common definition of heparin resistance in adult cardiac surgery: communication from the ISTH SSC subcommittee on perioperative and critical care thrombosis and hemostasis.

Ensuring adequate anticoagulation for patients requiring cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is important due to the adverse consequences of inadequate anticoagulation with respect to bleeding and thrombosis. When target anticoagulation is not achieved with typical doses, the term heparin resistance is routinely used despite the lack of uniform diagnostic criteria. Prior reports and guidance documents that define heparin resistance in patients requiring CPB and guidance documents remain variable based on the lack of standardized criteria. As a result, we conducted a review of clinical trials and reports to evaluate the various heparin resistance definitions employed in this clinical setting and to identify potential standards for future clinical trials and clinical management. In addition, we also aimed to characterize the differences in the reported incidence of heparin resistance in the adult cardiac surgical literature based on the variability of both target-activated clotting (ACT) values and unfractionated heparin doses. Our findings suggest that the most extensively reported ACT target for CPB is 480 seconds or higher. Although most publications define heparin resistance as a failure to achieve this target after a weight-based dose of either 400 U/kg or 500 U/kg of heparin, a standardized definition would be useful to guide future clinical trials and help improve clinical management. We propose the inability to obtain an ACT target for CPB of 480 seconds or more after 500 U/kg as a standardized definition for heparin resistance in this setting.

RNA Foci in Two bi-Allelic RFC1 Expansion Carriers.

Cerebellar ataxia, neuropathy, vestibular areflexia syndrome (CANVAS) is a late-onset, autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder caused by biallelic AAGGG/ACAGG repeat expansion (AAGGG-exp/ACAGG-exp) in RFC1. The recent identification of patients with CANVAS exhibiting compound heterozygosity for AAGGG-exp and truncating variants supports the loss-of-function of RFC1 in CANVAS patients. We investigated the pathological changes in 2 autopsied patients with CANVAS harboring biallelic ACAGG-exp and AAGGG-exp. RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization of the 2 patients revealed CCTGT- and CCCTT-containing RNA foci, respectively, in neuronal nuclei of tissues with neuronal loss. Our findings suggest that RNA toxicity may be involved in the pathogenesis of CANVAS. ANN NEUROL 2024;95:607-613.

Andexanet alfa or prothrombin complex concentrate for acute reversal of oral factor Xa inhibitors: monitoring of antidote effects.

This study in vitro comprehensively assessed reversal of the anticoagulant effects of rivaroxaban, an oral factor Xa inhibitor, using andexanet alfa and various prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) products in a battery of tests. In static coagulation assays, andexanet alpha outperformed PCCs except for activated PCC being more effective in standard coagulation times. However, in a flow chamber model mimicking arterial shear, both andexanet alpha and high-concentration PCC restored fibrin formation, but not platelet adhesion. In the Russell's viper venom test and anti-Xa assay, only andexanet alpha could be tested for efficacy. The antidote effects of andexanet alpha and PCCs in restoring coagulation can be qualitatively or selectively demonstrated using in vitro coagulation tests.