Serum Calcium and the Risk of Breast Cancer: Findings from the Swedish AMORIS Study and a Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.

To investigate the association between serum calcium and risk of breast cancer using a large cohort and a systematic review with meta-analysis. From the Swedish Apolipoprotein Mortality Risk (AMORIS) Study we included 229,674 women who had baseline measurements of serum total calcium and albumin. Multivariable Cox regression was used to assess the association between total and albumin-corrected calcium and breast cancer risk. For the systematic review, an electronic search of MEDLINE and EMBASE databases was performed to identify other prospective cohorts assessing the relationship between serum calcium and breast cancer risk. We pooled the results of our AMORIS cohort with other eligible studies in a meta-analysis using a random effects model. I² test was used to assess heterogeneity. In the AMORIS study, 10,863 women were diagnosed with breast cancer (mean follow-up: 19 years). We found an inverse association between total serum calcium and breast cancer when comparing the fourth quartile to the first quartile (HR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.88-0.99, p value for trend 0.04) and similar results using albumin-corrected calcium. In the systematic review, we identified another two prospective cohorts evaluating pre-diagnostic serum total calcium and breast cancer. Combining these studies and our findings in AMORIS in a meta-analysis showed a protective effect of serum calcium against breast cancer, with a summary RR of 0.80 (95% CI: 0.66-0.97). No substantial heterogeneity was observed. Our findings in AMORIS and the meta-analysis support an inverse association between serum calcium and breast cancer risk, which warrants mechanistic investigations.

Lower urinary tract autonomic dysfunction evaluation in spinal cord injury patients: an applied example.

INTRODUCTION: The International Standards for the Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) is a measure for motor-sensory dysfunction following spinal cord injury (SCI) but does not assess the autonomic nervous system dysfunction. The International Standards to document remaining Autonomic Dysfunction after Spinal Cord Injury (ISAFSCI) has been recommended to study autonomic dysfunction in such patients. We present a case presentation to demonstrate how to use the ISAFSCI and ISCoS urodynamics data set in persons with SCIs. CASE PRESENTATION: A 24-year-old caucasian male presents with T4 ASIA SCI. We followed the patient over the course of 18 months. We present his clinical picture at different stages and how to apply ISAFSCI and ISCoS urodynamic data set to this patient. DISCUSSION: The ISAFSCI and ISCoS urodynamics data sets are important tools in the repertoire of the clinician assessing autonomic dysfunction in persons with SCIs. They allow efficient clinical assessment of patients and standard communication between clinical care providers.

Radial artery for coronary artery bypass grafting: does proximal anastomosis to the aorta or left internal mammary artery achieve better patency?

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was 'in coronary artery bypass grafting using radial artery grafts, does proximal anastomosis to the aorta or left internal mammary artery achieve better patency'. Altogether >183 papers were found using the reported search, of which 9 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated. Radial artery grafts typically have a narrower lumen than vein grafts, and as such there is some concern that anastomosing them directly to the aorta during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) may impair graft patency. As such, some surgeons prefer to anastomose radial artery grafts to a second-order vessel such as the left internal mammary artery (LIMA). We sought to assess the evidence for this. A handful of papers directly addressing the issue of the effect of the site of proximal anastomosis on graft patency were found, with three showing no significant difference. One such study reported an insignificant difference in angiographic patency at 32 months postoperatively, with 94.1% of off-aorta grafts remaining patent vs 87.2% of off-LIMA grafts (p = 0.123). However, a large-scale well-designed study was able to demonstrate a statistically significant difference at five years postoperatively, with 74.3% of off-aorta grafts patent, compared with 65.2% of off-LIMA (p = 0.004). Nonetheless, a number of papers that report patency for either off-aorta or off-LIMA grafts give comparable figures for each technique. Additionally, different centres and investigators report very different patency results for grafts that have the same site of proximal anastomosis. One centre was able to achieve patency rates for off-LIMA grafts of 88% up to a mean of 7.7 years postoperatively while another centre reported a patency rate of only 78.6% at three years. Given this, and the plethora of other factors influencing graft patency, we conclude that the best evidence suggests that the site of proximal anastomosis has little or no effect on radial artery graft patency following CABG.