CT angiography for diagnosis of carotid near-occlusion: a digital subtraction angiography validation study.

INTRODUCTION: Carotid near-occlusion (CNO) is a variant of severe stenosis where there is a distal luminal collapse of the internal carotid artery (ICA) beyond a tight stenosis. This study aimed to validate new visual extracranial diagnostic CT angiography (CTA) criteria, for the diagnosis of CNO. The new criteria include distal ICA diameter smaller than contralateral ICA and distal ICA diameter less than or equal to the ipsilateral external carotid artery (ECA). We also assessed the previously described CTA criteria: stenosis ≤ 1.3 mm, ipsilateral distal ICA ≤ 3.5 mm, ipsilateral distal ICA/contralateral distal ICA ratio ≤ 0.87, ipsilateral distal ICA/ipsilateral ECA ≤ 1.27. METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with ICA stenosis (including the near-occlusion variant) or occlusion on digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were included. These patients had DSA and CTA studies completed within 30 days of each other. DSA was considered the reference test. Two neuroradiologists blinded to the DSA results assessed the CTA images and evaluated the new and previously published CNO diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: Twenty-eight CNO were identified with DSA. The "distal ICA diameter less than or equal to the ipsilateral ECA" criterion had 79% sensitivity and 83% specificity with excellent interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.80), while three or more of the previously published criteria reached 82% sensitivity and 90% specificity, with a good interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.64). CONCLUSIONS: CT angiography may be useful for CNO diagnosis. The new visual diagnostic criteria provide acceptable results of sensitivity and specificity with an excellent interobserver agreement. However, false-negative and positive results persist.

Underperformance of clinical risk scores in identifying imaging-based high cardiovascular risk in psoriasis: results from two observational cohorts.

AIMS: We aimed to evaluate whether traditional risk scores [short-term, 'psoriasis-modified' (multiplied by 1.5) and lifetime] were able to capture high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk as defined by the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in coronary, femoral, or carotid arteries in psoriasis. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used two prospectives obseravational cohorts. European cohort: femoral and carotid atherosclerotic plaques were evaluated by ultrasound in 73 psoriasis patients. Lifetime CVD risk (LTCVR) was evaluated with QRISK-LT; short-term CVD risk was evaluated with SCORE and psoriasis-modified SCORE. American cohort: 165 patients underwent coronary computed tomography angiography to assess presence of coronary plaques. LTCVR was evaluated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD-LT) lifetime; short-term CVD risk was evaluated with ASCVD and psoriasis-modified ASCVD. European cohort: subclinical atherosclerosis was present in 51% of patients. QRISK-LT identified 64% of patients with atherosclerosis missing a high proportion (35%) with atheroma plaque (P < 0.05). The percentage of patients with atherosclerosis identified by QRISK-LT was significantly higher than those detected by SCORE (0%) and modified SCORE (10%). American cohort: subclinical atherosclerosis was present in 54% of patients. ASCVD-LT captured 54% of patients with coronary plaques missing a high proportion (46%) with coronary plaque (P < 0.05). The percentage of patients with atheroma plaques detected with ASCVD and modified ASCVD were only 20% and 45%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Application of lifetime, short-term and 'psoriasis-modified' risk scores did not accurately capture psoriasis patients at high CVD risk.

Subclinical Liver Disease Is Associated with Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Psoriasis: Results from Two Observational Studies.

Psoriasis is associated with a higher risk of liver diseases. We investigated the impact of hepatic steatosis (European cohort) and hepatic inflammation (United States cohort) on subclinical atherosclerosis. In the European cohort (n = 76 psoriasis participants and 76 controls), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, assessed by the sonographic hepatorenal index, was more prevalent in psoriasis than in controls (61% vs. 45%; P = 0.04). Participants with psoriasis with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease had a higher prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis (ultrasonographic presence of plaque in femoral or carotid arteries) than participants with psoriasis without nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (61% vs. 23%; P = 0.006) and controls with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (61% vs. 32%; P < 0.05). Sonographic hepatorenal index was a determinant of subclinical atherosclerosis in psoriasis (OR = 3.5; P = 0.01). In the United States cohort (n = 162 participants with psoriasis who underwent positron emission tomography and coronary computed tomography angiography), those with high hepatic 2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake had higher noncalcified (1.3 [0.49 mm2] vs. 1.0 [0.40 mm2]), fibrofatty (0.23 [0.15 mm2] vs. 0.11 [0.087 mm2]), and lipid-rich necrotic core (4.3 [2.3 mm2] vs. 3.0 [1.7 mm2]) coronary burden (all P < 0.001). Hepatic 2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake associated with noncalcified (ß = 0.28; P < 0.001), fibrofatty (ß = 0.49; P < 0.001), and lipid-rich necrotic core (ß = 0.28; P = 0.003) burden. These results show the downstream cardiovascular effects of subclinical liver disease in psoriasis.

Impact of Biological Agents on Imaging and Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with Psoriasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: The effect of biologics on the risk for cardiovascular disease in patients with psoriasis is still unclear despite their widespread use. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the impact of licensed biological therapies on imaging and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk in patients with psoriasis by a systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials. METHODS: A comprehensive search of studies published before 1 June 2020 was performed in Medline-Ovid, EMBASE, and CENTRAL using a predefined strategy to identify relevant articles. RESULTS: Five studies were included for the final examination, and two studies were included in the meta-analysis. We did not find a significant reduction in aortic vascular inflammation in patients treated with adalimumab compared with those who received placebo at weeks 12-16. There was no beneficial effect on imaging biomarkers (aortic vascular inflammation or flow-mediated dilatation) of cardiovascular disease risk in patients exposed to biological therapies (adalimumab and secukinumab) compared with those exposed to placebo, except for ustekinumab showing a reduction in aortic vascular inflammation at week 12 but not at week 52 after the open-label extension period. The strongest reduction in blood-based cardiometabolic risk biomarkers was observed with adalimumab (CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, and GlycA) and phototherapy (CRP and IL-6) compared with that observed with placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Randomized controlled trials show that ustekinumab reduces aortic vascular inflammation and that TNF-α inhibitors and phototherapy reduce CRP and IL-6. These surrogate marker findings require randomized controlled trials evaluating cardiovascular events to inform clinical practice.

Subclinical atherosclerosis in psoriasis. Usefulness of femoral artery ultrasound for the diagnosis, and analysis of its relationship with insulin resistance.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) at younger ages that is not identifiable by traditional risk factors. Screening for subclinical atherosclerosis with ultrasound has only been investigated in carotid arteries. Femoral artery ultrasound has never been considered for this purpose. The link between psoriasis and accelerated atherosclerosis has not yet been established. OBJECTIVE: To study the usefulness of femoral artery ultrasound for the detection of subclinical atherosclerosis in psoriasis. We also investigated its possible relationship with changes in insulin resistance. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study in 140 participants, 70 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis and 70 healthy controls, matched 1:1 for age, sex, and BMI. Femoral and carotid atherosclerotic plaques were evaluated by ultrasonography. Insulin resistance was assessed by the homeostasis model assessment method (HOMA-IR). RESULTS: Femoral atherosclerotic plaque prevalence was significantly higher in patients with psoriasis (44.64%) than in controls (19.07%) (p<0.005), but no significant difference was found in carotid plaque prevalence (p<0.3). Femoral plaques were significantly more prevalent than carotid plaques (21.42%) among patients with psoriasis (p<0.001). In the regression analysis, insulin resistance was the most influential determinant of atherosclerosis in psoriasis and C-reactive protein the most significant predictor of insulin resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound screening for femoral atherosclerotic plaques improves the detection of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with psoriasis, whereas the study of carotid arteries is not sufficiently accurate. Insulin resistance appears to play a greater role in the development of atherosclerosis in these patients in comparison to other classical CVD risk factors.

[Predictive value of plasma cytokines for acute kidney injury following lung resection surgery: prospective observational study]. / Valor preditivo das citocinas plasmáticas para lesão renal aguda após cirurgia de ressecção pulmonar: estudo observacional prospectivo.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients undergoing lung resection surgery are at risk of developing postoperative acute kidney injury. Determination of cytokine levels allows the detection of an early inflammatory response. We investigated any temporal relationship among perioperative inflammatory status and development of acute kidney injury after lung resection surgery. Furthermore, we evaluated the impact of acute kidney injury on outcome and analyzed the feasibility of cytokines to predict acute kidney injury. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed 174 patients scheduled for elective lung resection surgery with intra-operative periods of one-lung ventilation. Fiberoptic broncho-alveolar lavage was performed in each lung before and after one-lung ventilation periods for cytokine analysis. As well, cytokine levels were measured from arterial blood samples at five time points. Acute kidney injury was diagnosed within 48h of surgery based estabilished criteria for its diagnosis. We analyzed the association between acute kidney injury and cardiopulmonary complications, length of intensive care unit and hospital stays, intensive care unit re-admission, and short-term and long-term mortality. RESULTS: The incidence of acute kidney injury in our study was 6.9% (12/174). Acute kidney injury patients showed higher plasma cytokine levels after surgery, but differences in alveolar cytokines were not detected. Although no patient required renal replacement therapy, acute kidney injury patients had higher incidence of cardiopulmonary complications and increased overall mortality. Plasma interleukin-6 at 6h was the most predictive cytokine of acute kidney injury (cut-off point at 4.89pg.mL-1). CONCLUSIONS: Increased postoperative plasma cytokine levels are associated with acute kidney injury after lung resection surgery in our study, which worsens the prognosis. Plasma interleukin-6 may be used as an early indicator for patients at risk of developing acute kidney injury after lung resection surgery.

Insulin resistance in lean and overweight non-diabetic Caucasian adults: Study of its relationship with liver triglyceride content, waist circumference and BMI.

AIMS: Insulin resistance is the pathophysiological precursor of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2), and its relationship with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been widely studied in patients with obesity or metabolic syndrome using not only ultrasound but also liver biopsies or proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H1-MRS) to assess liver fat content. In contrast, there are no studies on insulin resistance and NAFLD in lean or overweight Caucasian individuals using H1-MRS or liver biopsies for the quantification of hepatic triglyceride content. Our objectives were to study the presence of insulin resistance in lean and overweight Caucasian adults and investigate its possible relationship with liver triglyceride content, waist circumference (as proxy of visceral adiposity), BMI, and cardiometabolic risk factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 113 non-obese, non-diabetic individuals classified as overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2) or lean (BMI 19.5-24.9 kg/m2). Hepatic triglyceride content was quantified by 3T H1-MRS. NAFLD was defined as hepatic triglyceride content >5.56%. Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), serum adiponectin, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were determined. RESULTS: HOMA-IR was significantly correlated with hepatic triglyceride content (r:0.76; p<0.0001). The lean-with-NAFLD group had significantly higher HOMA-IR (p<0.001) and lower serum adiponectin (p<0.05) than the overweight-without-NAFLD group. Insulin resistance was independently associated with NAFLD but not with waist circumference or BMI. Regression analysis showed hepatic triglyceride content to be the most important determinant of insulin resistance (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that NAFLD, once established, seems to be involved in insulin resistance and cardio-metabolic risk factors above and beyond waist circumference and BMI in non-obese, non-diabetic Caucasian individuals.

Equine pericardium-covered stenting in post-traumatic pseudoaneurysm of cavernous internal carotid artery.

We report a case of traumatic intracranial carotid artery pseudoaneurysm treated with an equine pericardium-covered stent. The patient was admitted to the Emergency Department after sustaining severe polytrauma in a motor vehicle accident. A cavernous carotid pseudoaneurysm was detected after an episode of massive epistaxis that required emergent nasal packing. Treatment with parent vessel sacrifice was ruled out after an unfavourable balloon test occlusion. We opted for an equine pericardium-covered stent as a means to immediately seal the wall defect in the setting of massive bleeding secondary to an unstable lesion. We describe the potential benefits and drawbacks of these prostheses and the technical difficulties encountered in this particular case. To our best knowledge, this is the first published case report on a post-traumatic intracranial internal carotid artery pseudoaneurysm successfully treated with an equine pericardium-covered stent.

Diagnostic accuracy of serum alanine aminotransferase as biomarker for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance in healthy subjects, using 3T MR spectroscopy.

Recognition of the close relationship of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with diabetes mellitus 2, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease has stimulated growing interest in NAFLD as a public health problem. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) has been proposed as a marker of NAFLD, but levels are within the range currently considered "normal" in a large proportion of NAFLD subjects.The aim of the study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of serum ALT for identifying individuals with NAFLD, using 3-Tesla (T) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS).A cross-sectional study was conducted in 129 healthy subjects. Liver triglyceride content was quantified by H-MRS. NAFLD was defined as liver triglyceride content greater than 5.56%.Liver triglyceride content was >5.56% in 79 participants (NAFLD) and lower in the remaining 50 (normal). Serum ALT levels correlated positively with liver triglyceride content (r = 0.58, P < .001), Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (r = 0.32, P < .01), and fasting insulin (r = 0.31, P < .01), and inversely correlated with adiponectin (r = 0.35, P < .01) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = 0.32, P < .01). Regression analysis showed that serum ALT was the best predictor of NAFLD (P < .01). Optimal serum ALT cut-off to predict NAFLD was 23 IU/L (area under receiver-operating characteristic curve: 0.93; sensitivity: 0.94; specificity: 0.72).This study shows that serum ALT is a sensitive and accurate biomarker of NAFLD if the "normal" ALT value is revised and established at a lower level. An ALT threshold of 23 IU/L identified 94% of individuals with NAFLD in the present series, using 3-T H-MRS for liver triglyceride quantification.

Predictive value of plasma cytokines for acute kidney injury following lung resection surgery: prospective observational study / Valor preditivo das citocinas plasmáticas para lesão renal aguda após cirurgia de ressecção pulmonar: estudo observacional prospectivo

Abstract Background and objectives: Patients undergoing lung resection surgery are at risk of developing postoperative acute kidney injury. Determination of cytokine levels allows the detection of an early inflammatory response. We investigated any temporal relationship among perioperative inflammatory status and development of acute kidney injury after lung resection surgery. Furthermore, we evaluated the impact of acute kidney injury on outcome and analyzed the feasibility of cytokines to predict acute kidney injury. Methods: We prospectively analyzed 174 patients scheduled for elective lung resection surgery with intra-operative periods of one-lung ventilation periods. Fiberoptic broncho-alveolar lavage was performed in each lung before and after one-lung ventilation periods for cytokine analysis. As well, cytokine levels were measured from arterial blood samples at five time points. acute kidney injury was diagnosed within 48 h of surgery based on acute kidney injury criteria. We analyzed the association between acute kidney injury and cardiopulmonary complications, length of intensive care unit and hospital stays, intensive care unit re-admission, and short-term and long-term mortality. Results: The incidence of acute kidney injury in our study was 6.9% (12/174). Acute kidney injury patients showed higher plasma cytokine levels after surgery but differences in alveolar cytokines were not detected. Although no patient required renal replacement therapy, acute kidney injury patients had higher incidence of cardiopulmonary complications and increased overall mortality. Plasma interleukin-6 at 6 h was the most predictive cytokine of acute kidney injury (cut-off point at 4.89 pg.mL-1). Conclusions: Increased postoperative plasma cytokine levels are associated with acute kidney injury after lung resection surgery in our study, which worsens the prognosis. Plasma interleukin-6 may be used as an early indicator for patients at risk of developing acute kidney injury after lung resection surgery.

Resumo Justificativa e objetivos: Os pacientes submetidos à cirurgia de ressecção pulmonar apresentam risco de desenvolver lesão renal aguda pós-operatória. A determinação dos níveis de citocinas permite detectar uma resposta inflamatória precoce. Investigamos a relação temporal entre o estado inflamatório perioperatório e o desenvolvimento de lesão renal aguda após cirurgia de ressecção pulmonar. Além disso, avaliamos o impacto da lesão renal aguda no desfecho e analisamos a viabilidade das citocinas para prever este tipo de lesão. Métodos: No total, foram analisados prospectivamente 174 pacientes agendados para cirurgia eletiva de ressecção pulmonar com períodos intraoperatórios de ventilação monopulmonar. Lavado bronco-alveolar com fibra óptica foi realizado em cada pulmão antes e após os períodos de ventilação monopulmonar para análise das citocinas. Os níveis de citocina foram medidos a partir de amostras de sangue arterial em cinco momentos. A lesão renal aguda foi diagnosticada dentro de 48 horas após a cirurgia, com base nos critérios para sua verificação. Analisamos a associação entre lesão renal aguda e complicações cardiopulmonares, tempo de internação em unidade de terapia intensiva e de internação hospitalar, reinternação em unidade de terapia intensiva e mortalidade a curto e longo prazos. Resultados: A incidência de lesão renal aguda no estudo foi de 6,9% (12/174). Os pacientes com lesão renal aguda apresentaram níveis mais altos de citocinas plasmáticas após a cirurgia, mas não foram detectadas diferenças nas citocinas alveolares. Embora nenhum paciente tenha precisado de terapia renal substitutiva, os com lesão renal aguda apresentaram maior incidência de complicações cardiopulmonares e aumento da mortalidade geral. A interleucina-6 plasmática em seis horas foi a citocina mais preditiva de lesão renal aguda (ponto de corte em 4,89 pg.mL-1). Conclusões: O aumento dos níveis plasmáticos de citocinas no pós-operatório está associado à lesão renal aguda após cirurgia de ressecção pulmonar no estudo, o que piora o prognóstico. A interleucina-6 plasmática pode ser usada como um indicador precoce para pacientes com risco de desenvolver lesão renal aguda após cirurgia de ressecção pulmonar.