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1.
BMC Neurol ; 23(1): 214, 2023 Jun 06.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37280551

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Emergent Large Vessel Occlusion (ELVO) stroke causes devastating vascular events which can lead to significant cognitive decline and dementia. In the subset of ELVO subjects treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) at our institution, we aimed to identify systemic and intracranial proteins predictive of cognitive function at time of discharge and at 90-days. These proteomic biomarkers may serve as prognostic indicators of recovery, as well as potential targets for novel/existing therapeutics to be delivered during the subacute stage of stroke recovery. METHODS: At the University of Kentucky Center for Advanced Translational Stroke Sciences, the BACTRAC tissue registry (clinicaltrials.gov; NCT03153683) of human biospecimens acquired during ELVO stroke by MT is utilized for research. Clinical data are collected on each enrolled subject who meets inclusion criteria. Blood samples obtained during thrombectomy were sent to Olink Proteomics for proteomic expression values. Montreal Cognitive Assessments (MoCA) were evaluated with categorical variables using ANOVA and t-tests, and continuous variables using Pearson correlations. RESULTS: There were n = 52 subjects with discharge MoCA scores and n = 28 subjects with 90-day MoCA scores. Several systemic and intracranial proteins were identified as having significant correlations to discharge MoCA scores as well as 90-day MoCA scores. Highlighted proteins included s-DPP4, CCL11, IGFBP3, DNER, NRP1, MCP1, and COMP. CONCLUSION: We set out to identify proteomic predictors and potential therapeutic targets related to cognitive outcomes in ELVO subjects undergoing MT. Here, we identify several proteins which predicted MoCA after MT, which may serve as therapeutic targets to lessen post-stroke cognitive decline.


Asunto(s)
Arteriopatías Oclusivas , Isquemia Encefálica , Accidente Cerebrovascular Isquémico , Accidente Cerebrovascular , Humanos , Proteómica , Resultado del Tratamiento , Trombectomía , Estudios Retrospectivos
2.
Curr Probl Cardiol ; 48(10): 101814, 2023 Oct.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37209804

RESUMEN

Twelve CCI patients were studied with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection. The majority of these patients were males (83.3%) with a median age of 55 years from three geographical locations, constituting the Middle East (7), Spain (3), and the USA (1). In 6 patients, IgG/IgM was positive for COVID-19, 4 with high pretest probability and 2 with positive RT-PCR. Type 2 DM, hyperlipidemia, and smoking were the primary risk factors. Right-sided neurological impairments and verbal impairment were the most common symptoms. Our analysis found 8 (66%) synchronous occurrences. In 58.3% of cases, neuroimaging showed left Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA) infarct and 33.3% right. Carotid artery thrombosis (16.6%), tandem occlusion (8.3%), and carotid stenosis (1%) were also reported in imaging. Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and anticoagulants were conservative therapies (10). Two AMI patients had aspiration thrombectomy, while three AIS patients had intravenous thrombolysis/tissue plasminogen activator (IVT-tPA), 2 had mechanical thrombectomy (MT), and 1 had decompressive craniotomy. Five had COVID-19-positive chest X-rays, whereas 4 were normal. four of 8 STEMI and 3 NSTEMI/UA patients complained chest pain. LV, ICA, and pulmonary embolism were further complications (2). Upon discharge, 7 patients (70%) had residual deficits while 1 patient unfortunately died.


Asunto(s)
COVID-19 , Accidente Cerebrovascular , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Anticoagulantes/uso terapéutico , COVID-19/complicaciones , Infarto de la Arteria Cerebral Media/terapia , Infarto de la Arteria Cerebral Media/complicaciones , Accidente Cerebrovascular/etiología , Trombectomía/métodos , Terapia Trombolítica/efectos adversos , Activador de Tejido Plasminógeno/uso terapéutico , Resultado del Tratamiento , Informes de Casos como Asunto
3.
J Neurosurg Case Lessons ; 3(8)2022 Feb 21.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36130547

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Access of the cavernous sinus (CS) via venous route from the inferior petrosal sinus (IPS) can sometimes be challenging during the treatment of carotid cavernous fistulas (CCF), largely because of anatomical variations, tortuosity, and/or difficult visualization of IPS given high retrograde flow through the fistulous connection. OBSERVATIONS: A 58-year-old male was transferred to our university hospital center after suspected diagnosis of CCF at another hospital by head computerized tomography-angiogram. His symptoms included three weeks of right eye pain that was later complicated by redness, diplopia, and blurry vision. In a diagnostic angiogram, separate contrast injections from the arterial side via internal carotid artery (ICA) and from the venous side via IPS did not reveal a connection point. Injecting contrast simultaneously from both arterial and venous ends resulted in visualization of a connection point allowing entry into the CS. LESSONS: Technique of simultaneous contrast injection from ICA and internal jugular vein is comparatively simple and saves an operator prolonged time and complexity of approach. In our case, it revealed fistulous point allowing navigation and completing the coiling.

4.
Brain Behav Immun Health ; 20: 100422, 2022 Mar.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35141572

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Emergent Large Vessel Occlusion (ELVO) strokes are ischemic vascular events for which novel biomarkers and therapies are needed. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of Body Mass Index (BMI) on protein expression and signaling at the time of ELVO intervention. Additionally, we highlight the protein adenosine deaminase (ADA), which is a deaminating enzyme that degrades adenosine, which has been shown to be neuroprotective in ischemia. We investigate the relationship between ADA and BMI, stroke outcomes, and associated proteomic networks which might aid in personalizing prognosis and future treatment of ELVO stroke. METHODS: The Blood And Clot Thrombectomy And Collaboration (BACTRAC) study is a continually enrolling tissue bank (clinicaltrials.gov NCT03153683) and registry from stroke patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy (MT). N â€‹= â€‹61 human carotid plasma samples were analyzed for inflammatory and cardiometabolic protein expression by Olink Proteomics. Statistical analyses used t-tests, linear, logistic, and robust regressions, to assess the relationship between BMI, proteomic expression, and stroke-related outcomes. RESULTS: The 61 subjects studied were broken into three categories: normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9) which contained 19 subjects, overweight (BMI 25-30) which contained 25 subjects, and obese (BMI ≥30) which contained 17 subjects. Normal BMI group was a significantly older population (mean 76 years) when compared to overweight (mean 66 years) and obese (mean 61 years) with significance of p â€‹= â€‹0.041 and p â€‹= â€‹0.005, respectively. When compared to normal weight and overweight categories, the obese category had significantly higher levels of adenosine deaminase (ADA) expression (p â€‹= â€‹0.01 and p â€‹= â€‹0.039, respectively). Elevated levels of ADA were found to have a significant positive correlation with both infarct volume and edema volume (p â€‹= â€‹0.013 and p â€‹= â€‹0.041, respectively), and were associated with a more severe stroke (NIHSS on discharge) and greater stroke related disability (mRS on discharge) with significance of p â€‹= â€‹0.053 and p â€‹= â€‹0.032, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: When examined according to BMI, subjects undergoing MT for ELVO demonstrate significant differences in the expression of certain plasma proteins, including ADA. Levels of ADA were found to be significantly higher in the obese population when compared to normal or overweight groups. Increased levels of ADA in the obese group were predictive of increased infarct volume, edema volume, and worse NIHSS scores and mRS at discharge. These data provide novel biomarker candidates as well as treatment targets while increasing the personalization of stroke prognosis and treatment.

5.
J Cereb Blood Flow Metab ; 42(2): 280-291, 2022 02.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34250820

RESUMEN

Using standard techniques during mechanical thrombectomy, the Blood and Clot Thrombectomy Registry and Collaboration (BACTRAC) protocol (NCT03153683) isolates intracranial arterial blood distal to the thrombus and proximal systemic blood in the carotid artery. We augmented the current protocol to study leukocyte subpopulations both distal and proximal to the thrombus during human stroke (n = 16 patients), and from patients with cerebrovascular disease (CVD) undergoing angiography for unrelated conditions (e.g. carotid artery stenosis; n = 12 patients). We isolated leukocytes for flow cytometry from small volume (<1 mL) intracranial blood and systemic blood (5-10 mL) to identify adaptive and innate leukocyte populations, in addition to platelets and endothelial cells (ECs). Intracranial blood exhibited significant increases in T cell representation and decreases in myeloid/macrophage representation compared to within-patient carotid artery samples. CD4+ T cells and classical dendritic cells were significantly lower than CVD controls and correlated to within-patient edema volume and last known normal. This novel protocol successfully isolates leukocytes from small volume intracranial blood samples of stroke patients at time of mechanical thrombectomy and can be used to confirm preclinical results, as well as identify novel targets for immunotherapies.


Asunto(s)
Linfocitos T CD4-Positivos/metabolismo , Arterias Carótidas/cirugía , Citometría de Flujo , Sistema de Registros , Accidente Cerebrovascular , Trombectomía , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Accidente Cerebrovascular/sangre , Accidente Cerebrovascular/cirugía
6.
Am J Cardiol ; 138: 53-60, 2021 01 01.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33058804

RESUMEN

The main objective is to estimate the frequency, temporal trends, and outcomes of cerebrovascular events associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) hospitalization in the United States. The national inpatient sample data was utilized to identify hospitalizations with a primary or secondary diagnosis of AF from January 1, 2005 through September 31, 2015 for the present analysis. Jonckheere-Terpstra Trend was utilized to analyze trends from 2005 to 2015. Global Wald score was used to assess relative contributions of various covariates towards stroke among AF hospitalizations. Between the years 2005 and 2015, there were 36,457,323 (95.2%) AF hospitalizations without cerebrovascular events and 1,824,608 (4.8%) with cerebrovascular events included in the final analysis. There was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of overall stroke, AIS, and AHS (ptrend value <0.001) per 1,000 AF hospitalizations. The frequency of stroke per 1,000 AF hospitalizations was highest among patients with CHA2DS2VASc score ≥3 and Charlson's comorbidity index ≥3. The trend of in-hospital mortality decreased during the study period, however, it remained higher in those with cerebrovascular events compared to those without. Lastly, hypertension, advancing age, and chronic lung disease were major stroke predicting factors among AF hospitalizations. These cerebrovascular events were associated with longer length of stay and higher costs. In conclusion, the incidence of cerebrovascular events associated with AF hospitalizations remained significantly high and the trend continues to ascend despite technological advancements. Strategies should improve to reduce the risk of AF-related stroke in the United States.


Asunto(s)
Fibrilación Atrial/terapia , Accidente Cerebrovascular Hemorrágico/epidemiología , Hospitalización/estadística & datos numéricos , Accidente Cerebrovascular Isquémico/epidemiología , Adolescente , Adulto , Factores de Edad , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Fibrilación Atrial/complicaciones , Enfermedad Crónica , Femenino , Costos de la Atención en Salud/estadística & datos numéricos , Accidente Cerebrovascular Hemorrágico/etiología , Mortalidad Hospitalaria/tendencias , Hospitalización/economía , Humanos , Hipertensión/epidemiología , Incidencia , Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos/economía , Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos/estadística & datos numéricos , Accidente Cerebrovascular Isquémico/etiología , Tiempo de Internación/economía , Tiempo de Internación/estadística & datos numéricos , Enfermedades Pulmonares/epidemiología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Insuficiencia Renal Crónica , Respiración Artificial/estadística & datos numéricos , Factores Sexuales , Estados Unidos/epidemiología , Adulto Joven
7.
Indian Heart J ; 71(5): 422-424, 2019.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32035527

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Despite noteworthy advancements in the design of the left ventricular assist device (LVAD), stroke remains one of the most significant adverse events. This study aims to analyze the incidence and short-term outcomes associated with stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic) after implantation of LVAD. METHODS: Study cohorts were identified from the National Inpatient Sample database from January 2009 to September 2015 using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. The primary outcome was an incidence of stroke, and secondary outcomes were the associated mortality, length of stay, and cost of hospitalization. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze adjusted in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Use of LVADs increased significantly from 2009 to 2014 (2278 in 2009 to 3730 in 2014 [Ptrend <0.001]). From a total of 20,656 admissions who underwent LVAD implantation, 1518 (7.4%) developed stroke, among whom 1177 (5.7%) had an ischemic stroke and 426 (2.1%) had a hemorrhagic stroke. Adjusted in-hospital mortality was highest with hemorrhagic stroke. Incidence of stroke was associated with significantly longer length of stay and cost of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: The incidence of stroke was ~7% after LVAD placement, and it was associated with significantly higher in-hospital mortality and resource utilization.


Asunto(s)
Isquemia Encefálica/etiología , Corazón Auxiliar/efectos adversos , Hemorragias Intracraneales/etiología , Accidente Cerebrovascular/etiología , Adulto , Anciano , Isquemia Encefálica/epidemiología , Isquemia Encefálica/mortalidad , Femenino , Mortalidad Hospitalaria , Humanos , Incidencia , Hemorragias Intracraneales/epidemiología , Hemorragias Intracraneales/mortalidad , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Accidente Cerebrovascular/epidemiología , Accidente Cerebrovascular/mortalidad , Estados Unidos/epidemiología
8.
Cureus ; 10(5): e2597, 2018 May 09.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30013861

RESUMEN

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a rare neurological syndrome that presents in the setting of thiamine deficiency. Though alcoholism is the most common cause of this condition, a few other etiologies include malnutrition from other causes, hemodialysis, and hyperemesis gravidarum. In this case report, we aim to report a case of a young woman who developed WE in the setting of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) that improved with thiamine replacement. This manuscript details her presentation and clinical examination and includes a spontaneous upbeat nystagmus and goes over the condition along with a review of the literature.

9.
Cureus ; 10(5): e2667, 2018 May 22.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30042918

RESUMEN

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) or temporal arteritis (TA) is a granulomatous inflammation of medium to large-sized arteries. It may have a diverse presentation. The most common presenting symptoms of GCA are fever, malaise, unilateral headache, jaw claudication, polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and ophthalmoplegia. Most severe sequelae of GCA could be blindness. We report a case of a 65-year-old Caucasian male who presented for the third time with recurrent episodes of diplopia. Neurologic exam showed bilateral cranial nerve (CN) VI palsy, slightly worse on the right than the left side. Other focal neurological deficits were absent. GCA was considered and biopsy of the temporal artery was performed which showed necrotizing pan-arteritis, consistent with GCA. The patient was empirically treated with intravenous (IV) methylprednisolone while awaiting the biopsy results which resulted in the resolution of the symptoms. As far as we know, this is the second case in the literature about the bilateral sixth CN involvement in the background of GCA.

10.
Cureus ; 9(10): e1777, 2017 Oct 16.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29255656

RESUMEN

Essential tremor (ET) is the commonest adult-onset movement disorder, and its prevalence increases with age. About 10% of the patients with ET can be severely handicapped by it. Medical management is the first line of treatment for ET. In the past, refractory cases of ET underwent thalamotomy, a neurosurgical procedure that caused selective thalamic lesions. We describe a case of an elderly woman with ET that showed a dramatic improvement of her tremor after sustaining an acute stroke in bilateral thalamic and subthalamic regions. This ischemic insult essentially served the purpose of thalamotomy resulting in an improvement in her tremor.

11.
Cureus ; 9(10): e1746, 2017 Oct 04.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29218261

RESUMEN

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) or reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy (RPL) is an acute neurological syndrome characterized by the development of radiological abnormalities on brain imaging along with clinical manifestations, such as a headache, seizures, encephalopathy, etc. We report the case of a middle-aged male who presented to the emergency department after he woke up with complete blindness and was found to have hemorrhagic PRES. Intracranial hemorrhages were seen in around 15% of patients who presented with this condition. In this article, we review the different types of hemorrhages seen in the setting of PRES and their associations.

12.
Cureus ; 9(6): e1304, 2017 Jun 02.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28690938

RESUMEN

Pure alexia refers to an acquired disorder associated with the damage to medial occipitotemporal gyrus in the dominant hemisphere, which is also known as visual word form area (VWFA). VWFA is involved in rapid word recognition and fluent reading. Alexia without agraphia is a disconnection syndrome that occurs when the splenium is also damaged with the occipital lobe on a dominant side. We report a case of a 72-year-old right-handed male who presented with alexia without agraphia accompanied by right homonymous hemianopia resulting from acute infarct of the left occipital lobe, the splenium of the corpus callosum and posterior thalamus that probably occurred on the previous day. During the evaluation, he exhibited marked impairment in the ability to read with the vision being grossly normal. Magnetic resonant imaging (MRI) revealed an acute infarct of the left occipital lobe, the splenium of the corpus callosum and posterior thalamus. A computerized tomography angiogram (CTA) revealed left posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territory infarct without any evidence of hemorrhagic conversion. Infarction of the occipital lobe on the dominant side (left) in a right-handed individual may cause a disruption in the visual word form area and is manifested by an inability to read with no abnormalities in visual acuity.

13.
Cureus ; 9(6): e1310, 2017 Jun 05.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28690944

RESUMEN

Ipilimumab (Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., New York, NY) is a novel anticancer medication used for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. The exact mechanism of its action remains unclear; however, data from previous clinical trials postulates the immunomodulatory activity of ipilimumab to enhance therapeutic effectiveness. Ipilimumab was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2011 for use in stage III and IV of unresectable metastatic melanoma. We report a single case of acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuroradiculopthy (AIDP) in the patient treated with ipilimumab for recurrent metastatic melanoma. The patient presented with multiple falls that started after the third infusion of ipilimumab. Other symptoms were hoarseness of voice, motor deficits in his right arms, and tingling in both hands. The deficits progressed into near complete loss of movement and sensation in all four extremities over the course of two weeks. However, his bladder and bowel functions were intact. There was no history of fever, recent travel, exposure to sick contacts, insect bites, or gastrointestinal symptoms. Along with strong immune-mediated pharmacological response towards cancer cells, ipilimumab also induces immune-related adverse events (irAEs) within normal tissues by the mechanism of molecular mimicry.

14.
Cureus ; 9(10): e1800, 2017 Oct 24.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29282444

RESUMEN

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), an increasingly prevalent sleep disorder, has been extensively studied in both clinical and scientific settings. In most cases, the diagnosis of sleep apnea is straightforward with patients having symptoms of snoring, choking or gasping for air while asleep and witnessed apneas. However, sleep apnea is known to present in some unusual ways. We present a case of a 61-year-old male, with recently diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (currently not on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)) and a history of seizure-like events since the age of 18 years, who came to the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) for spell characterization of his frequent seizure-like episodes. A continuous video electroencephalogram (vEEG) performed in order to determine the semiology of these spells showed that all the spells were triggered by an arousal from sleep with an associated apneic event. He was started on positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, which resulted in the gradual decline in the number as well as the severity of his seizure-like spells. Based on the observations from vEEG monitoring and the patient's response, we concluded these seizure-like events as non-epileptic spells, triggered by apnea-related arousals in the context of OSA.

15.
Cureus ; 9(8): e1576, 2017 Aug 18.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29057188

RESUMEN

The pineal gland is a small pinecone-shaped and functionally endocrine structure located in the epithalamus region. Developmentally, the pineal gland is considered as a part of the epithalamus. It plays a role in the entrainment of the circadian rhythms of an organism by producing melatonin, a functionally important hormone. Lesions of the pineal region are rare compared to other parts of the brain. A lesion may be tumorous or non-tumorous in nature. The most common lesions are tumors that are pineal parenchymal tumors (PPT) in origin. Gliomas are the second most common tumors in the pineal region. We report a case of a high-grade oligodendroglioma, not commonly seen in the pineal region, in a 45-year-old male. The patient was suspected to have a mass in the pineal region on a computed tomography (CT) scan and histology confirmed the diagnosis of oligodendroglioma. This is a unique case because only five such cases have been reported so far.

16.
Cureus ; 9(8): e1550, 2017 Aug 08.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29018647

RESUMEN

Arrhythmias have been one of the common complications in epilepsy patients and have also been the reason for death. However, limited data exist about the burden and outcomes of arrhythmias by subtypes in epilepsy. Our study aims at evaluating the burden and differences in outcomes of various subtypes of arrhythmias in epilepsy patient population. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2014 was examined for epilepsy and arrhythmias related discharges using appropriate International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes. The frequency of arrhythmias, gender differences in arrhythmia by subtypes, in-hospital outcomes and mortality predictors was analyzed. A total of 1,424,320 weighted epilepsy patients was determined and included in this study. Around 23.9% (n =277,230) patients had cardiac arrhythmias. The most frequent arrhythmias in the descending frequency were: atrial fibrillation (AFib) 9.7%, other unspecified causes 7.3%, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) 1.4%, bundle branch block (BBB) 1.2%, ventricular tachycardia (VT) 1%. Males were more predisposed to cardiac arrhythmias compared to females (OR [odds ratio]: 1.1, p <0.001). The prevalence of most subtypes arrhythmias was higher in males. Arrhythmias were present in nearly a quarter of patients with epilepsy. Life threatening arrhythmias were more common in male patients. The length of stay (LOS) and mortality were significantly higher in epilepsy patients with arrhythmia. It is imperative to develop early diagnosis and prompt therapeutic measures to reduce this burden and poor outcomes due to concomitant arrhythmias in epilepsy patients.

17.
Cureus ; 9(8): e1536, 2017 Aug 02.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28983445

RESUMEN

Cocaine is the third most common substance of abuse after cannabis and alcohol. The use of cocaine as an illicit substance is implicated as a causative factor for multisystem derangements ranging from an acute crisis to chronic complications. Vasospasm is the proposed mechanism behind adverse events resulting from cocaine abuse, acute ischemic strokes (AIS) being one of the few. Our study looked into in-hospital outcomes owing to cocaine use in the large population based study of AIS patients. Using the national inpatient sample (NIS) database from 2014 of United States of America, we identified AIS patients with cocaine use using International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes. We compared demographics, mortality, in-hospital outcomes and comorbidities between AIS with cocaine use cohort versus AIS without cocaine use cohort. Acute ischemic strokes (AIS) with cocaine group consisted of higher number of older patients (> 85 years) (25.6% versus 18.7%, p <0.001) and females (52.4% versus 51.0%, p <0.001). Cocaine cohort had higher incidence of valvular disorders (13.2% versus 9.7%, p <0.001), venous thromboembolism (3.5% versus 2.6%, p<0.03), vasculitis (0.9% versus 0.4%, p <0.003), sudden cardiac death (0.4% versus 0.2%, p<0.02), epilepsy (10.1% versus 7.4%, p <0.001) and major depression (13.2% versus 10.7%, p<0.007). The multivariate logistic regression analysis found cocaine use to be the major risk factor for hospitalization in AIS cohort. In-hospital mortality (odds ratio (OR)= 1.4, 95% confidence interval= 1.1-1.9, p <0.003) and the disposition to short-term hospitals (odds ratio (OR)= 2.6, 95% confidence interval = 2.1-3.3, p <0.001) were also higher in cocaine cohort. Venous thromboembolism was observed to be linked with cocaine use (OR= 1.5, 95% confidence interval= 1.0-2.1, p < 0.01) but less severely than vasculitis (OR= 3.0, 95% confidence interval= 1.6-5.8, p <0.001). Further prospective research is warranted in this direction to improve the outcomes for AIS and lessen the financial burden on the healthcare system of the United States.

18.
Cureus ; 9(6): e1339, 2017 Jun 12.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28951819

RESUMEN

A case history of an 18-year-old female with a diagnosis of Munchausen syndrome is presented with a literature review of this rare syndrome. We present this case because of the young age and the patient's overwhelming response to cognitive behavioral therapy. We recommend collateral history taking, exclusion of all possible etiologies and detailed briefing of family members as it plays a vital role to reduce the mental and financial suffering of the patient.

19.
Cureus ; 9(7): e1430, 2017 Jul 06.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28924518

RESUMEN

Background Chikungunya fever is a pandemic disease caused by an arthropod-borne chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The virus spreads through mosquitoes. This mosquito induced viral illness is clinically suspected on symptoms from fever and severe polyarthralgia. The recent outbreak of chikungunya was reported in November 2016 in the metropolitan city Karachi, Pakistan. We emphasis on the awareness of the etiology and vector control to prevent serious consequences. Method A total number of 1275 patients were included in this cross-sectional study. These patients were enrolled based on clinical findings described by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Our exclusion criteria were patients with missing data or having co-infection with dengue or malaria. The patients were tested for chikungunya antibodies, malaria, and dengue. The patients were followed for three months. Results Out of 1275 consenting patients from the emergency department, 564 tested positive for chikungunya antibodies and out of these 564 patients 365 had co-infection of dengue and malaria. So based on exclusion criteria, 199 patients had isolated chikungunya infection and were studied for the frequency of clinical symptoms. The most common finding was joint pain and fever on presentation and joint pain was the only chronic finding which persisted. Conclusion Our study demonstrated the frequency of clinical findings in chikungunya infection. It also signifies the importance of testing for antibodies because it helped in excluding patients with false positive clinical findings and differentiating co-infection with malaria and dengue. It also gauged patient's view about the cause of this disease.

20.
Cureus ; 9(6): e1347, 2017 Jun 13.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28713663

RESUMEN

CONTEXT: Dyslipidemia is quite prevalent in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Maintaining tight glycemic along with lipid control plays an essential role in preventing micro- and macro-vascular complications associated with diabetes. PURPOSE: The main purpose of the study was to highlight the relationship between glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and triglyceride levels. This may in turn help in predicting the triglyceride status of type 2 diabetics and therefore identifying patients at increased risk from cardiovascular events. Hypertriglyceridemia is one of the common risk factors for coronary artery disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Careful monitoring of the blood glucose level can be used to predict lipid status and can prevent most of the complications associated with the disease. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study using data collected from the outpatient diabetic clinic of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Karachi, Pakistan. Patients of age 18 years and above were recruited from the clinic. A total of consenting 509 patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled over a period of 11 months.  For statistical analysis, SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 17.0 ( IBM Corp, Armonk, New York) was used and Chi-square and Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to find the association between triglyceride and HbA1c. The HbA1c was dichotomized into four groups on the basis of cut-off. Chi-square was used for association between HbA1c with various cut-off values and high triglyceride levels. Odds-ratio and its 95% confidence interval were calculated to estimate the level of risk between high triglyceride levels and HbA1c groups. The p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all the tests applied for significance. RESULT: The association of high triglyceride was evaluated in four different groups of HbA1c, with a cut-off seven, eight, nine and 10 respectively. With HbA1c cut-off value of 7%, 74% patients had high triglycerides and showed a significant association with high triglyceride levels at p < 0.001 and odds ratio was 2.038 (95% confidence interval: 1.397 - 2.972). Logistic regression models were adjusted for demographic factors (age, race, gender), lifestyle factors (smoking, body mass index, lifestyle) and health status factors (blood pressure, physician-rated health status). CONCLUSION: After adjusting for relevant covariates, glycated hemoglobin was positively correlated with high triglyceride. Hence, HbA1c can be an indicator of triglyceride level and can be one of the predictors of cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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