Neurological and neurobehavioral effects of welders in Egypt exposed to manganese containing welding fumes.

PURPOSE: Welders are more likely to develop neurobehavioral disorders because of their exposure to neurotoxic metals such as manganese. This study aimed to measure the neurobehavioral performance of welders occupationally exposed to manganese at welding enterprises and its relationship with the workplace environment. METHODS: It is a comparative cross-sectional study carried out on 130 welders working at 50 welding enterprises in Menoufia governorate, Egypt, compared to 130 non-occupationally exposed controls. RESULTS: It was found that the environments of the studied welding enterprises had levels of respirable dust, manganese, and total welding fumes that exceeded internationally permissible limits. In addition, the mean blood manganese levels were significantly higher among welders (4.16 ± 0.61) than the controls (1.72 ± 0.41). Welders had a significantly higher prevalence of neurological manifestations and lower performance of neurobehavioral tests. Lower neurobehavioral performance among welders was significantly correlated with increased work duration and blood levels in some tests. CONCLUSION: To lessen the fumes in the breathing zone of workers, it is therefore strongly recommended to regularly wear high-quality personal protective equipment, especially masks, and to ensure proper ventilation.

Prophylactic common iliac artery temporary clamping versus balloon occlusion for management of placenta accreta spectrum disorders: A prospective clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to compare prophylactic common iliac artery (CIA) temporary clamping and preoperative balloon occlusion for managing placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders. STUDY DESIGN: Between January 2019 and June 2020, 46 patients with PAS disorders were included. Of them, 26 patients were offered CIA balloon occlusion (Group A), while temporary CIA clamping was done for the other 20 patients (Group B). Primary outcomes were procedure-related complications, and secondary outcomes included intraoperative and postoperative complications, reoperation rates, total procedure time, blood loss, and amount of blood transfusion. RESULTS: Blood loss was statistically non-significant higher in group B than in group A (p-value = 0.143). Only one patient in group A and three in group B needed reoperation. The bleeding continued for a mean of 1.6 days in group A and 1.7 days in group B, with non-significant statistical differences between both groups p value = 0.71. Nine patients in group A (34.6%) and four in group B (20%) required ICU admission. The mean Apgar score was 7 and 6.6 in babies of group A and group B patients, respectively. The median number of allogeneic blood transfusions performed was two in patients in group A and 1 in group B (p-value = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Both techniques offer good choices for patients with PAS to decrease mortality and morbidity rates. The selection of a better technique depends on institutional references and physicians' experience.

Safety and efficacy of ProtekDuo right ventricular assist device: A systemic review.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular failure is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The ProtekDuo (Livanova, Uk) is a dual-lumen cannula that allows for percutaneous right ventricular support and may be connected to a centrifugal blood pump such as the TandemHeart or LifeSparc (Livanova, UK). This systematic review aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ProtekDuo right ventricular support and evaluate potential clinical variables that can influence outcomes. METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched. Studies meeting inclusion criteria, where ProtekDuo was used as the right ventricular assist device with reported numerical death counts for mortality as outcome measures. The primary endpoints were in-hospital 30-day and 1-year mortality rates. Secondary endpoints included ICU length of stay, conversion rates to surgical RVADs, ProtekDuo wean rates, duration of use of ProtekDuo, and adverse event rates. RESULTS: Of 49 studies reviewed, 7 met inclusion criteria with study periods between October 2014 and November 2019. ProtekDuo was utilized due to RV failure post-LVAD insertion in 64.8% (68/105) of patients. In-hospital mortality, 30-day mortality, and 1-year mortality ranged between 9%-46%, 15%-40%, and 19%-40%, respectively. Weaning from ProtekDuo and conversion to surgical RVAD ranged between 24%-91% and 11%-35%, respectively. The ICU stay average ranged from 15.8 to 36 days and ProtekDuo mean support duration ranged from 10.5 to 58 days. CONCLUSION: The ProtekDuo cannula is increasingly utilized as a right ventricular support device. Despite the sparse retrospective data available with variable patient characteristics and study design, percutaneous RV mechanical support via ProtekDuo cannula is a safe and feasible option.

Management of Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients on Left Ventricular Assist Device Support.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are increasingly utilized for patients with end-stage heart failure (HF). Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is highly prevalent in this patient population mainly due to prolonged left ventricular (LV) failure and chronically elevated filling pressures. The effect of LVADs on pulmonary circulation and right ventricular (RV) function has recently become an area of great attention in literature. PH can lead to post-LVAD right ventricular failure (RVF) that confers a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Multiple pulmonary vasodilators, that are primarily used for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), have been studied for the treatment of PH after LVAD implantation, and some of them have shown promising results. This review aims to investigate the treatment options for PH in patients on LVADs, as well as to give an overview about the pathophysiology of PH and RVF in these patients.

Angiotensin II: A Review of Current Literature.

Up to one-third of all patients admitted to intensive care units carry a diagnosis of shock. The use of angiotensin II is becoming widespread in all forms of shock, including cardiogenic, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) initial approval for vasoplegic shock in 2017. Here, the authors review the literature on angiotensin II's mechanism of action, benefits, and future therapeutic opportunities.

Respiratory health disorders among workers in some Egyptian welding enterprises.

Welding fumes contain a complex mixture of metallic oxides that pose a risk to welders' respiratory systems. This study aimed to evaluate respiratory health disorders among workers in some Egyptian welding enterprises and their relationship to the workplace environment. This research was performed from January 1st, 2019 to February 28th, 2021 in welding enterprises in Birket El-Sabaa, a randomly selected district of Menoufia governorate, Egypt. A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted on 110 welders and 110 non-occupationally exposed subjects. Environmental studies were carried out for total welding fumes, respirable dust, and manganese air levels. Spirometric measures and manganese levels in whole blood were applied. Analysis of the personal air samples revealed that the mean values of welding fumes, respirable dust, and manganese air levels were higher than the international permissible levels. Welders had a higher significant prevalence of respiratory manifestations (rhinitis, cough, expectoration, wheezes, dyspnea, and chronic bronchitis) as well as decreased spirometric measures (FVC%, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC%, and FEF25-75%) than controls. The mean value of whole blood manganese level was statistically significantly higher among welders than that of the controls (3.35 ± 0.5 and 1.81 ± 0.79 ng/mL; respectively). A significant relationship was reported between longer work time and the prevalence of respiratory manifestations and decreased spirometric measurements. The use of masks/respirators was associated with a reduced prevalence of respiratory manifestations. Finally, welders that are exposed to welding fumes at concentrations higher than the permissible levels in welding establishments suffer from adverse respiratory problems, as shown by increased prevalence of respiratory manifestations and lower spirometric measurements. Regular use of high-quality personal protective equipment, especially masks, as well as periodic medical examinations for welders, is highly urged.

Non-Invasive Data Acquisition and IoT Solution for Human Vital Signs Monitoring: Applications, Limitations and Future Prospects.

The rapid development of technology has brought about a revolution in healthcare stimulating a wide range of smart and autonomous applications in homes, clinics, surgeries and hospitals. Smart healthcare opens the opportunity for a qualitative advance in the relations between healthcare providers and end-users for the provision of healthcare such as enabling doctors to diagnose remotely while optimizing the accuracy of the diagnosis and maximizing the benefits of treatment by enabling close patient monitoring. This paper presents a comprehensive review of non-invasive vital data acquisition and the Internet of Things in healthcare informatics and thus reports the challenges in healthcare informatics and suggests future work that would lead to solutions to address the open challenges in IoT and non-invasive vital data acquisition. In particular, the conducted review has revealed that there has been a daunting challenge in the development of multi-frequency vital IoT systems, and addressing this issue will help enable the vital IoT node to be reachable by the broker in multiple area ranges. Furthermore, the utilization of multi-camera systems has proven its high potential to increase the accuracy of vital data acquisition, but the implementation of such systems has not been fully developed with unfilled gaps to be bridged. Moreover, the application of deep learning to the real-time analysis of vital data on the node/edge side will enable optimal, instant offline decision making. Finally, the synergistic integration of reliable power management and energy harvesting systems into non-invasive data acquisition has been omitted so far, and the successful implementation of such systems will lead to a smart, robust, sustainable and self-powered healthcare system.

Predictors of Disease Progression and Adverse Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Moderate Aortic Stenosis Using an Artificial Intelligence-Based Software Platform.

Patients with moderate aortic stenosis (AS) have a greater risk of adverse clinical outcomes than that of the general population. How this risk compares with those with severe AS, along with factors associated with outcomes and disease progression, is less clear. We analyzed serial echoes (from 2017 to 2019) from a single healthcare system using Tempus Next (Chicago, Illinois) software. AS severity was defined according to American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines. Outcomes of interest included death or heart failure hospitalization. We used Cox proportional hazards models and logistic regression to identify predictors of clinical outcome and disease progression, respectively. From 82,805 echoes for 61,546 patients, 1,770; 914; 565; and 1,463 patients had no, mild, moderate, or severe AS, respectively. Both patients with moderate and those with severe AS experienced a similar prevalence of adverse clinical outcomes (p = 0.45) that was significantly greater than that of patients without AS (p <0.01). In patients with moderate AS, atrial fibrillation (hazard ratio 3.29, 95% confidence interval 1.79 to 6.02, p <0.001) and end-stage renal disease (hazard ratio 3.34, 95% confidence interval 1.87 to 5.95, p <0.001) were associated with adverse clinical outcomes. One-third of patients with moderate AS with a subsequent echo (139/434) progressed to severe AS within 1 year. In conclusion, patients with moderate AS can progress rapidly to severe AS and experience a similar risk of adverse clinical outcomes; predictors include atrial fibrillation and low left ventricular ejection fraction. Machine learning algorithms may help identify these patients. Whether these patients may warrant earlier intervention merits further study.

Autograft Reoperation Following the Ross Procedure: Evolving Strategies and Future Perspectives.

Background: Pulmonary autograft failure remains a cause of reoperation following the Ross procedure. The aim of this study is to describe our evolving approach to autograft reoperations. Methods: Retrospective study of all patients who underwent a pulmonary autograft reoperation following a Ross procedure between June 1997 and July 2022. Results: Two-hundred and thirty-five Ross procedures were performed. Thirty-six patients (15%) plus one referral underwent an autograft reoperation at a median of 7.8 years (IQR 4.6-13.6). The main indication was: neoaortic root dilatation associated with mild/moderate (n = 12) or severe (n = 8) aortic regurgitation; isolated severe aortic regurgitation (n = 6); infective endocarditis (IE) (n = 8); and aortic root pseudoaneurysm with no history of IE (n = 3). The autograft was spared in 29 cases (78%): 9 patients (24%) underwent aortic valve repair or aortic root remodeling, 15 patients (40%) aortic root reimplantation, 5 patients neoaortic root stabilization with a Personalized External Aortic Root Support (PEARS) sleeve. There were no in-hospital deaths. At a median follow up of 37 months (IQR 8-105), all patients were alive, 30 (81%) were asymptomatic. Eight patients (22%) required nine further reoperations. Estimated freedom from further reoperation was 90%, 72%, and 72% at 12-, 36-, and 60-months. Conclusions: Autograft reoperations following the Ross procedure can be safely performed and do not affect overall survival in the early and mid-term. Valve-sparing autograft replacement is technically feasible but remains at risk of further interventions. Alternative strategies, such as the PEARS sleeve, are becoming increasingly available but requires validation in the long term.

Towards Zero Phrenic Nerve Injury in Reoperative Pediatric Cardiac Surgery: The Value of Intraoperative Phrenic Nerve Stimulation.

BACKGROUND: Phrenic nerve injury is a devastating complication that results in significant morbidity and mortality. We developed a novel technique to localize the phrenic nerve and evaluate its success. METHODS: Two groups of children underwent repeat sternotomy for a variety of indications. Group I (69 patients, nerve stimulator) and Group II (78 patients, no nerve stimulator). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the mean age and weight between the two groups: (6.4 ± 6.5 years vs. 5.6 ± 6.4 years; p = 0.65) and (25.2 ± 24.1 vs. 22.6 ± 22.1; p = 0.69), respectively. The two groups were comparable in the following procedures: pulmonary conduit replacement, bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis, aortic arch repair, and Fontan, while Group I had more pulmonary arterial branch reconstruction (p = 0.009) and Group II had more heart transplant patients (p = 0.001). There was no phrenic nerve injury in Group I, while there were 13 patients who suffered phrenic nerve injury in Group II (p < 0.001). No early mortality in Group I, while five patients died prior to discharge in Group II. Eleven patients underwent diaphragm plication in Group II (p = 0.001). The mean number of hours on the ventilator was significantly higher in Group II (137.3 ± 324.9) compared to Group I (17 ± 66.9), p < 0.001. Group II had a significantly longer length of ICU and hospital stays compared to Group I (p = 0.007 and p = 0.006 respectively). CONCLUSION: Phrenic nerve injury in children continues to be associated with significant morbidities and increased length of stay. The use of intraoperative phrenic nerve stimulator can be an effective way to localize the phrenic nerve and avoid its injury.

Early Concerning Outcomes for the Edwards Inspiris Resilia Bioprosthesis in the Pulmonary Position.

BACKGROUND: The Inspiris Resilia (Edwards Lifesciences LLC) bioprosthesis has gained widespread use in the aortic position; however no robust data are available about its use in the pulmonary position. METHODS: We reviewed our outcomes for the Inspiris Resilia in the pulmonary position between August 2019 and October 2021. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients (15 female patients [56%]; mean age, 22.26 ± 14.99 years) were included. The most common original pathology was tetralogy of Fallot (13 patients, 48%). Five patients (18.5%) had prior transcatheter interventions. The mean right ventricular end-diastolic volume index was 164.25 ± 45.1 mL/m2. Sternotomy or repeat sternotomy was the most common approach (21 patients, 77.8%). The standard technique for pulmonary valve replacement was used in 22 patients (81.5%), whereas the prosthesis was implanted as a conduit in the remaining 5 (18.5%). Trivial to mild prosthetic regurgitation was present in 6 patients (22.2%) at the time of discharge. There was no early mortality. Follow-up was complete in all patients (mean, 16 ± 8 months), with no late mortality or late reoperations. New prosthetic regurgitation developed in 13 patients (48%), all of whom underwent replacement with the standard surgical technique. No regurgitation occurred in the conduit cases. This progressed to moderate regurgitation in 6 patients (22%) and severe in 3 (11%). Three patients (11%) underwent transcatheter valve-in-valve after their surgical pulmonary valve replacement. CONCLUSIONS: The early data regarding the Inspiris Resilia bioprosthesis use in the pulmonary position is concerning. The prosthesis design may not be suitable for low-pressure circulation, or modification of its implantation technique may be needed.

Trends and Predictors of Poor Outcomes in Patients With Right Heart Failure: Insights From the National Readmission Database.

Right heart failure (RHF) is a complex clinical syndrome that confers high risk of morbidity and mortality. We sought to study RHF using large national database. The study is a retrospective analysis of the National Readmission Database (NRD) of years 2017-2019. Admissions with a primary diagnosis of RHF were included. Study outcomes were temporal trends of RHF diagnosis and predictors of in-hospital mortality and 30-day readmission. Subgroup analysis according to co-presence of reduced or preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Multivariate logistic regression was utilized to detect predictors of poor outcome and difference between subgroups. A total of 127,503 admissions were identified from the database of which 4,717 primary RHF admissions were included in our cohort. There was a trend of increasing RHF diagnosis from 2017 4th Quarter to 2019 4th Quarter. Age, liver disease and reduced LVEF were amongst predictors of in-hospital mortality while iron deficiency anemia and a Charlson Comorbidity Score ≥ 3 were predictors of 30-day readmission. The study of real-world data contributes to a better understanding of RHF outcomes. Further studies are needed to investigate the association between RHF and different types of heart failure and its implications on clinical practice.

Impact of chronic kidney disease on in-hospital mortality and clinical outcomes of catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia: Insights from the national readmission database.

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation is an effective treatment for ventricular tachycardia (VT), albeit the decision to undergo this procedure is often influenced by underlying comorbidities. The present study aims at evaluating the effects of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on clinical outcomes of VT ablation. METHODS: We identified 7212 patients who presented between 2016 and 2018 and underwent catheter ablation for VT. Their clinical data were retrospectively accrued from the national readmission database (NRD) using the corresponding diagnosis codes. We compared clinical outcomes between patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD group) and patients without. Odds ratios (OR) for the primary and secondary outcomes were calculated, and multivariable regression analysis was utilized to adjust for confounding variables. RESULTS: Compared with patients without CKD, patients in CKD group were older (mean age 67.9 vs. 60.5 years, P < 0.01), had a longer mean length of stay (8.73 vs. 5.69 days, P < 0.01), and higher in-hospital mortality 113 (6.7%) vs. 119 (2.2%) (OR 2.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.29-3.88), P < 0.01). CKD group patients had increased risk of developing acute kidney injury 726 (43%) vs. 623 (11.3%) (3.69 95% CI (2.87-4.74), P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In patients with CKD, VT ablation is associated with worse clinical outcomes in-hospital mortality, acute kidney injury, mean length of stay, and total hospital charge. This significantly influences the decision-making prior to performing this procedure.

Temporal Trends and Sex Differences in Patients With Cardiac Amyloidosis and Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: Retrospective Analysis of 22,015 Admissions From the National Inpatient Sample.

Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) often goes unrecognized as a cause of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). There is paucity of contemporary data evaluating the trends of CA diagnosis and associated sex differences. Adult heart failure hospitalizations were identified from the National Inpatient Sample between 2016 and 2019. Hospitalizations with heart failure other than HFpEF were excluded. Hospitalizations with a diagnosis of CA were identified. A Linear regression was utilized to calculate the trend of CA diagnosis over time. A multivariate logistic regressions analysis was performed to analyze sex differences. There was an increasing trend of CA from 1.2 to 2.3 per 1000 HFpEF admission in the first quarter of 2016 to the fourth quarter of 2019 (Ptrend <0.001). In females, as compared to males, there was an increased risk of AIS (6% vs 3%, aOR: 1.68[1.24-2.27], P=0.001) and major bleeding events (10% vs 5%, aOR: 1.97[1.53-2.52], P<0.001). No difference was observed in the in-hospital mortality outcome (8% vs 7%, aOR: 1.2[0.95-1.53], P=0.12) between both groups. Our real-world contemporary analysis showed an increase in CA diagnosis from 2016 to 2019. Despite similar in-hospital mortality, females were associated with higher AIS and major bleeding events rates. Further prospective studies are needed to validate these results.

Safety and Efficacy of Right Axillary Thoracotomy for Repair of Congenital Heart Defects in Children.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive repair of congenital heart defects in children has not gained wide popularity yet compared to minimally invasive approaches in adults. We sought to review our experience with this approach in children. METHODS: This study included a total of 37 children (24 girls, 64.9%) with a mean age of 6.5 ± 5.1 years, who underwent vertical axillary right minithoracotomy for repair of a variety of congenital heart defects between May 2020 and June 2022. RESULTS: The mean weight of these children was 25.66 ± 18.3 kg. Trisomy 21 syndrome was present in 3 patients (8.1%). The most common congenital heart defects that were repaired via this approach were atrial septal defects (secundum in 11 patients, 29.7%; primum in 5, 13.5%; and unroofed coronary sinus in 1, 2.7%). Twelve patients (32.4%) underwent repair of partial anomalous pulmonary venous connections with or without sinus venosus defects, while 4 patients (10.8%) underwent closure of membranous ventricular septal defects. Mitral valve repair, resection of cor triatriatum dexter, epicardial pacemaker placement, and myxoma resection occurred in 1 patient (2.7%) each. No early mortality or reoperations. All patients were extubated in the operating room, and the mean length of hospital stay was 3.3 ± 2.04 days. Follow-up was complete (mean 7 ± 5 months). No late mortality or reoperations. One patient required epicardial pacemaker placement due to sinus node dysfunction 5 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Vertical axillary right thoracotomy is a cosmetically superior approach that is safe and effective for repair of a variety of congenital heart defects in children.

Disparities in Acute Coronary Syndrome Outcomes in Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities: A Propensity-Matched Analysis of National Inpatient Sample.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs) are at similar risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) as compared to general population. However, there is a paucity of real-world data evaluating outcomes of ACS in this population. We sought to study ACS outcomes in individuals with IDs using a large national database. METHODS: Adult admissions with a primary diagnosis of ACS were identified from the national inpatient sample of years 2016-2019. Cohort was stratified according to presence of IDs. A 1 to 1 nearest neighbor propensity score matching using 16 patient variables. Outcomes evaluated were in-hospital mortality, coronary angiography (CA), timing of CA (early [day 0] vs. late [>day0]), and revascularization. RESULTS: A total of 5110 admissions (2555 in each group) were included in our matched cohort. IDs admissions had higher rates of in-hospital mortality (9 % vs. 4 %, aOR: 2.84, 95 % CI [1.66-4.86], P < 0.001), and were less likely to receive CA (52 % vs. 71 %, aOR: 0.44, 95 % CI [0.34-0.58], P < 0.001) and revascularization (33 % vs. 52 %, aOR: 0.45, 95 % CI [0.35-0.58], P < 0.001). In-Hospital mortality was higher in the ID admissions whether invasive coronary treatment (CA or revascularization) was performed (6 % vs. 3 %, aOR: 2.34, 95 % CI [1.09-5.06], P = 0.03) or not (13 % vs. 5 %, aOR: 2.56, 95 % CI [1.14-5.78], P = 0.023). CONCLUSION: Significant disparities exist in ACS outcomes and management in individuals with IDs. More research is needed to understand the reasons for these disparities and develop interventions to improve quality of care in this population.

Impact of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles on Metabolic, Apoptotic, Autophagic and Antioxidant Changes in Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy: Possible Underlying Mechanisms.

Background: In the current study, the effects of cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanocerium; NC) on doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiomyopathy and its possible underlying mechanisms were addressed. Methods: 32 adult male rats were allocated into 4 groups; i) control group, ii) NC group; rats received NC (0.2 mg/kg, i.p., daily), iii) DOX group; rats received DOX 4 mg/kg (2 injections with a 14-day interval), and iv) DOX+NC group as DOX but rats received NC. At the end of the experiment, ECG and ECHO recordings and assessments of the levels of cardiac enzymes (CK-MB, LDH), and myocardial oxidative stress (MDA, catalase, and GSH), the expression of LC3 and beclin1 (markers of autophagy), caspase3 (marker of apoptosis) by immunohistochemistry, the expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase alpha (ACCA) by PCR, and 5'adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) levels in the heart tissues were performed. Results: The DOX group displayed a prolonged corrected QT interval, an increase in cardiac enzymes (CK-MB and LDH), myocardial oxidative stress (high MDA with low catalase and GSH), expression of ACCA, caspase-3, beclin1, and LC3 in myocardial tissues, with reduction in myocardial AMPK levels, and myocardial contractility (low ejection fraction, and fractional shortening). On the other hand, administration of NC with DOX resulted in significant improvement of all studied parameters. Conclusion: NC offers a cardioprotective effect against DOX-induced cardiomyopathy. This effect might be due to its antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects as well as to the modulation of autophagy and metabolic dysfunctions induced by DOX in the heart tissues.

A homozygous mutation in ADAMTSL4 causes autosomal-recessive isolated ectopia lentis.

Ectopia lentis is a genetically heterogeneous condition that is characterized by the subluxation of the lens resulting from the disruption of the zonular fibers. Patients with ectopia lentis commonly present with a marked loss in visual acuity in addition to a number of possibly accompanying ocular complications including cataract, myopia, and retinal detachment. We here describe an isolated form of ectopia lentis in a large inbred family that shows autosomal-recessive inheritance. We map the ectopia lentis locus in this family to the pericentromeric region on chromosome 1 (1p13.2-q21.1). The linkage region contains well more than 60 genes. Mutation screening of four candidate genes revealed a homozygous nonsense mutation in exon 11 of ADAMTSL4 (p.Y595X; c.1785T-->G) in all affected individuals that is absent in 380 control chromosomes. The mutation would result in a truncated protein of half the original length, if the mRNA escapes nonsense-mediated decay. We conclude that mutations in ADAMTSL4 are responsible for autosomal-recessive simple ectopia lentis and that ADAMTS-like4 plays a role in the development and/or integrity of the zonular fibers.

Complicated Facial Fillers: Management Algorithm.

Background: Various materials have been developed as skin fillers to correct wrinkles of the face. Dermal fillers are classified based on their biodegradability into bioresorbable versus nonbioresorbable. All dermal fillers have a potential risk of complications, which can be classified as early and late onset events. Among all the complications of filler injections, inflammatory nodules and granulomas are the most annoying and disfiguring. The purpose of the study was to provide a surgical treatment algorithm that allows us to deal with the complications of facial fillers through three surgical techniques. Methods: Thirty-one patients with complaints of facial contour abnormalities after filler injection, three surgical techniques were adopted according to the presenting case including face lift incision, needle aspiration and intraoral excision after preoperative preparation of the case with postoperative follow-up for 6 months. Results: Among our studied patients treated by these surgical techniques, dissection was difficult owing to the fibrosis and the granulomatous reaction post complicated filler injection. There were two cases of hematoma, 1 case of seroma, and 1 case of facial nerve injury that improved after 4 months, in which marked improvement of facial contour and skin quality was observed. Conclusions: The use of the facelift technique as a surgical treatment for post filler complication granuloma excision provides a useful and satisfactory method for patients complaining of major facial deformities following repeated complicated filler injections. Despite being more difficult than other techniques it is more satisfactory in facial rejuvenation post complicated facial fillers.

Differences According to Sex in Short-term Clinical Outcomes After Supraventricular Tachycardia Catheter Ablation: Insights from the Nationwide Readmission Database.

Catheter ablation is indicated for the management of supraventricular tachycardias (SVTs). We investigated the effect of sex on short-term outcomes after catheter ablation for SVTs other than atrial fibrillation (AF). Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Readmission Database for the years 2016-2018, SVT patients who underwent catheter ablation were identified using the appropriate International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, codes. The primary outcome was 30-day readmissions. Secondary outcomes included 30-day readmissions for SVT, postprocedural bleeding, acute myocardial infarction, transient ischemic attack, stroke, hemopericardium, cardiac tamponade, length of stay (LOS) in the hospital, and total hospital charges (in USD). Female sex was not associated with an increased risk of the primary outcome (P = .168) but was associated with a significantly decreased risk of postprocedural revascularization (P = .001), LOS (P = .003), and total hospital charges (P = .002). There were no significant differences in other secondary outcomes. Among patients admitted for catheter ablation for SVTs (other than AF), female sex was associated with decreased LOS and total hospital charges, which may be attributed to increased comorbidity rates in men and gender-based biases.