Sensorineural Hearing Impairment and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Without Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the association of hearing impairment with carotid intima-media thickness and subclinical atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 41 RA patients (2 males, 39 females; mean age 46.5±10.2 years; range 20 to 63 years) with no known traditional cardiovascular risk factors were included. Routine clinical and laboratory assessments for RA patients were performed. Pure tone air (250-8000 Hz) and bone conduction (250-6000 Hz) thresholds were obtained, tympanograms and impedance audiometry were conducted. Sensorineural hearing impairment was defined if the average thresholds were ≥25 decibels. Carotid intima-media thickness was assessed and classified with a cut-off point of 0.6 mm. RESULTS: Thirteen patients (31.7%) had normal audition, while 28 (68.3%) had hearing impairment. Of these, 22 had bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment. Four patients had conductive hearing impairment (right in three patients and left in one patient). Patients with sensorineural hearing impairment had increased carotid intima-media thickness in the media segment of carotid common artery compared to patients with normal hearing (right ear p=0.007; left ear p=0.075). Thickening of the carotid intima-media thickness was associated with sensorineural hearing impairment in RA patients. CONCLUSION: Rheumatoid arthritis patients should be evaluated by carotid intima-media thickness as a possible contributing factor of hearing impairment in patients without cardiovascular risk factors.

Serum leptin and serum leptin/serum leptin receptor ratio imbalance in obese rheumatoid arthritis patients positive for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies.

INTRODUCTION: Leptin has a prominent role in the development and maintenance of acute and chronic inflammatory states such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and obesity. Nevertheless, the association of serum leptin (sLep) and soluble leptin receptor (sLepR) in RA pathogenesis has not been clarified. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of sLep, sLepR and leptin production indexes such as sLep/fat mass ratio with clinical activity and biomarkers and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies in RA compared with body mass index (BMI) matched control subjects. METHODS: We included 64 RA patients and 66 controls matched for age, gender and BMI. Subjects were evaluated for BMI, fat mass distribution, sLep, sLepR, sLep/fat mass ratio and sLepR/fat mass ratio. Patients were evaluated for clinical activity and anti-CCP antibodies. RESULTS: We found two or three fold increased sLep levels, sLep/sLepR ratio and sLep/fat mass ratio in obese anti-CCP positive RA patients vs. CONTROLS: Partial correlations showed that anti-CCP antibodies were correlated with sLep/fat mass ratio (partial r = 0.347, P = 0.033) after adjustment for age, subcutaneous adipose tissue and fat mass. CONCLUSIONS: In preobese and obese RA patients there is and increased production of sLep according to anti-CCP positivity. This phenomenon suggests there is an additive effect of chronic inflammation resulting from RA and obesity in which leptin favors the humoral response against citrullinated proteins. In summary, the data observed in our study suggests sLep could be a surrogate marker of chronicity and humoral immunity in RA in the presence of obesity.

Serum levels of anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and C-reactive protein are associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness: a cross-sectional analysis of a cohort of rheumatoid arthritis patients without cardiovascular risk factors.

UNLABELLED: The main cause of death in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is cardiovascular events. We evaluated the relationship of anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody levels with increased carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in RA patients. METHODS: Forty-five anti-CCP positive and 37 anti-CCP negative RA patients, and 62 healthy controls (HC) were studied. All groups were assessed for atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and cIMT. Anti-CCP, C-reactive protein (CRP), and levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The anti-CCP positive RA patients showed increased cIMT compared to HC and anti-CCP negative (P < 0.001). Anti-CCP positive versus anti-CCP negative RA patients, had increased AIP, TNFα and IL-6 (P < 0.01), and lower levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) (P = 0.02). The cIMT correlated with levels of anti-CCP (r = 0.513, P = 0.001), CRP (r = 0.799, P < 0.001), TNFα (r = 0.642, P = 0.001), and IL-6 (r = 0.751, P < 0.001). In multiple regression analysis, cIMT was associated with CRP (P < 0.001) and anti-CCP levels (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Levels of anti-CCP and CRP are associated with increased cIMT and cardiovascular risk supporting a clinical role of the measurement of cIMT in RA in predicting and preventing cardiovascular events.

Eficacia de la terapia con presión negativa como parte del manejo de abscesos profundos de cuello / Efficacy of negative pressure therapy as part of neck deep abscesses management

Antecedentes: Los abscesos de cuello son procesos de origen infeccioso, que forman una colección de material purulento a través de los planos profundos del cuello e involucran uno o varios de los espacios. La terapia con presión negativa ha sido usada exitosamente en el manejo de abscesos en otras zonas del cuerpo humano. No obstante, la investigación acerca de su uso en el tratamiento de abscesos profundos de cuello es limitada. Objetivo: Evaluar la eficacia de terapia con presión negativa como parte del manejo de abscesos profundo de cuello. Diseño de Estudio: Ensayo clínico controlado abierto. Material y método: Se incluyeron 10 pacientes, 6 en el grupo experimental manejados con terapia con presión negativa y 4 controles, tratados con drenaje quirúrgico convencional. Resultados: Encontramos diferencia estadísticamente significativa en la reducción de leucocitos y neutrófilos al tercer día postquirúrgico entre el grupo experimental y el control, asi como también en el número de días de estancia intrahospitalaria, en la apariencia macroscópica de la herida quirúrgica y en la escala de impresión de mejoría global del clínico. Conclusión: La terapia con presión negativa demuestra efectividad en el manejo de abscesos profundos de cuello al disminuir el conteo de leucocitos y neutrófilos, favorece una apariencia macroscópica de herida quirúrgica limpia y una mejoría del paciente según la percepción del clínico, con una reducción del número de días de estancia intrahospitalaria consecuente. Por lo tanto, ésta es una opción de tratamiento viable para estos pacientes.

Background: neck abscesses are infectious origin processes which form a collection through the deeper layers of the neck and involve one or more spaces. Negative pressure therapy has been used successfully in management of abscesses in other areas of the human body. However, research into its use in the treatment of deep neck abscesses is limited. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of negative pressure therapy as part of managing deep neck abscesses. Study Design: Open controlled clinical trial. Methods: Open controlled clinical trial that included 10 patients, 6 in the experimental group managed with negative pressure therapy and 4 controls treated with conventional surgical drainage. Results: We found statistically significant difference in the reduction of leukocytes and neutrophils on the third postoperative day between the experimental and control, as well as the number of days of hospital stay, in the macroscopic appearance of the wound and the scale of clinical global improvement. Conclusion: The negative pressure therapy proves to be effective in management of deep neck abscesses to reduce the leukocyte count and neutrophils, favors a macroscopic appearance of clean surgical wound and patient improvement as perceived by the clinician, with a reduced number subsequent days of hospital stay. Therefore, this is a viable treatment option for these patients.

Combined approach for experimental Oto-neurosurgical procedures.

BACKGROUND: Experimental procedures will continue to be a key element while going through the learning curve in the use of the endoscope and minimally invasive procedures. We describe the technical procedure of an experimental approach to middle ear in New Zealand rabbits through external auditory canal and its relevance as an ideal model to study graft materials and serve as a training tool for potential applications in otoneurology. METHODS: A group of 28 adult New Zealand rabbits were subjected to an experimental myringoplasty, combining the transmeatal and retroauricular approach with endoscopic assistance and microsurgical technique. The different anatomical steps and systematization of the complete experimental procedure are described. RESULTS: An experimental approach to middle ear live model and basic anatomic description was successfully used, standardizing the ideal technique. The eardrum could regenerate with no complications and with functional preservation in all the myringoplasty cases. This strategy involves a safe combined approach to the tympanic membrane and others neurosurgical as transcochlear and translaberyntic approaches and is useful as a test of other experimental procedures to evaluate biomaterials to repair the eardrum currently studied. This experimental myringoplasty model also facilitates functional tests such as impedanciometry and the endoscopic follow-up of the whole process. CONCLUSIONS: The method described to perform an experimental myringoplasty (type I tympanoplasty) in a New Zealand rabbit is an option to be used as a basic model to study the behavior of the graft in the tympanic membrane. Also, basic concepts for the use of combined instrumentation are established in the treatment of eardrum lesions, as a refinement of the technical training application in microsurgery and assisted endoscopy in the transcochlear and translaberintic approaches and otoneurology areas.