Gesture imitation performance in community-dwelling older people: assessment of a gesture imitation task in the screening and diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

BACKGROUND: Gesture imitation, a simple tool for assessing visuospatial/visuoconstructive functions, is reportedly useful for screening and diagnosing dementia. However, gesture imitation performance in healthy older adults is largely unknown, as are the factors associated with lower performance. To address these unknowns, we examined the gesture imitation performance of a large number of community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 years in Arao City, Kumamoto Prefecture (southern Japan). METHODS: The examiner presented the participants with eight gesture patterns and considered it a success if they could imitate them within 10 s. The success rate of each gesture imitation was calculated for three diagnostic groups: cognitively normal (CN) (n = 1184), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (n = 237), and dementia (n = 47). Next, we reorganised the original gesture imitation battery by combining six selected gestures with the following scoring method: if the participants successfully imitated the gestures, immediately or within 5 s, two points were assigned. If they succeeded within 5-10 s, one point was assigned. The sensitivity and specificity of the battery were investigated to detect the dementia and MCI groups. Factors associated with gesture imitation battery scores were examined. RESULTS: Except one complex gesture, the success rate of imitation in the CN group was high, approximately 90%. The sensitivity and specificity of the gesture imitation battery for discriminating between the dementia and CN groups and between the MCI and CN groups were 70%/88%, and 45%/75%, respectively. Ageing, male sex, and a diagnosis of dementia or MCI were associated with lower scores on the gesture imitation battery. CONCLUSION: Gesture imitation tasks alone may not be sufficient to detect MCI. However, by combining gestures with set time limits, gesture imitation tasks can be a low-burden and effective method for detecting dementia, even in community medicine, such as during health check-ups.

Utility of the Japanese version of the Clinical Dementia Rating® plus National Alzheimer's Coordinating Centre Behaviour and Language Domains for sporadic cases of frontotemporal dementia in Japan.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to validate the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR®) dementia staging instrument plus the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Centre Behaviour and Language Domains (CDR® plus NACC FTLD) for use in clinical settings in Japan and in the Japanese language. METHODS: This prospective observational study enrolled 29 patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and 21 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia from the Departments of Psychiatry at Osaka University Hospital and Asakayama General Hospital and the Brain Function Centre at Nippon Life Hospital. CDR® plus NACC FTLD, CDR®, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Western Aphasia Battery (WAB), Neuropsychiatric Inventory-plus (NPI-plus), Stereotypy Rating Inventory (SRI), and frontal behavioural symptom scores obtained from items of NPI-plus and SRI, were conducted to assess inter- and intra-rater reliability, validity, and responsiveness. We performed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to evaluate the discriminating power of the Behaviour/Comportment/Personality (BEHAV) and Language (LANG) domains of the CDR® plus NACC FTLD and the MEMORY domain of the CDR® in patients AD dementia and FTD. RESULTS: The CDR® plus NACC FTLD showed good inter- and intra-rater reliabilities. In patients with FTD, the BEHAV domain of the CDR® plus NACC FTLD was significantly correlated with all clinical measures except for the SRI total score, while the LANG domain of the CDR® plus NACC FTLD was significantly correlated with the MMSE and the WAB-Aphasia quotient. In addition, the CDR® plus NACC FTLD sum of boxes significantly changed after 6 months and after 1 year. ROC curve analysis showed that the BEHAV and LANG domains of the CDR® plus NACC FTLD distinguished between patients with AD dementia and FTD better than the MEMORY domain of the CDR®. CONCLUSIONS: This study validated the Japanese version of the CDR® plus NACC FTLD with good reliability, validity, and responsiveness.

Plaque characterization of a saphenous vein graft by near-infrared spectroscopy and histopathology in a patient with a percutaneous coronary intervention.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is an intravascular imaging (IVUS) modality that detects lipid core plaques in the vessel wall, which are regarded as high-risk plaques for distal embolization in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Saphenous vein graft (SVG) lesions have friable lipid-rich plaques and thrombus prone to distal embolization. The plaque characterization of SVG by NIRS was confirmed herein for the first time with histopathology before and after PCI. The present case was a man in his 60 s with a history of coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Coronary angiography revealed severe stenosis in multiple segments of the SVG to left circumflex artery (LCX). NIRS IVUS showed large amounts of lipidic materials at each segment before PCI. After balloon dilatation, NIRS IVUS revealed a marked reduction in yellow signals on chemography. A histopathological analysis of the captured specimen showed that it was mainly composed of fibrin and contained numerous histiocytes with foam cells, lymphocytes, and other cells, which was consistent with the histopathological findings of plaque rupture.

Isolated Coronary Arteritis Treated With FDG-PET/CT-Guided Immunosuppressant to Break the Vicious Cycle of In-Stent Restenosis.

Recurrent in-stent restenosis of the coronary artery is a rare but intractable problem. In this situation, coronary arteritis should be considered as an etiology. This case highlights the use of immunosuppressive drugs, including tocilizumab, and follow-up F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography to break the vicious circle of recurrent stenosis caused by isolated coronary arteritis of unknown cause.

Demographic Trends and Changes in the Pre- and In-Hospital Medical Management of Acute Myocardial Infarction During the First 12 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mie Prefecture　- Report From the Mie ACS Registry.

Background: Even though hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) decreased globally during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, limited information is available on subsequent demographic trends in the number of cases and management of AMI through the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods and Results: We assessed demographic trends, patient characteristics, and AMI outcomes (n=730) during the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic and compared them with corresponding months during the control period (February 2016-January 2020; n=2,742) using data from the Mie ACS Registry. Although a 25.8% reduction in hospitalizations for AMI was observed in the 3 months following the declaration of a state of emergency (47.7 vs. 64.3/month; P=0.002), the total number of AMI patients was similar between the 12-month COVID-19 and control periods (60.8 vs. 57.2/month; P=0.58). The number of patients requiring direct ambulance transport was lower in the first half of the COVID-19 than control period (44.4% vs. 51.5; P=0.028). In-hospital mortality was higher in the second half of the COVID-19 than control period (8.9% vs. 5.8%; P=0.032). Conclusions: Through the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of AMI cases was similar to that in previous years. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the behavior of AMI patients and both pre- and in-hospital medical management, which significantly affected the severity and prognosis of AMI.

Prognostic Impact of Peak Aortic Jet Velocity on Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Aortic valve stenosis (AS) leads to increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, and recent studies reported that even mild-to-moderate AS was associated with poor prognosis in the general population. This study investigated the prognostic impact of mild or moderate AS, defined as 2.0 m/s ≤ peak aortic jet velocity (Vmax) ≤3.9 m/s using echocardiography in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients.Methods and Results: This study enrolled 3,049 AMI patients using data from the Mie ACS registry. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to Vmax: Group 1: Vmax <2.0 m/s and/or visually intact aortic valve in which all 3 leaflets are fully and evenly open; Group 2: 2.0 m/s ≤ Vmax ≤ 3.9 m/s. There were 2,976 patients in Group 1and 73 patients in Group 2. The Group 2 patients were older, had a higher percentage of males and had lower body mass index and Killip ≥2 than the Group 1 patients. Angiographic data, door-to-balloon time, and mechanical support were not different between the 2 groups. The Group 2 patients demonstrated a significantly higher all-cause mortality rate (P<0.01) and composite of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization (P<0.01), and Kaplan-Meier analysis showed the same tendency in propensity score-matched patients. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that mild or moderate AS based on Vmax is associated with poor prognosis following AMI.

Endovascular Treatment for Lower-extremity Arterial Thrombosis in a Patient with Congenital Afibrinogenemia and a History of Bleeding Complications.

Congenital afibrinogenemia is a rare autosomal recessive blood disorder that accompanies thrombotic complications and is associated with bleeding tendency. The management of these opposing complications remains a challenge. Endovascular treatment (EVT) for peripheral arterial thrombosis has not been described in previous studies. A 57-year-old man with congenital afibrinogenemia developed back pain and left lower leg pain. The cause of the pain was confirmed to be renal infarction and lower extremity arterial thrombosis by Doppler ultrasound and contrast-enhanced computed tomography. He was treated with EVT for the lower extremity arterial thrombosis, leading to an excellent short-term improvement without bleeding.

Prognosis of acute myocardial infarction in patients on hemodialysis stratified by Killip classification in the modern interventional era (focus on the prognosis of Killip class 1).

Cardiovascular events and death are more prevalent in hemodialysis (HD) patients than in the general population. However, a detailed prognostic risk stratification of HD patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not yet been performed in the modern interventional era. We examined 4509 AMI patients (89 AMI/HD and 4420 AMI/non-HD) from the Mie ACS registry and detailed prognostic analyses based on the Killip classification were performed (Cohort A). In addition, prognosis of Killip class1 AMI/HD was compared with those of 313 non-AMI/HD patients from the MIE-CARE HD study using propensity score-matching method (Cohort B). Primary endpoint was all-cause mortality for up to 2 years. All-cause death occurred in 13.0% of AMI/non-HD and 35.8% of AMI/HD during follow-up, and patients with Killip class 1 had lower 30-day and 2-year mortality than those with Killip class ≥ 2 in both AMI/non-HD and AMI/HD. Cox regression analyses identified that Killip class ≥ 2 was the strongest independent prognostic factor of 30-day mortality with a hazard ratio of 7.44 (p < 0.001), whereas both presence of HD and Killip class ≥ 2 were the independent prognostic factors of mortality for up to 2 years. In Cohort B, a propensity score-matching analysis revealed similar all-cause mortality rates between Killip class 1 AMI/HD and non-AMI/HD. In HD patients with Killip class 1 AMI, 30-day mortality was around 6%, and long-term mortality among 30-day survivors after AMI was comparable with the natural course of HD patients in the modern interventional era. Clinical trial registration: URL: https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index-j.htm . UMIN000036020 and UMIN000008128.

Impact of Helicopter Transport on Reperfusion Times and Long-Term Outcomes in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients in Rural Areas: A Report From the Mie Acute Coronary Syndrome Registry.

OBJECTIVE: Helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) are effective for time-sensitive conditions, such as stroke and trauma. However, prognostic data on helicopter transport for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients are insufficient. METHODS: We registered 2,681 AMI patients in the Mie Acute Coronary Syndrome Registry and enrolled 163 patients from rural areas to HEMS base hospitals with HEMS or ground emergency medical services (GEMS). They were categorized into 4 groups according to the transportation method for interhospital transfer (direct HEMS: n = 52, direct GEMS: n = 54, interhospital HEMS: n = 32, and interhospital GEMS: n = 25). The primary end point was the emergency medical services (EMS) call-to-balloon time. The secondary end point was 2-year major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events. RESULTS: The direct HEMS group was younger than the direct GEMS group (P = .029). The EMS call-to-balloon time was shorter in the direct HEMS and interhospital HEMS groups than in each GEMS group (P = .015 and P = .046). The incidence of 2-year major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events tended to be lower in both HEMS groups than in each GEMS group. CONCLUSION: Direct HEMS for AMI in rural areas shortens the time from the EMS call to reperfusion when the transport distance is expected to exceed 30 km, which may result in a better patient prognosis. In addition, prehospital diagnostic modalities, such as 12-lead electrocardiography and echocardiography, may shorten the duration from the EMS call to reperfusion.

Fatal myopericarditis complicated with coronary vein perforation under the triple antithrombotic therapy: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Acute pericarditis generally follows a mild clinical course and is rarely fatal. Coronary vein involvement is rarely reported. CASE SUMMARY: We report an autopsy case of cardiac tamponade from idiopathic myopericarditis due to coronary venous perforation under the triple antithrombotic therapy. A 69-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with abnormal findings on electrocardiography, bloody pericardial effusion, and mild elevation of troponin I. Oral anti-inflammatories were started and the patient followed a benign course. However, on hospital Day 5, he suddenly suffered cardiogenic shock with pulseless electric activity due to cardiac tamponade under the combination use of the dual antiplatelet drugs and an anticoagulant drug. He died despite intense medical treatment. Autopsy revealed cardiac tamponade caused by perforation in the coronary venous wall. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of fatal myopericarditis as a complication of coronary venous perforation. DISCUSSION: The aetiology and mechanism remain unknown; however, we should take care for this rare complication in patients with acute myopericarditis and bloody effusion under the triple antithrombotic therapy.

Effect of left ventricular ejection fraction on the prognostic impact of chronic total occlusion in a non-infarct-related artery in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Chronic total occlusion (CTO) in a non-infarct-related artery (IRA) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with a poor prognosis. However, whether the prognostic impact of non-IRA CTO differs according to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 2060 consecutive acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were classified into 2 groups according to their LVEF (reduced EF: LVEF < 50%, preserved EF: LVEF ≥ 50%) and further subdivided according to the presence of concomitant non-IRA CTO. In the reduced EF group, patients with CTO had a higher 1-year all-cause death rate (20.3% vs. 34.3%, P = 0.001) and major adverse cardiac event rate (MACE: 19.6% vs. 39.6%, P < 0.001) compared to those without CTO, but they were similar between patients with and without CTO in the preserved EF group. Non-IRA CTO was an independent predictor of all-cause death (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.06-2.33, P = 0.02) and MACE (HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.14-2.46, P = 0.009) only in the reduced EF group. In addition, the outcomes of successful CTO-PCI seemed to be similar to those without CTO in the reduced EF group. CONCLUSIONS: CTO in a non-IRA may contribute to a poor prognosis only in AMI patients with reduced LVEF.

Clinical features of behavioral symptoms in patients with semantic dementia: Does semantic dementia cause autistic traits?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the behavioral characteristics of semantic dementia (SD) using an instrument originally developed for patients with autism spectrum disorder. METHODS: The behavioral symptoms of 20 patients with SD and 20 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in both the preclinical state and the dementia state were evaluated using the Pervasive Developmental Disorders Autism Society Japan Rating Scale (PARS). RESULTS: The SD group showed high prevalence in four behaviors related to stereotypy and social impairment: eating very few food items, selfishness, difficulty in recognizing others' feeling and thoughts, and interpreting language literally. Scores on the PARS short version, which is sensitive for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, were significantly higher in the dementia state than in the preclinical state in both the SD (11.5 ± 6.0 and 1.7 ± 2.5, respectively; t (19) = 6.7, p < 0.001) and AD (6.9 ± 4.6 and 1.7 ± 2.0, respectively; t (19) = 5.1, p < 0.001) groups. PARS short version scores after dementia onset increased in both the SD and AD groups, although the increase was significantly larger in the SD group (F = 5.6, p = 0.023). Additionally, a significantly higher rate of patients exceeded the cutoff score for autism diagnosis in the dementia state in the SD group (75%) than in the AD group (40%; χ2 = 5.0, p = 0.025). PARS scores in the dementia state were significantly correlated with illness duration (r = 0.46, p = 0.04) and Mini-Mental State Examination scores (r = -0.75, p < 0.001) in the SD group only. CONCLUSIONS: Although SD and autism spectrum disorder are etiologically distinct diseases, patients with semantic dementia behave like those with autism spectrum disorder. Our findings suggest the symptomatic similarity of the two disorders.

Prevalence and Prognosis of Familial Hypercholesterolemia in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome in Mie Prefecture, Japan　- Report From Mie ACS Registry.

BACKGROUND: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration and premature acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, hereditary diseases may have regional characteristics, and few data are available regarding the prevalence of FH throughout particular regions in Japan. This study investigated the prevalence and prognosis of FH in patients with ACS in Mie Prefecture, Japan.Methods and Results:This study investigated 738 ACS patients from the Mie ACS Registry in Mie Prefecture, and 706 (95.7%) with sufficient data to diagnose FH were enrolled for analysis. Eighteen patients (2.5%) were diagnosed with FH, which was similar to findings of another multidistrict registry conducted in Japan. Patients with FH were significantly younger and had a higher prevalence of premature onset of ACS than patients with non-FH (P<0.01). Incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) was not statistically different between patients with FH and non-FH in this study population, even in the propensity score-matched analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of FH in ACS patients from the Mie Prefecture was similar to that found in another Japanese multidistrict registry. Among ACS patients, short-term incidence of MACCE was not statistically different between patients with FH and non-FH in this study population.

Clinical usefulness of instantaneous wave-free ratio for the evaluation of coronary artery lesion with prior myocardial infarction: A multi-center study.

BACKGROUND: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is useful for assessing the functional significance of coronary artery stenosis, even in lesions with prior myocardial infarction (pMI). Instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) is a vasodilator-free alternative for the physiological assessment of coronary artery stenosis. In addition, iFR shows good diagnostic agreement with FFR and an iFR-guided revascularization strategy was non-inferior to an FFR-guided revascularization strategy. However, the clinical usefulness of iFR for the evaluation of a coronary artery lesions with pMI has not been evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 200 lesions from 200 patients (44 pMI territories lesions and 156 non-pMI coronary artery lesions) were analyzed retrospectively. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were defined as cardiovascular death, non-fatal MI, unstable angina pectoris, fatal arrhythmia and heart failure during 12 months follow-up after the physiological assessment of coronary artery stenosis. iFR was closely correlated with FFR in pMI and non-pMI lesions (r = 0.81 and 0.72; P < 0.001, respectively). In pMI lesions, an iFR cut-off of 0.89 was optimal against a clinical FFR cut-off of 0.80 according to receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis, whereas in non-pMI lesions, the iFR cut-off value was 0.92 without statistical significance. In addition, the event rate of MACE was similar between pMI and non-pMI patients during follow-up even in the presence or absence of an PCI procedure. CONCLUSIONS: iFR may be a useful alternative method compared with FFR for clinical decision-making even in pMI patients.

An incomplete pacemaker lead fracture causing inappropriate pacing inhibition due to oversensing of the minute ventilation sensor pulses.

Cardiac pacemakers using rate response technologies represent the effectiveness of increasing the heart rate and cardiac output during exercise. Minute ventilation (MV) sensors are popular and estimate rates using transthoracic impedance by emitting very low amperage short electrical current pulses between the pacemaker lead tip and pulse generator. We present a case of an incomplete pacemaker lead fracture developing inappropriate pacing inhibition due to oversensing caused by the electrical current emitted by the MV sensor. A permanent pacemaker replacement was performed, resulting in no further abnormal findings such as inappropriate pacing inhibition. .

Caregiver Burden in Semantic Dementia with Right- and Left-Sided Predominant Cerebral Atrophy and in Behavioral-Variant Frontotemporal Dementia.

BACKGROUND: Caregiver burden is a serious concern for family caregivers of dementia patients, but its nature is unclear in patients with semantic dementia (SD). This study aimed to clarify caregiver burden for right- (R > L) and left-sided (L > R) predominant SD versus behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) patients. METHODS: Using the Japanese version of the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, we examined caregiver burden and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in 43 first-visit outpatient/family caregiver dyads (bvFTD, 20 dyads; SD [L > R], 13 dyads; SD [R > L], 10 dyads). RESULTS: We found a significant difference in ZBI score between the 3 diagnostic groups. Post hoc tests revealed a significantly higher ZBI score in the bvFTD than in the SD (L > R) group. The ZBI scores in the SD (L > R) and SD (R > L) groups were not significantly different, although the effect size was large. Caregiver burden was significantly correlated with BPSD scores in all groups and was correlated with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living decline in the bvFTD and SD (R > L) groups. CONCLUSION: Caregiver burden was highest in the bvFTD group, comparatively high in the SD (R > L) group, and lowest in the SD (L > R) group. Adequate support and intervention for caregivers should be tailored to differences in caregiver burden between these patient groups.