Citations

AbstractSVC obstruction is a rare acute complication after bicaval cardiac transplantation and can be catastrophic for the patient. Herein, we report the case of a child who developed SVC thrombosis causing acute SVC syndrome nine days after heart transplantation. Thrombolysis was successfully performed using the AngioJet™ system and subsequent balloon angioplasty with re‐establishment of flow. This procedure allowed for revascularization without repeat sternotomy or stent implantation. The patient is well without recurrence at last follow‐up.

We report a case of a 58-year-old woman who presented with a 1-month course of progressive lower and upper extremity weakness in addition to binocular diplopia. Diagnostic lumbar puncture revealed atypical lymphoid cells with 28% blasts. Immunophenotype was consistent with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL). Further work up showed no systemic involvement but extensive thoracolumbar-sacral leptomeningeal disease. The patient was treated with several courses of intrathecal and systemic chemotherapy followed by craniospinal irradiation for consolidation. There was initial steady improvement in neurological symptoms and leptomeningeal disease, the latter being ascertained through radiological studies and cerebrospinal fluid examination. After 10 months of response, the patient relapsed with central nervous system (CNS) and systemic disease. B-ALL is a rare precursor lymphoid neoplasm that generally presents with systemic disease. While CNS involvement is not uncommon, isolated involvement of this compartment without systemic disease is exceedingly rare.

Background Endothelial dysfunction is an early stage of atherosclerosis. Single‐nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNP s) have been associated with vascular dysfunction, cardiac events, and coronary artery remodeling. We aimed to detect SNP s associated with endothelial dysfunction and determine whether these associations are sex specific. Methods and Results Six hundred forty‐three subjects without significant obstructive coronary artery disease underwent invasive coronary endothelial function assessment. We collected data from 1536 SNP s that had previously been associated with vasoreactivity, angiogenesis, inflammation, artery calcification, atherosclerotic risk factors, insulin resistance, hormone levels, blood coagulability, or with coronary heart disease. Coronary vascular reactivity was assessed by the percent change in coronary artery diameter ≤ −20% after an intracoronary bolus injection of acetylcholine on invasive coronary physiology study. SNP s significantly associated with coronary epicardial endothelial dysfunction were ADORA 1 , KCNQ 1 , and DNAJC 4 in the whole cohort, LPA , MYBPH , ADORA 3 , and PON 1 in women and KIF 6 and NFKB 1 in men ( P <0.01). Conclusions We have identified several significant SNP s that are associated with an increased risk of coronary endothelial dysfunction. These associations appear to be sex specific and may explain gender‐related differences in development of atherosclerosis.

Hypothalamic hamartomas are rare tumors that typically present in childhood, often with gelastic seizures, precocious puberty, or as a manifestation of Pallister‑Hall syndrome. Neurofibrillary tangles are cytoplasmic aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau that are best recognized in Alzheimer disease, other tau‐associated neurodegenerative diseases, or as part of aging, but occasionally may be seen in low‐grade neoplasms with a ganglion cell component as gangliocytoma or ganglioglioma. Herein, we report a case of hypothalamic hamartoma with neurofibrillary tangles.

Progression‐free survival is an increasingly popular end point in oncology clinical trials. A complete blinded independent central review (BICR) is often required by regulators in an attempt to reduce the bias in progression‐free survival (PFS) assessment. In this paper, we propose a new methodology that uses a sample‐based BICR as an audit tool to decide whether a complete BICR is needed. More specifically, we propose a new index, the differential risk, to measure the reading discordance pattern, and develop a corresponding hypothesis testing procedure to decide whether the bias in local evaluation is acceptable. Simulation results demonstrate that our new index is sensitive to the change of discordance pattern; type I error is well controlled in the hypothesis testing procedure, and the calculated sample size provides the desired power. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

ObjectiveThe relationship between Parkinson disease (PD), PD with dementia (PDD), and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) has long been debated. Although PD is primarily considered a motor disorder, cognitive impairment is often present at diagnosis, and only ∼20% of patients remain cognitively intact in the long term. Alpha‐synuclein (SNCA) was first implicated in the pathogenesis of the disease when point mutations and locus multiplications were identified in familial parkinsonism with dementia. In worldwide populations, SNCA genetic variability remains the most reproducible risk factor for idiopathic PD. However, few investigators have looked at SNCA variability in terms of cognitive outcomes.MethodsWe have used targeted high‐throughput sequencing to characterize the 135kb SNCA locus in a large multinational cohort of patients with PD, PDD, and DLB and healthy controls.ResultsAn analysis of 43 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms across the SNCA locus shows 2 distinct association profiles for symptoms of parkinsonism and/or dementia, respectively, toward the 3′ or the 5′ of the SNCA gene. In addition, we define a specific haplotype in intron 4 that is directly associated with PDD. The PDD risk haplotype has been interrogated at single nucleotide resolution and is uniquely tagged by an expanded TTTCn repeat.InterpretationOur data show that PD, PDD, and DLB, rather than a disease continuum, have distinct genetic etiologies albeit within one genomic locus. Such results may serve as prognostic biomarkers to these disorders, to inform physicians and patients, and to assist in the design and stratification of clinical trials aimed at disease modification. Ann Neurol 2016;79:991–999

The process of transition from childhood to adulthood is characterised by physical, mental and psychosocial development. Data on the transition and transfer of care in adolescents/young adults with coeliac disease (CD) are scarce. In this paper, 17 physicians from 10 countries (Sweden, Italy, the USA, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, Britain, Israel and Denmark) and two representatives from patient organisations (Association of European Coeliac Societies and the US Celiac Disease Foundation) examined the literature on transition from childhood to adulthood in CD. Medline (Ovid) and EMBASE were searched between 1900 and September 2015. Evidence in retrieved reports was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation method. The current consensus report aims to help healthcare personnel manage CD in the adolescent and young adult and provide optimal care and transition into adult healthcare for patients with this disease. In adolescence, patients with CD should gradually assume exclusive responsibility for their care, although parental support is still important. Dietary adherence and consequences of non-adherence should be discussed during transition. In most adolescents and young adults, routine small intestinal biopsy is not needed to reconfirm a childhood diagnosis of CD based on European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) or North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) criteria, but a biopsy may be considered where paediatric diagnostic criteria have not been fulfilled, such as, in a patient without biopsy at diagnosis, additional serology (endomysium antibody) has not been performed to confirm 10-fold positivity of tissue transglutaminase antibodies or when a no biopsy strategy has been adopted in an asymptomatic child.

Minorities have historically been underrepresented in health-related research. Several strategies have been recommended to increase the participation of minorities in health-related research. However, most of the recommendations and guidelines apply to research in clinical or laboratory contexts. One of the more prominent methods to enhance minority participation in health-related research that has recently come to the fore is the use of community-engaged strategies. The purpose of this article is to summarize community-engaged outreach efforts that can be translated into useable strategies for health education research teams seeking to diversify the pool of research participants. Also, we provide a succinct overview of the various components of a research endeavor that may influence minority participation in health-related research. Finally, we analyze how health education specialists and SOPHE (Society of Public Health Education) can play a leading role in helping enhance minority participation in health-related research.