Annals of medicine
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Diabetic retinopathy is a common yet severe complication of diabetes mellitus and is the leading cause of blindness in middle-aged adults. After years of poorly managed hyperglycemia, complications begin as non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy but can then progress into the proliferative stage marked by neovascularization of the retina. ⋯ This review outlines the major pathways of pathogenesis in diabetic retinopathy, highlighting the protective role pericytes play in preserving the blood-retinal barrier. Given the loss of this cell line is a defining feature of the disease, ways in which to prevent pericyte dropout within retinal vasculature is discussed, targeting various pathogenesis pathways of diabetic retinopathy.
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Multicenter Study
The identification and prediction of atrial fibrillation in coronary artery disease patients: a multicentre retrospective study based on Bayesian network.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) coexisting with coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a prevailing issue that often results in poor short- and long-term patient outcomes. Screening has been proposed as a method to increase AF detection rates and reduce the incidence of poor prognosis through early intervention. Nevertheless, due to the cost implications and uncertainty over the benefits of a systematic screening programme, the International Task Force currently recommends against screening. This study is to employ Bayesian networks (BN) for assessing the pre-test probability (PTP) of AF in patients with CAD. ⋯ The prediction model of AF with CAD constructed based on BN has high prediction performance and may provide a new tool for large-scale AF screening.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Diversity of heart failure phenotypes in transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy. More than just heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
Current guidelines recommend suspecting transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) in patients over 65 years of age with unexplained left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy in a non-dilated LV, heart failure (HF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or severe aortic stenosis. However, there is evidence indicating a high prevalence of ATTR-CM in other HF phenotypes. As such, this study aimed to characterize the diversity of HF phenotypes of ATTR-CM by examining the LV ejection fraction and LV dilatation using echocardiography. ⋯ This study revealed significant variability in HF phenotypes among patients with ATTR-CM, from HFpEF without LV dilatation to HFrEF with severe LV dilatation. Relying solely on HFpEF for screening may lead to under-diagnosis. These findings suggest the need for more comprehensive diagnostic criteria beyond echocardiographic measures to improve ATTR-CM detection and management.
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A growing number of studies show that people with similar blood glucose levels have different levels of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), and relying only on HbA1c may lead to clinical decision-making errors. The haemoglobin glycation index (HGI) quantifies the difference in HbA1c among individuals and is strongly linked to the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the connection between this phenomenon and the poor outcomes of patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is currently unknown. ⋯ A high HGI was directly associated with a reduction in all-cause and CV deaths but was not associated with MACE. These findings may be helpful in the management of patients with ADHF.
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To investigate the effectiveness of the intervention with critical value management and push short messaging service (SMS), and to determine improvement in the referral rate of patients with positive hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV). ⋯ The interventions of critical value management and push SMS were correlated with the referral rate of patients with positive anti-HCV.