The American journal of the medical sciences
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Observational Study
Calprotectin and Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin As Biomarkers of Acute Kidney Injury in Acute Coronary Syndrome.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is increasingly being seen in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and it is associated with higher short-term and long-term morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to identify those ACS patients at risk for the development of AKI. The objective of this study was to evaluate two different plasma biomarkers calprotectin and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in early detecting the development of AKI in ACS patients. ⋯ This study demonstrated a promising panel of plasma calprotectin and NGAL as early diagnostic biomarkers for AKI in ACS patients.
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Testing for collateral circulation of the hand before any radial artery procedure has been a subject of many controversies. Neither the Allen's test (AT) nor the plethysmography based Barbeau test, adequately and reliably test for collateral circulation. With growing interest in radial approaches for vascular procedures, its common use for arterial monitoring and blood gas sampling, there has been a growing interest in the relevance of assessing collateral hand circulation. ⋯ There is no standardization for being considered an abnormal test across literature and the significance of an abnormal test translating into a clinical outcome has not been investigated in prior studies. This may be attributed to the robust vascular supply of the hand, connections at the digital circulation level and vessel recruitment in an event of occlusion. We reviewed this topic extensively and make an argument that non-invasive collateral testing should be abandoned as a triage tool for radial artery procedures such as arterial punctures, arterial monitoring, and transradial vascular procedures.
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Comparative Study
Bone Mineral Density and Content Among Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: A Comparative Study.
Some studies indicate an association between coronary artery disease (CAD) and osteoporosis. This case-control study examined the association between body composition and bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) among patients with CAD. ⋯ TBLM appears to be the strongest predictor of TBBMD and TBBMC in patients and controls. The strength of associations was greater among patients compared to controls even after adjusting for possible confounders .
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Observational Study
Hyponatremia is a Prognostic Factor in Patients Receiving Nutrition Support.
Hyponatremia, the most common electrolyte disorder, has been reported to be related to increased mortality. However, the association between hyponatremia and prognoses remains unclear in patients with nutrition support team (NST) intervention. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of abnormal serum sodium levels, its relation to patient data, and the impact of hyponatremia on prognosis. ⋯ Hyponatremia in NST intervention patients is an independent prognostic predictor. Therefore, adding an assessment of serum sodium at the beginning of NST intervention can identify patients at high risk at an early stage and may improve the quality of NST activity.
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Identifying a novel biomarker may contribute to detection of vulnerable plaque in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and vulnerable plaque in patients with moderate and low risk of NSTE-ACS. ⋯ Serum PDGF could potentially predict vulnerable plaque in moderate and low risk of NSTE-ACS patients.