In 1982, Goldberger described an electrocardiographic triad (SV1 or SV2 + RV5 or RV6 ≥ 3.5 mV, total QRS amplitude in each of the limb leads ≤ 0.8 mV, and R/S ratio < 1 in lead V4) that was 70% sensitive and > 90% specific for detecting severe left ventricular ...

The purpose of our study was to compare the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) derived from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of prostate cancer (PCa) patients with three classes of pathological Gleason scores (GS). Patients whose GS met these criteria (GS 3 + 3, GS 3 + 4, and GS 4 + 3) ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Localization of spinal CSF leaks in CSF hypovolemia is critical in directing focal therapy. In this retrospective review, our aim was to determine whether GdM was helpful in confirming and localizing spinal CSF leaks in patients in whom no leak was identified on a prior CTM.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Forty-one ...

We assessed the performance of galactomannan and (1→3)-β-d-glucan in 29 serum samples from patients with multiple myeloma and Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia without invasive fungal disease to address issues of false positivity and uninterpretable results previously reported among patients with these conditions. Galactomannan and (1→3)-β-d-glucan assays were not falsely elevated in any ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It is unclear whether patients with transient ischemic attack with an ABCD(2) score <4 can be safely evaluated within the following week as recommended by some national guidelines rather than in emergency. METHODS: A total of 1679 patients in the SOS-TIA prospective cohort had a definite or ...

OBJECTIVE: To address the issue of sexual function and fertility in PUV patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Of 47 patients (age > 18 years) treated for PUV in infancy 28 were contactable. They were sent a standard questionnaire requesting details on voiding dysfunction symptoms, and experience of erection, orgasm and ejaculation. RESULTS: Of ...

Catheter ablation of ganglionated plexi (GP) in the left atrium has been proposed in different subgroup of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Anatomic studies found a high prevalence of GP in the posterior surface of the right atrium (RA). Experimental data suggested the potential role of right atrial GP in ...

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction (LVHT) is associated with stroke or embolism (S/E). The aim of this study was to assess if the Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age >75 years, Diabetes, and Stroke (CHADS(2)) and CHA(2)DS(2)VASc scores are different between LVHT-patients with and without stroke/embolism. METHODS: Records of LVHT patients were ...

An auditory brainstem implant (ABI) that stimulates the cochlear nucleus in the brainstem was initially designed for patients with neurofibromatosis type-2. Recently, promising surgical outcomes after ABI have been reported in nontumor patients with sensorineural hearing loss including those with cochlear nerve aplasia or ossified cochlea. We herein describe the ...

Back pain is common in athletes and different risk factors are known to aggravate it. This study was performed to assess the incidence of generalised ligament laxity in patients admitted with severe back pain. Prospective data was collected for patients admitted with severe back pain between Jan 2011 and March ...

We have retrospectively evaluated the uric acid control status and renal function changes over a period of up to 7 years in 35 patients with renal impairment who had stage 3 or higher chronic kidney disease (CKD; stage 3 in 32 patients, stage 4 in 2 patients, and stage 5 ...

BACKGROUND.: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is the main cause of graft failure and death 1 year after heart transplantation (HTx). Metabolic syndrome (MS) increases the risk of cardiovascular events by endothelial dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to determine if patients with MS developed a higher risk of CAV ...

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of a wide range of assistance levels during neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) and pressure support ventilation (PSV) on respiratory pattern, breathing variability, and incidence of tidal volumes (V (T)) above 8 and 10 ml/kg in acute respiratory failure patients. METHODS: Eight increasing NAVA levels (0.5, ...

Small retrospective case series suggest that decompressive hemicraniectomy can be life saving in patients with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) and impending brain herniation. Prospective studies of consecutive cases are lacking. Thus, a single centre, prospective study was performed. In 2006 we adapted our protocol for CVT treatment to perform acute ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate new electrocardiographic (ECG) criteria for discriminating between incomplete right bundle branch block (RBBB) and the Brugada types 2 and 3 ECG patterns. Brugada syndrome can manifest as either type 2 or type 3 pattern. The latter should be distinguished from incomplete RBBB, ...

Although the pathogenesis of cervical inlet patch (CIP) is not fully understood, most authors consider it as a congenital abnormality, whereas others surmise it to be related to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). We aimed to evaluate esophageal function and the prevalence of GERD and Barrett's esophagus in patients with CIP. ...

Bleeding risk is not predictable in patients with factor XI (FXI; F11) deficiency. In this prospective study, our objectives were to determine the biological determinants for bleeding risk in patients with heterozygous FXI deficiency. Patients were classified as either bleeding patients or non-bleeding patients by calculating the bleeding score (BS) ...

Introduction: The objective of this study was to investigate the value of narrow-band imaging (NBI) cystoscopy in the detection of patients with positive voided urine cytology (VUC) who have no evidence of disease after standard initial investigations. Patients and Methods: Between February 2009 and December 2010, 12 patients with positive ...

  The diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and immunoglobulin subclass 4 (IgG(4) )-associated cholangitis (IAC) is based on imaging studies, serology, histology and a response to steroid therapy. The major serological finding is an elevation of the serum IgG(4) concentration. Previous studies have shown that its sensitivity is about 70% ...

OBJECTIVE:We evaluate variants of a commonly used data safety monitoring guideline in clinical trials in multiple sclerosis (MS) that flags patients who, at a follow-up visit, have 5 or more contrast-enhancing lesions (CELs) above their baseline count. METHODS:We apply the guideline to a relapsing cohort and a secondary progressive cohort. ...

PURPOSE:: To describe the morphologic characteristics of commotio retinae using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and to evaluate its utility in prognosis and follow-up. METHODS:: Consecutive patients with commotio retinae underwent complete ophthalmic examination, color fundus photography, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence, and near-infrared autofluorescence. RESULTS:: There were 11 eyes ...

Abstract Conclusions: The majority of the patients with unilateral auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (UANSD) were pediatric and mostly showed a great degree of hearing loss when diagnosed. Abnormal auditory brainstem response (ABR) and preserved otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and/or cochlear microphonics (CM) were important features to differentiate it from common sensorineural ...

The evolution of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) under current management options remains uncertain. To examine whether, depending on the initial presentation, non-erosive (NERD) and erosive reflux disease (ERD) without Barrett's oesophagus will progress to more severe disease under current routine care following the resolution of the initial condition. Patients with ...

We determined whether low bilirubin level is a risk factor for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). We recruited 318 patients with PAD and 100 healthy volunteers. Patients were divided into 4 groups by the Fontaine classification for PAD, namely, group 1 (grade 1, n = 4); group 2 (grade 2, n ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Hypoplasia of the rostral third of the SSS is a well-known variant and constitutes the most frequent variation of the SSS after preferential drainage to one of the transverse sinuses. Our aim was to describe unilateral hypoplasia of the rostral end of the SSS.MATERIALS AND METHODS:CTA performed in ...

The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Barrett esophagus (BE) in first-degree relatives of patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and Barrett high-grade dysplasia (HGD). After Institutional Review Board approval, first-degree relatives of patients with EAC/HGD underwent unsedated ultrathin transnasal endoscopy (UUTNE) with biopsy. BE was suspected ...

A novel atrial defibrillator was developed at the Royal Victoria Hospital in collaboration with the Nanotechnology and Integrated Bio-Engineering Centre, University of Ulster. This device is powered by an external pulse of radiofrequency energy and designed to cardiovert using low-tilt monophasic waveform (LTMW) and low-tilt biphasic waveform (LTBW), 12 milliseconds ...

Purpose: Transfer of severely hypoxic patients is a high-risk procedure. Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) allows safe transport of these patients to tertiary care institutions. Our ECMO transportation program was instituted in 2004; here we report results after 5 years of activity.?Methods: This is a clinical observational study. Criteria for ECMO ...

Introduction: Spinobulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is an inherited adult-onset motor neuron disease caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine tract within the androgen receptor. Autonomic nervous system involvement (ANS) is not considered part of SBMA. The aim of this study was to assess autonomic cardiovascular function in 5 SBMA patients. ...

Symptomatic cerebral thromboembolism occurs in 0.4% of transcatheter atrial fibrillation ablation procedures. Silent cerebral events, instead, have recently been reported in up to 14%, especially clustered within patients undergoing cardioversion at the end of the procedure. The present study reports the incidence of silent cerebral thromboembolism, assessed by cerebral MRI, ...

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSDs) are severe inflammatory demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system. Brain involvement is increasingly recognized. To study brain involvement in NMOSDs among Hong Kong Chinese patients. Retrospective study of patients with NMOSDs. Tertiary medical center in Hong Kong. Patients  Thirty-four Hong Kong Chinese patients with ...

To investigate the etiological and clinical features of pseudotumour cerebri (PTC) in children, features of 12 children with PTC were documented. The etiology could be clarified in 6 patients. The other 6 patients were accepted as idiopathic intracranial hypertension (primary PTC). Acetazolamide was used as the first drug and was ...

Neuro-endocrine deficiencies have been argued to be common sequelae after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). As this, however, does not resemble our clinical experience, we studied the incidence of neuro-endocrine and neuropsychological deficits after aSAH. Twenty-six patients (20 females) were prospectively screened for neuro-endocrine and neuropsychological deficits 3, 6 and 12 months ...

BACKGROUNDAn inverse association between BMI and endometriosis has been reported but remains controversial. We decided to evaluate the association between BMI and the different types of endometriosis, classified as superficial endometriosis (SUP), deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) and ovarian endometrioma (OMA).METHODSFrom a prospective database of patients who underwent gynecological surgery between ...

To evaluate the efficacy of Stretta procedure with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) based on symptom control, medication changes and oesophagitis grade. Ninety patients with a history of GERD underwent Stretta procedure from June 2007 to March 2010. All patients with GERD diagnosed by the presence of endoscopically evidenced oesophagitis or ...

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), an overgrowth disorder with several congenital abnormalities, encompasses nephrourological anomalies. The objective of the report is to analyze the latter and related genotype-phenotype correlations. The study was a retrospective review of nephrourological investigations and genotype in 67 BWS patients. Imaging and laboratory studies have been correlated with ...

The aim of the study was to evaluate interictal electroencephalogram features in 22 patients with Dravet syndrome from the onset of the disease through the next 5 years. Electroencephalogram was abnormal in 5 patients (22.7%) at onset, and in 17 (77.3%) at the end of the study. Epileptiform abnormalities (focal, ...

Objective: To describe an uncommon complication of intravenous adenosine administration. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: A 41-year-old female patient presented with palpitations due to supraventricular tachycardia. The patient was treated with intravenous adenosine with resolution of the tachycardia. Subsequently, the patient developed chest pain and ST segment elevation in the inferior ...

This study was performed to explore the possibility of an association between polymorphisms within the uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 gene (UGT1A1) and hyperbilirubinemia arising during tocilizumab therapy. We examined the distributions of 3 variant alleles, UGT1A1*6, *28, and *27, in 46 Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had received ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes of dysphagia after cervical surgery using laryngeal electromyography (LEMG), and the effect of laryngeal neuropathy on the severity of dysphagia. Seventeen patients with dysphagia evident after cervical surgery were included. Video fluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) parameters evaluated included the volume ...

BACKGROUND: -Despite substantial progress, radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) fails in some patients. After encouraging results with transcoronary ethanol ablation (TCEA), we began offering TCEA routinely when endocardial and epicardial RFCA failed, or a deep intramural substrate was likely. METHODS AND RESULTS: -Among 274 consecutive patients who underwent 408 ventricular tachycardia ...

The purpose of this study is to determine the diagnostic properties of the clinical gout diagnosis (CGD) proposal in patients with gout and other rheumatic diseases. We investigated the presence of current or past history of the previously published CGD criteria: (1) >1 attack of acute arthritis, (2) mono/oligoarthritis attacks, ...

OBJECTIVE:To report asymptomatic hypereosinophilia as a potential side effect in patients treated with natalizumab, an α-4 integrin blocking agent. METHODS:A case series of 3 patients treated with natalizumab for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis including functional and phenotypic characterization of their peripheral blood lymphocytes and eosinophils is presented. RESULTS:Marked peripheral blood eosinophilia ...

Background and purpose:  The CHADS(2) and CHA(2) DS(2) -VASc scores are useful to stratify embolic risks in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and to identify patients eligible for anticoagulation. Although the risk of stoke increases in patients with higher CHADS(2) or CHA(2) DS(2) -VASc scores, it is uncertain why ...

Metformin (MTF) is one of the most common oral agents used to treat diabetes mellitus. Intoxication is associated with lactic acidosis and has significant clinical consequences. We report 12 cases requiring dialytic intervention. Twelve patients were analyzed from 2005 to 2010; 10 of these patients were treated with dialysis. Conventional ...

Hyperphosphatemia is an important modifiable risk factor for death and cardiovascular events in patients on hemodialysis (HD). As nicotinamide has been shown as an inhibitor of sodium-dependent phosphate co-transport in rat renal tubule and small intestine, we examined whether nicotinamide reduces hyperphosphatemia in patients undergoing HD. The study was conducted ...

Frontonasal dysplasia (FND) is a rare malformative complex affecting the frontal portion of the face, the eyes and the nose; it may occur singly or associated with other clinical signs. No systematic studies describing hearing in this condition were found. To evaluate hearing sensitivity and sound stimulus conduction from cochlea ...

We have studied the clinical and neuroimaging characteristics of transient and mild reduction of consciousness during febrile illness in children. We retrospectively evaluated 58 children admitted with mild reduction of consciousness within 12 h during febrile illness. 53 patients (91%) had delirious behavior, and 5 (9%) had no delirious behavior. We ...

[This corrects the article on p. 598 in vol. 52, PMID: 22025953.].

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression status of the helicase antigen (HAGE) transcript and its clinical significance in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The expression of HAGE cDNA in bone marrow mononuclear cells from AML and CML patients was detected ...