Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Mental Health Differences In Medical Students Based On Curriculum And Gender, Maxim Jestin, Shelly Sharma, Deval Jhaveri, Brittany Mitchell, Dean Micciche, Venkat Venkataraman, Kathryn Lambert

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of mental health struggles among students in medical school is widely reported; however, little is known about how it is impacted by the medical school curriculum. This study aimed to evaluate differences in anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion in medical students based on gender, class year, and curriculum.

METHODS: An anonymous online survey consisting of questions from established, validated questionnaires about demographics, anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion, and personal health behaviors was sent to 817 medical students who attended Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine during the Spring of 2021. When applying to this school, each of these students …

Needle Biopsy Accelerates Pro-Metastatic Changes And Systemic Dissemination In Breast Cancer: Implications For Mortality By Surgery Delay, Hiroyasu Kameyama, Priya Dondapati, Reese Simmons, Macall Leslie, John Langenheim, Yunguang Sun, Misung Yi, Aubrey Rottschaefer, Rashmi Pathak, Shreya Nuguri, Kar-Ming Fung, Shirng-Wern Tsaih, Inna Chervoneva, Hallgeir Rui, Takemi Tanaka

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

ncreased breast cancer (BC) mortality risk posed by delayed surgical resection of tumor after diagnosis is a growing concern, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Our cohort analyses of early-stage BC patients reveal the emergence of a significantly rising mortality risk when the biopsy-to-surgery interval was extended beyond 53 days. Additionally, histology of post-biopsy tumors shows prolonged retention of a metastasis-permissive wound stroma dominated by M2-like macrophages capable of promoting cancer cell epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and angiogenesis. We show that needle biopsy promotes systemic dissemination of cancer cells through a mechanism of sustained activation of the COX-2/PGE₂/EP2 feedforward loop, …

Idiopathic Dilatation Of The Right Atrium: Diagnosis And Management, Ljiljana Rankovic-Nicic, Milica Dragicevic-Antonic, Goran Loncar, Masa Petrovic, Zelimir Antonic, Milovan Bojic

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Idiopathic dilatation of the right atrium is a rare condition with an unknown etiology. It is characterized by a significant enlargement of the right atrium without the presence of other valvopathies, intracardiac shunts, or pulmonary hypertension. This report presents the case of a 50-year-old woman with a significantly enlarged right atrium that was identified at birth; however, a definitive diagnosis was made later in life. The patient did not have any genetic diseases. Through the help of regular follow-up, anticoagulant therapy, previous radio-frequency ablation, and antiarrhythmic medications, she was able to carry a pregnancy to full term and live a …

Cardioprotective Effects Of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors And Their Possible Association With Normalization Of The Circadian Index Of Heart Rhythm, Nazile Bilgin Dogan, Hamiyet Yilmaz Yasar, Baris Kilicaslan

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Background

Updated recommendations for the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) include sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and other long-established HFrEF therapies. These drugs’ mechanisms of action have yet to be fully clarified.

Objective

This study evaluated the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on the modulation of autonomic function at 1 month beyond conventional HF therapy.

Methods

This single-center, observational, prospective study was conducted from January 2020 to December 2022. Patients with type 2 diabetes who had ischemic HFrEF and met the study criteria were considered for SGLT2 inhibitor treatment with empagliflozin or dapagliflozin. Changes in the circadian …

Ascertainment Of Minimal Clinically Important Differences In The Diabetes Distress Scale-17: A Secondary Analysis Of A Randomized Clinical Trial, Jack Banks, Amber B Amspoker, Elizabeth M Vaughan, Lechauncy Woodard, Aanand D Naik

Journal Articles

IMPORTANCE: The Diabetes Distress Scale-17 (DDS-17) is a common measure of diabetes distress. Despite its popularity, there are no agreed-on minimal clinically important difference (MCID) values for the DDS-17.

OBJECTIVE: to establish a distribution-based metric for MCID in the DDS-17 and its 4 subscale scores (interpersonal distress, physician distress, regimen distress, and emotional distress).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial used baseline and postintervention data from a hybrid (implementation-effectiveness) trial evaluating Empowering Patients in Chronic Care (EPICC) vs an enhanced form of usual care (EUC). Participants included adults with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (glycated …

Vertebral Tortuosity Is Associated With Increased Rate Of Cardiovascular Events In Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Sara B Stephens, Sherene Shalhub, Nicholas Dodd, Jesse Li, Michael Huang, Seitaro Oda, Kalyan Kancherla, Tam T Doan, Siddharth K Prakash, Justin D Weigand, Federico M Asch, Taylor Beecroft, Alana Cecchi, Teniola Shittu, Liliana Preiss, Scott A Lemaire, Richard B Devereux, Reed E Pyeritz, Kathryn W Holmes, Mary J Roman, Ronald V Lacro, Ralph V Shohet, Rajesh Krishnamurthy, Kim Eagle, Peter Byers, Dianna M Milewicz, Shaine A Morris

Journal Articles

Background Arterial tortuosity is associated with adverse events in Marfan and Loeys-Dietz syndromes but remains understudied in Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Methods and Results Subjects with a pathogenic

Neurologic Outcomes For Adult Spinal Cord Ependymomas Stratified By Tumor Location: A Retrospective Cohort Study And 2-Year Outlook, Keanu Chee, Grégoire P Chatain, Michael W Kortz, Stephanie Serva, Keshari Shrestha, Timothy H Ung, Jens-Peter Witt, Michael Finn

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Determine whether craniocaudal spinal cord tumor location affects long-term neurologic outcomes in adults diagnosed with spinal ependymomas (SE). A retrospective cohort analysis of patients aged ≥ 18 years who underwent surgical resection for SE over a ten-year period was conducted. Tumor location was classified as cervical, thoracic, or lumbar/conus. Primary endpoints were post-operative McCormick Neurologic Scale (MNS) scores at < 3 days, 6 weeks, 1 year, and 2 years. One-way ANOVA was performed to detect significant differences in MNS scores between tumor locations. Twenty-eight patients were identified. The average age was 44.2 ± 15.4 years. Sixteen were male, and 13 were female. There were 10 cervical-predominant SEs, 13 thoracic-predominant SEs, and 5 lumbar/conus-predominant SEs. No significant differences were observed in pre-operative MNS scores between tumor locations (p = 0.73). One-way ANOVA testing demonstrated statistically significant differences in post-operative MNS scores between tumor locations at < 3 days (p = 0.03), 6 weeks (p = 0.009), and 1 year (p = 0.003); however, no significant difference was observed between post-operative MNS scores at 2 years (p = 0.13). The mean MNS score for patients with thoracic SEs were higher at all follow-up time points. Tumors arising in the thoracic SE are associated with worse post-operative neurologic outcomes in comparison to SEs arising in other spinal regions. This is likely multifactorial in etiology, owing to both anatomical differences including spinal cord volume as well as variations in tumor characteristics. No significant differences in 2-year MNS scores were observed, suggesting that patients ultimately recover from neurological insult sustained at the time of surgery.

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus In Person Living With Hiv, Connecticut, Usa, 2021, Jonathan Dyal, Shiv Gandhi, Caitlin M Cossaboom, Austin Leach, Ketan Patel, Marjorie Golden, Joseph Canterino, Marie-Louise Landry, Debi Cannon, Mary Choi, Inna Krapiunaya, John D Klena, Trevor Shoemaker

Journal Articles

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus is an underreported cause of miscarriage and neurologic disease. Surveillance remains challenging because of nonspecific symptomatology, inconsistent case reporting, and difficulties with diagnostic testing. We describe a case of acute lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus disease in a person living with HIV in Connecticut, USA, identified by using quantitative reverse transcription PCR.

Prevention Of Maternal And Neonatal Death/Infections With A Single Oral Dose Of Azithromycin In Women In Labour In Low-Income And Middle-Income Countries (A-Plus): A Study Protocol For A Multinational, Randomised Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial, Jennifer Hemingway-Foday, Alan Tita, Elwyn Chomba, Musaku Mwenechanya, Trecious Mweemba, Tracy Nolen, Adrien Lokangaka, Antoinette Tshefu Kitoto, Gustave Lomendje, Patricia L. Hibberd, Archana Patel, Prabir Kumar Das, Kunal Kurhe, Shivaprasad S Goudar, Avinash Kavi, Mrityunjay Metgud, Sarah Saleem, Shiyam S. Tikmani, Fabian Esamai, Paul Nyongesa, Amos Sagwe, Lester Figueroa, Manolo Mazariegos, Sk Masum Billah, Rashidul Haque, Md Shahjahan Siraj, Robert L. Goldenberg, Melissa Bauserman, Carl Bose, Edward A. Liechty, Osayame A. Ekhaguere, Nancy F. Krebs, Richard Derman, William A. Petri, Marion Koso-Thomas, Elizabeth Mcclure, Waldemar A. Carlo

Global Health Articles

INTRODUCTION: Maternal and neonatal infections are among the most frequent causes of maternal and neonatal mortality, and current antibiotic strategies have been ineffective in preventing many of these deaths. A randomised clinical trial conducted in a single site in The Gambia showed that treatment with an oral dose of 2 g azithromycin versus placebo for all women in labour reduced certain maternal and neonatal infections. However, it is unknown if this therapy reduces maternal and neonatal sepsis and mortality. In a large, multinational randomised trial, we will evaluate the impact of azithromycin given in labour to improve maternal and newborn …

Persistence To Anti-Cgrp Monoclonal Antibodies And Onabotulinumtoxina Among Patients With Migraine: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Larry Charleston, Brian Talon, Christine Sullivan, Carlton Anderson, Steven Kymes, Stephane A. Regnier, Seema Soni-Brahmbhatt, Stephanie J. Nahas

Department of Jefferson Headache Center papers and presentations

BACKGROUND: To date, real-world evidence on persistence to anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (anti-CGRP) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) or onabotulinumtoxinA have excluded eptinezumab. This retrospective cohort study was performed to compare treatment persistency among patients with migraine on anti-CGRP mAbs (erenumab, fremanezumab, galcanezumab, or eptinezumab) or onabotulinumtoxinA.

METHODS: This retrospective study used IQVIA PharmMetrics data. Adult patients with migraine treated with an anti-CGRP mAb or onabotulinumtoxinA who had 12 months of continuous insurance enrollment before starting treatment were included. A "most recent treatment episode" analysis was used in which the most recent episode was defined as the latest treatment period with the same …

Prescribing Patterns Of Fall Risk-Increasing Drugs In Older Adults Hospitalized For Heart Failure, Esther Liu, Musarrat Nahid, Mahad Musse, Ligong Chen, Sarah N Hilmer, Andrew Zullo, Min Ji Kwak, Mark Lachs, Emily B Levitan, Monika M Safford, Parag Goyal

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Older adults hospitalized for heart failure (HF) are at risk for falls after discharge. One modifiable contributor to falls is fall risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs). However, the prevalence of FRIDs among older adults hospitalized for HF is unknown. We describe patterns of FRIDs use and examine predictors of a high FRID burden.

METHODS: We used the national biracial REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, a prospective cohort recruited from 2003-2007. We included REGARDS participants aged ≥ 65 years discharged alive after a HF hospitalization from 2003-2017. We determined FRIDs -cardiovascular (CV) and non-cardiovascular (non-CV) medications - …

Abatacept, Cenicriviroc, Or Infliximab For Treatment Of Adults Hospitalized With Covid-19 Pneumonia: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Jane A O'Halloran, Emily R Ko, Kevin J Anstrom, Eyal Kedar, Matthew W Mccarthy, Reynold A Panettieri, Martin Maillo, Patricia Segura Nunez, Anne M Lachiewicz, Cynthia Gonzalez, P Brian Smith, Sabina Mendivil-Tuchia De Tai, Akram Khan, Alfredo J Mena Lora, Matthias Salathe, Gerardo Capo, Daniel Rodríguez Gonzalez, Thomas F Patterson, Christopher Palma, Horacio Ariza, Maria Patelli Lima, John Blamoun, Esteban C Nannini, Eduardo Sprinz, Analia Mykietiuk, Radica Alicic, Adriana M Rauseo, Cameron R Wolfe, Britta Witting, Jennifer P Wang, Luis Parra-Rodriguez, Tatyana Der, Kate Willsey, Jun Wen, Adam Silverstein, Sean M O'Brien, Hussein R Al-Khalidi, Michael A Maldonado, Richard Melsheimer, William G Ferguson, Steven E Mcnulty, Pearl Zakroysky, Susan Halabi, Daniel K Benjamin, Sandra Butler, Jane C Atkinson, Stacey J Adam, Soju Chang, Lisa Lavange, Michael Proschan, Samuel A Bozzette, William G Powderly, Activ-1 Im Study Group Members

Journal Articles

IMPORTANCE: Immune dysregulation contributes to poorer outcomes in COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether abatacept, cenicriviroc, or infliximab provides benefit when added to standard care for COVID-19 pneumonia.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial using a master protocol to investigate immunomodulators added to standard care for treatment of participants hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia. The results of 3 substudies are reported from 95 hospitals at 85 clinical research sites in the US and Latin America. Hospitalized patients 18 years or older with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection within 14 days and evidence of pulmonary involvement underwent randomization between October 2020 and …

Women With Large Vessel Occlusion Acute Ischemic Stroke Are Less Likely To Be Routed To Comprehensive Stroke Centers, Muhammad Bilal Tariq, Iman Ali, Sergio Salazar-Marioni, Ananya S Iyyangar, Hussain M Azeem, Swapnil Khose, Victor Lopez, Rania Abdelkhaleq, Louise D Mccullough, Sunil A Sheth, Youngran Kim

Journal Articles

Background Prehospital routing of patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic stroke (AIS) to centers capable of performing endovascular therapy may improve clinical outcomes. Here, we explore whether distance to comprehensive stroke centers (CSCs), stroke severity, and sex are associated with direct-to-CSC prehospital routing in patients with LVO AIS. Methods and Results In this cross-sectional study, we identified consecutive patients with LVO AIS from a prospectively collected multihospital registry throughout the greater Houston area from January 2019 to June 2020. Primary outcome was prehospital routing to CSC and was compared between men and women using modified Poisson regression including …

Sex-Based Differences In The Presentation And Outcomes Of Acute Pulmonary Embolism: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Yu Zhang, Yu Qiu, Jinming Luo, Jian Zhang, Qingqing Yan

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to review differences in the presentation and outcomes of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) between men and women.

METHODS: PubMed, CENTRAL, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for studies comparing clinical features or outcomes of PE between men and women. Baseline comorbidities, risk factors, clinical features, and mortality rates were also compared between men and women.

RESULTS: Fourteen studies were included. It was noted that men presented with PE at a statistically significantly younger age than women (P < .001). Smoking history (P < .001), lung disease (P = .004), malignancy (P = .02), and unprovoked PE (P = .004) were significantly more frequent among men than among women. There was no difference between the sexes for hypertension, diabetes, and a history of recent immobilization. A significantly higher proportion of men presented with chest pain (P = .02) and hemoptysis (P < .001), whereas syncope (P = .005) was more frequent in women. Compared with men, women had a higher proportion of high-risk PE (P = .003). There was no difference in the use of thrombolytic therapy or inferior vena cava filter. Neither crude nor adjusted mortality rates were significantly different between men and women.

CONCLUSION: This review found that the age at presentation, comorbidities, and symptoms of PE differed between men and …

Invited Review: Adrenocortical Function In Avian And Non-Avian Reptiles: Insights From Dispersed Adrenocortical Cells., Rocco V. Carsia, Patrick J. Mcilroy, Henry B John-Alder

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Herein we review our work involving dispersed adrenocortical cells from several lizard species: the Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus), Yarrow's Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii), Striped Plateau Lizard (Sceloporus virgatus) and the Yucatán Banded Gecko (Coleonyx elegans). Early work demonstrated changes in steroidogenic function of adrenocortical cells derived from adult S. undulatus associated with seasonal interactions with sex. However, new information suggests that both sexes operate within the same steroidogenic budget over season. The observed sex effect was further explored in orchiectomized and ovariectomized lizards, some supported with exogenous testosterone. Overall, a suppressive effect of testosterone was evident, especially in cells …

A Rapid Review Of The Literature: Cardiovascular Disease Preventive Practices And Rural Black Women, Modjadji M. Choshi, Maria Devalpine

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among Black/African American women. Rural Black women have the highest CVD prevalence and are more likely to have modifiable risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity than any other race. Accessible evidence-based culture-appropriate self-care programs for risk reduction and CVD prevention can address these disparities. This rapid review aims to provide a comprehensive collection of such programs. Methods. Searches were performed in PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Psychinfo-Embase, and Scopus for studies reporting CVD prevention programs for rural Black women. Three articles met the inclusion criteria, with …

Outcomes Of Arthroscopic Vs. Open Biceps Tenodesis For Treatment Of Slap Lesion In Female Patients, Adeeb Hanna, Matthew Wallingford, William Johns, John Sonner, Emma Johnson, Sommer Hammoud, Brandon Erickson, Steven Cohen, Michael Ciccotti, Meghan Bishop

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: Biceps tenodesis (BT) is one alternative treatment to repair of superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) tears. It can be performed as an arthroscopy or open procedure. While there have been studies comparing the outcomes of SLAP repair procedures with BT for the treatment of SLAP tears, literature comparing arthroscopic and open BT for the treatment of SLAP tears is limited. Additionally, no previous study has specifically examined the outcomes of these procedures in female patients.

Hypothesis/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes following Arthroscopic BT and Open BT for SLAP tears in females. The authors …

Amenorrhea And Stress Fractures In Female New Jersey Division Iii Collegiate Runners: An Opportunity For Increased Health Education, Emily Forester, Tara Pellegrino

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: In the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), 9.1% of the injuries reported by Women’s cross country athletes between 2014-2019 were fractures. Although excessive exercise is a major contributor to the development of amenorrhea, there are currently no studies on the association between amenorrhea and stress fractures in NJ NCAA Division III Women’s cross country or track athletes. This study aims to determine if there is an association between incidence of amenorrhea and subsequent occurrence of stress fractures among this population.

Methods: This is a survey based study. Participants must be female athletes over the age of 18 who currently …

Case Report: Uterine Torsion – A Rare Cause Of Right Lower Quadrant Pain, David Ho, James Jung Lee, James Espinosa

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Uterine torsions are very rare. In an article by Matsumoto et al published in 2021, only 25 cases have been documented on PubMed in non-gravid females in the past 20 years. Uterine torsion is defined as rotation of the uterus greater than 45 degrees in the long axis. Rotation can occur anywhere between 45 degrees to 180 degrees. The torsion can be due to a congenital anomaly or an obstetrics emergency such as with an ovarian torsion. Uterine torsions presenting as an obstetrics emergency carries the potential for irreversible ischemic damage to the uterus, and just as in ovarian torsion, …

Atrioventricular Nodal Ablation Is Not An Effective Treatment Strategy In Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia, S Yukiko Asaki, David Kessler, Aarushi Nayak, Jeffrey J Kim, Christina Y Miyake

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia is a rare but lethal heritable arrhythmia syndrome associated with both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. Treatment includes antiarrhythmics, sympathetic denervation, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. The use of atrioventricular nodal ablation as a treatment strategy to prevent ventricular arrhythmias in catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia was not found in the literature. This report describes a teenager with a presenting rhythm of atrial and ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest. Her clinical arrhythmia was predominantly atrial dysrhythmias, which delayed her diagnosis of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. Before her diagnosis, she underwent atrioventricular nodal ablation in an effort to prevent ventricular arrhythmias, …

Postpartum Detection Of Diastolic Dysfunction And Nondipping Blood Pressure Profile In Women With Preeclampsia, Marwa Sayed, Mariam Rashed, Ahmed M Abbas, Amr Youssef, Mohamed Abdel Ghany

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and nocturnal "nondipping" of blood pressure detected via ambulatory blood pressure monitoring are predictors of increased cardiovascular morbidity.

METHODS: A prospective cohort study including normotensive women with a history of preeclampsia in their current pregnancy was conducted. All cases were subjected to 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and 2-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography 3 months after delivery.

RESULTS: This study included 128 women with a mean (SD) age of 28.6 (5.1) years and a mean (SD) basal blood pressure of 123.1 (6.4)/74.6 (5.9) mm Hg. Among the participants, 90 (70.3%) exhibited an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring profile …

Zoster-Associated Prothrombotic Plasma Exosomes And Increased Stroke Risk, Andrew N Bubak, Christina Coughlan, Janelle Posey, Anthony J Saviola, Christy S Niemeyer, Serena W R Lewis, Sara Bustos Lopez, Adriana Solano, Stephen K Tyring, Cassidy Delaney, Keith B Neeves, Ravi Mahalingam, Kirk C Hansen, Maria A Nagel

Journal Articles

Herpes zoster (HZ; shingles) caused by varicella zoster virus reactivation increases stroke risk for up to 1 year after HZ. The underlying mechanisms are unclear, however, the development of stroke distant from the site of zoster (eg, thoracic, lumbar, sacral) that can occur months after resolution of rash points to a long-lasting, virus-induced soluble factor (or factors) that can trigger thrombosis and/or vasculitis. Herein, we investigated the content and contributions of circulating plasma exosomes from HZ and non-HZ patient samples. Compared with non-HZ exosomes, HZ exosomes (1) contained proteins conferring a prothrombotic state to recipient cells and (2) activated platelets …

Effect Of Thromboprophylaxis On Clinical Outcomes After Covid-19 Hospitalization, Tracy Y Wang, Abdus S Wahed, Alison Morris, Lisa Baumann Kreuziger, John G Quigley, Gervasio A Lamas, Alexandra J Weissman, Jose Lopez-Sendon, M Margaret Knudson, Deborah M Siegal, Raj S Kasthuri, Andrew J Alexander, Lana Wahid, Bassel Atassi, Peter J Miller, Janice W Lawson, Bela Patel, Jerry A Krishnan, Nancy L Shapiro, Deborah E Martin, Andrei L Kindzelski, Eric S Leifer, Jungnam Joo, Lingyun Lyu, Annie Pennella, Brendan M Everett, Mark W Geraci, Kevin J Anstrom, Thomas L Ortel, Activ-4c Study Group

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have an increased incidence of thromboembolism. The role of extended thromboprophylaxis after hospital discharge is unclear.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether anticoagulation is superior to placebo in reducing death and thromboembolic complications among patients discharged after COVID-19 hospitalization.

DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04650087).

SETTING: Done during 2021 to 2022 among 127 U.S. hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged 18 years or older hospitalized with COVID-19 for 48 hours or more and ready for discharge, excluding those with a requirement for, or contraindication to, anticoagulation.

INTERVENTION: 2.5 mg of apixaban versus placebo twice daily for …

Cardiac Surgery For Treatment Of Covid-19-Associated Infectious Endocarditis, Ali Taghizadeh-Waghefi, Asen Petrov, Manuel Wilbring, Konstantin Alexiou, Utz Kappert, Klaus Matschke, Sems-Malte Tugtekin

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

BACKGROUND: Significant uncertainty exists about the optimal timing of surgery for infectious endocarditis (IE) surgery in patients with active SARS-CoV-2 infection. This case series and a systematic review of the literature were carried out to evaluate the timing of surgery and postsurgical outcomes for patients with COVID-19-associated IE.

METHODS: The PubMed database was searched for reports published from June 20, 2020, to June 24, 2021, that contained the terms infective endocarditis and COVID-19. A case series of 8 patients from the authors' facility was also added.

RESULTS: A total of 12 cases were included, including 4 case reports that met …

Can Breaking Heroin Addiction Lead To A Broken Heart? A Case Of Reverse Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy In A Patient With Heroin Withdrawal, Hunter Launer, Daniel Nelson, Alarica Dietzen, Atul Singla

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Reverse takotsubo cardiomyopathy is triggered by emotional or physical stress and has a presentation similar to that of acute coronary syndrome. A 39-year-old woman with a history of heroin use disorder presented with intractable nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. She was diagnosed with heroin withdrawal and started on buprenorphine-naloxone. On day 2 of her hospitalization, she developed chest heaviness and had an elevated troponin I level of 3.2 ng/mL (reference range, 0.015-0.045 ng/mL); electrocardiography showed new T-wave inversions in the anterior and inferior leads. Emergent coronary angiography showed patent coronary arteries, and left ventriculography showed basal hypokinesis and apical hyperkinesis, consistent …

Association Of Metformin With The Development Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Amitha Domalpally, Samuel A Whittier, Qing Pan, Dana M Dabelea, Christine H Darwin, William C Knowler, Christine G Lee, Jose A Luchsinger, Neil H White, Emily Y Chew

Journal Articles

IMPORTANCE: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness with no treatment available for early stages. Retrospective studies have shown an association between metformin and reduced risk of AMD.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between metformin use and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study is a cross-sectional follow-up phase of a large multicenter randomized clinical trial, Diabetes Prevention Program (1996-2001), to investigate the association of treatment with metformin or an intensive lifestyle modification vs placebo with preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes in a population at high risk for …

Association Of Endovascular Thrombectomy Vs Medical Management With Functional And Safety Outcomes In Patients Treated Beyond 24 Hours Of Last Known Well: The Select Late Study, Amrou Sarraj, Timothy J Kleinig, Ameer E Hassan, Pere Cardona Portela, Santiago Ortega-Gutierrez, Michael G Abraham, Nathan W Manning, James E Siegler, Nitin Goyal, Laith Maali, Spiros Blackburn, Teddy Y Wu, Jordi Blasco, Arturu Renú, Navdeep S Sangha, Juan F Arenillas, Margy E Mccullough-Hicks, Adam Wallace, Daniel Gibson, Deep K Pujara, Faris Shaker, Mercedes De Lera Alfonso, Marta Olivé-Gadea, Mudassir Farooqui, Juan S Vivanco Suarez, Zachary Iezzi, Jane Khalife, Colleen G Lechtenberg, Syed K Qadri, Rami B Moussa, Mohammad A Abdulrazzak, Tareq S Almaghrabi, Osman Mir, James Beharry, Balaji Krishnaiah, Megan Miller, Najwa Khalil, Gagan J Sharma, Aristeidis H Katsanos, Ali Fadhil, Kelsey R Duncan, Yin Hu, Sheryl B Martin-Schild, Georgios K Tsivgoulis, Dennis Cordato, Anthony Furlan, Leonid Churilov, Peter J Mitchell, Adam S Arthur, Mark W Parsons, James C Grotta, Clark W Sitton, Marc Ribo, Gregory W Albers, Bruce C V Campbell

Journal Articles

IMPORTANCE: The role of endovascular thrombectomy is uncertain for patients presenting beyond 24 hours of the time they were last known well.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate functional and safety outcomes for endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) vs medical management in patients with large-vessel occlusion beyond 24 hours of last known well.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective observational cohort study enrolled patients between July 2012 and December 2021 at 17 centers across the United States, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand. Eligible patients had occlusions in the internal carotid artery or middle cerebral artery (M1 or M2 segment) and were treated with EVT or …

Validity And Diagnostic Performance Of Computing Fractional Flow Reserve From 2-Dimensional Coronary Angiography Images, Vahid Mohammadi, Massoud Ghasemi, Reza Rahmani, Maryam Mehrpooya, Hamidreza Babakhani, Akbar Shafiee, Mohammad Sadeghian

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

BACKGROUND: Measurement of fractional flow reserve (FFR) is the gold standard for determining the physiologic significance of coronary artery stenosis, but newer software programs can calculate the FFR from 2-dimensional angiography images.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted using the records of patients with intermediate coronary stenoses who had undergone adenosine FFR (aFFR). To calculate the computed FFR, a software program used simulated coronary blood flow using computational geometry constructed using at least 2 patient-specific angiographic images. Two cardiologists reviewed the angiograms and determined the computational FFR independently. Intraobserver variability was measured using κ analysis and the intraclass correlation coefficient. …

Kounis Syndrome Associated With The Use Of Diclofenac, Ana V Pejcic, Milos N Milosavljevic, Slobodan Jankovic, Goran Davidovic, Marko M Folic, Nevena D Folic

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

BACKGROUND: Diclofenac is a widely used analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic drug. In several case reports, its use was associated with the occurrence of Kounis syndrome. The aim of this review was to investigate and summarize published cases of Kounis syndrome suspected to be associated with the use of diclofenac.

METHODS: Electronic searches were conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and the Serbian Citation Index.

RESULTS: Twenty publications describing the 20 patients who met inclusion criteria were included in the systematic review. Specified patient ages ranged from 34 to 81 years. Eighteen (90.0%) patients were male. Five patients (25.0%) …

Robot-Assisted Resection Of Left Ventricular Papillary Fibroelastoma Arising From The Mitral Chordal Apparatus, Kyle G Mitchell, Blaz Podgorsek, Diego E Fiorito, Juan A Abreu, Danny Ramzy

Journal Articles

The application of robot-assisted thoracoscopy to cardiac surgery affords an opportunity to leverage the exceptional intraoperative exposure, visualization, and dexterity of the robotic platform. Here, we report the case of a 72-year-old woman who presented to our institution for evaluation of a left ventricular mass that was identified following workup for an embolic event. We present an intraoperative video that provides technical details of the robot-assisted resection of the lesion, which was found to be a left ventricular papillary fibroelastoma arising from the mitral chordal apparatus. This case highlights the advantages provided by the robotic platform, which permitted complete, minimally …