Project description:ResultsIn the meta-analysis, psoas muscle measurements were significantly associated with mortality among men (p < 0.05), with high heterogeneity in the associations across all cohorts. There was very little difference in the association between PMA and PMD and mortality (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.69-0.99, p = 0.002; HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.77-0.94, p = 0.041 for one SD increase in PMA and PMD in the random effects model). Combining PMA and PMD into one composite variable by multiplying their values together showed the most robust association in terms of the magnitude of the effect size in men (HR, 0.77; 95% CI 0.73-0.87, p < 0.001). Indexing PMA to body size did not result in any significant differences in this association. Among women, psoas muscle measurements were not associated with long-term mortality in this meta-analysis.ConclusionsDifferent psoas muscle measurements were significantly and very similarly associated with mortality among men but not among women. No single measurement stands out, although combining PMA and PMD seems to be a slightly stronger estimate in terms of effect size and should be considered in further studies.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Multidrug therapy is essential for preventing respiratory failure in patients with highly progressive Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease (MAC-PD). However, the prognosis and long-term outcome following combination therapy is poorly understood. METHODS:We retrospectively evaluated the clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes in patients with chemo-naïve progressive MAC-PD, hospitalized for first-line multidrug therapy. RESULTS:Among 125 patients, 86 (68.8%) received standardized treatment (rifampicin, ethambutol, clarithromycin), 25 (20.0%) received a fluoroquinolone (FQ)-containing regimen, and 53 (42.4%) received aminoglycoside injection. The sputum conversion rate was 80.0%, and was independently associated with standardized treatment. The incidence of refractory disease (45.6%) was independently and negatively associated with standardized regimen and aminoglycoside use. Choice of an FQ-containing regimen was not associated with positive outcome. Clarithromycin resistance occurred in 16.8% and was independently associated with refractory disease. MAC-PD-associated death occurred in 3.3% of patients with non-cavitary nodular bronchiectasis (NB) and 21.3% with cavitary MAC-PD over a median follow-up period of 56.4 months. The rates of MAC-PD-associated death were comparable between cavitary-NB and fibrocavitary disease. Concurrent chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) occurred in 13 (17.3%) patients with cavitary MAC-PD, and age, diabetes mellitus, and CPA were independent risk factors for mortality. CONCLUSIONS:Standardized intensive multidrug treatment reduces disease progression and persistence in progressive MAC-PD. Cavitary NB may differ from, rather than being just an advanced stage of, non-cavitary NB. The high incidence and significant mortality of CPA in cavitary MAC-PD highlight the need for early diagnosis and treatment.
Project description:BackgroundThe Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Diseases (GOLD) defines COPD as a disease that is usually progressive. GOLD also provides a spirometric classification of airflow limitation. However, little is known about the long-term changes of patients in different GOLD grades.ObjectiveExplore the proportion and characteristics of COPD patients that change their spirometric GOLD grade over long-term follow-up.MethodsPatients alive for at least 8 years since recruitment and those who died with at least 4 years of repeated spirometric measurements were selected from the BODE cohort database. We purposely included the group of non survivors to avoid a "survival selection" bias. The proportion of patients that had a change (improvement or worsening) in their spirometric GOLD grading was calculated and their characteristics compared with those that remained in the same grade.ResultsA total of 318 patients were included in the survivor and 217 in the non-survivor groups. Nine percent of survivors and 11% of non survivors had an improvement of at least one GOLD grade. Seventy one percent of survivors and non-survivors remained in the same GOLD grade. Those that improved had a greater degree of airway obstruction at baseline.ConclusionsIn this selected population of COPD patients, a high proportion of patients remained in the same spirometric GOLD grade or improved in a long-term follow-up. These findings suggest that once diagnosed, COPD is usually a non-progressive disease.
Project description:PurposeDysphagia is a common sequela of Parkinson disease (PD) and is associated with malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, and mortality. This review article synthesized evidence regarding the effectiveness of interventions for dysphagia in PD.MethodElectronic searches were conducted in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, and speechBITE. Of the 2,015 articles identified, 26 met eligibility criteria: interventional or observational studies with at least five or more participants evaluating dysphagia interventions in adults with PD-related dysphagia, with outcomes measured using videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), or electromyography (EMG). Risk of bias (RoB) was evaluated using the Evidence Project tool and predetermined criteria regarding the rigor of swallowing outcome measures.ResultsInterventions were classified as follows: pharmacological (n = 11), neurostimulation (n = 8), and behavioral (n = 7). Primary outcome measures varied across studies, including swallowing timing, safety, and efficiency, and were measured using VFSS (n = 17), FEES (n = 6), and EMG (n = 4). Critical appraisal of study findings for RoB, methodological rigor, and transparency showed the majority of studies failed to adequately describe contrast media used, signal acquisition settings, and rater blinding to time point. Low certainty evidence generally suggested improved swallow timing with exercises with biofeedback and deep brain stimulation (DBS), improved safety with DBS and expiratory muscle strength training, and improved efficiency with the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment and levodopa.ConclusionsStudies with lower RoB and greater experimental rigor showed potential benefit in improving swallowing efficiency but not safety. Further research investigating discrete changes in swallowing pathophysiology post-intervention is warranted to guide dysphagia management in PD.Supplemental materialhttps://doi.org/10.23641/asha.17132162.
Project description:Titanium undergoes time-dependent degradation in biological capability, or "biological aging". It is unknown whether the biological aging of titanium occurs beyond four weeks and whether age-related changes are definitely associated with surface hydrophilicity. We therefore measured multiple biological parameters of bone marrow-derived osteoblasts cultured on newly prepared, one-month-old, three-month-old, and six-month-old acid-etched titanium surfaces, as well as the hydrophilicity of these surfaces. New surfaces were superhydrophilic with a contact angle of ddH₂O of 0°, whereas old surfaces were all hydrophobic with the contact angle of around 90°. Cell attachment, cell spread, cell density, and alkaline phosphatase activity were highest on new surfaces and decreased in a time-dependent manner. These decreases persisted and remained significant for most of the biological parameters up to six-months. While the number of attached cells was negatively correlated with hydrophilicity, the other measured parameters were not. The biological capability of titanium continues to degrade up to six months of aging, but these effects are not directly associated with time-dependent reductions in hydrophilicity. A full understanding of the biological aging will help guide regulatory improvements in implant device manufacturing and develop countermeasures against this phenomenon in order to improve clinical outcomes.
Project description:The diagnosis of dysphagia, defined as swallowing dysfunction or difficulty, is estimated to affect 40-60% of the institutionalized geriatric population, and is the leading cause of aspiration pneumonia, one of the primary contributors of geriatric mortality. In the United States, statistics suggest that at least 50% of these individuals have limited access to treatment due to mobility, distance, and socioeconomic constraints. While "tele-dysphagia intervention" - the delivery of dysphagia therapy services via telecommunications technology - may provide a solution, there is limited research investigating its validity or reliability. The following three case reports of individuals successfully participating in trial tele-dysphagia therapy sessions lend credibility to this service delivery approach, and highlight the need for future research.
Project description:BackgroundPompe disease is an autosomal recessive metabolic neuromuscular disorder caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA). It has long been believed that the underlying pathology leading to tissue damage is caused by the enlargement and rupture of glycogen-filled lysosomes. Recent studies have also implicated autophagy, an intracellular lysosome-dependent degradation system, in the disease pathogenesis. In this study, we characterize the long-term impact of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with recombinant human GAA (rhGAA) on lysosomal glycogen accumulation and autophagy in some of the oldest survivors with classic infantile Pompe disease (IPD).MethodsMuscle biopsies from 8 [4 female, 4 male; 6 cross-reactive immunologic material (CRIM)-positive, 2 CRIM-negative] patients with a confirmed diagnosis of classic IPD were examined using standard histopathological approaches. In addition, muscle biopsies were evaluated by immunostaining for lysosomal marker (lysosomal-associated membrane protein-2; LAMP2), autophagosomal marker (microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3; LC3), and acid and alkaline ATPases. All patients received rhGAA by infusion at cumulative biweekly doses of 20-40 mg/kg.ResultsMedian age at diagnosis of classic IPD was 3.4 months (range: 0 to 6.5 months; n = 8). At the time of muscle biopsy, the patients' ages ranged from 1 to 103 months and ERT duration ranged from 0 (i.e., baseline, pre-ERT) to 96 months. The response to therapy varied considerably among the patients: some patients demonstrated motor gains while others experienced deterioration of motor function, either with or without a period of initial clinical benefit. Skeletal muscle pathology included fiber destruction, lysosomal vacuolation, and autophagic abnormalities (i.e., buildup), particularly in fibers with minimal lysosomal enlargement. Overall, the pathology reflected clinical status.ConclusionsThis is the first study to investigate the impact of rhGAA ERT on lysosomal glycogen accumulation and autophagic buildup in patients with classic IPD beyond 18 months of treatment. Our findings indicate that ERT does not fully halt or reverse the underlying skeletal muscle pathology in IPD. The best outcomes were observed in the two patients who began therapy early, namely at 0.5 and 1.1 months of age.
Project description:Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) enable communication with others and allow machines or computers to be controlled in the absence of motor activity. Clinical studies evaluating neural prostheses in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients have been performed; however, to date, no study has reported that ALS patients who progressed from locked-in syndrome (LIS), which has very limited voluntary movement, to a completely locked-in state (CLIS), characterized by complete loss of voluntary movements, were able to continue controlling neural prostheses. To clarify this, we used a BCI system to evaluate three late-stage ALS patients over 27 months. We employed steady-state visual evoked brain potentials elicited by flickering green and blue light-emitting diodes to control the BCI system. All participants reliably controlled the system throughout the entire period (median accuracy: 83.3%). One patient who progressed to CLIS was able to continue operating the system with high accuracy. Furthermore, this patient successfully used the system to respond to yes/no questions. Thus, this CLIS patient was able to operate a neuroprosthetic device, suggesting that the BCI system confers advantages for patients with severe paralysis, including those exhibiting complete loss of muscle movement.
Project description:Background and purposeDysphagia is an important feature of neurodegenerative diseases and potentially life-threatening in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) but remains poorly characterized in these syndromes. We hypothesized that dysphagia would be more prevalent in nonfluent/agrammatic variant (nfv)PPA than other PPA syndromes, predicted by accompanying motor features, and associated with atrophy affecting regions implicated in swallowing control.MethodsIn a retrospective case-control study at our tertiary referral centre, we recruited 56 patients with PPA (21 nfvPPA, 22 semantic variant [sv]PPA, 13 logopenic variant [lv]PPA). Using a pro forma based on caregiver surveys and clinical records, we documented dysphagia (present/absent) and associated, potentially predictive clinical, cognitive, and behavioural features. These were used to train a machine learning model. Patients' brain magnetic resonance imaging scans were assessed using voxel-based morphometry and region-of-interest analyses comparing differential atrophy profiles associated with dysphagia presence/absence.ResultsDysphagia was significantly more prevalent in nfvPPA (43% vs. 5% svPPA and no lvPPA). The machine learning model revealed a hierarchy of features predicting dysphagia in the nfvPPA group, with excellent classification accuracy (90.5%, 95% confidence interval = 77.9-100); the strongest predictor was orofacial apraxia, followed by older age, parkinsonism, more severe behavioural disturbance, and more severe cognitive impairment. Significant grey matter atrophy correlates of dysphagia in nfvPPA were identified in left middle frontal, right superior frontal, and right supramarginal gyri and right caudate.ConclusionsDysphagia is a common feature of nfvPPA, linked to underlying corticosubcortical network dysfunction. Clinicians should anticipate this symptom particularly in the context of other motor features and more severe disease.
Project description:BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to report short- and long-term outcomes after congenital heart defect (CHD) interventions in patients with trisomy 13 or 18.MethodsA retrospective review of the Pediatric Cardiac Care Consortium (PCCC) identified children with trisomy 13 or 18 with interventions for CHD between 1982 and 2008. Long-term survival and cause of death were obtained through linkage with the National Death Index.ResultsA total of 50 patients with trisomy 13 and 121 patients with trisomy 18 were enrolled in PCCC between 1982 and 2008; among them 29 patients with trisomy 13 and 69 patients with trisomy 18 underwent intervention for CHD. In-hospital mortality rates for patients with trisomy 13 or trisomy 18 were 27.6% and 13%, respectively. Causes of in-hospital death were primarily cardiac (64.7%) or multiple organ system failure (17.6%). National Death Index linkage confirmed 23 deaths after discharge. Median survival (conditioned to hospital discharge) was 14.8 years (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.3 to 25.6 years) for patients with trisomy 13 and 16.2 years (95% CI: 12 to 20.4 years) for patients with trisomy 18. Causes of late death included cardiac (43.5%), respiratory (26.1%), and pulmonary hypertension (13%).ConclusionsIn-hospital mortality rate for all surgical risk categories was higher in patients with trisomy 13 or 18 than that reported for the general population. However, patients with trisomy 13 or 18, who were selected as acceptable candidates for cardiac intervention and who survived CHD intervention, demonstrated longer survival than previously reported. These findings can be used to counsel families and make program-level decisions on offering intervention to carefully selected patients.