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Transplant International : Official... Feb 2019Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is commonly encountered during liver transplantation (LT). Depending on the grade of thrombosis, varied management strategies are indicated....
Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is commonly encountered during liver transplantation (LT). Depending on the grade of thrombosis, varied management strategies are indicated. The aims of this study are to clarify the contemporary role of renoportal anastomosis (RPA) in patients with splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) undergoing LT and to systematically analyze all reported cases of RPA. A systematic literature search was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta- Analyses statement guidelines. The study was limited to studies reported in English between January 1997 and May 2017. Only retrospective single center studies were included in the analysis. A total of 66 patients with SVT were reported to have undergone RPA during LT. Transient renal dysfunction was reported in 12 patients (18.1%), variceal hemorrhage in 2 patients (3%), early portal vein (PV) re-thrombosis in 2 patients (3%), chronic renal dysfunction in 2 patients (3%), and late PV re-thrombosis in 1 patient (1.5%). The overall patient and graft survival were each 80%. This analysis illustrates the decades-long evolution of a technique practiced across the field of transplantation. Postoperative complications and graft survival appear to be encouraging, even in the setting of SVT.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Anastomosis, Surgical; End Stage Liver Disease; Esophageal and Gastric Varices; Female; Graft Survival; Hemorrhage; Humans; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Liver Transplantation; Male; Middle Aged; Portal Vein; Postoperative Complications; Retrospective Studies; Splanchnic Circulation; Thrombosis; Treatment Outcome; Varicose Veins; Vascular Surgical Procedures; Venous Thrombosis; Waiting Lists; Young Adult
PubMed: 30362294
DOI: 10.1111/tri.13368 -
Journal of Cellular Physiology Jun 2019Aberrant blood vessel functioning and systemic circulation are key causes for vascular disorders; cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, renal artery stenosis, and peripheral... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Aberrant blood vessel functioning and systemic circulation are key causes for vascular disorders; cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, renal artery stenosis, and peripheral artery diseases. Epidemiological and basic science evidence supported genetic reasons, compounded by obesity, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking as risk factors. This is an umbrella review of risk factors and therapies in vascular disorders, exploring systematic reviews and meta-analyses studies in PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Central published in January 2000-May 2018. We made qualitative eligibility gradation of the articles based on inclusion criteria, and independently extracted descriptive and methodologic data to compile their outcomes. We considered 95% confidence interval and the between-study heterogeneity, designated by I . Overall, we extracted 217 studies of impressive quality and at low risk of bias, including 124, 30, 23, 32, and 8, respectively, for the search terms "cardiovascular," "renal," "cerebral," and "limb ischemia" each in combination with "risk factors" and "therapeutics." Our search on genome-wide analyses revealed genes associated with HDL-cholesterol, matrix metalloproteases, angiogenesis, notch3, renin-angiotensin, apolipoprotein E, insulin, and cytokine levels as critical participants in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases. Hypertension and endothelial growth factor-linked polymorphisms were found to contribute to vascular damage. The studies reinforced that lifestyle and dietary patterns influenced susceptibility of circulatory system diseases. Additionally, endovascular medicines, surgical vascularization, angioplasty, and renal artery stenting appeared as major therapeutic approaches in vascular patients. Altogether, our review offers up-to-date information on pathophysiology of vascular diseases and provides insight into existing research, clinical management and clinical gaps in the field.
Topics: Cardiovascular Diseases; Diabetes Complications; Endothelial Growth Factors; Genome-Wide Association Study; Humans; Hypercholesterolemia; Hypertension; Life Style; Obesity; Risk Factors
PubMed: 30317627
DOI: 10.1002/jcp.27633 -
Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation :... Sep 2018This systematic review, initiated by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology Action Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers for Chronic Kidney Disease...
This systematic review, initiated by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology Action Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers for Chronic Kidney Disease (PARENCHIMA), focuses on potential clinical applications of magnetic resonance imaging in renal non-tumour disease using magnetic resonance relaxometry (MRR), specifically, the measurement of the independent quantitative magnetic resonance relaxation times T1 and T2 at 1.5 and 3Tesla (T), respectively. Healthy subjects show a distinguishable cortico-medullary differentiation (CMD) in T1 and a slight CMD in T2. Increased cortical T1 values, that is, reduced T1 CMD, were reported in acute allograft rejection (AAR) and diminished T1 CMD in chronic allograft rejection. However, ambiguous findings were reported and AAR could not be sufficiently differentiated from acute tubular necrosis and cyclosporine nephrotoxicity. Despite this, one recent quantitative study showed in renal transplants a direct correlation between fibrosis and T1 CMD. Additionally, various renal diseases, including renal transplants, showed a moderate to strong correlation between T1 CMD and renal function. Recent T2 studies observed increased values in renal transplants compared with healthy subjects and in early-stage autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), which could improve diagnosis and progression assessment compared with total kidney volume alone in early-stage ADPKD. Renal MRR is suggested to be sensitive to renal perfusion, ischaemia/oxygenation, oedema, fibrosis, hydration and comorbidities, which reduce specificity. Due to the lack of standardization in patient preparation, acquisition protocols and adequate patient selection, no widely accepted reference values are currently available. Therefore this review encourages efforts to optimize and standardize (multi-parametric) protocols to increase specificity and to tap the full potential of renal MRR in future research.
Topics: Biomarkers; Disease Progression; Humans; Kidney; Kidney Diseases; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Practice Guidelines as Topic
PubMed: 30137583
DOI: 10.1093/ndt/gfy198 -
Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation :... Sep 2018Renal perfusion provides the driving pressure for glomerular filtration and delivers the oxygen and nutrients to fuel solute reabsorption. Renal ischaemia is a major...
Renal perfusion provides the driving pressure for glomerular filtration and delivers the oxygen and nutrients to fuel solute reabsorption. Renal ischaemia is a major mechanism in acute kidney injury and may promote the progression of chronic kidney disease. Thus, quantifying renal tissue perfusion is critically important for both clinicians and physiologists. Current reference techniques for assessing renal tissue perfusion have significant limitations. Arterial spin labelling (ASL) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that uses magnetic labelling of water in arterial blood as an endogenous tracer to generate maps of absolute regional perfusion without requiring exogenous contrast. The technique holds enormous potential for clinical use but remains restricted to research settings. This statement paper from the PARENCHIMA network briefly outlines the ASL technique and reviews renal perfusion data in 53 studies published in English through January 2018. Renal perfusion by ASL has been validated against reference methods and has good reproducibility. Renal perfusion by ASL reduces with age and excretory function. Technical advancements mean that a renal ASL study can acquire a whole kidney perfusion measurement in less than 5-10 min. The short acquisition time permits combination with other MRI techniques that might inform drug mechanisms and renal physiology. The flexibility of renal ASL has yielded several variants of the technique, but there are limited data comparing these approaches. We make recommendations for acquiring and reporting renal ASL data and outline the knowledge gaps that future research should address.
Topics: Acute Kidney Injury; Humans; Kidney; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Renal Artery; Renal Circulation; Spin Labels
PubMed: 30137581
DOI: 10.1093/ndt/gfy180 -
Amino Acids Jul 2018We recently found that renal carbonic anhydrase (CA) is involved in the reabsorption of inorganic nitrite (NO), an abundant reservoir of nitric oxide (NO) in tissues and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Results, meta-analysis and a first evaluation of UR, the urinary nitrate-to-nitrite molar ratio, as a measure of nitrite reabsorption in experimental and clinical settings.
We recently found that renal carbonic anhydrase (CA) is involved in the reabsorption of inorganic nitrite (NO), an abundant reservoir of nitric oxide (NO) in tissues and cells. Impaired NO synthesis in the endothelium and decreased NO bioavailability in the circulation are considered major contributors to the development and progression of renal and cardiovascular diseases in different conditions including diabetes. Isolated human and bovine erythrocytic CAII and CAIV can convert nitrite to nitrous acid (HONO) and its anhydride NO which, in the presence of thiols (RSH), are further converted to S-nitrosothiols (RSNO) and NO. Thus, CA may be responsible both for the homeostasis of nitrite and for its bioactivation to RSNO/NO. We hypothesized that enhanced excretion of nitrite in the urine may contribute to NO-related dysfunctions in the renal and cardiovascular systems, and proposed the urinary nitrate-to-nitrite molar ratio, i.e., UR, as a measure of renal CA-dependent excretion of nitrite. Based on results from clinical and experimental animal studies, here, we report on a first evaluation of UR. We determined UR values in preterm neonates, healthy children, and adults, in children suffering from type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), in elderly subjects suffering from chronic rheumatic diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), coronary artery disease (CAD), or peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). We also determined UR values in healthy young men who ingested isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN), pentaerythrityl tetranitrate (PETN), or inorganic nitrate. In addition, we tested the utility of UR in two animal models, i.e., the LEW.1AR1-iddm rat, an animal model of human T1DM, and the APOE*3-Leiden.CETP mice, a model of human dyslipidemia. Mean UR values were lower in adult patients with rheumatic diseases (187) and in T2DM patients of the DALI study (74) as compared to healthy elderly adults (660) and healthy young men (1500). The intra- and inter-variabilities of UR were of the order of 50% in young and elderly healthy subjects. UR values were lower in black compared to white boys (314 vs. 483, P = 0.007), which is in line with reported lower NO bioavailability in black ethnicity. Mean UR values were lower in DMD (424) compared to healthy (730) children, but they were higher in T1DM children (1192). ISDN (3 × 30 mg) decreased stronger UR compared to PETN (3 × 80 mg) after 1 day (P = 0.046) and after 5 days (P = 0.0016) of oral administration of therapeutically equivalent doses. In healthy young men who ingested NaNO (0.1 mmol/kg/d), UR was higher than in those who ingested the same dose of NaCl (1709 vs. 369). In LEW.1AR1-iddm rats, mean UR values were lower than in healthy rats (198 vs. 308) and comparable to those in APOE*3-Leiden.CETP mice (151).
Topics: Animals; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Carbonic Anhydrases; Cattle; Coronary Artery Disease; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Kidney; Mice; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne; Nitrates; Nitric Oxide; Nitrites; Rats; Rheumatic Diseases
PubMed: 29728915
DOI: 10.1007/s00726-018-2573-z -
Circulation Jan 2018Most patients with chronic heart failure have detectable troponin concentrations when evaluated by high-sensitivity assays. The prognostic relevance of this finding has... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Most patients with chronic heart failure have detectable troponin concentrations when evaluated by high-sensitivity assays. The prognostic relevance of this finding has not been clearly established so far. We aimed to assess high-sensitivity troponin assay for risk stratification in chronic heart failure through a meta-analysis approach.
METHODS
Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Scopus were searched in April 2017 by 2 independent authors. The terms were "troponin" AND "heart failure" OR "cardiac failure" OR "cardiac dysfunction" OR "cardiac insufficiency" OR "left ventricular dysfunction." Inclusion criteria were English language, clinical stability, use of a high-sensitivity troponin assay, follow-up studies, and availability of individual patient data after request to authors. Data retrieved from articles and provided by authors were used in agreement with the PRISMA statement. The end points were all-cause death, cardiovascular death, and hospitalization for cardiovascular cause.
RESULTS
Ten studies were included, reporting data on 11 cohorts and 9289 patients (age 66±12 years, 77% men, 60% ischemic heart failure, 85% with left ventricular ejection fraction <40%). High-sensitivity troponin T data were available for all patients, whereas only 209 patients also had high-sensitivity troponin I assayed. When added to a prognostic model including established risk markers (sex, age, ischemic versus nonischemic etiology, left ventricular ejection fraction, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and N-terminal fraction of pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), high-sensitivity troponin T remained independently associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.41-1.55), cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio, 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-1.48), and cardiovascular hospitalization (hazard ratio, 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.36-1.49), over a median 2.4-year follow-up (all <0.001). High-sensitivity troponin T significantly improved risk prediction when added to a prognostic model including the variables above. It also displayed an independent prognostic value for all outcomes in almost all population subgroups. The area under the curve-derived 18 ng/L cutoff yielded independent prognostic value for the 3 end points in both men and women, patients with either ischemic or nonischemic etiology, and across categories of renal dysfunction.
CONCLUSIONS
In chronic heart failure, high-sensitivity troponin T is a strong and independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and of hospitalization for cardiovascular causes, as well. This biomarker then represents an additional tool for prognostic stratification.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biomarkers; Cause of Death; Chronic Disease; Female; Heart Failure; Hospitalization; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Predictive Value of Tests; Prognosis; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Time Factors; Troponin T
PubMed: 29335288
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.031560 -
Journal of Vascular Surgery. Venous and... Mar 2018Although nutcracker syndrome (NS) is rare, patients presenting with symptoms or signs and anatomic compression of the left renal vein (LRV) can be considered for... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Although nutcracker syndrome (NS) is rare, patients presenting with symptoms or signs and anatomic compression of the left renal vein (LRV) can be considered for intervention. Open, laparoscopic, and endovascular techniques have been developed to decrease the venous outflow obstruction of the LRV. The paucity of data regarding the management of this uncommon disease process poses a challenge for adequate recommendations of the best treatment modality. Herein, we aim to present a systematic review for the management of NS.
METHODS
We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement standards to systematically search the electronic databases of MEDLINE from October 1982 to July 2017 for articles about the management of NS. Included were studies in English, Spanish, and German in all age groups.
RESULTS
The literature search provided 249 references. After abstract and full review screening for inclusion, 17 references were analyzed. Eight (47%) described the open surgical approach. The LRV transposition was the most commonly reported technique, followed by renal autotransplantation. Seven (41.11%) described the endovascular technique of stent implantation, and two (11.7%) described the minimally invasive laparoscopic extravascular stent implantation.
CONCLUSIONS
NS is a rare entity. Multiple techniques have been developed for the treatment of this condition. However, the rarity of this syndrome, the paucity of data, and the short-term follow-up of the existing evidence are the disadvantages that prevent recommendations for the best treatment strategy. Up to now, open surgical intervention, specifically LRV transposition, has been considered by some experts the mainstay for treatment of NS. The endovascular approach is gaining strength as more evidence has become available. However, the long-term patency and durability of this approach remain to be elucidated. Therefore, careful selection of patients is necessary in recommending this technique.
Topics: Endovascular Procedures; Hemodynamics; Humans; Laparoscopy; Postoperative Complications; Renal Artery; Renal Circulation; Renal Nutcracker Syndrome; Stents; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Vascular Grafting; Vascular Patency
PubMed: 29292117
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvsv.2017.11.005 -
Circulation Sep 2018Although large randomized clinical trials have found that primary prevention use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) improves survival in patients with...
Systematic Review for the 2017 AHA/ACC/HRS Guideline for Management of Patients With Ventricular Arrhythmias and the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society.
BACKGROUND
Although large randomized clinical trials have found that primary prevention use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) improves survival in patients with cardiomyopathy and heart failure symptoms, patients who receive ICDs in practice are often older and have more comorbidities than patients who were enrolled in the clinical trials. In addition, there is a debate among clinicians on the usefulness of electrophysiological study for risk stratification of asymptomatic patients with Brugada syndrome.
AIM
Our analysis has 2 objectives. First, to evaluate whether ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) induced with programmed electrostimulation in asymptomatic patients with Brugada syndrome identify a higher risk group that may require additional testing or therapies. Second, to evaluate whether implantation of an ICD is associated with a clinical benefit in older patients and patients with comorbidities who would otherwise benefit on the basis of left ventricular ejection fraction and heart failure symptoms.
METHODS
Traditional statistical approaches were used to address 1) whether programmed ventricular stimulation identifies a higher-risk group in asymptomatic patients with Brugada syndrome and 2) whether ICD implantation for primary prevention is associated with improved outcomes in older patients (>75 years of age) and patients with significant comorbidities who would otherwise meet criteria for ICD implantation on the basis of symptoms or left ventricular function.
RESULTS
Evidence from 6 studies of 1138 asymptomatic patients were identified. Brugada syndrome with inducible VA on electrophysiological study was identified in 390 (34.3%) patients. To minimize patient overlap, the primary analysis used 5 of the 6 studies and found an odds ratio of 2.3 (95% CI: 0.63-8.66; P=0.2) for major arrhythmic events (sustained VAs, sudden cardiac death, or appropriate ICD therapy) in asymptomatic patients with Brugada syndrome and inducible VA on electrophysiological study versus those without inducible VA. Ten studies were reviewed that evaluated ICD use in older patients and 4 studies that evaluated unique patient populations were identified. In our analysis, ICD implantation was associated with improved survival (overall hazard ratio: 0.75; 95% confidence interval: 0.67-0.83; P<0.001). Ten studies were identified that evaluated ICD use in patients with various comorbidities including renal disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, atrial fibrillation, heart disease, and others. A random effects model demonstrated that ICD use was associated with reduced all-cause mortality (overall hazard ratio: 0.72; 95% confidence interval: 0.65-0.79; P<0.0001), and a second "minimal overlap" analysis also found that ICD use was associated with reduced all-cause mortality (overall hazard ratio: 0.71; 95% confidence interval: 0.61-0.82; P<0.0001). In 5 studies that included data on renal dysfunction, ICD implantation was associated with reduced all-cause mortality (overall hazard ratio: 0.71; 95% confidence interval: 0.60-0.85; P<0.001).
Topics: American Heart Association; Cardiology; Consensus; Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Evidence-Based Medicine; Humans; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Risk Factors; Tachycardia, Ventricular; Treatment Outcome; United States; Ventricular Fibrillation; Ventricular Premature Complexes
PubMed: 29084732
DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000550 -
Clinical Anatomy (New York, N.Y.) Nov 2017Recent literature has reported an association between maternal supine sleep position and stillbirth during late pregnancy. In this position the gravid uterus almost... (Review)
Review
Recent literature has reported an association between maternal supine sleep position and stillbirth during late pregnancy. In this position the gravid uterus almost completely obstructs the inferior vena cava. A small number of women experience supine hypotension, thought to be due in part to inadequate collateral venous circulation. The aim of this paper is to review the literature describing the anatomy of the collateral venous system and in particular the azygos system, the abdominal portion of which has not been well studied. A systematic review was conducted using the electronic databases: Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Relevant anatomical and radiological literature concerning the azygos system in particular was reviewed. The search was limited to adult human studies only. The collateral venous system can be divided into superficial, intermediate and deep systems. The azygos system in particular provides immediate collateral venous circulation in the event of acute inferior vena caval obstruction. The abdominal portion of this pathway, including the ascending lumbar vein, has not been well studied and there are certain variations that can render it ineffective. In conclusion, the collateral venous system provides an alternative route for blood to flow back to the systemic circulation when acute occlusion of the inferior vena cava occurs in the supine position during late pregnancy. However, certain anatomical variations can render this pathway ineffective, and this could have implications for the development of supine hypotension and stillbirth in late pregnancy. Clin. Anat. 30:1087-1095, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Topics: Abdomen; Azygos Vein; Cadaver; Collateral Circulation; Female; Humans; Hypotension; Pregnancy; Renal Veins; Stillbirth; Supine Position; Venae Cavae
PubMed: 28726308
DOI: 10.1002/ca.22959 -
JACC. Cardiovascular Interventions May 2017Interventions targeting renal artery stenoses have been shown to lower blood pressure and preserve renal function. In recent studies, the efficacy of catheter-based... (Review)
Review
Interventions targeting renal artery stenoses have been shown to lower blood pressure and preserve renal function. In recent studies, the efficacy of catheter-based percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty with stent placement has been called into question. In the identification of functional coronary lesions, hyperemic measurements have earned a place in daily practice for clinical decision making, allowing discrimination between solitary coronary lesions and diffuse microvascular disease. Next to differences in clinical characteristics, the selection of renal arteries suitable for intervention is currently on the basis of anatomic grading of the stenosis by angiography rather than functional assessment under hyperemia. It is conceivable that, like the coronary circulation, functional measurements may better predict therapeutic efficacy of percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty with stent placement. In this systematic review, the authors evaluate the available clinical evidence on the optimal hyperemic agents to induce intrarenal hyperemia, their association with anatomic grading, and their predictive value for treatment effects. In addition, the potential value of combined pressure and flow measurements to discriminate macrovascular from microvascular disease is discussed.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Angioplasty, Balloon; Blood Flow Velocity; Diagnostic Techniques, Cardiovascular; Female; Hemodynamics; Humans; Hyperemia; Hypertension, Renovascular; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Selection; Predictive Value of Tests; Renal Artery; Renal Artery Obstruction; Renal Circulation; Severity of Illness Index; Stents; Vasodilator Agents
PubMed: 28521931
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcin.2017.02.046