Objective:To investigate the prevalence of hypertension and its associated factors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.Methods:Consecutive Chinese patients with RA were recruited from August 2015 to September 2019 at Department of Rheumatology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital. Demo-graphic data and clinical data were collected including indicators of disease activity, functional assessment and radiographic assessment, comorbidities and previous medications. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the related factors of hypertension in RA patients.Results:There were 674 RA patients recruited with 82.3%(555/674) female and mean age (50±13) years. The prevalence rate of hypertension was 32.9% (222/674), followed by dyslipidemia (9.9%, n=67), type 2 diabetes (8.8%, n=59), hyperuricemia (8.5%, n=43), fatty liver disease (8.0%, n=54), cardiovascular disease (6.2%, n=42) and chronic kidney disease (3.3%, n=22). Compared with those without hypertension, RA patients with hypertension had advanced age with longstanding disease duration, higher disease activity indicators, worse joint destruction, and higher proportions of comorbidities. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that comorbidities including hyperuricemia [ OR=1.977, 95% CI(1.002, 3.900)], dyslipidemia [ OR=1.903, 95% CI(1.102, 3.288)] and fatty liver disease [ OR=2.335, 95% CI(1.278, 4.265)] were risk factors of hypertension after adjustment for age and gender. Conclusion:Hyperten-sion is the most common comorbidity in RA patients which is associated with comor-bidities including hyperuricemia, dyslipidemia and fatty liver disease. Detection and management of hyperten-sion and other cardiovascular disease related comorbidities in RA patients should be emphasized.

Objective To investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and homocysteine,pregnancy outcomes in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus.Methods From Jan,2013 to Oct,2015,120 patients with gestational diabetes mellitus were prospectively enrolled in this study.According to BMI level,all patients were divided into obese group (BMI≥25 kg/m2) and the control group (BMI ＜ 25kg/m2).The main outcome measures included homocysteine and pregnancy outcomes of the both groups.Results When compared with the control group,patients in the obese group got a significantly higher level of homocysteine (11.09 ± 1.91 vs 8.92 ± 1.57μmol/L,P =0.000);and BMI was positively associated with homocysteine (r =0.410,P =0.000).When compared with the control group,patients in the obesity group got a significantly higher rate of cesarean section (30.00％ vs 15 ％,P =0.049);a higher rate of macrosomia (20.00％ vs 5.00％,P =0.027);and a higher level of neonatal weight (3672.15 ± 475.45 vs 3220.93 ± 461.36g,P =0.000).There was no significantly difference between the two groups in weeks of gestation,postpartum hemorrhage,cephalopelvic said,abnormal fetal position,uterine atony,premature rupture of fetal membranes and neonatal asphyxia rate (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion BMI in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus is positively correlated with homocysteine,cesarean section,macrosomia and neonatal weight.

Objective To explore the outcomes of free flap from the radial artery superficial palmar branch (RASP) innervated by the lateral cutaneous nerve of the forearm for repairing the defects of finger pulp. Methods From April, 2013 to February, 2015, 20 fingers in 20 cases were treated with free flap from RASP innervated by the lateral cutaneous nerve of the forearm. The area of flap was from 1.8 cm×2.0 cm to 2.0 cm×4.0 cm. Postoperative fol-low up was done termly. Results All 20 flaps survived. All cases were followed-up for 7-20 months ( averag, 12 months). The flaps appeared well with good texture. The two-point discrimination was from 7 mm to 12 mm, and grad-ed with S3 and S3+sensation. There was little scar noted at the donor site in the wrist. There was no influence of hand and wrist function. Conclusion The method of using free flap from SASP innervated by the lateral cutaneous nerve of the forearm to repair the defects of finger pulp has good clinical effect.

Objective: To study the clinical outcomes of stent-thrombosis (ST) at different times in patients after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation.
Methods: A total of 131 coronary angiography conifrmed ST patients in our hospital from 2005-01 to 2015-04 were studied. According to the time of ST occurrence, the patients were divided into 2 groups: Early ST group, ST occurred ≤30 days,n=42 and Late ST group, ST occurred >30 days,n=89. The in-hospital and follow-up information was collected; clinical outcomes were compared between 2 groups.
Results: The in-hospital MACE occurrence rate in Early ST group was higher than that in Late ST group (16.7% vs 4.5%),P=0.04. There were 123 patients survived to discharge and they were followed-up for the median of 38.00 (15.00, 62.00) months. Kaplan-Meier analysis estimated that the MACE-free survival was similar between 2 groups (41.9% vs 36.3%), P=0.43.
Conclusion: In-hospital MACE occurrence was higher in early ST patients, while the long term prognosis was similar between the early and late ST patients for whom with DES implantation.

Objective To study the risk factor and prognosis of concurrent depression in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods Two hundred and ninety-five AMI patients who received PCI and whose clinical data were complete were selected. Depression was determined by a self-rating scale (SDS), and was confirmed when SDS standard score≥53 scores. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the ages:senium (age ≥ 60 years, 144 cases) group and younger group (age<60 years, 151 cases). Multiple Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the related factors of depression. The patients were followed up for 1 year, and the rehospitalization rate, incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at 12 months were compared. Results The incidence of depression in senium group was significantly higher than that in younger group: 41.7%(60/144) vs. 21.2%(32/151), and there was statistical difference (P<0.05). Female gender, hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus were the independent risk factor for depression in patients with AMI after PCI (P<0.05). In senium group, the rehospitalization rate and incidence of MACE in patients with depression were significantly higher than those in patients without depression: 18.3% (11/60) vs. 6.0% (5/84) and 15.0% (9/60) vs. 4.8%(4/84), the LVEF was significantly lower than that in patients without depression:(41.50 ± 2.25)%vs. (49.76 ± 2.93)%, and there were statistical differences (P<0.05). The LVEF in patients with depression of senium group was significantly lower than that in patients with depression of younger group:(41.50 ± 2.25)%vs. (51.50 ± 2.32)%, and there was statistical difference (P<0.05). Conclusions The elderly AMI patients treated with PCI have higher rates of depression. Female gender, hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus are the important risk factor for depression after PCI. Depression has a significant effect on the prognosis of AMI patients, especially on LVEF in elderly patients.

Objective To explore the safety and feasibility of guiding catheter passing through spasmodic vessels in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) via radial artery access by the aid of PCI guiding wire and balloon .Methods The clinical data of 33 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients undergoing PCI via radial artery access with radial artery or (and) brachial artery spasm ( group A ) were retrospectively analyzed .Among all these patients , guiding catheters were delivered through the spasmodic vessels successfully by the aid of PCI guiding wires and balloons .The clinical data of other 38 CAD patients having PCI during the same period performed by other operators via radial artery or ( and ) brachial artery approach and experienced vessel spasm were anlysed as the control ( group B ) .All patients in group B received conventional anti-spasm management during PCI .All vessel spasm was identified by angiography.For patients in group A , a diameter of 0.014 inch guiding wire was chosen to pass through the spasmodic vessel segment carefully and gently .The diameter of balloon should be chosen according to the diameter of guiding catheter .A balloon diameter of 2.0 mm and 2.5 mm was corresponded to 6F and 7F guiding catheter respectively .The balloon was advanced to the tip of guiding catheter , keeping a half in catheter and a half in vessel followed by inflating the balloon with a pressure of 8 atm.The balloon was kept inflated the guiding catheter was pushed in vitro carefully and slowly until the catheter passed through the spasmodic vessel segment .Then the balloon was deflated and pulled out together with PCI guiding wire . Exchanged a diameter of 0.035 inch wire and completed the positioning of guiding catheter .After finishing the PCI, radial or ( and) brachial angiography was performed again to observe if spasm disappeared and to determine if there any contrast medium exudation .For patients in group B , routine approach was applied including administration of nitroglycerine , diltiazem or nitroprusside etc . to relieve vessel spasm. Results The location of vessel spasm was similar in group A and group B ( P=0.150 ) , and the incidence rate of spasm in brachial artery was higher than that in radial artery in both groups .The chance of guiding catheter crossing the spasmodic vessel segment was significantly higher in group A than in group B ( 100%vs.39.5%, P=0.00).In patients whose guiding catheter could pass through the spasmodic vessel segment successfully , time spent in group A was shorter than in group B ( P=0.000 ) .The patient number which time spent was less than five minutes , five to 15 minutes and more than 15 minutes was 30 and 2 ( 90.1%vs.13.3%) , 3 and 7 ( 9.9% vs.46.7%) and 0 and 6 ( 0% vs.40.0%) in group A and in group B respectively.The incidence of forearm hematoma was lower in group A than in group B without statistical difference [6.1%(2/33) vs.18.4%(7/38), P =0.113].Conclusions It is safe and feasible for passing guiding catheter through spasmodic vessels during PCI via radial artery access by the aid of PCI guiding wire and balloon .

BACKGROUNDLarge-scale clinical trials have shown that routine monitoring of the platelet function in patients after percutanous coronary intervention (PCI) is not necessary. However, it is still unclear whether patients received high-risk PCI would benefit from a therapy which is guided by a selective platelet function monitoring. This explanatory study sought to assess the benefit of a therapy guided by platelet function monitoring for these patients.

METHODSAcute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients (n = 384) who received high-risk, complex PCI were randomized into two groups. PCI in the two types of lesions described below was defined as high-risk, complex PCI: lesions that could result in severe clinical outcomes if stent thrombosis occurred or lesions at high risk for stent thrombosis. The patients in the conventionally treated group received standard dual antiplatelet therapy. The patients in the platelet function monitoring guided group received an antiplated therapy guided by a modified thromboelastography (TEG) platelet mapping: If inhibition of platelet aggregation (IPA) induced by arachidonic acid (AA) was less than 50% the aspirin dosage was raised to 200 mg/d; if IPA induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was less than 30% the clopidogrel dosage was raised to 150 mg/d, for three months. The primary efficacy endpoint was a composite of myocardial infarction, emergency target vessel revascularization (eTVR), stent thrombosis, and death in six months.

RESULTSThis study included 384 patients; 191 and 193 in the conventionally treated group and platelet function monitoring guided group, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the baseline clinical characteristics and interventional data between the two groups. In the platelet function monitoring guided group, the mean IPA induced by AA and ADP were (69.2 ± 24.5)% (range, 4.8% to 100.0%) and (51.4 ± 29.8)% (range, 0.2% to 100.0%), respectively. The AA-induced IPA of forty-three (22.2%) patients was less than 50% and the ADP-induced IPA of fifty-seven (29.5%) patients was less than 30%; therefore, their drug dosages were adjusted. The TEG was rechecked one to four weeks after PCI, and the results indicated that the IPAs had significantly improved (P < 0.01). However, no significant differences were found in the rates of the primary efficacy endpoint. Rates in the conventionally treated group and platelet function monitoring guided group were 4.7% and 5.2%, respectively (hazard ratio: 1.13; P = 0.79).

CONCLUSIONAn antiplatelet therapy guided by TEG monitored platelet function could not improve clinical efficacy even in ACS patients treated with high-risk complex PCI.

Acute Coronary Syndrome ; drug therapy ; Aged ; Arachidonic Acid ; therapeutic use ; Aspirin ; therapeutic use ; Blood Platelets ; drug effects ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Platelet Aggregation ; drug effects ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; therapeutic use

BACKGROUNDDrug-eluting stents (DES) with durable polymer have significantly reduced restenosis and target vessel revascularization compared with bare metal stents. Durable polymer has been linked with persistent inflammation of vessel wall and delayed endothelial healing that may increase the risk of late and very late stent thrombosis. This study sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HELIOS completed biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) in de novo coronary lesions.

METHODSTotally, 287 patients with one or two de novo coronary lesions (lesion length ≤ 38 mm and reference vessel diameter 2.5-4.0 mm) were enrolled in the HOPE study, a prospective, multicenter, randomized, non-inferiority trial. Patients were randomized to treatment either with HELIOS completed biodegradable polymer SES (n = 142) or PARTNER durable polymer SES (n = 145). The primary endpoint was angiographic in-stent late lumen loss (LLL) at 9-month follow-up. The secondary endpoint included stent thrombosis and major adverse cardiac events including cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI) and target lesion revascularization (TLR).

RESULTSThe 9-month in-stent LLL in the HELIOS group was similar to the PARTNER group, (0.16 ± 0.22) mm vs. (0.19 ± 0.30) mm (P = 0.28). The difference and 95% confidence interval were -0.03 (-0.09, 0.04), and the P value for non-inferiority <0.01. Major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) occurred in 7.9% vs. 8.2%, MI in 2.4% vs. 3.0%, TLR in 5.5% vs. 3.0%, and stent thrombosis in 0 vs. 1.5%; and events were comparable between the HELIOS group and PARTNER group at three-year follow-up (all P > 0.05). The three-year cardiac death was lower in the HELIOS group, but with no significant difference, 0 vs. 3.0% (P = 0.12).

CONCLUSIONSIn the HOPE trial, the novel completed biodegradable polymer SES HELIOS was non-inferior to the durable polymer SES PARTNER with respect to nine-month in-stent LLL in de novo coronary lesions. The incidence of other clinical endpoints was low for both of the stents in three-year follow-up.

Adult ; Aged ; Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; surgery ; Coronary Restenosis ; prevention & control ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Polymers ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Sirolimus ; therapeutic use ; Titanium ; chemistry ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDFirst generation drug-eluting stents (DES) were associated with a high incidence of late stent thrombosis (ST), mainly due to delayed healing and re-endothelization by the durable polymer coating. This study sought to assess the safety and efficacy of the Nano polymer-free sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) in the treatment of patients with de novo coronary artery lesions.

METHODSThe Nano trial is the first randomized trial designed to compare the safety and efficacy of the Nano polymer-free SES and Partner durable-polymer SES (Lepu Medical Technology, Beijing, China) in the treatment of patients with de novo native coronary lesions. The primary endpoint was in-stent late lumen loss (LLL) at 9-month follow-up. The secondary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction or target lesion revascularization.

RESULTSA total of 291 patients (Nano group: n = 143, Partner group: n = 148) were enrolled in this trial from 19 Chinese centers. The Nano polymer-free SES was non-inferior to the Partner durable-polymer DES at the primary endpoint of 9 months (P < 0.001). The 9-month in-segment LLL of the polymer-free Nano SES was comparable to the Partner SES (0.34 ± 0.42) mm vs. (0.30 ± 0.48) mm, P = 0.21). The incidence of MACE in the Nano group were 7.6% compared to the Partner group of 5.9% (P = 0.75) at 2 years follow-up. The frequency of cardiac death and stent thrombosis was low for both Nano and Partner SES (0.8% vs. 0.7%, 0.8% vs. 1.5%, both P = 1.00).

CONCLUSIONSIn this multicenter randomized Nano trial, the Nano polymer-free SES showed similar safety and efficacy compared with the Partner SES in the treatment of patients with de novo coronary artery lesions. Trials in patients with complex lesions and longer term follow-up are necessary to confirm the clinical performance of this novel Nano polymer-free SES.

Aged ; Coronary Artery Disease ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Female ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Sirolimus ; therapeutic use

Background Given the increasing number of patients who require dual antiplatelet (DAP) therapy and electrophysiological device (EPD) placement, perioperative antiplatelet management is a current challenge. In this study, we investigated the incidence of pocket hema-toma formation after EPD placement in patients undergoing DAP therapy or an alternative low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) regimen. Methods This clinical observational study was performed from July 2010 to July 2012. In total, 171 patients were enrolled in the analysis after meeting the inclusion criteria. These patients were divided into two groups: 86 patients were treated with DAP therapy at the time of device implantation, and the DAP therapy was discontinued for 5 to 7 days and replaced with enoxaparin before device implantation in the other 85 patients. Adenosine phosphate (ADP)-mediated platelet aggregation and arachidonic acid-induced platelet aggregation were tested preoperatively. We compared the incidence of pocket hematoma between the two groups and the association of pocket hematoma develop-ment with ADP-mediated platelet aggregation and arachidonic acid-induced platelet aggregation.Results The incidence of pocket hema-toma in the patients who continued DAP was lower than that in the patients who replaced the dual antiplatelet regimen with LMWH (3.49%vs. 16.47%, respectively;X2 = 6.66,P < 0.01). Among the patients who continued DAP therapies, the rate of ADP-mediated platelet aggre-gation inhibition in patients with pocket hematomas was higher than that in patients without pocket hematomas. None of the patients under-going DAP or enoxaparin therapy developed pocket infection, thromboembolic events, or other serious complications. Multiple logistic re-gression analysis revealed that LMWH therapy was an independent risk factor for the development of pocket hematoma (RR = 0.054, 95%CI = 0.012-0.251). Furthermore, patients undergoing LMWH therapy were 5.1-fold more likely to develop pocket hematomas than were DAP-treated individuals.Conclusion Continuance of DAP therapy does not increase the risk of pocket hematoma formation after EPD placement.