INTRODUCTION: The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), originally designed in the United States of America, contains items on dysphasia and dysarthria that are deemed culturally unsuitable for the Singapore context. We compared the error rates of dysphasia objects, dysphasia phrases and dysarthria words between the original and alternative items in a cohort of Singaporean subjects without dysphasia or dysarthria. METHODS: In this prospective study, 140 English-speaking Singaporean subjects without impairments of dysphasia or dysarthria had an assessment of NIHSS items 9 and 10 using the original and alternative items. Paired analyses were conducted for comparison of error rates. RESULTS: The error rates were high for four original dysphasia objects (Hammock: 62.9%, Cactus: 38.6%, Feather: 23.6%, Glove: 20.7%) and significantly lower for alternative items (Snail: 5%, Horse: 1.4%, Hanger: 1.4%, Car: 0%) (P < 0.001). For dysphasia phrases and dysarthria words, the error rates were low and there were no differences in error rates between the original and alternative items. CONCLUSION There are cultural issues with several dysphasia objects in the original NIHSS as evidenced by the high error rates, which were lowered with more culturally suitable alternatives. This study formed a basis to derive a more suitable version of the NIHSS for English-speaking subjects in Singapore.
Humans ; United States ; Animals ; Horses ; Stroke/diagnosis* ; Singapore ; Dysarthria/diagnosis* ; Prospective Studies ; National Institutes of Health (U.S.) ; Aphasia/diagnosis* ; Severity of Illness Index

Objective To investigate the cardiac structural and functional characteristics in the patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM),and predict the factors influencing the characteristics. Methods A total of 783 HFpEF patients diagnosed in the Department of Geriatric Cardiology,the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from April 2009 to December 2020 were enrolled in this study.Echocardiography and tissue Doppler technique were employed to evaluate cardiac structure and function.According to the occurrence of T2DM,the patients were assigned into a HFpEF+T2DM group (n=332) and a HFpEF group (n=451).Propensity score matching (PSM)(in a 1∶1 ratio) was adopted to minimize confounding effect.According to urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER),the HFpEF+T2DM group was further divided into three subgroups with UAER<20 μg/min,of 20-200 μg/min,and>200 μg/min,respectively.The comorbidities,symptoms and signs,and cardiac structure and function were compared among the groups to clarify the features of diabetes related HFpEF.Multivariate linear regression was conducted to probe the relationship of systolic blood pressure,blood glucose,glycosylated hemoglobin,and UARE with cardiac structural and functional impairment. Results The HFpEF+T2DM group had higher prevalence of hypertension (P=0.001) and coronary heart disease (P=0.036),younger age (P=0.020),and larger body mass index (P=0.005) than the HFpEF group,with the median diabetic course of 10 (3,17) years.After PSM,the prevalence of hypertension and coronary heart disease,body mass index,and age had no significant differences between the two groups(all P>0.05).In addition,the HFpEF+T2DM group had higher interventricular septal thickness (P=0.015),left ventricular posterior wall thickness (P=0.040),and left ventricular mass (P=0.012) and lower early diastole velocity of mitral annular septum (P=0.030) and lateral wall (P=0.011) than the HFpEF group.Compared with the HFpEF group,the HFpEF+T2DM group showed increased ratio of early diastolic mitral filling velocity to early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E/e') (P=0.036).Glycosylated hemoglobin was correlated with left ventricular mass (P=0.011),and the natural logarithm of UAER with interventricular septal thickness (P=0.004),left ventricular posterior wall thickness (P=0.006),left ventricular mass (P<0.001),and E/e' ratio (P=0.049). Conclusion The patients with both T2DM and HFpEF have thicker left ventricular wall,larger left ventricular mass,more advanced left ventricular remodeling,severer impaired left ventricular diastolic function,and higher left ventricular filling pressure than the HFpEF patients without T2DM.Elevated blood glucose and diabetic microvascular diseases might play a role in the development of the detrimental structural and functional changes of the heart.
Humans ; Aged ; Heart Failure/diagnosis* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Stroke Volume ; Glycated Hemoglobin ; Blood Glucose ; Propensity Score ; Ventricular Function, Left ; Hypertension

OBJECTIVES: To study the genetic characteristics, clinical characteristics, and prognosis of children with primary dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 44 children who were diagnosed with DCM in Hebei Children's Hospital from July 2018 to February 2023. According to the genetic testing results, they were divided into two groups: gene mutation-positive group (n=17) and gene mutation-negative group (n=27). The two groups were compared in terms of clinical data at initial diagnosis and follow-up data. RESULTS: Among the 44 children with DCM, there were 21 boys (48%) and 23 girls (52%). Respiratory symptoms including cough and shortness of breath were the most common symptom at initial diagnosis (34%, 15/44). The detection rate of gene mutations was 39% (17/44). There were no significant differences between the two groups in clinical characteristics, proportion of children with cardiac function grade Ⅲ or Ⅳ, brain natriuretic peptide levels, left ventricular ejection fraction, and left ventricular fractional shortening at initial diagnosis (P>0.05). The median follow-up time was 23 months, and 9 children (20%) died, including 8 children from the gene mutation-positive group, among whom 3 had TTN gene mutation, 2 had LMNA gene mutation, 2 had TAZ gene mutation, and 1 had ATAD3A gene mutation. The gene mutation-positive group had a significantly higher mortality rate than the gene mutation-negative group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is no correlation between the severity of DCM at initial diagnosis and gene mutations in children. However, children with gene mutations may have a poorer prognosis.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Child ; Stroke Volume ; Retrospective Studies ; Ventricular Function, Left ; Phenotype ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/diagnosis* ; Mutation ; ATPases Associated with Diverse Cellular Activities/genetics* ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Mitochondrial Proteins/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics and risk factors of early acute liver injury in patients with heat stroke (HS), and to provide basis for early identification of HS-related liver injury and its pathogenesis in clinical practice. METHODS: The clinical data of patients with HS admitted to the department of critical care medicine of Haian People's Hospital from June 2015 to August 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients with HS were divided into early liver injury group and early non-liver injury group according to the occurrence of acute liver injury within 24 hours of admission. The differences of basic data, clinical data, laboratory indexes and clinical outcomes of the two groups were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for early HS-related acute liver injury, and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to evaluate their value in predicting the occurrence of early HS-related acute liver injury. RESULTS: A total of 76 patients with HS were enrolled, and 46 patients with acute liver injury, accounting for 60.53%. In the early liver injury group, 14 patients (30.43%) had elevated aminotransferase alone, 9 patients (19.57%) had elevated total bilirubin (TBil) alone, and 23 patients (50.00%) had elevated both aminotransferase and TBil. Among the patients with elevated aminotransferases, 24 patients (64.87%) had mild elevation, 5 patients (13.51%) had moderate elevation, 8 patients (21.62%) had severe elevation. Compared with the early non-liver injury group, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), arterial blood lactate (Lac), interleukin-6 (IL-6), procalcitonin (PCT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), TBil, γ-gamma glutamyl transferase (γ-GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), myoglobin (MYO), N-terminal B-type pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), D-dimer in the early liver injury group were significantly increased, while platelet count (PLT) were significantly decreased within 24 hours after admission, the 28-day mortality was significantly increased [28.26% (13/46) vs. 6.67% (2/30)], and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that APACHE II score, SOFA score, PLT, Lac, IL-6, PCT, γ-GGT, LDH, CK, CK-MB, cTnI, MYO, PT, APTT, D-dimer were risk factors of early HS-related acute liver injury (all P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that PLT, IL-6, and LDH were independent risk factors of early HS-related acute liver injury [odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were 0.986 (0.974-0.998), 1.027 (1.012-1.041), and 1.002 (1.000-1.004), all P < 0.05]. The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of PLT, IL-6 and LDH for predicting the occurrence of early HS-related acute liver injury was 0.672 (95%CI was 0.548-0.797), 0.897 (95%CI was 0.824-0.971) and 0.833 (95%CI was 0.739-0.927), respectively. IL-6 had the highest predictive value for early HS-related liver injury. When the optimal diagnostic threshold of IL-6 was 48.25 ng/L, the sensitivity was 95.7%, the specificity was 73.3%, and the predictive value of PLT was the lowest. CONCLUSIONS The early HS-related liver injury is mainly manifested as the simultaneous elevation of aminotransferase and TBil, and most of cases are mild liver injury. PLT, IL-6 and LDH are independent risk factors of early HS-related acute liver injury.
Humans ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Interleukin-6 ; ROC Curve ; Sepsis/diagnosis* ; Heat Stroke/complications* ; Risk Factors ; Alanine Transaminase ; Creatine Kinase, MB Form ; Lactic Acid ; Creatine Kinase

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of early troponin I (TnI) level in the prognosis of severe heat stroke. METHODS: Clinical data of 131 patients with severe heat stroke in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Affiliated Changzhou NO.2 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (study dataset) and ICU 67 patients with severe heat stroke in Jintan First People's Hospital of Changzhou (validation dataset) were retrospectively analyzed from June 2013 to September 2022. The patients were divided into survival group and death group according to 30-day outcomes. TnI was collected within 24 hours after admission to the emergency department. Cox regression analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors of severe heat stroke death. Spearman correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between TnI and heart rate, and peripheral systolic blood pressure. The receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn to evaluate the predictive value of TnI for death in patients with severe heat stroke. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was conducted to assess the clinical net benefit rate of TnI prediction. Grouping by TnI cut-off value, Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze 30-day cumulative survival. Sensitivity analysis included modified Possion regression, E-value, and subgroup forest map was used to evaluate the mortality risk of TnI in different populations. External dataset was used to verify the predictive value of TnI. RESULTS: The death group had significantly higher TnI compared to the survival group [μg/L: 0.623 (0.196, 1.510) vs. 0.084 (0.019, 0.285), P < 0.01]. Multivariate Cox regression analysis after adjusting for confounding factors showed that TnI was an independent risk factor for death [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.885, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.528-2.325,P < 0.001]. Spearman correlation test showed that TnI was positively correlated with heart rate (r = 0.537, P < 0.001) and negatively correlated with peripheral systolic blood pressure (r = -0.611, P < 0.001). ROC curve showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the TnI (0.817) was better than that of the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II, 0.756). The DCA curve showed that the range of clinical net benefit rate of TnI (6.21%-20.00%) was higher than that of APACHE II score (5.14%-20.00%). Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that patients in the low-risk group (TnI ≤ 0.106) had a significantly higher 30-day survival rate than that in the high-risk group (TnI > 0.106) group (Log-Rank test: χ² = 17.350, P < 0.001). Modified Possion regression with adjustment for confounding factors showed that TnI was still an independent risk factor for death in patients with severe heat stroke [relative risk (RR) = 1.425, 95%CI was 1.284-1.583, P < 0.001]. The E-value was 2.215. The subgroup forest plot showed that the risk factors of TnI were obvious in male patients and patients ≤ 60 years old (male: HR = 1.731, 95%CI was 1.402-2.138, P < 0.001; ≤ 60 years old: HR = 1.651, 95%CI was 1.362-2.012, P < 0.001). In the validation dataset, ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC (0.836) of TnI predicting the prognosis of severe heat stroke was still higher than the APACHE II score (0.763). CONCLUSIONS Early elevation of TnI is a high-risk factor for death in patients with severe heat stroke, and it has a good predictive value for death.
Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Troponin I ; Retrospective Studies ; Clinical Relevance ; ROC Curve ; Prognosis ; Intensive Care Units ; Heat Stroke/diagnosis* ; Sepsis

At present, the upper limb function of stroke patients is often assessed clinically using a scale method, but this method has problems such as time-consuming, poor consistency of assessment results, and high participation of rehabilitation physicians. To overcome the shortcomings of the scale method, intelligent upper limb function assessment systems combining sensors and machine learning algorithms have become one of the hot research topics in recent years. Firstly, the commonly used clinical upper limb functional assessment methods are analyzed and summarized. Then the researches on intelligent assessment systems in recent years are reviewed, focusing on the technologies used in the data acquisition and data processing parts of intelligent assessment systems and their advantages and disadvantages. Lastly, the current challenges and future development directions of intelligent assessment systems are discussed. This review is hoped to provide valuable reference information for researchers in related fields.
Algorithms ; Humans ; Physical Therapy Modalities ; Stroke/diagnosis* ; Stroke Rehabilitation ; Upper Extremity

Objective: To analyze the characteristics, diagnosis and treatment status of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) of Chinese patients. Methods: Complete literature review was performed to summarize Chinese TTS cases between 2007 and 2018. Results: A total of 131 literatures were included including 160 TTS patients (age (58.3±14.7) years). There were 137 female patients (85.6%) in this cohort, the age was (59.6±14.0) years. There were 124 cases (77.5%) of stress-evoking factors, of which 83 cases (66.9%) were self-stress factors. There were 97 cases (60.6%) complained of chest pain and 15 cases (9.4%) with syncope. Forty-eight cases (30.0%) presented with cardiogenic shock. CK-MB and cTnT/I increased in 109 cases (80.1%). There were 124 cases (77.5%) presented with ST segment elevation on electrocardiogram, which were common in lead V₂-V₅. Echocardiography results were available in 128 cases (80.0%), reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (<50%) was reported in 78 cases (73.6%). Coronary angiography was performed in 133 patients (83.1%), of which 126 patients (94.7%) had normal coronary arteries or single non-significant stenosis. One hundred and thirty-eight patients (87.3%) were apical type. The misdiagnosis rate on admission was 96.9% (155/160), of which 141 cases (88.1%) were misdiagnosed as acute myocardial infarction. Nitroglycerin was used in 36 patients (30.3%). Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin Ⅱ receptor antagonist were used in 38 patients (31.9%). β blockers were used in 46 patients (38.7 %). Dopamine was used in 22 cases (18.5%) and norepinephrine was used in 12 cases (10.1%). Intra-aortic balloon counter pulsation was used in 5 cases (3.1%). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed in 9 cases (5.6%). Cardiac function recovery time was 7 (6, 15) days. The average InterTAK diagnosis score was (51.5±18.1) points, and value was>70 points in 2 cases (1.3%). There were 92 patients in the high-risk group, and there were 3 recurrent TTS cases. Five patients died. Conclusions: TTS incidence tends to be young and dominates in female in China. The misdiagnosis rate is extremely high on admission. Most patients are treated with medication.
Adult ; Aged ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Stroke Volume/physiology* ; Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy/diagnosis* ; Ventricular Function, Left/physiology*

Objective To explore the expression profiles of circulating microRNA(miRNA)and potential markers for the diagnosis of adult fulminant myocarditis(FM). Methods The expression profiles of circulating miRNA were determined by microarray analysis and verified by real-time quantitative PCR.The key role of circulating miRNA in FM was determined via KEGG pathway enrichment.The correlations between miRNA and cardiac function parameters in patients with FM were analyzed.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was established to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of circulating miRNA in the diagnosis of FM. Results Compared with healthy controls,the FM patients had up-regulated expression levels of miR-29b(t=18.925,P<0.001)and miR-125b(t=5.981,P=0.029)in the plasma.After treatment,the expression levels of miR-29b(t=12.943,P<0.001)and miR-125b(t=14.016,P<0.001)were significantly down-regulated.KEGG pathway enrichment showed that the targets of miR-29b were involved in inflammatory response and apoptosis pathways.The results of cell proliferation and apoptosis assay demonstrated the transfection of miR-29b mimic had a more significant inducing effect on cardiomyocyte apoptosis than that of miR-125b mimic(χ ²=6.168,P=0.047),whereas there was no significant difference in the inhibition of cell proliferation between the two groups(χ²=1.452,P=0.417).The expression levels of miR-29b and miR-125b were negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction(r=-0.67,P=0.071;r=-0.49,P=0.003).They were positively correlated with cardiac troponin I level(r=0.61,P=0.019;r=0.52,P=0.016),interferon β level(r=0.42,P=0.014;r=0.36,P=0.021),and myocardial edema area(r=0.86,P=0.005;r=0.73,P=0.013).The ROC curve analysis demonstrated that miR-29b had higher sensitivity for the diagnosis of FM(93.6% vs.89.2%;t=0.896,P=0.795)and specificity(72.4% vs.59.6%;t=9.478,P=0.002)than miR-125b. Conclusion The circulating miR-29b may be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of FM.
Adult ; Biomarkers/metabolism* ; Circulating MicroRNA/metabolism* ; Humans ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Myocarditis/diagnosis* ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Function, Left

Objective: To explore associations between lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) and the risk of cardiovascular events in a Chinese population, with a long-term follow-up. Methods: A random sample of 2,031 participants (73.6% males, mean age = 60.4 years) was derived from the Asymptomatic Polyvascular Abnormalities Community study (APAC) from 2010 to 2011. Serum Lp-PLA2 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The composite endpoint was a combination of first-ever stroke, myocardial infarction (MI) or all-cause death. Lp-PLA2 associations with outcomes were assessed using Cox models. Results: The median Lp-PLA2 level was 141.0 ng/mL. Over a median follow-up of 9.1 years, we identified 389 events (19.2%), including 137 stroke incidents, 43 MIs, and 244 all-cause deaths. Using multivariate Cox regression, when compared with the lowest Lp-PLA2 quartile, the hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals for developing composite endpoints, stroke, major adverse cardiovascular events, and all-cause death were 1.77 (1.24-2.54), 1.92 (1.03-3.60), 1.69 (1.003-2.84), and 1.94 (1.18-3.18) in the highest quartile, respectively. Composite endpoints in 145 (28.6%) patients occurred in the highest quartile where Lp-PLA2 (159.0 ng/mL) was much lower than the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommended cut-off point, 200 ng/mL. Conclusion Higher Lp-PLA2 levels were associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular event/death in a middle-aged Chinese population. The Lp-PLA2 cut-off point may be lower in the Chinese population when predicting cardiovascular events.
1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase/blood* ; Asians ; Cardiovascular Diseases/diagnosis* ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction/blood* ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Risk Factors ; Stroke/blood*

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a syndrome with highly heterogeneous clinical symptoms, and its incidence has been increasing in recent years. Compared with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), HFpEF has a worse prognosis. Traditional therapies targeting the internal mechanisms of the heart show limited or inefficacy on HFpEF, and new therapeutic targets for HFpEF are expected to be found by focusing on the extracardiac mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that cardiopulmonary pathophysiological interaction exacerbates the progression of HFpEF. Hypertension, systemic vascular injury, and inflammatory response lead to coronary microvascular dysfunction, myocardial hypertrophy, and coronary microvascular remodeling. Acute kidney injury affects myocardial energy production, induces oxidative stress and catabolism of myocardial protein, which leads to myocardial dysfunction. Liver fibrosis mediates heart injury by abnormal protein deposition and inflammatory factors production. Skeletal muscle interacts with the sympathetic nervous system by metabolic signals. It also produces muscle factors, jointly affecting cardiac function. Metabolic syndrome, gut microbiota dysbiosis, immune system diseases, and iron deficiency promote the occurrence and development of HFpEF through metabolic changes, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses. Therefore, the research on the extracardiac mechanisms of HFpEF has certain implications for model construction, mechanism research, and treatment strategy formulation.
Humans ; Heart Failure/diagnosis* ; Stroke Volume/physiology* ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Cardiomyopathies/metabolism* ; Hypertension ; Ventricular Function, Left