First electrocardiogram in recent myocardial infarction.

The admission electrocardiogram (ECG) was studied in 898 patients admitted to a coronary care unit over two years. The diagnosis made from this tracing was compared with that made at the end of the patient''s stay. About half the cases of recent myocardial infarct were diagnosed from the admission ECG, but accuracy rose to 83% with serial ECG''s in the unit. The ECG is important but not entirely reliable in the early detection of acute myocardial infarction, which should be largely a clinical diagnosis.     

Diagnostic value of the electrocardiogram in the assessment of prior myocardial infarction

BackgroundThe best available imaging technique for the detection of prior myocardial infarction (MI) is cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). Although the electrocardiogram (ECG) still plays a major role in the diagnosis of prior MI, the diagnostic value of the ECG remains uncertain. This study evaluates the diagnostic value of the ECG in the assessment of prior MI.MethodsIn this retrospective study, data from electronic patient files were collected of 1033 patients who had undergone CMR with LGE between January 2014 and December 2017. After the exclusion of 59 patients, the data of 974 patients were analysed. Twelve-lead ECGs were blinded and evaluated for signs of prior MI by two cardiologists separately. Disagreement in interpretation was resolved by the judgement of a third cardiologist. Outcomes of CMR with LGE were used as the gold standard.ResultsThe sensitivity of the ECG in the detection of MI was 38.0% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 31.6–44.8%. The specificity was 86.9% (95% CI 84.4–89.1%). The positive and negative predictive value were 43.6% (95% CI 36.4–50.9%) and 84.0% (95% CI 81.4–86.5%) respectively. In 170 ECGs (17.5%), the two cardiologists disagreed on the presence or absence of MI. Inter-rater variability was moderate (κ 0.51, 95% CI 0.45–0.58, p < 0.001).ConclusionThe ECG has a low diagnostic value in the detection of prior MI. However, if the ECG shows no signs of prior MI, the absence of MI is likely. This study confirms that a history of MI should not be based solely on an ECG.     

Apolipoprotein E phenotypes in patients with myocardial infarction

Summary The frequencies of genetic apo E isoforms E2, E3 and E4 were determined in 523 patients with myocardial infarction and compared to those in a control group (1031 blood donors). A significant difference in the frequency of apo E4 was noted between patients and controls (0.05> P>0.025). No differences in the frequencies of isoforms E3 and E2 were observed. In particular, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the frequency of apo E2 homozygosity. a condition that is associated with type III hyperlipoproteinemia. However, all E2 homozygote survivors of myocardial infarction had hyperlipoproteinemia type III (cholesterol 269±29 mg/dl; triglyceride 419±150 mg/dl; age 54±14 years; N=5). On the contrary, E2 homozygote controls (all apo E-2/2 blood donors and their apo E-2/2 relatives who were from the same age range as the patients) had primary dysbetalipoproteinemia but normal or subnormal plasma cholesterol concentrations (cholesterol 184±28 mg/dl; triglyceride 151±52 mg/dl; age 56±13 years; N=11). This indicates that E2 homozygotes with hyperlipoproteinemia type III who occur rarely in the population but comprise about 1% of myocardial infarction patients have a markedly increase risk for coronary atherosclerosis, whereas the risk for E2 homozygotes with normal or subnormal plasma cholesterol (=primary dysbetalipoproteinemia) may be considerably lower than for the general population. The data illustrate the complex relationship between apo E genes, lipid levels, and risk for atherosclerosis.     

心电图计分法定量评价糖尿病小型猪心肌梗死面积

目的探讨简便的Wagner心电图QRS评分结果与糖尿病小型猪急性心肌梗死面积的相关性。方法巴马小型猪12只,随机分为糖尿病组（n=6）和正常组（n=6）。一次性静脉注射STZ（150mg／kg）的方法建立小型猪糖尿病模型,分别在给药前、给药后1周、2周和3周,采集血液,监测血糖,空腹血糖持续增高（FBG≥7．0retool／L）者认为建模成功;其次,定位结扎糖尿病组和正常对照组小型猪冠脉左前降支第1和第2对角支之间部位,并在缺血10rain、30min、1h、48h后查心电图,行QRS心电图计分;然后利用心肌组织Evan’sblue和TTC染色计算梗死心肌体积;分析QRS心电图计分与心肌梗死体积的相关性。结果所有动物急性心肌缺血病理变化明显,48h后都有病理性Q波形成,糖尿病组QRS评分明显较对照组高（6．9±2．4VS．4．1±1．8,P〈0．05）;病理染色结果显示其梗死面积明显比对照组大（29．2±5．1％vs．15．3±3．4％,P〈0．05）,二者相关系数为0．92。结论糖尿病心肌急性缺血更容易导致心肌组织坏死,梗死面积明显比对照组大;心电图检测判断心梗面积与病理情况下心梗面积相关性良好。     

Ambulant management of patients with recent myocardial infarction.

Thirty-two patients who had remained ambulant and active after suffering an acute myocardial infarction were observed for 6 months. Complications were present initially in 11 but proved transient. One patient died of a new coronary thrombosis 15 weeks after the initial episode. There were no recurrences among the 31 surviving patients. After the 6 months all but two patients were as well as before the attack; 21 were free of symptoms and there was no undue incidence of objective findings that could be attributed to failure to rest after the attack. It is therefore concluded that, for patients who suffer an acute myocardial infarction, immediate diagnosis and admission to a coronary care unit need not be equated invariably with immobilization in bed. Our experience suggests that selected patients can be allowed moderate activity without ill effects and thus avoid the undesirable consequences of enforced bed rest.     

Dermatoglyphic studies of myocardial infarction patients

Dermatoglyphic traits were studied in a sample of 834 subjects selected from a cohort of some 8,000 living Japanese men, under a long-term study of heart disease in Hawaii. All of them were born between 1900 and 1919. Among them, 100 subjects had had positive diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI). The present study included comparisons between the MI patients and the remaining group of all digital dermal pattern types and ridge counts by digit, by hand, and by individual. The MI patients had significantly higher frequency of true whorls, double loops and less ulnar loops and tented arches. Total and absolute ridge counts were significantly higher (less than 0.05) in all digits in favor of the MI patients. Similar trends were observed in analyses by digit and by hand. These observations suggest an antenatal origin of certain types of coronary disease.     

Dermatoglyphic features of myocardial infarction patients

An association reported between certain dermatoglyphic features and myocardial infarction (MI) in Japanese males is investigated using a sample of Caucasian males. The frequencies of each of the four Galtonian pattern types (arch, ulnar loop, radial loop, whorl) defined on each of the ten primary digital pattern areas, as well as several synthetic fields for the MI and control groups, are compared. Total and absolute finger ridge count for the same pattern areas in the two samples are similarly studied. No differences in the distributions of these features significant at the 0.01 level or less could be demonstrated between the MI and control samples. A search for combinations of features to correctly classify the individuals into the two groups was similarly inconclusive. Differences in sample size and racial homogeneity that may account for this failure to reproduce the results of the study of Japanese males are discussed. Finally, statistics describing the distributions of the dermatoglyphic features in the test and control samples are presented for comparison with future investigations.     

Plasma intermedin levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction

It has been shown that adrenomedullin (ADM) may function as a cardiovascular-regulatory peptide in humans. Intermedin (IMD) is a newly discovered peptide related to ADM and has a greater range of biological effects on the cardiovascular in animal experiments. The purpose of the study was to investigate the pathophysiological role of IMD in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The present study included twenty patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), thirty-three with stable coronary heart disease (SCHD), and eighteen healthy controls. Plasma levels of IMD, malonaldehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and cardiac biomarkers were determined at one, two, four and seven days following AMI. Plasma IMD levels were significantly increased on day 1 in AMI patients when compared with SCHD subjects (P = 0.014), and reached a peak of 181.88 ± 9.47 pg/ml at 96 h. Plasma IMD concentrations were correlated with MDA and SOD. Furthermore, patients with severe lesions in their coronary arteries tended to have higher plasma IMD levels (P < 0.05) in AMI patients. A significant increase in plasma IMD following AMI may be associated with oxidative stress, and could be used as a marker to reflect the severity of the coronary stenosis.     

Neurologists' diagnostic accuracy of depression and cognitive problems in patients with parkinsoni

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Depression and cognitive impairment (CI) are important non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's Disease (PD) and related syndromes, but it is not clear how well they are recognised in daily practice. We have studied the diagnostic performance of experienced neurologists on the topics depression and cognitive impairment during a routine encounter with a patient with recent-onset parkinsonian symptoms. METHODS: Two experienced neurologists took the history and examined 104 patients with a recent-onset parkinsonian disorder, and assessed the presence of depression and cognitive impairment. On the same day, all patients underwent a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale test, and a Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease-Cognition-test (SCOPA-COG). RESULTS: The sensitivity of the neurologists for the topic depression was poor: 33.3%. However, the specificity varied from 90.8 to 94.7%. The patients' sensitivity was higher, although the specificity was lower. On the topic CI, the sensitivity of the neurologists was again low, in a range from 30.4 up to 34.8%: however the specificity was high, with 92.9%. The patients' sensitivity and specificity were both lower, compared to the number of the neurologists. CONCLUSIONS: Neurologists' intuition and clinical judgment alone are not accurate for detection of depression or cognitive impairment in patients with recent-onset parkinsonian symptoms because of low sensitivity despite of high specificity. Trial registration (ITRSCC)NCT0036819.     

Circulating exosomal long non‐coding RNAs in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Exosomes are attracting considerable interest in the cardiovascular field as the wide range of their functions is recognized in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the regulatory role of exosomal long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in AMI remains largely unclear. Exosomes were isolated from the plasma of AMI patients and controls, and the sequencing profiles and twice qRT‐PCR validations of exosomal lncRNAs were performed. A total of 518 differentially expressed lncRNAs were detected over two‐fold change, and 6 kinds of lncRNAs were strikingly elevated in AMI patients with top fold change and were selected to perform subsequent validation. In the two validations, lncRNAs ENST00000556899.1 and ENST00000575985.1 were significantly up‐regulated in AMI patients compared with controls. ROC curve analysis revealed that circulating exosomal lncRNAs ENST00000556899.1 and ENST00000575985.1 yielded the area under the curve values of 0.661 and 0.751 for AMI, respectively. Moreover, ENST00000575985.1 showed more significant relationship with clinical parameters, including inflammatory biomarkers, prognostic indicators and myocardial damage markers. Multivariate logistic model exhibited positive association of ENST00000575985.1 with the risk of heart failure in AMI patients. In summary, our data demonstrated that circulating exosomal lncRNAs ENST00000556899.1 and ENST00000575985.1 are elevated in patients with AMI, functioning as potential biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of pateints with AMI.