Should angiogenic markers be included in the diagnostic criteria of superimposed pre‐eclampsia in women with chronic hypertension?

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a condition that accounts for approximately 50 % of heart failure cases with the prevalence increased with advancing age. As of now, no effective treatment is available for HFpEF, which calls for continued efforts towards novel therapies. Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl SS) rats have recently been reported as an experimental model of HFpEF, although a specific diagnostic criteria for HFpEF is still unclear in rodents. We aimed to provide clear criteria to identify HFpEF in Dahl SS rats. After a follow-up of 28 weeks, adult female Dahl SS rats receiving high salt (HS, 8 % NaCl) diet developed chronic hypertension (209 ± 80 vs. 147 ± 55 mm Hg; P <0.05 vs. low salt-fed control group (LS, 0.3 % NaCl) with consistent left ventricle (LV) remodeling compared to LS rats (LV hypertrophy index: 2.62 ± 0.07 vs. 1.79 ± 0.03 mg/mm, and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area: 497 ± 38.9 vs. 290 ± 8.15 μm 2 , respectively; P < 0.05) and EF > 50 % (67.7 ± 1.5 %). Evidence that HS rats have developed HFpEF was observed only in rats with left atrial dimension (LAD)/body weight (BW), E/A, and E/E’ ratios above the 75 th percentile of the LS group (17.50 mm/kg, 1.53, and 14.25, respectively). In addition, HS rats diagnosed with HFpEF had increased LV end-diastolic pressure and plasma NT-proBNP compared to LS rats (12.8 ± 3.4 vs. 5.8 ± 0.8 mm Hg, and 78.7 ± 18.0 vs. 17.7 ± 3.5 pg/mL, respectively; P < 0.05), while no significant changes in LAD/BW, E/A, E/E’, and plasma NT-proBNP were demonstrated in HS rats not matching the suggested criteria for HFpEF. Distance run was not different between HS and LS groups. Survival rate was 39.9 % in HS compared to 94.7 % in LS rats ( P = 0.0001), with stroke as the main cause of death (69.6 % incidence in HS rats). These results provide the first clear criteria for diagnosis of HFpEF in Dahl SS rats. Our findings have important implications for future preclinical studies aiming to develop novel therapeutic strategies targeting diastolic dysfunction in HFpEF.

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Prognostic Value of Angiogenic Markers in Pregnant Women With Chronic Hypertension

Journal of the American Heart Association ◽

10.1161/jaha.120.020631 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Julia Binder ◽

Pilar Palmrich ◽

Erkan Kalafat ◽

Petra Pateisky ◽

Ebru Öztürk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

Growth Factor ◽

Prognostic Value ◽

Placental Growth Factor ◽

Chronic Hypertension ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Angiogenic Markers ◽

Time To Delivery ◽

Plgf Ratio ◽

Angiogenic Marker

Background Women with chronic hypertension face a 5‐ to 6‐fold increased risk of developing preeclampsia compared with normotensive women. Angiogenic markers, especially soluble fms‐like kinase 1 (sFlt‐1) and placental growth factor (PlGF), were identified as clinically useful markers predicting the development of preeclampsia, but data on the prediction of superimposed preeclampsia are scarce. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the predictive value of the sFlt‐1/PlGF ratio for delivery because of superimposed preeclampsia in women with chronic hypertension. Methods and Results This retrospective study included 142 women with chronic hypertension and suspected superimposed preeclampsia. Twenty‐seven women (19.0%) delivered because of maternal indications only, 17 women (12.0%) because of fetal indications primarily, and 98 women (69.0%) for other reasons. Women who both delivered because of maternal indications and for fetal indications had a significantly higher sFlt‐1/PlGF ratio (median 99.9 and 120.2 versus 7.3, respectively, P <0.001 for both) and lower PlGF levels (median 73.6 and 53.3 versus 320.0 pg/mL, respectively, P <0.001 for both) compared with women who delivered for other reasons. SFlt‐1/PlGF ratio and PlGF were strong predictors for delivery because of superimposed preeclampsia, whether for maternal or fetal indications ( P <0.05). Half of women with angiogenic imbalance (sFlt‐1/PlGF ratio ≥85 or PlGF levels <100 pg/mL) delivered because of maternal or fetal indications within 1.6 weeks (95% CI, 1.0–2.4 weeks). Conclusions Angiogenic marker imbalance in women with suspected superimposed preeclampsia can predict delivery because of maternal and fetal indications related to superimposed preeclampsia and is associated with a significantly shorter time to delivery interval.

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PREVALENCE OF CHRONIC HYPERTENSION IN PREGNANT WOMEN FOLLOWING THE 2017 ACC/AHA GUIDELINE CHANGE IN DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR HYPERTENSION

Journal of Hypertension ◽

10.1097/01.hjh.0000744628.08737.a0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. e26

Author(s):

Kristi Reynolds ◽

Hui Zhou ◽

Zoe Bider-Canfield ◽

T. Craig Cheetham ◽

Cecilia Portugal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Diagnostic Criteria ◽

Chronic Hypertension

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An adrenocortical oncocytoma with unusual mitochondrial inclusions and cytoplasmic crystals

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100168980 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 52 ◽

pp. 250-251

Author(s):

W.T. Gunning ◽

G.D. Haselhuhn ◽

E.R. Phillips ◽

S.H. Selman

Keyword(s):

Adrenal Gland ◽

Salivary Glands ◽

Mitotic Activity ◽

Diagnostic Criteria ◽

Vascular Invasion ◽

Benign Neoplasm ◽

Benign Tumors ◽

Nuclear Morphology ◽

Case Presentation ◽

Microscopic Evidence

Within the last few years, adrenal cortical tumors with features concordant with the diagnostic criteria attributed to oncocytomas have been reported. To date, only nine reported cases exist in the literature. This report is the tenth case presentation of a presumptively benign neoplasm of the adrenal gland with a rare differentiation. Oncocytomas are well recognized benign tumors of the thyroid, parathyroid, and salivary glands and of the kidney. Other organs also give rise to these types of tumors, however with less frequency than the former sites. The characteristics generally used to classify a tumor as an oncocytoma include the following criteria: the tumor is 1) usually a solitary circumscribed mass with no gross nor microscopic evidence of metastasis (no tissue nor vascular invasion), 2) fairly bland in terms of mitotic activity and nuclear morphology, and 3) composed of large eosinophillic cells in which the cytoplasm is packed full of mitochondria (Figure 1).

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An Introductory Examination of Speech Disfluencies in Spanish–English Bilingual Children Who Do and Do Not Stutter During Narratives

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2019_persp-19-00040 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 131-141

Author(s):

Cristina Rincon ◽

Kia Noelle Johnson ◽

Courtney Byrd

Keyword(s):

Diagnostic Criteria ◽

Preliminary Data ◽

Diagnostic Information ◽

English Speakers ◽

Bilingual Children ◽

English Bilingual ◽

Developmental Stuttering ◽

Mean Length Of Utterance

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the frequency and type of speech disfluencies (stuttering-like and nonstuttering-like) in bilingual Spanish–English (SE) children who stutter (CWS) to SE children who do not stutter (CWNS) during narrative samples elicited in Spanish and English to provide further diagnostic information for this population and preliminary data toward an expansion of this study. Method Participants included six bilingual SE children (three CWS, three CWNS) ranging in age from 5 years to 7;5 (years;months) and recruited from the surrounding Houston, Texas area. Participants provided a narrative sample in English and Spanish. The frequency of speech disfluencies was tabulated, and mean length of utterance was measured for each sample. Results Results indicate that both talker groups exceed the diagnostic criteria typically used for developmental stuttering. Regardless of the language being spoken, CWS participants had a frequency of stuttering-like speech disfluencies that met or exceeded the diagnostic criteria for developmental stuttering that is based on monolingual English speakers. The CWNS participants varied in meeting the criteria depending on the language being spoken, with one of the three CWNS exceeding the criteria in both languages and one exceeding the criteria for percentage of stuttering-like speech disfluencies in one language. Conclusion Findings from this study contribute to the development of more appropriate diagnostic criteria for bilingual SE-speaking children to aid in the reduction of misdiagnoses of stuttering in this population.

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