Cobra-head and other shape-memory abnormalities of nitinol atrial septal occluders: incidence, predisposing factors, and outcomes

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Bhushan S. Sonawane ◽  
Pramod Sagar ◽  
Asish R. Mohakud ◽  
Gopalavilasam R. Rohitraj ◽  
Santosh Wadile ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Shape-memory abnormalities are seen in some nitinol atrial septal occluders. Variably described as cobra-head, tulip, and others, their incidence, mechanisms, clinical impact, and outcome have not been systematically analysed. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all consecutive device closures in the last 6 years for deformations. Type and size of the occluder, deployment technique, size, and angulation/kinking of the delivery sheath were analysed. Procedural success, duration, and other complications were studied. Results: A total of 112 devices (11.8%) among 950 occluders used in 936 patients showed deformities. Fourteen of 936 received 2 devices. Deformities were transient and self-correcting in 40%. Multivariate analysis showed significant associations with oversized sheaths (p = 0.004), kinked/angulated sheaths (p < 0.001), special deployment techniques (p < 0.001), and twist in the device waist (p = 0.011). Despite more frequent deformities with Figulla (15.6%) and Amplatzer (13.9%) occluders than Cera occluders (6.6%) and larger devices (>24 mm – 14.6%) than smaller devices (less than or equal to 24 mm – 9.7%), they were not significant on multivariate analysis. In vivo manipulations corrected most deformities; nineteen needed in vitro reformations and four needed a change of device. Despite prolongation of the procedure, repeated attempts (mean 2.76 ± 1.7 attempts, with a range from 1 to 9 attempts), and supraventricular tachycardia in two patients, there were no serious adverse effects. Conclusions: Deformations were frequent in 11.8% of atrial septal occluders on a targeted search. Oversized and angulated/kinked sheaths, special techniques like pulmonary vein deployment and twist in device waist during procedure predisposed to deformities. While most deformities were corrected with manipulations, removal of the device was infrequently needed and change of device was rarely required. Long procedural time and multiple attempts for deployment did not affect procedural success.

1997 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 445-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M Abdel-Rahman ◽  
Milap C Nahata

Objective To review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, adverse effects, drug interactions, and dosage guidelines of terbinafine. Available comparative data of terbinafine and other antimycotic agents are described for understanding the potential role of terbinafine in patient care. Data Sources A MEDLINE search restricted to English language during 1966–1996 and extensive review of journals was conducted to prepare this article. MeSH headings included allylamines, terbinafine, SF 86–327, dermatophytosis, dermatomycosis. Data Extraction The data on pharmacokinetics, adverse effects, and drug interactions were obtained from open-label and controlled studies and case reports. Controlled single- or double-blind studies were evaluated to describe the efficacy of terbinafine in the treatment of various fungal infections. Data Synthesis Terbinafine is the first oral antimycotic in the allylamines class: a fungicidal agent that inhibits ergosterol synthesis at the stage of squalene epoxidation. Terbinafine demonstrates excellent in vitro activity against the majority of dermatophyte species including Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Epidermophyton floccosum; less activity is seen against Dematiaceae and the filamentous fungi. It is least active against the pathogenic yeast and this correlates with the relatively poor efficacy against these organisms in vivo. High concentrations of terbinafine are achieved in keratinous tissues, the site of superficial infections, and these concentrations are maintained for up to 3 months. The clinical efficacy of terbinafine against a number of dermatophyte infections exceeds that of the current standard of therapy, griseofulvin. The efficacy of terbinafine may be as good or better than that of the azole antifungals. Additional studies are required to confirm these observations. Terbinafine demonstrates a good safety profile, and relatively few drug interactions have been identified. Conclusions Terbinafine is more effective than the gold standard, griseofulvin, in the treatment of tinea pedis and tinea unguinum, with considerably shorter treatment duration in the latter. It has been proven as effective as griseofulvin in the treatment of tinea capitis, tinea corporis, and tinea cruris. Terbinafine does not appear to offer any advantage in the treatment of nondermatophyte infections; its utility in the treatment of systemic infections has yet to be established. Depending on individual institutional costs, terbinafine may be a front-line drug for some superficial infections responding poorly to the current standard of therapy.


2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 285
Author(s):  
T. T. B. Vo ◽  
E. B. Jeung

In the current study, calbindin-D9k (CaBP-9k), a potent biomarker for screening estrogen-like environmental chemicals in vivo and in vitro, was adopted to examine the potential estrogen-like property of the following parabens: propyl-, isopropyl-, butyl-, and isobutyl-paraben. Immature female rats were administered for 3 days from postnatal day 14 to 16 with 17?-ethinylestradiol (EE, 1 mg/kg of body weight (BW) per day) or parabens (62.5, 250, and 1000 mg/kg of BW per day). In uterotrophic assays, significantly increased uterus weights were detected in the EE-treated group and in the groups treated with the greatest dose of isopropyl-, butyl- and isobutyl-paraben. In addition, these parabens induced uterine CaBP-9k mRNA and protein levels, whereas co-treatment of parabens and fulvestrant (Faslodex, formerly known as ICI 182, 780), a pure estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist, completely reversed the paraben-induced gene expression and increased uterine weights. To investigate the ER-mediated mechanism(s) by which parabens exert their effects, the expression level of ERα and progesterone receptor (PR) was analyzed. Exposure to EE or parabens caused a dramatic decrease in expression of both ER? mRNA and protein levels, whereas co-treatment with fulvestrant reversed these effects. These data showed the difference of CaBP-9k and ER? expression, suggesting that CaBP-9k might not express via ER? pathway. In the effect of parabens on CaBP-9k expression through PR mediation, a significantly increased expression of uterine PR gene, a well-known ER regulating gene, at both transcriptional and translational levels was indicated in the greatest dose of isopropyl- and butyl-paraben. These parabens induced PR gene expression that was completely blocked by fulvestrant. This result indicates that CaBP-9k expression might involve PR mediates in the estrogenic effect of paraben in immature rat uteri. Taken together, parabens exhibited an estrogen-like property in vivo, which might be mediated by a PR and/or ER? signaling pathway. In addition, our results expanded the current understanding of the potential adverse effects of parabens associated with their estrogen-like activities. Further investigation is needed to elucidate in greater detail the adverse effects of parabens in humans and wildlife.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 1520-1520
Author(s):  
Anja Troeger ◽  
Gabriele Escherich ◽  
Udo zur Stadt ◽  
M. L Den Boer ◽  
Rob Pieters ◽  
...  

Abstract Early identification of patients (pts) at risk for relapse allows for development of risk-adapted treatment strategies, thus steadily improving the outcome in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Besides classic prognostic factors such as age, initial leukocyte count (WBC), genetic alterations and the immune phenotype, the so called PVA Score, summarizing the in vitro resistance of blasts against prednisone, vincristine and asparaginase, has been applied for treatment stratification in the CoALL protocol, a German multicenter study for children with ALL. Over the past years it has become increasingly clear that the in vivo response to chemotherapy assessed by detection of residual malignant cells (MRD) by PCR technique can be predictive of prognosis. Here we compare for the first time the relevance of in vitro (PVA Score) and in vivo (MRD) treatment response in a large cohort of 275 children with ALL, age 1–17 years, uniformly treated according to the CoALL protocols 05–92 to 07–03. Children with B cell precursor ALL (BCP-ALL) and T-ALL were analyzed separately. Bone marrow samples of 160 children with BCP-ALL and of 115 T-ALL pts diagnosed between 1992–2005 were prospectively assessed for PVA Score at diagnosis and MRD levels at day (d) 15, 29 and 43 after informed consent was obtained from the parents or legal guardians at the time of enrolment. Of note, 7 of the BCP-ALL and 14 of the T-ALL pts with late morphological response were excluded from analysis. Overall median MRD levels in BCP-ALL pts (MRDd15: 6×10e-4; MRDd29: 2×10e-5) were one log lower than in T-ALL (MRDd15: 9×10e-3; MRDd29: 3×10e-4). We detected no association between PVA Score and MRD level in BCP-ALL (correlation coefficient: r=0.15; p=0.15) and only a weak correlation in T-ALL pts (correlation coefficient: r=0.43; p=0.0003). When assessing the impact of the PVA Score on relapse free survival (RFS), in BCP-ALL only score 3+4 (good response) vs. 8+9 (poor response) was prognostically relevant (RFS 0.86±0.05 vs. 0.59±0.12; p=0.03), whereas in T-ALL no significant difference between these subgroups was found (RFS 0.71±0.1 vs. 0.68±0.1; p=0.62). In multivariate analysis PVA Score 3+4 vs. 8+9 remained the most relevant parameter for RFS in BCP-ALL (p=0.05) when compared to age and initial WBC. However, MRD levels were of even higher predictive power, especially at later time points: MRD negativity at d29 in BCP-ALL identified pts with significantly superior RFS (RFS MRD neg.: 0.9±0.05 vs. pos.: 0.7±0.05; p=0.003) and low MRD levels indicated a favorable outcome in T-ALL (RFS MRD &lt;10e-3: 0.89±0.05 vs. MRD &gt;10e-3: 0.68±0.07; p=0.001). Moreover, both BCP-ALL and T-ALL pts characterized by MRD levels &gt;10e-3 on d43 exhibited a poor outcome (RFS BCP-ALL: 0.42±0.17; RFS T-ALL: 0.47±0.14). MRD remained an independent marker in multivariate analysis including initial WBC and age, both in BCP- (MRDd29: p=0.006; MRDd43: p=0.001) and T-ALL (MRDd29: p=0.003; MRDd43: p=0.015). By multivariate analysis, in T-ALL low MRD levels on d29 predicted superior RFS independently from the PVA Score (MRD: p=0.002 vs. PVA: p=0.09), whereas in BPC-ALL these parameters were not completely independent from each other at that early time point (MRD: p= 0.059 vs. PVA: p= 0.063) but became independent at d43 (MRD: p= 0.018 vs. PVA: p= 0.253). While the predictive value of the PVA Score was limited to BCP-ALL, MRD was an independent prognostic marker for both BCP- and T-ALL and reliably identified pts at low and high risk for relapse.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harrie J. M. Gijsen ◽  
Marc Mercken

-Secretase modulation has been proposed as a potential disease modifying anti-Alzheimer’s approach. -Secretase modulators (GSMs) cause a product shift from the longer amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide isoforms to shorter, more soluble, and less amyloidogenic isoforms, without inhibiting APP or Notch proteolytic processing. As such, modulating -secretase may avoid some of the adverse effects observed with -secretase inhibitors. Since the termination of the GSM tarenfurbil in 2008 due to negative phase III trial results, a considerable progress has been made towards more potent and better brain penetrable compounds. However, an analysis of their lipophilic efficiency indices indicates that their increased potency can be largely attributed to their increased lipophilicity. The need for early and chronic dosing with GSMs will require high-safety margins. This will be a challenge to achieve with the current, highly lipophilic GSMs. We will demonstrate that by focusing on the drug-like properties of GSMs, a combination of highin vitropotency and reduced lipophilicity can be achieved and does result in better tolerated compounds. The next hurdle will be to translate this knowledge into GSMs which are highly efficacious and safein vivo.


2006 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 551-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Guis ◽  
D. Figarella-branger ◽  
J. P. Mattei ◽  
F. Nicoli ◽  
Y. Le Fur ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria A. Zoroddu ◽  
Serenella Medici ◽  
Massimiliano Peana ◽  
Valeria M. Nurchi ◽  
Joanna I. Lachowicz ◽  
...  

Tungsten or wolfram was regarded for many years as an enemy within the tin smelting and mining industry, because it conferred impurity or dirtiness in tin mining. However, later it was considered an amazing metal for its strength and flexibility, together with its diamond like hardness and its melting point which is the highest of any metal. It was first believed to be relatively inert and an only slightly toxic metal. Since early 2000, the risk exerted by tungsten alloys, its dusts and particulates to induce cancer and several other adverse effects in animals as well as humans has been highlighted from in vitro and in vivo experiments. Thus, it becomes necessary to take a careful look at all the most recent data reported in the scientific literature, covering the years 2001-2016. In fact, the findings indicate that much more attention should be devoted to thoroughly investigate the toxic effects of tungsten and the involved mechanisms of tungsten metal or tungsten metal ions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciro Menale ◽  
Damiano G. Mita ◽  
Nadia Diano ◽  
Sabrina Diano

Bisphenol A (BPA) is used as basic chemical compound in the production of polycarbonate food containers or epoxy resins coating metallic cans for food and beverages conservation. Its xeno-estrogenic activity alters endocrine-metabolic pathways modulating glucose metabolism and increasing the risk of developing diabetes, insulin resistance, and obesity. Based on in vitro and in vivo experimental research, here we report some of the major BPA adverse effects on tissues that play a key role in the regulation on the whole body’s metabolism. Evidences have shown that BPA is able to exert its endocrine disrupting action altering glucose metabolism and contributing to the onset of metabolic disorders, acting on liver functions and affecting insulin production by the pancreas. Exposure to BPA has been reported also to modulate glucose utilization in muscles, as well as to interfere with adipose tissue endocrine function. In addition, to peripheral tissues, recent studies have shown that BPA by acting in the Central Nervous System affects neuroendocrine regulation of glucose metabolism, promoting glucose metabolism dysfunction such as glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. Thus, exposure to BPA seems to be an important risk factor in the onset of obesity and metabolic syndrome. However, its mechanisms of action need to be further investigated to provide a major evaluation of risk assessment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (12) ◽  
pp. 3397-3418 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Faria ◽  
Sabbir Ahmed ◽  
Karin G. F. Gerritsen ◽  
Silvia M. Mihaila ◽  
Rosalinde Masereeuw

Abstract The kidney is frequently involved in adverse effects caused by exposure to foreign compounds, including drugs. An early prediction of those effects is crucial for allowing novel, safe drugs entering the market. Yet, in current pharmacotherapy, drug-induced nephrotoxicity accounts for up to 25% of the reported serious adverse effects, of which one-third is attributed to antimicrobials use. Adverse drug effects can be due to direct toxicity, for instance as a result of kidney-specific determinants, or indirectly by, e.g., vascular effects or crystals deposition. Currently used in vitro assays do not adequately predict in vivo observed effects, predominantly due to an inadequate preservation of the organs’ microenvironment in the models applied. The kidney is highly complex, composed of a filter unit and a tubular segment, together containing over 20 different cell types. The tubular epithelium is highly polarized, and the maintenance of this polarity is critical for optimal functioning and response to environmental signals. Cell polarity is dependent on communication between cells, which includes paracrine and autocrine signals, as well as biomechanic and chemotactic processes. These processes all influence kidney cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. For drug disposition studies, this microenvironment is essential for prediction of toxic responses. This review provides an overview of drug-induced injuries to the kidney, details on relevant and translational biomarkers, and advances in 3D cultures of human renal cells, including organoids and kidney-on-a-chip platforms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria V. Papadopoulou ◽  
William D. Bloomer ◽  
Howard S. Rosenzweig ◽  
Ana Lia Mazzeti ◽  
Karolina Ribeiro Gonçalves ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT 3-Nitrotriazole-based compounds belonging to various chemical subclasses were found to be very effective against Chagas disease both in vitro and in vivo after a short administration schedule. In this study, five compounds with specific characteristics were selected to be administered for longer periods of time to mice infected with the virulent Trypanosoma cruzi Y strain to further evaluate their effectiveness as antichagasic agents and whether or not potential adverse effects occur. Benznidazole was included for comparison purposes. Complete parasitemia depletion, weight gain, 100% survival, and a lack of myocardial inflammation were observed with four of the compounds and benznidazole administered intraperitoneally at 15 or 20 mg/kg of body weight/day for 40 days. There was a significant reduction in the number of treatment days (number of doses) necessary to induce parasitemia suppression with all four compounds compared to that required with benznidazole. Partial cures were obtained with only one compound tested at 15 mg/kg/day and on the schedule mentioned above but not with benznidazole. Taken together, our data suggest that these compounds demonstrate potent trypanocidal activity comparable to or better than that of the reference drug, benznidazole, when they are administered at the same dose and on the same schedule.


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