METHODS: A cross-sectional study on 284 epilepsy patients was performed in a local tertiary centre. The demographic and clinical epilepsy data were collected. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaires were utilised to determine the quality of life and daytime hypersomnolence of epilepsy patients, respectively.
RESULTS: Poor sleep quality was reported in 78 (27.5%) patients while daytime hypersomnolence was present in 17 (6%) patients. The predictors of poor sleep quality include structural causes (OR = 2.749; 95% CI: 1.436, 5.264, p = 0.002), generalised seizures (OR = 1.959, 95% CI: 1.04, 3.689, p = 0.037), and antiseizure medications such as Carbamazepine (OR = 2.34; 95% CI: 1.095, 5.001, p = 0.028) and Topiramate (OR 2.487; 95% CI: 1.028, 6.014, p = 0.043). Females are 3.797 times more likely score higher in ESS assessment (OR 3.797; 95% CI: 1.064, 13.555 p = 0.04).
DISCUSSION: Sleep disturbances frequently coexist with epilepsy. Patients should be actively evaluated using the PSQI and ESS questionnaires. It is imperative to identify the key factors that lead to reduced sleep quality and heightened daytime sleepiness in patients with epilepsy, as this is essential to properly manage their condition.
OBJECTIVE: To report and describe the adverse events related to the use of Artic Front cryoballoon catheters (Arctic Front, Arctic Front Advance, and Arctic Front Advance Pro) reported in the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Manufacturers and User Defined Experience (MAUDE) database.
METHODS: We reviewed all the adverse events reported to the FDA MAUDE database over a 10.7-year study period from January 01, 2011 to September 31, 2021. All events were independently reviewed by two physicians.
RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 320 procedural-related adverse events reported in the MAUDE database were identified. The most common adverse event was transient or persistent phrenic nerve palsy (PNP), accounting for 48% of all events. This was followed by cardiac perforation (15%), pulmonary vein stenosis (8%), transient ischemic attack or stroke (6%), vascular injury (4%), transient or persistent ST-elevation myocardial infarction (3%), hemoptysis (2%), pericarditis (2%), and esophageal ulcer or fistula (1%). There were six reported intra-procedural death events as a result of cardiac perforation.
CONCLUSION: The two most common procedural adverse events associated with cryoballoon ablation were PNP and cardiac perforation. All cases of procedural mortality were due to cardiac perforation.
OBSERVATIONS: A total of four cases were reported. Three patients received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while the other received the Oxford AstraZeneca type. Ocular symptoms occurred after the first vaccine dose in two patients and after the second vaccine dose in the other two. Three out of four patients required active treatment for their vision complications postvaccination. The first patient had acute-onset retinal pigment epitheliitis within 3 h of vaccination and was treated conservatively. The second patient developed unilateral choroidal neovascularization 3 days after vaccination and required intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor injection. The third patient presented with bilateral acute multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy a week after vaccination and responded to intravenous methylprednisolone. The fourth patient presented with herpes zoster infection and unilateral anterior nongranulomatous uveitis 2 weeks after vaccination and was treated with oral acyclovir and topical corticosteroids. All patients reported some amount of visual recovery.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: Visual symptoms and various ocular adverse events can occur following COVID-19 vaccination, which warrants further investigation and urgent intervention if necessary. We would suggest patients receiving the COVID-19 vaccination be aware of possible ocular complications and report any symptoms, regardless of severity.
METHODOLOGY: Here, we further confirmed and characterized this bacterial species using PCR, histological staining, whole-genome sequencing, and bioinformatics approaches. PCR assays with in-house designed primer sets and 16S universal primers showed clear positive bands in the cerebrum, cerebellum, lung, and blood of UM3 suggesting that UM3 might have developed septicaemia. Histological staining showed the presence of Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria in the pangolin brain and lungs, indicating the colonization of the bacteria in these two organs. In addition, PCR screening of UM3's fetal tissues revealed the presence of P. fungorum in the gastrocnemius muscle, but not in other tissues that we examined. We also sequenced and reconstructed the genome of pangolin P. fungorum, which has a genome size of 7.7 Mbps.
CONCLUSION: Our study is the first to present detailed evidence of the presence of P. fungorum in a pangolin and her fetus (although preliminary results were presented in our previous article). Here, we raise the concern that P. fungorum may potentially infect humans, especially YOPI (young, old, pregnant, and immunocompromised) people. Therefore, caution should be exercised when using this bacterial species as biodegradation or bioremediation agents in agriculture.
METHODS: DNA methylation profiling was utilized to screen the differentially hypermethylated genes in OSCC. Three selected differentially-hypermethylated genes of p16, DDAH2 and DUSP1 were further validated for methylation status and protein expression. The correlation between demographic, clinicopathological characteristics, and survival rate of OSCC patients with hypermethylation of p16, DDAH2 and DUSP1 genes were analysed in the study.
RESULTS: Methylation profiling demonstrated 33 promoter hypermethylated genes in OSCC. The differentially-hypermethylated genes of p16, DDAH2 and DUSP1 revealed positivity of 78%, 80% and 88% in methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction and 24% and 22% of immunoreactivity in DDAH2 and DUSP1 genes, respectively. Promoter hypermethylation of p16 gene was found significantly associated with tumour site of buccal, gum, tongue and lip (P=0.001). In addition, DDAH2 methylation level was correlated significantly with patients' age (P=0.050). In this study, overall five-year survival rate was 38.1% for OSCC patients and was influenced by sex difference.
CONCLUSIONS: The study has identified 33 promoter hypermethylated genes that were significantly silenced in OSCC, which might be involved in an important mechanism in oral carcinogenesis. Our approaches revealed signature candidates of differentially hypermethylated genes of DDAH2 and DUSP1 which can be further developed as potential biomarkers for OSCC as diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets in the future.