Scot Med J
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Observational Study
Optical coherence tomography: assessment of coronary artery disease and guide to percutaneous coronary intervention.
Angiographic guidance for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has significant limitations in interpretation. The superior spatial resolution of optical coherence tomography (OCT) can provide meaningful clinical benefits, although limited data is available on Asian populations. This study aimed to determine whether OCT can provide additional advantages and useful clinical information beyond that obtained by angiography alone in decision making for PCI. ⋯ The main OCT benefit is in borderline lesions on CA, in whom OCT identifies significant coronary stenosis and leads to PCI indication in patients. In the post-PCI context, OCT leads to an indication of PCI optimisation in half of the coronary lesions.
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This study aimed to evaluate stiffness changes of rabbit subcutaneous VX2 tumors before and after irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablationby shearwave ultrasound elastography (SWE). ⋯ The stiffness of the VX2 tumors experienced a first rise process and tend to be normal in the procedure of IRE. SWE could provide tissue stiffness information of different IRE ablation period as a non-invasive method.
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Retracted Publication
Metformin prevents brain injury after cardiopulmonary resuscitation by inhibiting the endoplasmic reticulum stress response and activating AMPK-mediated autophagy.
The neurological damage caused by cardiac arrest (CA) can seriously affect quality of life. We investigated the effect of metformin pretreatment on brain injury and survival in a rat CA/cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) model. ⋯ In a CA/CPR rat model, 14-day pretreatment with metformin has a neuroprotective effect. This effect is closely related to the activation of AMPK-induced autophagy and inhibition of the ER stress response. Long-term use of metformin can reduce brain damage following CA/CPR.
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Our departmental planning for COVID-19 was actioned a week before the lockdown (13th March 2020). We look at a 7- week lockdown activity for all scheduled outpatient clinics and urgent procedures. ⋯ Hospitals and urologists can benefit from the model used by our hospital to mitigate the impact and prioritise patients most in need of urgent care. Reorganisation and flexibility of healthcare delivery is paramount in these troubled times and will allow clinical activity without compromising patient safety.