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Background: Speckle tracking-derived global longitudinal strain (GLS) of left ventricle is a potent prognostic marker for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference of prognostic impact of GLS between anterior and nonanterior myocardial infarction. Methods: This study included 686 patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention for their first STEMI between November 2007 and April 2012. Differences in the prognostic impact of GLS between anterior MI group and nonanterior MI group were evaluated. The composite of all-cause mortality and hospitalization for heart failure in 2 years was investigated for outcome. Results: During the follow-up period, 77 (11.2%) adverse events occurred. The anterior and nonanterior MI groups included 339 and 347 patients, respectively. Among patients with anterior MI, GLS significantly predicted 2-year outcome in an adjusted model (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.186; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.071-1.314, P = 0.001), whereas the association between GLS and mortality was weaker in the nonanterior MI group (adjusted HR 0.977; 95% CI 0.884-1.081, P = 0.657). The interaction between the infarction territory and GLS was significant (P for interaction = 0.018), indicating that GLS was a more sensitive predictor of mortality in patients with anterior MI than that in those with nonanterior MI. Conclusions: Speckle tracking-derived GLS of left ventricle more sensitively predicted clinical outcome in patients with anterior MI than in those with nonanterior MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An anastomotic stricture after colorectal surgery is principally managed by endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD). Although this intervention is effective, however, subsequent procedures or surgical interventions are often required. This study aimed to assess the long-term outcomes of EBD for anastomotic stricture arising from colorectal cancer surgery. Materials and methods: We analyzed 173 patients who received curative surgery for colorectal cancer at our hospital between January 2000 and December 2022 and had undergone EBD to manage anastomotic stricture. The medical records of these cases were retrospectively reviewed to assess the outcomes and risk factors for restenosis and permanent stoma. Results: Of the 173 study patients, 41 (23.7%) presented with restenosis with a median time to recurrence of 49 [37–150] days. The restenosis group was significantly younger (55.6 years versus 60.8 years), with a more prominent rectal location (80.5% versus 57.6%), a higher incidence of hand-sewn anastomosis (24.4% versus 5.3%), and a higher percentage of neoadjuvant radiotherapy (34.1% versus 5.3%, P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis indicated neoadjuvant radiotherapy (adjusted HR 2.48; 95% CI 1.03–5.95) and cerebral vascular disease (adjusted HR 6.97; 95% CI 2.15–22.54) as independent prognostic factors for restenosis. Fourteen patients (8.1%) required a permanent stoma due to treatment failure. All cases needing a permanent stoma were male (14 patients, 100%, P = 0.007) and this group had a higher rate of neoadjuvant radiotherapy, adjuvant chemotherapy, and hand-sewn anastomosis. Conclusion: Patients receiving neoadjuvant radiotherapy are most prone to restenosis after an EBD intervention to manage an anastomotic stricture. Neoadjuvant radiotherapy is also a strong risk factor for requiring a permanent stomas due to treatment failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-management is essential for patients who require regular hemodialysis treatment. This study aimed to explore the relationships between social support, sense of coherence (SOC), and self-management in hemodialysis patients and to examine whether SOC plays a mediating role. In a cross-sectional study, 402 hemodialysis patients from four tertiary hospitals were recruited. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Social support, SOC, and self-management were significantly correlated with each other. The proposed model provided a good fit to the data. Social support had a direct effect on self-management and SOC, partially mediated the effect of social support on self-management (β = 0.248, p = 0.001). Social support and SOC explained 69% of the variance in self-management. Our findings indicate that health care providers can enhance social support with an emphasis on strengthening SOC strategies to better improve self-management in hemodialysis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]