Describe the hemodynamic implications of anaesthetic choice among children with heart disease undergoing cardiac catheterisation.

Study 1 was a secondary analysis of data obtained during catheterisation-based hemodynamic assessment of infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome following Stage 1 palliation, randomised in the Single Ventricle Reconstruction trial. Measured and calculated hemodynamics including pulmonary and systemic vascular resistance indexed to body surface area (PVRi and SVRi respectively) and pulmonary/systemic blood flow (Qp/Qs) were analysed with respect to anaesthetic employed during catheterisation, classified as moderate sedation or general anaesthesia. Study 2 consisted of a single centre, prospective analysis of patients requiring percutaneous closure of a patent ductus arteriosus or endomyocardial biopsy after orthotopic heart transplant. Participants underwent hemodynamic assessment first using inhaled volatile anaesthesia (IA), and then transitioned to total intravenous anaesthesia, comparing hemodynamic measures with respect to anaesthetic approach.

In Study 1, independent of shunt type, PVRi, and patient size, moderate sedation was associated with a greater than two-fold odds of a Qp/Qs >1 (OR 2.12, 95%CI 1.18–3.87, p = 0.013). In Study 2, while PVRi was similar, SVRi was significantly higher using total intravenous anaesthesia. Among the patent ductus arteriosus subgroup, Qp/Qs increased significantly with a total intravenous anaesthesia relative to IA (p = 0.003); additionally, among the orthotopic heart transplant subgroup, left ventricular end diastolic pressure increased following a transition to total intravenous anaesthesia (p = 0.002).

Analyses of hemodynamics during catheterisation support a significant impact of anaesthetic type on hemodynamic values including SVRi, left ventricular end diastolic pressure, and Qp/Qs. Anaesthesia choice and intraprocedural management of SVRi are important considerations when making clinical decisions based on hemodynamic data.

Genetic research on nicotine dependence has utilized multiple assessments that are in weak agreement.

We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of nicotine dependence defined using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-NicDep) in 61,861 individuals (47,884 of European ancestry [EUR], 10,231 of African ancestry, and 3,746 of East Asian ancestry) and compared the results to other nicotine-related phenotypes.

We replicated the well-known association at the CHRNA5 locus (lead single-nucleotide polymorphism [SNP]: rs147144681, p = 1.27E−11 in EUR; lead SNP = rs2036527, p = 6.49e−13 in cross-ancestry analysis). DSM-NicDep showed strong positive genetic correlations with cannabis use disorder, opioid use disorder, problematic alcohol use, lung cancer, material deprivation, and several psychiatric disorders, and negative correlations with respiratory function and educational attainment. A polygenic score of DSM-NicDep predicted DSM-5 tobacco use disorder criterion count and all 11 individual diagnostic criteria in the independent National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III sample. In genomic structural equation models, DSM-NicDep loaded more strongly on a previously identified factor of general addiction liability than a “problematic tobacco use” factor (a combination of cigarettes per day and nicotine dependence defined by the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence). Finally, DSM-NicDep showed a strong genetic correlation with a GWAS of tobacco use disorder as defined in electronic health records (EHRs).

Our results suggest that combining the wide availability of diagnostic EHR data with nuanced criterion-level analyses of DSM tobacco use disorder may produce new insights into the genetics of this disorder.

Stroke is a devastating disease, but the disability due to stroke can be avoided or reduced through timely access to treatment and care. This study surveyed all designated stroke centres across Canada to better understand the national acute stroke treatment landscape.

An online survey designed to obtain information on each stroke hospital’s designation level, most responsible physician for acute reperfusion treatment decision-making, availability of stroke coordinators, stroke research activity and level of transition to tenecteplase for intravenous thrombolysis was distributed to stroke centres in Canada via a network of stroke administrators and physician leads from each province. The survey responses were collated and audited for completeness and accuracy, and final responses were analysed using descriptive statistics and graphical distributions as appropriate.

There are a total of 205 designated stroke centres in Canada; 13.2% (n = 27) are endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) capable (n = 26 provide 24/7 access), while the rest provide thrombolysis alone, comprising primary stroke centres (n = 70, 34.1%) and thrombolysis-ready centres (n = 108, 52.7%). The presence of neurologists in the thrombolysis-capable centres is minimal, although compensated for by a high use of telestroke in making thrombolysis decisions. Participation rate in stroke clinical trials was heavily restricted to the EVT-capable centres. There were variabilities among provinces in the availability of stroke coordinators.

The acute ischaemic stroke landscape in Canada is variable between provinces, presenting unique opportunities for collaboration. There is a need for greater availability of stroke neurologists and stroke coordinators and for diversifying site participation in clinical trials.

Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit smaller regional brain volumes in commonly reported regions including the amygdala and hippocampus, regions associated with fear and memory processing. In the current study, we have conducted a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) meta-analysis using whole-brain statistical maps with neuroimaging data from the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD working group.

T1-weighted structural neuroimaging scans from 36 cohorts (PTSD n = 1309; controls n = 2198) were processed using a standardized VBM pipeline (ENIGMA-VBM tool). We meta-analyzed the resulting statistical maps for voxel-wise differences in gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes between PTSD patients and controls, performed subgroup analyses considering the trauma exposure of the controls, and examined associations between regional brain volumes and clinical variables including PTSD (CAPS-4/5, PCL-5) and depression severity (BDI-II, PHQ-9).

PTSD patients exhibited smaller GM volumes across the frontal and temporal lobes, and cerebellum, with the most significant effect in the left cerebellum (Hedges’ g = 0.22, pcorrected = .001), and smaller cerebellar WM volume (peak Hedges’ g = 0.14, pcorrected = .008). We observed similar regional differences when comparing patients to trauma-exposed controls, suggesting these structural abnormalities may be specific to PTSD. Regression analyses revealed PTSD severity was negatively associated with GM volumes within the cerebellum (pcorrected = .003), while depression severity was negatively associated with GM volumes within the cerebellum and superior frontal gyrus in patients (pcorrected = .001).

PTSD patients exhibited widespread, regional differences in brain volumes where greater regional deficits appeared to reflect more severe symptoms. Our findings add to the growing literature implicating the cerebellum in PTSD psychopathology.

On October 3–4, 2023 and September 30–October 1, 2024, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Supportive Care Service hosted the 4th and 5th Annual U.S. Celebration of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) conferences, respectively. This article describes both events and lessons learned in anticipation of the 6th annual conference to be held October 6–7, 2025.

The 4th and 5th annual events, conference planning team reflection, and attendee evaluation responses are summarized.

Since 2020, the conference has attracted attendees from around the world. Two primary aims continue to guide the event: community building and wisdom sharing at the intersection of art and science. Both the 2023 and 2024 events consisted of 13 unique interactive sessions addressing diverse hospice and palliative care topics delivered by interprofessional experts in palliative care (43 faculty in 2023 and 54 in 2024). Multidisciplinary registrants more than doubled from 764 in 43 countries (2023) to 1678 in 87 countries (2024). Complimentary registration for colleagues in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), students and trainees, and individuals experiencing financial hardship remains a cornerstone of inclusion and equitable access to the event.

The U.S. WHPCD Conference provides a virtual platform to disseminate high-quality science, honor both clinician and patient and caregiver experiences, and celebrate hospice and palliative care delivery during substantial local and global change across practice and policy domains. We remain committed to ensuring an internationally relevant, culturally diverse, and multidisciplinary and interprofessional agenda that will draw increased participation worldwide during future annual events.

Pulmonary artery capacitance is a relatively novel measurement associated with adverse outcomes in pulmonary arterial hypertension. We sought to determine if preoperative indexed pulmonary artery capacitance was related to outcomes in paediatric heart transplant recipients, describe the changes in indexed pulmonary artery capacitance after transplantation, and compare its discriminatory ability to predict outcomes as compared to conventional predictors.

This was a retrospective study of paediatric patients who underwent heart transplant at our centre from July 2014 to May 2022. Variables from preoperative and postoperative clinical, catheterisation, and echo evaluations were recorded. The primary composite outcome measure included postoperative mortality, postoperative length of stay in the top quartile, and/or evidence of end organ dysfunction.

Of the 23 patients included in the analysis, 11 met the composite outcome. There was no statistical difference between indexed pulmonary artery capacitance values in patients who met the composite outcome [1.8 ml/mmHg/m2 (interquartile 0.8, 2.4)] and those who did not [1.4 (interquartile 0.9, 1.7)], p = 0.17. There were no significant signs of post-operative right heart failure in either group. There was no significant difference between pre-transplant and post-transplant indexed pulmonary artery capacitance or indexed pulmonary vascular resistance.

Preoperative pulmonary artery capacitance was not associated with our composite outcome in paediatric heart transplant recipients. It did not appear to be additive to pulmonary vascular resistance in paediatric heart transplant patients. Pulmonary vascular disease did not appear to drive outcomes in this group.

Historically, it has been proposed that functional neurological symptoms occur more frequently on the left side of the body due to a distinct body representation and emotional processing of the right hemisphere, yet objective imaging data to support this are lacking. We aimed to investigate whether patients with acute left-sided symptoms (right hemisphere) suspected of having a minor stroke are more likely to show negative diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) compared to those with right-sided symptoms.

Data are from the SpecTRA (Spectrometry for Transient Ischemic Attack Rapid Assessment) multicenter prospective cohort study conducted between 2013 and 2017. Patients with mild persistent unilateral hemiparesis and/or hemisensory symptoms (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale ≤ 3) and available DWI were included. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with a negative DWI.

Of 1731 patients, 584 (30.8%) were included. Of these, 310 (53.1%) patients presented with left-sided symptoms and 274 (46.9%) with right-sided symptoms. Overall, 214 (36.6%) patients had a negative DWI, 126 (58.9%) with left-sided symptoms and 88 (41.1%) with right-sided symptoms: risk ratio (RR) 1.27 (95% CI = 1.02–1.57). Left-sided hemiparesis was associated with negative DWI (RR 1.42 [95% CI = 1.08–1.87]), while left-sided hemisensory symptoms were not (RR 1.11 [95% CI = 0.87–1.41]). There was no effect modification by age or sex on this association (Pinteraction 0.787 and 0.057, respectively).

Unilateral left-sided neurological symptoms were more frequently associated with negative DWI compared to right-sided symptoms in suspected minor stroke patients. This observation is exploratory, as the final diagnosis in DWI-negative cases was not established.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with advanced epigenetic age cross-sectionally, but the association between these variables over time is unclear. This study conducted meta-analyses to test whether new-onset PTSD diagnosis and changes in PTSD symptom severity over time were associated with changes in two metrics of epigenetic aging over two time points.

We conducted meta-analyses of the association between change in PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity and change in epigenetic age acceleration/deceleration (age-adjusted DNA methylation age residuals as per the Horvath and GrimAge metrics) using data from 7 military and civilian cohorts participating in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium PTSD Epigenetics Workgroup (total N = 1,367).

Meta-analysis revealed that the interaction between Time 1 (T1) Horvath age residuals and new-onset PTSD over time was significantly associated with Horvath age residuals at T2 (meta β = 0.16, meta p = 0.02, p-adj = 0.03). The interaction between T1 Horvath age residuals and changes in PTSD symptom severity over time was significantly related to Horvath age residuals at T2 (meta β = 0.24, meta p = 0.05). No associations were observed for GrimAge residuals.

Results indicated that individuals who developed new-onset PTSD or showed increased PTSD symptom severity over time evidenced greater epigenetic age acceleration at follow-up than would be expected based on baseline age acceleration. This suggests that PTSD may accelerate biological aging over time and highlights the need for intervention studies to determine if PTSD treatment has a beneficial effect on the aging methylome.