- Browse by Author
Browsing by Author "Kumar, Ashish"
Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Absolute lymphocyte count as a predictor of mortality and readmission in heart failure hospitalization(Elsevier, 2022-03-05) Majmundar, Monil; Kansara, Tikal; Park, Hansang; Ibarra, Gabriel; Lenik, Joanna Marta; Shah, Palak; Kumar, Ashish; Doshi, Rajkumar; Zala, Harshvardhan; Chaudhari, Shobhana; Kalra, Ankur; Medicine, School of MedicineBackground: There is renewed interest in pursuing frugal and readily available laboratory markers to predict mortality and readmission in heart failure. We aim to determine the relationship between absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure hospitalization. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with heart failure. Patients were divided into two groups based on ALC, less than or equal to 1500 cells/mm3 and > 1500 cells/ mm3. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. We did subgroup analysis based on ejection fraction and studied the association between ALC categories and clinical outcomes. Both ALC groups are matched by propensity score, outcomes were analyzed by Cox regression, and estimates are presented in hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: We included 1029 patients in the pre-matched cohort and 766 patients in the propensity-score matched cohort. The median age was 64 years (IQR, 54-75), and 60.78% were male. In the matched cohort, ALC less than or equal to 1500 cells/mm3 had a higher risk of mortality compared with ALC > 1500 cells/mm3 (HR 1.51, 95% CI: 1.17-1.95; P = 0.002). These results were reproducible in subgroups of heart failure. When ALC was divided into four groups based on their levels, the lowest group of ALC had the highest risk of mortality. Conclusions: In patients with heart failure and both subgroups, ALC less than or equal to 1500 cells/mm3 had a higher risk of mortality. Patients in lower groups of the ALC categories had a higher risk of mortality.Item Comparison of 6-Month Outcomes of Endovascular vs Surgical Revascularization for Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia(American Medical Association, 2022-08-01) Majmundar, Monil; Patel, Kunal N.; Doshi, Rajkumar; Anantha-Narayanan, Mahesh; Kumar, Ashish; Reed, Grant W.; Puri, Rishi; Kapadia, Samir R.; Jaradat, Ziad A.; Bhatt, Deepak L.; Kalra, Ankur; Medicine, School of MedicineImportance: The Bypass Versus Angioplasty for Severe Ischemia of the Leg randomized controlled trial showed comparable outcomes between endovascular revascularization (ER) and surgical revascularization (SR) for patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). However, several observational studies showed mixed results. Most of these studies were conducted before advanced endovascular technologies were available. Objective: To compare ER and SR treatment strategies for 6-month outcomes among patients with CLI. Design, setting, and participants: This retrospective, population-based cohort study used the Nationwide Readmissions Database to identify 66 277 patients with CLI who underwent ER or SR from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018. Data analyses were conducted from January 1, 2022, to February 8, 2022. A propensity score with 1:1 matching was applied. Patients with CLI who underwent ER or SR were identified, and those with missing information on the length of stay and/or younger than 18 years were excluded. Exposures: Endovascular or surgical revascularization. Main outcomes and measures: The primary outcome was a major amputation at 6 months. Significant secondary outcomes were in-hospital and 6-month mortality and an in-hospital safety composite of acute kidney injury, major bleeding, and vascular complication. Subgroup analysis was conducted for major amputation in high-volume centers. Results: A total of 66 277 patients were identified between 2016 and 2018 who underwent ER or SR for CLI. The Nationwide Readmissions Database does not provide racial and ethnic categories. The mean (SD) age of the cohort was 69.3 (12) years, and 62.5% of patients were male. A total of 54 546 patients (82.3%) underwent ER and 11 731 (17.7%) underwent SR. After propensity score matching, 11 106 matched pairs were found. Endovascular revascularization was associated with an 18% higher risk of major amputation compared with SR (997 of 10 090 [9.9%] vs 869 of 10 318 [8.4%]; hazard ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.08-1.29; P = .001). However, no difference was observed in major amputation risk when both procedures were performed in high-volume centers. Endovascular revascularization and SR had similar mortality rates (517 of 11 106 [4.7%] vs 490 of 11 106 [4.4%]; hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.93-1.20; P = .39). However, the ER group had a 17% lower risk of in-hospital safety outcomes compared with the SR group (2584 of 11 106 [23.3%] vs 2979 of 11 106 [26.8%]; odds ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.78-0.88; P < .001). Conclusions and relevance: The results of this study suggest that ER was safer, without any difference in mortality, but ER was associated with an increased risk of major amputation compared with SR. However, the risk of major amputation was similar when both procedures were performed at high-volume centers.Item Impact of Social Vulnerability on Comorbid Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in the United States(Elsevier, 2022-09-20) Ganatra, Sarju; Dani, Sourbha S.; Kumar, Ashish; Khan, Safi U.; Wadhera, Rishi; Neilan, Tomas G.; Thavendiranathan, Paaladinesh; Barac, Ana; Hermann, Joerg; Leja, Monika; Deswal, Anita; Fradley, Michael; Liu, Jennifer E.; Sadler, Diego; Asnani, Aarti; Baldassarre, Lauren A.; Gupta, Dipti; Yang, Eric; Guha, Avirup; Brown, Sherry-Ann; Stevens, Jennifer; Hayek, Salim S.; Porter, Charles; Kalra, Ankur; Baron, Suzanne J.; Ky, Bonnie; Virani, Salim S.; Kazi, Dhruv; Nasir, Khurram; Nohria, Anju; Medicine, School of MedicineBackground: Racial and social disparities exist in outcomes related to cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Objectives: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to study the impact of social vulnerability on mortality attributed to comorbid cancer and CVD. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database (2015-2019) was used to obtain county-level mortality data attributed to cancer, CVD, and comorbid cancer and CVD. County-level social vulnerability index (SVI) data (2014-2018) were obtained from the CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. SVI percentiles were generated for each county and aggregated to form SVI quartiles. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) were estimated and compared across SVI quartiles to assess the impact of social vulnerability on mortality related to cancer, CVD, and comorbid cancer and CVD. Results: The AAMR for comorbid cancer and CVD was 47.75 (95% CI: 47.66-47.85) per 100,000 person-years, with higher mortality in counties with greater social vulnerability. AAMRs for cancer and CVD were also significantly greater in counties with the highest SVIs. However, the proportional increase in mortality between the highest and lowest SVI counties was greater for comorbid cancer and CVD than for either cancer or CVD alone. Adults <45 years of age, women, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics had the highest relative increase in comorbid cancer and CVD mortality between the fourth and first SVI quartiles, without significant urban-rural differences. Conclusions: Comorbid cancer and CVD mortality increased in counties with higher social vulnerability. Improved education, resource allocation, and targeted public health interventions are needed to address inequities in cardio-oncology.Item Invasive Versus Medical Management in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease and Non-ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction(American Heart Association, 2022) Majmundar, Monil; Ibarra, Gabriel; Kumar, Ashish; Doshi, Rajkumar; Shah, Palak; Mehran, Roxana; Reed, Grant W.; Puri, Rishi; Kapadia, Samir R.; Bangalore, Sripal; Kalra, Ankur; Medicine, School of MedicineBackground: The role of invasive management compared with medical management in patients with non–ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) is uncertain, given the increased risk of procedural complications in patients with CKD. We aimed to compare clinical outcomes of invasive management with medical management in patients with NSTEMI‐CKD. Methods and Results: We identified NSTEMI and CKD stages 3, 4, 5, and end‐stage renal disease admissions using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD‐10‐CM) codes from the Nationwide Readmission Database 2016 to 2018. Patients were stratified into invasive and medical management. Primary outcome was mortality (in‐hospital and 6 months after discharge). Secondary outcomes were in‐hospital postprocedural complications (acute kidney injury requiring dialysis, major bleeding) and postdischarge 6‐month safety and major adverse cardiovascular events. Out of 141 052 patients with NSTEMI‐CKD, 85 875 (60.9%) were treated with invasive management, whereas 55 177 (39.1%) patients were managed medically. In propensity‐score matched cohorts, invasive strategy was associated with lower in‐hospital (CKD 3: odds ratio [OR], 0.47 [95% CI, 0.43–0.51]; P<0.001; CKD 4: OR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.69–0.89]; P<0.001; CKD 5: OR, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.49–1.06]; P=0.096; end‐stage renal disease: OR, 0.51 [95% CI, 0.46–0.56]; P<0.001) and 6‐month mortality. Invasive management was associated with higher in‐hospital postprocedural complications but no difference in postdischarge safety outcomes. Invasive management was associated with a lower hazard of major adverse cardiovascular events at 6 months in all CKD groups compared with medical management. Conclusions: Invasive management was associated with lower mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events but minimal increased in‐hospital complications in patients with NSTEMI‐CKD compared with medical management, suggesting patients with NSTEMI‐CKD should be offered invasive management.Item Meta-analysis of ProGlide versus MANTA vascular closure devices for large-bore access site management(Elsevier, 2022) Mahalwar, Gauranga; Shariff, Mariam; Datla, Sanjana; Agrawal, Ankit; Rathore, Sawai Singh; Arif, Taha Bin; Iqbal, Kinza; Hussain, Nabeel; Majmundar, Monil; Kumar, Ashish; Kalra, Ankur; Medicine, School of MedicineIntroduction: The comparative effectiveness of ProGlide® compared with MANTA® vascular closure devices (VCDs) in large-bore access site management is not entirely certain, and has only been evaluated in underpowered studies. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the outcomes of ProGlide® compared with MANTA® VCDs. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched systematically for relevant articles from the inception of the database until August 27, 2021. The outcomes of interest were all bleeding events, major bleeding, major and minor vascular complications, pseudoaneurysm, stenosis or dissection, and VCD failure. Risk ratios were used as point estimates of endpoints. All statistical analyses were carried out using R version 4.0.3. Results: Four observational studies and 1 pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) were included in the final analysis. There was no significant difference between the ProGlide® and MANTA® groups in the risk of all bleeding events, major/life-threatening bleeding, major vascular complications, minor vascular complications, pseudoaneurysms, and/or stenosis or dissection of the entry site vessel. However, the incidence of VCD failure was higher in the ProGlide® group compared with the MANTA® group (RR 1.94; 95% CI 1.31-2.84; I2 = 0%). Conclusion: In conclusion, both VCDs (ProGlide® and MANTA®) have comparable outcomes with regard to risk of bleeding, vascular complications, pseudoaneurysms, and/or stenosis or dissection of entry vessel. ProGlide® was however associated with higher device failure.Item Prognostic value of initial electrocardiography in predicting long-term all-cause mortality in COVID-19(Elsevier, 2022) Kassis, Nicholas; Kumar, Ashish; Gangidi, Shravani; Milinovich, Alex; Kalra, Ankur; Bhargava, Ajay; Menon, Venu; Wazni, Oussama M.; Rickard, John; Khot, Umesh N.; Medicine, School of MedicineBackground: The electrocardiography (ECG) has short-term prognostic value in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), yet its ability to predict long-term mortality is unknown. This study aimed to elucidate the predictive role of initial ECG on long-term all-cause mortality in patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, adults with COVID-19 who underwent ECG testing within a 17-hospital health system in Northeast Ohio and Florida between 03/2020-06/2020 were identified. An expert ECG reader analyzed all studies blinded to patient status. The associations of ECG characteristics with long-term all-cause mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission were assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression model and multivariable logistic regression models, respectively. Status of long-term mortality was adjudicated on 01/07/2022. Results: Of 837 patients (median age 65 years, 51% female, 44% Black), 683 (81.6%) were hospitalized, 281 (33.6%) required ICU admission, 67 (8.0%) died in-hospital, and 206 (24.6%) died at final follow-up after a median (IQR) of 21 (9-103) days after ECG. Overall, 179 (20.7%) patients presented with sinus tachycardia, 12 (1.4%) with atrial flutter, and 45 (5.4%) with atrial fibrillation (AF). After multivariable adjustment, sinus tachycardia (E-value for HR=3.09, lower CI=2.2) and AF (E-value for HR=3.13, lower CI=2.03) each independently predicted all-cause mortality. At final follow-up, patients with AF had 64.5% probability of death compared with 20.5% for those with normal sinus rhythm (P<.0001). Conclusions: Sinus tachycardia and AF on initial ECG strongly predict long-term all-cause mortality in COVID-19. The ECG can serve as a powerful long-term prognostic tool in COVID-19.Item A serine protease KLK8 emerges as a regulator of regulators in memory: Microtubule protein dependent neuronal morphology and PKA-CREB signaling(Nature Publishing Group, 2018-07-02) Konar, Arpita; Kumar, Ashish; Maloney, Bryan; Lahiri, Debomoy K.; Thakur, Mahendra K.; Psychiatry, School of MedicineThe multitude of molecular pathways underlying memory impairment in neurological disorders and aging-related disorders has been a major hurdle against therapeutic targeting. Over the years, neuronal growth promoting factors, intracellular kinases, and specific transcription factors, particularly cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB), have emerged as crucial players of memory storage, and their disruption accompanies many cognitive disabilities. However, a molecular link that can influence these major players and can be a potential recovery target has been elusive. Recent reports suggest that extracellular cues at the synapses might evoke an intracellular signaling cascade and regulate memory function. Herein, we report novel function of an extracellular serine protease, kallikrein 8 (KLK8/Neuropsin) in regulating the expression of microtubule associated dendrite growth marker microtubule-associated protein (MAP2)c, dendrite architecture and protein kinase A (PKA)-CREB signaling. Both knockdown of KLK8 via siRNA transfection in mouse primary hippocampal neurons and via intra-hippocampal administration of KLK8 antisense oligonucleotides in vivo reduced expression of MAP2c, dendrite length, dendrite branching and spine density. The KLK8 mediated MAP2c deficiency in turn inactivated PKA and downstream transcription factor phosphorylated CREB (pCREB), leading to downregulation of memory-linked genes and consequent impaired memory consolidation. These findings revealed a protease associated novel pathway of memory impairment in which KLK8 may act as a "regulator of regulators", suggesting its exploration as an important therapeutic target of memory disorders.Item Understanding the digital impact of World Hypertension Day: key takeaways(Oxford University Press, 2022-08-10) Malhotra, Kashish; Kalra, Ankur; Kumar, Ashish; Majmundar, Monil; Wander, Gurpreet Singh; Bawa, Ashvind; Medicine, School of MedicineAim: To understand the global digital impact of World Hypertension Day and identify areas for further improvement to steer future policy development. Methods and results: We used three social media assessment tools (Sprout Social, SocioViz, and Symplur) and Google Trends to obtain data about the total tweets and global impressions from countries worldwide about World Hypertension Day. Social network analysis of top influencers, associated hashtags, and keywords was performed to understand the context of the posts. With over 60 000 tweets reaching more than 250 million impressions, World Hypertension Day was a highly impactful event. A large spike of over 800% yearly increase was seen in 2021 that has greatly facilitated wider dissemination. However, there was limited collaboration among the top influencers and negligible participation from several African and non-English-speaking European countries. Conclusion: With support from several governmental bodies, organizations and media outlets, World Hypertension Day is a highly impactful healthcare awareness day and presents a global case study of effectively utilizing digital resources for creating awareness among the global audience. Prioritizing equitable involvement from underrepresented and underprivileged communities must be focused. Future policy development of other awareness events shall extract the constructive feedback from these findings to promote global and public health.