Objective: The frozen elephant trunk technique's safety regarding spinal cord ischemia has been questioned. We used a meta-analysis to determine the rates of adverse neurologic events and mortality. Methods:We searched PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane databases (inception to April 2018) to identify studies of neurologic events after the frozen elephant trunk procedure. Separate meta-analyses were conducted with random-effects models to assess frozen elephant trunk associations with spinal cord ischemia, stroke, operative mortality, and all adverse events combined. Subgroup analyses compared outcomes in patients with acute versus nonacute type A dissection and aneurysm and with different extents of coverage.Results: Thirty-five studies (total N ¼ 3154) met inclusion criteria. The pooled rates of the outcomes of interest were 4.7% (95% confidence interval, 3.5-6.2) for spinal cord ischemia, 7.6% (95% confidence interval, 5.0-11.5) for stroke, and 8.8% (95% confidence interval, 7.0-10.9) for operative mortality. The spinal cord ischemia event rate was higher with stent length 15 cm or greater or coverage to T8 or beyond than with stent length of 10 cm (11.6% vs 2.5%, P<.001). Adverse event rates in patients with acute type A aortic dissection versus nonacute dissection or aneurysm were as follows: mortality 9.2% versus 7.6% (P ¼ .46), stroke 9.3% versus 6.6% (P ¼ .51), and overall adverse events 22.0% versus 16.5% (P ¼ .41). Conclusions:As the frozen elephant trunk procedure becomes more popular, accurate data regarding outcomes are vital. We associated the frozen elephant trunk technique with (nonsignificantly) more adverse events overall in acute type A dissection cases. Stent length of 10 cm was associated with significantly less risk of spinal cord ischemia. Using a stent 15 cm or greater or coverage extending to T8 or farther should be avoided. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2020;160:20-33) 35 Studies 3154 Patients 4.7% SCI 7.6% Stroke 8.8% Mortality Extent of SC Coverage Dissection (Type A or DeBakey Type I) / Aneurysm, Nondissection Overall Adverse Event (Mortality / Stroke / SCI) ≥ 15 cm stent length / Coverage at or distal to T8 (6 studies / 201 patients)From the

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Recent estimates suggest that 1 in 12 of the global population suffers from diabetes mellitus. Approximately 40 % of those affected will go on to develop diabetes-related chronic kidney disease or diabetic nephropathy (DN). DN is a major cause of disability and premature death. Existing tests for prognostic purposes are limited and can be invasive, and interventions to delay progression are challenging. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a recently described class of molecular regulators found ubiquitously in human tissues and bodily fluids, where they are highly stable. Alterations in miRNA expression profiles have been observed in numerous diseases. Blood and tissue miRNAs are already established cancer biomarkers, and cardiovascular, metabolic and immune disease miRNA biomarkers are under development. Urinary miRNAs represent a potential novel source of non-invasive biomarkers for kidney diseases, including DN. In addition, recent data suggest that miRNAs may have therapeutic applications. Here, we review the utility of miRNAs as biomarkers for the early detection and progression of DN, assess emerging data on miRNAs implicated in DN pathology and discuss how the data from both fields may contribute to the development of novel therapeutic agents.