Cardiac arrhythmias and electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities occur frequently but are often underrecognized after strokes. Acute ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes in some particular area of brain can disrupt central autonomic control of the heart, precipitating cardiac arrhythmias, ECG abnormalities, myocardial injury and sometimes sudden death. Identification of high-risk patients after acute stroke is important to arrange appropriate cardiac monitoring and effective management of arrhythmias, and to prevent cardiac morbidity and mortality. More studies are needed to better clarify pathogenesis, localization of areas associated with arrhythmias and practical management of arrhythmias and abnormal ECGs after acute stroke.

The combination of a calcium channel blocker (CCB) and a blocker of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is recommended in clinical practice guidelines. L/N- and L/T-type CCBs might provide an additional effect on lowering proteinuria. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of L/N- and L/T-type CCBs in hypertensive patients with proteinuria. We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and ClinicalTrials.gov for single-arm studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examined the effect of L/N- and L/T-type CCBs as add-on therapy compared with standard antihypertensive regimen for proteinuria on hemodynamic and kidney-related parameters in hypertensive patients with proteinuria. Random-effect model meta-analyses were used to compute changes in the outcomes of interest. We identified 17 RCTs, representing 1905 patients. By meta-analysis, L/N- and L/T-type CCB add-on therapy did not yield significant changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared with standard treatment, but there was a significant lowering of the pulse rate. However, L/N- and L/T-type CCBs resulted in a significant standardized net decrease in albuminuria and proteinuria (-1.01; 95% confidence interval (CI), -1.78 to -0.23; P=0.01), and a standardized net improvement in the estimated glomerular filtration rate and serum creatinine (0.23; 95% CI, 0.11 to 0.35, P<0.001; and -0.25; 95% CI, -0.46 to -0.03; P=0.02, respectively). Despite no additional lowering effect on blood pressure, L/N- and L/T-type CCBs combined with a blocker of the RAAS provided a decrease in proteinuria and improvement in kidney function. Further studies are required to establish the long-term kidney benefits of this combination therapy.

Several immune disorders are often associated with thymoma. The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between clinicopathological features of Thai patients with thymoma and concomitant immune-mediated diseases. Medical records of 87 patients diagnosed with thymoma during a 10-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Peripheral blood T cell subsets along with cytokine responses in 15 thymoma patients and 15 healthy controls were comparatively analyzed. The results demonstrated that thymoma type AB and B2 were the most common types among patients diagnosed with thymoma. The most common presentation was incidentaloma, followed by local chest symptoms and autoimmune diseases. The prevalence of autoimmune diseases, immunodeficiency states, and secondary neoplasms was 34.5, 10.3, and 10.3 %, respectively. Autoimmune diseases were most frequently found in thymoma type B2 and sometimes associated with clinical immunodeficiency, although classic Good's syndrome was rare. Patients with thymoma had significantly lower percentage CD4(+ve) T cells and interferon γ response, but higher percentage regulatory T cells than those in healthy controls. This study indicated that the aberrant immunologic disorders comprising autoimmune diseases, immunodeficiency states, and secondary neoplasms were found in almost 40 % of Thai patients with thymoma and possibly related to defectiva cytokine responses and altered T cell subsets.