For many years, gastric emptying (GE) studies were performed using various local protocols and different radiolabeled meals. This lack of standardization and normal values made the test results unreliable and difficult to compare from one site to another. A recent consensus has been published that now provides guidance and standardization ...

Dasatinib (Sprycel®) is an orally administered small molecule inhibitor of multiple tyrosine kinases, including BCR-ABL and SRC family kinases, which is indicated for the treatment of adults with newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), CML (chronic-, accelerated- or blast-phase) with resistance or intolerance to prior therapy, including imatinib, or ...

The data from 254 patients with severe trauma were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were subdivided into disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and non-DIC. There was a difference in the incidence of the continuous progression from the early to late phase of DIC between the patients with and without DIC on day ...

Background: Limited information is available on the ventricular fibrillation (VF) spectrum in Brugada syndrome (BS) patients. We clarified differences in the VF cycle length (CL) using fast-Fourier transformation (FFT) analysis in symptomatic and asymptomatic BS patients. Methods and Results: VF was induced by pacing from the right ventricular (RV) apex ...

BACKGROUND: Paraplegia is a serious complication of descending and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (dTAAs and TAAAs) surgery. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) enable monitoring the functional integrity of motor pathways during dTAA and TAAA surgery. Although MEPs are sensitive to temperature changes, there are few human data on changes of MEPs during ...

This study was undertaken in two phases. In the first phase, we considered patients affected by chronic external otitis treated either by chemical ear peeling (CEP) or by antibiotic/steroid treatment to compare the clinical and microbiological outcomes. In the second phase, we compared the microscopic findings observed in the CEP ...

To identify the characteristic clinical, laboratory and radiological findings and response to treatment in patients with fascioliasis. Patients who were diagnosed with Fasciola hepatica infection were included in this prospective study. Initial clinical, laboratory and radiological findings were recorded. All patients were followed until a complete response was achieved or ...

Definitively establishing a clinical diagnosis of chronic Q fever remains challenging as the diagnostic performance of both conventional serological tests and PCR is limited. Given the importance of an early diagnosis of chronic Q fever there is a need for a reliable diagnostic test. We developed an enzyme-linked immunospot assay ...

Background/Aims: Our aim was to clarify gastric motility and emptying in LC patients with PHG. Methodology: A total of 30 LC patients (18 with mild gastropathy type, 12 with severe gastropathy type) with a mean age with 65.8 yr were enrolled and 17 healthy participants were recruited as the control ...

Background: Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a common manifestation of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) level is widely used as a marker for hyperparathyroidism. Currently, there is limited data to guide the frequency of PTH monitoring in CKD patients. The present study was undertaken to determine the optimal frequency ...

The purpose of this article is to determine whether the phase of respiration at the time of imaging affects chest wall measurements and compression of internal structures in patients with pectus excavatum. Forty-seven patients (median age, 14 years) imaged for preoperative pectus excavatum underwent limited axial balanced steady-state free precession ...

AimsLittle is known about sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SMVT) associated with dilated-phase hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (DHCM). The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical characteristics and effectiveness of catheter ablation for SMVTs in DHCM patients.Methods and resultsFive patients with DHCM (mean age; 67.0 years old, five males) who underwent ...

To find a more acceptable strategy for our patients to improve endometrial receptivity in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and to study the impact of a single endometrial sampling performed on day 21 of the spontaneous menstrual cycle. In this preliminary study, the possible beneficial effects on ART outcome of a ...

BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used to obtain rapid resuscitation and stabilization in advanced refractory cardiogenic shock (CS), but clear strategies to optimize outcomes and minimize futile support have not been established. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our experience with ECMO in patients with advanced refractory CS, after an ...

INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to detect the main regions of cerebral white matter (CWM) showing damage in the subacute phase for CO-poisoned patients with chronic neurological symptoms using voxel-based analysis (VBA) with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). METHODS: Subjects comprised 22 adult CO-poisoned patients and 16 age-matched healthy volunteers as ...

Dasatinib (Sprycel®) is an orally administered small molecule inhibitor of multiple tyrosine kinases, including BCR-ABL and SRC family kinases, which is indicated for the treatment of adults with newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), CML (chronic-, accelerated- or blast-phase) with resistance or intolerance to prior therapy, including imatinib, or ...

To determine the proportion of fevers caused by leptospirosis, we obtained serum specimens and epidemiologic and clinical data from patients in Galle, Sri Lanka, March-October 2007. Immunoglobulin M ELISA was performed on paired serum specimens to diagnose acute (seroconversion or 4-fold titer rise) or past (titer without rise) leptospirosis and ...

Abstract Purpose: To compare the operative techniques and perioperative outcomes of patients with urinary intestinal diversions undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PCNL), to a control cohort of patients without diversions. Patients and Methods: The medical records of all patients who were treated with PCNL from 1990 to 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. Each ...

We studied the cerebral autoregulation in a subgroup of patients with orthostatic intolerance, who exhibited excessively decreased middle cerebral artery flow velocity (MCAFV) on transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) during head-up tilt (HUT) test but without orthostatic hypotension or postural tachycardia. Twenty patients and 20 age- and sex-matched controls underwent Valsalva ...

Entraining human gait with periodic torque from a robot may provide a novel approach to robot-aided walking therapy that is competent to exploit the natural oscillating dynamics of human walking. To test the feasibility of this strategy we applied a periodic ankle torque to neurologically impaired patients (one with stroke ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate abnormal phase on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI)-filtered phase images indicative of iron content, in subcortical deep-gray matter (SDGM) of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy controls (HC), and to explore its relationship with MRI outcomes. METHODS: 169 relapsing-remitting (RR) and 64 secondary-progressive (SP) MS patients, and 126 age- ...

ECG Criteria Associated with NICM VT. Introduction: Patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) and ventricular tachycardia (VT) usually have basal-lateral scar in the left ventricle (LV). We sought to determine electrocardiogram (ECG) characteristics that may help identify NICM patients with basal-lateral scar and VT.  Methods and Results: Phase I, study patients (n ...

Background  To investigate the association between the gastric emptying rate and the presence of erosive esophagitis in duodenal ulcer (DU) patients among a population with high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection. Methods  Cross-sectional survey was performed in a cohort of 60 male patients with either active or healed DU, with ...

INTRODUCTION:: Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) was used to probe the residual vestibular function in unilateral vestibular loss. METHODS:: 39 control subjects, 60 patients areflexic to caloric tests, 21 patients with pre-operative acoustic neurinoma, and 26 patients with surgical deafferentation were tested with 4mA trapezoidal GVS. Horizontal slow phase velocity and ...

Double contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (DCUS) is a new method we used in predicting lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with early gastric cancer. Seventy-six patients with early gastric cancer diagnosed by gastroscope and confirmed by pathology after operation were examined using DCUS preoperatively. Group N1 included 15 patients with LNM and ...

In this study, we have analysed heel strike (HS) and toe off (TO) of normal individuals and hemiplegic patients, taking advantage of output curves acquired from various sensors, and verified the validity of sensor detection methods and their effectiveness when they were used for hemiplegic gaits. Gait phase detections using ...

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube feeding is widely used for patients with swallowing dysfunction and a history of repeated aspiration pneumonitis. However, liquid nutrient feeding via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is not effective enough to prevent aspiration pneumonitis and related inflammatory responses. We performed this prospective multi-centre study to clarify the efficacy ...

Aim:  Little is known about the association of haemorrhoids and anorectal function. Moreover, available data on the impact of constipation on the presence of haemorrhoids are conflicting. The present study aimed to assess any potential relationship between haemorrhoids and anorectal dysfunction. Method:  All participants who attended the Austrian national wide ...

Hepatic hemangiomas are the most common focal liver lesions and are especially prevalent in women. Giant hemangiomas are defined as hemangiomas of at least 4 cm in diameter and the majority remains stable in size over time. However, in some cases hemangiomas display growth and give rise to symptoms because ...

Loss of dorsiflexion is a common problem in cases where an external fixator or Ilizarov assembly is applied. It results in functional impairment of the foot by affecting the swing phase of gait cycle. We devised a simple dynamic dorsiflexion assist splint for prevention, correction of equinus/cavus deformity and maintenance ...

As endoscopists have become more skilled in sampling the gastroesophageal junction, pathologists are being increasingly challenged to characterize previously unknown or neglected findings. One such example is the cardiac polyp. Originally described in the radiology literature as the sentinel fold, the first histologic descriptions of polyps at the gastroesophageal junction ...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate cardiac MRI features in a group of patients with transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP). Sixteen patients with transthyretin FAP underwent 2D echocardiography with Doppler examination, cardiac MRI, and (99m)Tc-diphosphonate (DPD) scintigraphy. Four patients had peripheral polyneuropathy, three had carpal tunnel syndrome, one ...

To evaluate the predictive value of neurologic prognostic indicators for patients treated with hypothermia after surviving cardiopulmonary arrest. Patients who survived cardiopulmonary arrest were prospectively collected from June 2006 to October 2009. Detailed neurologic examinations were performed. Serum neuron specific enolase (NSE) measurements, brain imaging findings, somatosensory evoked potentials, and ...

The aim of this work was to determine the frequency and nature of oral manifestations secondary to use of cardiovascular drugs. Five hundred and thirty one patients attending an adult cardiology clinic in Saudi Arabia were questioned about the occurrence of oral dryness, dysgeusia, or burning sensation and were clinically ...

Aims We sought to determine whether circulating vascular progenitor cells, such as endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) or smooth muscle progenitor cells (SPCs), were associated with the severity of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Methods and results CD34(+)CD140b(+) SPCs and CD34(+)KDR(+) EPCs were measured in the peripheral circulation of 187 adult heart ...

Children with congenital cardiac defects may have associated chromosomal anomalies, airway compromise, and/or pulmonary hypertension, which can pose challenges to adequate sedation, weaning from mechanical ventilation, and successful extubation. Propofol, with its unique properties, may be used as a bridge to extubation in certain cardiac populations. We retrospectively reviewed 0-17-year-old ...

BACKGROUND: Cardiac tamponade associated with hypothyroidism has been reported, but few studies address the clinical features. This study aims to identify the patient characteristics and to propose a reasonable clinical approach for hypothyroid cardiac tamponade. METHOD: Patients admitted to Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between September 1998 and September 2008 with ...

The purpose of this article is to determine the frequency of adverse cardiac events during the year following a negative cardiac CT angiogram in a population of patients presenting to the emergency department with low-to-moderate risk chest pain. Eighty-one consecutive patients who had standard of care evaluation for low-to-moderate risk ...

Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD; Doxil or Caelyx) has been shown to be as effective as conventional doxorubicin, and to have a significantly better cardiac safety profile. The aim of this study was to assess the safety of delivering doses exceeding 700 mg/m of PLD to patients with solid tumors. A ...

Doxorubicin is an effective agent for many malignancies. To limit cardiotoxicity, doxorubicin can be given as prolonged infusion (PIDX) or bolus infusion following dexrazoxane (DZX). The authors report their institutional experience comparing PIDX and DZX in a sarcoma cohort. Retrospective record review for newly diagnosed sarcoma patients at the University ...

Background. Cardiac disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This study aimed to report the frequency of cardiac disease diagnostic methods used in US pediatric maintenance hemodialysis patients. Methods. A cross-sectional analysis of all US pediatric (ages 0.7-18 years, n = 656) ...

Passive leg raising (PLR), to augment the artificial circulation, was deleted from cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines in 1992. Increases in end-tidal carbon dioxide (P(ET)CO(2)) during CPR have been associated with increased pulmonary blood flow reflecting cardiac output. Measurements of P(ET)CO(2) after PLR might therefore increase our understanding of its potential ...

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a fire-fighting training regime on the cardiac autonomic control of a middle-aged female diagnosed with smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). Cardiac autonomic control was monitored by heart rate variability (HRV) analysis in the patient during the last six-week period of ...

To characterize incidence of low, normal and "supranormal" central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO(2)) and the relation to markers of tissue hypoxia, course and outcome in cardiac surgery patients. Prospective, observational study in a university multidisciplinary 50-bed intensive care unit including 205 consecutive patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. Data were split ...

It is difficult to substantiate the clinical diagnosis of postoperative delirium with objective parameters in intensive care units (ICU). The purpose of this study was to analyze (1) whether the bilateral bispectral (BIS) index, (2) cortisol as a stress marker, and (3) interleukin-6 as a marker of inflammation were different ...

The aim of the study presented here is to compare the pre- and post-operative cardiac autonomic nervous function of senile patients with different functional capacities (FC). Ninety-two senile patients scheduled for elective non-cardiac surgery were selected, whose FC was evaluated in terms of Duke activity status index (DASI). According to ...

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the incidence, diagnostic value, and outcome of intracardiac masses observed by echocardiography after device removal. We hypothesized that these "ghosts" of leads could be associated with the diagnosis of cardiac device-related infective endocarditis (CDRIE). BACKGROUND: The echocardiographic appearance of residual floating masses in the right ...

Coronary heart disease is the largest single cause of death in Australia. In Western Australia invasive diagnostics and therapies for acute coronary syndromes are only provided in the metropolitan hospitals of Perth. Patients in rural hospitals who need invasive cardiac care have to be transferred to Perth. The aim of ...

This study evaluated the ability of focused echocardiography (FE) and capnography to differentiate between pulseless electrical activity (PEA) and pseudo-PEA in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and the potential survival benefits with modified treatment. In PEA patients with stable end-tidal carbon dioxide pressure (P(et)CO(2)) during the compression pause and concomitant FE showing ...

Cardiac biomarkers provide prognostic information in light-chain amyloidosis (AL). Thus, a novel high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-TnT) assay may improve risk stratification. hs-TnT was assessed in 163 patients. Blood levels were higher with cardiac than renal or other organ involvement and were related to the severity of cardiac involvement. Increased ...