We report the case of a 61-year-old male patient who underwent surgical excision of a lung mass for anatomopathological study. The patient had previously presented with fever, dry cough, and chest pain, together with lung masses detected by chest X-ray, and had undergone thoracotomy for diagnostic investigation on two occasions ...

Studies on the physiology of the cardiovascular system suggest that generation of the heart rate (HR) signal is governed by nonlinear dynamics. Linear and nonlinear indices of HR variability (HRV) have been shown to predict outcome in heart failure (HF). Aim of the present study is to assess if a ...

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is difficult to diagnose because of numerous interstitial lung diseases with similar symptoms. As serum DNA has proven useful for early lung cancer detection, we aimed to define the relevance of this marker in discriminating IPF from other fibrotic and nonfibrotic/nonmalignant lung diseases. DNA was quantified ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of thoracic ultrasound examination in diagnosis of DHF. Total of 380 patients with HF were evaluated. 86 patients had diastolic HF (I group) and 294 patients had systolic HF (II group). The control, III group consisted of 155 patients with ...

Lipoid pneumonia is an underdiagnosed disease that is caused by the aspiration of lipid particles into the lungs. Although most of the reported cases have been associated with the use of mineral oil as a laxative, other lipid substances can also cause the disease. We report the case of a ...

This research sought to identify the utility value of chest computed tomography (CT) when it comes to the diagnosis of lung metastasis in cases of colorectal cancer. From September 2004 to January 2008, 266 patients who were treated for colorectal cancer at Department of Surgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, ...

Systemic sclerosis is a multisystemic autoimmune disorder. Intravenous dexamethasone pulse therapy has been used since 1998. The aim wasto report the beneficial effects of dexamethasone pulse in patients of systemic sclerosis vis-à-vis the side effects. Forty-seven patients of systemic sclerosis were included. After looking at the history and physical examination, ...

The assessment of the presence of eosinophilic airway inflammation may help in predicting the steroid response in subjects with respiratory symptoms. Unlike patients with asthma, only a subset of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) benefits from steroid treatment. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) is a useful surrogate marker ...

Inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) is characterized by paroxysmal tachycardia originating in the sinus nodal area. IST predominately affects young, female patients. Current antiarrhythmic drug treatment (ß-blockers, calcium antagonists), frequently complicated by side effects, is often not successful. Ivabradine, approved for angina pectoris, selectively reduces heart rate by blocking the "funny ...

To compare heart rate variability (HRV) changes in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) and in healthy subjects, and to evaluate HRV before and after treatment with pramipexole in RLS patients. A prospective, polysomnographic, single-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed in 23 patients with RLS and 10 healthy subjects. Basal spectral ...

It is known that baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) is impaired in cardiac patients with myocardial infarction (MI). Nevertheless, it is unknown whether factors other than a reduced ejection fraction play a role in the baroreflex impairment of these patients. Heart failure patients [congestive heart failure (CHF), n = 31, age 63 ...

Many studies were conducted to figure out the relationship between allergic rhinitis (AR) and lower airway diseases. This study was designed to elucidate the clinical parameters that could predict the coexistence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in AR and suggest a guideline for lower airway evaluation in these patients. One hundred ...

This study assessed the convergent validity of 2 dyspnea measures, the transition measure and the change measure, by comparing them with each other in patients admitted to the hospital with acute decompensated heart failure. Static measures of dyspnea were obtained at baseline (pre-static measure) and at time 1 hour and ...

To determine whether the survival of patients with suspected acute pulmonary embolism (PE) relates to radiological probability of acute PE assessed using lung scintigraphy scans (LSS). Lung scintigraphy scan results from a venous thromboembolism database were categorised as high, indeterminate or low probability using the modified PIOPED criteria and corresponding ...

Immune activation and inflammation participate in the progression of chronic heart failure (CHF), and T helper (Th) lymphocytes play critical roles in it. Th17 cells and CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells both come from naive Th cells, share reciprocal development pathways but exhibit opposite effects, and the balance between them ...

Heart failure is a complex syndrome with multiple risk factors involved in its genesis, making its prevention and management difficult to achieve. To identify the main etiologies and risk factors in heart failure; to compare clinical and demographic characteristics of patients according to the etiology; analyze whether the treatment is ...

AHF (acute heart failure) causes significant morbidity and mortality. Recent studies have postulated that the expression of inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines and chemokines, plays an important role in the development and progression of heart failure. A pro-inflammatory state has been postulated as a key factor in triggering CMV (cytomegalovirus) ...

To investigate the relationship between signs and symptoms of congestion, renal impairment and outcome in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. The Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study II included 2647 NYHA class III/IV CHF patients. Congestion was estimated by the presence of elevated jugular venous pressure, orthopnoea, ascites, or oedema. Glomerular filtration ...

BACKGROUND: Circulating levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, is predictive of death and hospitalization for heart failure after acute coronary syndrome. The association between OPG and outcome in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) is unknown. METHODS: Plasma OPG levels at baseline were ...

NYHA classification divides into four classes. Although subjective and lacking of standardization, NYHA class II is in clinical practice often further subgrouped in IIA and IIB, where IIA class can be defined as dyspnea after running or climbing ≥2 ramps of stairs, and IIB class as dyspnea after fast walking ...

Inflammation is thought to be important in mediating the progression of chronic heart failure (CHF). Whether beneficial effects on inflammation can be achieved by statins in patients with CHF remains uncertain. This meta-analysis was conducted to determine the role of statin therapy in inflammation markers in CHF patients. Pubmed, MEDLINE, ...

The response to beta blockers in patients with heart failure could be associated with the genotype of drug-metabolizing enzymes and/or drug targets. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether specific genetic polymorphisms in ADRB1 (encoding the beta1-adrenergic receptor), CYP2D6, and UGT1A1 correlated with dose of, or response ...

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is thought to be a state of inflammation caused by hypoxic stress. Whether adaptive servo ventilation (ASV) attenuates the inflammatory response and improves the cardiac function of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) accompanied by SDB was not been investigated. Seventeen inpatients with New York Heart Association ...

This study proposes a method for the characterization of respiratory patterns in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients with periodic breathing (PB) and nonperiodic breathing (nPB), using the flow signal. Autoregressive modeling of the envelope of the respiratory flow signal is the starting point for the pattern characterization. Spectral parameters extracted ...

BACKGROUND: Thromboembolic complications occur more frequently in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) than in the general population. Formation of a compact fibrin clot resistant to lysis has been shown in arterial and venous thrombosis. OBJECTIVE: To investigate fibrin clot properties in patients with CHF. METHOD: Plasma clot permeability, compaction, ...

To evaluate physical capacity as determined by the six-minute walk test (6MWT) in patients with chronic heart failure due to Chagas' disease associated with systemic arterial hypertension (Chagas-SAH). A total of 98 patients routinely followed at the Cardiomyopathy Outpatient Service were recruited. Of these, 60 (61%) were diagnosed with Chagas ...

Fabry patients have autonomic dysfunction but usually do not present clinically overt signs of orthostatic dysregulation. This study evaluated orthostatic regulation and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) in untreated Fabry patients and possible baroreflex improvement with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). In 22 Fabry patients (aged 28W8 years), we assessed electrocardiographic RR intervals ...

A few studies have shown a beneficial effect of B-Blocker therapy on cardiac function and functional status in patients with chronic heart failure secondary to Chagas' cardiomyopathy. The medical charts of patients routinely followed from January, 2000 to January, 2007 were reviewed to collect clinical, standard laboratory tests, 12-lead electrocardiogram, ...

KL-6 is a mucin that is increased in interstitial lung diseases (ILD), and in some malignancies. CA 15-3, a tumor marker for breast cancer, refers to the same mucin but utilizes antibodies against different epitopes. The aim of our study was to evaluate CA 15-3 as a viable alternative to ...

Anemia is being increasingly recognized as an important comorbidity in patients with heart failure. Despite wide variations in defining anemia, approximately one-fifth to one-third of patients with heart failure may experience anemia at a given time. The prevalence may increase to more than half of patients in the setting of ...

To use clinical and spirometry findings in order to distinguish between the restrictive and nonspecific patterns of pulmonary function test results in patients with low FVC and a normal or elevated FEV1/FVC ratio. We analyzed the pulmonary function test results of 211 adult patients submitted to spirometry and lung volume ...

Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) is valuable in saving the lives of patients with severe cardiogenic shock. However, their survival is limited if multiorgan failure (MOF) proves to be irreversible. Although ventricular assist devices (VADs) have been shown to reverse end-organ failure in some patients, the pathophysiological mechanisms of end-organ failure ...

BACKGROUND: Although sleep apnea has recently become a concern in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), some patients with CHF exhibit characteristic oscillatory ventilation (OV) even when they are awake. We investigated the clinical significance of OV in patients with CHF, and effects of open-heart surgery on the OV. HYPOTHESIS: ...

Coir is a commercially important natural fiber obtained from the coconut husk. Coir can be woven into strong twine or rope, and is used for padding mattresses, upholstery, etc. Coir industry provides a major share of occupation to the natives of Alappuzha district of Kerala State. It has been noticed ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate recovery (HRR) in otherwise healthy ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and control subjects. A total of 28 patients with AS and 30 volunteers matched for age and sex were enrolled. All subjects underwent HRV analysis, exercise ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess neurodevelopment in children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) or other types of functionally single ventricle (univentricular heart, UVH) and to estimate the effect of possible clinical predictors on outcome. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 22 patients with HLHS and 14 with UVH, surviving after palliative surgery ...

Diuretics, when used to treat congestion in patients with chronic heart failure, improve symptoms and, perhaps, prognosis but little information is available to guide their use in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) who are not congested. Chronic diuretic therapy causes persistent and potentially harmful neuroendocrine activation. Alternatively, in ...

Pulmonary toxicity is a well recognised but infrequent adverse event of treatment with methotrexate. The vast majority of cases have occurred in patients with rheumatoid arthritis; here we present the case of a 44-year old woman with ileo-colonic Crohn's disease who developed methotrexate pneumonitis. The patient had a 10 year ...

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of patients with acute dyspnoea is challenging, as clinical history and physical examination are often nondiagnostic and inaccurate. Consequently, clinicians often rely on the results of chest radiography (CXR) to determine the initial intervention and guide further treatment. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to prospectively ...

Recent evidence suggests that high adiponectin levels serve as an independent predictor of mortality in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. We aimed to assess the prognostic importance of adiponectin in CHF towards heart failure-related hospital admissions and mortality, in relation to other clinical, laboratory and exercise data. Seventy-three CHF patients ...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs that act as negative regulators of gene expression. Interestingly, specific alterations of miRNA expression have been found in failing hearts of different etiologies. The aim of this study was to identify the miRNA expression pattern of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from chronic heart ...

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing pharmacological and mechanical treatment options, coronary artery disease (CAD) continues to be associated with considerable mortality and morbidity. The detrimental effects of elevated heart rate (HR) on cardiac morbidity and mortality are well established. Although β-blockers represent the mainstay of treatment of patients with CAD and heart ...

Patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease who receive infliximab may experience secondary failure (loss of response and/or hypersensitivity). Data on the utility of switching to certolizumab pegol in these patients are limited. A total of 539 patients with active Crohn's disease and secondary failure to infliximab were enrolled in ...

The aim of this study was to investigate autonomic cardiac control in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Fifty-five patients with sporadic ALS (28 female and 27 male; average age 56.00 +/- 10.34 years) were compared to 30 healthy controls (17 female and 13 male; average age 42.87 +/- 11.91 ...

The study aimed at evaluating neopterin concentration in relation to heart failure etiology and determining basal neopterin concentration in relation to the clinical state of patients after 12 months of standard treatment. The examined group was composed of 47 patients with NYHA class II and III heart failure and 20 ...

BACKGROUND: Autonomic dysfunction is a common and important complication in Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and may be the cause of significant morbidity or death. Objectives : To show the possible autonomic involvement in patients with GBS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sympathetic skin response (SSR) and the parameters of heart rate variability ...

More than 5 million people live with heart failure (HF) in the United States, and this number is expected to rise due to several factors including increased life expectancy brought about by medical therapy and the aging of the population. HF and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) share many risk factors. ...

To investigate whether chronic heart failure (CHF) is associated with a general dysfunction of the haematopoietic compartment. Bone marrow was obtained during coronary artery bypass graft surgery from 20 patients with CHF (age 67 +/- 6 years, 75% NYHA class >or= III, LVEF 32 +/- 6%), and 20 age- and ...

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the utility of combined heart failure (HF) device diagnostic information to predict clinical deterioration of HF in patients with systolic left ventricular dysfunction. BACKGROUND: Some implantable devices continuously monitor HF device diagnostic information, but data are limited on the ability of combined HF device diagnostics ...

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the impact of continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) on functional capacity and heart failure-related quality of life. BACKGROUND: Newer continuous-flow LVAD are smaller and quieter than pulsatile-flow LVADs. METHODS: Data from advanced heart failure patients enrolled in the HeartMate II LVAD (Thoratec ...