Abstract Objective. Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a rare condition that may follow administration of gadolinium-based contrast media (Gd-CM) in patients with renal insufficiency. This study was initiated to determine the incidence of NSF at Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, in Sweden. Material and methods. During the period January 2001 to ...

BACKGROUND: Atrial electromechanical delay (EMD) parameters predict the development of atrial fibrillation. We investigated the effect of telmisartan treatment on atrial EMD parameters in patients with newly diagnosed essential hypertension. METHODS: Thirty-six patients with essential hypertension were treated with telmisartan (80 mg/day) for 6 months. Baseline electrocardiographic P-wave measurements and ...

Background: Cardiovascular involvement is one of the leading causes of death among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, we aimed to investigate cardiac autonomic functions in SLE patients. Methods: We enrolled 36 patients (25 female; mean age 34.2 ± 10.2 years) with SLE and 32 healthy subjects ...

Aim:  Bradykinesia of the lower limb is an important limiting factor of the quality of life in parkinsonian patients. This study aims to develop quantitative measures of bradykinesia and to investigate the possible dissociation of amplitude and velocity measures and their dependence on movement direction during toe-tapping. Methods:  Subjects included ...

Abstract Background and Purpose: The study compared characteristics and outcomes in patients with solitary and bilateral kidneys who were treated with percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in the Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society (CROES) PCNL Global Study. Patients and Methods: Data from consecutively treated patients from 96 centers worldwide were ...

Purpose:  To evaluate morning dream recall frequency and content in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Methods:  Fifty-two patients with pharmacoresistant TLE submitted to a written dream diary during five consecutive days and continuous video-electroencephalographic (video-EEG) monitoring. A matched control group of 41 healthy subjects completed the same diary at ...

The aim of our study was to investigate vertical dentoalveolar compensation in untreated patients, in search of an association between vertical facial pattern and alveolar heights. This study involved the participation of 127 untreated Moroccan adults from the patient population of the ODF (Dentofacial Orthopedics) Department at the Center for ...

BACKGROUND: Approximately 3% to 10% of patients with syncope experience episodes while driving. The aim of our study was to identify their clinical and pathophysiological features, estimate the incidence of recurrence, and correlate these characteristics with recurrence. METHOD: We prospectively studied 40 patients who experienced syncope while driving and 50 ...

Background  By analysis of symptom-reflux association, endoscopy-negative refractory heartburn can be related to acid/non-acid refluxes with impedance-pH monitoring. Unfortunately, patients frequently do not report symptoms during the test. We aimed to assess the contribution of quantitative analysis of impedance-pH parameters added to symptom-reflux association in evaluating patients with endoscopy-negative heartburn ...

We investigated whether dopamine influences the rate of adaptation to a visuomotor distortion and the transfer of this learning from the right to the left limb in human subjects. We thus studied patients with Parkinson disease as a putative in vivo model of dopaminergic denervation. Despite normal adaptation rates, patients ...

BACKGROUND: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimated by Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation based on creatinine or cystatine C may be more accurate methods especially in patients without chronic kidney disease. There is lack of data on GFR estimated by these methods in patients on HAART. METHODS: Antiretroviral-naïve HIV-infected ...

Purpose: The aim of the study was to provide a morphological assessment of the laryngeal mucosa in patients with hyperfunctional dysphonia diagnosed by psychoacoustic and videostroboscopic methods.Material and methods: Forty patients with voice quality disorders of hyperfunctional dysphonia were recruited for participation in the study. The diagnosis of dysphonia was ...

Objectives: Worldwide, incidence rates of chronic renal insufficiency have clearly increased over the past decade, especially in people of older age. Hyperphosphatemia is the strongest independent risk factor for mortality in renal patients. In order to reduce serum phosphate concentrations to recommended values, phosphate binders (P binders) are used to ...

BACKGROUND: Optimal timing of elective aortic valve replacement (AVR) for severe aortic stenosis (AS) is challenging. Hence, a sensitive marker in AS patients indicating increasing risk after AVR would be of great clinical value. In the present study, we hypothesized that mild-to-moderate pulmonary hypertension (PH) assessed prior to AVR is ...

In a previous study of patients with unilateral vocal-fold paralysis (UVFP), three-dimensional computed tomography (3DCT) revealed passive movement during phonation, with the arytenoid cartilage on the paralyzed side pushed to the unaffected side and deviated upwards. The present work compares the 3DCT findings with those obtained by 2-dimensional endoscopy to ...

OBJECTIVES:Transient elastography (TE) is adequate for a diagnosis of cirrhosis, but its accuracy for milder stages of fibrosis is much less satisfactory. The objective of this study was to compare the performance and the discordance rate of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) and TE with liver biopsy in a cohort ...

Background: Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease is shown by strain and strain rate imaging. However, left atrium (LA) function in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) has not been assessed by this method. Methods and Results: In 34 CAD patients, including 17 patients with enlarged ...

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is frequently observed in children treated for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) at birth, as well as esophageal dysmotility, that has been hypothesized to be caused by innervatory anomalies. The aim of this study is to evaluate GER and dysmotility in young patients with CDH using pH-multichannel intraluminal ...

PURPOSE: Detailed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) weaning strategies and specific predictors of ECMO weaning success are lacking. This study evaluated a weaning strategy following support for refractory cardiogenic shock to identify clinical, hemodynamic, and Doppler echocardiography parameters associated with successful ECMO removal. METHODS: Hemodynamically stable patients underwent ECMO flow reduction ...

: Tachycardia is an important early sign of shock in trauma. Although the base deficit (BD) and lactate are indicative of hypoperfusion and known to predict mortality, some cases show a discrepancy between heart rate (HR) and BD or lactate; such cases have poor prognosis. The objective of this study ...

The aim of the present study was to assess the feasibility and safety of target-directed sampling of right ventricular (RV) endomyocardial biopsies (EMB) in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). EMB is an integral part of the diagnostic evaluation of ARVC. Due to safety concerns, EMB are often obtained ...

Objective: To establish the diagnostic accuracy of the transesophageal ventriculo-atrial (VA) interval in patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) and normal baseline electrocardiogram (ECG). Methods: The transesophageal VA interval during tachycardia was recorded in 318 patients (age 45 ± 17 years, 58% female) with PSVT and a normal surface ECG ...

: There is an association between increasing prevalence and increasing latitude for some autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Furthermore, in RA patients, a geographical variation in methotrexate pneumonitis has been suggested at a regional level in New Zealand. : The objective of the study was to determine if there ...

Objectives- The purpose of this study was to determine whether mobile echogenicities seen in the epididymis on scrotal sonography are associated with prior vasectomy. Methods- We prospectively obtained a sonographic video clip of each epididymal body in outpatients sent for scrotal sonography. The presence of punctate mobile echogenicities in the ...

Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a syndrome characterized by stenoses or obstructions of the internal jugular and/or azygos veins with disturbed flow and formation of collateral venous channels. Ultrasound and venographic studies of the internal jugular and azygos venous systems in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have demonstrated a ...

To investigate differences in cortical thickness in narcolepsy patients with cataplexy and control subjects. Cortical thickness was measured using a 3-D surface-based method that enables more accurate measurement in deep sulci and localized regional mapping. University hospital. We enrolled 28 patients with narcolepsy and cataplexy and 33 age-and sex-matched control ...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the location, nature, and occurrence of incidental maxillofacial findings on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans performed for maxillofacial diagnostic purposes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CBCT images of 207 consecutive patients (129 females and 78 males) were examined. The sample consisted of ...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen (HFNC) on patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) in comparison with conventional oxygen therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective observational study. Patients with persistent ARF despite oxygen with conventional facemask without indication ...

BACKGROUND:  Bioimpedance methods have been used for decades to estimate whole body extracellular (wECV), intracellular (wICV) and total body water (TBW) volumes. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the ability of widely used bioimpedance techniques to assess dry weight (DW) and to predict a state of normal hydration ...

Objectives: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in adult stroke patients is known to be an independent risk factor for poor functional outcome. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), we attempted to investigate the effect of IVH on the white matter. Methods: We recruited 10 consecutive patients with IVH and 18 age- and sex-matched ...

A key feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an accelerated rate of decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)), but data on the variability and determinants of this change in patients who have established disease are scarce. We analyzed the changes in FEV(1) after administration of ...

SUMMARY: This study was performed to investigate the asymmetry of motor unit number estimate (MUNE) and its longitudinal course in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A modified statistical MUNE was performed at the hypothenar muscles bilaterally in a total of 135 patients, and 18 of these patients underwent a follow-up ...

OBJECTIVES: Tissue oxygen saturation (StO(2)) assessed using Near Infrared Spectroscopy and its derived parameters during a vascular occlusion test (VOT) can detect microvascular changes in septic shock patients. General anesthesia (GA) impacts microcirculation. Our aim was to study the effects of general anesthesia on StO(2) and StO(2) derived parameters obtained ...

Citation information: Jinabhai A, Radhakrishnan H & O'Donnell C. Repeatability of ocular aberration measurements in patients with keratoconus. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2011. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-1313.2011.00868.x ABSTRACT: Purpose:  To explore the repeatability of lower-order and higher-order ocular aberrations measured in patients with keratoconus. Methods:  The IRX-3 (Imagine Eyes, Paris, France) aberrometer was ...

OBJECTIVE: Acute rheumatic fever is a systemic inflammatory disease occurring after acute streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis. The PR prolongation in these patients is thought to be due to increased vagal activity. There has been no previous study investigating the autonomic balance in patients with acute rheumatic fever. In this study, we aimed ...

Gait pattern classification may assist in clinical decision making and cluster analysis (CA) has been often adopted to this aim. The goal of this study was to identify, through CA, typical walking patterns in a group of 21 young subjects with CMT1A, a hereditary progressive neuropathy, and to study possible ...

To investigate the rates of polyp detection in a mixed risk population using standard definition (SDC) vs high definition colonoscopes (HDC). This was a retrospective cohort comparative study of 3 colonoscopists who each consecutively performed 150 SDC (307, 200 pixel) and 150 HDC (792, 576 pixels) in a community teaching ...

Abstract Objective: To determine the influence of the occlusal plane angle on smile attractiveness as perceived by a group of adult orthodontic patients and dentists. Materials and Methods: The first stage utilized a laboratory approach to record changes in vertical tooth position at different occlusal plane angles using a maxillary ...

Uncertainty exists over the importance of device-detected short-duration atrial arrhythmias. Continuous atrial diagnostics, through home monitoring (HM) technology (BIOTRONIK, Berlin, Germany), provides a unique opportunity to assess frequency and quantity of atrial fibrillation (AF) episodes defined as atrial high-rate events (AHRE). Prospective data from 560 heart failure (HF) patients (age ...

AimsSinus node dysfunction (SND) occasionally coexists with atrial flutter (AFL). However, the identification of SND during AFL is difficult. We investigated whether we could predict underlying SND in patients with persistent AFL using the flutter cycle length (FCL).Methods and resultsWe retrospectively studied 211 successfully ablated patients with persistent cavotricuspid isthmus ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate different varicocele hemodynamic patterns (shunt type vs. stop type) as predictors of new-onset testicular hypotrophy or recurrence after varicocelectomy. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. SETTING: Department of pediatric urology, children's hospital medical center. PATIENT(S): Seventy-four children and adolescents with varicocele. INTERVENTION(S): Based on ultrasound findings, patients were classified ...

Background: Schizophrenic patients are known to have difficulty processing emotions and to exhibit impairment in stimuli discrimination. However, there is limited knowledge regarding their physiological responsivity to auditory stimuli. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the respiratory effects of two types of auditory stimuli with emotional content, ...

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is associated with increased cardiac mortality. A disturbed autonomic modulation of heart rate (HR) has been described in patients with schizophrenia in whom antipsychotic medication may represent an additional cardiac risk. The novel measure deceleration capacity (DC) of heart rate predicts cardiac mortality in patients with cardiovascular illnesses. ...

BACKGROUND: Anorexia nervosa (AN) carries the highest mortality of any psychiatric disorder largely attributable to sudden cardiac death and suicide. Controversy exists regarding the underlying mechanism of cardiac risk, whether QT prolongation is a consistent feature of the disorder and whether repolarization varies by disease severity. Some of the uncertainty ...

BACKGROUND: Barrett's Esophagus (BE) is a pre-malignant condition. Limited data on BE dysplasia prevalence exists among United States ethnic groups. AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine if the frequency of BE with dysplasia varies among the major ethnic groups presenting to our institution. METHODS: The University of ...

BACKGROUND: Transient elastography is a well-established method for detecting cirrhosis. AIM: To improve the performance of transient elastography in detecting hepatitis B cirrhosis by alanine aminotransferase (ALT)-stratified cutoffs, bilirubin normalization and transient elastography-based algorithms. METHODS: A total of 315 compensated patients were analysed following liver biopsies, transient elastography, ultrasonography and ...

BACKGROUND: The use of contrast radiography as a screening test for anastomotic integrity after esophagectomy is unclear. METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing either transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) or pharyngolaryngoesophagectomy (PLE) with the cervical anastomosis performed by the same single surgeon were registered into a database. Anastomotic leak rate, modality of detection, and ...

OBJECTIVES:: Knowledge of the natural course of acute pancreatitis (AP) and risk of progression to chronic pancreatitis (CP) is limited. The aims were to describe: (1) the incidence of progression from AP to CP, (2) prognostic factors for progression, and (3) the natural course and mortality of progressive AP. METHODS:: ...

Procalcitonin (PCT) concentration greater than 10ng/mL is compatible for septic shock. Its predictive value for survival is not well established, mainly due to much overlap and variation of PCT in this condition. We hypothesized that dynamic change of PCT, rather than PCT itself, is predictive of hospital survival when greater ...

Investigational heptavalent botulinum antitoxin (HBAT) is now the primary antitoxin for US noninfant botulism patients. HBAT consists of equine Fab/F(ab')2 IgG fragments, which are cleared from circulation faster than whole immunoglobulins. Rebound botulism after antitoxin administration is not previously documented but occurred in our patient 10 days after HBAT administration.