The Association of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy with Metabolic Syndrome is Dependent on Body Mass Index in Hypertensive Overweight or Obese Patients

Overweight (Ow) and obesity (Ob) influence blood pressure (BP) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). It is unclear whether the presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) independently affects echocardiographic parameters in hypertension.380 Ow/Ob essential hypertensive patients (age ≤ 65 years) presenting for referred BP control-related problems. MetS was defined according to NCEP III/ATP with AHA modifications and LVH as LVM/h(2.7) ≥ 49.2 g/m(2.7) in males and ≥ 46.7 g/m(2.7) in females. Treatment intensity score (TIS) was used to control for BP treatment as previously reported.Hypertensive patients with MetS had significantly higher BMI, systolic and mean BP, interventricular septum and relative wall thickness and lower ejection fraction than those without MetS. LVM/h(2.7) was significantly higher in MetS patients (59.14 ± 14.97 vs. 55.33 ± 14.69 g/m(2.7); p = 0.022). Hypertensive patients with MetS had a 2.3-fold higher risk to have LVH/h(2.7) after adjustment for age, SBP and TIS (OR 2.34; 95%CI 1.40-3.92; p = 0.001), but MetS lost its independent relationship with LVH when BMI was included in the model.In Ow/Ob hypertensive patients MetS maintains its role of risk factor for LVH independently of age, SBP, and TIS, resulting in a useful predictor of target organ damage in clinical practice. However, MetS loses its independent relationship when BMI is taken into account, suggesting that the effects on MetS on LV parameters are mainly driven by the degree of adiposity

Three-dimensional bone augmentation and immediate implant placement via transcrestal sinus lift: Five-Year clinical outcomes

This study proposed a surgical technique that solves three-dimensional conditions of extreme bone atrophy. A total of 278 surgeries with transcrestal sinus lift and fresh frozen allogenous bone blocks were performed. A total of 1,024 implants were placed. After 60 months of observation, 969 implants were considered grade I (successful), 24 grade II (satisfactory survival), and 8 grade III (compromised survival). The cumulative success and survival rates, respectively, were 94.6% and 97.7%. This innovative procedure is very effective in selected cases. Fresh-frozen human bone allografts have been shown to be a reliable biomaterial to increase bone volume with simultaneous dental implant placement

Technical and biological complications related to crown to implant ratio: A systematic review.

Aim To review the occurrence of prosthetic failure and biological complications with respect to the crown to implant (C/I) ratio. METHODS: Accurate search was made on the subject C/I ratio with the following criteria: (1) studies on humans with data on prosthetic failure and/or biological complications related to C/I ratio; (2) partial edentulous patients; (3) randomized clinical trials, prospective, longitudinal, retrospective, and multicenter studies with a minimum of 48 months mean follow-up; (4) language: English; (5) radiographic measurements by peri-apical x-ray; (6) implant material: titanium; and (7) no implant type selection was applied. RESULTS: Six articles were considered eligible for full-text analysis. Unfavorable C/I ratio can be considered a potential risk factor for single crown and abutment loosening (C/I ratio ≥ 1.46) and abutment fractures in posterior areas (C/I ratio ≥ 2.01). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limited data, high C/I ratio may be related to some prosthetic failures. Unfavorable C/I ratio does not affect biological complications and implant failure

The functional HERG variant 897T is associated with Conn's adenoma

Objective Aldosterone secreting adenomas (aldosteronomas) have an unknown molecular origin. Ion channel currents are involved in signal transduction leading to aldosterone synthesis and secretion. HERG (human-ether-a-go-go-related gene) encodes for a potassium channel responsible for the outward rectifying delayed current and it is mutation prone. When mutated it causes most of the familial forms of both long QT and short QT syndromes. Abnormal repolarization in glomerulosa cells might increase aldosterone secretion or induce a proliferative advantage. The aims of this study were to: (1) evaluate HERG expression in aldosteronomas; (2) search for HERG somatic mutations; and (3) determine whether there is any relationship between the common HERG functional variant (A2690C, leading from lysine 897 to threonine, K897T) and aldosteronoma. Design and methods Aldosteronoma and blood samples from 17 patients were studied to evaluate HERG expression, full-length HERG complementary DNA sequencing, and genotyping for K897T alleles. The prevalence of H ERG 897 alleles was also tested in a control population and a population consisting entirely of hypertensive individuals. Results HERG was expressed in all aldosteronomas analysed. HERG somatic mutations were not detected. The 897T variant of HERG was significantly more common among patients with aldosteronoma (897T allele 41%) than in patients with moderate-severe essential hypertension (897T allele 20%, P = 0.007) or in the control population (897T allele 12%, P < 0.0001). The 897T/T genotype was present in 24% of the aldosteronoma patients versus 7% (P = 0.040) and 3% (P = 0.001) in essential hypertension and in the control population, respectively. When the chi(2) test was performed considering the three groups together, the significance was similar (for alleles P < 0.0001 and for genotypes P = 0.004). Conclusion The common functional HERG variant 897T may predispose to the development of aldosteronoma

Characterization of nanomaterials synthesized from Spirulina platensis extract and their potential antifungal activity

Nowadays, fungal infections increase, and the demand of novel antifungal agents is constantly rising. In the present study, silver, titanium dioxide, cobalt (II) hydroxide and cobalt (II,III) oxide nanomaterials have been synthesized from Spirulina platensis extract. The synthesis mechanism has been studied using GCMS and FTIR thus confirming the involvement of secondary metabolites, mainly amines. The obtained products have been analysed using XRD, SEM, TGA and zeta potential techniques. The findings revealed average crystallite size of 15.22 nm with 9.72 nm for oval-shaped silver nanoparticles increasing to 26.01 nm and 24.86 nm after calcination and 4.81 nm for spherical-shaped titanium dioxide nanoparticles which decreased to 4.62 nm after calcination. Nanoflake shape has been observed for cobalt hydroxide nanomaterials and for cobalt (II, III) oxide with crystallite size of 3.52 nm and 13.28 nm, respectively. Silver nanoparticles showed the best thermal and water dispersion stability of all the prepared structures. Once subjected to three different Candida species (C. albicans, C. glabrata, and C. krusei) silver nanoparticles and cobalt (II) hydroxide nanomaterials showed strong antifungal activity at 50 μg/mL with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. After light exposition, MIC values for nanomaterials decreased (to 12.5 μg/mL) for C. krusei and increased (100 μg/mL) for C. albicans and C. glabrata

<i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> degrades nitric oxide and expresses a flavorubredoxin-like protein: a new pathogenic mechanism?

Besides possessing many physiological roles, nitric oxide (NO) produced by the immune system in infectious diseases has antimicrobial effects. Trichomoniasis, the most widespread non-viral sexually transmitted disease caused by the microaerophilic protist Trichomonas vaginalis, often evolves into a chronic infection, with the parasite able to survive in the microaerobic, NO-enriched vaginal environment. We relate this property to the finding that T. vaginalis degrades NO under anaerobic conditions, as assessed amperometrically. This activity, which is maximal (133 ± 41 nmol NO/108 cells per minute at 20°C) at low NO concentrations (≤ 1.2 μM), was found to be: (i) NADH dependent, (ii) cyanide insensitive and (iii) inhibited by O2. These features are consistent with those of the Escherichia coli A-type flavoprotein (ATF), recently discovered to be endowed with NO reductase activity. Using antibodies against the ATF from E. coli, a protein band was immunodetected in the parasite grown in a standard medium. If confirmed, the expression of an ATF in eukaryotes suggests that the genes coding for ATFs were transferred during evolution from anaerobic Prokarya to pathogenic protists, to increase their fitness for the microaerobic, parasitic life style. Thus the demonstration of an ATF in T. vaginalis would appear relevant to both pathology and evolutionary biology. Interestingly, genomic analysis has recently demonstrated that Giardia intestinalis and other pathogenic protists have genes coding for ATFs