Left Atrial Structure in Relationship to Age, Sex, Ethnicity, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis)

This research was supported by contracts N01-HC-95159, N01-HC-95160, N01-HC-95161, N01- HC-95162, N01-HC-95163, N01-HC-95164, N01-HC-95165, N01-HC-95166, N01-HC-95167, N01- HC-95168 and N01-HC-95169 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and by grants UL1-TR-000040 and UL1-TR-001079 from the National Center for Research Resources. Prof. Petersen and Drs. Zemrak and Mohiddin gratefully acknowledge funding from the National Institute for Health Research Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit at Barts. Prof. Petersen’s work is supported by awards establishing the Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research at University College London Partners from the Medical Research Council, in partnership with Arthritis Research United Kingdom, the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research United Kingdom, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the National Institute of Health Research, the National Institute for Social Care and Health Research (Welsh Assembly Government), the Chief Scientist Office (Scottish Government Health Directorates), and the Wellcome Trust (MR/K006584/1)

Evaluation of the dynamic balance in women after unilateral mastectomy and external breast prosthesis – a pilot study

Celem pracy było określenie, czy protezowanie zewnętrzne w postaci wkładek silikonowych do biustonosza wpływa na równowagę dynamiczną kobiet po mastektomii jednostronnej. Grupę badaną stanowiło 30 kobiet po jednostronnej mastektomii całkowitej w wieku od 40 do 73 lat (średnio: 57,5±8,4), średni czas od zabiegu operacyjnego wynosił 6,5±5,0 lat. Do zbadania równowagi dynamicznej posłużono się platformą balansową „Libra” firmy Easytech. Wyniki: Z przeprowadzonych badań wynika, że bez względu na czas, jaki upłynął od mastektomii, noszenie protezy piersi nie ma wpływu na równowagę dynamiczną kobiet po tym zabiegu, podczas gdy wiek pacjentek oraz ograniczenie ruchomości obręczy barkowej mają istotne znaczenie dla reakcji równoważnych.The aim of the study was to determine whether external prosthesis in the form of bra silicone inserts affects the dynamic balance in women after unilateral mastectomy. The study group was 30 women after unilateral mastectomy, in age between 40-73 years (average age was 57,5±8,4), average time from operation was 6,5±5,0 y. To explore the dynamic balance, the balance platform „Libra” (Easytech) was used. Results: the study showed that the period of wearing of the prosthesis had no impact on dynamic balance in women after mastectomy, whereas patients` age and limited mobility of the shoulder girdle was of considerable significance to balance responses

The contribution of formyl peptide receptor dysfunction to the course of neuroinflammation: A potential role in the brain pathology

Chronic inflammatory processes within the central nervous system (CNS) are in part responsible for the development of neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. These processes are associated with, among other things, the increased and disturbed activation of microglia and the elevated production of proinflammatory factors. Recent studies indicated that the disruption of the process of resolution of inflammation (RoI) may be the cause of CNS disorders. It is shown that the RoI is regulated by endogenous molecules called specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), which interact with specific membrane receptors. Some SPMs activate formyl peptide receptors (FPRs), which belong to the family of seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors. These receptors take part not only in the proinflammatory response but also in the resolution of the inflammation process. Therefore, the activation of FPRs might have complex consequences. This review discusses the potential role of FPRs, and in particular the role of FPR2 subtype, in the brain under physiological and pathological conditions and their involvement in processes underlying neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders as well as ischemia, the pathogenesis of which involves the dysfunction of inflammatory processes

Accuracy of Doppler Echocardiography in the Hemodynamic Assessment of Pulmonary Hypertension

Rationale: Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography is recommended for screening for the presence of pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, some recent studies have suggested that Doppler echocardiographic pulmonary artery pressure estimates may frequently be inaccurate

Right ventricular function as assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging-derived strain parameters compared to high-fidelity micromanometer catheter measurements

: Right ventricular function has prognostic significance in patients with pulmonary hypertension. We evaluated whether cardiac magnetic resonance-derived strain and strain rate parameters could reliably reflect right ventricular systolic and diastolic function in precapillary pulmonary hypertension. End-systolic elastance and the time constant of right ventricular relaxation tau, both derived from invasive high-fidelity micromanometer catheter measurements, were used as gold standards for assessing systolic and diastolic right ventricular function, respectively. Nineteen consecutive precapillary pulmonary hypertension patients underwent cardiac magnetic resonance and right heart catheterization prospectively. Cardiac magnetic resonance data were compared with those of 19 control subjects. In pulmonary hypertension patients, associations between strain- and strain rate-related parameters and invasive hemodynamic parameters were evaluated. Longitudinal peak systolic strain, strain rate, and early diastolic strain rate were lower in PAH patients than in controls; peak atrial-diastolic strain rate was higher in pulmonary hypertension patients. Similarly, circumferential peak systolic strain rate was lower and peak atrial-diastolic strain rate was higher in pulmonary hypertension. In pulmonary hypertension, no correlations existed between cardiac magnetic resonance-derived and hemodynamically derived measures of systolic right ventricular function. Regarding diastolic parameters, tau was significantly correlated with peak longitudinal atrial-diastolic strain rate (r = -0.61), deceleration time (r = 0.75), longitudinal systolic to diastolic time ratio (r = 0.59), early diastolic strain rate (r = -0.5), circumferential peak atrial-diastolic strain rate (r = -0.52), and deceleration time (r = 0.62). Strain analysis of the right ventricular diastolic phase is a reliable non-invasive method for detecting right ventricular diastolic dysfunction in PAH