Effects of energy drinks on blood pressure, heart rate, and electrocardiographic parameters: An experimental study on healthy young adults

Objective: To evaluate the effects of the consumption of energy drinks on cardiovascular parameters in a group of healthy young individuals. Methods: In a quasi-experimental study, 44 healthy adult participants aged between 15 and 30 years were evaluated. The blood pressure (BP) as well as electrocardiographic indices, including heart rate (HR), PR interval, QRS duration, corrected QT (QTc) interval, and ST-T changes were recorded before consumption of a caffeine-containing energy drink and at the specific time points over a 4-h test duration. Results: We found statistically significant HR decline (p=0.004) and more frequent ST-T changes (p=0.004) after the participants consumed the energy drink. However, readings for systolic BP (p=0.44), diastolic BP (p=0.26), PR interval (p=0.449), QRS duration (p=0.235), and QTc interval (p=0.953) showed no significant change post-consumption. Conclusion: In conclusion, we demonstrated that the consumption of energy drinks could contribute to HR decline and ST-T change in healthy young adults. © 2016 by Turkish Society of Cardiology

A rare manifestation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis: Left ventricular cardiac tuberculoma in an HIV infected male �case report�

Cardiac tuberculosis (TB) is rare and most commonly manifests itself as tuberculous pericarditis. Involvement of other parts of the heart is unusual and descriptions in the literature are confined to case reports regarding mainly pericardial TB and very few cases of cardiac tuberculoma. Tuberculomas are space occupying lesions most commonly found in the brain of immunocompromised individuals. These space occupying lesions previously described only after autopsies are now more diagnosed with the use of advanced imaging techniques. Herein, we describe a first case of pericardial TB manifesting as left ventricular (LV) cardiac tuberculoma in a 34-year-old human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected male. Upon presentation the patient complained mainly of progressive dyspnoea over the past month. Primary investigations including chest computed tomography (CT) scan and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) suggested probable diagnosis of cardiac and pericardial TB which was later confirmed by histopathological modalities. The patient received anti-TB therapy along with surgical subtotal pericardiotomy which resulted in improvement of symptoms, complete resolution of the mass and reduction in the size of pericardial thickening. Although very rare it is crucial to bear in mind the importance of having cardiac tuberculoma as differential diagnosis in patients with a cardiac mass and implement the optimum diagnostic and therapeutic courses. doi: 10.21037/cdt-20-44

Numerical study on steel shear walls with sinusoidal corrugated plates

Over the past decades a growing demand and interest has stimulated many researchers to investigate different aspects of steel plate shear walls (SPSWs). The structural performance of steel shear walls with sinusoidal corrugated plate infills is investigated in this study. Finite element (FE) analysis was adopted using ANSYS software, wherein flat and corrugated shear walls – with different thicknesses, various corrugation numbers and angles – were modeled under monotonic and cyclic loads. Results and findings of this study indicate that geometrical variations developed through corrugation can be effective on the capacity, rigidity, and post-yielding responses of such corrugated-web lateral force-resisting systems. In addition, proper design and detailing can result in desirable structural behavior and seismic performance of SPSWs with sinusoidal corrugated infill plates.Hamed Kalali, Tohid Ghanbari Ghazijahani, Mohammad Hajsadeghi, Tadeh Zirakian, Farshid J. Alae

Low fingertip temperature rebound measured by digital thermal monitoring strongly correlates with the presence and extent of coronary artery disease diagnosed by 64-slice multi-detector computed tomography

Previous studies showed strong correlations between low fingertip temperature rebound measured by digital thermal monitoring (DTM) during a 5 min arm-cuff induced reactive hyperemia and both the Framingham Risk Score (FRS), and coronary artery calcification (CAC) in asymptomatic populations. This study evaluates the correlation between DTM and coronary artery disease (CAD) measured by CT angiography (CTA) in symptomatic patients. It also investigates the correlation between CTA and a new index of neurovascular reactivity measured by DTM. 129 patients, age 63 ± 9 years, 68% male, underwent DTM, CAC and CTA. Adjusted DTM indices in the occluded arm were calculated: temperature rebound: aTR and area under the temperature curve aTMP-AUC. DTM neurovascular reactivity (NVR) index was measured based on increased fingertip temperature in the non-occluded arm. Obstructive CAD was defined as ≥50% luminal stenosis, and normal as no stenosis and CAC = 0. Baseline fingertip temperature was not different across the groups. However, all DTM indices of vascular and neurovascular reactivity significantly decreased from normal to non-obstructive to obstructive CAD [(aTR 1.77 ± 1.18 to 1.24 ± 1.14 to 0.94 ± 0.92) (P = 0.009), (aTMP-AUC: 355.6 ± 242.4 to 277.4 ± 182.4 to 184.4 ± 171.2) (P = 0.001), (NVR: 161.5 ± 147.4 to 77.6 ± 88.2 to 48.8 ± 63.8) (P = 0.015)]. After adjusting for risk factors, the odds ratio for obstructive CAD compared to normal in the lowest versus two upper tertiles of FRS, aTR, aTMP-AUC, and NVR were 2.41 (1.02–5.93), P = 0.05, 8.67 (2.6–9.4), P = 0.001, 11.62 (5.1–28.7), P = 0.001, and 3.58 (1.09–11.69), P = 0.01, respectively. DTM indices and FRS combined resulted in a ROC curve area of 0.88 for the prediction of obstructive CAD. In patients suspected of CAD, low fingertip temperature rebound measured by DTM significantly predicted CTA-diagnosed obstructive disease

"EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF BIOLOGICAL PROGNOSTIC AND PREDICTIVE FACTORS ON SURVIVAL OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS "

The molecular basis of metastatic potential of human breast carcinoma cells can be useful information to determine the practical implications in the diagnosis, determining prognosis and treatment of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of aggressive biological behavior and metastatic potential in breast carcinoma among a number of intrinsic biomarkers of tumor cells. We used routine formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tumor samples; sections were stained immunohistochemically to determine the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), HER2/neu, Ki67, p53 and cathepsin D in 66 breast carcinoma patients. The result of the quantitative immunohistochemical assays were correlated with clinical and histological data such as patient age, tumor size, axillary lymph node status, tumor grade, the therapeutic regimens and survival rates. Univariate analysis revealed a statistically significant relation between tumor size and overexpression of p53, and between tumor grade and PR status, p53 status and Ki67. In multivariate analysis the independent factors predicting for tumor grade were Ki67 and PR status. Among patients with ER expression, negative p53 or Ki67 status, tumors with lower grades and negative axillary lymph nodes (or < 4 involved lymph nodes), there was a higher survival rate (either disease free or overall); however, relationship was not statistically significant, most probably due to the low number of studied patients. In conclusion, Ki67 was an independent factor to predict tumor grade in our study; the use of this proliferation activity marker in routine approach to patients with breast cancer is recommended, at least to evaluate the accuracy of tumor grading by mitotic count

Dissecting intramural hematoma of esophagus after thrombolytic therapy: A case report

Esophageal hematoma is a relatively rare event. We report a case of severe chest pain associated with myocardial infarction and recurrent chest pain after administration of a thrombolytic agent. The chest pain was different from the presenting symptom and accompanied by 2 episodes of hematemesis. Esophageal hematoma was confirmed after endoscopy and computed tomography. Esophageal hematoma is a relatively rare event after thrombolytic therapy. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav