Home care utilization and outcomes among Asian and other Canadian patients with heart failure

Article deposited according to publisher policy posted on SHERPA/RoMEO, 16/08/2010.YesFunding provided by the Open Access Authors Fund

Funerary pithoi in bronze age crete: Their introduction and significance at the threshold of Minoan palatial society

Toward the end of the third millennium B.C.E., Minoan funerary customs changed, and people began to favor the use of clay receptacles-pithoi or larnakes-for the bodies of the dead. This article offers a comprehensive study of the funerary pithoi of the period, comprising a review of the available material and its classification, distribution, and dating, the relation of container to tomb types, and the specific use of pithoi within funerary ritual. It also assesses the importance of pithoi as an investment in terms of the material wealth that they represent and the knowledge of the complex techniques of handling dead bodies that they require. Finally, it examines the symbolic connotations of the pithos and argues that its wide adoption was part of a general turn toward the concept of the regeneration of life. This concept shifted the emphasis of the funerary realm toward the social dimension-namely, toward the reallocation of the roles and resources of the dead among the living. Such a shift helped people come to terms with contemporary social reality and shaped the agency of emerging elites, which led to the establishment of the first Minoan palaces and transformed Crete from a series of kin-based communities to a group of proto-states

The mechanics of cultural hybridization in the southern Aegean during the third millennium BC

The term “International Spirit” denotes the network of maritime communication and exchange in the southern Aegean during the third millennium BC, which is usually considered to be a relatively bounded sociohistorical phenomenon. This article exposes the need for understanding the International Spirit as a heterogeneous, dynamic, and open-ended field of social discourse. Such understanding is supported through the employment of recent advances in archaeological theory regarding cultural hybridization. It is suggested that the latter shares the same basic ways of operation with almost all other types of social communication. Therefore, the Early Bronze Age cemeteries in Attica, Euboea, or northern Crete, featuring assemblages with mixed cultural traits, should be considered as examples of such intense, and thus hybridizing, cultural discourse. The Early Cycladic communities may have pursued this type of interaction in order to balance between two pressing needs: Subsistence through agropastoral activity and social reproduction through seafaring and exchange. © 2020 The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

The Klimataria-Manares building reconsidered

During the 1950s Nikolaos Platon excavated a Neopalatial (ca. 1700-1480 B.C.) building complex at the site of Klimataria, in eastern Crete, Greece. Since then many researchers have investigated Klimataria in an attempt to understand whether the building there is a villa or not. Villas are exceptionally elaborate edifices betraying a level of social power and authority immediately below the so-called Minoan palaces. The best examples may be found in central Crete. The eastern Cretan villas, such as Klimataria, are more atypical in terms of architectural morphology and use of space. Research has been hampered by the lack of final publications on many villa candidates, including Klimataria. This article wishes to fill the gap in the current knowledge of this edifice and reconsider its function and character within the Neopalatial milieu. Such reconsideration utilizes data collected during the authors' fieldwork at the site in 2003. It places emphasis on the topography, foundation, and building materials and techniques and also the design, layout, and use of space. By so doing, it brings to light for the first time a contrast between a sophisticated design and a mediocre materialization of this design. In this respect, Klimataria may easily fall under the category of "country villa"

Cardio-anesthesiology considerations for the trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedure

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become the mainstay for highrisk or inoperable patients with symptomatic aortic valve stenosis, and research regarding the use of transcatheter valves in intermediate or low-risk patients is currently ongoing. The aim of this article is to provide comprehensive insight into the anesthetic management of patients undergoing TAVI and to highlight possible gaps in the current knowledge. One important procedural characteristic that is imperative to consider is the type of anesthesia being used and its possible complications. Increasingly, experienced centers have changed from general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation to local anesthesia with sedation, especially when the transfemoral access route is used for TAVI. There is still debate regarding what type of anesthesia should be used in the procedure, and the lack of randomized data makes it even more challenging for the operators © 2016 Hellenic Society of Cardiology

The Role of MicroRNA-126 in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide despite all efforts made towards their management. Other than targeting the traditional risk factors for their development, scientific interest has been shifted towards epigenetic regulation, with microRNAs (miRs) being at the forefront. MiR-126, in particular, has been extensively studied in the context of cardiovascular diseases. Downregulated expression of this miR has been associated with highly prevalent cardiovascular risk factors such as arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus. At the same time, its diagnostic and prognostic capability concerning coronary artery disease is still under investigation, with up-to-date data pointing towards a dysregulated expression in a stable disease state and acute myocardial infarction. Moreover, a lower expression of miR-126 may indicate a higher disease complexity, as well as an increased risk for future major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events. Ultimately, overexpression of miR-126 may emerge as a novel therapeutic target in atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases due to its potential in promoting therapeutic angiogenesis and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the existing challenges in miR therapeutics need to be resolved before translation to clinical practice. © 2023 Bentham Science Publishers

Micrornas in the management of heart failure

Background: In recent years much research has been devoted to the deployment of biomarkers in the field of heart failure. Objectives: To study the potential of post-transcriptional regulation by microRNAs on the diagnosis, management and therapy of heart failure. Methods: Literature search focuses on the role of microRNAs in heart failure. Results: MicroRNAs are expressed and regulated in the course of the pathological manifestations of heart failure (HF). This wide and uncharted area of genetic imprints consisting of small non-coding RNA molecule is upregulated and released into the bloodstream from organs under certain conditions and or stress. The use of genetically based strategies for the management of HF has gained great interest in the field of biomedical science because they can be used as biomarkers providing information regarding cardiac status and function. They also appear as promising tools with therapeutic potential because of their ability to induce changes at the cellular level without creating alterations in the gene sequence. In addition, with the advances in genomic sequencing, quantification and synthesis in technologies of microRNAs identification as well as the growing knowledge of the biology of miRNAs and their involvement in HF, it is expected to favorably affect the prognosis of HF patients. Conclusion: MicroRNAs are involved in the regulation of multibiological processes involved in the progress of heart failure. More studies are needed to achieve a clinical valuable implementation of microRNAs in the management of HF. © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers