Anti-idiotypic antibody Ab2/3H6 mimicking gp41: a potential HIV-1 vaccine?

Meeting abstract from 22nd European Society for Animal Cell Technology(ESACT) Meeting on Cell Based Technologies Vienna, Austria. 15-18 May 2011(VLID)90658

Prehypertensive blood pressures and regional cerebral blood flow independently relate to cognitive performance in midlife

Background High blood pressure is thought to contribute to dementia in late life, but our understanding of the relationship between individual differences in blood pressure ( BP ) and cognitive functioning is incomplete. In this study, cognitive performance in nonhypertensive midlife adults was examined as a function of resting BP and regional cerebral blood flow ( rCBF ) responses during cognitive testing. We hypothesized that BP would be negatively related to cognitive performance and that cognitive performance would also be related to rCBF responses within areas related to BP control. We explored whether deficits related to systolic BP might be explained by rCBF responses to mental challenge. Methods and Results Healthy midlife participants (n=227) received neuropsychological testing and performed cognitive tasks in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner. A pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling sequence assessed rCBF in brain areas related to BP in prior studies. Systolic BP was negatively related to 4 of 5 neuropsychological factors (standardized β&gt;0.13): memory, working memory, executive function, and mental efficiency. The rCBF in 2 brain regions of interest was similarly related to memory, executive function, and working memory (standardized β&gt;0.17); however, rCBF responses did not explain the relationship between resting systolic BP and cognitive performance. Conclusions Relationships at midlife between prehypertensive levels of systolic BP and both cognitive and brain function were modest but suggested the possible value of midlife intervention. </jats:sec

Determinanty zapalenia mięśnia sercowego u młodych dorosłych — 3-letnie doświadczenia jednego ośrodka

Introduction. Myocarditis is a challenging diagnosis due to the heterogeneity of clinical presentations. This inflammatory myocardial disease should be diagnosed based on established clinical, laboratory and imaging criteria.Material and methods. We studied consecutive patients aged 18–40 years admitted to an emergency department (ED) with the diagnosis of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) between January 01, 2011 and December 31, 2013. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were analysed. The patients were diagnosed with myocarditis based on the history of a respiratory or gastrointestinal tract infection, clinical symptoms of reduced exercise tolerance, chest pain, arrhythmias or new onset symptoms of heart failure, with abnormal electrocardiographic and/or echocardiographic findings and elevated markers of myocardial necrosis. All subjects underwent coronary angiography to exclude or confirm an ACS.Results. Patients with myocarditis were younger (median age 30.5 years, interquartile range [IQR] 20.5–32) compared to ACS patients (median age 39 years, IQR 35–39.5; (p = 0.001). All young adults with myocarditis had a history of infection within 4 weeks and it was the strongest determinant of myocarditis (odds ratio [OR] 113.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.64–2289.7; p &lt; 0.001). Compared to ACS patients, those with myocarditis were more likely to report a history of fever (OR 17.22; 95% CI 0.9–330.5; p = 0.06) and have an elevated white blood cell count (median 9.95, IQR 8.3–11.95 vs. 8.2, IQR 6.4–10.32; p = 0.07), elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level (OR 29.3; 95% CI 1.14–748.6; p = 0.04), higher left ventricular ejection fraction (median 60, IQR 60–65 vs. 55, IQR 50–55; p = 0.001),and elevated creatine kinase activity (OR 7.94; 95% CI 1.41–44.8; p = 0.02). Dyslipidaemia was less frequent in young adults with myocarditis (OR 0.03; 95% CI 0.003–0.3; p = 0.002).Conclusions. Infection-related parameters are key determinants of myocarditis in young adults with chest pain. These easily accessible clinical and laboratory parameters should guide further clinical decision-making in ED.Wstęp. Zapalenie mięśnia sercowego jest często wyzwaniem diagnostycznym ze względu na niejednoznaczny obrazkliniczny. Ta zapalna choroba mięśnia sercowego powinna być rozpoznawana na podstawie określonych kryteriów klinicznych, laboratoryjnych i wyników badań obrazowych.Materiał i metody. Do badania włączano kolejnych chorych w wieku 18–40 lat, kierowanych na szpitalny oddział ratunkowy z rozpoznaniem ostrego zespołu wieńcowego (ACS) w okresie od 1 stycznia 2011 roku do 31 grudnia 2013 roku. Obok szczegółowego wywiadu chorobowego u każdego pacjenta oznaczano laboratoryjne markery uszkodzenia mięśnia sercowego i wykładniki stanu zapalnego oraz wykonywano elektrokardiografię (EKG) i echokardiografię (UKG). U wszystkich chorych wykonano angiografię naczyń wieńcowych. Rozpoznania zapalenia mięśnia sercowego dokonywano z wykluczenia, na podstawie charakterystycznego wywiadu, objawów klinicznych, zmian w obrazach EKG i UKG oraz wyników badań laboratoryjnych, przy prawidłowym wyniku koronarografii.Wyniki. Osoby z zapalenia mięśnia sercowego były znamiennie statystycznie młodsze (mediana wieku [Me] = 30,5; zakres międzykwartylowy [IQR] 20,5–32) niż chorzy z ACS (Me = 39; IQR 35–39,5) (p = 0,001). Wszyscy młodzi dorośli z rozpoznanym zapalenia mięśnia sercowego w ostatnich 4 tygodniach przebyli infekcję, najczęściej dróg oddechowych. Był to najsilniejszy determinant zapalenia mięśnia sercowego (iloraz czans [OR] = 113,7; 95-proc. przedział ufności [CI] 5,64–2289,7; p &lt; 0,001). Czas trwania infekcji wynosił 4 (IQR 3,5–7) dni. Osoby z zapaleniem mięśnia sercowego cechowały się ponadto częstszym występowaniem gorączki w wywiadzie (OR = 17,22; 95% CI 0,9–330,5; p = 0,06), większą liczbą leukocytów w morfologii krwi obwodowej (Me = 9,95; IQR 8,3–11,95 v. Me = 8,2; IQR 6,4–10,32; p = 0,07) oraz podwyższonym stężeniem wysokoczułego białka C-reaktywnego (OR = 29,3; 95% CI 1,14–748,6; p = 0,04). Osoby z ACS cechowała znamiennie gorsza frakcja wyrzutowa lewej komory (Me = 60; IQR 60–65 v. Me = 55; IQR 50–55; p = 0,001), jednak nie przekładało się to na różnicę między grupami pod względem odsetka osób z obniżoną poniżej 50% funkcją (OR = 0,34; 95% CI 0,03–4,2; p = 0,8). Obciążenie klasycznymi czynnikami ryzyka sercowo-naczyniowego nie różniło się między grupami, z wyjątkiem dyslipidemii, która u osób z zapaleniem mięśnia sercowego występowała znacznie rzadziej (OR = 0,03; 95% CI 0,003–0,3; p = 0,002).Wnioski. U młodych osób dorosłych czynnikami różnicującymi przyczynę stenokardii są infekcja w wywiadzie, podwyższone parametry stanu zapalnego oraz obecność dyslipidemii

Utstein-style reporting of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the Bielsko-Biała county

Introduction. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is one of the most severe medical emergencies, with significantly high both pre- and in-hospital mortality rates. The aim of the study was to assess the quality of reporting OHCA data by the Emergency Medical Service teams (EMS) in the Bielsko-Biała county, using standard ambulance dispatch cards. Material and methods. The study included adult inhabitants of Bielsko-Biała county who suffered from OHCA in 2013. Data were retrieved from standardised PRM forms, and compared to the Utstein style template. The study group comprised 272 patients, 190 (70%) males and 82 (30%) females, with a median age of 71 years (IQR 60–80). The pre-hospital mortality rate was 76.5% (75.3% in men and 79.3% in women). Results. The potential cause of OHCA was least known, with only 22% of forms including any information concerning this issue. Suboptimal reporting on the data enabling patient identification was noted in 12% cases. There was no association between reporting style and time and place of the OHCA. Conclusions. The overall quality of reporting of OHCA by PMR in Bielsko-Biała was good. The greatest concern was inability to identify the potential cause of the event, which can significantly influence application of adequate treatment

A kinematic study of the irregular dwarf galaxy NGC 2366 using HI and Halpha observations

Abridged. Context. The metal content of dwarf galaxies and the metal enrichment of the intergalactic medium both suggest that mass loss from galaxies is a significant factor for the chemical evolution history of galaxies, in particular of dwarf galaxies. However, no clear evidence of a blow-away in local dwarf galaxies has been found so far. Aims. We therefore performed a detailed kinematic analysis of the neutral and ionised gas in the nearby star-forming irregular dwarf galaxy NGC 2366 in order to make predictions about the fate of the gas and to get a more complete picture of this galaxy. Methods. A deep Halpha image and Fabry-Perot interferometric data of NGC 2366 were obtained. They were complemented by HI synthesis data from the THINGS survey. We searched for line-splitting both in Halpha and HI by performing a Gaussian decomposition. To get an idea whether the expansion velocities are high enough for a gas blow-away, we used the pseudo-isothermal halo model, which gives us realistic values for the escape velocities of NGC 2366. The good data quality also allowed us to discuss some peculiarities of the morphology and the dynamics in NGC 2366. Results. A large red-shifted outflow north west of the giant extragalactic HII region with an expansion velocity of up to 50 km/s is found in Halpha, but not in HI. Additionally, a blue-shifted component north of the giant extragalactic HII region was detected both in Halpha and HI with an expansion velocity of up to 30 km/s. A comparison with the escape velocities of NGC 2366 reveals that the gas does not have enough kinetic energy to leave the gravitational potential.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication by A&

The Compact Group of Galaxies HCG 31 is in an early phase of merging

We have obtained high spectral resolution (R = 45900) Fabry-Perot velocity maps of the Hickson Compact Group HCG 31 in order to revisit the important problem of the merger nature of the central object A+C and to derive the internal kinematics of the candidate tidal dwarf galaxies in this group. Our main findings are: (1) double kinematic components are present throughout the main body of A+C, which strongly suggests that this complex is an ongoing merger (2) regions $A2$ and E, to the east and south of complex A+C, present rotation patterns with velocity amplitudes of $\sim 25 km s^{-1}$ and they counterrotate with respect to A+C, (3) region F, which was previously thought to be the best example of a tidal dwarf galaxy in HCG 31, presents no rotation and negligible internal velocity dispersion, as is also the case for region $A1$. HCG 31 presents an undergoing merger in its center (A+C) and it is likely that it has suffered additional perturbations due to interactions with the nearby galaxies B, G and Q.Comment: 5 pages + figures - Accepted to ApJ Lette

An improved method for statistical studies of the internal kinematics of HII regions: the case of M 83

We present the integrated Halpha emission line profile for 157 HII regions in the central 3.4' x 3.4' of the galaxy M 83 (NGC 5236). Using the Fabry-Perot interferometer GHaFaS, on the 4.2 m William Herschel on La Palma, we show the importance of a good characterization of the instrumental response function for the study of line profile shapes. The luminosity-velocity dispersion relation is also studied, and in the log(L)-log(sigma) plane we do not find a linear relation, but an upper envelope with equation log(L)=0.9 *log(sigma)+38.1. For the adopted distance of 4.5 Mpc, the upper envelope appears at the luminosity L=10^38.5 ergs, in full agreement with previous studies of other galaxies, reinforcing the idea of using HII regions as standard candles.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Nagłe zatrzymanie krążenia u młodej osoby dorosłej — studium przypadku

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is an unexpected loss of heart function. It rarely occurs in young adults, but if already does, it is characterized by a higher mortality rate compared to patients being 40 years of age or older. Although SCA can happen in apparently healthy persons, it is usually triggered by cardiac disorders. Generally it has no characteristic prodromal symptoms. In this paper we describe a case of SCA in a young woman that was the first symptom of a single-vessel coronary artery disease.Nagłe zatrzymanie krążenia (NZK) jest definiowane jako nieoczekiwane ustanie funkcji serca. Rzadko dotyczy ono osób młodych, natomiast jeśli już wystąpi, to cechuje się u nich większą śmiertelnością niż u osób po 40. roku życia. Choć NZK może wystąpić u pozornie zdrowych osób, to zwykle ma podłoże kardiologiczne. Z reguły poprzedza je wystąpienie niecharakterystycznych objawów prodromalnych. Celem pracy jest opis przypadku NZK u młodej kobiety, które było pierwszym objawem jednonaczyniowej choroby wieńcowej