Functional impact of remodeling during healing after non-Q wave versus Q wave anterior myocardial infarction in the dog

AbstractObjectives. This study was undertaken to compare changes in left ventricular remodeling and function during healing after a first anterior non-Q wave versus a Q wave myocardial infarction in the dog.Background. Whether ventricular remodeling is more severe after anterior Q wave than after anterior non-Q wave infarction has not been studied systematically.Methods. Serial remodeling and functional variables (two-dimensional echocardiography), electrocardiography and hemodynamic data were recorded over 6 weeks in 58 instrumented dogs subjected to left anterior descending coronary artery ligation or ligation plus collateral obliteration. Postmortem topography and transmurality (by planimetry) and infarct collagen (hydroxyproline) were measured at 6 weeks.Results. At 6 weeks, infarct collagen was similarly increased in both groups, but the Q wave group had greater infarct size (7.2% vs. 4.5%, p < 0.025) and greater transmurality (88% vs. 58%, p < 0.001), higher left atrial pressures, more infarct expansion (expansion index 2.62 vs. 2.31, p < 0.001), more thinning (thinning ratio 0.62 vs. 0.72, p < 0.001), greater cavity dilation (diastolic volume 88 vs. 72 ml, p < 0.001), more regional bulging in the short-axis view (depth 4.9 vs. 1.9 mm, p < 0.001), more regional asynergy (18% vs. 7%, p < 0.001), lower global ejection fraction (40% vs. 48%, p < 0.001), more endocardial and epicardial bulging in the long-axis view and greater incidence of aneurysm (82% vs. 36%, p < 0.005), left ventricular thrombus (64% vs. 0%, p < 0.0005) and ventricular arrhythmias. Echocardiograms obtained during a 6-week period indicated that left ventricular topographic deterioration and dysfunction were present in the earliest postinfarction study at 2 days in both groups but were more frequent in the Q wave group. Regional myocardial blood flow (24 dogs) was lower in the Q wave than in the non-Q wave group. Scanning electron microscopy (10 dogs) revealed preservation of the epicardial collagen matrix in the non-Q wave but not the Q wave group.Conclusions. Anterior Q wave infarction is associated with greater transmurality and more postinfarction left ventricular remodeling and dysfunction than is non-Q wave infarction

BODE-Index vs HADO-Score in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Which one to use in general practice?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) is used to diagnose and establish a prognosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Using multi-dimensional scores improves this predictive capacity.Two instruments, the BODE-index (<b>B</b>ody mass index, <b>O</b>bstruction, <b>D</b>yspnea, <b>E</b>xercise capacity) and the HADO-score (<b>H</b>ealth, <b>A</b>ctivity, <b>D</b>yspnea, <b>O</b>bstruction), were compared in the prediction of mortality among COPD patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a prospective longitudinal study. During one year (2003 to 2004), 543 consecutively COPD patients were recruited in five outpatient clinics and followed for three years. The endpoints were all-causes and respiratory mortality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the multivariate analysis of patients with FEV₁< 50%, no significant differences were observed in all-cause or respiratory mortality across HADO categories, while significant differences were observed between patients with a lower BODE (less severe disease) and those with a higher BODE (greater severity). Among patients with FEV₁≥ 50%, statistically significant differences were observed across HADO categories for all-cause and respiratory mortality, while differences were observed across BODE categories only in all-cause mortality.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>HADO-score and BODE-index were good predictors of all-cause and respiratory mortality in the entire cohort. In patients with severe COPD (FEV₁< 50%) the BODE index was a better predictor of mortality whereas in patients with mild or moderate COPD (FEV₁≥ 50%), the HADO-score was as good a predictor of respiratory mortality as the BODE-index. These differences suggest that the HADO-score and BODE-index could be used for different patient populations and at different healthcare levels, but can be used complementarily.</p

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease subtypes. transitions over time

Background Although subtypes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are recognized, it is unknown what happens to these subtypes over time. Our objectives were to assess the stability of cluster-based subtypes in patients with stable disease and explore changes in clusters over 1 year. Methods Multiple correspondence and cluster analysis were used to evaluate data collected from 543 stable patients included consecutively from 5 respiratory outpatient clinics. Results Four subtypes were identified. Three of them, A, B, and C, had marked respiratory profiles with a continuum in severity of several variables, while the fourth, subtype D, had a more systemic profile with intermediate respiratory disease severity. Subtype A was associated with less dyspnea, better health-related quality of life and lower Charlson comorbidity scores, and subtype C with the most severe dyspnea, and poorer pulmonary function and quality of life, while subtype B was between subtypes A and C. Subtype D had higher rates of hospitalization the previous year, and comorbidities. After 1 year, all clusters remained stable. Generally, patients continued in the same subtype but 28% migrated to another cluster. Together with movement across clusters, patients showed changes in certain characteristics (especially exercise capacity, some variables of pulmonary function and physical activity) and changes in outcomes (quality of life, hospitalization and mortality) depending on the new cluster they belonged to Conclusions Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease clusters remained stable over 1 year. Most patients stayed in their initial subtype cluster, but some moved to another subtype and accordingly had different outcomes

A valuable QTL for Fusarium head blight resistance from Triticum turgidum L. ssp. dicoccoides has a stable expression in durum wheat cultivars

Langdon(Dic-3A)-10 line carrying the QTL Qfhs.ndsu-3AS from T. turgidum ssp. dicoccoides that confers Type II resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB) was crossed with Argentinean durum wheat cultivars. F4 progeny were screened with the microsatellite locus Xgwm2, tightly linked to the Qfhs.ndsu-3A region. Reaction of these plants and parents to FHB was evaluated at 7, 14 and 21 days post-inoculation (dpi) with F. graminearum; severity (% symptomatic spikelets/spike) and AUDPC (area under disease progress curve) were calculated. F4 progeny carrying the resistance allele in heterozygous or in homozygous condition showed significantly lower scab damage at 21 dpi and slower progress of disease than cultivated parents. Our results indicate that the resistance Qfhs.ndsu-3AS has a stable dominance expression in genetic backgrounds of durum cultivars and demonstrate that the linked microsatellite is an effective molecular tool for resistance screening. This work offers valuable information for Qfhs.ndsu-3AS utilization in wheat breeding programs

Estudio de la actividad antimicrobiana del fango termal de Copahue (Neuquén, Argentina)

Se investigó la actividad antimicrobiana del fango termal (Complejo Termal Copahue, Argentina) sobre microorganismos de la microbiota autóctona del hombre, agentes infecciosos de la comunidad, hospitalarios y cepas AT CC. Las cepas correspondieron a cocos Gram positivos, bacilos Gram negativos, levaduras y cepas AT CC. El fango se obtuvo de la Laguna Sulfurosa. La actividad inhibitoria se demostró utilizando fase líquida (FL) mediante la prueba de difusión en agar y por estudios de cinética bactericida. Con la primera se observó halo inhibitorio frente a Staphylococcus aureus y Cándida albicans, no visualizándose inhibición para el resto de los microorganismos. El estudio dinámico a través del tiempo sobre S. aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermis y C. albicans demostró acción inhibitoria antes de las 6 hs de incubación, mientras que no se observó inhibición frente a los bacilos Gram negativos. Es el primer trabajo que demuestra la actividad antimicrobiana de la FL sobre las cepas ensayadas.Facultad de Ciencias Médica

Deindustrialization in cities of the global south

Recent research by economists has shown that deindustrialization is more severe in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America than it ever was in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Nevertheless, most research on deindustrialization is focused on the former centres of Fordist manufacturing in the industrial heartlands of the North Atlantic. In short, there is a mismatch between where deindustrialization is researched and where it is occurring, and the objective of this paper is to shift the geographical focus of research on deindustrialization to the Global South. Case studies from Argentina, India, Tanzania and Turkey demonstrate the variegated nature of deindustrialization beyond the North Atlantic. In the process, it is demonstrated that cities in the Global South can inform wider theoretical discussions on the impacts of deindustrialization at the urban scale

Effect of Sanitation on Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

A systematic review and meta-analysis by Kathrin Ziegelbauer and colleagues finds that sanitation is associated with a reduced risk of transmission of helminthiases to humans

Toxocariasis: a silent threat with a progressive public health impact

Background: Toxocariasis is a neglected parasitic zoonosis that afflicts millions of the pediatric and adolescent populations worldwide, especially in impoverished communities. This disease is caused by infection with the larvae of Toxocara canis and T. cati, the most ubiquitous intestinal nematode parasite in dogs and cats, respectively. In this article, recent advances in the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and pharmacotherapies that have been used in the treatment of toxocariasis are reviewed. Main text: Over the past two decades, we have come far in our understanding of the biology and epidemiology of toxocariasis. However, lack of laboratory infrastructure in some countries, lack of uniform case definitions and limited surveillance infrastructure are some of the challenges that hindered the estimation of global disease burden. Toxocariasis encompasses four clinical forms: visceral, ocular, covert and neural. Incorrect or misdiagnosis of any of these disabling conditions can result in severe health consequences and considerable medical care spending. Fortunately, multiple diagnostic modalities are available, which if effectively used together with the administration of appropriate pharmacologic therapies, can minimize any unnecessary patient morbidity. Conclusions: Although progress has been made in the management of toxocariasis patients, there remains much work to be done. Implementation of new technologies and better understanding of the pathogenesis of toxocariasis can identify new diagnostic biomarkers, which may help in increasing diagnostic accuracy. Also, further clinical research breakthroughs are needed to develop better ways to effectively control and prevent this serious disease