366 research outputs found
CK-MM Gene Polymorphism Does not Influence the Blood CK Activity Levels After Exhaustive Eccentric Exercise
Galectin-3 is associated with stage B metabolic heart disease and pulmonary hypertension in young obese patients
Background Obesity is a precursor to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Biomarkers that identify preclinical metabolic heart disease ( MHD ) in young obese patients would help identify high-risk individuals for heart failure prevention strategies. We assessed the predictive value of GAL3 (galectin-3), FSTL3 (follistatin-like 3 peptide), and NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) to identify stage B MHD in young obese participants free of clinically evident cardiovascular disease. Methods and Results Asymptomatic obese patients (n=250) and non-obese controls (n=21) underwent echocardiographic cardiac phenotyping. Obese patients were classified as MHD positive ( MHD - POS ; n=94) if they had abnormal diastolic function or left ventricular hypertrophy and had estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure ≥35 mm Hg. Obese patients without such abnormalities were classified as MHD negative (MHD-NEG; n=52). Serum biomarkers timed with echocardiography. MHD - POS and MHD-NEG individuals were similarly obese, but MHD - POS patients were older, with more diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. Right ventricular coupling was worse in MHD - POS patients ( P<0.001). GAL 3 levels were higher in MHD - POS versus MHD -NEG patients (7.7±2.3 versus 6.3±1.9 ng/mL, respectively; P<0.001). Both GAL 3 and FSTL 3 levels correlated with diastolic dysfunction and increased pulmonary artery systolic pressure but not with left ventricular mass. In multivariate models including all 3 biomarkers, only GAL 3 remained associated with MHD (odds ratio: 1.30; 95% CI , 1.01-1.68; P=0.04). Conclusions In young obese individuals without known cardiovascular disease, GAL 3 is associated with the presence of preclinical MHD . GAL 3 may be useful in screening for preclinical MHD and identifying individuals with increased risk of progression to obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.Deepa M. Gopal, Nir Ayalon, Yi, Chih Wang, Deborah Siwik, Aaron Sverdlov, Courtney Donohue ... et al
A comparison of two anaerobic test measurement systems using an upper body Wingate test
This study aimed to compare performance measures acquired by two different Wingate Anaerobic Test systems; Cranlea and Monark. Twenty participants undertook 58 Wingate tests against a 4% body mass resistive load on a cycle ergometer adapted for arm cranking. Corrected peak power output (PP; W) was recorded using 1 rev min–1, 0.5, 1 and 5 s averages and mean power output (MP; W). The Cranlea system recorded the greatest PP (589 ± 267 W) compared with the Monark (546 ± 267 W; P < 0.001). The PP using all other methods was also greater for the Cranlea compared with the Monark system (P < 0.001) with mean differences of 55 ± 18 W for 1 s averages and 22 ± 18 W for MP. Correlations between all PPs were strong (r = 0.99 – 0.97; P < 0.001). In conclusion, although the Cranlea system provides a consistently greater corrected PP it may not be enough to substantially differentiate between systems
Psychosocial, socio-cultural, and environmental influences on mental health help-seeking among African-American men
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jomh.2012.03.00
Visceral Artery Aneurysms in Liver Transplant Candidates and in Patients after Liver Transplantation
There are only few reviews concerning visceral aneurysms in cirrhotics, and a small number of papers on visceral aneurysms in liver transplant patients. The present paper investigates this condition in both groups of patients in a 10-year-retrospective study
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Experiences of dementia in a foreign country: qualitative content analysis of interviews with people with dementia
Background: Dementia is a worldwide health concern of epidemic proportions. Research in the field of subjective experience of dementia suffers from a lack of diversity of their participants including immigrants. Different portraits of life with dementia could help us understand how people with dementia conceptualise their experiences of dementia and how they live. Our study aimed to explore the subjective experiences of living with dementia among Iranian immigrants in Sweden.
Methods: Qualitative content analysis of interviews with fifteen people with dementia from Iranian immigrant backgrounds were conducted (8 females and 7 males).
Results: Three themes and seven associated sub-themes were revealed. The themes included: Being a person with dementia means living with forgetfulness (personal sphere), living with forgetfulness in the private sphere means feeling incompetent but still loved, living with forgetfulness in the public sphere means feeling confident and secure but also isolated.
Conclusions: Living with dementia for the participants meant living with forgetfulness. They experienced feeling incompetent but still loved within their families and feeling confident and secure but also isolated in the society. Educating people with dementia and their families about the course and process of dementia may help them understand the changes better and adjust their expectations. Our study can provide a basis for healthcare workers to understand the experiences of living with dementia from this specific perspective
Obstructive sleep apnea, verbal memory, and executive function in a community-based high-risk population identified by the Berlin Questionnaire Akershus Sleep Apnea Project
Purpose Cognitive functions in community-dwelling adults at high risk of obstructive sleep apnea have not been described and nor are associations between cognitive functions and obstructive sleep apnea severity fully understood. The study aimed to describe verbal memory and executive function in community-dwelling adults identified by the Berlin Questionnaire and to investigate associations between these cognitive domains and different obstructive sleep apnea severity indicators. Methods Among 29,258 age- and gender-stratified persons 30–65 years who received the Berlin Questionnaire by mail, 16,302 (55.7%) responded. From 654 randomly drawn respondents with BQ high risk who were approached for study participation, 290 participants (55.9% males, mean age 48.2 years) were included. Verbal memory was assessed by Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and executive function by Stroop test. Obstructive sleep apnea severity indicators were assessed by polysomnography
Evaluating model outputs using integrated global speleothem records of climate change since the last glacial
Although quantitative isotope data from speleothems has been used to evaluate isotope-enabled model simulations, currently no consensus exists regarding the most appropriate methodology through which to achieve this. A number of modelling groups will be running isotope-enabled palaeoclimate simulations in the framework of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6, so it is timely to evaluate different approaches to using the speleothem data for data–model comparisons. Here, we illustrate this using 456 globally distributed speleothem δ18O records from an updated version of the Speleothem Isotopes Synthesis and Analysis (SISAL) database and palaeoclimate simulations generated using the ECHAM5-wiso isotope-enabled atmospheric circulation model. We show that the SISAL records reproduce the first-order spatial patterns of isotopic variability in the modern day, strongly supporting the application of this dataset for evaluating model-derived isotope variability into the past. However, the discontinuous nature of many speleothem records complicates the process of procuring large numbers of records if data–model comparisons are made using the traditional approach of comparing anomalies between a control period and a given palaeoclimate experiment. To circumvent this issue, we illustrate techniques through which the absolute isotope values during any time period could be used for model evaluation. Specifically, we show that speleothem isotope records allow an assessment of a model's ability to simulate spatial isotopic trends. Our analyses provide a protocol for using speleothem isotope data for model evaluation, including screening the observations to take into account the impact of speleothem mineralogy on δ18O values, the optimum period for the modern observational baseline and the selection of an appropriate time window for creating means of the isotope data for palaeo-time-slices
Functioning of the dimeric GABA(B) receptor extracellular domain revealed by glycan wedge scanning
The G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activated by the neurotransmitter GABA
is made up of two subunits, GABA(B1) and GABA(B2). GABA(B1) binds agonists,
whereas GABA(B2) is required for trafficking GABA(B1) to the cell surface,
increasing agonist affinity to GABA(B1), and activating associated G proteins.
These subunits each comprise two domains, a Venus flytrap domain (VFT) and a
heptahelical transmembrane domain (7TM). How agonist binding to the GABA(B1)
VFT leads to GABA(B2) 7TM activation remains unknown. Here, we used a glycan
wedge scanning approach to investigate how the GABA(B) VFT dimer controls
receptor activity. We first identified the dimerization interface using a
bioinformatics approach and then showed that introducing an N-glycan at this
interface prevents the association of the two subunits and abolishes all
activities of GABA(B2), including agonist activation of the G protein. We also
identified a second region in the VFT where insertion of an N-glycan does not
prevent dimerization, but blocks agonist activation of the receptor. These data
provide new insight into the function of this prototypical GPCR and demonstrate
that a change in the dimerization interface is required for receptor
activation
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