10 research outputs found
Serum selenium levels do not differ in type 2 diabetic subjects with and without coronary artery disease
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of the present study was to investigate whether selenium levels differ between type 2 diabetic subjects with and without coronary artery disease (CAD).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 200 subjects with type 2 diabetes (100 with CAD and 100 without CAD), consecutively selected from the diabetes outpatient clinic of our hospital were enrolled into the study. A detailed medical history and a physical examination were obtained by all the participants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Serum selenium levels did not differ between diabetic subjects with and without CAD (102.40 ± 31.10 vs. 108.86 ± 33.88 microg/L, p = 0.16). In diabetic subjects with CAD multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated significant independent associations between selenium and sex (beta = 0.21, p = 0.03) and glucose levels (beta = 0.25, p = 0.008). In diabetic subjects without CAD multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated significant independent associations between selenium and peripheral artery disease (beta = 0.16, p = 0.05) and glucose levels (beta = -0.09, p = 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Serum selenium levels did not differ between diabetic subjects with and without CAD. In diabetic subjects with CAD, the only determinants of serum selenium levels were sex and glucose levels. In diabetic subjects without CAD the only determinants of serum selenium levels were peripheral artery disease and glucose levels.</p
Layer-Specific Residual Deformations and Their Variation Along the Human Aorta
This study described the regional distribution of layer-specific
residual deformations in fifteen human aortas collected during autopsy.
Circumferentially and axially cut strips of standardized dimensions from
the anterior quadrant of nine consecutive aortic levels were
photographed to obtain the zero-stress state for the intact wall. The
strips were then dissected into layers that were also photographed to
obtain their zero-stress state. Changes in layer-specific opening angle,
residual stretches, and thickness at each aortic level and direction
were determined via image analysis. The circumferential and axial
opening angles of the intima were similar to 240 deg and similar to 30
deg, respectively, throughout the aorta; those of the adventitia were
similar to 150 deg and -20 deg to 70 deg. The opening angles of the
intact wall and media were similar in either direction. The
circumferential residual stretches of the intima and the axial residual
stretches of the media showed high values in the aortic arch, decreasing
in the descending thoracic aorta and increasing toward the iliac artery
bifurcation, while the axial residual stretches of the adventitia
increased distally. The remaining residual stretches did not vary
significantly with aortic level, suggesting an intimal role in
determining circumferential, as well as medial and adventitial roles in
determining axial residual stretches. We conclude that the tensile
residual stretches released in the intima and media upon separation, and
the compressive residual stretches released in the adventitia may
moderate the inverse transmural stress gradients under physiologic
loads, resulting from the >180 deg circumferential opening angle of the
intact wall
Variation of Axial Residual Strains Along the Course and Circumference of Human Aorta Considering Age and Gender
Subdural and epidural hematoma occurrence in relation to the head impact site: An autopsy study
Blunt head injury is a major public health and socioeconomic problem
causing death and disability particularly among the young population
throughout the world. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate
if the impact site is correlated with the subdural and epidural hematoma
occurrence. A retrospective analysis of consecutive autopsy cases
submitted to our Department during a 5-year period was performed. The
basic criterion for inclusion in the study was death due to blunt head
injury. The recorded variables included the circumstances of death, the
existence, and location of head injuries, the primary impact site, age,
gender, and toxicological results. A total number of 683 fatal head
injury cases was recorded, with most of them being male (74.1%). In 424
cases (62.1%) fatal head injuries were due to road traffic accidents.
Fall (from height or on the ground) was the cause of death in 220
(32.2%) cases followed by inflicted impact-assault in 26 (3.8%) cases.
A subdural hematoma was found more frequently (26.9%) than epidural
(5.0%). Epidural hematomas were found only under the primary impact
site, whereas subdural hematomas were coup, contrecoup, or bilateral. An
epidural hematoma was found to be almost 5 times more frequent in cases
in which a subdural hematoma was present. A higher proportion of
subdural, as well as epidural hematoma, was found when the site of
impact was the temporal region, followed by the parietal one. Sex did
not exert any influence on the probability of subdural and epidural
hematoma, whereas for age, a 10% increase in the probability of
subdural hematoma occurrence was observed with 10-year age increase
Incidence of fatalities of road traffic accidents associated with alcohol consumption and the use of psychoactive drugs: A 7-year survey (2011-2017)
Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or psychoactive substances
increases the risk of severe, even fatal motor vehicle accidents. The
aim of this descriptive study was to present the impact of alcohol
and/or psychoactive substances on fatal road traffic accidents (RTAs)
during the period 2011-2017. For this purpose, the toxicological
investigation reports from the Department of Forensic Medicine and
Toxicology of the University of Athens were used. In total, 1,841
(32.2%) of the autopsies conducted by the Department of Forensic
Medicine and Toxicology of the National and Kapodistrian University of
Athens over a 7-year period (2011-2017) were victims of fatal RTAs.
Blood and urine samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of
alcohol and psychoactive substances. The results were classified
according to sex, age, victim (car driver, motorcyclist, pedestrian, or
passenger) and the date the accident occurred (day, month and year). In
total, 40.7% of the RTA-related fatalities were associated with alcohol
consumption, among which 20.3% were car drivers. Of these, 87.3% were
male victims. A higher frequency of RTA-related fatalities associated
with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) >110 mg/dl was encountered in
younger compared with older age groups. Psychoactive substances were
detected in 348 (18.9%) of the victims (cannabis in 46.6% of these,
benzodiazepines in 25.9%, opiates in 16.4% and cocaine in 11.1% of
these). The percentage of the RTA-related victims that had consumed
alcohol in combination with other psychoactive substances was 4.5%. On
the whole, the findings of this study suggest that alcohol and
psychoactive substances are probably risk factors for RTA-related
fatalities
Muscle Lim Protein Interacts with Cofilin 2 and Regulates F-Actin Dynamics in Cardiac and Skeletal Muscle▿
The muscle LIM protein (MLP) and cofilin 2 (CFL2) are important regulators of striated myocyte function. Mutations in the corresponding genes have been directly associated with severe human cardiac and skeletal myopathies, and aberrant expression patterns have often been observed in affected muscles. Herein, we have investigated whether MLP and CFL2 are involved in common molecular mechanisms, which would promote our understanding of disease pathogenesis. We have shown for the first time, using a range of biochemical and immunohistochemical methods, that MLP binds directly to CFL2 in human cardiac and skeletal muscles. The interaction involves the inter-LIM domain, amino acids 94 to 105, of MLP and the amino-terminal domain, amino acids 1 to 105, of CFL2, which includes part of the actin depolymerization domain. The MLP/CFL2 complex is stronger in moderately acidic (pH 6.8) environments and upon CFL2 phosphorylation, while it is independent of Ca2+ levels. This interaction has direct implications in actin cytoskeleton dynamics in regulating CFL2-dependent F-actin depolymerization, with maximal depolymerization enhancement at an MLP/CFL2 molecular ratio of 2:1. Deregulation of this interaction by intracellular pH variations, CFL2 phosphorylation, MLP or CFL2 gene mutations, or expression changes, as observed in a range of cardiac and skeletal myopathies, could impair F-actin depolymerization, leading to sarcomere dysfunction and disease
Regional and age-dependent residual strains, curvature, and dimensions of the human ureter
Effects of Aneurysm on the Mechanical Properties and Histologic Structure of Aortic Sinuses
Sudden cardiac death in the young: a consensus statement on recommended practices for cardiac examination by the pathologist from the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology
Sudden cardiac death is, by definition, an unexpected, untimely death caused by a cardiac condition in a person with known or unknown heart disease. This major international public health problem accounts for approximately 15-20% of all deaths. Typically more common in older adults with acquired heart disease, SCD also can occur in the young where the cause is more likely to be a genetically transmitted process. As these inherited disease processes can affect multiple family members, it is critical that these deaths are appropriately and thoroughly investigated. Across the United States, SCD cases in those less than 40 years of age will often fall under medical examiner/coroner jurisdiction resulting in scene investigation, review of available medical records and a complete autopsy including toxicological and histological studies. To date, there have not been consistent or uniform guidelines for cardiac examination in these cases. In addition, many medical examiner/coroner offices are understaffed and/or underfunded, both of which may hamper specialized examinations or studies (eg. molecular testing). Use of such guidelines by pathologists in cases of SCD in decedents aged 1 to 39 years of age could result in life-saving medical intervention for other family members. These recommendations also may provide support for underfunded offices to argue for the significance of this specialized testing. As cardiac examinations in the setting of SCD in the young fall under ME/C jurisdiction, this consensus paper has been developed with members of the Society of Cardiovascular Pathology working with cardiovascular pathology-trained, practicing forensic pathologists