90 research outputs found
A patient with abnormalities of the coronary arteries and non-compaction of the left ventricular myocardium resulting in ischaemic heart disease symptoms
Left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) is a rare cardiomyopathy that results from unsettled embryogenesis of myocardium. It is morphologically characterised by the presence of non-compacted, this is hypertrabeculated, myocardium of the left ventricle with deep endocardial recesses. The clinical spectrum of symptoms is very wide — from asymptomatic patients through the cases of heart failure to the patients requiring heart transplantation. The diagnosis is most frequently based on the echocardiography. LVNC is often coexisted with other heart defects and coronary artery abnormalities. We described a case of a 58-year-old man with LVNC and coronary artery anomalies
One‑year survival of ambulatory patients with end‑stage heart failure : the analysis of prognostic factors
Introduction An increasing number of ambulatory patients are placed on orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) waiting lists, which results in an extended waiting time and a higher mortality rate. Objectives The aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with reduced survival during a 1‑year follow‑up in patients with end‑stage heart failure listed for an OHT. Patients and methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of 221 adult patients, who were accepted for OHT in our institution over a 2‑year period between 2013 and 2014. Results The mean (SD) age of the patients was 54.7 (9.6) years, and 90.1% of them were male. The mortality rate during the follow‑up period was 43.3%. The modified Model for End‑Stage Liver Disease (modMELD) score (odds ratio [OR], 1.70; P <0.001), as well as the plasma levels of high‑sensitivity C‑reactive protein (hs‑CRP; OR, 1.10; P <0.01), sodium (OR, 0.74; P <0.001), and uric acid (UA; OR, 1.003; P <0.05) were independent factors affecting death. The receiver‑operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that a modMELD cut‑off of 10 (area under the ROC curve [AUC], 0.868; P <0.001), hs‑CRP cut‑off of 5.6 mg/l (AUC, 0.674; P <0.001), plasma sodium level cut‑off of 135 mmol/l (AUC, 0.778; P <0.001), and a plasma UA cut‑off of 488 μmol/l (AUC, 0.634; P <0.001) were the most accurate factors affecting death. Conclusions In conclusion, although limited to a single center, our study demonstrated that an elevated modMELD score, incorporating a combination of renal and hepatic laboratory parameters, as well as plasma sodium, UA, and hs‑CRP levels at the time of listing are associated with reduced survival in ambulatory patients with end‑stage heart failure, accepted for OHT
Bad Phages in Good Bacteria: Role of the Mysterious orf63 of λ and Shiga Toxin-Converting 824B Bacteriophages
Lambdoid bacteriophages form a group of viruses that shares a common schema of
genome organization and lifecycle. Some of them can play crucial roles in creating the
pathogenic profiles of Escherichia coli strains. For example, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli
(STEC) acquired stx genes, encoding Shiga toxins, via lambdoid prophages (Stx phages).
The results obtained so far present the evidence for the relation between the exo-xis
region of the phage genome and lambdoid phage development, however molecular
mechanisms of activities of the exo-xis genes’ products are still unknown. In view of this,
we decided to determine the influence of the uncharacterized open reading frame orf63
of the exo-xis region on lambdoid phages development using recombinant prophages, λ
and Stx phage 824B. We have demonstrated that orf63 codes for a folded protein, thus,
it is a functional gene. NMR spectroscopy and analytical gel filtration were used to extend
this observation further. From backbone chemical shifts, Orf63 is oligomeric in solution,
likely a trimer and consistent with its small size (63 aa.), is comprised of two helices, likely
intertwined to form the oligomer. We observed that the deletion of phage orf63 does not
impair the intracellular lambdoid phage lytic development, however delays the time and
decreases the efficiency of prophage induction and in consequence results in increased
survival of E. coli during phage lytic development. Additionally, the deletion of phage orf63
negatively influences expression of themajor phage genes and open reading frames from
the exo-xis region during prophage induction with hydrogen peroxide. We conclude, that
lambdoid phage orf63 may have specific functions in the regulation of lambdoid phages
development, especially at the stage of the lysis vs. lysogenization decision. Besides,
orf63 probably participates in the regulation of the level of expression of essential phage
genes and open reading frames from the exo-xis region during prophage induction
Prognostic value of selected risk scales in patients with end-stage heart failure
Background: Due to the increasing number of patients placed on waiting lists for orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT), the selection of patients with the highest risk of death has become paramount.Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of the Model for End-stage Liver Disease eXcluding INR (MELD-XI) and Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC) scales in ambulatory patients awaiting OHT and compare them to the Heart Failure Survival Score (HFSS).Methods: The study was a retrospective review of 370 adult ambulatory patients with end-stage heart failure, who were added to the OHT waiting list at our institution between 2012 and 2016.Results: The median age of the patients was 54.0 (46.0–60.0) years, and 324 (87.6%) of them were male. The overall one-year mortality was 27.6%. The areas under the curve (AUCs) for the MAGGIC and HFSS scales were comparable: 0.771 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.720–0.823); sensitivity 77%, specificity 68% vs. 0.781 (95% CI 0.732–0.829); sensitivity 90%, specificity 58%, respectively. The AUC for the MELD-XI scale was higher than that for the HFSS scale: 0.812 (95% CI 0.769–0.856); sensitivity 91%, specificity 63% vs. 0.781 (95% CI 0.732–0.829) sensitivity 90%, specificity 58%, respectively.Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that elevated MELD-XI and MAGGIC scores and lowered HFSS scores were associated with an increased risk of death during one-year follow-up. The prognostic utility of the MELD-XI scoring system was better than that of the HFSS scale, while the MAGGIC scale was comparable to the HFSS
AmyloGraph : a comprehensive database of amyloid-amyloid interactions
Information about the impact of interactions between amyloid proteins on their fibrillization propensity is scattered among many experimental articles and presented in unstructured form. We manually curated information located in almost 200 publications (selected out of 562 initially considered), obtaining details of 883 experimentally studied interactions between 46 amyloid proteins or peptides. We also proposed a novel standardized terminology for the description of amyloid-amyloid interactions, which is included in our database, covering all currently known types of such a cross-talk, including inhibition of fibrillization, cross-seeding and other phenomena. The new approach allows for more specific studies on amyloids and their interactions, by providing very well-defined data. AmyloGraph, an online database presenting information on amyloid-amyloid interactions, is available at (). Its functionalities are also accessible as the R package (). AmyloGraph is the only publicly available repository for experimentally determined amyloid-amyloid interactions
A Comparison of Surface Tension, Viscosity, and Density of Sn and Sn–Ag Alloys Using Different Measurement Techniques
Heart Rate Variability in Children and Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy-A Systematic Literature Review.
This is the final version. Available from MDPI via the DOI in this record. Cardiac autonomic dysfunction has been reported in patients with cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of this study was to assess the existing literature on heart rate variability (HRV) in pediatric patients with CP and a special attention was paid to the compliance of the studies with the current HRV assessment and interpretation guidelines. A systematic review was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases searched for English language publications from 1996 to 2019 using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms "heart rate variability" and "cerebral palsy" in conjunction with additional inclusion criteria: studies limited to humans in the age range of 0-18 years and empirical investigations. Out of 47 studies, 12 were included in the review. Pediatric patients with CP presented a significantly higher resting heart rate and reduced HRV, different autonomic responses to movement stimuli compared to children with normal development, but also reduced HRV parameters in the children dependent on adult assistance for mobility compared to those generally independent. None of the included studies contained the necessary details concerning RR intervals acquisition and HRV measurements as recommended by the guidelines. Authors of HRV studies should follow the methodological guidelines and recommendations on HRV measurement, because such an approach may allow a direct comparison of their results
Serum ADMA concentration – an independent factor determining FMD impairment in cardiac syndrome X
Mechanisms of decreased endogenous vascular reactivity in individuals with cardiac syndrome X (CSX) are not fully understood
Smart Fibre Optic Methods for Structural Health Monitoring of High Pressure Vessels for Hydrogen Storage
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