Energy metabolites as biomarkers in ischemic and dilated cardiomyopathy

With more than 25 million people affected, heart failure (HF) is a global threat. As energy production pathways are known to play a pivotal role in HF, we sought here to identify key metabolic changes in ischemic- and non-ischemic HF by using a multi-OMICS approach. Serum metabolites and mRNAseq and epigenetic DNA methylation profiles were analyzed from blood and left ventricular heart biopsy specimens of the same individuals. In total we collected serum from n = 82 patients with Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) and n = 51 controls in the screening stage. We identified several metabolites involved in glycolysis and citric acid cycle to be elevated up to 5.7-fold in DCM (p = 1.7 × 10(-6)). Interestingly, cardiac mRNA and epigenetic changes of genes encoding rate-limiting enzymes of these pathways could also be found and validated in our second stage of metabolite assessment in n = 52 DCM, n = 39 ischemic HF and n = 57 controls. In conclusion, we identified a new set of metabolomic biomarkers for HF. We were able to identify underlying biological cascades that potentially represent suitable intervention targets

Pain and the administration of analgesia: What nurses say.

Pain of moderate to severe intensity continues to be an important problem for many hospitalized patients. Nurses spend more time with patients than any other health professional group and have a key role to play in the management of patients' pain. This paper reports the findings from a series of focus group interviews which were undertaken to explore nurses' perceptions regarding pain and the administration of narcotic analgesia. Themes identified from participants' comments related to (1) the pivotal role of nurses in pain management; (2) nursing assessment and pain management decisions (3) individual factors influencing nurses' pain management decisions and (4) the influence of others on nurses' pain management decisions. These findings have implications for further research and the development of innovative educational strategies

An empirical investigation of the anxiolytic and pain reducing effects of music

This article reports two empirical experiments investigating the anxiety and pain reducing effects of listening to music via personal stereo following surgical procedures involving general anaesthetic. Both experiments involved participants selecting music of their own choice. In Experiment 1, following minor surgery on the foot, 20 participants in an experimental group listened to music while 20 participants in a control group did not. Results indicate that the music group felt significantly less anxiety than the control group. No differences in pain measurements between the two groups were found. Experiment 2 involved a music listening group of 30 females and a no music control group of 28 females. Both groups underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy. Postoperative measures of pain, anxiety and patient-controlled analgesia were taken. No differences between the groups were obtained on these measurements. The results of both experiments are discussed with reference to subjective responses to musical stimuli