Relationship between exhaled air temperature and exhaled nitric oxide in childhood asthma

Airway inflammation is a characteristic of asthma. Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) has been demonstrated to be related to actual levels of airway inflammation in asthmatic patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the temperature of exhaled air is related to eNO levels. Temperature of exhaled air and eNO were measured in 52 asthmatic children with a cross-sectional design. A significant relationship was demonstrated between eNO and temperature of peak and plateau exhaled air temperature. The relationship between both the peak and the plateau values and eNO was more evident when it was corrected for environmental temperature. These results suggest a relationship between exhaled nitric oxide and the temperature of exhaled air in asthmatic patients not treated with systemic steroids

Gravity map of the isla Grande de Tierra de Fuego, and morphology of Lago Fagnano

A complete Bouguer gravity map of the central-eastern part of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, and a general bathymetric chart of the Lago Fagnano have been realized, on the basis of a series of field geophysical surveys carried out on the Island since 1998. The regional gravity anomaly trend onshore shows a progressive negative gradient from N to S. Distinct, broadly E-W-trending gravity minima are superimposed on this regional negative gradient. They follow the main trace of the Magallanes-Fagnano fault system, which represents the western segment of the left-lateral South America-Scotia transform plate boundary. The gravity minima reflect the presence in the subsurface of restricted and elongated basins developed within the principal displacement zone of the fault system. A relative positive gravity maximum is located just at the SE corner of the Lago Fagnano, and represents the response of a partially exposed crystalline body, occupying an area 3 x 3 km wide. A 2D vertical crustal model has been constructed, combining gravity data inversion and geological information available for the central-eastern region of Lago Fagnano. The bathymetric map of the Lago Fagnano delineates the main morphological features of this 110-km-long, 7-km-wide lake, the largest of Isla Grande. The floor is divided into distinct parts, which suggests that the basin is composed of different sub-basins. In most areas, the basin floor is highly asymmetric in shape, with flat depocentral areas. The most pronounced asymmetry of the basin is seen in the eastern end of the lake, where there is also the deepest depression. The steeper slope of the basin, along the northern shore of the Lago Fagnano, also coincides with the most pronounced regional topographic gradient. The general gravimetric and morphological features of the investigated region are here discussed

Use of adipose derived stem cells in Treacher Collins syndrome

Objective: Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a rare congenital disorder of craniofacial development. TCS occurs with an incidence of 1:50,000, and more than 60% of TCS cases have no previous family history and arise as the result of de novo mutations. The high rate of de novo mutations, together with the extreme variability in the degree to which individuals can be affected, makes the provision of genetic counseling extremely complicated. Consequently, every case of TCS is unique and needs to be assessed individually. Patients with TCS frequently undergo multiple reconstructive surgeries from birth through adulthood, which rarely are fully corrective in the long-term. The nascent field of regenerative medicine offers the promise to improve some of these treatments. In particular, structural fat grafting (SFG) seems to be a good strategy not only to restore the normal volume and contour of the face, but also to provide a source of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) with a multilineage differentiation potential. In this work, we present genetical analyses of ADSC affected by TCS. Materials and methods: ADSCs from were analyzed for their stemness properties and shared many characteristics with those of a healthy subject. Screening of the genome of the TCS patient using array-Comparative Genomic Hybridization allowed us to identify some chromosomal imbalances that are probably associated with TCS. Results: We found that some alterations, involving the TIMELESS gene, were usually associated with embryonic stem cells. Conclusions: With the aim to improve the final results, we need to consider combining knowledge of genetic alterations and expression profiles as a fundamental step before starting with surgical procedures

Sex- and age-related differences in the management and outcomes of chronic heart failure: an analysis of patients from the ESC HFA EORP Heart Failure Long-Term Registry

Aims: This study aimed to assess age- and sex-related differences in management and 1-year risk for all-cause mortality and hospitalization in chronic heart failure (HF) patients. Methods and results: Of 16 354 patients included in the European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure Long-Term Registry, 9428 chronic HF patients were analysed [median age: 66 years; 28.5% women; mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 37%]. Rates of use of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) were high (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists: 85.7%, 88.7% and 58.8%, respectively). Crude GDMT utilization rates were lower in women than in men (all differences: P\ua0 64 0.001), and GDMT use became lower with ageing in both sexes, at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Sex was not an independent predictor of GDMT prescription; however, age >75 years was a significant predictor of GDMT underutilization. Rates of all-cause mortality were lower in women than in men (7.1% vs. 8.7%; P\ua0=\ua00.015), as were rates of all-cause hospitalization (21.9% vs. 27.3%; P\ua075 years. Conclusions: There was a decline in GDMT use with advanced age in both sexes. Sex was not an independent predictor of GDMT or adverse outcomes. However, age >75 years independently predicted lower GDMT use and higher all-cause mortality in patients with LVEF 6445%

Association between loop diuretic dose changes and outcomes in chronic heart failure: observations from the ESC-EORP Heart Failure Long-Term Registry

[Abstract] Aims. Guidelines recommend down-titration of loop diuretics (LD) once euvolaemia is achieved. In outpatients with heart failure (HF), we investigated LD dose changes in daily cardiology practice, agreement with guideline recommendations, predictors of successful LD down-titration and association between dose changes and outcomes. Methods and results. We included 8130 HF patients from the ESC-EORP Heart Failure Long-Term Registry. Among patients who had dose decreased, successful decrease was defined as the decrease not followed by death, HF hospitalization, New York Heart Association class deterioration, or subsequent increase in LD dose. Mean age was 66±13 years, 71% men, 62% HF with reduced ejection fraction, 19% HF with mid-range ejection fraction, 19% HF with preserved ejection fraction. Median [interquartile range (IQR)] LD dose was 40 (25–80) mg. LD dose was increased in 16%, decreased in 8.3% and unchanged in 76%. Median (IQR) follow-up was 372 (363–419) days. Diuretic dose increase (vs. no change) was associated with HF death [hazard ratio (HR) 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12–2.08; P = 0.008] and nominally with cardiovascular death (HR 1.25, 95% CI 0.96–1.63; P = 0.103). Decrease of diuretic dose (vs. no change) was associated with nominally lower HF (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.33–1.07; P = 0.083) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 0.62 95% CI 0.38–1.00; P = 0.052). Among patients who had LD dose decreased, systolic blood pressure [odds ratio (OR) 1.11 per 10 mmHg increase, 95% CI 1.01–1.22; P = 0.032], and absence of (i) sleep apnoea (OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.09–0.69; P = 0.008), (ii) peripheral congestion (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.29–0.80; P = 0.005), and (iii) moderate/severe mitral regurgitation (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.37–0.87; P = 0.008) were independently associated with successful decrease. Conclusion. Diuretic dose was unchanged in 76% and decreased in 8.3% of outpatients with chronic HF. LD dose increase was associated with worse outcomes, while the LD dose decrease group showed a trend for better outcomes compared with the no-change group. Higher systolic blood pressure, and absence of (i) sleep apnoea, (ii) peripheral congestion, and (iii) moderate/severe mitral regurgitation were independently associated with successful dose decrease

Cardiopoietic cell therapy for advanced ischemic heart failure: results at 39 weeks of the prospective, randomized, double blind, sham-controlled CHART-1 clinical trial

Cardiopoietic cells, produced through cardiogenic conditioning of patients' mesenchymal stem cells, have shown preliminary efficacy. The Congestive Heart Failure Cardiopoietic Regenerative Therapy (CHART-1) trial aimed to validate cardiopoiesis-based biotherapy in a larger heart failure cohort