Roles and Clinical Applications of OPG and TRAIL as Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the major cause of death and premature disability in Western societies. Assessing the risk of CVD is an important aspect in clinical decision-making. Among the growing number of molecules that are studied for their potential utility as CVD biomarkers, a lot of attention has been focused on osteoprotegerin (OPG) and its ligands, which are receptor activator of nuclear factor \u3baB ligand (RANKL) and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand. Based on the existing literature and on our experience in this field, here we review what the possible roles of OPG and TRAIL in CVD are and their potential utility as CVD biomarkers

Case study economic feasibility study for adherence to the electric energy over-the-counter-market by Campus do Vale of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Tendo em vista a atual conjuntura energética brasileira tanto na questão diversidade de unidades geradoras e distribuidoras, quanto valores praticados no mercado cativo e mercado livre de energia, cabe entender as peculiaridades existentes em tais ambientes, e qual a melhor modalidade para compra de energia visando economia financeira com a fatura de energia elétrica. Diante de tal possível economia, esse artigo buscou demonstrar os resultados da migração do Campus do Vale da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul para comprador de energia do mercado livre, explicitando o montante despendido tanto no ambiente regulado quanto no ambiente livre de contratação, fazendo uma comparação presente e projetando valores futuros, a economia gerada com a migração e as vantagens e riscos envolvidos.In view of the current Brazilian energy situation, both in the diversity of generating units and distributors, as well as in the values practiced in the captive market and in the free energy market, it is important to understand how peculiarities exist in these environments and what is the best way to buy financial economic energy with an invoice of electricity. Given the possibility of savings, this article seeks to demonstrate the results of the Vale campus of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul as for buyers of energy in the free market, explaining the amount spent in both the regulated and the free contracting environment, making a comparison present and future value project, an economy generated with changes and as risks involved

Radiofrequency ablation for benign thyroid nodules

Benign thyroid nodules are an extremely common occurrence. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is gaining ground as an effective technique for their treatment, in case they become symptomatic. Here we review what are the current indications to RFA, its outcomes in terms of efficacy, tolerability, and cost, and also how it compares to the other conventional and experimental treatment modalities for benign thyroid nodules. Moreover, we will also address the issue of treating with this technique patients with cardiac pacemakers (PM) or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD), as it is a rather frequent occurrence that has never been addressed in detail in the literature

Meta-analysis on the effect of mild primary hyperparathyroidism and parathyroidectomy upon arterial stiffness

CONTEXT: current data about the cardiovascular manifestations of mild primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) are often conflicting. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is the gold-standard method for assessing aortic stiffness, which predicts cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.OBJECTIVE: Primary outcomes were to investigate if mild pHPT was associated with higher PWV and if parathyroidectomy (PTX) reduced PWV in mild pHPT. Secondary outcome was to investigate blood pressure changes after PTX.DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Google Scholar, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library.STUDY SELECTION: Eligible studies included reports of PWV in patients with mild pHPT and controls, or in patients with mild pHPT before and after PTX.DATA EXTRACTION: Two investigators independently identified eligible studies and extracted data. Pooled mean difference (MD) was the summary effect measure. Data were presented in forest plots with outlier and influential case diagnostics.DATA SYNTHESIS: Nine observational studies and one RCT were selected, including 433 patients with mild pHPT, 171 of whom underwent PTX, and 407 controls. PWV was significantly higher in mild pHPT as compared to controls (MD=1.18, 0.67 to 1.68, p<0.0001). Seven studies evaluated the effect of PTX on PWV. PTX significantly reduced PWV (MD= -0.48, -0.88 to -0.07, p=0.022).CONCLUSION: Aortic stiffness is increased in patients with mild pHPT, supporting the notion that also mild pHPT is associated with adverse cardiovascular manifestations. PTX significantly reduced arterial stiffness in mild pHPT, indicating that the benefit of PTX over cardiovascular manifestations should not be dismissed but it deserves further studies

Direct laser interference patterning of bioceramics: a short review

Bioceramics are a great alternative to use in implants due to their excellent biocompatibility and good mechanical properties. Depending on their composition, bioceramics can be classified into bioinert and bioactive, which relate to their interaction with the surrounding living tissue. Surface morphology also has great influence on the implant biological behavior. Controlled texturing can improve osseointegration and reduce biofilm formation. Among the techniques to produce nano- and micropatterns, laser texturing has shown promising results due to its excellent accuracy and reproducibility. In this work, the use of laser techniques to improve surface morphology of biomaterials is reviewed, focusing on the application of direct laser interference patterning (DLIP) technique in bioceramics.This study was funded by FCT-Portugal through the following projects-UID/EEA/04436/2013, COMPETE 2020 with the code POCI-01-0145-FEDER-00694 and LaserMULTICER (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031035) and by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Brazil through the project-CNPq/UNIVERSAL/421229/2018-7. B.H. acknowledges the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Full-Thickness Skin Burn Caused by Radiofrequency Ablation of a Benign Thyroid Nodule

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A case report of hyponatremia after surgery for Conn's adenoma

Primary aldosteronism (PA), also known as Conn's syndrome, is a frequent cause of secondary hypertension. If PA is due to a documented unilateral adrenal adenoma, adrenalectomy is the treatment of choice. Endocrine Society guidelines suggest monitoring potassium after adrenalectomy, while there is no mention of sodium disorders after surgery. Here we report the case of a patient with Conn's syndrome who developed hyponatremia after surgery. This was an unexpected event in the course of the treatment, which sheds light on the fact that low levels of aldosterone strongly influence sodium concentration, and advises clinicians to monitor sodium after adrenalectomy

A case report of malignant hypertension in a young woman

8noMalignant hypertension is a condition characterized by severe hypertension and multi-organ ischemic complications. Albeit mortality and renal survival have improved with antihypertensive therapy, progression to end-stage renal disease remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The underlying cause of malignant hypertension, which can be primary or secondary hypertension, is often difficult to identify and this can substantially affect the treatment outcomes, as we report here.openopenMichelli, Andrea; Bernardi, Stella; Grillo, Andrea; Panizon, Emiliano; Rovina, Matteo; Bardelli, Moreno; Carretta, Renzo; Fabris, BrunoMichelli, Andrea; Bernardi, Stella; Grillo, Andrea; Panizon, Emiliano; Rovina, Matteo; Bardelli, Moreno; Carretta, Renzo; Fabris, Brun

Children With Short Stature Display Reduced ACE2 Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

Background: The cause of short stature remains often unknown. The renin-angiotensin system contributes to growth regulation. Several groups reported that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-knockout mice weighed less than controls. Our case-control study aimed to investigate if children with short stature had reduced ACE2 expression as compared to controls, and its significance. Materials and Methods: children aged between 2 and 14 years were consecutively recruited in a University Hospital pediatric tertiary care center. Cases were children with short stature defined as height SD ≤ −2 diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) or idiopathic short stature (ISS), before any treatment. Exclusion criteria were: acute diseases, kidney disease, endocrine or autoimmune disorders, precocious puberty, genetic syndromes, SGA history. ACE and ACE2 expression were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, angiotensins were measured by ELISA. Results: Children with short stature displayed significantly lower ACE2 expression, being 0.40 fold induction (0.01-2.27) as compared to controls, and higher ACE/ACE2, with no differences between GHD and ISS. ACE2 expression was significantly and inversely associated with the risk of short stature, OR 0.26 (0.07-0.82), and it had a moderate accuracy to predict it, with an AUC of 0.73 (0.61-0.84). The cutoff of 0.45 fold induction of ACE2 expression was the value best predicting short stature, identifying correctly 70% of the children. Conclusions: Our study confirms the association between the reduction of ACE2 expression and growth retardation. Further studies are needed to determine its diagnostic implications