Frequent cellular phone use modifies hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response to a cellular phone call after mental stress in healthy children and adolescents: A pilot study.

Objective: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the main "gate-keeper" of the organism's response to every somatic or mental stress. This prospective study aims to investigate the HPA-axis response to a cellular phone call exposure after mental stress in healthy children and adolescents and to assess the possible predictive role of baseline endocrine markers to this response.

Subjects And Methods: Two groups of healthy school-age children aged 11-14 (12.

Neurohormonal and cytokine fluctuations following transcatheter closure for an atrial septal defect.

Introduction: Inflammation and neurohormonal activation are considered to be involved in the development of earlier and/or later complications in congenital heart disease patients, even after a successful repair of the lesion. It is not yet clarified what is the role of the therapeutic interventions in the occurrence of such a response and how it could be associated with possible postoperative complications.

Aim: We sought to assess the inflammatory and neurohormonal response to transcatheter closure of secundum type atrial septal defects (ASD) over a six-month follow-up period.

Neurohormonal activity and vascular properties late after aortic coarctation repair.

Background: Coarctation of aorta (CoA) patients present cardiovascular complications late after repair the causes of which are not fully understood. Our study investigates the neurohormonal and immune activation and the elastic properties of the aorta and peripheral vessels in adult patients with coarctation of aorta (CoA), late after repair.

Methods: Nineteen adult patients with repaired CoA and 29 matched healthy controls underwent aortic distensibility, stiffness index, a study of the elastic properties of peripheral vessels proximal to the coarctation site and measurement of plasma cytokine and neurohormone levels.

Heart rate turbulence in adults with repaired tetralogy of Fallot.

Background: Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) patients face an increased risk of sudden cardiac death late after repair. Heart rate turbulence (HRT) indices are well-known predictors of sudden cardiac death. We aimed to estimate whether HRT is impaired in repaired ToF patients compared to healthy controls and relate those HRT parameters to already recognized prognostic markers.