Comparative levels of excessive daytime sleepiness in common medical disorders.

Introduction: Sleep restriction and sleep disorders are common causes of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Medical disorders (MD) can also cause EDS, but previous studies have used non-standardized measures, selected samples, or have examined EDS in singular disorders. This study describes the relative degree of EDS associated with medical disorders to provide comparative data across a range of common medical conditions in a large unselected community-based sample.

Stress echocardiography for risk stratification in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing renal transplantation.

Background: The predictive accuracy of stress echocardiography (SE) for adverse cardiac events has been variable in the population with end-stage renal disease undergoing renal transplantation (RT).

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 149 patients who had pretransplant SE before RT between 1997 and 2003. Patients were followed up for a mean of 2.

Carvedilol: beta-blockade and beyond.

Carvedilol is an adrenergic antagonist with nonselective beta- and a1-receptor blocking properties that has demonstrated significant clinical benefit in the management of patients with heart failure and in the post-myocardial infarction setting. It also possesses unique ancillary properties that may account for positive results in a number of clinical trials. It appears to offer particular advantages in the treatment of comorbid conditions, including coronary artery disease, stroke, hypertension, renal failure, diabetes, and atrial fibrillation, that can independently contribute to the progression of heart failure.