Surfactant protein D concentrations in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from young healthy horses on pasture and in a barn environment.

Objective: To evaluate surfactant protein D (SP-D) concentrations in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from young healthy horses on pasture or housed in a typical barn.

Animals: 20 young healthy horses.

Procedures: Horses were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups (pasture, n = 10; barn, 10), and serum and BALF samples were collected for SP-D determination at baseline (all horses on pasture) and 2 weeks and 4 weeks after the barn group of horses was relocated from the pasture to the barn.

Creating inclusive health care environments: Health care stories from the trans population.

Background: Transgender people face a multitude of health care access barriers that create wide disparities in health. Transgender people have more untreated acute and chronic conditions than the cisgender population.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe positive and negative experiences of transgender people when accessing health care.

Sleep disordered breathing controlled by CPAP and sFlt-1 in a pregnant patient with chronic hypertension: Case report and literature review.

Background: There is recent interest exploring the possible impact of sleep disordered breathing on the mechanisms of preeclampsia. A biomarker of preeclampsia, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1, has come to prominence in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between continuous positive airway pressure treatment, sleep disordered breathing and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 concentrations during pregnancy.

Risk factors associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy within an urban indigenous population in south western Sydney.

Background: The prevalence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) in Australia's urban indigenous women is unknown.

Aim: To explore the risk factors associated with HDP for a cohort of urban indigenous women in South-Western Sydney, Australia.

Methods: This study was conducted in partnership with the Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service.

Clinical Genetic Testing for the Cardiomyopathies and Arrhythmias: A Systematic Framework for Establishing Clinical Validity and Addressing Genotypic and Phenotypic Heterogeneity.

Advances in DNA sequencing have made large, diagnostic gene panels affordable and efficient. Broad adoption of such panels has begun to deliver on the promises of personalized medicine, but has also brought new challenges such as the presence of unexpected results, or results of uncertain clinical significance. Genetic analysis of inherited cardiac conditions is particularly challenging due to the extensive genetic heterogeneity underlying cardiac phenotypes, and the overlapping, variable, and incompletely penetrant nature of their clinical presentations.

Results of genetic testing in 855 consecutive unrelated patients referred for long QT syndrome in a clinical laboratory.

Aim: Our aim was to examine the diagnostic yield of genetic testing in 855 consecutive unrelated cases referred for Long QT syndrome (LQTS).

Results: Eight hundred fifty five consecutive patients with a mean age at testing of 27.5±18.

General and disease-specific psychosocial adjustment in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy with implantable cardioverter defibrillators: a large cohort study.

Background: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) is characterized by frequent life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, diagnosed on average in the teens to mid-50s and commonly treated by implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). As younger age and high frequency of ICD discharges are risk factors for difficulties in psychosocial adjustment, we developed a study to assess psychosocial adjustment among patients with ARVD/C and to determine risk factors for poor adjustment in this high-risk population.

Methods And Results: Eighty-six adults enrolled in the Johns Hopkins ARVD Registry (38 male; mean age, 45.

Reader- and instrument-dependent variability in the electrocardiographic assessment of arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy.

Introduction: Despite the use of standardized definitions, widely varying prevalence estimates of electrocardiographic (ECG) features related to arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) have been reported in different cohorts. This study was aimed at examining the variability in the ECG interpretation resulting from the same reader, different readers, and using different ECG-resolutions.

Methods And Results: Blinded to other clinical data, 2 readers examined quantitative and qualitative ECG features of 20 (10 ARVD/C) randomly selected individuals.

Shared desmosome gene findings in early and late onset arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) is an inherited form of cardiomyopathy with low penetrance and variable expressivity. Dominant mutations and rare polymorphisms in desmosome genes are frequently identified. We reasoned that individuals with earlier onset disease would have more frequent desmosome gene mutations and rare polymorphisms.

Comprehensive desmosome mutation analysis in north americans with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy.

Background: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) is an inherited disorder typically caused by mutations in components of the cardiac desmosome. The prevalence and significance of desmosome mutations among patients with ARVD/C in North America have not been described previously. We report comprehensive desmosome genetic analysis for 100 North Americans with clinically confirmed or suspected ARVD/C.

Electrocardiographic features of arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia.

Background: The purpose of this study was to reevaluate the ECG features of arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD). The second objective was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the standard and newly proposed diagnostic ECG markers in the presence of a right bundle-branch block (RBBB).

Methods And Results: One hundred patients with ARVD (57 men; aged 39+/-15 years) and 57 controls (21 men; aged 40+/-17 years) were included.

Prevalence and pathophysiologic attributes of ventricular dyssynchrony in arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate the prevalence and mechanisms underlying right ventricular (RV) dyssynchrony in arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) using tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE).

Background: An ARVD/C is characterized by fibrofatty replacement of RV myocardium and RV dilation. These pathologic changes may result in electromechanical dyssynchrony.

Morphologic variants of familial arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy a genetics-magnetic resonance imaging correlation study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of left ventricular (LV) involvement in individuals predisposed to developing arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C), and to investigate novel morphologic variants of ARVD/C.

Background: The discovery of desmosomal mutations associated with ARVD/C has led researchers to hypothesize equal right ventricular (RV) and LV affliction in the disease process.

Methods: Thirty-eight (age 30 +/- 17 years; 18 males) family members of 12 desmosomal mutation-carrying ARVD/C probands underwent genotyping and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR).

Two-dimensional separation of peptides using RP-RP-HPLC system with different pH in first and second separation dimensions.

Two-dimensional high performance liquid chromatography is a useful tool for proteome analysis, providing a greater peak capacity than single-dimensional LC. The most popular 2D-HPLC approach used today for proteomic research combines strong cation exchange and reversed-phase HPLC. We have evaluated an alternative mode for 2D-HPLC of peptides, employing reversed-phase columns in both separation dimensions.

Orthogonality of separation in two-dimensional liquid chromatography.

Two-dimensional liquid chromatography is often used to reduce the proteomic sample complexity prior to tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The 2D-LC performance depends on the peak capacity in both chromatographic dimensions, and separation orthogonality. The peak capacity and selectivity of many LC modes for peptides is not well known, and mathematical characterization for orthogonality is underdeveloped.

Implications of column peak capacity on the separation of complex peptide mixtures in single- and two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography.

Column peak capacity was utilized as a measure of column efficiency for gradient elution conditions. Peak capacity was evaluated experimentally for reversed-phase (RP) and cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns, and compared to the values predicted from RP-HPLC gradient theory. The model was found to be useful for the prediction of peak capacity and productivity in single- and two-dimensional (2D) chromatography.