Cardiac function in bronchiolitis: Not only a right ventricle matter.

Objectives: Extrapulmonary manifestations of bronchiolitis have been previously studied, with some identifying right ventricle (RV) diastolic/systolic dysfunction. We hypothesized that severe cases of bronchiolitis would have cardiac dysfunction resulting an increase in N-terminal pro-hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) values and worse outcomes. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the existence of cardiac dysfunction and to determine its association with severe bronchiolitis.

eTRANSAFE: Building a sustainable framework to share reproducible drug safety knowledge with the public domain.

Integrative drug safety research in translational health informatics has rapidly evolved and included data that are drawn in from many resources, combining diverse data that are either reused from (curated) repositories, or newly generated at source. Each resource is mandated by different sets of metadata rules that are imposed on the incoming data. Combination of the data cannot be readily achieved without interference of data stewardship and the top-down policy guidelines that supervise and inform the process for data combination to aid meaningful interpretation and analysis of such data.

J-chronic total occlusion score predictive capacity for percutaneous coronary intervention success of chronic total occlusion: Results from a European single center cohort with progressive experience over time.

Background: Several scoring systems have been described to assess the level of difficulty and to predict the probability of success of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of chronic total occlusion (CTO). The J-CTO score was initially developed to correlate CTO complexity with guidewire time crossing through the lesion within 30 min. Moreover, almost all scoring systems represent procedures performed by seasoned operators.

Estimated dead space fraction and the ventilatory ratio are associated with mortality in early ARDS.

Background: Indirect indices for measuring impaired ventilation, such as the estimated dead space fraction and the ventilatory ratio, have been shown to be independently associated with an increased risk of mortality. This study aimed to compare various methods for dead space estimation and the ventilatory ratio in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and to determine their independent values for predicting death at day 30. The present study is a post hoc analysis of a prospective observational cohort study of ICUs of two tertiary care hospitals in the Netherlands.

Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial: treatment of early intrauterine growth restriction with low molecular weight heparin (TRACIP).

Introduction: The incidence of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is estimated at about 3% of pregnancies, and it is associated with 30% of all perinatal mortality and severe morbidity with adverse neurodevelopmental and cardiovascular health consequences in adult life. Early onset IUGR represents 20%-30% of all cases and is highly associated with severe placental insufficiency. The existing evidence suggests that low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) has effects beyond its antithrombotic action, improving placental microvessel structure and function of pregnant women with vascular obstetric complications by normalising proangiogenic and antiapoptotic protein levels, cytokines and inflammatory factors.

A New Technique for Collection of Cerebrospinal Fluid in Rat Pups.

Background: Neuroprotective strategies to prevent or decrease brain injury in hypoxic ischemic newborns are one of the main research lines in neonatology. Animal models have been used to assess the efficiency of new therapeutic strategies. Brain damage biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are frequently used to evaluate the outcome at the bedside.

Body mass index and hospital mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome receiving care in a university hospital.

Although obesity is a well-established cardiovascular risk factor, some controversy has arisen with regard to its effect on hospital mortality in patients admitted for acute coronary syndrome. Methods. Clinical and anthropometric variables were analyzed in patients consecutively admitted for acute coronary syndrome to a university hospital between 2009 and 2010, and the correlation of those variables with hospital mortality was examined.

[Moderate cerebral hypothermia in hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy: Experience after one year].

Introduction: Moderate cerebral hypothermia has been shown to be an effective intervention in decreasing mortality and major disabilities in infants with moderate-severe hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE).

Objectives: To describe our experience within the first year of implementation, and to evaluate the feasibility and safety of this intervention.

Methods: Retrospective study of 20 patients with moderate-severe HIE treated with whole body hypothermia in the Agrupación Sanitaria Hospital Sant Joan de Déu-Hospital Clínic, between January 2009 and June 2010.

Phosphorylation of HtrA2 by cyclin-dependent kinase-5 is important for mitochondrial function.

The role of the serine protease HtrA2 in neuroprotection was initially identified by the demonstration of neurodegeneration in mice lacking HtrA2 expression or function, and the interesting finding that mutations adjacent to two putative phosphorylation sites (S142 and S400) have been found in Parkinson's disease patients. However, the mechanism of this neuroprotection and the signalling pathways associated with it remain mostly unknown. Here we report that cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (Cdk5), a kinase implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases, is responsible for phosphorylating HtrA2 at S400.

Cauterization of meso-ovarian vessels, a new model of intrauterine growth restriction in rats.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) remains an important cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Both IUGR and low birth weight have been identified as risk factors for increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, dyslipemia, and other diseases in the adulthood. Several animal models have been developed to study the underlying mechanisms of IUGR and its later consequences, with utero-placental ischemia by uterine artery ligation (UAL) being the most frequently used in rats.

Reducing errors in the management of hyperbilirubinaemia: validating a software application.

Objective: To verify the usefulness and reliability of a software tool we developed to help to apply the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Guidelines 2004 on hyperbilirubinaemia according to the infant's age in hours and their clinical risk factors.

Design: Randomised, cross-over, controlled trial with 20 simulated clinical cases comparing the "manual" application of the guidelines with our software application.

Participants: Fifteen doctors (eight final-year residents and seven consultants) from two hospitals in Spain.

Cardiovascular abnormalities in hyperthyroidism: a prospective Doppler echocardiographic study.

Purpose: We investigated the prevalence and clinical importance of cardiovascular abnormalities in patients with hyperthyroidism.

Methods: All consecutive patients diagnosed with hyperthyroidism during a period of 24 months were included in the study. Medical history, complete physical examination results, electrocardiographic findings, laboratory determinations, and Doppler echocardiographic findings were obtained for all patients within 24 hours of diagnosis, and after euthyroidism had been achieved.

Evidence-based management of schizophrenia.

Antipsychotic medication is the foundation of care for patients who suffer from schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions. Newly diagnosed patients should be treated with atypical antipsychotics, of which the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines recommend five. The quality of clinical evidence will ultimately establish the differences between available treatments.

[Guidelines of the Spanish Society of Cardiology for clinical practice in exercise testing].

Most exercise testing is performed in adults with known or suspected ischemic heart disease. In the last few years cardiac imaging techniques have been applied in this field, improving the information obtained with the procedure. However, the exceptions to this rule are emerging rapidly not only in healthy people (asymptomatic individuals, athletes, handicapped people) but also in cardiac patients (advanced congestive heart failure, hypertension, rhythm disorders, congenital heart disease, etc.

Lipoprotein(a) and the significance of the association between platelet glycoprotein IIIa polymorphisms and the risk of premature myocardial infarction.

Platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa may be involved in the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction as the key element in platelet aggregation and as the binding site of lipoprotein(a) to platelets, inhibiting plasminogen binding and activation. Recently, a strong association between the P1A2 polymorphism of the glycoprotein IIIa gene and acute coronary thrombosis has been reported. although this has not been confirmed.

The treatment of refractory depression using paroxetine with lithium augmentation.

1. The case is described of a 68-year-old woman with DSM-III-R major depression who was treatment-resistant to paroxetine. 2.

The Mediterranean-type diet: is there a need for further modification?

The effects on plasma lipoproteins of four fat-modified diets were assessed in 11 nuns in a contemplative order in the Mediterranean region of Spain. Diet 1 [high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), low monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), low ratio of PUFAs to saturated fatty acids (P:S)] and diet 3 (low PUFA, high MUFA, low P:S) induced significant, directly comparable reductions in total plasma (12% and 13%, respectively) and low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (24% and 19%, respectively). Diet 2 [high PUFA, high MUFA, low saturated fatty acid (SFA), high P:S] induced greater decrements (23% and 30% in total plasma and LDL cholesterol, respectively).