Isolated left ventricular failure is a predictor of poor outcome in patients receiving veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Aims: We investigated survival according to the nature of heart failure (isolated left, vs isolated right, vs biventricular heart failure) in patients undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for refractory cardiogenic shock of different causes.

Methods And Results: This single-center study included 132 patients with acute myocardial infarction (20%), acute on chronic heart failure (14%), post cardiotomy (17%), cardiac allograft failure (8%), pulmonary embolism (16%), and acute nonischemic heart failure (25%). Ventricular function was a priori assessed by transthoracic echocardiography (isolated left (26%), isolated right (22%), or biventricular heart failure (52%)).

Understanding factors that influence the use of risk scoring instruments in the management of patients with unstable angina or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction in the Netherlands: a qualitative study of health care practitioners' perceptions.

Background: Cardiac risk scores estimate a patient's risk of future cardiac events or death. They are developed to inform treatment decisions of patients diagnosed with unstable angina or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Despite recommending their use in guidelines and evidence of their prognostic value, they seem underused in practice.

Progressive multifocal cerebral infarction in a young kidney transplant recipient due to thrombotic microangiopathy.

Background: Renal transplant recipients frequently experience neurological complications. Whereas ischemic stroke, cerebral haemorrhage or hypertensive encephalopathy often result from vascular alterations prior to transplantation, other cerebral diseases like CNS infections, primary brain tumors and drug induced neurotoxicity may develop as consequences of the required post-transplant immunosuppressive treatment.

Case Presentation: Here we report on an unusual clinical course of a young kidney transplant recipient with a cluster of fulminant necrotic brain lesions within a period of two months due to thrombotic microangiopathy.

Psychopathology and resident status - comparing asylum seekers, refugees, illegal migrants, labor migrants, and residents.

Purpose: This study aimed to describe, compare, and predict mental health outcomes of different migrant groups and native residents in Switzerland.

Subjects And Methods: Asylum seekers (n=65); refugees holding permanent protection visas (n=34); illegal migrants (n=21); labor migrants (n=26); and residents (n=56) completed an assessment by questionnaire. Main outcome variables were symptoms of posttraumatic stress, anxiety and depression.

Active at night, sleepy all day--sleep disturbances in patients with hepatitis C virus infection.

Background & Aims: More than 50% of patients with chronic hepatitis C with only mild liver disease complain about chronic fatigue, daytime sleepiness and poor sleep quality. The aim of the present study was to characterize and objectify the sleep disturbances in hepatitis C virus-infected patients.

Methods: Twenty-five women who had been infected with hepatitis C virus contaminated anti-D immunoglobulin in 1978/79 and 22 age-matched female healthy controls underwent actigraphy over a period of 5 days to measure motor activity and thereby sleep-wake-rhythm and in addition completed questionnaires for depression, health-related quality of life, fatigue and sleep, and a sleep diary.

Quantitative MRI shows cerebral microstructural damage in hemolytic-uremic syndrome patients with severe neurological symptoms but no changes in conventional MRI.

Introduction: Severe neurological symptoms in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli infection associated hemolytic-uremic syndrome (STEC-HUS) are often accompanied by none or only mild alterations of cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study aims to analyze if quantitative MRI is able to reveal cerebral pathological alterations invisible for conventional MRI.

Methods: In nine patients with STEC-HUS associated severe neurological symptoms but inconspicuous cerebral MRI findings maps of the parameters T2 relaxation time, relative proton density (PD), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and fractional anisotropy (FA) were generated.

Temporal pattern of cytotoxic edema in the perihematomal region after intracerebral hemorrhage: a serial magnetic resonance imaging study.

Background And Purpose: Knowledge about cytotoxic edema (CE) in intracerebral hemorrhage is still limited. We aimed to analyze its presence, temporal pattern, and prognostic meaning.

Methods: Twenty-one patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage underwent magnetic resonance imaging at days 1, 3, and 7 after symptom onset.

Circulating endothelial cells as potential diagnostic biomarkers in primary central nervous system vasculitis.

Objective: Histological evidence is considered the only proof of primary central nervous system vasculitis (PCNSV). However, brain biopsy is often omitted or delayed because of the invasiveness and possible complications of the procedure. Circulating endothelial cells (CEC) were shown to be elevated in patients with active antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis.

Circulating microRNAs in patients with Shiga-Toxin-producing E. coli O104:H4 induced hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Background: In early May 2011, an outbreak of hemorrhagic colitis associated with hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) first developed in Northern Germany and spread to 15 other countries in Europe. The outbreak-strain O104:H4, which combined virulence factors of typical enteroaggregative and Shiga-Toxin-producing E. coli was associated with an unusual high rate of hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Mental health of asylum seekers: a cross-sectional study of psychiatric disorders.

Background: Asylum procedures are known to be protracted, stretching to over ten years in many host countries. International research shows high levels of distress for asylum seekers. Little is known about actual psychiatric morbidity in this population, especially during the first few years postmigration.

Impairment on cardiovascular and autonomic adjustments to maximal isometric exercise tests in offspring of hypertensive parents.

The objective of the present study was to compare cardiovascular and autonomic responses to a mental stress test and to a maximal isometric exercise test between offspring of normotensive (ON, n = 10) and hypertensive parents (OH, n = 10). Subjects underwent a 3-min Stroop Color Word Test and a maximal isometric exercise test performed in an isokinetic dynamometer with continuous RR interval monitoring. At rest, arterial pressure and heart rate were similar between groups, but there was a significant reduction in total RR interval variance (ON: 5933 ± 493 vs.

Anticoagulants affect matrix metalloproteinase 9 levels in blood samples of stroke patients and healthy controls.

Objectives: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) represents a promising marker for acute stroke management. In clinical studies MMP-9 has been quantified by ELISA using differing protocols. We aimed to establish a valid protocol by evaluation of preanalytics.

Cerebral glucose utilisation in hepatitis C virus infection-associated encephalopathy.

Patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection frequently show neuropsychiatric symptoms. This study aims to help clarify the neurochemical mechanisms behind these symptoms and to add further proof to the hypothesis that HCV may affect brain function. Therefore, 15 patients who reported increasing chronic fatigue, mood alterations, and/or cognitive decline since their HCV infection underwent neurologic and neuropsychological examination, magnetic resonance imaging, (18)F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography of the brain, and single photon emission tomography of striatal dopamine and midbrain serotonin transporter (SERT) availability.

Growth differentiation factor 15 plasma levels and outcome after ischemic stroke.

Background: Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is a stress-responsive cytokine that is induced after experimental brain injury. We hypothesized that the circulating levels of GDF-15 are increased and associated with neurological outcome in patients with ischemic stroke.

Methods: Serial blood samples were obtained between 6 h and 7 days after symptom onset in 57 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke (n = 51) or transient ischemic attack (n = 6).

Evidence for neuroinflammation and neuroprotection in HCV infection-associated encephalopathy.

Objective: Fatigue, mood disturbances and cognitive dysfunction are frequent in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who have mild liver disease. The reason is still unclear. The present study aims to gain more insight into the pathomechanism by combining an extensive neuropsychological examination with magnetic resonance spectroscopy in four different brain regions in a patient group covering the whole spectrum of neuropsychiatric findings in patients afflicted with HCV who have only mild liver disease.

Exercise improves cardiovascular control in a model of dislipidemia and menopause.

The present study investigated the effects of exercise training on arterial pressure, baroreflex sensitivity, cardiovascular autonomic control and metabolic parameters on female LDL-receptor knockout ovariectomized mice. Mice were divided into two groups: sedentary and trained. Trained group was submitted to an exercise training protocol.

Hepatitis C virus infection and the brain.

There is growing evidence that hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infection may affect the brain. About half of the HCV-infected patients complain of chronic fatigue irrespective of their stage of liver disease or virus replication rate. Even after successful antiviral therapy fatigue persists in about one third of the patients.

Benefits of exercise training in diabetic rats persist after three weeks of detraining.

Regarding all benefits of exercise training, a question remains: how long are these benefits kept? This study evaluated the effect of 3-week detraining after 10 weeks of training in STZ-diabetic rats. Male Wistar rats were assigned into: sedentary controls, trained controls, trained-detrained controls, sedentary diabetic, trained diabetic and trained-detrained diabetic. Arterial pressure (AP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded by a data acquisition system.

Maximal exercise test is a useful method for physical capacity and oxygen consumption determination in streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between speed during maximum exercise test (ET) and oxygen consumption (VO2) in control and STZ-diabetic rats, in order to provide a useful method to determine exercise capacity and prescription in researches involving STZ-diabetic rats.

Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: control (CG, n = 10) and diabetic (DG, n = 8). The animals were submitted to ET on treadmill with simultaneous gas analysis through open respirometry system.

Efficacy of routine follow-up in patients with recurrent uterine cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of routine follow-up in patients with recurrent uterine cancer.

Methods: In a single institution study, a total of 2637 patients were treated curatively for uterine cancer from 1990 to 2006. A total of 438 patients experienced disease recurrence.

Aneurysm of the splenic vein.

Aneurysms of the portal venous system are increasingly reported in the past five years. Congenital weakness of the venous wall, trauma, pancreatitis and portal hypertension are possible etiologies. Surgical intervention is indicated in case of symptomatic aneurysms with or without progressive expansion of the aneurysm diameter.

How reliable is nighttime blood pressure dipping?

This report examines the reliability of nighttime blood pressure dipping. Twenty-one individuals were studied twice with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. On one occasion they were studied as outpatients, and on the other as inpatients on a clinical research ward.