[Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was used to evaluate objectively and quantitatively the holistic function in patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy].

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing(CPET)was used to evaluate objectively and quantitatively the holistic function in patients accepted preoperative chemotherapy. This study investigated reliable objective and quantitative assessment methods of symptom limited maximal incremental CPET before and after chemotherapy in patients with 6 esophageal cancer. We re-analyzed the changes in cardiopulmonary, metabolism, and other functions physiologic parameters of CPET.

The Critical Imperative: Evidence-Based Practices to Strengthen Leadership Development.

Using the Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship as a case study, the authors assert that leadership educators have a responsibility to apply critical perspectives to their work with evidence-based practice, which involves interrogating assumptions as well as reconstructing pedagogical and design practices to increase equity in leadership education.

Gunshot Wounds to the Hip: Doomed to Failure?

The purpose is to evaluate hip fractures due to gunshot wounds (GSW) to the hip, which are treated surgically, and the complications. Patients who sustained a low velocity GSW with fracture to the femoral head/neck and intertrochanteric/peritrochantric region at three Level 1 Trauma Centers were eligible. There were 69 patients (63 males-91%), with an average age of 29 (18-60).

Author Correction: A new common functional coding variant at the DDC gene change renal enzyme activity and modify renal dopamine function.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Semisupine Positioning for Proximal Humerus ORIF Using Arthroscopic Shoulder Distractor.

Advances in implant technology have improved the orthopaedic surgeon's ability to successfully treat proximal humerus fractures. However, obtaining and maintaining anatomic reduction throughout surgery remains difficult. Failure to do so can compromise surgical outcomes leading to poor clinical results.

A new common functional coding variant at the DDC gene change renal enzyme activity and modify renal dopamine function.

The intra-renal dopamine (DA) system is highly expressed in the proximal tubule and contributes to Na+ and blood pressure homeostasis, as well as to the development of nephropathy. In the kidney, the enzyme DOPA Decarboxylase (DDC) originating from the circulation. We used a twin/family study design, followed by polymorphism association analysis at DDC locus to elucidate heritable influences on renal DA production.

Effect of Novel Continuing Medical Education Curriculum on Attitudes and Understanding of Primary Care Medicine for the Naval Surface Provider.

Introduction: Naval Surface Forces provide care in austere environments with unique facility, personnel, and material limitations that can put the patient at risk without proper consideration of these circumstances. Tailored shipboard education currently exists but is greatly dependent on the time, preferences, expertise, and ability of a single teaching officer, allowing for significant variability in the level of training.

Materials And Methods: One hundred and twenty-two individuals were trained in 19 topics presented over 12 months through the Naval Surface Forces Pacific Command Medical Readiness Division to all surface providers on Naval Base San Diego.

How often is the office visit needed? Predicting total knee arthroplasty revision risk using pain/function scores.

Background: Most patients have favorable outcomes after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Well-validated methods to predict the risk of poor outcomes have not been developed or implemented. Several patients have annual clinic visits despite well-funcitoning TKA, as a routine practice, to detect early failure requiring revision surgery.

Polymorphisms at the F12 and KLKB1 loci have significant trait association with activation of the renin-angiotensin system.

Background: Plasma coagulation Factor XIIa (Hageman factor; encoded by F12) and kallikrein (KAL or Fletcher factor; encoded by KLKB1) are proteases of the kallikerin-kinin system involved in converting the inactive circulating prorenin to renin. Renin is a key enzyme in the formation of angiotensin II, which regulates blood pressure, fluid and electrolyte balance and is a biomarker for cardiovascular, metabolic and renal function. The renin-angiotensin system is implicated in extinction learning in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Molecular Mechanism for Hypertensive Renal Disease: Differential Regulation of Chromogranin A Expression at 3'-Untranslated Region Polymorphism C+87T by MicroRNA-107.

Chromogranin A (CHGA) is coreleased with catecholamines from secretory vesicles in adrenal medulla and sympathetic axons. Genetic variation in the CHGA 3'-region has been associated with autonomic control of circulation, hypertension, and hypertensive nephropathy, and the CHGA 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) variant C+87T (rs7610) displayed peak associations with these traits in humans. Here, we explored the molecular mechanisms underlying these associations.

Coordinate mapping of hyolaryngeal mechanics in swallowing.

Characterizing hyolaryngeal movement is important to dysphagia research. Prior methods require multiple measurements to obtain one kinematic measurement whereas coordinate mapping of hyolaryngeal mechanics using Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) uses one set of coordinates to calculate multiple variables of interest. For demonstration purposes, ten kinematic measurements were generated from one set of coordinates to determine differences in swallowing two different bolus types.

Genetic implication of a novel thiamine transporter in human hypertension.

Objectives: This study coupled 2 strategies-trait extremes and genome-wide pooling-to discover a novel blood pressure (BP) locus that encodes a previously uncharacterized thiamine transporter.

Background: Hypertension is a heritable trait that remains the most potent and widespread cardiovascular risk factor, although details of its genetic determination are poorly understood.

Methods: Representative genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) pools were created from male and female subjects in the highest- and lowest-fifth percentiles of BP in a primary care population of >50,000 patients.

Heritable influence of DBH on adrenergic and renal function: twin and disease studies.

Background: Elevated sympathetic activity is associated with kidney dysfunction. Here we used twin pairs to probe heritability of GFR and its genetic covariance with other traits.

Methods: We evaluated renal and adrenergic phenotypes in twins.

Chromogranin B: intra- and extra-cellular mechanisms to regulate catecholamine storage and release, in catecholaminergic cells and organisms.

Chromogranin B (CHGB) is the major matrix protein in human catecholamine storage vesicles. CHGB genetic variation alters catecholamine secretion and blood pressure. Here, effective Chgb protein under-expression was achieved by siRNA in PC12 cells, resulting in ~ 48% fewer secretory granules on electron microscopy, diminished capacity for catecholamine uptake (by ~ 79%), and a ~ 73% decline in stores available for nicotinic cholinergic-stimulated secretion.

Genetic variation at the delta-sarcoglycan (SGCD) locus elevates heritable sympathetic nerve activity in human twin pairs.

The Syrian Cardiomyopathic Hamster (BIO-14.6/53.58 strains) model of cardiac failure, resulting from naturally occurring deletion at the SGCD (delta-sarcoglycan) locus, displays widespread disturbances in catecholamine metabolism.

Semisynthetic hybrid biopolymers for non-pharmacological intervention of the microcirculation.

The microcirculation presents functional organic structures in the range of 1-100 micrometers, commensurate with the upper end of nanotechnology constructs. When devices are designed and deployed to deliver treatment via the circulation they ultimately contend with the smallest dimensions of both healthy and impaired microvessels, particularly the capillary system whose ability to sustain the tissue is assessed by measuring "functional capillary density" (FCD). FCD is directly determined by hydrostatic and osmotic pressures and indirectly by the effect of cardiovascular regulators, particularly the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) resulting from fluid mechanical effects and transport in the submicroscopic cell free plasma layer (CFL) located between blood and microvascular wall.

MicroRNA-22 and promoter motif polymorphisms at the Chga locus in genetic hypertension: functional and therapeutic implications for gene expression and the pathogenesis of hypertension.

Hypertension is a common hereditary syndrome with unclear pathogenesis. Chromogranin A (Chga), which catalyzes formation and cargo storage of regulated secretory granules in neuroendocrine cells, contributes to blood pressure homeostasis centrally and peripherally. Elevated Chga occurs in spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) adrenal glands and plasma, but central expression is unexplored.

Relationships between serum MCP-1 and subclinical kidney disease: African American-Diabetes Heart Study.

Unlabelled: AB BACKGROUND: Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) plays important roles in kidney disease susceptibility and atherogenesis in experimental models. Relationships between serum MCP-1 concentration and early nephropathy and subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) were assessed in African Americans (AAs) with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: Serum MCP-1 concentration, urine albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and atherosclerotic calcified plaque (CP) in the coronary and carotid arteries and infrarenal aorta were measured in 479 unrelated AAs with T2D.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY): genetic variation in the human promoter alters glucocorticoid signaling, yielding increased NPY secretion and stress responses.

Objectives: This study sought to understand whether genetic variation at the Neuropeptide Y (NPY) locus governs secretion and stress responses in vivo as well as NPY gene expression in sympathochromaffin cells.

Background: The NPY is a potent pressor peptide co-released with catecholamines during stress by sympathetic axons. Genome-wide linkage on NPY secretion identified a LOD (logarithm of the odds ratio) peak spanning the NPY locus on chromosome 7p15.

PEG-albumin plasma expansion increases expression of MCP-1 evidencing increased circulatory wall shear stress: an experimental study.

Treatment of blood loss with plasma expanders lowers blood viscosity, increasing cardiac output. However, increased flow velocity by conventional plasma expanders does not compensate for decreased viscosity in maintaining vessel wall shear stress (WSS), decreasing endothelial nitric oxide (NO) production. A new type of plasma expander using polyethylene glycol conjugate albumin (PEG-Alb) causes supra-perfusion when used in extreme hemodilution and is effective in treating hemorrhagic shock, although it is minimally viscogenic.

Plasma expander and blood storage effects on capillary perfusion in transfusion after hemorrhage.

Background: Treating hemorrhage with blood transfusions in subjects previously hemodiluted with different colloidal plasma expanders, using fresh autologous blood or blood that has been stored for 2 weeks, allows identifying the interaction between type of plasma expander and differences in blood storage.

Study Design And Methods: Studies used the hamster window chamber model. Fresh autologous plasma, 130-kDa starch-based plasma expander (hydroxyethyl starch [HES]), or 4% polyethylene glycol-conjugated albumin (PEG-Alb) was used for 20% of blood volume (BV) hemodilution.

Incident prediabetes/diabetes and blood pressure in urban and rural communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faces increased morbidity and mortality due to treatable and preventable noncommunicable diseases. However, it continues to struggle with political and economic instability, which impedes much needed health infrastructure improvements. The present study was designed as a low-cost determination of the prevalence of incident prediabetes/diabetes in the DRC.

Effect of plasma expander viscosity on the cell free layer.

The effect of low and high viscosity hemodilution with plasma expanders on the extent of the cell free layer (CFL) width was analyzed in the microcirculation of the exteriorized cremaster muscle preparation of Sprague-Dawley male rats. Anesthetized animals were subjected to 40% hemodilution by blood volume, using 5% human serum albumin (HSA) or 6% Hetastarch (hydroxyethyl starch 670 kDa). Arterioles (n=5 for each treatment) were investigated.

Integration of cardiovascular regulation by the blood/endothelium cell-free layer.

The cell-free layer (CFL) width separating red blood cells in flowing blood from the endothelial cell membrane is shown to be a regulator of the balance between nitric oxide (NO) production by the endothelium and NO scavenging by blood hemoglobin. The CFL width is determined by hematocrit (Hct) and the vessel wall flow velocity gradient. These factors and blood and plasma viscosity determine vessel wall shear stress which regulates the production of NO in the vascular wall.

Vasoactive hemoglobin solution improves survival in hemodilution followed by hemorrhagic shock.

Objective: To compare survival after exchange transfusion followed by hemorrhage using: 1) the vasoactive, oxygen-carrying, bovine hemoglobin-based blood substitute Oxyglobin (Biopure, 12.9 g hemoglobin/dL); and 2) the hydroxyethyl starch plasma expander Hextend (high molecular weight and low degree of substitution, 6%).

Design: Comparison between treatments.