Peripheral arterial disease in older people with intellectual disability in The Netherlands using the ankle-brachial index: results of the HA-ID study.

Older people with an intellectual disability (ID) have been shown to have similar to increased cardiovascular risks as compared to the general population. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), atherosclerosis distal from the aortic bifurcation, is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of PAD has not been investigated in this population.

The PANDORA study: peripheral arterial disease in patients with non-high cardiovascular risk.

Few studies are available with sufficient sample size to accurately describe the prevalence of low ankle-brachial index (ABI) in patients at 'non-high' cardiovascular (CV) risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of asymptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD), as determined by using ABI, in this patient population. A non-interventional, cross-sectional, pan-European study was conducted in patients with ≥1 CV risk factor in addition to age, evaluating the prevalence of asymptomatic PAD (ABI ≤ 0.

Genome-wide association study identifies a sequence variant within the DAB2IP gene conferring susceptibility to abdominal aortic aneurysm.

We performed a genome-wide association study on 1,292 individuals with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) and 30,503 controls from Iceland and The Netherlands, with a follow-up of top markers in up to 3,267 individuals with AAAs and 7,451 controls. The A allele of rs7025486 on 9q33 was found to associate with AAA, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.21 and P = 4.

Younger women with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease are at increased risk of depressive symptoms.

Objectives: Gender disparities, particularly among young women with cardiovascular disease, are a growing cause for concern. Depression is a prevalent and prognostically important comorbidity in peripheral arterial disease (PAD), but its prevalence has not been described as a function of gender and age. Therefore, we compared depressive symptoms at the time of PAD diagnosis and 6 months later by gender and age in PAD patients.

Association of the TGF-beta receptor genes with abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a multifactorial condition. The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) pathway regulates vascular remodeling and mutations in its receptor genes, TGFBR1 and TGFBR2, cause syndromes with thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA). The TGF-beta pathway may be involved in aneurysm development in general.

Late spontaneous hemothorax complicating anterior spinal instrumentation in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Study Design: Case report.

Objective: Describes a case report of a 16-year-old woman treated for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) by anterior spinal fusion and instrumentation, who developed a spontaneous massive intrathoracic bleeding 10 months after surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Hemothorax (HT) is a known rare postoperative complication of anterior spinal scoliosis surgery.

Autologous fat transfer for periorbital rejuvenation: indications, technique, and complications.

Background: The periorbital region is one of the first facial regions to show signs of aging. Traditional surgical approaches consisted of lifting and excisional procedures including brow lifts and blepharoplasties. Suboptimal results, however, have led surgeons to reassess their approach to the periorbita to address volume loss.

Low vitamin B6, and not plasma homocysteine concentration, as risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm: a retrospective case-control study.

Background: Hyperhomocysteinemia has been associated with vascular disease in many epidemiologic studies, but only a few have reported on the relation between hyperhomocysteinemia and aneurysms of the abdominal aorta (AAAs). Although these studies showed higher homocysteine concentrations in patients with AAA than in controls, little attention had been given to possible confounding factors. Most patients with AAA are of older age, have an impaired renal function, and have other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm is associated with high serum levels of tenascin-X and decreased aneurysmal tissue tenascin-X.

Background: Tenascin-X is a large extracellular matrix protein that is abundantly expressed in several connective tissues. A 140-kDa C-terminal fragment of tenascin-X is present in human serum. Complete deficiency of tenascin-X is associated with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and these patients show major connective tissue alterations in their skin, as well as blood vessel fragility.

[Thromboprophylaxis in general surgical practices in the year 2004: perioperative use during hospitalisation, during out-patient care and following plaster cast immobilisation].

Objective: To determine which thromboprophylactic modalities were used by general surgeons in the Netherlands; to check current clinical practice against national and international guidelines.

Design: Descriptive.

Method: In April 2004 a questionnaire was sent to all 106 surgical practices in the Netherlands with questions regarding the use of thromboprophylaxis before, during and after various surgical interventions.

Is the perceived association between Chlamydia pneumoniae and vascular diseases biased by methodology?

Inter- and intralaboratory inconsistencies in detection rates of Chlamydia pneumoniae in vascular specimens have been demonstrated. In this study, 66 vascular tissue specimens from 66 patients with vascular disease were tested by three PCR assays: a 16S PCR-based reverse line blot (RLB) assay, a single-step PCR, and a nested PCR. Also, we explored the impacts of different DNA polymerase enzymes on the results based on gel electrophoresis and hybridization.

[Subjective quality of life of children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders: development and validation of a new assessment scale].

Within paediatric disciplines and in particular in child and adolescent psychiatry very little work is available regarding the quality of life (QoL) of patients. After using literature search and interviews for identifying the relevant QoL domains, a set of self report questionnaires (for the parents: proxy rating) was developed (C-version: children 10 to 14 years, A-version: adolescents 14 to 18 years, P-version: parental proxy rating about child/adolescent). It was aimed at an almost identical wording within each questionnaire version in regard to the different QoL domains.

Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in buffy-coat samples of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Recent studies have suggested that Chlamydia pneumoniae infection is a risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm. This study explores the presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in buffy-coat samples of control subjects and of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm. The seroepidemiological association between abdominal aortic aneurysm and Chlamydia pneumoniae was also investigated.

Early experience with intravascular ultrasound in evaluating the effect of statins on femoropopliteal arterial disease: hypothesis-generating observations in humans.

The purpose of this study was to compare the vascular response seen with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) at 1-year follow-up between statin-treated and non-statin-treated patients. Patients (n = 10) undergoing percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the femoropopliteal artery were studied with IVUS immediately after PTA and at 1-year follow-up. In nondilated matched vascular segments, the change in lumen, vessel, and plaque volume was assessed.

Effect of simvastatin on restenosis after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of femoropopliteal arterial obstruction.

This retrospective observational intravascular ultrasound study evaluated whether simvastatin therapy limits lumen area reduction 1-year after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) by reducing reactive plaque growth, reducing reactive vasoconstriction, or both. This study showed that plaque growth is a general response 1 year after PTA regardless of the use of simvastatin; simvastatin has the potential to induce positive vascular remodeling, thereby reducing the occurrence of restenosis.

Progression of atherosclerosis at one-year follow-up seen with volumetric intravascular ultrasound in femoropopliteal arteries.

Volume measurements derived from intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images assessed with an automated contour analysis system are accurate and reproducible. However, it is unknown to what extent plaque volume may change at follow-up. Therefore, the purpose of this longitudinal study is to examine whether IVUS is a sensitive means to identify progression of atherosclerosis and its derived primary end point plaque volume at 1-year follow-up.

Plaque area increase and vascular remodeling contribute to lumen area change after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the femoropopliteal artery: an intravascular ultrasound study.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the change in lumen area (LA), plaque area (PLA), and vessel area (VA) after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the femoropopliteal artery.

Methods: This was a prospective study. Twenty patients were studied with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) immediately after PTA and at follow-up examination.

Human osteoarthritic cartilage matrix vesicles generate both calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate and apatite in vitro.

Calcium crystals in osteoarthritic (OA) joints promote enzymatic degradation of articular tissues. Matrix vesicles provide a nidus for calcium crystal formation in chick epiphyseal and mature porcine articular cartilage. In order to examine a potential role for matrix vesicles from OA cartilage in generating pathologic crystals, we sought to determine whether vesicles derived from human OA cartilage (OAMV) could mineralize; and we characterized the resultant mineral species.

Aortic graft infection by Lactobacillus casei: a case report.

A 65-year-old man with an abdominal aortic endoprosthesis presented with fever without other symptoms. Investigations revealed Lactobacillus casei bacteraemia. The Lactobacillus graft infection was at first successfully treated by antibiotic therapy.

Partial unilateral phrenic nerve paralysis caused by a large intrathoracic goitre.

Intrathoracic goitres may cause a variety of symptoms caused by compression of the trachea, neural structures, blood vessels and the oesophagus. A case history is presented of a patient with a recurrent goitre after subtotal thyroidectomy who displayed partial unilateral phrenic paralysis, which subsided after a second subtotal thyroidectomy. Compression of the phrenic nerve appears to be a very rare manifestation of an intrathoracic goitre and thus far has never been reported.

[Screening for familial occurrence of abdominal aortic aneurysm].

To detect familial occurrence of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), the siblings of patients with an AAA were screened by ultrasonography. 128 siblings of 32 patients operated on for AAA were invited. 56 brothers and 52 sisters accepted the invitation.

Mural collagen in experimental reflux esophagitis in rats.

Changes in the collagen content of the esophageal wall in reflux esophagitis were studied in rats subjected to surgically induced and biochemically monitored pancreaticobiliary reflux into the esophagus. Reflux periods of 7, 14, 28, and 42 days were followed by a reflux-abolishing operation, which resulted in healing of the esophagitis. The collagen content of the esophageal wall at the end of the reflux period was higher than control values obtained from normal nonoperated rats, with a significant difference after 42 days of reflux.