Novel Use of Exoskeleton Assist Device in an Ankle Fracture: A Case Report.

Lower extremity fractures and musculoskeletal injuries are among the leading causes of morbidity for Special Operations Forces (SOF), frequently resulting in prolonged immobilization and weeks of therapeutic exercises and strength training to return to full status. This is a case of a 34-year-old Caucasian combat rescue officer with a stable right distal fibula (Weber B) fracture managed with early mobilization and assisted plantarflexion using a Dephy Exoboot device. Early mobilization resulted in no adverse events and resulted in a significant reduction in down-time compared with usual care.

Cardiovascular adaptive response to training in elite athletes. Comparison between endurance and non-endurance athletes.

Introduction: The different structural modifications that have been described in the heart of the high-performance athlete depend on factors such as age, gender, type of sport, and the intensity and time dedicated to training.

Objectives: Evaluation of elite athletes through echocardiography for the description of cardiac structure and function, and the comparison between athletes with cardiorespiratory endurance and the rest of the athletes.

Methods: We performed the echocardiographic examination in 224 elite athletes, 96 women and 128 men aged 15 to 38 years (21.

Prevalence of papillary muscle hypertrophy in fabry disease.

Background And Aims: Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked genetic lysosomal disease, in which a deficit in the alpha-galactosidase A enzyme results in lysosomal build-up of globotriaosylceramide in several organs, causing cardiac, renal and cerebrovascular complications. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of papillary muscle hypertrophy (PMH) in patients with FD.

Methods: A group of 63 patients with FD and a positive genetic diagnosis were studied and were divided into two groups: one included 24 patients with FD and LVH and another group included 39 patients with FD and without LVH.

Speckle Tracking Imaging in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction is a strong predictor of mortality in pulmonary hypertension (PH). The goal of this study was to investigate whether right atrium (RA) and RV myocardial strain related to PH using speckle tracking echocardiography provide a superior estimation of RV systolic function than 2-dimensional (2D)-echo.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed 22 patients with a diagnosis of PH stratified by right heart catheterization, and they were compared to a control group of 22 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects.

Tissue Doppler Imaging and strain rate of the left atrial lateral wall: age related variations and comparison with parameters of diastolic function.

Background: Strain Rate Imaging (SRI) is one of the most used techniques to study left atrial (LA) and diastolic function. Its availability in low-income countries is diminished since it requires additional expensive software, among other limitations. In contrast, Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) is widely available and easy to use.

Clinical significance of tissue Doppler imaging in chronic Chagas disease.

Introduction: Chagas disease (ChD) is one of the main parasitic diseases in Latin-America. Its heart involvement is the most important cause of death. The aim of this study is to evaluate if Doppler Tissue Imaging (DTI) may have a predictive value for later events in subjects with chronic ChD.

On the Spontaneous Build-Up of Voltage between Dissimilar Metals Under High Relative Humidity Conditions.

Certain metals can surprisingly build-up charge spontaneously, when exposed to high relative humidity (RH), although they need to be isolated from the ground. We have explored this phenomenon, building on former experimental knowledge and carrying out additional experiments, to identify the parameters that could enhance this charging. We used many types of metals with different characteristics under different RH and temperature conditions.

Use of tissue doppler imaging for the early detection of myocardial dysfunction in patients with the indeterminate form of Chagas disease.

Introduction: Chagas disease is one of the most common diseases in Latin America and heart involvement is the main cause of death. This study aimed to determine differences in tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) parameters in the assessment left and right ventricular function in patients with the indeterminate form of Chagas disease compared to those in healthy controls.

Methods: We compared 194 patients with the indeterminate form of Chagas disease to 72 age-matched healthy individuals.

Mechanical dispersion in Fabry disease assessed with speckle tracking echocardiography.

Background: Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked storage disorder caused by deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme α-galactosidase A, and it typically causes multiorgan dysfunction. The main cause of death is heart disease resulting from left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, LV systolic dysfunction, severe LV hypertrophy (LVH), and sudden death. In several cardiac disorders, LV systolic dysfunction and ventricular arrhythmias are associated with mechanical dispersion (MD).

Tissue Doppler imaging of the atrial lateral wall: Correlation with atrial strain rate and parameters of diastolic function.

Objective: To evaluate the velocity profile of the lateral wall of the left atrium (LA) using pulsed-wave color tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) on line and its correlation with two-dimensional strain rate imaging (SRI) by speckle tracking, of equal segments and phases, and other parameters of diastolic function in a population of individuals without known cardiovascular disease.

Materials And Methods: A total of 91 adults aged 18-74 years, without cardiovascular history, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia or obesity, were evaluated. A Doppler echocardiogram was performed.

Papillary Fibroelastoma of the Left Ventricle in a Radiation-treated Cancer Patient.

We present the case of a 69-year-old female patient with a history of endometrial carcinoma in 1996, who underwent a total hysterectomy and bilateral adnexectomy. The patient also received chemotherapy and mediastinal radiotherapy followed by cancer remission. Ten years later she presented with heart failure and her Doppler-echocardiogram showed severe mitral regurgitation with pulmonary hypertension and a papillary fibroelastoma in the left ventricle.

Twenty Years of Clinical Experience with Cardiac Myxomas: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Follow Up.

Background: Cardiac myxomas are the most frequent cardiac tumors. Although histologically benign, in some cases myxomas may be lethal, due to impairment of cardiac dynamics and their thromboembolic potential. The study aimed to assess the clinical presentation of cardiac myxomas and their correlation with echocardiographic features and to describe the perioperative results and long-term outcome of surgically treated patients.

Mitral valve calcium assessment: An independent predictor of balloon valvuloplasty results.

Objective: Percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PMV) is an effective treatment for patients with mitral valve stenosis. Echocardiographic score (ES) is a useful predictor of outcomes. However, mitral valve calcification (MVC) has been shown to predict immediate results even in patients with otherwise low ES.

Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block to Treat Shoulder Tip Pain After Thoracic Surgery: Report of 2 Cases.

Shoulder tip pain may occur after thoracic surgical procedures. The pain is caused by diaphragmatic irritation and is referred to the shoulder. Shoulder tip pain is often resistant to treatment with conventional analgesics.

Topical heat shock protein 70 prevents imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like inflammation in mice.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with systemic manifestations and potential genetic etiology. The newest treatments utilize antibodies against one of several cytokines known to underlie the inflammatory signaling molecules that produce the skin and systemic symptoms. However, these agents must be regularly injected, and they may compromise the normal responses of the immune system.

Comparison of left atrial size and function in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and in Fabry disease with left ventricular hypertrophy.

Background: Fabry disease (FD) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are two diseases with a different pathophysiology, both cause left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and myocardial fibrosis. Although remodeling and systolic dysfunction of the left atrium (LA) are associated with atrial fibrillation and stroke in HCM, changes in the size and function of the LA have not been well studied in FD with LVH.

Methods: The following groups were studied prospectively, and their respective findings compared: 19 patients with non-obstructive HCM (Group I), 20 patients with a diagnosis of Fabry cardiomyopathy (Group II), and 20 normal subjects matched for sex and age (Group III).

Survey of nulliparous parturients' attitudes regarding timing of epidural analgesia initiation.

Study Objective: At our hospital, although >90% of nulliparous parturients eventually choose epidural analgesia for labor, many delay its initiation, experiencing considerable pain in the interim. This survey probed parturients' views about the timing of initiation of epidural labor analgesia.

Design: Single-center, nonrandomized quantitative survey.

Bone cement cardiac and pulmonary embolism.

This case describes a complication of bone cement use. A 65-year-old male patient with back spine trauma caused by a fall, underwent a percutaneous vertebroplasty. Five years later, he consulted for palpitations, and the electrocardiogram showed supraventricular arrhythmia.