Five-Year Follow-Up of Patients With Radio-Contrast-Induced Acute Renal Injury: Can Intravenous Sodium Bicarbonate Improve Long-Term Outcomes?

Background/purpose: Radiocontrast-induced acute kidney injury (RAKI) is a frequent complication during angiography and is associated with adverse prognosis. Most of the studies evaluating the long-term outcome of patients with RAKI are based on institutional registries. This is the first prospective study to evaluate the 5-year outcomes of patients with RAKI, and assess the effect of sodium bicarbonate (SB) in the long-term outcomes of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing non-emergent coronary angiography.

A Comparison of Blood Viscosity and Hematocrit Levels between Yoga Practitioners and Sedentary Adults.

Elevations in whole blood viscosity (WBV) and hematocrit (Hct), have been linked with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Endurance training has been demonstrated to lower WBV and Hct; however, evidence supporting the efficacy of yoga on these measures is sparse. A cross-sectional study was conducted examining WBV and Hct levels between yoga practitioners with a minimum of 3 years of consistent practice and sedentary, healthy adults.

Feasibility of coronary fractional flow reserve with dual anti-platelet therapy in low risk coronary lesions without systemic anticoagulation-results of the SMART-FFR study.

Background: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is used to assess the functional significance of coronary artery stenoses. The optimal anti-thrombotic regimen for FFR has not been studied.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to determine whether FFR could be safely performed in Type A coronary lesions, using only upstream dual anti-platelet therapy (DAT) with aspirin and clopidogrel, compared with DAT plus anticoagulation in low risk coronary lesions.

The effect of Bikram yoga on endothelial function in young and middle-aged and older adults.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if Bikram yoga, a style of heated hatha yoga, would improve endothelial function in young and middle-aged and older, healthy adults. This trial was performed in 36 young (n = 17) and middle-aged and older adults (n = 19) who completed 3 weekly Bikram yoga classes for 8 weeks. Height, body weight and body composition were determined and endothelial function was measured noninvasively using brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) before and after the intervention.

Impact of Hot Yoga on Arterial Stiffness and Quality of Life in Normal and Overweight/Obese Adults.

Background: Obesity is associated with arterial stiffening and diminished quality of life. Bikram yoga may be a feasible alternative to traditional exercise among obese individuals. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Bikram yoga, a heated style of hatha yoga, on arterial stiffness in normal and overweight/obese adults.