Loss of hepatocyte cell division leads to liver inflammation and fibrosis.

The liver possesses a remarkable regenerative capacity based partly on the ability of hepatocytes to re-enter the cell cycle and divide to replace damaged cells. This capability is substantially reduced upon chronic damage, but it is not clear if this is a cause or consequence of liver disease. Here, we investigate whether blocking hepatocyte division using two different mouse models affects physiology as well as clinical liver manifestations like fibrosis and inflammation.

A Novel Quadripolar Active Fixation Left-Ventricular Pacing Lead for Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: Initial United Kingdom Experience.

Objectives: This study sought to assess immediate and short-term performance of the Medtronic Attain Stability Quadripolar 4798 lead (Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland).

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an established treatment for appropriately selected patients with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. The most common reason for failure to implant a lead is the lack of a suitable epicardial vein, due either to an absent vessel in the target site, an unacceptably high threshold, lead instability, phrenic nerve stimulation, or a combination of reasons.

The three cytokines IL-1β, IL-18, and IL-1α share related but distinct secretory routes.

Interleukin (IL)-1 family cytokines potently regulate inflammation, with the majority of the IL-1 family proteins being secreted from immune cells via unconventional pathways. In many cases, secretion of IL-1 cytokines appears to be closely coupled to cell death, yet the secretory mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Here, we studied the secretion of the three best-characterized members of the IL-1 superfamily, IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-18, in a range of conditions and cell types, including murine bone marrow-derived and peritoneal macrophages, human monocyte-derived macrophages, HeLa cells, and mouse embryonic fibroblasts.

Metabolic Remodeling during Liver Regeneration.

Liver disease is linked to a decreased capacity of hepatocytes to divide. In addition, cellular metabolism is important for tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Since metabolic changes are a hallmark of liver disease, we investigated the connections between metabolism and cell division.

Hypertension in a resource-limited setting: Is it associated with end organ damage in older adults in rural Tanzania?

Few data from sub-Saharan Africa exist on the effects of hypertension on the organs of the human body. We aimed to establish the prevalence of hypertensive end organ damage (EOD) in an elderly cohort of Tanzanians. The population aged 70 years and over of 2 villages in northern Tanzania (n = 246), had blood pressure (BP) data available from 2010 and 2013, and underwent in-depth follow-up for markers of hypertensive EOD in 2016.

Undiagnosed and diagnosed diabetes mellitus among hospitalised acute heart failure patients in Botswana.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the burden of diagnosed and undiagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus among patients hospitalised with acute heart failure in Botswana.

Methods: The study enrolled 193 consecutive patients admitted with acute heart failure to the medical wards at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone. Patients were classified as previously known diabetics, undiagnosed diabetics (glycated haemoglobin ≥ 6.

Identifying Frailty and its Outcomes in Older People in Rural Tanzania.

Unlabelled: Background/Study Context: Interest in frailty is growing in low- and middle-income countries, due to demographic aging and resource limitations. However, there is a paucity of data on the nature of frailty in Africa.

Methods: The study collected frailty data from people aged 70 years and over living in six villages in the rural Hai District of northern Tanzania.

Presentation and mortality of patients hospitalised with acute heart failure in Botswana.

Introduction: Heart failure is a common cause of hospitalisation and therefore contributes to in-hospital outcomes such as mortality. In this study we describe patient characteristics and outcomes of acute heart failure (AHF) in Botswana.

Methods: Socio-demographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected from 193 consecutive patients admitted with AHF at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone between February 2014 and February 2015.

Rates and predictors of three-year mortality in older people in rural Tanzania.

Background: There are few data on mortality rates in the general elderly living in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to detail three-year mortality rates in a population of rural community-dwelling older adults in northern Tanzania.

Methods: We performed a community-based study of 2232 people aged 70 years and over living in Hai district, Tanzania.

High EMT Signature Score of Invasive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Cells Correlates with NFκB Driven Colony-Stimulating Factor 2 (CSF2/GM-CSF) Secretion by Neighboring Stromal Fibroblasts.

We established co-cultures of invasive or non-invasive NSCLC cell lines and various types of fibroblasts (FBs) to more precisely characterize the molecular mechanism of tumor-stroma crosstalk in lung cancer. The HGF-MET-ERK1/2-CREB-axis was shown to contribute to the onset of the invasive phenotype of Calu-1 with HGF being secreted by FBs. Differential expression analysis of the respective mono- and co-cultures revealed an upregulation of NFκB-related genes exclusively in co-cultures with Calu-1.

Levels of functional disability in elderly people in Tanzania with dementia, stroke and Parkinson's disease.

Background: Disability is associated with increasing age and poverty, yet there are few reliable data regarding disability amongst the elderly in low-income countries. The aim of this study was to compare disability levels for three of the most common neurological, non-communicable diseases: dementia, stroke and Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: We performed a community-based study of people aged 70 years and over in 12 randomly selected villages in the rural Hai district of Tanzania.

The association between disability and cognitive impairment in an elderly Tanzanian population.

Cognitive impairment is thought to be a major cause of disability worldwide, though data from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are sparse. This study aimed to investigate the association between cognitive impairment and disability in a cohort of community-dwelling older adults living in Tanzania. The study cohort of 296 people aged 70years and over was recruited as part of a dementia prevalence study.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring to assess the white-coat effect in an elderly East African population.

The authors hypothesized that published hypertension rates in Tanzania were influenced by the physiological response of individuals to blood pressure (BP) testing, known as the white-coat effect (WCE). To test this, a representative sample of 79 participants from a baseline cohort of 2322 people aged 70 years and older were followed to assess BP using conventional BP measurement (CBPM) and ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM). There was a significant difference between daytime ABPM and CBPM for both systolic BP (mean difference 29.

Current Evidence and Recommendations for Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy.

The number of people in Europe living with symptomatic heart failure is increasing. Since its advent in the 1990s, cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) has proven beneficial in terms of morbidity and mortality in selected heart failure (HF) patient populations, when combined with optimal pharmacological therapy. We review the evidence for CRT and the populations of HF patients it is currently shown to benefit, and those in which more research needs to be performed.

Electrocardiographic reference values for a population of older adults in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background/objectives: Older adults in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are at greatest risk of an impending noncommunicable diseases epidemic, of which cardiac disease is the most prevalent contributor. Thus, it is essential to establish electrocardiographic reference values for a population that is likely to differ genetically and environmentally from others where reference values are established.

Methods: Two thousand two hundred thirty-two apparently healthy community-based participants without known cardiac disease aged 70+ in rural Tanzania underwent 12-lead electrocardiography.

Rates of diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders within a prevalent population of community-dwelling elderly people in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: The prevalence of neurological disorders in those aged 70years and over in the Hai district of Tanzania has been previously reported. The following research reports rates of patient's: treatment seeking, diagnosis and treatment within this prevalent population.

Methods: All people identified as having at least one neurological disorder in the prevalence study were questioned regarding whether they had sought treatment for their disorder, whether they had had a previous correct diagnosis and whether they were being currently treated.

Electrocardiographic assessment of coronary artery disease and stroke risk factors in rural and urban Tanzania: a case-control study.

Background: Although the association between cerebrovascular and coronary artery disease (CAD) is well known in high-income countries, this association is not well documented in black Africans.

Aims: The aim of this study was to document electrocardiographic (ECG) evidence of CAD in stroke cases and controls and to identify other common ECG abnormalities related to known stroke risk factors in a community-based population of incident stroke cases in Tanzania, East Africa.

Methods: This was a case-control study.

Assessment of left ventricular geometrical patterns and function among hypertensive patients at a tertiary hospital, Northern Tanzania.

Background: With hypertension, the cardiovascular system changes to adapt to the varying neuro-humoral and hemodynamic changes and this may lead to the development of different left ventricular geometric patterns, each carrying a different risk profile for major adverse cardiovascular events.

Methods: Using a consecutive sampling technique, a cross-sectional, prospective, hospital based study was done and two hundred and twenty seven (227) hypertensive patients were studied.

Results: The distribution of different abnormal LV geometrical patterns was 19.

The prevalence of dementia in rural Tanzania: a cross-sectional community-based study.

Objectives: Despite the growing burden of dementia in low-income countries, there are few previous data on the prevalence of dementia in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of dementia in those who are 70 years and older in the rural Hai District of Tanzania.

Methods: This was a two-phase cross-sectional survey.

Strikingly low prevalence of atrial fibrillation in elderly Tanzanians.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in individuals aged 70 and older in a rural African community.

Design: Community-based cross-sectional survey.

Setting: A demographic surveillance site (DSS) within the rural Hai district of northern Tanzania.

Neurological disorder screening in the elderly in low-income countries.

There are few data on neurological disorder prevalence from developing countries, particularly in the elderly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This is in part due to the lack of a feasible and valid screening instrument. We aimed to develop (and pilot) a brief screening instrument for neurological disorders in an elderly population in SSA.

The prevalence of disability in older people in Hai, Tanzania.

Background: the World Health Organization estimates that more than one billion of the world's population are disabled. Disability is associated with increasing age and poverty, yet there are few reliable data regarding disability among the elderly in low-income countries. The aim of this study was to accurately document the prevalence of disability in those aged 70 years and over in a community-based setting in sub-Saharan Africa.