Relation of serum fetuin-A levels to coronary artery calcium in African-American patients on chronic hemodialysis.

Vascular calcium deposition in end-stage renal disease occurs commonly, but its relation to cardiovascular risk factors and fetuin-A levels in African Americans is not known. Compliant African American patients who were undergoing hemodialysis (HD; n = 17) agreed to undergo 64-slice multidetector computed tomography for the assessment of coronary artery calcium score (CACS). The relation between traditional cardiovascular risk factors (i.

The cardiometabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

The cardiometabolic syndrome is a prevalent metabolic disorder. Epidemiologic studies correlate the cardiometabolic syndrome with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, cardiovascular mortality, and total mortality. There is also evidence that the cardiometabolic syndrome is a risk factor for abnormalities in myocardial metabolism, cardiac dysfunction, and arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation.

Acquired methemoglobinemia: a retrospective series of 138 cases at 2 teaching hospitals.

Methemoglobin is a form of hemoglobin that does not bind oxygen. When its concentration is elevated in red blood cells, functional anemia and tissue hypoxia may occur. We performed a retrospective case series to describe the cases of acquired methemoglobinemia (methemoglobin level >2%) detected and the clinical circumstances under which they occurred at 2 tertiary care hospitals and affiliated outpatient clinics over 28 months.

Early detection and successful treatment of drug-induced pneumonitis with corticosteroids.

A 69-year-old patient with non-small cell lung cancer developed pneumonitis with the use of the chemotherapeutic drugs gemcitabine, paclitaxel, and vinorelbine. He developed progressively worsening dyspnea, fevers, chills, and night sweats three weeks after initiation of chemotherapy treatment with no improvement with antibiotics. Bronchoscopic lung biopsy and endotracheal cultures were negative.