The association between cardiovascular disease gene mutations and recurrent pregnancy loss in the Lebanese population.

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a problem affecting up to 5% of women of childbearing age due to many factors. Studies have shown that RPL and cardiovascular disease (CVD) may have shared risk factors. We compared the prevalence of 12 cardiovascular disease related gene mutations in patients with a history of RPL to normal controls in a major tertiary care center in Lebanon.

Sexual dysfunction in men with COPD: impact on quality of life and survival.

Background: Most patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are middle-aged or older, and by definition all have a chronic illness. Aging and chronic illness decrease sexual interest, sexual function, and testosterone levels. To date, researchers have not simultaneously explored prevalence, risk factors, and impact of sexual dysfunctions on quality of life and survival in men with COPD.

Relationship between depressive symptoms and hypogonadism in men with COPD.

The prevalence of depression in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is greater than in the general population, but the mechanism is unknown. Depression has been linked mechanistically to testosterone deficiency, and testosterone deficiency (hypogonadism) affects many men with COPD. Accordingly, we hypothesized that significant depressive symptoms would be associated with hypogonadism in men with COPD.

Stroke and myocardial infarction as late complications of lung transplantation.

A 64-year-old man who had received a lung transplant later presented with an air embolism that caused ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, multiple strokes, and death. Transesophageal echocardiography was used to document air bubbles crossing from a bronchial fistula to a pulmonary vein and into the left atrium. Spontaneous air was seen entering a pulmonary vein during positive-pressure ventilation and exiting through the left ventricular outflow tract.