Screening for Atrial Fibrillation in Patients ≥65 Years Using an Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor in a Skilled Nursing Facility.

Early detection of asymptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) provides an opportunity to treat patients to reduce their risk of stroke. Long-term residents of skilled nursing facilities frequently have multiple risk factors for strokes due to AF and may benefit from screening for AF. Patients in a skilled nursing facility 65 years and older, without a history of AF and without a pacemaker or defibrillator, were evaluated using a Microlife WatchBP Home A automatic blood pressure monitor that can detect AF when set to a triple reading mode.

Basis for treatment of functioning neuroendocrine tumours.

A general characteristic of GEP endocrine tumours is that vast majority produce and secrete a multitude of peptide hormones and amines. The rarity of these types of tumours, their possible episodic expression and the variable clinical symptoms, are the reasons why patients are often diagnosed late in the advanced stages of the disease. For these reasons, the patients with advanced metastatic disease should be treated aggressively with medical and surgical therapies aimed at reducing both symptoms and complications through strategies that reduce tumour bulk and block hormonal effects.

Optimal treatment of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and related conditions in elderly patients.

Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is characterised by refractory peptic ulcer disease, severe diarrhoea and gastric acid hypersecretion associated with an islet-cell tumour of the pancreas (gastrinoma). The true incidence and prevalence of this rare disease is unknown; in the US, the frequency is one per one million people and the age at presentation varies from 7 to 90 years. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is sporadic in 62-80% of cases and in 20-38% of cases is associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1).

Coagulative disorders in human acute pancreatitis: role for the D-dimer.

Introduction And Aims: We investigated coagulative disorders, particularly the role of the D-dimer, in acute pancreatitis where coagulation abnormalities related to disease severity are known to occur.

Methodology: D-dimer levels in 30 patients with acute pancreatitis were evaluated; pancreatitis was mild and uncomplicated in 11 patients, accompanied by complications in 15, and severe in 4. We attempted to find a relationship between the D-dimer level and the antithrombin III level, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, the C-reactive protein level, and results of routine laboratory tests.

Impaired alveolar gas exchange in acute pancreatitis.

We evaluated the alveolar-arterial oxygen difference (deltaA-a) and the ratio between PaO2 and the fractional concentration of inspired oxygen (P/F) in acute pancreatitis. Eleven patients had mild uncomplicated disease, six showed acute abdominal fluid collections, six had acute abdominal collections and asymptomatic x-ray lung involvement, three presented transient dyspneic episodes, and four had severe acute pancreatitis requiring prolonged oxygen therapy. In the uncomplicated disease, respiratory function was normal; in the six patients with abdominal collections only, deltaA-a increased by 50% and P/F decreased by 20-30%; in the six patients with abdominal collections and asymptomatic x-ray lung involvement, deltaA-a increased by 50-70% and P/F decreased by 40%; the three patients with dyspneic episodes showed a twofold increase in deltaA-a and a 40% decrease in P/F; the four patients with severe pancreatitis had a two- to threefold increase in deltaA-a and a 40-50% decrease in P/F.

Apoptosis in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells as a self-limitation process in human acute pancreatitis.

Background/aim: Acute pancreatitis is primed and sustained by a chain of immuno-inflammatory factors. In this study, we investigated the possible existence of peripheral blood mononuclear cell apoptosis as a self-limitation mechanism in acute pancreatitis.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cell apoptosis was determined cytofluorometrically daily for 10 days from the onset of the illness in 27 consecutive patients (18 having mild uncomplicated acute pancreatitis and 9 having pancreatitis with complications) and was related to peripheral blood counts, including reticulocytes and reticulocyte fractions, and albumin, fibrinogen, and C-reactive protein levels.

Clinical relevance of acute pancreatitis in allogeneic hemopoietic stem cell (bone marrow or peripheral blood) transplants.

This study investigated the clinical relevance of acute pancreatitis in allogeneic hemopoietic stem cell (bone marrow or peripheral blood) transplants (BMT). We studied 26 patients undergoing BMT. The preparative regimen was busulfan and cyclophosphamide in 17 patients and total body irradiation and cyclophosphamide in 9 patients.

The soluble interleukin-2 receptor, peripheral blood, and reticulocyte fractions in acute pancreatitis.

Conclusion: In acute pancreatitis (AP), the peripheral blood analysis, including reticulocytes (RC) and RC fractions, and its relationship to the changes of the levels of the soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) can provide useful information about the involvement of the immunoinflammatory system in AP and can indicate the severity of the disease.

Background: In the disease clinical assessment, we correlated the sIL-2R serum levels to the peripheral blood components (including RC and RC fractions) to serum albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP) during AP.

Methods: In 21 patients with AP, sIL-2R, the total and differential white blood cell (WBC) counts, red blood cell (RBC) counts, RC, RC fractions, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Ht), platelets (PLT), albumin, and CRP were evaluated from the onset to the sixth day of illness.