Economic burden of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in Finland.

Objectives: Given that pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic hypertension (CTEPH) are rare yet severe subtypes of pulmonary hypertension significantly impacting patients' lives, this study analyzed the total societal costs of these conditions in Finland.

Methods: PAH (n = 247) and CTEPH (n = 177) patients diagnosed between 2008 and 2019 were analyzed for primary and specialty outpatient visits, emergency visits, hospitalizations, home and institutional care, sick leaves, disability pensions, and drug costs for 5 years before and after diagnosis.

Results: In PAH and CTEPH, annual specialty care number of outpatient visits increased from 3.

Plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in the detection of aortic valve stenosis.

Background: Systolic murmur suggestive of aortic valve origin is a common accidental finding, particularly in the elderly. Usually, it is due to aortic stenosis (AS) or aortic sclerosis (ASc). Currently, echocardiography is used to differentiate AS from ASc.

Effect of Milk Fat Globule Membrane- and Protein-Containing Snack Product on Physical Performance of Older Women-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Sarcopenia is common in people 70+ years of age, and its prevalence increases with further aging. Insufficient energy and protein intake accelerates muscle loss, whereas sufficient protein intake and milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) may suppress age-associated deterioration of muscle mass and strength. Our objective was to test whether a snack product high in MFGM and protein would improve physical performance in older women.

The prevalence of cardiac complications and their impact on outcomes in patients with non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a serious condition, and a myocardial injury or dysfunction could contribute to the outcome. We assessed the prevalence and prognostic impact of cardiac involvement in a cohort with SAH. This is a prospective observational multicenter study.

Consistent Dosing Through the Salmeterol-Fluticasone Propionate Easyhaler for the Management of Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Robustness Analysis Across the Easyhaler Lifetime.

Easyhaler (registered trademark by Orion Corporation) is a multidose dry powder inhaler (DPI) for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), designed to be simple and easy to use. Salmeterol-fluticasone propionate (S-F) Easyhaler (50/250 and 50/500 μg per dose), available in several European countries, provides combined inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta agonist therapy for the management of asthma and COPD. A requirement of the European Committee for Medical Products for Human Use guidelines is to demonstrate product performance under conditions that mimic real-life patient use.

Beneficial effects of running and milk protein supplements on Sirtuins and risk factors of metabolic disorders in rats with low aerobic capacity.

Background: Physical activity and dietary intake of dairy products are associated with improved metabolic health. Dairy products are rich with branched chain amino acids that are essential for energy production. To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the benefit of the sub-chronic effects of running and intake of milk protein supplements, we studied Low Capacity Runner rats (LCR), a rodent exercise model with risk for metabolic disorders.

Randomised Controlled Trial: Partial Hydrolysation of Casein Protein in Milk Decreases Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Subjects with Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.

Unspecific gastrointestinal symptoms associated with milk consumption are common. In addition to lactose, also other components of milk may be involved. We studied whether the partial hydrolysation of milk proteins would affect gastrointestinal symptoms in subjects with functional gastrointestinal disorders.

Protein Supplements and Their Relation with Nutrition, Microbiota Composition and Health: Is More Protein Always Better for Sportspeople?

Sports nutrition products are developed and targeted mainly for athletes to improve their nutrient intake, performance, and muscle growth. The fastest growing consumer groups for these products are recreational sportspeople and lifestyle users. Although athletes may have elevated physiological protein requirements and they may benefit from dietary supplements, the evidence regarding the role of dietary protein and supplements in the nutrition of recreational sportspeople and sedentary populations is somewhat complex and contradictory.

Intestinal microbiome as a risk factor for urinary tract infections in children.

As urinary tract infection (UTI) pathogens originate from the gut, we hypothesized that the gut environment reflected by intestinal microbiome influences the risk of UTI. Our prospective case-control study compared the intestinal microbiomes of 37 children with a febrile UTI with those of 69 healthy children. We sequenced the regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and used the LefSe algorithm to calculate the size of the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect.

Pericardial fluid: assessment and examination.

Pericardial fluid is a common finding on echocardiography. Less than 10 mm of fluid on ultrasound scan is not necessarily associated with any significant illness. Clinical examination, blood count, renal and liver enzymes and thyroid function tests as well as inflammatory marker tests are often adequate for a patient who is in good health.

Bridged Epipolythiodiketopiperazines from Penicillium raciborskii, an Endophytic Fungus of Rhododendron tomentosum Harmaja.

Three new epithiodiketopiperazine natural products [outovirin A (1), outovirin B (2), and outovirin C (3)] resembling the antifungal natural product gliovirin have been identified in extracts of Penicillium raciborskii, an endophytic fungus isolated from Rhododendron tomentosum. The compounds are unusual for their class in that they possess sulfide bridges between α- and β-carbons rather than the typical α-α bridging. To our knowledge, outovirin A represents the first reported naturally produced epimonothiodiketopiperazine, and antifungal outovirin C is the first reported trisulfide gliovirin-like compound.

Mild protein hydrolysation of lactose-free milk further reduces milk-related gastrointestinal symptoms.

Gastrointestinal symptoms associated with milk are common. Besides lactose, milk proteins may cause symptoms in sensitive individuals. We have developed a method for mild enzymatic hydrolysation of milk proteins and studied the effects of hydrolysed milk on gastrointestinal symptoms in adults with a self-diagnosed sensitive stomach.

Methyl-esterified 3-hydroxybutyrate oligomers protect bacteria from hydroxyl radicals.

Bacteria rely mainly on enzymes, glutathione and other low-molecular weight thiols to overcome oxidative stress. However, hydroxyl radicals are the most cytotoxic reactive oxygen species, and no known enzymatic system exists for their detoxification. We now show that methyl-esterified dimers and trimers of 3-hydroxybutyrate (ME-3HB), produced by bacteria capable of polyhydroxybutyrate biosynthesis, have 3-fold greater hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity than glutathione and 11-fold higher activity than vitamin C or the monomer 3-hydroxybutyric acid.

Pan-genotypic Hepatitis C Virus Inhibition by Natural Products Derived from the Wild Egyptian Artichoke.

Unlabelled: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the leading cause of chronic liver diseases. Water extracts of the leaves of the wild Egyptian artichoke (WEA) [Cynara cardunculus L. var.

[Cardiac effects of radiation therapy].

Because of increased life-expentancy cancer patients having undergone radiation therapy nowadays live longer, and late-appearing adverse effects are therefore playing a more significant role. Radiation therapy given to the chest is known to approximately double the risk of heart disease, the cumulative total radiation dose being the most important risk-increasing factor. The most significant adverse effects appear only years after the treatment.

Effect of fermented milk product containing lactotripeptides and plant sterol esters on haemodynamics in subjects with the metabolic syndrome--a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

We investigated the effects of fermented milk product containing isoleucine-proline-proline, valine-proline-proline and plant sterol esters (Pse) on plasma lipids, blood pressure (BP) and its determinants systemic vascular resistance and cardiac output. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 104 subjects with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) were allocated to three groups in order to receive fermented milk product containing (1) 5 mg/d lactotripeptides (LTP) and 2 g/d plant sterols; (2) 25 mg/d LTP and 2 g/d plant sterols; (3) placebo for 12 weeks. Plasma lipids and home BP were monitored.

New-onset atrial fibrillation at discharge in patients after coronary artery bypass surgery: short- and long-term morbidity and mortality.

Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass surgery is often considered a non-harmful and self-terminating condition. We studied the mortality and morbidity in patients with new-onset AF (NOAF) present at the time of hospital discharge.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective follow-up study of 138 patients discharged in NOAF (NOAF group) and a propensity score-matched control group of 138 patients who were in sinus rhythm (SR) at the time of discharge (SR group).

Fungal phenalenones: chemistry, biology, biosynthesis and phylogeny.

Covering up to the end of August 2013. Phenalenones are members of a unique class of natural polyketides exhibiting diverse biological potential. This is a comprehensive review of 72 phenalenones with diverse structural features originating from fungal sources.

Effects of daily intake of yoghurt enriched with bioactive components on chronic stress responses: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Chronic stress has a negative influence on health. The aim was to determine stress reducing effects of yoghurt enriched with bioactive components as compared to normal yoghurt. High-trait anxiety individuals (n = 67) aged 18-63 years participated in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded intervention with parallel groups.

Computed tomography and echocardiography together reveal more high-risk findings than echocardiography alone in the diagnostics of stroke etiology.

Background: Cardioembolic stroke carries a major risk of stroke recurrence, which can be markedly reduced by early initiation of appropriate secondary prevention. We investigate whether combined examination of the heart, aorta, and cervicocranial arteries with computed tomography (CACC-CT) may improve the diagnosis of stroke etiology.

Methods: Patients with suspected cardiogenic ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (n = 140; mean age 60 ± 10 years; 95 males) underwent CACC-CT and standard diagnostics including transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography (TTE/TEE).

Breakfast high in whey protein or carbohydrates improves coping with workload in healthy subjects.

Dietary components may affect brain function and influence behaviour by inducing the synthesis of neurotransmitters. The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of consumption of a whey protein-containing breakfast drink v. a carbohydrate drink v.

Antihypertensive effects of bioactive tripeptides-a random effects meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis of possible antihypertensive effects of small doses of bioactive tripeptides isoleucine-proline-proline and valine-proline-proline in commercial milk products or tablets was carried out. A random effects model was used on 19 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical intervention trials (published 1996-October 2010) consisting of about 1500 prehypertensive or mildly hypertensive subjects.The overall blood pressure lowering for systolic blood pressure was -4.

Plant sterols and casein-derived tripeptides attenuate blood pressure increase in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

In this study, we investigated the synergistic effects of plant sterols (PS) and casein-derived tripeptides on arterial tone and blood pressure in experimental hypertension. We hypothesized that PS and tripeptides could have positive, synergistic effects on the development of hypertension and endothelial dysfunction in young spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Six-week-old male SHR were divided into 3 groups to receive milk products containing PS, or PS with tripeptides, or a control containing no active components for 8 weeks.

A spread containing bioactive milk peptides Ile-Pro-Pro and Val-Pro-Pro, and plant sterols has antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering effects.

Lifestyle intervention is recommended as the primary treatment for mild hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. We studied the effects of a spread containing bioactive milk peptides IPP and VPP, as well as plant sterols, on cardiovascular risk factors in 104 hypertensive, hypercholesterolemic subjects in a randomised, placebo-controlled double-blind intervention. Middle-aged subjects consumed 20 g day⁻¹ of a spread containing 4.

High blood pressure-lowering and vasoprotective effects of milk products in experimental hypertension.

Milk casein-derived angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory tripeptides isoleucine-proline-proline (Ile-Pro-Pro) and valine-proline-proline (Val-Pro-Pro) have been shown to have antihypertensive effects in human subjects and to attenuate the development of hypertension in experimental models. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a fermented milk product containing Ile-Pro-Pro and Val-Pro-Pro and plant sterols on already established hypertension, endothelial dysfunction and aortic gene expression. Male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 195 mmHg were given either active milk (tripeptides and plant sterols), milk or water ad libitum for 6 weeks.