A cross-sectional analysis of factors associated with the teachable moment concept and health behaviors during pregnancy.

Background: Pregnancy is often associated with a change in health behaviors, leading some to suggest that pregnancy could be a teachable moment for lifestyle change. However, the prevalence and underlying mechanism of this phenomenon is not well understood. The aim of this study is to explore the prevalence of a teachable moment during pregnancy, the psychosocial factors that are associated with experiencing such a moment, and its association with actual health behaviors.

National Weekly SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Screening of All Workers in Long-Term Care Facilities Associated with Decrease in Resident Mortality Rate.

Introduction: Outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) have resulted mainly from disease transmission by asymptomatic health care workers. This study examines whether routine screening tests carried out on health care workers can help in reducing COVID-19 outbreaks, morbidity, and mortality of LTCF residents.

Methods: The study followed a weekly, nationwide, government-funded screening program of LTCF personnel for SARS-CoV-2, by using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction as the main testing technology.

Heat transfer analysis study for the design of the New Polychromatic Beam Neutron Reflectometer CANDOR (Chromatic Analysis Neutron Diffractometer Or Reflectometer).

A newly developed polychromatic beam neutron reflectometer CANDOR (Chromatic Analysis Neutron Diffractometer Or Reflectometer) on NG-1 at the NIST Center for Neutron research (NCNR) utilizes a wavelength-sensitive neutron detector consisting of 324 analyzing highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) crystals positioned sequentially in rows. Known for having a small thermal diffuse scattering cross section, HOPG crystals can lead to low signal-to-noise ratios in wavelength-sensitive detectors such as CANDOR. Even though it is possible to mathematically separate the desired signal from thermal diffuse scattering; by cooling the detector array of HOPG crystals in order to minimize the Debye Waller effect generates a better solution to this problem.

Alterations in echocardiographic and electrocardiographic features in Japanese professional soccer players: comparison to African-Caucasian ethnicities.

Background: Scarce data are available regarding the electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic changes in athletes of Asian origin.

Design: We investigate the ECG and echocardiographic patterns in Japanese (J) compared with African-Caribbean (AC) and Caucasian (C) athletes.

Methods: A total of 282 professional soccer players (68 J, 96 AC and 118 C) matched for age, gender, sport and level of achievement was examined.

Increased skin capillary density in treated essential hypertensive patients.

Background: Microvascular rarefaction is a hallmark of essential hypertension. We measured the skin capillary density in nondiabetic hypertensive subjects with effective antihypertensive treatment and evaluated possible correlations with arterial blood pressure (BP).

Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 76 (55 +/- 1 years) consecutive outpatients with essential hypertension under chronic antihypertensive drug treatment (BP < 140/90 mm Hg), 24 age- and sex-matched patients with recently discovered and never-treated hypertension and 70 normotensive (BP < 140/90 mm Hg) age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

Continuation of amiodarone therapy despite type II amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis.

Background: Amiodarone is a powerful antiarrhythmic drug; however, its use may be complicated by thyrotoxicosis. When this occurs, clinicians must balance the continuation of amiodarone for antiarrhythmic purposes, and the discontinuation of treatment in order to prevent aggravation of the thyrotoxicosis. We studied the consequences of continuation or cessation of amiodarone in patients with type II amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis.

[The value of repeated determinations of brain natriuretic peptide for the diagnosis of unstable angina].

The diagnosis of unstable angina (troponine undetectable) is often difficult in the absence of electrocardiographic changes after suggestive chest pains. The object of this study was to analyse the kinetics of Brain Natiuretic Peptide (BNP) during acute coronary syndromes (ACS) without ST elevation. Plasma BNP was measured every 6 hours for 48 hours in 65 patients admitted for suspicion of ACS without ST elevation and without clinical, radiological or echocardiographic signs of left ventricular dysfunction.

[Mobile right heart thrombus with minimal pulmonary embolism. A case report].

The generalisation of the use of transthoracic echocardiography in the investigation of pulmonary embolism leads to the diagnosis of mobile right heart thrombus in about 5% of cases. A review of the literature shows that this association is mainly observed in clinically severe pulmonary embolism. The presence of a mobile right heart thrombus is associated with a poor prognosis and emergency treatment is based on thrombolytic therapy or surgical embolectomy.

[Management of severe acute pulmonary edema].

Acute cardiogenic pulmonary oedema is a medical emergency. It generally result from an acute left ventricular insufficiency, itself resulting from systolic or diastolic dysfunction (alteration in relaxation or distensibility). Clinical presentation may be atypical, especially in the elderly.