Coronary artery disease screening in type II diabetic patients: prognostic value of rest and stress echocardiography.

Aim: Presence of inducible ischemia in type II diabetic patients is associated with an adverse outcome, but less is known about prognostic value of resting wall motion abnormalities (WMA).

Materials And Methods: From October 2006 to May 2008, 278 patients underwent to CAD screening, according to ADA criteria, by dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE). Between July and September 2009, all patients were contacted to verify the occurrence of new cardiac events.

Prognostic value of emergency physician performed echocardiography in patients with acute pulmonary thromboembolism.

Introduction: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening illness with high morbidity and mortality. Echocardiography (ECG) plays an important role in the early identification of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction, making it a helpful tool in identifying hemodynamically stable patients affected by PE with a higher mortality risk. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if one or more ECG indexes could predict a short-term evolution towards RV dysfunction.

Clinical management of atrial fibrillation: early interventions, observation, and structured follow-up reduce hospitalizations.

Background: Novel facilities such as an intensive observation unit and an outpatient clinic could result in improving management of patients presenting with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: This observational study enrolled 3475 patients. Group 1 (1120 patients; years 2004-2005) was managed with standard approach; group 2 (992 patients; years 2006-2007) was managed with additional intensive observation; group 3 (1363 patients; years 2008-2009) was managed with additional intensive observation and outpatient clinic.

Features of apoptosis in Plasmodium falciparum erythrocytic stage through a putative role of PfMCA1 metacaspase-like protein.

The ability to undergo apoptosis, previously thought to be exclusive to multicellular organisms, has been demonstrated in unicellular parasites. On the basis of an observation that Plasmodium "crisis forms" were seen in vitro after cultivation in media containing an antimalarial drug, we attempted to determine whether Plasmodium falciparum has the ability to undergo apoptosis. By use of either the apoptosis-inducer etoposide or the antimalarial chloroquine, apoptosis in Plasmodium asexual stages was evident by the observation of DNA fragmentation and disruption of transmembrane mitochondrial potential.