Effects of Water-Based Exercise on Patients Older than 60 Years Undergoing Cardiac Rehabilitation after Coronary Intervention.

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) plays a crucial role in managing patients who have undergone coronary intervention (CI) following acute myocardial infarction. While water-based exercise is gaining recognition as an exercise modality in this patient population, its impact on the subgroup of older adults remains unexplored. In this post hoc analysis, we investigated the effects of water-based exercise on adults older than 60 years undergoing CR after CI, comparing it to land-based exercise and a control group.

Serum ammonia does not guide management and is overutilised in patients with cirrhosis in hospital settings.

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy is a confusional state associated with cirrhosis. Serum ammonia levels are neither sensitive nor specific for the diagnosis.

Aims: We audited the ordering location and hospital unit whilst assessing the impact on management at a major Australian tertiary centre.

Biotechnological Production of Sustainable Microbial Proteins from Agro-Industrial Residues and By-Products.

Microbial proteins, i.e., single-cell proteins or microbial biomass, can be cultivated for food and animal feed due to their high protein content and the fact that they represent a rich source of carbohydrates, minerals, fats, vitamins, and amino acids.

The Effect of Aquatic Exercise Training on Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.

Aquatic exercise training is a relatively understudied exercise modality in patients with CAD; with the present study, we sought to compare the impact of short-term 14-day water- and land-based exercise training on heart rate variability (HRV). We randomized 90 patients after a recent CAD event (myocardial infarction and/or revascularization within 2 months prior to inclusion) to either (i) water-based or (ii) land-based exercise training (14 days, two 30 min sessions daily), or (iii) controls. Before and after the intervention period, all participants underwent 20 min 12-channel high-resolution ECG recordings with off-line HRV analysis, including conventional linear time- and frequency-domain analysis (using the Welch method for fast-Fourier transformation), and preselected non-linear analysis (Poincaré plot-derived parameters, sample entropy, and the short-term scaling exponent α1 obtained by detrended fluctuation analysis).

Effectiveness of Electrostatic Shielding in High-Frequency Electromagnetic Induction Soil Sensing.

High-frequency electromagnetic induction (HFEMI) sensors, operating in the frequency range from 300 kHz to 30 MHz, have been proposed for the measurement of soil electrical conductivity and dielectric permittivity that are related to the physical and chemical properties of soil. Because of the high-frequency operation, the capacitive coupling between the sensor transmitter and receiver coils is comparable to inductive coupling, creating the need for electrostatic shielding. The remnant capacitive coupling after the implementation of shielding can lead to significant difficulties in the sensor signal interpretation, because both coupling mechanisms are highly dependent on the geometry of the HFEMI sensor and applied shield.

Allogeneic double-negative CAR-T cells inhibit tumor growth without off-tumor toxicities.

The development of autologous chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapies has revolutionized cancer treatment. Nevertheless, the delivery of CAR-T cell therapy faces challenges, including high costs, lengthy production times, and manufacturing failures. To overcome this, attempts have been made to develop allogeneic CAR-T cells using donor-derived conventional CD4 or CD8 T cells (T), but severe graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and host immune rejection have made this challenging.

Model of Magnetically Shielded Ferrite-Cored Eddy Current Sensor.

Computationally fast electromagnetic models of eddy current sensors are required in model-based measurements, machine interpretation approaches or in the sensor design phase. If a sensor geometry allows it, the analytical approach to the modeling has significant advantages in comparison to numerical methods, most notably less demanding implementation and faster computation. In this paper, we studied an eddy current sensor consisting of a transmitter coil with a finitely long I ferrite core, which was screened with a finitely thick magnetic shield.

State-of-Art of Cellular Therapy for Acute Leukemia.

With recent clinical breakthroughs, immunotherapy has become the fourth pillar of cancer treatment. Particularly, immune cell-based therapies have been envisioned as a promising treatment option with curative potential for leukemia patients. Hence, an increasing number of preclinical and clinical studies focus on various approaches of immune cell-based therapy for treatment of acute leukemia (AL).

Guidance for the Management of Patients with Vascular Disease or Cardiovascular Risk Factors and COVID-19: Position Paper from VAS-European Independent Foundation in Angiology/Vascular Medicine.

COVID-19 is also manifested with hypercoagulability, pulmonary intravascular coagulation, microangiopathy, and venous thromboembolism (VTE) or arterial thrombosis. Predisposing risk factors to severe COVID-19 are male sex, underlying cardiovascular disease, or cardiovascular risk factors including noncontrolled diabetes mellitus or arterial hypertension, obesity, and advanced age. The VAS-European Independent Foundation in Angiology/Vascular Medicine draws attention to patients with vascular disease (VD) and presents an integral strategy for the management of patients with VD or cardiovascular risk factors (VD-CVR) and COVID-19.

Short-Term Water- and Land-Based Exercise Training Comparably Improve Exercise Capacity and Vascular Function in Patients After a Recent Coronary Event: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: We hypothesized that a 2-week twice daily aquatic endurance calisthenics exercise training program: (i) increases aerobic exercise capacity (peak oxygen uptake/ Opeak), (ii) improves endothelium-dependent flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), and (iii) reduces circulating markers of low-grade inflammation and hemostasis, as compared to land-based endurance calisthenics exercise training or no exercise in patients undergoing short-term residential cardiac rehabilitation after a recent coronary artery disease (CAD) event.

Methods: Patients with a recent myocardial infarction or revascularization procedure were randomized into two interventional groups and a control group. The interventional groups underwent supervised aerobic endurance calisthenics exercise training either in thermo-neutral water or on land at moderate intensity (60-80% of the peak heart rate achieved during symptom-limited graded exercise testing) for 30 min twice daily for 2 weeks (i.

Cellular immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia: How specific should it be?

Significant improvements in the survival of patients with hematological cancers following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation provide evidence supporting the potency of immune cell-mediated anti-leukemic effects. Studies focusing on immune cell-based cancer therapies have made significant breakthroughs in the last few years. Adoptive cellular therapy (ACT), and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, in particular, has significantly increased the survival of patients with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and aggressive B cell lymphoma.

Impact of diabetes mellitus on early outcome of carotid endarterectomy.

Background: Diabetes mellitus increases the risk of ischaemic stroke in the general population but its impact on early outcome after the carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is controversial with conflicting results.

Patients And Methods: This prospective study includes 902 consecutive CEAs. Patients were divided into non-diabetic and diabetic groups and subsequently analysed.

Cardiovascular Implications of Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Thyroid Disease, and Cardio-Oncology in Women.

Cardiovascular disease may be associated with several comorbidities, including diabetes mellitus, thyroid disorders, and the metabolic syndrome, which are predominantly observed in women and often starting at particular ages. In addition, common treatment options for carcinomas frequently seen in women may induce serious cardiotoxic effects. We review the scope of the problem, the pathophysiologic mechanisms involved, as well as the resulting abnormalities regarding cardiac structure and function as observed by using imaging techniques.

Scoring system to predict early carotid restenosis after eversion endarterectomy by analysis of inflammatory markers.

Background: Inflammation is one of the mechanisms that leads to carotid restenosis (CR). The aim of this study was to examine the influence of increased values of inflammation markers (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hs-CRP], C3 complement, and fibrinogen) on CR development after eversion carotid endarterectomy (CEA).

Methods: A consecutive 300 patients were included in the study, in which eversion CEA was performed between March 1 and August 1, 2010.

ESVM guidelines - the diagnosis and management of Raynaud's phenomenon.

Regarding the clinical diagnosis of Raynaud's phenomenon and its associated conditions, investigations and treatment are substantial, and yet no international consensus has been published regarding the medical management of patients presenting with this condition. Most knowledge on this topic derives from epidemiological surveys and observational studies; few randomized studies are available, almost all relating to drug treatment, and thus these guidelines were developed as an expert consensus document to aid in the diagnosis and management of Raynaud's phenomenon. This consensus document starts with a clarification about the definition and terminology of Raynaud's phenomenon and covers the differential and aetiological diagnoses as well as the symptomatic treatment.

Decision-Making in Clinical Practice: Oral Anticoagulant Therapy in Patients with Non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation and a Single Additional Stroke Risk Factor.

Approximately 1 in 3-4 patients presenting with an ischemic stroke will also have atrial fibrillation (AF), and AF-related strokes can be effectively prevented using oral anticoagulant therapy (OAC), either with well-controlled vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). In addition, OAC use (both VKAs and NOACs) is associated with a 26% reduction in all-cause mortality (VKAs) or an additional 10% mortality reduction with NOACs relative to VKAs. The decision to use OAC in individual AF patient is based on the estimated balance of the benefit from ischemic stroke reduction against the risk of major OAC-related bleeding [essentially intracranial hemorrhage (ICH)].

Low incidence of complications after cephalic vein cutdown for pacemaker lead implantation in children weighing less than 10 kilograms: A single-center experience with long-term follow-up.

Background: Only a few studies on the cephalic vein cutdown technique for pacemaker lead implantation in children weighing ≤10 kg have been reported even though the procedure is widely accepted in adults.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to prove that cephalic vein cutdown for pacemaker lead implantation is a reliable technique with a low incidence of complications in children weighing ≤10 kg.

Methods: The study included 44 children weighing ≤10 kg with an endocardial pacemaker.

Coexistence of internal carotid artery stenosis in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Background And Objectives: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) and carotid disease have medical and social significance, considering their morbidity, disability, and economic consequences. The study objectives were to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic internal carotid artery (ICA) lesions ≥70% in patients with AAA, the correlation of AAA diameter with the degree of ICA stenosis and symptoms, and the importance of preventive ultrasound checkups.

Subjects And Methods: A prospective non-randomized controlled study including 740 patients, aged from 18-85 years, who were suitable for the inclusion and exclusion criteria and reported at the vascular laboratory of the Institute for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia from 1st of December 2011 to the 1st of November 2012.

Economic evaluation of different screening alternatives for patients with clinically suspected acute deep vein thrombosis.

Introduction: We examined the cost-effectiveness of the three different D-dimer measurements in the screening of DVT in models with and without calculation of pre-test probability (PTP) score. Moreover, we calculated the minimal cost in DVT detection.

Material And Methods: In the group of 192 patients with clinically suspected acute DVT, we examined the three different D-dimer measurements (Innovance D-dimer, Hemosil D-dimer HS and Vidas D-dimer Exclusion II) in combination with and without PTP assessment.

Power enhancement of piezoelectric transformers by adding heat transfer equipment.

It is known that piezoelectric transformers have several inherent advantages compared with conventional electromagnetic transformers. However, the maximum power capacity of piezoelectric transformers is not as large as electromagnetic transformers in practice, especially in the case of high output current. The theoretical power density of piezoelectric transformers calculated by stress boundary can reach 330 W/cm(3), but no piezoelectric transformer has ever reached such a high power density in practice.

Hyperlipidemia, oxidative stress, and intima media thickness in children with chronic kidney disease.

Background: The roles of dyslipidemia and oxidative stress in the early phases of atherosclerosis were tested in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Intima media thickness of common carotid arteries (cIMT) is used as a measure of early atherosclerosis.

Methods: Fifty-two pediatric CKD patients were enrolled in the study (10 with chronic renal failure [CRF], 22 with a renal transplant [RT], 20 with chronic hemodialysis (cHD) patients, and 36 healthy children (control group, CG).

Proinflammatory effects of C-Peptide in different tissues.

Atherosclerosis is well known as an inflammatory disease that can lead to clinical complications such as heart attack or stroke. C-peptide as a cleavage product of proinsulin is in the last few decades known as an active peptide with a number of different effects on microvascular and macrovascular complications in type 2 diabetic patients. Patients with insulin resistance and early type 2 diabetes show elevated levels of C-peptide in blood.