Cardiac Troponin I elevation after epileptic seizure.

Background: Cardiac troponin-I (cTNI) is highly specific biomarker to prove myocardial damage, e.g. in acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Factors associated with shunt dynamic in patients with cryptogenic stroke and patent foramen ovale: an observational cohort study.

Background: As previously reported there is evidence for a reduction in right to left shunt (RLS) in stroke patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO). This occurs predominantly in patients with cryptogenic stroke (CS). We therefore analysed factors associated with a shunt reduction on follow-up in stroke patients suffering of CS.

Cerebral vein thrombosis: clinical manifestation and diagnosis.

Background: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a disease with a wide spectrum of symptoms and severity. In this study we analysed the predictive value of clinical signs and symptoms and the contribution of D-dimer measurements for diagnosis.

Methods: We evaluated consecutive patients admitted with suspected CVT receiving non-invasive imaging.

High frequency of silent pulmonary embolism in patients with cryptogenic stroke and patent foramen ovale.

Background And Purpose: Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (PE) prove venous embolic activity and enforce the suspicion of paradoxical embolism in patients with stroke with patent foramen ovale. Because it has implications in secondary prevention, we investigated the frequency of silent PE in such a cohort of patients.

Methods: Patients with cryptogenic stroke or transient ischemic attack and patent foramen ovale who underwent a ventilation perfusion scintigraphy were identified from a stroke registry.

Decrease in shunt volume in patients with cryptogenic stroke and patent foramen ovale.

Background: In patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO) there is evidence supporting the hypothesis of a change in right-to-left shunt (RLS) over time. Proven, this could have implications for the care of patients with PFO and a history of stroke. The following study addressed this hypothesis in a cohort of patients with stroke and PFO.

Effects of gentamicin and gentamicin-RGD coatings on bone ingrowth and biocompatibility of cementless joint prostheses: an experimental study in rabbits.

Antimicrobial coatings are of interest as a means to improve infection prophylaxis in cementless joint arthroplasty. However, those coatings must not interfere with the essential bony integration of the implants. Gentamicin-hydroxyapatite (gentamicin-HA) and gentamicin-RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartate)-HA coatings have recently been shown to significantly reduce infection rates in a rabbit infection prophylaxis model.

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain pyndrome): seminal markers of inflammation.

The new prostatitis classification proposes the inclusion of seminal leukocytes in the diagnosis of inflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS). The present study has been performed to clarify the role of seminal leukocytes and inflammatory seminal plasma parameters in order to contribute to the differential diagnosis between inflammatory (category IIIA) and non-inflammatory (category IIIB) CPPS. A total of 112 consecutive symptomatic patients (mean age 37.

Expression analysis of the glucocorticoid receptor and the nuclear factor-kB subunit p50 in lymphocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To study a possible relationship between expression of the transcription factor glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which mediates antiinflammatory effects, and the transcription factor p50, which mediates proinflammatory effects, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Expression analysis of GR and nuclear factor-kB subunit p50 in PBMC was performed by semiquantitative immunoblotting.

Results: GR and p50 expression in PBMC were significantly increased in patients with RA who had never received corticosteroids.

Seminal secretory capacity of the male accessory sex glands in chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS)/chronic prostatitis with special focus on the new prostatitis classification.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the secretory dysfunction of the male accessory glands in men with inflammatory versus non-inflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS).

Methods: One hundred and twelve consecutive patients symptomatic for chronic pelvic pain were included into the study. All underwent a combined granulocyte analysis in expressed prostatic secretions (EPS) and a four-glass-test followed by ejaculate analysis.

Impaired glucose effectiveness in chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia.

Mitochondrial gene mutations have been recognized to be associated with diabetes mellitus. The incidence of diabetes mellitus in patients with other mitochondrial diseases, such as chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO), seems to be several times higher than in the normal population. The aim of the present investigation was to study insulin sensitivity index (SI), insulin secretion (AIR(Glucose)), and glucose effectiveness (Sg) in patients with CPEO.