Prediction of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Response Using Quantitative Gated Myocardial Perfusion Imaging.

Conventional selection criteria are not consistently able to discriminate between responders and non-responders to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of quantitative gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in predicting the response to CRT. This prospective cross-sectional study included 25 patients with advanced congestive heart failure who underwent quantitative gated SPECT before and after CRT implantation.

The World Health Organization's Disease Outbreak News: A retrospective database.

The World Health Organization (WHO) notifies the global community about disease outbreaks through the Disease Outbreak News (DON). These online reports tell important stories about both outbreaks themselves and the high-level decision making that governs information sharing during public health emergencies. However, they have been used only minimally in global health scholarship to date.

Renoprotective effect of febuxostat on contrast-induced acute kidney injury in chronic kidney disease patients stage 3: randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is known to be a complication of using intravascular contrast injection. Unfortunately, it is associated with adverse outcomes such as prolonged length of hospitalization and increased burden of health care costs. So, we aimed to determine the efficacy of febuxostat in the prevention of contrast-induced acute kidney injury among patients with chronic kidney disease Stage 3 performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Percutaneous coronary artery intervention in unprotected left main coronary artery disease: one-year outcome Egyptian registry.

Background: Left main coronary artery lesions are associated with jeopardy of an outsized area of the myocardium, causing a high incidence of morbidity and mortality. Optimal treatment of coronary bifurcation anatomy remains highly debatable, whether by provisional or two-stent technique. This prospective observational study was designed to investigate the one-year clinical outcomes of unprotected left main coronary artery disease revascularization by percutaneous coronary intervention in a "real-world" setting among Egyptian patients in a prospective single-center registry (at Ain Shams University Hospitals).

Work-related injuries among 5 - 17 years-old working children in Egypt: findings from a national child labor survey.

Background: Egypt has agreed and ratified international regulations that strict child labor. However, the country still struggles with high prevalence of child labor and the associated negative social and health effects. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and determinants of work-related injuries among working children in Egypt.

Myocardial Contraction Fraction is Superior to Ejection Fraction in Predicting Functional Capacity in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE)-determined myocardial contraction fraction (MCF) and functional capacity in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients. The MCF is a volumetric index of myocardial function, defined as stroke volume ratio to myocardial volume (MV). Functional capacity was evaluated by a 6-min walk test (6MWT), and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was assessed by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ).

A Subtle Decline in Cardiac Mechanics is correlated with Albuminuria in Asymptomatic Normotensive Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Two Dimensional Strain Echocardiography Study.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) insidiously affects the myocardium with subsequent cardiomyopathy and induces microvascular damage in the kidneys reflected by albuminuria. We aimed to investigate the relationship between albuminuria and subclinical left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction in asymptomatic normotensive patients with T2DM assessed by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography.

Materials And Methods And Results: Sixty normotensive patients with T2DM were included and subdivided into two subgroups, each including thirty patients according to the presence of albuminuria, together with thirty control subjects.

Impact of Ramadan Fasting on Biochemical and Exercise Parameters Among Patients Undergoing Exercise-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation.

Background: Ramadan fasting is an important worship activity for Muslims. It is not known if fasting could have deleterious effect on cardiac patients joining cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program, especially during summer season.

Aim: To assess the effect of Ramadan fasting on biochemical and exercise parameters among patients undergoing 12-week exercise-based CR program.

Role of the excessive amounts of circulating catecholamines and glucocorticoids in stress-induced heart disease.

Various stressful stimuli are known to activate the sympathetic nervous system to release catecholamines and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to release glucocorticoids in the circulation. Although initial actions of both catecholamines and glucocorticoids are beneficial for the function of the cardiovascular system, their delayed effects on the heart are deleterious. Glucocorticoids not only increase plasma levels of catecholamines by inhibiting their extraneuronal uptake, but they have also been shown to induce supersensitivity to catecholamines in the heart by upregulating different components of the betta-adrenoceptor signal transduction system.

Muscle-specific GSTM2-2 on the luminal side of the sarcoplasmic reticulum modifies RyR ion channel activity.

We show that a glutathione transferase (GST) protein, which is recognised by an antibody against the muscle-specific human GSTM2-2 (hGSTM2-2), is associated with the lumen of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of cardiac muscle, but not skeletal muscle. We further show that hGSTM2-2 modifies both cardiac and skeletal ryanodine receptor (RyR) activity when it binds to the luminal domain of the RyR channel complex. The properties of hGSTM2-2 were compared with those of the calsequestrin (CSQ), a Ca(2+) binding protein also present in the lumen of the SR which, like GSTM2-2, contains a thioredoxin-fold structure and modifies RyR activity (Wei, L.

The Mu class glutathione transferase is abundant in striated muscle and is an isoform-specific regulator of ryanodine receptor calcium channels.

Members of the glutathione transferase (GST) structural family are novel regulators of cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR) calcium channels. We present the first detailed report of the effect of endogenous muscle GST on skeletal and cardiac RyRs. An Mu class glutathione transferase is specifically expressed in human muscle.