The influence of obesity-related factors in the etiology of renal cell carcinoma-A mendelian randomization study.

Background: Several obesity-related factors have been associated with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), but it is unclear which individual factors directly influence risk. We addressed this question using genetic markers as proxies for putative risk factors and evaluated their relation to RCC risk in a mendelian randomization (MR) framework. This methodology limits bias due to confounding and is not affected by reverse causation.

Hypercholesterolemia and Hypertension: Two Sides of the Same Coin.

The aim of this review article is to summarize the current knowledge about mechanisms that connect blood pressure regulation and hypercholesterolemia, the mutual interaction between hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, and their influence on atherosclerosis development. Our research shows that at least one-third of the population of Western Europe has hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Several biohumoral mechanisms could explain the relationship between hypertension and hypercholesterolemia and the association between these risk factors and accelerated atherosclerosis.

ORAl iMmunosuppressive therapy to prevent in-Stent rEstenosiS (RAMSES) cooperation: a patient-level meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Objective: The role of oral immunosuppressive therapy (OIT) to prevent restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and stenting is still controversial. This study evaluates the impact of oral administration of prednisone or sirolimus to prevent restenosis.

Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of trials in which PCI-patients were randomized to bare metal stents (BMS) plus OIT (BMS + OIT group) versus BMS or drug-eluting stents alone (BMS/DES group).

Isolated right-sided heart failure in a patient with hyperthyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism has many characteristic manifestations of various organ systems. Cardiovascular effects are frequent in these patients. A less known complication of hyperthyroidism is reversible right-sided heart failure and pulmonary hypertension.

Dysarthria and mutism.

Dysarthria is a speech disorder associated with impairments of intelligibility, smoothness, loudness, and clarity of articulations. Dysarthria involves disability of reproducing various physical, tonal, and sound features of speech sounds in oral speech; unintelligible and slurred articulation with swallowing of sounds is characteristic. Articulatory movements and speech are slow, patients complain to the sensations of a 'thick' tongue and 'porridge' in the mouth.

Prevalence of Helicobacter Pylori in Different Surgical Diseases: A Preliminary Report.

The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in different surgical diseases in patients with six different cancer types. We analyzed sixty consecutive patients with malignancy (gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular cancer, intestinal cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer). Detection of specific IgA and IgG antibodies to Helicobacter pylori in human serum was determined by Enzygnost Anti-Helicobacter pylori II/IgA (IgG) using ELISA processor (Siemens, Germany).

To dip or not to dip? The unique relationship between different blood pressure patterns and cardiac function and structure.

Dipping and nondipping blood pressure (BP) patterns are associated with different levels of target organ damage and cardiovascular risk. The aim of our investigation was to determine the relationship between different BP patterns (dipping, nondipping, extreme dipping and reverse dipping type) and cardiac structure, and function in hypertensive patients. This cross-sectional study included 376 hypertensive patients.

Prediction of myocardial functional recovery by noninvasive evaluation of Basal and hyperemic coronary flow in patients with previous myocardial infarction.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation of basal and hyperemic coronary flow with myocardial functional improvement in patients with previous myocardial infarction undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: Coronary flow was measured using transthoracic Doppler echocardiography in 50 patients (41 men; mean age, 53 ± 8 years) with previous myocardial infarction before, 24 hours, and 3 months after elective PCI. Diastolic deceleration time (DDT) was measured from the peak diastolic velocity to the point of intercept of initial decay slope with baseline.

B-type natriuretic peptide in outpatients after myocardial infarction: optimized cut-off value for incident heart failure prediction.

Higher levels of natriuretic peptides were identified in outpatients after myocardial infarction (MI) compared to the healthy population, even in the absence of heart failure (HF). Therefore, we assessed the optimal cut-off value of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in relation to new-onset HF prediction in 79 post-MI patients with preserved left ventricular systolic function (ejection fraction >40%). Plasma BNP was measured by enzyme immunoassay, 6 months after MI and patients were followed-up for the next one year.

Systemic rapamycin without loading dose for restenosis prevention after coronary bare metal stent implantation.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the role of short oral administration of rapamycin, without loading dose, in the reduction of restenosis rate after bare metal stent implantation.

Background: Previous studies suggest that the administration of oral rapamycin reduces angiographic restenosis after bare metal stent implantation.

Methods: This was prospective, open-label study of 80 patients randomized to either oral rapamycin (2 mg/day for 30 days, starting within 24 hr of stent implantation) or no therapy after implantation of a coronary bare metal stent.

Antilipoprotein antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis.

Antibodies against very low-density lipoproteins and low-density lipoproteins (aLA) were found in 26 of 69 (38%) patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but not in any control subjects (ie, 40 patients with psoriatic arthritis, 21 patients with osteoarthritis, and 65 healthy blood donors). In 21 RA patients (30%), lipoproteins were found in the dissociated components of circulating immune complexes. RA patients with aLA had significantly decreased cholesterol levels in all lipoprotein fractions and total serum lipids, while serum triglycerides were significantly increased compared with RA patients without aLA.

Chronic myeloid leukemia associated with pure red cell aplasia and terminating in promyelocytic transformation.

After intermittent treatment with busulphan over a 7-year period for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase, a 39-year-old female developed leukocytosis in association with pure red cell aplasia (PRCA). Bone marrow examination confirmed erythroid aplasia, and culture revealed a total absence of erythroid progenitor cells. The patient then was treated with azathioprine, corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide, plasma exchange, and cyclosporin A, but she remained erythroblastopenic and transfusion dependent for more than a year, at which time a promyelocytic transformation supervened.