Impact of cardiovascular treatments and systolic dysfunction on nutritional risk in patients with ischemic and valvular heart disease.

Objective: There is a limited knowledge about connections existing between impaired systolic function and nutritional risk. The aim of our study was to evaluate nutritional risk in patients recently treated for valvular or ischemic heart disease, depending on the impairment of left ventricle systolic function and chronic cardiovascular therapy.

Methods: Nutritional risk screening was applied using a nutritional risk screening (NRS)-2002 [ 1 ] tool in cross-sectional study settings on patients scheduled for cardiovascular rehabilitation.

Bleeding and Thrombotic Events in Patients Undergoing Mechanical Circulatory Support: A Review of Literature.

Bleeding and thrombotic events are among the most common complications detected in patients with mechanical circulatory support (MCS). Herein, we reviewed the available evidence on the prevalence, etiology, and management of bleeding and thrombotic events in patients following MCS procedures, such as implantation of both intra- and paracorporeal devices that generate either pulsatile or nonpulsatile flow. Extracorporeal life support procedures providing support to the failing heart and lungs were also reviewed.

Persistent endothelial dysfunction turns the frequent exacerbator COPD from respiratory disorder into a progressive pulmonary and systemic vascular disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of death in developed countries of the world, while the main cause of mortality and morbidity in COPD patients are acute exacerbations and cardiovascular diseases. With regard to the frequency of exacerbations the phenotype "frequent exacerbators" has been defined, which, besides a more severe clinical course and a significantly higher total mortality, is also characterised by an elevated risk of cardiovascular mortality, as some indicators show us. It is notable that during the exacerbation of COPD, next to other changes, a significant aggravation of endothelial function occurs while the ED and COPD relationship seems very complex and is still in greater part unknown.

Therapeutic vaccination with TNF-Kinoid in TNF antagonist-resistant rheumatoid arthritis: a phase II randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Objectives: Active immunization, or vaccination, with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-Kinoid (TNF-K) is a novel approach to induce polyclonal anti-TNF antibodies in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. This study was performed to transfer the proof of concept obtained in mice model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) into human. We designed a pilot study to demonstrate the feasibility of therapeutic vaccination in RA.

The predictive value of platelet function point-of-care tests for postoperative blood loss and transfusion in routine cardiac surgery: a systematic review.

Excessive bleeding after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) operations remains to be a persistent problem and weak platelet function certainly contributes to bleeding diathesis. Antiplatelet therapy (APT) is an integral component of perioperative management in patients undergoing cardiac surgery procedures, both with and without use of CPB. In addition to individual variability in platelet function, different preoperative APT administration/discontinuation management further affects platelet function, which in turn may reflect bleeding tendency.

Perforin- and granulysin-mediated cytotoxicity and interleukin 15 play roles in neurocognitive impairment in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is an aggressive disease. The course of disease is regulated by pro-inflammatory agents, and malignant cell infiltration of tissues plays a deleterious role in disease progression, greatly impacting quality of life, especially in the cognitive domains. Our hypothesis is that significant serum concentrations of interleukin 15 (IL-15) are responsible for higher expression of adhesion molecules on endothelial cells of blood-brain barrier (BBB) which allow leukaemia cells and/or normal lymphocytes the infiltration into the brain.

Clinical and seasonal variations of nutritional risk screening in patients scheduled for rehabilitation after heart surgery.

Background: Current knowledge on the pervasiveness of increased nutritional risk in cardiovascular diseases is limited. Our aim was to analyze the characteristics of nutritional risk screening in patients scheduled for rehabilitation after heart surgery. Prevalence and extent of nutritional risk were studied in connection with patients' characteristics and seasonal climate effects on weight loss dynamics.

Obesity dilemma in the global burden of cardiovascular diseases.

Aim: Obesity is a well-known risk factor in the cardiovascular disease continuum. However, its clinical effects are multimodal, perplexed and non-unanimously understood. Our aim was to assess the prevalence and effects of obesity on the cardiometabolic risk factors and systolic function of left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients scheduled for cardiovascular rehabilitation.

Heart surgery stems increased nutritional risk, expressed during the course of stationary rehabilitation.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are a vast global health burden. Despite common prevalence, current knowledge and investigations concerning nutritional aspects are limited. Characteristics and dynamics of nutritional risk are not entirely known for most of the entities, disease stages or treatment-induced fluctuations.

Multifaceted individualities in pharmacological treatments of obesity.

Simply put, there is no cure for obesity. Pharmaceuticals that induce weight loss of extent of at least 5% from baseline are applied and tested as the weight loosing drugs. Available guidelines include recommendations that pharmacologic treatment of obesity may be offered to patients with BMI > 30 kg/m2; or BMI >27 kg/m2 and obesity related comorbidity.

Obesity in the cardiovascular continuum.

A higher prevalence of coronary heart disease, cardiac and overall mortality is associated with obesity. The development of obesity appears in different adaptations in the morphology of cardiac structure and function. Obesity causes eccentric hypertrophy and changes in diastolic function of left ventricle.

Challenging the evidence based medicine principles among clinical obesity treatments.

Obesity is among the greatest health problems worldwide. However, there is a certain lack in regard to objective evidence-based clinical therapeutic algorithms. The conservative therapy (lifestyle changes, pharmacotherapy) often fails to attain clinically significant weight lost.