Upsala journal of medical sciences
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This research study aimed at assessing the electrocardiographic (ECG) changes caused by ageing in a cohort of healthy subjects with normal echocardiographic examinations. ⋯ Although most ECG changes found at baseline could be considered as a normal variation, they may progress to more severe heart complications as the subject ages. The results of this study also validate ECG findings of previous studies and underline that diagnostic criteria should be based on gender and age.
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Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are two age-related neurodegenerative diseases of significant public health importance. Epidemiological studies have indicated that there might be an association between the disorders. ⋯ In this long-term follow-up study of subjects aged 65-74 years old in Sweden, OAG was not associated with AD.
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Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immune-mediated fibroinflammatory condition that can affect multiple organs. IgG4-RD may show a variety of initial symptoms. In the oral mucosa, lesions present as inflammatory fibrosis with a large number of IgG4-positive plasma cells. ⋯ We present a case report of localized IgG4-RD with ulcerative and proliferative manifestations on the tongue, which clinically mimicked oral squamous cell carcinoma. A tumor-like lesion on the tongue can indicate something else other than the malignant or reactive changes commonly found in the oral mucosa. Multiple differential diagnoses of these atypical oral lesions, including localized IgG4-RD, should be considered.
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In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), recurrent upper airway obstruction and apnea/hypopnea episodes result in endothelial dysfunction, which leads to the release of many proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS induces NLRP3, a protein involved in the synthesis of interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-18; vaspin is a serine protease inhibitor that has an important role in suppressing the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of NLRP3 rs10159239 (rs9239) and vaspin rs2236242 (rs6242) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on OSA development. ⋯ The vaspin rs6242 SNP AA genotype increased susceptibility to OSA, while the AT genotype appeared to be protective. The lower plasma vaspin levels in OSA compared with the control group and in patients with the AA genotype suggest that vaspin may be a protective biomarker for OSA.