Arch Med Sci
-
The combination of pulsed wave (PW) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) has been proposed as a new method to assess left ventricular (LV) mechanical dyssynchrony (LVMD), but results have not been validated. We investigated the correlation of a combination of PW and TDI with a positive response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). ⋯ Left vertricular dyssynchrony detected by the method combining PW and TDI demonstrated a high reproducibility, sensitivity, specificity and agreement with a positive response to CRT.
-
Previous work from our laboratory has established that cellular signaling processes of endogenous morphine are mediated by cognate G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) proteins, designated µ(3) and µ(4) opiate receptors. µ(3) and µ(4) opiate receptors are structurally unique "short" 6 transmembrane helical (TMH) domain GPCRs that are selectively responsive to endogenous morphine, not to families of endogenous opioid peptides, and are uniquely coupled to activation of constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS). Based on high resolution predictive measures, it appears likely that domestic poultry express a µ opiate receptor mRNA encoding potentially two novel GPCRs with similar biochemical characteristics as described for µ(3) and µ(4) opiate receptors as well as traditional µ(1) opioid receptors. The biological indications of these novel µ opiate receptors are discussed within the context of this short review.
-
Determining entropy values equivalent to the bispectral index values during sevoflurane anaesthesia.
We aimed to identify the entropy levels that would be equivalent to the bispectral index (BIS) levels in sevoflurane anaesthesia in patients who are to undergo elective lumbar disc surgery. ⋯ Based on this observation, we think that general anaesthetic agents that might cause severe hypotension could be more safely administered under entropy monitoring.
-
The determination of toxic elements in the biological samples of human beings is an important clinical procedure. This study was performed to investigate the prevalence of abnormal blood contents of 2 trace elements (TEs), aluminum (Al),and lead (Pb) in hemodialysis (HD) patients and to analyze their relationship with the medications, such as CaCO(3), Ca acetate, 1,25-dihydroxy vit. D(3), and erythropoietin (EPO), as well as hematocrit level. ⋯ The blood level of trace metals of these HD patients was not related to their medications except for the EPO dose. However, caution must be exercised in interpreting this result as dose and duration of medication may play an important role. Al and Pb over load may be considered from the causes of inadequate response to epoetin therapy.
-
Migraine is considered to be a multifactorial, complex disease. Various genetic and environmental factors contribute to the manifestation of this disease. The aim of this study was to determine whether polymorphisms in the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) region are associated with the risk of migraine. We examined the association between 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding regions of TNF-α and TNF-β genes and migraine. ⋯ Our data indicate that TNF-α and TNF-β gene polymorphisms are not a significant risk factor for migraine without aura in Greek children.