Alterations in energy consumption and plantar pressure distribution during walking in young adults with patellofemoral pain syndrome

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the alterations of walking energy expenditure and plantar pressure distribution in young adults with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS).

Risk Factors of Germinal Matrix Intraventricular Hemorrhage in Premature Infants

Objective

To determine whether some clinical parameters can be used to predict the hemorrhage and whether the relationship between these clinical variables and the grades of hemorrhage is linear.

Methods

A total of 230 premature infants, born at a gestational age less than 34 weeks were retrospectively reviewed. Germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage (GM-IVH), the grade of the hemorrhage, and clinical data were assessed with a checklist. Variables were analyzed by using Mann Whitney U and Fisher’s exact tests and then multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the independent risk factors.

Findings

Resuscitation, gestational age, hypotension, multiple birth, and birth weight were found to be independent risk factors. We determined non-linear relationship between the grades of hemorrhage and the clinical parameters. But when we classified hemorrhages as grade 1, grade 2-3 and grade 4, the relationships were found linear.

Conclusion

Premature infants who had resuscitation, low gestational age, hypotension, multiple birth, and low birth weight are more likely to have GM-IVH. The relationship between the clinical variables and the grades of GM-IVH does not seem to be linear.     

Does telomere length affect blood pressure?

Telomeres—tandem repeats at the ends of mammalian chromosomes—serve as clocks that pace cellular aging in vitro and in vivo and they may be a major determinant of human aging, not only at the cellular level but also at the organ and perhaps systemic levels. In industrialized nations, pulse pressure rises with age, and this might serve as a phenotype of biologic aging of the vasculature. In this study, investigators explored the relationship between telomere length in white blood cells and systolic/diastolic and pulse pressures. Telomere lengths of 37 female volunteers who were 50 years of age were measured with the fiber fluorescence in situ hybridization technique. With the use of Spearman’s correlation coefficient, no relationship was found between pulse pressure, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, and telomere length. The results suggest that telomere length is not an indicator of blood pressure dynamics.     

Protective effect of β-glucan on lung injury after cecal ligation and puncture in rats

Objective Understanding the biological mediators involved in the complex inflammatory response of sepsis and acute lung injury offers the possibility of future investigations targeting treatment based on these mediators. This study investigated whether macrophage activator -glucan has a protective effect on acute lung injury in an experimental model of sepsis.Design and setting Experimental study in an experimental research center.Materials 30 rats randomized into three groups (sham, sepsis, and -glucan).Interventions Cecal ligation and puncture were performed in the -glucan and sepsis groups. The -glucan group was given a single intraperitoneal dose of -glucan (4 mg/kg) following cecal ligation.Measurements and results Rats treated with -glucan had fewer circulating neutrophils, more blood monocytes, and higher serum interleukin 6 levels than septic animals. The percentages of neutrophils and lymphocytes from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and the myeloperoxidase activity measured in the lung tissue were lower in the -glucan group than in the sepsis group. Less alveolar hemorrhage and neutrophil infiltration were observed in lungs from animals in the -glucan group in the septic groups.Conclusions In this rat model of intra-abdominal sepsis -glucan treatment partially protected against secondary lung injury, decreased lung hemorrhages, and lung neutrophilia. These results suggest that -glucan protects against sepsis-associated lung damage.     

Patients with Behcet's disease carry a higher risk for microvascular involvement in active disease period

BACKGROUND: Behcet's disease (BD) is characterized with remissions and exacerbations. However, to date, there is no study to investigate a possible association of disease activity (active versus inactive disease period) with cardiovascular complications. METHODS: Forty patients with BD were evaluated in both active and in inactive disease period. For the control group 45 healthy volunteers, age and sex matched, were registered. Subjects with at least a 15-day lesion-free period were regarded in inactive disease period, and subjects with any oral, skin, and/or genital lesion was regarded as in active disease period. In each subject coronary diastolic peak flow velocities (DPFV) were measured at baseline and after dipyridamole infusion (0.84 mg/kg over 6 minutes) using an Acuson Sequoia C256 echocardiography system. Coronary flow reserve (CFR) was defined as the ratio of hyperemic to baseline DPFV. RESULTS: CFR values were significantly lower in BD patients compared to the controls (2.57+/-0.50 versus 2.87+/-0.53, P = 0.006). In active disease period, basal DPFV (24.6+/-7.5 versus 27.3+/-6.6, P = 0.019) was significantly higher than in the inactive disease period. In the active disease period hyperemic DPFV (61.7+/-14.9 versus 56.8+/-16.7, P = 0.015) values decreased significantly. Therefore, in the active disease period CFR significantly decreased from 2.57+/-0.50 to 2.09+/-0.46, P<0.001. The only independent predictor of CFR within the active disease period was the disease duration (beta = -0.384, P = 0.012). CONCLUSION: Within the active disease period, coronary microvascular function is more prominently impaired in BD patients. Therefore, BD patients are possibly more vulnerable to cardiovascular manifestations when they are in an active disease period.