Search results for "Cardiology"
showing 10 items of 6064 documents
Effect of intravenous flecainide on atrial vulnerability in man.
1983
Sixteen patients were investigated by means of programmed atrial stimulation at two different driving rates: 100 and 120/min. All patients had an increased atrial vulnerability at both driving rates. After intravenous flecainide application (1 mg/kg body weight as a bolus followed by the same amount given by infusion over a period of 20 min) the increased vulnerability was abolished in 11 and 9 patients respectively. In the remaining patients the rate of induced atrial tachyarrhythmia decreased. These findings correlate with a significant prolongation of the effective refractory period of the right atrium and a significant shortening of the relative refractory period of the right atrium. It…
Central nervous system involvement in late-onset Pompe disease: clues from neuroimaging and neuropsychological analysis
2018
Background and purpose Late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) is a rare, multisystem disorder that is well established to mainly impair skeletal muscle function. Systematic studies exploring brain functions in LOPD are lacking. The aim of this study was to detect morphological and functional brain alterations as well as neuropsychological impairment in LOPD. Methods We studied 21 patients (10 male, mean age 49 ± 18.4 years) with defined diagnosis of LOPD, divided into two groups: one with pre-symptomatic hyperCKemia with no muscle weakness and the second with limb-girdle muscle weakness. All patients underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to obtain morphological/angiographic evaluation as w…
Magnetic stimulation study in patients with myotonic dystrophy
1997
To further define motor nervous system alterations in myotonic dystrophy (MD), motor potentials to transcranial and cervical magnetic stimulation (MEPs) were recorded from the right abductor pollicis brevis muscle in 10 patients with MD and in 10 healthy controls. Cortical and cervical latencies, central motor conduction time (CMCT), stimulus threshold intensity and cortical MEP amplitudes expressed both as absolute values and as %M were analysed. MEP cervical latency, absolute or relative amplitude and excitability threshold did not significantly differ in patients and controls. The mean cortical motor latency and CMCT were significantly prolonged in MD patients with respect to normal subj…
The preoperative assessment of stroke risk in lesions involving the internal carotid artery.
1995
Patients with vascular or tumourous lesions involving the internal carotid artery are at risk of damage or occlusion of this vessel during surgical or endovascular procedures. To assess the stroke risk transcranial Doppler aided carotid compression tests were performed in 82 patients. Based on changes of blood flow velocity (BFV), pulsatility index, systolic/diastolic ratio and length of transient hyperaemic response three groups could be differentiated. Patients in group A (31%) showed only a slight reaction of BFV and were at minimal risk in case of carotid occlusion. Patients in group B (52%) underwent a distinct decrease of Doppler readings with partial improvement and were considered t…
Global and regional cortical thinning in first-episode psychosis patients: relationships with clinical and cognitive features
2010
BackgroundThe thickness of the cortical mantle is a sensitive measure for identifying alterations in cortical structure. We aimed to explore whether first episode schizophrenia patients already show a significant cortical thinning and whether cortical thickness anomalies may significantly influence clinical and cognitive features.MethodWe investigated regional changes in cortical thickness in a large and heterogeneous sample of schizophrenia spectrum patients (n=142) at their first break of the illness and healthy controls (n=83). Magnetic resonance imaging brain scans (1.5 T) were obtained and images were analyzed by using brains2. The contribution of sociodemographic, cognitive and clinic…
Fragment reconstruction of coronary arteries using transesophageal echocardiography for coronary diagnostics
2008
Aims Ultrasound differs procedurally from the established methods for non-invasive coronary visualization and is therefore an interesting alternative for non-invasive diagnostics. In this study, fragment reconstruction of coronary arteries by transesophageal echocardiography (FRC-TEE) was investigated for the first time in a patient population being evaluated for coronary angiography. Methods and results Ultrasonic and angiographic findings were compared visually and using quantitative measurements in 50 patients. One hundred and seventy-one vessels were examined by FRC-TEE. The total lengths visualized were 9.6+ 1.7 cm for the right coronary artery, 7.0+ 1.1 cm for left circumflex, 3.9+ 1.…
Effects of ageing on motor unit activation patterns and reflex sensitivity in dynamic movements.
2009
Both contraction type and ageing may cause changes in H-reflex excitability. H reflex is partly affected by presynaptic inhibition that may also be an important factor in the control of MU activation. The purpose of the study was to examine age related changes in H-reflex excitability and motor unit activation patterns in dynamic and in isometric contractions. Ten younger (YOUNG) and 13 elderly (OLD) males performed isometric (ISO), concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) plantarflexions with submaximal activation levels (20% and 40% of maximal soleus surface EMG). Intramuscular EMG data was analyzed utilizing an intramuscular spike amplitude frequency histogram method. Average H/M ratio was a…
Associations of cardiovascular risk factors and retinal vessel dimensions at present and their evolution over time in a healthy working population.
2019
Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate whether an association between retinal vessel diameters with blood pressure and other risk factors exists in a healthy working population and whether current risk factors can be used as predictors for retinal vessel changes over time. Methods Retinal photographs and medical data were obtained during a voluntary work health check in 2010 and 2013. The central retinal arterial equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE) were assessed using a semi-automated software. Linear regression analysis was carried out to determine associations with systemic parameters and cardiovascular risk factors. Results A total of 1685 participan…
The influence of ageing on the force-velocity-power characteristics of human elbow flexor muscles.
2003
Abstract The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects of ageing on the maximal power ( P max ) of the elbow flexor muscles and to determine the impact of velocity on the loss of power in older people. Sixteen elderly subjects (7 men and 9 women, age range 61–78 years) and 17 young subjects (11 men and 6 women, age range 18–27 years) participated in this study. Maximal elbow flexions were performed against increasing inertia. The maximal force ( F max ), maximal shortening velocity ( V max ), P max , dynamic constants ( a , b and a / F max ), optimal force ( F opt ), optimal velocity ( V opt ) and V opt / V max were determined from Hill's equation. Myoelectrical activity (EMG) of th…
Effects of the association of aging and obesity on lipids, lipoproteins and oxidative stress biomarkers: a comparison of older with young men.
2011
In this study, plasma lipids, lipoproteins and markers of oxidant/antioxidant status were investigated in young (n = 45) and older (n = 40) obese men and compared to those in young (n = 65) and older (n = 55) normal weight controls. The purpose was to determine whether obesity exacerbates or not lipid, lipoprotein abnormalities and oxidative stress in older men. Our findings showed that all obese patients had increased plasma triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, -triglyceride and HDL-triglyceride levels concentrations compared to controls (P < 0.01). However, the younger obese men had relatively larger and accentuated changes in plasma lipids and lipoproteins than the older patients.…