Our aim was to evaluate the adipose tissue percentage content appraised with BIA in patients recently treated for cardiovascular disorders by means of surgery or percutaneous coronary interventions. ...Study included 208 consecutive patients, in age range 25-84 years, 176 male and 32 female. There were 108 (51.9%) percutaneous coronary interventions and 100 (48.1%) operations. Adipose tissue share appraised by BIA in our settings was 28.6-6.7% with significant differences in relation with gender (p<0.001) and no relations with the age of patients. Intermediate levels of correlations were found in relation to the body mass index (Rho: 0.521, p<0.001), waist-circumference (Rho: 0.450; p<0.001) and hip-circumference (Rho: 0.393; p<0.001). ROC-analyzes revealed diagnostic cutoff point of BIA at 29.5% for predicting the obesity (AUC=0.761; p<0.001) and 27% for metabolic syndrome (AUC=0.715; p<0.001). There were no relations of BIA to nutritional status, laboratory or echocardiography diagnostic. BIA offered clinically relevant appraisal of anthropometrically and metabolic related risks from cardiovascular continuum. Diagnostic yields solely on impedance analyze bases seem limited, particularly in investigational settings with composited endpoints.
Pristupanje ukupnim preventivnim, dijagnostičkim, terapijskim i sveobuhvatnim rehabilitacijskim mjerama u bolesnika koji imaju razvijenu aterosklerotsku kardiovaskularnu bolest (KVB) radi postizanja ...maksimalnog zdravlja, osobne, obiteljske i socijalne dostatnosti, kao i sprječavanja novoga kardiovaskularnog događaja, glavni su zadaci organizirane zdravstvene djelatnosti sekundarne prevencije. Uspješno provedeni, oni znatno produžuju preživljenje, poboljšavaju kvalitetu života, smanjuju potrebu za intervencijskim, kirurškim ili perkutanim zahvatima, uz veoma bitnu redukciju ukupnoga društvenog i ekonomskog opterećenja. Iako je tjelovježba samo jedna od sastavnica takvih programa, ona je s vremenom postala i njegovom paradigmom. Brojne studije kardiološke rehabilitacije koja uključuje program tjelovježbe pokazale su da je ona ne samo učinkovita već i sigurna metoda i u bolesnika s kroničnim srčanim zatajivanjem (KSZ). Aerobna tjelovježba poboljšava sveukupnu perifernu vaskularnu rezistenciju, perifernu perfuziju i endotelnu funkciju. Jedan od ključnih mehanizama takvoga pozitivnog učinka jest lokalna uzlazna regulacija enzima sintetaze dušičnog oksida. Tjelovježba poboljšava funkciju lijeve klijetke u bolesnika s KSZ-om. Navedeni učinci tjelovježbe ovise o njezinoj učestalosti, intenzitetu, trajanju i obliku. Rehabilitacija bolesnika s KSZ-om daje znatne kliničke prednosti: poboljšanje funkcionalnog kapaciteta, poboljšanje kliničkih simptoma i kvalitete života, uz smanjenje rizika od budućih kliničkih događaja. Unatoč nedavnom valu dokaza u području tjelovježbe i KSZ-a i dalje je prisutna znanstvena nepotpunost podataka, što nameće otrebu daljnjih istraživanja.
The aim of this investigation was to determine the effect of exercise training on the levels of plasma cytokines and acute phase reactants in the early post acute myocardial infarction (AMI) period. ...Sixty patients were enrolled into this three-week cardiac rehabilitation study. The mean time from AMI was 7.08 +/- 1.60 days, and the patient mean age was 60 +/- 10 years. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two groups: the control group treated with standard measures, and the group with additional regular moderate-intensity exercise training. Physical activity was based on the ergospirometry test results. Apart from clinical follow-up and routine laboratory analysis we determined the levels of plasma cytokines: tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), soluble TNF-alpha receptor 1 (TNF-alphaSR1), interleukin (IL)-8, IL-10, and acute phase reactants: high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and fibrinogen. The obtained results confirmed the hypothesis that the early post AMI period is an inflammatory state the intensity of which gradually decreases with standard treatment during the first month after AMI, while including patients into early exercise training improves their inflammatory profile by decreasing the level of acute phase reactant and TNF-alphaSR1.
Prevention of obesity may help reduce the morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases. In Croatia, over half of adult population is overweight. Aldo the basic medical principles of healthy ...weight-loss programmes are well known, it is believed that mainly because of the leak of successful therapeutic approach obesity remains the most challenging changeable cardiovascular risk factor in nowadays clinical practice. Objective of this Croatian Healthy Weight Loss Programme substudy was to determine effects and differences between the intensive group and intensive individual weight-loss program on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor. A clinical trial included 476 adults whose body mass index (BMI) was > 30 or > 28 accompanied by increased blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol. The study participants completed either a group (n = 243) or individually-based (n = 233) 6-month weight-loss program consisting of education, low-fat diet, pharmacological treatment with orlistat, psychological counselling, and exercise. Body weight, body mass index, blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood cholesterol were measured in all participants after 3 and 6 months. The average weight loss was 12.2 (13%) kg and 7.6 (9%) kg in the group and individual program, respectively. Beside the weight reduction, the levels of blood cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure were also significantly reduced in comparison with baseline, decreasing to normal values in all participants (P < 0.001 for all). Decrease in the monitored parameters was greater in participants in the group program. The weight loss program provided a healthy loss of extra weight in the period of 6 months. The group program produced greater decrease in body weight, body mass index, blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol than the individual program.
The aim of this investigation was to determine the seroprevalence of H. pylori in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with coronary artery disease (n = 90) and control group (n = ...90) were enrolled into this randomized, multi-centre study. CAD risk factors analyzed included age, male gender, diabetes mellitus, systemic hypertension, cigarette smoking, hypercholesterolemia and socioeconomic status. The results of this study showed a higher seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with CAD compared to controls (78.8% versus 58.3%, p < 0.05). However, Helicobacter pylori seropositivity was not associated with coronary artery risk factors (smoking, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, total cholesterol and socioeconomic status) either in the whole study population or in the patients and control subjects analyzed separately (P > 0.05). Further study are needed to clarify the precise role of Helicobacter pylori infection on the development of coronary artery disease.
Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) are the most common malignant tumors in white population and their incidence has been increasing worldwide. Molecular events regulating cell survival, apoptosis, ...growth arrest as well as cell differentiation, are important contributors to the overall kinetics of benign and malignant cell growth and play a role in their development, progression and regression. Failure of these pathways can result in the loss of control over proliferation and lead to tumor development through the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes or the activation of oncogenes. Also, immunological mechanisms have been implicated in a phenomenon of tumor progression as well as spontaneous tumor regression. We have tried to summarize the main events in etiopatogenesis, development, progression and in some cases skin cancer regression. Further studies are needed to elucidate completely the details of apoptotic control in normal skin and determine factors resulting in apoptotic disbalance and disease.
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