Clinical outcomes in heart failure: report from a community hospital-based registry

PURPOSE: Most of the recent information on the prognosis of patients with heart failure has come from large clinical trials or tertiary care centers. This study reports current information from a community hospital-based heart failure registry. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We compiled data from 2,906 unselected consecutive patients with heart failure who were admitted to 10 acute care community hospitals in New York State between 1995 and 1997. Patients were followed prospectively for 6 months after hospital discharge or until their death. RESULTS: The mean (+/- SI)) age of the sample was 76 +/- 11 years. The majority of the patients were women (56%) and most were white (95%). Hospital length of stay averaged 7.4 +/- 7.6 days; hospital charges averaged $7,460 +/- $6,114. Mortality during the index admission was 5%. Among the 2,508 patients for whom mortality or follow-up data were available, an additional 411 died during follow-up, for a cumulative 6-month mortality of 23%. Progressive pump failure was the predominant cause of death in the hospital and after discharge. Although mean functional class (on a 1 to 4 scale) improved from 3.4 +/- 0.7 at hospital admission to 2.3 +/- 0.9 at 1 month after discharge, 43% of patients had at least one hospital readmission during follow-up and 25% had at least one recurrent admission for heart failure. The mean time from index discharge to first rehospitalization was 60 +/- 56 days. In all, 55% of patients (1,370 of 2,508) were rehospitalized or died during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Despite advances in the management of heart failure, patients recently hospitalized for this disorder remain at high risk of death, hospital readmission, and poor clinical outcome. Discovery or implementation of new or existing methods of prevention and treatment remain a high priority.     

Dyspnoea in COPD: can inspiratory muscle training help?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive, common and costly condition. Dyspnoea frequently limits activity and reduces health-related quality of life. In addition to impaired lung function, peripheral muscle deconditioning and respiratory muscle dysfunction also contribute to dyspnoea and reduced exercise capacity. Pulmonary rehabilitation using whole body exercise training improves peripheral muscle function and reduces dyspnoea but does not improve respiratory muscle function. Providing that adequate training intensities are utilised, specific loading of the inspiratory muscles with commercially available hand-held devices can improve inspiratory muscle strength and endurance. Several studies have investigated the effects of inspiratory muscle training on dyspnoea in COPD subjects. Results of these studies are conflicting, most likely reflecting methodological shortcomings including insufficient training load, insensitive outcome measures, and inadequate statistical power. This paper describes the origin of dyspnoea in COPD, with particular attention given to the role of inspiratory muscle dysfunction in its genesis and its possible amelioration through inspiratory muscle training.     

Understanding chronic kidney disease. 1: Diagnosis

This is the first part of a two-part unit on chronic kidney disease. It discusses the causes, risk factors, identification and prevalence of the disease.     

The Use of Physical Interventions with People with Intellectual Disabilities and Challenging Behaviour – the Experiences of Service Users and Staff Members

Background The views of both service users with intellectual disability and their support staff on the use of physical interventions are largely unknown. The research that does exist describes a largely negative pattern of responses. The present study aimed to explore the personal impact of receiving and implementing physical interventions, and also how service users and staff felt the use of such procedures impacted on each other. Method Eight service user/staff pairs were interviewed about their experiences of physical intervention within 1 week of their mutual involvement in a behavioural incident requiring restraint use. A qualitative methodology was employed to obtain views on a non‐pain compliance approach to physical intervention. Results Service user and staff experiences were intrinsically linked, highlighting the interactional nature of physical interventions. It was apparent that experiences of physical intervention were dependent on far more than the application of techniques alone. Conclusions Participants’ accounts were primarily negative. Service user and staff experiences were clearly affected by their appraisals of each other's behaviour throughout the physical intervention process.     

Anti-angiogenic factors and pre-eclampsia in type 1 diabetic women

Aims/hypothesis  Elevated anti-angiogenic factors such as soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1), a soluble form of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, and endoglin, a co-receptor for TGFβ1, confer high risk of pre-eclampsia in healthy pregnant women. In this multicentre prospective study, we determined levels of these and related factors in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes, a condition associated with a fourfold increase in pre-eclampsia. Methods  Maternal serum sFlt1, endoglin, placental growth factor (PlGF) and pigment epithelial derived factor were measured in 151 type 1 diabetic and 24 healthy non-diabetic women at each trimester and at term. Results  Approximately 22% of the diabetic women developed pre-eclampsia, primarily after their third trimester visit. In women with pre-eclampsia (diabetic pre-eclampsia, n = 26) vs those without hypertensive complications (diabetic normotensive, n = 95), significant changes in angiogenic factors were observed, predominantly in the early third trimester and prior to clinical manifestation of pre-eclampsia. Serum sFlt1 levels were increased approximately twofold in type 1 diabetic pre-eclampsia vs type 1 diabetic normotensive women at the third trimester visit (p < 0.05) and the normal rise of PlGF during pregnancy was blunted (p < 0.05). Among type 1 diabetic women, third trimester sFlt1 and PlGF were inversely related (r² = 42%, p < 0.0001). Endoglin levels were increased significantly in the diabetic group as a whole vs the non-diabetic group (p < 0.0001). Conclusions/interpretation  Higher sFlt1 levels, a blunted PlGF rise and an elevated sFlt1/PlGF ratio are predictive of pre-eclampsia in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes. Elevated endoglin levels in women with type 1 diabetes may confer a predisposition to pre-eclampsia and may contribute to the high incidence of pre-eclampsia in this patient group.     

Promoting African American women and sexual assertiveness in reducing HIV/AIDS: an analytical review of the research literature

African American women, including adolescents and adults, are disproportionately affected by the transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). HIV/AID is a health disparity issue for African American females in comparison to other ethnic groups. According to data acquired from 33 states in 2005, 64% of women who have HIV/ AIDS are African American women. It is estimated that during 2001-2004, 61% of African Americans under the age of 25 had been living with HIV/AIDS. This article is an analytical review of the literature emphasizing sexual assertiveness of African American women and the gap that exists in research literature on this population. The multifaceted model of HIV risk posits that an interpersonal predictor of risky sexual behavior is sexual assertiveness. The critical themes extracted from a review of the literature reveal the following: (a) sexual assertiveness is related to HIV risk in women, (b) sexual assertiveness and sexual communication are related, and (c) women with low sexual assertiveness are at increased risk of HIV As a result of this comprehensive literature, future research studies need to use models in validating sexual assertiveness interventions in reducing the risk of HIV/AIDS in African American women. HIV/AIDs prevention interventions or future studies need to target reducing the risk factors of HIV/AIDS of African Americans focusing on gender and culture-specific strategies.     

大学生静态平衡能力与运动及性别的关系:定量对比分析

目的:采用定量分析方法比较体育与非体育专业大学生静态平衡能力,分析运动及性别对大学生静态平衡功能的影响。方法:于2007-01/03选取首都体育学院在校大学生共78名为受试对象,其中体育(武术)专业学生40名,非体育(康复)专业学生38名。所有选取对象了解试验目的,并同意参与本实验。采用意大利PosturalEqua平静分析系统,对实验对象分别在睁眼60s、闭眼60s两种状态下测试其静态平衡的各项指标,包括压力中心,线形图总长度,最大摆幅,线形图面积,LFS指数,压力分布,稳定性图及隆伯格值。结果:78名为受试对象均进入结果分析。①两专业学生压力中心X轴短于Y轴、压力分布前(%)高于后(%)(P<0.01)。②在闭眼状态下,体育专业男大学生在指标LFS指数和额状面上大于非体育专业(P<0.05)。③非体育业大学生在睁眼状态下,Y值女性小于男性,额状面值女性大于男性。男、女生睁闭眼差值进行比较时,女性在线形图总长度、额状面和LFT指数均大于男性(P<0.01),而线形图面积小于男性(P<0.05)。④体育专业大学生在睁眼状态下,指标参数Y值女性小于男性,额状面值女性大于男性;闭眼状态下,指标参数Y值女性小于男性,额状面值和LFS值女性大于男性。男、女生睁闭眼差值比较,女性在线形图总长度、额状面和LFT指数均大于男性(P<0.05,P<0.01),而线形图面积小于男性(P<0.05)。结论:①运动训练对大学生静态平衡影响不大,但对男性大学生的某些平衡指标却有显著影响。②性别对大学生的静态平衡均产生影响,表现为男性平衡的微控制能力优于女性。