Physical Training as Non-Pharmacological Treatment of Neurocardiogenic Syncope

Background

Characterized as a sudden and temporary loss of consciousness and postural tone, with quick and spontaneous recovery, syncope is caused by an acute reduction of systemic arterial pressure and, therefore, of cerebral blood flow. Unsatisfactory results with the use of drugs allowed the nonpharmacological treatment of neurocardiogenic syncope was contemplated as the first therapeutic option.

Objectives

To compare, in patients with neurocardiogenic syncope, the impact of a moderate intensity aerobic physical training (AFT) and a control intervention on the positivity of head-up tilting test (HUT) and orthostatic tolerance time.

Methods

Were studied 21 patients with a history of recurrent neurocardiogenic syncope and HUT. The patients were randomized into: trained group (TG), n = 11, and control group (CG), n = 10. The TG was submitted to 12 weeks of AFT supervised, in cycle ergometer, and the CG to a control procedure that consisted in 15 minutes of stretching and 15 minutes of light walk.

Results

The TG had a positive effect to physical training, with a significant increase in peak oxygen consumption. The CG did not show any statistically significant change before and after the intervention. After the intervention period, 72.7% of the TG sample had negative results to the HUT, not having syncope in the revaluation.

Conclusion

The program of supervised aerobic physical training for 12 weeks was able to reduce the number of positive HUT, as it was able to increase tolerance time in orthostatic position during the HUT after the intervention period.     

Duke Activity Status Index for Cardiovascular Diseases: Validation of the Portuguese Translation

Background

The Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) assesses the functional capacity of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), but there is no Portuguese version validated for CVD.

Objectives

To translate and adapt cross-culturally the DASI for the Portuguese-Brazil language, and to verify its psychometric properties in the assessment of functional capacity of patients with CVD.

Methods

The DASI was translated into Portuguese, then checked by back-translation into English and evaluated by an expert committee. The pre-test version was first evaluated in 30 subjects. The psychometric properties and correlation with exercise testing was performed in a second group of 67 subjects. An exploratory factor analyses was performed in all 97 subjects to verify the construct validity of the DASI.

Results

The intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was 0.87 and for the inter-rater reliability was 0.84. Cronbach''s α for internal consistency was 0.93. The concurrent validity was verified by significant positive correlations of DASI scores with the VO₂max (r = 0.51, p < 0.001). The factor analysis yielded two factors, which explained 54% of the total variance, with factor 1 accounting for 40% of the variance. Application of the DASI required between one and three and a half minutes per patient.

Conclusions

The Brazilian version of the DASI appears to be a valid, reliable, fast and easy to administer tool to assess functional capacity among patients with CVD.     

对SPSS统计软件中Mcnemar检验结果的讨论

目的：比较手工计算与SPSS软件计算Mcnemar检验的结果,分析结果不一样的原因。方法选取相关书籍上配对设计资料的应用实例,用两种方法计算：一是利用Mcnemar检验公式进行手工计算,二是用SPSS统计软件计算,比较两种计算方法的结果有何不同。结果手工计算的结果为P=0.001,SPSS软件计算的结果为P=0.002,两种方法的结果有出入。结论SPSS统计软件对配对设计四格表资料进行计算时采用的是一种精确检验,运用的是二项分布原理,虽然与手工计算的结果有些出入,但无论用哪种方法都不会影响到最终的统计推断。     

Factors influencing long‐term outcome after kidney transplantation

Many factors influence the long‐term outcome of kidney transplantation, which is defined very schematically by patient death or renal dysfunction leading to graft loss. The most important of these factors is most likely the quality of the transplant itself, with kidneys from living donors showing a positive impact, while kidneys from expanded criteria donors show deleterious impacts. Various clinicopathological scores exist to predict mid‐ to long‐term outcomes and avoid the transplantation of kidneys displaying inferior results. The key factors related to the recipient include their age as well as disease recurrence, HLA matching, HLA immunization, ethnic background, time on dialysis, and cardiovascular comorbidities. Renal function, defined based on estimated GFR and/or proteinuria values, is a result of all these factors. Delayed graft function has a detrimental long‐term impact, as does the level of renal function impairment either in stable condition or in case of progressing dysfunction. Finally, although current immunosuppression regimes are highly efficient in preventing acute rejection, the burden of specific (diabetes, nephrotoxicity) and nonspecific (infection and cancer) side effects has significant negative long‐term consequences that may well be worse in the future because of the increasing ages of both donors and recipients. The development of safer immunosuppression strategies is therefore crucial to improve long‐term outcomes.     

Proof of Concept for the Inhibition of Foot‐and‐Mouth Disease Virus Replication by the Anti‐Viral Drug 2′‐C‐Methylcytidine in Severe Combined Immunodeficient Mice

Recent European contingency plans envisage emergency vaccination as an animal‐friendly control strategy for foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD). Anti‐viral drugs may be used as an alternative or complementary measure. We here demonstrate that the nucleoside analogue 2′‐C‐methylcytidine (2′CMC) protects severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice against lethal FMD virus infection. In brief, SCID mice were inoculated with serotype A FMD virus and treated for five consecutive days with 2′CMC. All 15 treated mice remained healthy until the end of the study at 14 days post‐infection (dpi). At that time, viral RNA was no longer detected in 13 of 15 treated mice. All eight untreated mice suffered from an acute generalized disease and were euthanized for ethical reasons on average at 4 dpi. These results illustrate the potential of small molecules to control FMD.     

Determination of in vitro susceptibility of ocular Fusarium spp. isolates from keratitis cases and comparison of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute M38-A2 and E test methods

We evaluated the susceptibility of 85 Fusarium spp. isolates from cases of fungal keratitis with 8 antifungal drugs using the standard Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute broth microdilution and E test methods. Members of the Fusarium solani species complex showed consistently higher MICs to the triazole drugs itraconazole, voriconazole, and posaconazole than did members of other species complexes (Fusarium oxysporum and other minor species). High MICs to amphotericin B, natamycin, and echinocandins were consistently obtained with no discrimination based on species or method. Further work is required to determine any potential correlation between MIC and clinical outcome in keratitis.     

心肺运动试验对COPD的评估价值

采用自行车功率计做功，通过体积描记仪和能耗测试系统，监测３８例男性慢性阻塞性肺疾病（ＣＯＰＤ）患者和３０例正常男性对照者的心肺运动试验，发现运动试验指标与年龄呈负相关；ＣＯＰＤ组做功、每分通气量、摄氧量、ＣＯ２产生量的改变与用力肺活量、最大呼气中段流量、第一秒用力呼气量、呼气流量峰值等反映阻塞性通气障碍的肺功能指标显著相关提示心肺运动试验主要指标的改变可反映阻塞性通气功能障碍，有助于ＣＯＰＤ的评估     

Stroke or encephalitis?

Viral encephalitis is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly when appropriate management is omitted as a result of delayed diagnosis. A case of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) encephalitis is presented, demonstrating that the presentation of confusion, speech difficulties and fever with non-specific early brain CT appearances can easily be misdiagnosed as pneumonia with stroke. This case highlights the need for increased awareness of HSV-1 encephalitis among emergency physicians and radiologists, given that the early spectrum of clinical and CT findings can mimic the more common diagnoses of sepsis and stroke.     

Molecuar biology of hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis B virus association

Summary The involvement of the hepatitis B virus in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma was initially suggested on the basis of epidemiological studies. In recent years several kinds of experimental evidence have supported this hypothesis; however, the role played by hepatitis B virus in hepatocarcinogenesis still needs to be elucidated. Several groups of researchers are presently involved in establishing whether hepatitis B virus makes a specific genetic contribution to carcinogenesis or predisposes to neoplastic transformation by causing chronic inflammation and cell regeneration. A comprehensive examination of the data available in the literature suggests that the two hypotheses may not be mutually exclusive.