Scandinavian journal of rheumatology
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Scand. J. Rheumatol. · May 2017
Troponin I and echocardiography in patients with systemic sclerosis and matched population controls.
Cardiac manifestations in systemic sclerosis (SSc) are associated with poor prognosis. Few studies have investigated cardiac troponins in SSc. We studied the relationships between echocardiographic abnormalities, cardiac biomarkers, and disease manifestations in a population-based cohort of patients with SSc and controls. ⋯ Both NTproBNP and hs-cTnI were associated with echocardiographic abnormalities, which were more prevalent in SSc patients than in controls. Our results thus suggest that hs-cTnI could be a potential cardiac biomarker in SSc. Low RV function and signs of pulmonary hypertension (PH) were uniquely found in the SSc group. SSc patients had more valve regurgitation than controls, an observation that warrants more clinical attention.
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Scand. J. Rheumatol. · Mar 2017
The correlation between miR-200c and the severity of interstitial lung disease associated with different connective tissue diseases.
To explore the correlation between microRNA (miR)-200c and the severity of interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with connective tissue diseases (CTDs). ⋯ The level of miR-200c was positively correlated with the severity of ILD, and miR-200c in PBMCs could be a biomarker of the severity of ILD in CTDs.
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Scand. J. Rheumatol. · Oct 2016
Serum levels of the soluble haemoglobin scavenger receptor CD163 in MPO-ANCA-associated renal vasculitis.
The contribution of infections to the mortality of patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is important, and early and careful infection control is necessary. We investigated the usefulness of the serum-soluble haemoglobin scavenger receptor CD163 for detecting the presence of infectious complications regardless of disease activity. ⋯ The serum-soluble CD163 level may be a useful marker for the detection of infectious complications in MPO-AAV patients.
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Scand. J. Rheumatol. · Jan 2016
Outcome of patients with systemic diseases admitted to the medical intensive care unit of a tertiary referral hospital: a single-centre retrospective study.
Systemic diseases form a rare heterogeneous group of diseases, with important morbidity caused by disease evolution and/or treatment. We describe the clinical features and outcome of patients with these diseases admitted to a referral hospital intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ The mortality of patients with systemic diseases admitted to an ICU is high, both during their stay in the ICU and afterwards. Age and APACHE II score, but not infection or immunosuppressive therapy, were associated with mortality.
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Scand. J. Rheumatol. · Jan 2016
Fibromyalgia beyond reductionism. Heart rhythm fractal analysis to assess autonomic nervous system resilience.
The prevailing linear reductionist medical model seems unable to explain complex multisymptomatic illnesses such as fibromyalgia (FM) and similar maladies. Paradigms derived from the complexity theory may provide a coherent framework for these elusive illnesses. Along these lines is the proposal that FM represents a degradation of our main complex adaptive system (the autonomic nervous system, ANS), in a failed effort to adjust to a hostile environment. Healthy complex systems have fractal structures. Heart rate fractal-like variability reflects resilient ANS performance. Our aim was to measure the heart rate variability (HRV) fractal scaling index in FM patients and to correlate this index with clinical symptoms. ⋯ The heart rate fractal exponent alpha-1 is altered in FM patients, suggesting a rigid ANS performance. This tangible non-linear finding supports the notion that FM may represent a degradation of our main complex adaptive system, namely the ANS.