Journal of internal medicine
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Patients with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) experience chronic symptoms of orthostatic intolerance. There are minimal data detailing the demographics, clinical features and clinical course of this condition. This online, community-based survey highlights patients' experience with POTS. It consists of the largest sample of POTS patients reported to date. ⋯ These data provide important insights into the background, clinical features and diagnostic journey of patients suffering from POTS. These data should serve as an essential step for moving forward with future studies aimed at early and accurate diagnoses of these patients leading to appropriate treatments for their symptoms.
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In randomized trials, it has been found that maternal influenza vaccination reduces influenza infections in both women and their infants. However, these trials have been performed in low-resource settings, and evidence from high-resource settings is limited. ⋯ Seasonal trivalent inactivated influenza vaccination in pregnancy was associated with a statistically significant reduced risk of laboratory-confirmed influenza infections in pregnant women and their infants in a high-resource setting.
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Chemerin is an adipokine that signals through the G protein-coupled receptor ChemR23 and is associated with inflammation, glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism and renal function, all of which strongly influence cardiovascular risk. However, elevated chemerin provides a survival advantage in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but how this relates to the cardiovascular phenotype is unknown. ⋯ In conclusion, these results suggest that chemerin signalling through ChemR23 in VSMCs protects against vascular calcification in CKD.