Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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Observational Study
Associations of fibroblast growth factor 23 and fetuin-A with coronary plaque burden and plaque composition in young adults.
The total burden of subclinical coronary artery disease (CAD) is significant among young adults. Serum fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) and fetuin-A are established predictors of morbidity and mortality because of cardiovascular disease. The objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between subclinical CAD and serum FGF-23 and fetuin-A concentrations among a population of young adults. ⋯ The presence of subclinical CAD is independently associated with FGF-23 and fetuin-A and could be used as novel risk markers of cardiovascular disease in the asymptomatic young adult population.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Ivabradine on aortic stiffness in patients with heart failure.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ivabradine treatment on aortic stiffness by measuring aortic elastic parameters in patients with heart failure (HF) receiving ivabradine treatment. ⋯ During the follow-up at 12 months, significant improvements were observed in the left ventricular functions and aortic elastic parameters along with decreased heart rate in patients with HF receiving ivabradine treatment. This outcome may indicate that ivabradine treatment may correct aortic stiffness and may reduce aortic stiffness after 1 year of follow-up.
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High weight status is associated with increased forearm fracture risk but its relationship to severity of fracture has not been evaluated. We compared the epidemiology of children's forearm fractures treated with fracture reduction to those not treated with reduction, hypothesizing that high weight status would be significantly associated with need for reduction. ⋯ The need for reduction among children with forearm fractures is significantly associated with male sex and major mechanisms of trauma but not with high weight status. Strategies to reduce severe forearm fractures should focus on preventing major mechanisms of trauma.
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For centuries, clinicians have used palpation to evaluate abdominal organs. After exploring almost all the different methods of interaction between x-rays, ultrasound, and magnetic fields on tissues, recent interest has focused on the evaluation of their mechanical properties. Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) is a recent, established ultrasound-based diagnostic technique that allows physicians to obtain a measure of the elastic properties of an organ. ⋯ Mechanical properties of the kidney, such as stiffness and deformity, depend on various conditions that alter its histology, in particular the amount of fibrosis in the renal parenchyma; urinary pressure and renal blood perfusion may be other important contributing factors. Unfortunately, the ARFI technique applied to native renal pathologies is still limited, and not all studies are comparable because they used different methods. Therefore, the results reported in recent literature encourage further improvement of this method and the drawing up of standardized guidelines of investigation.
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The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology and trends in pediatric acute pancreatitis (AP)-associated emergency department (ED) visits in the United States. ⋯ There has been an increasing incidence of AP-associated ED visits in children from 2006 to 2011.