Arch Med Sci
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The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of blood pressure (BP) goals on cardiovascular outcomes in hypertensive patients. ⋯ In hypertension patients, when compared to uncontrolled hypertension patients, low therapeutic BP goal is associated with better cardiovascular outcomes than high therapeutic BP goal.
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Liver biopsy is a well-known method for the diagnosis and evaluation of chronic diffuse liver diseases, especially among patients with "hepatopathy of unknown origin". ⋯ Liver biopsy - despite the increasing access to new, non-invasive methods - remains a useful method in the differential diagnosis of liver diseases.
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Folate is required for fetal, placental and maternal tissue growth during pregnancy. A decline in maternal circulating folate concentrations and an increase in total homocysteine (a non-specific indicator of folate deficiency) have been observed with the progression of pregnancy. However, the role of folate in the third trimester of pregnancy is not clear and folate status in late pregnancy has not so far been widely analyzed. The main aim of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to determine the folate concentrations in amniotic fluid and in maternal and umbilical cord blood serum derived during delivery. ⋯ Folate concentrations in amniotic fluid are associated with maternal and neonatal folate status peripartum in healthy women.
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Previous in vitro studies demonstrated that aldosterone nongenomically induces transglutaminase (TG) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which enhanced angiotensin II receptor (ATR) dimerization. There are no in vivo data in the kidney. ⋯ This is the first in vivo study demonstrating that aldosterone nongenomically increases renal TG2 and p47phox protein expression and then activates AT1R and AT2R dimerizations. Aldosterone-stimulated AT1R and AT2R dimerizations are mediated through activation of NADPH oxidase. Aldosterone-induced AT1R dimer formation is an MR-independent pathway, whereas the formation of AT2R dimer is modulated in an MR-dependent manner.
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Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by a worse prognosis than other breast cancer subtypes. TNBC is defined by lack of expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the relationship between immunohistochemical expression of novel prognostic markers (erythropoietin (EPO) and erythropoietin receptor (EPO-R)) and clinicopathological features of TNBC and non-TNBC patients. ⋯ The relationship between the expression of EPO-R and histological malignancy grade in triple negative breast cancer, suggests that the present EPO-R expression in TNBC may constitute an additional prognostic factor.