Mayo Clinic proceedings
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Jun 2012
ReviewPotential adverse cardiovascular effects from excessive endurance exercise.
A routine of regular exercise is highly effective for prevention and treatment of many common chronic diseases and improves cardiovascular (CV) health and longevity. However, long-term excessive endurance exercise may induce pathologic structural remodeling of the heart and large arteries. Emerging data suggest that chronic training for and competing in extreme endurance events such as marathons, ultramarathons, ironman distance triathlons, and very long distance bicycle races, can cause transient acute volume overload of the atria and right ventricle, with transient reductions in right ventricular ejection fraction and elevations of cardiac biomarkers, all of which return to normal within 1 week. ⋯ However, this concept is still hypothetical and there is some inconsistency in the reported findings. Furthermore, lifelong vigorous exercisers generally have low mortality rates and excellent functional capacity. Notwithstanding, the hypothesis that long-term excessive endurance exercise may induce adverse CV remodeling warrants further investigation to identify at-risk individuals and formulate physical fitness regimens for conferring optimal CV health and longevity.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Jun 2012
Use of nonclonal serum immunoglobulin free light chains to predict overall survival in the general population.
To determine whether the free light chain (FLC) assay provides prognostic information relevant to the general population. ⋯ A nonclonal elevation of Σ FLC is a significant predictor of worse overall survival in the general population of persons without plasma cell disorders.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Jun 2012
Comparative StudyEffectiveness of patient-collected swabs for influenza testing.
To compare the effectiveness of self-collected and health care worker (HCW)-collected nasal swabs for detection of influenza viruses and determine the patients' preference for type of collection. ⋯ Self-collected midturbinate nasal swabs provide a reliable alternative to HCW collection for influenza A and B virus real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Jun 2012
Complications associated with use of levamisole-contaminated cocaine: an emerging public health challenge.
Levamisole is an immunomodulatory agent that was used to treat various cancers before being withdrawn from the United States market in 2000 because of adverse effects. Levamisole is currently approved as an antihelminthic agent in veterinary medicine, but is also being used illicitly as a cocaine adulterant. ⋯ Treatment is primarily supportive, and skin lesions typically resolve with cessation of cocaine use. The incidence of hospitalizations related to use of levamisole-contaminated cocaine continues to increase and clinicians should be aware of the more common clinical manifestations.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · May 2012
Biography Historical ArticleCharles F. Kettering-medical philanthropist and inventor.