Panminerva medica
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There is a global unmet need for rehabilitation to meet which the World Health Organization, in collaboration with Cochrane Rehabilitation, is developing the Package of Interventions for Rehabilitation with the aim of identifying rehabilitation interventions relevant to a range of key health conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The purpose of this paper is to describe the best available evidence on pulmonary rehabilitation interventions for people with COPD. ⋯ Our findings report that comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation programs and water exercises improve the exercise capacity and quality of life (QoL) in people with COPD. Different exercise modalities, intensities, and settings for different muscle groups, breathing exercises, and counseling can improve exercise capacity, QoL, dyspnea, hospitalizations, and physical activity. It is uncertain whether breathing exercise, low-intensity exercise, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and psychological intervention have an effect on exercise capacity, dyspnea, QoL, and physical activity. The protocol was registered on OSF (registration DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/8A26Q).
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The management of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is complex, especially after they have been discharged from hospital after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), because each patient may have numerous healthcare providers, and follow-up after discharge may be disjointed, or even incomplete. During follow-up after ACS, few patients have treatment intensification; rather, there is actually a major tendency towards reductions in treatment intensity, to the potential detriment of outcomes. We present here guidance from a French expert panel for the optimal management of lipid-lowering therapy up to 1 year after ACS. ⋯ Then, the strategy should be rapidly intensified by adding a PCSK9 inhibitor if the patient does not reach LDL-c levels below 55 mg/dL. We advocate this intensive strategy, which has demonstrated a further reduction in ischemic events, without safety concerns, even for patients who reach very low LDL-cholesterol levels. This approach, comprising few therapeutic steps, aims to rapidly reach LDL-c goals, improve patient compliance, and is an efficient method to fight therapeutic inertia, which remains a major issue.
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Epigenetics refers to how gene expression and function are modulated without modifying the DNA sequence but through subtle molecular changes or interactions with it. As spermatogenesis progresses, male germ cells suffer plenty of epigenetic modifications, resulting in the definitive epigenome of spermatozoa conditioning its functionality, and this process can be altered by several internal and external factors. The paternal epigenome is crucial for sperm function, fertilization, embryo development, and offspring's health, and altered epigenetic states are associated with male infertility with or without altered semen parameters, embryo quality impairment, and worse ART outcomes together with the future offspring's health risks mainly through intergenerational transmission of epigenetic marks. ⋯ In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of epigenetics in sperm and how epigenetics behave during spermatogenesis. Additionally, we elaborate on the relationship of sperm epigenetics with sperm parameters and male infertility, and highlight the impact of sperm epigenetic alterations on sperm parameters, embryo quality, ART outcomes, miscarriage rates and offspring's health. Furthermore, we provide insights into the future research of epigenetic alterations in male infertility.
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Left atrial appendage closure: a new strategy for cardioembolic events despite oral anticoagulation.
Patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (nvAF) who experienced a cardioembolic (CE) event despite adequate oral anticoagulation (OAC) are at high risk of recurrence, and further prevention strategies are deemed necessary. The present study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of off-label use of left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) in this subset of patients. ⋯ LAAC is a reasonable therapeutic option in nvAF patients who suffered a CE event despite adequate OAC therapy.
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Male infertility is attributed to multiple factors including high levels of sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF). Conventional semen analysis continues to be the gold standard for diagnosis of male factor infertility around the world. However, the limitations of basic semen analysis have prompted the search for complementary assessments of sperm function and integrity. ⋯ While a controlled degree of DNA nicking is required for appropriate DNA compaction, excessive fragmentation of sperm DNA is linked to impaired male fertility potential, decreased fertilization, poor embryo quality, recurrent pregnancy loss, and failure of assisted reproductive technology procedures. However, there is an ongoing debate regarding whether or not to employ SDF as a routine test for male infertility. This review compiles up-to-date information regarding the pathophysiology of SDF, the currently available SDF tests, and the role of SDF tests in natural and assisted conception conditions.