Articles: function.
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Periodontitis is a chronic, infectious, insidious disease of the tooth-supporting structures that causes a general inflammatory response. The aims of this study were to determine whether periodontitis is associated with endothelial dysfunction leading to cardiovascular events and whether proper management of periodontal disease would improve endothelial function and prevent cardiovascular events in the future. ⋯ Periodontitis may be an insidious cause of endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular events. Treating periodontitis can improve endothelial function and be an important preventive tool for cardiovascular disease.
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Neurogenic stunned myocardium (NSM) is a well-known complication of subarachnoidal hemorrhage, but has been reported rarely in association with other central nervous system disorders. A case of NSM is described in a patient with hemorrhagic brain contusion associated with cerebral edema. An 18-year-old man was admitted with severe cranial trauma following a car roll-over. ⋯ Invasive measurements confirmed low cardiac output. His cardiac function resolved completely within 6 days after decompressive craniotomy. This case supports the presumed unifying role of the increased intracranial pressure, probably triggering a vigorous sympathetic outflow hyperactivity leading to NSM.
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Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome are a common occurrence in ICU patients. The deleterious effects of IAH on organ function are well known and increasingly appreciated in recent years, especially where renal and respiratory function are concerned. ⋯ A close relationship between IAP and ICP has been observed in several animal and human studies. The clinical impact of this association is dependent on the baseline ICP and the compensatory reserve of the patient. Some studies have reported good results in treating refractory ICH by abdominal decompression in patients with concomitant IAH. Monitoring of IAP and ICP in risk patients is essential.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) can be considered the primary agency of the United Nations that promotes global public health. This article provides a general overview of WHO by exploring the history, current, and future practices of the organization, and by addressing its major roles and functions in the present day. ⋯ Srimathy Vijayan is a fourth-year medical student at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom. She interned at the WHO headquarters in Geneva during the summer of 2007.
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The health status of patients with sarcoidosis has rarely been studied, despite the increasing numbers of health-related quality of life publications on other respiratory diseases. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether sarcoidosis affects quality of life (QoL), using specifically designed questionnaires for respiratory diseases as well as general health measures, and to compare these with pulmonary function indices. Our secondary aim was to determine whether these measurements are correlated with pulmonary function tests and duration of the disease. ⋯ Quality of life is affected in patients with active sarcoidosis. The SGRQ questionnaire could be a useful tool for the investigation of HRQoL in an active sarcoid population with varying degrees of lung function impairment. Future studies are needed to address the ability of these instruments to measure HRQoL in the course of this chronic disease.