Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
 72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This sixth best practice review examines four series of common primary care questions in laboratory medicine: (1) laboratory monitoring in hypertension and heart failure abnormalities; (2) markers of inflammatory joint disease; (3) laboratory investigation of chronic diarrhoea; and (4) mumps and chickenpox. The review is presented in question-answer format, referenced for each question series. The recommendations represent a precis of guidance found using a standardised literature search of national and international guidance notes, consensus statements, health policy documents and evidence-based medicine reviews, supplemented by Medline Embase searches to identify relevant primary research documents. They are not standards but form a guide to be set in the clinical context. Most are consensus based rather than evidence based. They will be updated periodically to take account of new information.
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PMID:Best practice in primary care pathology: review 6. 1682 75

A 7.5-year-old castrated male ferret (Mustela putorius furo) was diagnosed with third-degree atrioventricular (AV) block. A monopolar epicardial pacemaker system was implanted, resulting in a regular, paced cardiac rhythm with third-degree AV block at 140 beats per minute. Over the next 2 months, the ferret developed anorexia, interstitial pneumonia, intermittent diarrhea, and hind-limb weakness and had a slow and progressive recovery. The ferret developed clinical signs of congestive heart failure 4 months after the surgery, resulting in its death 3 weeks later. Necropsy results attributed the death to cardiac failure due to extensive myocardial mineralization. To the authors' knowledge this is the first published report of surgical report of surgical pacemaker implantation in a ferret.
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PMID:Pacemaker implantation in a ferret (Mustela putorius furo) with third-degree atrioventricular block. 1693 90

Whipple's disease (WD) is a rare chronic infectious disorder caused by the rod- shaped bacterium Tropheryma whipplei. The disorder is characterized clinically by arthralgia, abdominal pain, diarrhea, malabsorbtion and progressive weight loss. Other important sites of infection include the heart (resulting in the clinical picture of endocarditis and heart failure) and the central nervous system (CNS) (manifestations include confusion, memory loss, focal cranial nerve signs, nystagmus and ophtalmoplegia). The bacterium is presumed to be ubiquitously present. A defect in cellular immune response may predispose patients for an infection with T. whipplei and this might explain the rarity of the disorder despite the ubiquitous bacterial presence. The presumed immunological defect is likely to be quite specific for T. whipplei, since patients are not generally affected by other infections. Decreased production of Interleukin(IL)-12, IL-2 and Interferon (IFN)-g accompanied by an increased secretion of IL-4 are the main features of this defective immunological response. The finding of periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive macrophages in the lamina propria of tissue samples obtained by duodenal biopsy usually establishes the diagnosis. The PAS-positive inclusions represent the remnants of the bacteria. Attempts to isolate the causative agent were unsuccessful for nearby 100 years after the first recognition of the disease. In the year 2000, the bacterium was finally successfully grown on a human fibroblast cell line. Untreated WD patients suffer from a chronic progressive disorder which possibly leads to death. Most patients show a fast clinical improvement to antibiotic therapy, but clinical relapses are described frequently. There is a number of patients, unable to eradicate the bacterium even after several antibiotic treatments and patients with CNS disease, in both of whom alternative therapy strategies are necessary.
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PMID:Current concepts of immunopathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy in Whipple's disease. 1707 38

In single cases mitochondrial disorders may manifest as pancreatitis, but recurrent, chronic pancreatitis with exacerbations of at least 15 times without morphological alterations of the pancreas but concomitant diabetes mellitus has not been reported. In a 57-year-old Caucasian male mitochondrial disorder was diagnosed at the age of 49 years upon epilepsy with generalized and focal seizures, cognitive decline, migraine, mitochondrial myopathy, polyneuropathy, diabetes mellitus, hypokalie-mia, hyperlipidemia, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, sicca syndrome, recurrent pancreatitis, chronic diarrhea, polydipsia, hyperhidrosis, steatosis hepatis, anemia, thrombopenia, an abnormal lactate stress test, and a muscle biopsy showing ragged-red muscle fibers, single completely COX-negative fibers, target fibers, increased number of sarcoplasmatic lipid droplets, but normal mitochondrial morphology on electron microscopy. Between the age of 33 years and the age of 44 years, at least 15 episodes of pancreatitis, manifesting as severe abdominal pain, and elevated exocrine pancreatic enzymes, but without morphological alterations of the pancreas, responding well to H2-blockers and food restriction had occurred. Recurrent pancreatitis without morphological alterations of the pancreas may be a feature of multisystem mitochondrial disorder resulting in diabetes mellitus. Physicians should familiarize with pancreatitis as a manifestation of a mitochondrial disorder and mitochondrial disorder should be excluded in patients with pancreatitis.
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PMID:Recurrent pancreatitis as a manifestation of multisystem mitochondrial disorder. 1791 91

This study was designed to evaluate the role and effectiveness of gallium 67 imaging in the diagnosis of acute myocarditis that mimics acute myocardial infarction. Of 315 consecutive acute myocardial infarction patients admitted to our institution over a 4-year period, 5 (2 men, 3 women) were suspected of having acute myocarditis. These 5 patients ranged in age from 23 to 69 years (median, 32 yr). All had experienced diarrhea or flu-like symptoms within the preceding 4 weeks, and each presented with signs, symptoms, and electrocardiographic findings consistent with acute myocardial infarction. Echocardiography revealed decreased left ventricular systolic function. Gallium 67 myocardial scintigraphy was performed in 4 patients, 72 hours after intravenous injection of 9 mCi of gallium citrate Ga 67, and sooner than that in one. In all 5 patients, the results were positive, consistent with a diagnosis of acute myocarditis. One patient died of progressive heart failure 4 days after admission. Within 1 month of beginning medical therapy, the 4 surviving patients experienced resolution of abnormal ventricular function and symptoms. During a median follow-up period of 64 months, no cardiovascular events were observed, and the prognoses were deemed excellent. We suggest that gallium 67 scintigraphy is a useful method by which to identify acute myocarditis in patients in whom the condition is suspected. To our knowledge, this is the 1st report of the use of gallium 67 myocardial scanning to differentiate acute myocarditis from acute myocardial infarction.
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PMID:Use of gallium 67 scintigraphy to differentiate acute myocarditis from acute myocardial infarction. 1794 80

The term "electrical storm" (ES) indicates a state of cardiac electrical instability manifested by several episodes of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTs) within a short time. In patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), ES is best defined as 3 appropriate VT detections in 24 h, treated by antitachycardia pacing, shock or eventually untreated but sustained in a VT monitoring zone. The number of shocks and inappropriate detections are irrelevant for the definition. ES occurs in approximately 25% of ICD patients within 3 years, with typically 5-55 individual VTs within one storm. Potential triggers can be found in approximately 66% of patients and include new/worsened heart failure, changes in antiarrhythmic medication, context with other illness, psychological stress, diarrhea, and hypokalemia. In most patients, ES consists of monomorphic VT indicating the presence of reentry while ventricular fibrillation indicating acute ischemia is rare. ES seems to have a low immediate mortality (1%) but frequently (50-80%) leads to hospitalization. Long-term prognostic implications of ES are unclear. The key intervention in ES is reduction of the elevated sympathetic tone by beta blockers and frequently benzodiazepines. Amiodarone i.v. has also been successful and azimilide seems promising while class I antiarrhythmic drugs are usually unsuccessful. Substrate mapping and VT ablation may be useful in treatment and prevention of ES. Prevention of ES requires ICD programming systematically avoiding unnecessary shocks (long VT detection, antitachycardia pacing where ever possible) which otherwise can fuel the sympathetic tone and prolong ES.
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PMID:Electrical storm in patients with an implanted defibrillator: a matter of definition. 1797 Sep 63

Five types of oral antihyperglycemic drugs are currently approved for the treatment of diabetes: biguanides, sulfonylureas, meglitinides, glitazones and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. We briefly review the cardiovascular effects of the most commonly used antidiabetic drugs in these groups in an attempt to improve knowledge and awareness regarding their influences and potential risks when treating patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Regarding biguanides, gastrointestinal disturbances such as diarrhea are frequent, and the intestinal absorption of group B vitamins and folate is impaired during chronic therapy. This deficiency may lead to increased plasma homocysteine levels which, in turn, accelerate the progression of vascular disease due to adverse effects on platelets, clotting factors, and endothelium. The existence of a graded association between homocysteine levels and overall mortality in patients with CAD is well established. In addition, metformin may lead to lethal lactic acidosis, especially in patients with clinical conditions that predispose to this complication, such as heart failure or recent myocardial infarction. Sulfonylureas avoid ischemic preconditioning. During myocardial ischemia, they may prevent opening of the ATP-dependent potassium channels, impeding the necessary hyperpolarization that protects the cell by blocking calcium influx. Meglitinides may exert similar effects due to their analogous mechanism of action. During treatment with glitazones, edema has been reported in 5% of patients, and these drugs are contraindicated in diabetics with NYHA class III or IV cardiac status. The long-term effects of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors on morbidity and mortality rates and on diabetic micro- and macrovascular complications is still unknown. Combined sulfonylurea/metformin therapy reveals additive effects on mortality. Four points should be mentioned: (1) the five oral antidiabetic drug groups present proven or potential cardiac hazards; (2) these hazards are not mere 'side effects' but are deeply rooted in the drugs' mechanisms of action; (3) current data indicate that combined glibenclamide/metformin therapy seems to present a special risk and should be avoided in the long-term management of type 2 diabetics with proven CAD, and (4) Non-Insulin Antidiabetic Therapy in Diabetic Cardiac Patients 155 customized antihyperglycemic pharmacological approaches should be investigated for the optimal treatment of diabetic patients with heart disease. New possibilities are represented by incretin mimetic compounds, dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors, inhaled insulin and eventually oral insulin.
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PMID:Non-insulin antidiabetic therapy in cardiac patients: current problems and future prospects. 1823 Sep 61

The same drugs are used to treat hemorrhagic rectocolitis (HRC) and Crohn's disease (CD), although the aims are very different. Aminosalicylates are highly beneficial in HRC but virtually ineffective in CD, a disease in which immunosuppressants are more useful. Aminosalicylates exert their antiinflammatory effect directly on the lesions. Various oral and rectal preparations have been developed in order to deliver the active molecule to the intestinal target segment. These drugs are now known to act by stimulating the nuclear receptor PPAR-gamma, and this knowledge should help with the development of new agents. Chronic aminosalicylate treatment appears to diminish the risk of malignant transformation. Systemic steroids are still the mainstay of treatment for exacerbations of HRC and CD, yielding remissions in 60 to 90% of cases. In contrast, systemic steroids should not be used for maintenance therapy. Budesonide is a preparation that selectively releases steroids in the ileocolonic region, thereby reducing systemic adverse effects. Immunosuppressants such as azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine, and also methotrexate in some cases, are used for maintenance therapy of steroid-dependent and highly recurrent forms. These drugs stabilize the disease in about half the patients who receive them. Treatment typically lasts several years and necessitates regular monitoring, especially of hematological status. Cyclosporine is used intravenously in severe HRC. Infliximab (RemicadeR), a chimeric monoclonal antibody targeting TNF is effective in acute forms and as maintenance therapy for CD. It was also recently shown to be effective in HRC. Infliximab is indicated in steroid-resistant forms and contraindicated in patients with latent systemic infections (tuberculosis, hepatitis B) and heart failure. Artificial nutrition is now only used in children with acute forms, in order to avoid the need for steroids. Probiotics might have a place in maintenance treatment of HRC. Surgical treatment of HRC consists of colectomy or, more radically, ileoprotectomy followed by ileoanal anastomosis with resection: however, the likely benefits and potential complications (especially nocturnal diarrhea) must be carefully weighed up. Surgical treatment of CD consists of resecting the worst-affected segments. As available medical and surgical treatments can only control these diseases, without curing them, patient management must be planned on a long-term basis. Control of exacerbations is judged on the basis of clinical parameters and biological markers of inflammation, rather than on lesion healing. The choice of maintenance therapy depends on the nature of the disease (HRC or CD) and its progressive nature. Surgery is reserved for patients with complicated and drug-resistant forms.
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PMID:[Treatment of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases]. 1840 68

Whipple's disease or intestinal lipodystrophy is an infection induced by Tropheryma whipplei. It is rare with an estimated incidence of 0.4 per million. Symptoms are arthropathy, weight loss, and diarrhoea, but other organs notably the central nervous system may be affected. We demonstrate a case of cardiac complications in Whipple's disease. The patient presented with endocardial infiltrations on TEE examinations and heart failure and improved after antibiotic treatment.
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PMID:Cardiac complications in Whipple's disease. 1849 Mar 46

Oral anticoagulants (OAC) are commonly used as a life-long therapy in prevention of systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation, valvular heart disease and prosthetic hart valves and in the primary and secondary prevention of venous thromboembolism. They are also used for the prevention of thromboembolic events in patients with acute myocardial infarction and with angina pectoris, in patients with biological hart valves and after some types of orthopaedics surgery. The International Normalized Ratio (INR) is used to evaluate the efficacy of anti-coagulant therapy. The risk of thromboembolic and haemorrhagic complications increases when the INR is out of the therapeutic range. The aim of this study was to present information about the factors influencing activity of oral anticoagulants and interactions between oral anticoagulants and drugs or food. The effect of oral anticoagulants is influenced by genetic and environmental factors such as: medicines, food, diseases and pre-existing conditions. A common mutation in the gene coding for the cytochrome P450 (CYP2C9), with one or more combinations of its polymorphisms, is responsible for the reduced warfarin requirements or for the resistance to warfarin. A mutation in the factor IX is responsible for the risk of bleeding during OAC therapy without excessive prolongation of the prothrombin time (PT). Drugs, herbs and multivitamin supplements can alter the absorption, pharmacokinetics or pharmakodynamics of OAC. Nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs and paracetamol in combination with OAC seem to be the most dangerous because they are available without prescription and are used without medical consultation. Patients on OAC therapy are sensitive to changing dietary intake of vitamin K, which is supplied from phylloquinones in plants or from vitamin K-containing medicines. The effect of OAC can be influenced by other existing factors like: fever, diarrhoea, alcohol abuse or physical hyperactivity. Some malignancies or other diseases like cardiac insufficiency, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism or hepatic dysfunction may also affect OAC therapy. This treatment requires patients and doctors to be knowledgeable about factors influencing the activity of oral anticoagulants. For this reason educational programme on OAC therapy should be conducted among patients and doctors.
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PMID:[Factors influencing activity of oral anticoagulants. Interactions with drugs and food]. 1863 96


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