"Hypertension"

Remote physiologic monitoring use increased more than 1,300 percent from 2019 to 2021, and use varied by state. This increase was driven by a small number of (predominantly internal medicine) providers. Female beneficiaries, residents of metropolitan areas, and people diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension had the highest rates of use.

BACKGROUND: Melioidosis, a tropical infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is epidemic in most region in Southeast Asia with high case fatality. However, there is scanty information regarding the disease's epidemiological pattern, demographics, and underlying risk factors. METHOD: This 5-year retrospective study of 185 confirmed cases which were taken from the Negeri Sembilan Melioidosis Registry between 2018 and 2022. We aim to describe the incidence, mortality rate, case fatality, relationship with meteorology, and factors that influence mortality in this central region of Peninsular Malaysia...

INTRODUCTION: The objectives of this study were: 1) to describe the socio-demographics and classify the chief complaints and reasons to encounter facilities of patients presenting to public healthcare facilities; 2) to explore differences in these complaints and: International Classification of Primary Care-3 (ICPC-3) groups across socio-demographic and health system levels. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in three districts of Odisha, India. Within each district, the district hospital (DH), one Sub-district hospital (SDH) (if available), two Community health centers (CHCs), and two Primary health care centers (PHCs) were selected...

Current understanding of the cerebral vascular response to variations in blood pressure (BP) among individuals with hypertension is limited. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the correlation between hypertension, risk of stroke, and cerebral blood flow (CBF). We reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2023 from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct that compared mean CBF in normotensive and hypertensive patients. A random effects model was used to construct the risk ratio (RR), 95% confidence interval (CI), forest plot, and inverse variance weighting...

BACKGROUND: A multi-biomarker disease activity (MBDA)-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk score was developed and internally validated in a Medicare cohort to predict 3-year risk for myocardial infarction (MI), stroke or CVD death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It combines the MBDA score, leptin, MMP-3, TNF-R1, age and four clinical variables. We are now externally validating it in a younger RA cohort. METHODS: Claims data from a private aggregator were linked to MBDA test data to create a cohort of RA patients ≥18 years old...

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive problems in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is generally overlooked in the presence of disabling headache and threat to visual function. The aim of this study was to search for cognitive deficits in patients with IIH using neuropsychologic tests in addition to P300 potential recordings to assess cognition related brain activity. METHODS: Fifty IIH patients were examined using Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test, Stroop Test and Visual Aural Digit Span Test to measure different domains of cognition at the time of diagnosis...

PURPOSE: Early diagnosis of surgical site infections (SSIs) could prevent surgical revision. Inflammatory markers (IMs), such as procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), seem more accurate in diagnosing SSI than C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell (WBC) count. The aim was to compare the predictive values of CRP, WBC count, PCT, IL-6, and TNF-α in SSI detection. METHODS: A total of 130 patients undergoing dorsal spondylodesis from 2019 to 2024 were enrolled in a prospective diagnostic study at a maximum care spine center...

The use of smokeless tobacco products (STP) as a substitute for tobacco smoking is driving increasing consumption of these products especially in developing countries. The study sought to make comparison of cardiovascular risk profile between chronic STP users and suitably matched tobacco-naïve controls. This is a preliminary report from the cross sectional part of a two-arm prospective study of Smokeless Tobacco Products Composition and Exposure Outcome in Enugu metropolis, Nigeria. Consecutively recruited current Smokeless tobacco users, who had no history of cigarette smoking, aged 18 years and above, residing in selected communities in Enugu metropolis, Nigeria were recruited for the study from October 2022 to July 2023...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PURPOSE: 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) fluorescence-guided resection (FGR) has been an essential tool in the 'standard of care' of malignant gliomas. Over the last two decades, its indications have been extended to other neoplasms, such as metastases and meningiomas. However, its availability and cost-benefit still pose a challenge for widespread use. The present article reports a retrospective series of 707 cases of central nervous system (CNS) tumors submitted to FGR with pharmacological equivalent 5-ALA and discusses financial implications, feasibility and safeness...

PURPOSE: To assess the intraday repeatability of macular architecture measurements in glaucomatous and non-glaucomatous patients using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and to evaluate the independence from intraindividual intraocular pressure (IOP) fluctuations. METHODS: In this single-center, time-point comparison study, 88 eyes with glaucoma, 53 eyes with ocular hypertension (OHT), and 253 healthy eyes underwent two standardized SD-OCT and intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements on the same day with a 5-h time gap...

Elevated intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+ ]i ) is a key trigger for pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (PASMC) proliferation and contributes greatly to pulmonary hypertension (PH). Extracellular Ca2+ influx via a store-operated Ca2+ channel (SOCC), termed store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE), is a crucial mechanism for [Ca2+ ] i elevation in PASMCs. Calcium release-activated calcium modulator (Orai) proteins, consisting of three members (Orai1-3), are the main components of SOCC. Sodium houttuyfonate (SH) is a product of the addition reaction of sodium bisulfite and houttuynin and has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and other properties...

PURPOSE: We report a rare and challenging case of bilateral necrotizing scleritis in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). METHODS: Retrospective case report. RESULTS: A 72-year-old diabetic, hypertensive female patient presented with sudden onset of painful red left eye and was noted to have a corneal ulcer with severe thinning. She was managed with topical fortified antibiotics and tissue glue and bandage contact lens. During subsequent follow-ups, she developed necrotizing scleral melts in both eyes...

PRECIS: This systematic review and meta-analysis found that 360° selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is significantly more effective than 180° SLT at reducing intraocular pressure at one month and one year follow-ups, without increased serious adverse event risk. PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of 180° versus 360° selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) in adults with open angle glaucoma (OAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT). METHODS: A systematic review was performed using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases, from 1995 to December 30, 2023, for studies comparing 180° and 360° SLT in adults with OAG and OHT (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024497832)...

IMPORTANCE: Hypertension affects 6% of all children, and its prevalence is increasing. Childhood hypertension tracks into adulthood and is associated with subclinical cardiovascular disease; however, there is a lack of evidence linking childhood hypertension to cardiovascular outcomes, which may contribute to underdiagnosis and undertreatment. OBJECTIVE: To determine the long-term associated risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) among children diagnosed with hypertension...

Objective: To assess the diagnostic value of cervical vascular ultrasound in identifying large arterial lesions in patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA). Methods: The current study matched 84 TIA patients (disease group) with 66 healthy controls (control group). The baseline patient profiles and biochemical indices of the patients were analyzed. All patients received color Doppler ultrasonography, and outcome measures of its diagnostic efficiency included plaque status, plaque properties, and the degree of carotid stenosis...

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis affecting the spine, presenting a considerable morbidity risk. Although evidence consistently indicates an elevated risk of ischemic heart disease among AS patients, debates persist regarding the likelihood of these patients developing left ventricular dysfunction (LVD). Our investigation aimed to determine whether individuals with AS face a greater risk of LVD compared to the general population. To accomplish this, we identified studies exploring LVD in AS patients across five major databases and Google Scholar...

Endothelial dysfunction is crucial factor to the hypertension occurrence, and controversy remains regarding the effect of exercise on improving endothelial function in hypertensive patients. The authors used meta-analysis to evaluate the intervention effect of exercise on endothelial function in hypertensive patients and to investigate exercise protocols that may have a greater intervention effect. A total of 37 studies and a total of 2801 participants were included. The results were as follows: endogenous nitric oxide (NO)[SMD = ...

BACKGROUND: Encountering a retained root tip post-extraction and prior to implant placement is a possible clinical complication. There are numerous approaches for removing retained roots that may be traumatic or atraumatic. Regardless of the approach, careful treatment planning is important to minimize complications, reduce morbidity, and preserve bony structures. The aim of the current case study is to introduce a technique and digitally generated device used for identifying and atraumatically removing a retained root tip and simultaneously placing a stable dental implant...

BACKGROUND: Several investigations suggested correlation between microscopic colitis (MC) and celiac disease (CD). This study aimed to examine this relationship using large-sized, population-based data with adequate control for confounding factors. METHODS: This study employed the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database over 4 years (2016-2019). Patients with/without MC in the presence/absence of CD were identified through ICD-10 codes. Univariate and multi-variate analyses involving odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were performed...