Background: stress test (EST) is one of the main diagnostic and prognostic tests for ischemic heart disease. However, its usefulness depends on achieving target heart rate, then chronotropic incompetence and poor exercise capacity limits its utility. We evaluated the usefulness of atropine administration during the EST to decrease the number of tests with inconclusive results in these patients.
Patients &Methods: We carried out this study in Ibn AI-Bitar Teaching Hospital from September 2007 to December 2008 and comprised of 210 patients undergoing EST. In subjects experiencing fatigue when they achieved 50-75% of target heart rate (THR), or those who failed to achieve their THR, atropine was administered in doses of 0.5 mg per minute until the test conclusion (positive test results or target heart rate achieved) or until a maximum dose of 2 mg was administered.
Results: Forty-one (19.5%) of the 210 patients required atropine (mean dose: 1.1 mg) during the study. Among patients who received atropine, conclusive test was achieved in 38 cases (92.7%). Atropine administration resulted in a mean increase in heart rate of 38 beats/min (range 8-71 beat/min). Atropine injection resulted in a trend towards more positive results of EST in comparison to non-atropine group (31.7% versus 18.3%, /?=0.053). There was no difference in response to atropine in subjects with chronotropic incompetence or poor exercise capacity (p=0.5).
Conclusion: Use of atropine as an adjunct to standard EST can help decrease the number of inconclusive tests. Larger studies are necessary to define the role of atropine in EST and also to
evaluate the accuracy of conclusive EST after atropine administration
Background: Physical exercise is essential for performance of the immune system. The integrity of immune response is dependent on the intensity and duration of the exercise performed. During exercise the metabolic and hormonal changes that occurred can induce lymphocyte apoptosis. Dehydroepiandrosteron sulphate (DHEAS) is one of the hormones that is affected by exercise, it is an androgen released from the adrenal cortex in response to adrenocortiocotropin releasing hormone (ACTH). DHEAS is regarded as an anti-aging hormone; it is primarily immune enhancing, providing some degree of counterbalance to the potentially detrimental effects of catecholamine and cortisol which are immunosuppressive if chronic
... Show MorePsoriasis is one of the skin’s chronic inflammatory diseases. Psoriasis etiology isn’t exactly known. Recently, it has been suggested that the imbalances in oxidant-antioxidant status happening because of the increase in reactive oxygen species production (ROS) and/or deficient function regarding the antioxidant system might be included in psoriasis pathogenesis. The major goal is to evaluate the antioxidant defense status in patients experiencing psoriasis and oxidative stresses represented by malondialdehyde (MDA) level and evaluate liver enzymes and vitamin D3. There are some tests of biochemical parameters and vitamins (GSH, MDA, VitD3, SOD, GPx, CAT, AST, ALT, and ALP) are conducted on 35 patients experiencing psoriasi
... Show MoreThe numerical analysis was conducted to studying the influence of length to diameter ratio (L/D) on the behavior of the soil treated with sand columns treated with 8% sodium silicate for both floating and end bearing type by using finite element method (Plaxis 3D Foundation ) for isolated foundation of real dimensions. The analysis’s study indicate that in the floating type the best improvement ratio was achieved at (L/D=8) when using columns with a diameter of (0.5, 0.7), but when using columns with a diameter of 0.3 m, it was noticed that the bearing improvement ratio increases with increasing (L/d). While the results of the analysis for end bearing type show that the higher improvement ratio was achieved at (L/D=4) when using columns w
... Show MoreBackground: Acute exercise stress is associated with a lower lymphocyte functional response. It is suggested that exercise can enhance or reduce immunity depending on the frequency, duration, and intensity of the exercise.
Subjects and Methods: From November 2007 to January 2008, thirty healthy Volunteers were recruited from medical, paramedical staffs, and students of Baghdad College of Medicine (all males). Participants were chosen according to the following: (1)Age (between 20 and 35 years), (2) Non obese : Body mass index (BMI in kg/m2) was used as an index of obesity, (3) Non-smoker, (4) No recent medical problem, (5) No recent medications, and (6) No musculoskeletal complaint. After a general m
Background: Oxidative stress may contribute to the etiology of hypertension in humans. Oxidative stress is an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defense mechanisms, causing damage to biological macromolecules and dysregulation of normal metabolism and physiology. Amlodipine as an antihypertensive agent is a long-acting calcium channel blocker that dilates blood vessels and improves blood flow. The aim of this study was to assess the oxidative stress in hypertensive patients on Amlodipine treatment through the assessment of salivary Malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) as a marker of oxidative stress.
Mat
... Show Moreتعد لعبة كرة السلة من الألعاب الرياضية التي تحتاج متطلبات بدنية ووظيفية خاصة بها، وذلك من خلال الانتقال داخل الملعب بالكرة أو بدونها والسبل للتخلص من ملاحقة الخصم أثناء الدفاع وكيفية المناورة أثناء الهجوم مع إجادة التصويب بكافة أنواعه داخل الملعب، ومن هنا تكونت مشكلة البحث في كيفية تطوير تلك العوامل الوظيفية والتي لها الأثر في الارتقاء بمستوى أداء اللاعب أثناء اللعب، وعن طريق استخدام الباحثان لطريقة جهاز ا
... Show MoreThis paper deals with prediction the effect of soil remoulding (smear) on the ultimate bearing capacity of driven piles. The proposed method based on detecting the decrease in ultimate bearing capacity of the pile shaft (excluding the share of pile tip) after sliding downward. This was done via conducting an experimental study on three installed R.C piles in a sandy clayey silt soil. The piles were installed so that a gap space is left between its tip and the base of borehole. The piles were tested for ultimate bearing capacity
according to ASTM D1143 in three stages. Between each two stages the pile was jacked inside the borehole until a sliding of about 200mm is achieved to simulate the soil remoulding due to actual pile driving. T
Background : Gallstone disease is one of a common surgical problem and one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases throughout the world but its pathogenesis remains unclear. Many theories have been put forward to explain the mechanism of stone formation. The living organism has enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems neutralizing the harmful effects of the endogenous oxygen free radicals products. Under certain conditions, the oxidative or anti-oxidative balance shifts towards the oxidative status as a result of increase in oxygen free radicals and/or impairment in antioxidant mechanism.
Objective :To evaluate the oxidative stress markers (total antioxidants capacity and malondialdeh
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