Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common disease and it accounts for over 10% of all hospital medical admission. Cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PHT) is a common complication of COPD and the increase in pulmonary artery pressure is often mild to moderate. The presence of pulmonary arterial pressure and its severity is readily and reliably determined by transthoracic echocardiography in majority of COPD patients.
Patients and Methods: This study included 55 patients with mean age 65.6 ±8.2 years .The mean duration of symptoms was 18 ±10 months. 32 patients (58%) were current smoker, 18 patients (33%) were exsmoker and 5 patients (9%) were non smoker. The mean intensity of smoking for smoker was 49.5 ± 22.2 pack- years. For all patients, history, clinical examination, ECG, CXR, and routine blood tests were done. For all patients pulmonary function tests were done and patients were classified according to GOLD criteria into 4 stages. Echocardiography was done for all patients; ventricular and atrial dimensions were taken, and using Doppler technique to detect tricuspid and pulmonary regurgitation, estimation of pulmonary artery
systolic and/or diastolic pressure using special formulas was undertaken.
Results: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) jet was found in 70.9% of patients with COPD. Increased pulmonary artery systolic pressure was found in 51% of patients with TR (36% of total patients) and increased pulmonary vascular resistance was found in 48.7% of patients with TR (34.5% of total patients). There were significant associations between echo findings of increasing RV size, TR, increased pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance with decrease in FEV1, FEV1/VC and oxygen saturation. There was no significant association with decrease in vital capacity.
Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension with increasing severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Background: Coronary artery disease remains the main cause of death despite several preventive programs. Epicardial adipose tissue is a visceral fat depot of the heart located along the large coronary arteries and on the surface of ventricles and apex. Intima media thickness is commonly recognized as the initial stage in the development of atherosclerosis. The development of ultrasound machines, advances in echocardiographic devices and high resolution transducers facilitate comprehensive analysis of epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid –intima media thickness (C-IMT).
Aim: To investigate the relationship of echocardiographic epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid –intima media thickness (C-IMT) with the severity of coro
الخلاصة: الحكة اليوريمية لدى مرضى غسيل الكلى يؤثر على أكثر من 40٪ من المرضى. وربما ترتبط الحكة المستمرة بمستويات عالية من الإنترلوكين 31. الاهداف: النظر إلى مستويات مصل إنترلوكين 31 لدى مرضى غسيل الكلى المصابين بمرض الكلى في المرحلة النهائية، سواء مع أو بدون حكة يوريمية. النتائج: لم يكن مستوى المصل [الوسيط (] لـ IL-31 في المرضى الذين يعانون من الحكة اليوريميةأو بدون حكة في عينة مصل ما قبل غسيل الكلى مختلفًا بشكل م
... Show MoreBackground : The hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is defined as the triad of liver disease, arterial deoxygenation, and pulmonary vascular dilatation. The reported prevalence of HPS in cirrhotic patients varies between 5% -17.5%.Objective : To estimate the prevalence of hepatopulmonary syndrome among patients with chronic liver disease and portal hypertension and to study the correlation between HPS and the severity of liver disease.Patients and methods : Thirty patients were studied for the presence of HPS using transthoracic contrast echocardiography for detection of pulmonary vasodilatation. Arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) was determined in erect and supine position using a pulse oximeter , (SaO2 ≤ 92 % in supine position and/or a d
... Show MoreBackground: Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome caused by any functional or structural cardiac disease that reduces the ventricle's ability to fill or pump blood. Anemia is frequent in patient with heart failure and is associated with deterioration through the activation of neuro-hormonal pathways. Dapagliflozin is a selective and reversible inhibitor of Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2). Dapagliflozin increases hemoglobin level through different mechanisms such increasing plasma concentration by diuresis or increasing Erythropoietin synthesis.
Objective: To evaluate the effect of additional dapagliflozin into conventional therapy on hemoglobin in heart failure patients with chronic
... Show MoreBackground: the most common underlying cause of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is myocardial ischemia. Diastolic dysfunction has been reported in up to 90% of patients with coronary artery disease.
Background: peritoneal cavity can be involved in inflammatory and malignant diseases and using computed tomography (CT) findings of exudative ascites may help in the differentiation.
Objectives: 1-Describe CT features in patients with exudative ascites.2-Obtain useful CT findings to differentiate between tuberculous (TB) peritonitis and peritoneal carcinomatosis.
Patients &methods: A cross sectional study conducted in Medical City Teaching Complex from September 2009 to September 2010 studied patients with exudative ascites using CT scan and confirmed later with histopathology examination. CT scan results were presented according to cytology examination and biochemical analysis.
Results: 35 patients with exudative ascites we
Background: Chronic kidney disease is a worldwide health problem, with adverse outcomes of cardiovascular disease and premature death, can be divided into five stages, depending on how severe the damage is to the kidneys, or the level of decrease in kidney function, the final stage of chronic kidney disease is called end-stage renal disease, salivary immunoglobulin A is the main immunoglobulin found in mucous secretions, including tears, saliva, colostrum and secretions from the genitourinary tract gastrointestinal tract, prostate and respiratory epithelium . It is also found in small amounts in blood.This study aimedto measuresalivary flow rate and salivaryimmunoglobulin Alevels in chronic kidney disease patients on hemodialysis treatment
... Show MoreThe aim of the present study was to develop theophylline (TP) inhalable sustained delivery system by preparing solid lipid microparticles using glyceryl behenate (GB) and poloxamer 188 (PX) as a lipid carrier and a surfactant respectively. The method involves loading TP nanoparticles into the lipid using high shear homogenization – ultrasonication technique followed by lyophilization. The compositional variations and interactions were evaluated using response surface methodology, a Box – Behnken design of experiment (DOE). The DOE constructed using TP (X1), GB (X2) and PX (X3) levels as independent factors. Responses measured were the entrapment efficiency (% EE) (Y1), mass median
... Show MoreCeliac disease (CD) is an inflammatory small intestinal disorder that can lead to severe villous atrophy, and malabsorption . Since the measurement of α-amylase activity is the most widely used biochemical test for the diagnosis of pancreatic and non pancreatic disease , therefore serum α-amylase were studied in the present study in an attempt to evaluate the usefulness of this enzyme in the diagnosis of celiac disease and its relationship with anti gliadin IgA and IgG and serum glucose . Thirty one patients with celiac disease were studied and compared with twenty four healthy individuals . Significant elevation of α-amylase activity , glucose and anti gliadin IgA and IgG were observed in the sera of patients with celiac diseas
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