To determine the prevalence and prognostic value of sarcopenia measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and physical performance tests in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery or heart valve procedures.

Adults undergoing cardiac surgery were prospectively enrolled and completed a questionnaire, physical performance battery, and a DXA scan (GE Lunar) to measure appendicular muscle mass indexed to height

(AMMI). Patients were categorized as sarcopenic based on European Working Group 2 guidelines if they had low AMMI defined as <7 kg/m

for men or <5.5 kg/m

for women, and low muscle strength defined as 5 chair rise time ≥15 seconds. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to test the association between sarcopenia and all-cause mortality over a median follow-up of 4.3 years.

The cohort consisted of 141 patients with a mean age of 69.7 ± 10.0 years and 21% females. The prevalence rates of low AMMI, slow chair rise time, and sarcopenia (low AMMI and slow chair rise time) were 24%, 57%, 13%, respectively. The 4-year survival rate was 79% in the non-sarcopenic group as compared to 56% in the sarcopenic group (Log-rank P = 0.01). In the multivariable model, each standard deviation of decreasing AMMI and increasing chair rise time was associated with a hazard ratio for all-cause mortality of 1.84 (95% CI 1.18, 2.86) and 1.79 (95% CI 1.26, 2.54), respectively.

Lower-extremity muscle strength and DXA-based muscle mass are objective indicators of sarcopenia that are independently predictive of all-cause mortality in older cardiac surgery patients.

Lower-extremity muscle strength and DXA-based muscle mass are objective indicators of sarcopenia that are independently predictive of all-cause mortality in older cardiac surgery patients.

Characterization of aerosol generation during exercise can inform the development of safety recommendations in the face of COVID-19.

Does exercise at various intensities produce aerosols in significant quantities?

In this experimental study, subjects were eight healthy volunteers (six men, two women) who were 20 to 63 years old. The 20-minute test protocol of 5 minutes rest, four 3-minute stages of exercise at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%of age-predicted heart rate reserve, and 3 minutes active recovery was performed in a clean, controlled environment. Aerosols were measured by four particle counters that were place to surround the subject.

Age averaged 41 ± 14 years. Peak heart rate was 173 ± 17 beat/min (97%predicted); peak maximal oxygen uptake was 33.9 ± 7.5mL/kg/min; and peak respiratory exchange ratio was 1.22 ± 0.10. Maximal ventilation averaged 120 ± 23 L/min, while cumulative ventilation reached 990 ± 192 L. Concentrations increased exponentially from start to 20 minutes (geometric mean ± geometris.

E-cigarette and vaping-induced lung injury (EVALI) causes a spectrum of CT lung injury patterns. read more Relative frequencies and associations with vaping behavior are unknown.

What are the frequencies of imaging findings and CT patterns in EVALI and what is the relationship to vaping behavior?

CT scans of 160 subjects with EVALI from 15 institutions were retrospectively reviewed. CT findings and patterns were defined and agreed on via consensus. The parenchymal organizing pneumonia (OP) pattern was defined as regional or diffuse ground-glass opacity (GGO) ± consolidation without centrilobular nodules (CNs). An airway-centered OP pattern was defined as diffuse CNs with little or no GGO, whereas a mixed OP pattern was a combination of the two. Other patterns included diffuse alveolar damage (DAD), acute eosinophilic-like pneumonia, and pulmonary hemorrhage. Cases were classified as atypical if they did not fit into a pattern. Imaging findings, pattern frequencies, and injury severity were correlated with substanAD (nine of 160, 5.6%), pulmonary hemorrhage (six of 160, 3.8%), and atypical (four of 160, 2.5%) patterns were less common. Increased vaping frequency was associated with more severe injury (P= .008). Multivariable analysis showed a negative association between vaping for > 6months and DAD pattern (P= .03). Two subjects (1.25%) with DAD pattern died. There was no relation between pattern and injury severity, geographic location, and state legality of recreational use of THC.

EVALI typically causes an OP pattern but exists on a spectrum of acute lung injury. Vaping habits do not correlate with CT patterns except for negative correlation between vaping > 6months and DAD pattern. PBV sparing, not previously described in acute lung injury, is a common finding.

6 months and DAD pattern. PBV sparing, not previously described in acute lung injury, is a common finding.

Lung cancer screening remains underutilized despite its proven mortality benefit. Health systems have attempted to increase screening awareness through advertising. Psychological theories suggest that construal level (a personal orientation towards the big picture or the details) and regulatory focus (goals emphasizing acquisition of a good, or avoidance of a bad outcome) play a key role in health advertising effectiveness. These theories have not been examined in a screen-eligible population.

Using Amazon’s crowdsourcing platform, Mechanical Turk, we identified screen-eligible individuals based on United States Preventive Services Task Force criteria. We randomly assigned participants to see one of four screening advertisement images in a 2 (construal level high vs. low) X 2 (regulatory focus promotion vs. prevention) between-subjects experimental design. We assessed willingness to undergo screening following the advertisement.

A total of 191 individuals responded to our study invitation (mean age 61 yems may use this knowledge to design more effective patient-facing communications that lead to higher rates of screening.The identification and surgical closure of apical complex muscular ventricular septal defects (CMVSD) remains a difficult problem because of their location in the ventricular septum distal to the moderating band.Guanylyl cyclase (GC) is an enzyme that produces 3′,5′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), one of the two canonical cyclic nucleotides used as a second messenger for intracellular signal transduction. The GCs are classified into two groups, particulate/membrane GCs (pGC) and soluble/cytosolic GCs (sGC). In relation to the endocrine system, pGCs include hormone receptors for natriuretic peptides (GC-A and GC-B) and guanylin peptides (GC-C), while sGC is a receptor for nitric oxide and carbon monoxide. Comparing the functions of pGCs in eukaryotes, it is apparent that pGCs perceive various environmental factors such as light, temperature, and various external chemical signals in addition to endocrine hormones, and transmit the information into the cell using the intracellular signaling cascade initiated by cGMP, e.g., cGMP-dependent protein kinases, cGMP-sensitive cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels and cGMP-regulated phosphodiesterases. Among vertebrate pGCs, GC-E and GC-F are localized on retinal epithelia and are involved in modifying signal transduction from the photoreceptor, rhodopsin.