“
“Renal dysfunction is a well-known complication following heart transplantation. We examined an early decline in kidney function as a predictor of progression

to end-stage renal disease and mortality in heart transplant recipients. Selleckchem AZD5363 We performed a retrospective cohort study of 233 patients who received a heart transplant between July 1985 and July 2004, and who survived > 1 month. The decline in estimated creatinine clearance (CrCl) was used to predict the outcomes of need for chronic dialysis or mortality > 1-year posttransplant. The earliest time to chronic dialysis was 484 days. A 30% decline in CrCl between 1 month and 12 months predicted the need for chronic dialysis (p = 0.01), all-cause mortality (p < 0.0001) and time to first CrCl <= 30 mL/min at > 1-year posttransplant (p = 0.02). A 30% decline in CrCl between 1 month and 3 months also independently predicted the need for chronic dialysis (p = 0.04) and time to first CrCl <= 30 mL/min at > 1-year posttransplant (p = 0.01). In conclusion, an early drop in CrCl within the first year is a strong predictor of chronic dialysis and death > 1-year

postheart transplantation. Future studies should focus on kidney function preservation in those identified at high risk for progression to end-stage kidney disease and mortality.”
“Introduction and objectives. To investigate the relationship between patent foramen ovale and cryptogenic stroke in patients aged >= 55 Rabusertib datasheet years.

Methods. This prospective study determined the presence of patent foramen ovale and atrial septal aneurysm using transesophageal echocardiography in 262 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of probable cryptogenic stroke. Data from 44 patients aged >= 55 years with cryptogenic stroke (Group A) were compared with those from two other groups: 194 patients aged <55 years with cryptogenic stroke (Group B) and 24 control patients aged 55 years with stroke of known origin, namely grade III-V aortic atheromatosis (Group C).

Results. The frequency NVP-HSP990 manufacturer of patent foramen ovale in Group A was similar to that

in Group B (38% vs. 36%; P=.85) but significantly higher than that in Group C (38% vs. 8%; P=.029). The frequency of patent foramen ovale with concomitant atrial septal aneurysm was significantly higher in the study group (Group A) than in the control Group C (18% vs. 0; P=.039) and non-significantly higher than in Group B (18% vs. 11%; P=.11).

Conclusions. The frequency of patent foramen ovale alone or in association with atrial septal aneurysm in patients with cryptogenic stroke aged >= 55 years was similar to that in those aged <55 years, but higher than that in patients aged >= 55 years with stroke of atherosclerotic origin. These data suggest that paradoxical embolism could be a cause of stroke in both age groups.”
“Polymers used for biomedical purposes in medical devices are usually requested to be inert to degradation.