1/31. Tc-99m HDP uptake in cardiac amyloidosis.amyloidosis is characterized by the soft-tissue deposition of amyloid protein. It may occur as a primary disorder but more often is seen as a manifestation of chronic illness. Scattered reports of the affinity of amyloid for bone scanning agents have appeared over many years. Isolated cardiac uptake of Tc-99m HDP is described in a patient with biopsy-proved cardiac amyloidosis on a background of tuberculosis, prostate cancer, and coronary artery disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/31. kerosene-induced severe acute respiratory failure in near drowning: reports on four cases and review of the literature.OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to present an unusual respiratory and cardiovascular course after intoxication and near drowning in a river contaminated with kerosene. DESIGN: case reports and review of the literature. SETTING: intensive care unit of a university-affiliated hospital. patients: Four patients after near drowning. INTERVENTION: Supportive only. RESULTS: The four patients developed acute respiratory failure. Cardiomyopathy was present in three patients and a persistent hypokalemia in two patients. The onset of the symptoms was delayed, which led to underestimation of the severity of their illness. Two of the four patients died. The diagnosis of hydrocarbon intoxication was based on bronchoalveolar lavage results, neutrophilic alveolitis with the presence of lipid-laden macrophages, and evidence of lipoid pneumonia from the autopsy performed on one victim. One patient who clinically deteriorated and another who developed a severe restrictive pulmonary disorder were treated with corticosteroids, which were effective only in the latter patient. CONCLUSIONS: Acute kerosene intoxication in a near-drowning event often results in severe respiratory and cardiac failure, with a high fatality rate. Treatment with corticosteroids may lead to a rapid improvement in lung function.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/31. Infected left atrial myxoma.A 47-year-old Japanese woman with a continuing high fever was promptly diagnosed as having infected atrial myxoma one day after admission based on transthoracic echocardiographic findings and positivity for bacteria in blood culture. The mass was removed by an urgent open heart surgery. Histopathological examination confirmed that this mass was a myxoma with gram-positive bacterial colonies. Generally, antemortem diagnosis is difficult and there is a high mortality of patients with infected myxoma; however, this patient completely recovered from the illness because of the prompt diagnosis. This is the 37th case of definite infected myxoma reported in the literature. The cause of infection of this patient might have been the acupuncture therapy she underwent for weight reduction.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/31. Heart and brain: a case of focal myocytolysis in severe pneumococcal meningoencephalitis with review of the contemporary literature.We report electrocardiographic changes mimicking myocardial ischaemia in a 73-year-old man with fatal pneumococcal meningoencephalitis, present the autopsy-confirmed histological picture of extensive focal myocytolysis (contraction band necrosis) without myocardial infarction or myocarditis, and review the contemporary literature. Potentially reversible, probably non-ischaemic myocardial dysfunction may occur in association with acute noncardiac illnesses, such as brain injuries. Biochemical and morphological abnormalities in acutely failing hearts from head-injured organ donors point to specific pathophysiological mechanisms, which are different from heart failure from other causes. sepsis-related factors may add to the myocardial dysfunction in patients with brain injury from meningoencephalitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/31. Familial congenital sinus rhythm anomalies: clinical and pathological correlations.We describe pathological abnormalities in a 72-year-old male member of a family with a congenital absence of sinus rhythm and a tendency to develop atrial fibrillation at an early age, and in a 54-year-old female member of a family with cardiomyopathy and progressive conduction system disease manifested by first-degree atrioventricular (AV) block, left bundle branch block, and atrial arrhythmias. Both patients died suddenly. The absence of sinus rhythm in case 1 could be explained by marked atrophy, degeneration, and isolation of the sinoatrial (SA) node. The SA node was also diseased in the member of the other family with atrial arrhythmias. Additional common features in both cases included: fatty metamorphosis and degenerative changes of the approaches to the SA node, the atrial preferential fibers, and the approaches to the AV node, a small AV node, degenerative changes of the bundle branches, and floppy AV valves. These findings show that the pathological substrate of familial supraventricular arrhythmias consists of a diffuse involvement of the entire conduction system, bearing resemblance to pathological findings in elderly subjects with acquired sick sinus syndrome.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 501.37896125699keywords = sick (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/31. acromegaly with multiple cardiovascular complications--cardiomyopathy, chordae rupture of mitral valve, myocardial infarction and sick sinus syndrome.A 62-year-old woman had acromegaly and developed congestive heart failure with cardiomyopathy, mitral regurgitation due to chordae rupture, coronary artery disease and sick sinus syndrome. Since congestive heart failure was resistant to medical therapy, mitral valve replacement, aortocoronary bypass surgery and implantation of permanent pacemaker were performed one month after her admission. Although acromegalic patients with cardiomyopathy are usually resistant to therapy, we successfully treated the patient by the surgeries. It appears that all these diseases resulted from an elevated plasma concentration of growth hormone. Untreated acromegaly for more than ten years may contribute to multiple complications such as those in the present patient.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2506.894806285keywords = sick (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/31. genomics and cardiovascular disease.PURPOSE: To describe genetic knowledge and discovery in the area of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to discuss how these new advances will influence the clinical care of affected people. ORGANIZING FRAMEWORK: A selective review of the literature is presented on the disease mechanism of both the Mendelian and multifactorial genetic cardiovascular conditions. A case study approach is used to illustrate how the genetic paradigm affects the healthcare experience of a family affected with familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. FINDINGS: The current state of CVD treatment remains complex. An understanding of genomic concepts and a genome-based approach is necessary to determine: (a) the risk of CVD susceptibility beyond traditional risk factors; (b) early detection of illness; (c) response to treatment; and (d) molecular taxonomy of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: The results of genetic research, education, and teaching will lead to a new understanding of genes and pathways, resulting in powerful new therapeutic approaches to CVD. The challenge is to translate genetic discoveries into clinical practice that ultimately leads to preventing CVD and reducing mortality.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/31. Twenty-five-year-old man with a giant left ventricular mass.We report a rare case of a massive 7- x 3.25-cm thrombus in the left ventricle of a 25-year-old man. He presented with a subacute febrile illness for 1 month with a sudden worsening respiratory distress and chest pain. His initial evaluation in the emergency department diagnosed an interstitial lung process. Two-dimensional echocardiography demonstrated a previously undiagnosed cardiomyopathy and a massive left ventricular thrombus.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/31. Transient myocardial dysfunction after smoke inhalation.Acute onset, transient (reversible) myocardial contraction abnormality has been described in patients with acute non-cardiac illness and after acute emotional stress. Such reversible myocardial contraction abnormalities may occur via mechanisms other than reduction in epicardial coronary blood flow. We report a case of acute transient cardiomyopathy after smoke exposure. The patient developed acute heart failure without evidence of carbon monoxide poisoning that resolved within 4 days. An association between brief smoke exposure without carbon monoxide poisoning and acute heart failure has not been previously described.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/31. sick sinus syndrome and primary systemic amyloidosis.A sixty-eight-year-old woman with documented sick sinus syndrome was found to have, five year later, florid clinical features of systemic amyloidosis which only then led to recognition of an underlying IgA, Kappa paraproteinaemia. The literature on this association is outlined. Underlying plasma cell dyscrasias should be excluded in cases of unexplained sick sinus syndrome.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1002.757922514keywords = sick (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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