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Fulltext The Heat Is On: Effects of Synchronous Music on Psychophysiological Parameters and Running Performance in Hot and Humid Conditions

Nikol L, Kuan G, Ong M, Chang YK, Terry PC

Front Psychol, 2018;9:1114.
PMID: 30072929 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01114

Running in high heat and humidity increases psychophysiological strain, which typically impairs running performance. Listening to synchronous music has been shown to provide psychophysiological benefits, which may enhance running performance. The present randomized, crossover study examined effects of listening to synchronous music on psychophysiological parameters and running performance in hot and humid conditions. Twelve male runners (21.7 ± 2.2 y; 166.17 ± 7.18 cm; 60.32 ± 9.52 kg; 59.29 ± 5.95 ml kg-1 min-1) completed two running trials in simulated conditions (31°C and 70% humidity) with and without synchronous music. Participants ran on a treadmill inside a climatic chamber for 60 min at 60%

V
˙

O2max and continued to run to exhaustion at 80%

V
˙

O2max. Time-to-exhaustion under the synchronous music condition was 66.59% longer (mean = 376.5 s vs. 226.0 s, p = 0.02, d = 0.63) compared to the no music condition. Ratings of perceived exertion were significantly lower for the synchronous music condition at each time point (15, 30, 45, and 60 min) of the steady state portion of the running trials. Small differences in heart rate were detected between conditions. No significant between-condition differences were found in urine specific gravity, percentage of body weight loss, thermal comfort, and blood lactate. Findings suggest that listening to synchronous music is beneficial to running performance and perceived exertion in hot and humid conditions.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Rate
New perspectives of Lactobacillus plantarum as a probiotic: The gut-heart-brain axis

Liu YW, Liong MT, Tsai YC

J Microbiol, 2018 Sep;56(9):601-613.
PMID: 30141154 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-018-8079-2

Lactobacillus plantarum is a non-gas-producing lactic acid bacterium that is generally regarded as safe (GRAS) with Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) status. Although traditionally used for dairy, meat and vegetable fermentation, L. plantarum is gaining increasing significance as a probiotic. With the newly acclaimed gut-heart-brain axis, strains of L. plantarum have proven to be a valuable species for the development of probiotics, with various beneficial effects on gut health, metabolic disorders and brain health. In this review, the classification and taxonomy, and the relation of these with safety aspects are introduced. Characteristics of L. plantarum to fulfill the criteria as a probiotic are discussed. Emphasis are also given to the beneficial functions of L. plantarum in gut disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases, metabolic syndromes, dyslipidemia, hypercholesteromia, obesity, and diabetes, and brain health aspects involving psychological disorders.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart
Fulltext Coughing Shih Tzu dog due to myxomatous mitral valve disease stage C2

Khor, K.H., Jessie-Bay, J.X.

Jurnal Veterinar Malaysia, 2018;30(1):15-19.
MyJurnal

Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease is a degenerative condition of the mitral valves leaflets. A 10-year-old
male castrated Shih Tzu was presented with primary complaint of coughing. Clinical examination revealed normal
heart rate, respiratory rate and rectal temperature. Systolic murmur Grade IV/VI was heard at the left heart apex.
Thoracic radiographic findings were cardiomegaly with the vertebral heart score of 11.0 and had evidence of
cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Echocardiographic examination revealed thickening mitral valves with evidence of
moderate regurgitation observed. Based on the findings obtained, the dog was diagnosed with Myxomatous Mitral
Valve disease stage C2. Dog was treated with benazepril (0.5mg/kg), pimobendan (0.2mg/kg) with a combination of
furosemide (2mg/kg). Frusemide was gradually removed from the treatment regime as coughing improved over time.
The dog was no longer lethargy and even gained weight.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Rate
Therapeutic efficacy of mesenchymal stromal cells and secretome in pulmonary arterial hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Muhammad SA, Abbas AY, Saidu Y, Fakurazi S, Bilbis LS

Biochimie, 2020 Jan;168:156-168.
PMID: 31678635 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2019.10.016

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and secretome are promising therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This meta-analysis aimed to provide a precise estimate and compare the therapeutic efficacy of MSC and secretome in PAH. We searched six databases (CINAHL, Cochrane, Ovid Medline, PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus) until December 2018 using search terms related to MSCs, secretome and PAH. Twenty-three studies were included for the meta-analysis. The effect size of pulmonary hemodynamics and right ventricular hypertrophy markers was estimated using random effects model. MSCs and secretome significantly improved pulmonary hemodynamics and right ventricular hypertrophy compared to control. Comparison between MSCs and secretome indicate no significant difference in reducing right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and medial wall thickening (MWT). However, treatment of PAH with secretome significantly improved mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) (p = 0.018) and right ventricular/left ventricular + septum (RV/LV+S) (p = 0.017) better than MSCs. Meta-regression shows that cell type (p = 0.034) is a predictor of MSCs to reduce RVSP in PAH. Similarly, the effect of secretome on MWT was significantly (p = 0.011) better at 4 weeks compared to 2 weeks of intervention. The overall risk of bias ranges from low to moderate; however, some of the essential elements required in reports of animal trials were not reported. There was evidence of publication bias for RV/LV+S and MWT, but not RVSP. This meta-analysis provides evidence of the therapeutic benefits of MSCs and secretome in PAH and the effect of secretome was similar or superior to MSCs.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Ventricles
Cardiac arrhythmia triggered by diuretic-induced hyponatremia

Lu HT, Loo HC, Ng KS, Wong YO, Nordin R

Malays Fam Physician, 2019;14(2):39-43.
PMID: 31827736

Diuretics have a long and distinguished history in the treatment of hypertension and heart failure. Clinical practice guidelines recommend that diuretics should be considered to be as suitable as other antihypertensive agents for the initiation and maintenance of antihypertensive treatment. However, diuretics may potentially cause electrolyte disturbances and metabolic side effects. Diuretic-induced hyponatremia is probably more prevalent than generally acknowledged. We present an unusual case of indapamide-induced hyponatremia and hypokalemia complicated by cardiac arrhythmia. The adverse drug reaction was reversible and non-life-threatening, but this case serves as a reminder that careful evaluation and constant monitoring are necessary when prescribing diuretics.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Failure
Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) - risk stratification and prediction with molecular biomarkers

Osman J, Tan SC, Lee PY, Low TY, Jamal R

J Biomed Sci, 2019 May 22;26(1):39.
PMID: 31118017 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-019-0535-8

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a sudden, unexpected death that is caused by the loss of heart function. While SCD affects many patients suffering from coronary artery diseases (CAD) and heart failure (HF), a considerable number of SCD events occur in asymptomatic individuals. Certain risk factors for SCD have been identified and incorporated in different clinical scores, however, risk stratification using such algorithms is only useful for health management rather than for early detection and prediction of future SCD events in high-risk individuals. In this review, we discuss different molecular biomarkers that are used for early detection of SCD. This includes genetic biomarkers, where the majority of them are genomic variants for genes that encode for ion channels. Meanwhile, protein biomarkers often denote proteins that play roles in pathophysiological processes that lead to CAD and HF, notably (i) atherosclerosis that involves oxidative stress and inflammation, as well as (ii) cardiac tissue damage that involves neurohormonal and hemodynamic regulation and myocardial stress. Finally, we outline existing challenges and future directions including the use of OMICS strategy for biomarker discovery and the multimarker panels.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Failure
Fulltext The comparative effects of listening to prayer recitation and music therapy intraoperatively on postoperative pain

Farah Syaza Rahman, Nurlia Yahya, Nor Mohammad Md Din, Azarinah Izaham, Wan Rahiza Wan Mat

International Medical Journal Malaysia, 2018;17(2):107-116.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Non-pharmacological interventions are considered as successful adjuncts to manage pain. We are studying the comparative effects of listening to prayer recitation and music therapy intraoperatively as non-pharmacological interventions on postoperative pain and intraoperative haemodynamics. Materials and Methods: Seventy two muslim patients with acute appendicitis requiring open, emergency appendicectomies under general anaesthesia were recruited and randomised into three groups: Group A: patients who listened to prayer recitation, Group B: patients who listened to music, Group C: control group - patients who did not listen to any prayer or music. Intraoperative blood pressure, heart rate and postoperative pain scores were monitored. Results: The demographic data, pre- and post-headphones application haemodynamics were compared. There were significantly lower heart rates at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 minutes for Group A and at 50 and 60 minutes for Group B patients when compared to Group C. Significant reduction in postoperative pain scores were seen in Group A patients at 30 minutes and 8 hours as compared to Group C patients. No significant differences in pain scores were seen between Group B and C patients. No significant differences in additional analgesic requirements postoperatively were seen in all three groups. Conclusion: Listening to prayer recitation or music intraoperatively significantly lowered intraoperative heart rates, however only prayer recitation significantly reduced postoperative pain scores as compared to the control group.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Rate
Fulltext Peranan sokongan sosial terhadap kemurungan dalam kalangan remaja penagih dadah

Faizah Mat I, Norizan H, Rozmi I

Jurnal Psikologi Malaysia, 2018;32:109-118.

The number of adolescents involved in drug addiction increases every year. Statistic shows that in 2015 there were 6,406 addicts from age 13 to 24 years old compared to 4,954 detected in 2014. The majority of those addicts had major depression. It is predicted that by 2020, depression will be the second leading causes of global burden of diseases after heart disease. This study aims to identify the relationship between social support and depression among adolescent drug addicts. The study used quantitative method by distributing the questionnaires to respondents. A total of 367 adolescent drug adddicts were involved in this study. The results showed a significant negative relationship between social support and depression. The results of the study also showed that there were relationships between social support from guardian, friends and closed friends and depression. The implication of the study suggested that the role of social support such as family members and close friends are crucial to help adolecents cope with depression and addiction.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Diseases
Fulltext Acute effects of unilateral versus bilateral resistance training on heart rate, blood pressure and rate of perceived exertion

Nur Khairunisa Abu Talip, Zulkifli Abdul Kadir

Jurnal Sains Sukan & Pendidikan Jasmani, 2018;7(2):61-75.
MyJurnal

Resistance training (RT) refers to a method of physical conditioning of complex programming which consists of progressive and various training techniques to achieve the desired training goals. An appropriate programme design is the key to success; where exercise selection is one of the critical factors. The selection of exercise will expose different stimulation as in the application of the specific adaptation on imposed demand principle. The option of choosing either bilateral (BI) or unilateral (UNI) exercise is an important decision to perform in the construction of any strength or RT programme. This study aimed to investigate the physiological responses of unilateral versus bilateral acute RT on heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE). Sixteen (n = 16) trained women with mean age of 23.31 (SD = 1.35) years old went through a total body exercise session for each unilateral and bilateral protocols which both consisted of major muscles group for 80% 1RM, 10 repetitions to maximal effort for 3 sets. The results revealed that all variables examined including HR, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and RPE were statistically changed (p < .001) across the times. Apart from that, unilateral and bilateral RT imposed significantly different stimulus on SBP (p < .05).

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Rate
Fulltext Humanitarian Mission in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery: A Recipient's Perspective

Mohd Zain MR, Shamsuddin AM, Mamat AZ, Mokhtar AM, Ali S, Chen YC, et al.

Front Pediatr, 2019;7:230.
PMID: 31231625 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2019.00230

Introduction: Pediatric cardiac surgical mission programs are deemed as common practice, especially in developing nations funded by international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This article presents and discusses the results and strategies implemented by this partnership, aiming at achieving the autonomy of the local center by this collaboration. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on patients with congenital heart disease who underwent surgical intervention from the beginning of the NGO collaboration (September 2015) until November 2018 in an existing cardiac center. In between those visits, any congenital heart disease patient with Risk Adjustment Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS)-1 Category 1-3 would be discussed in a local multi-disciplinary meeting with regards to the feasibility of the surgery being performed by the local members. Results: A total of 60 operations were performed during the trips. Throughout the visit, 46% (28) of the operations were performed by the local surgeon, with or without assistance from the visiting surgeon. Between September 2015 and November 2018, 27 cases were also performed by the local team independently. For the 27 cases performed by the local team independently, the median age of the patient was 42 days (ranging from 14 days to 20 years old), with median body weight of 3.2 kg (ranging from 2.8 to 64 kg). Conclusion: Humanitarian pediatric cardiac surgical missions are safe to be done for the population in need. In order to achieve autonomy, continuous efforts by both teams are crucial, as the cooperation by the two parties ensures that the objectives are achieved.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Defects, Congenital
Fulltext Cancer-risk perception among Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) medical students

Jefferelli SB, Limi L

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2002;2(2):76-80.
MyJurnal

We do not know how medical doctors perceive the risk of cancer as a cause of death. Medical doctors provide advice and information on health risks to the general public. How they perceive these risks influences the way they behave towards these risks and the way they will communicate these risks. We would like to ascertain how medical students perceive cancer as a health risk. This will hehv us determine misperceptions among medical students that need to be addressed before they practice medicine. A cross-sectional study was conducted among
all UPM medical students (2000-2001) using sefadministered questionnaires. A total of 339 (88.3%) students responded to the questionnaires. The internal consistency of items was good (Cronbach Alpha >0,7). Cancer was perceived as the 3rd leading risk of death after motor vehicle accidents (I") and heart diseases/cardiovascular disorders (2"d ). The breast was perceived as the organ with the highest risk of developing cancer. Smoking was perceived to be the leading risk factor for developing cancer. There is a dpjference in risk perception of diseases, cancer target organs and cancer risk factors based on gender and ethnicity. There was moderate to fair correlation ( r = 0.41-0.57) between perception of risks of death, cancer target organs and risks factors of cancer (p

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Diseases
Fulltext Factors and behaviour concerning coronary heart disease in urban Malaysian workers

Arokiasamy JT

JUMMEC, 1996;1:33-36.

A group of 265 urban private sector workers in Kuala Lumpur and adjacent Petaling Jaya responded to a self-administered questionnaires. Their knowledge of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, risk factors for and preventive measures against cardiovascular diasease a n d w h e n these should be started are relatively weak, though knowledge on symptoms of heart a attack are satisfactory. Relatively more males than females are current smokers and consumers of alcohol. Males tended to start smoking and drinking in their teen years while females tended to do so later in their non-teen years.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart
Fulltext Concomitant stenting of the patent ductus arteriosus and radiofrequency valvotomy in pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and intermediate right ventricle: early in-hospital and medium-term outcomes

Alwi M, Choo KK, Radzi NA, Samion H, Pau KK, Hew CC

J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., 2011 Jun;141(6):1355-61.
PMID: 21227471 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2010.08.085

Objectives: Our objective was to determine the feasibility and early to medium-term outcome of stenting the patent ductus arteriosus at the time of radiofrequency valvotomy in the subgroup of patients with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and intermediate right ventricle.
Background: Stenting of the patent ductus arteriosus and radiofrequency valvotomy have been proposed as the initial intervention for patients with intermediate right ventricle inasmuch as the sustainability for biventricular circulation or 1½-ventricle repair is unclear in the early period.
Methods: Between January 2001 and April 2009, of 143 patients with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum, 37 who had bipartite right ventricle underwent radiofrequency valvotomy and stenting of the patent ductus arteriosus as the initial procedure. The mean tricuspid valve z-score was -3.8 ± 2.2 and the mean tricuspid valve/mitral valve ratio was 0.62 ± 0.16.
Results: Median age was 10 days (3-65 days) and median weight 3.1 kg (2.4-4.9 kg). There was no procedural mortality. Acute stent thrombosis developed in 1 patient and necessitated emergency systemic-pulmonary shunt. There were 2 early in-hospital deaths owing to low cardiac output syndrome. One late death occurred owing to right ventricular failure after the operation. Survival after the initial procedure was 94% at 6 months and 91% at 5 years. At a median follow-up of 4 years (6 months to 8 years), 17 (48%) attained biventricular circulation with or without other interventions and 9 (26%) achieved 1½-ventricle repair. The freedom from reintervention was 80%, 68%, 58%, and 40% at 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, respectively.
Conclusions: Concomitant stenting of the patent ductus arteriosus at the time of radiofrequency valvotomy in patients with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and intermediate right ventricle is feasible and safe with encouraging medium-term outcome.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Ventricles/abnormalities*; Heart Ventricles/physiopathology; Heart Ventricles/ultrasonography
Type B patent ductus arteriosus

Wong A, Shahboden M, Pauzi W, Ibrahim W

Pediatr Cardiol, 2007 Jan-Feb;28(1):74-5.
PMID: 17318711 DOI: 10.1007/s00246-006-1398-9
Matched MeSH terms: Heart Defects, Congenital
Fulltext Deep learning for cardiac computer-aided diagnosis: benefits, issues & solutions

Loh BCS, Then PHH

Mhealth, 2017;3:45.
PMID: 29184897 DOI: 10.21037/mhealth.2017.09.01

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the top causes of deaths worldwide. In developing nations and rural areas, difficulties with diagnosis and treatment are made worse due to the deficiency of healthcare facilities. A viable solution to this issue is telemedicine, which involves delivering health care and sharing medical knowledge at a distance. Additionally, mHealth, the utilization of mobile devices for medical care, has also proven to be a feasible choice. The integration of telemedicine, mHealth and computer-aided diagnosis systems with the fields of machine and deep learning has enabled the creation of effective services that are adaptable to a multitude of scenarios. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of heart disease diagnosis and management, especially within the context of rural healthcare, as well as discuss the benefits, issues and solutions of implementing deep learning algorithms to improve the efficacy of relevant medical applications.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Diseases
Population differences in cardiovascular reactivity to the cold pressor test

Duncan MT, Husain R, Chen HM, Horvath SM

Am J Hum Biol, 1995;7(3):329-337.
PMID: 28557027 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.1310070309

The interaction of race and climatic adaptation on patterns of cardiovascular reactivity among young adult males was examined. Malay and Chinese subjects living in a tropical climate in the Orient and Caucasians living in a sub-tropical climate in North America were investigated. The cold pressor test with hand immersion in cold water was used as the stressor. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures, cardiac frequency, cardiac output, and stroke volume were measured. The results provided limited evidence for absence of differences in cardiac reactivity among racial groups and for greater vascular reactivity in the Caucasians. Cold immersion also elicited differential responses which could be partially attributed to differences in acclimatizations status. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart
Assessment of patients radiation doses associated with computed tomography coronary angiography

Salah H, Tamam N, Rabbaa M, Abuljoud M, Zailae A, Alkhorayef, et al.

Appl Radiat Isot, 2023 Feb;192:110548.
PMID: 36527854 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110548

Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) has generated tremendous interest over the past 20 years by using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) because of its high diagnostic accuracy and efficacy in assessing patients with coronary artery disease. This technique is related to high radiation doses, which has raised serious concerns in the literature. Effective dose (E, mSv) may be a single parameter meant to reflect the relative risk from radiation exposure. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate this quantity to point to relative radiation risk. The objectives of this study are to evaluate patients' exposure during diagnostic CCTA procedures and to estimate the risks. Seven hundred ninety patients were estimated during three successive years. The patient's exposure was estimated based on a CT device's delivered radiation dose (Siemens Somatom Sensation 64 (64-MDCT)). The participating physicians obtained the parameters relevant to the radiation dose from the scan protocol generated by the CT system after each CCTA study. The parameters included the volume CT dose index (CTDIvol, mGy) and dose length product (DLP, mGy × cm). The mean and range of CTDIvol (mGy) and DLP (mGy × cm) for three respective year was (2018):10.8 (1.14-77.7) and 2369.8 ± 1231.4 (290.4-6188.9), (2019): 13.82 (1.13-348.5), and 2180.5 (501.8-9534.5) and (2020) 10.9 (0.7-52.9) and 1877.3 (149.4-5011.1), respectively. Patients' effective doses were higher compared to previous studies. Therefore, the CT acquisition parameter optimization is vital to reduce the dose to its minimal value.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart
Prognostic Value of Left Atrial Strain in Aortic Stenosis: A Competing Risk Analysis

Tan ESJ, Jin X, Oon YY, Chan SP, Gong L, Lunaria JB, et al.

J Am Soc Echocardiogr, 2023 Jan;36(1):29-37.e5.
PMID: 36441088 DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2022.10.011

BACKGROUND: The role of left atrial (LA) strain as an imaging biomarker in aortic stenosis is not well established. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic performance of phasic LA strain in relation to clinical and echocardiographic variables and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in asymptomatic and minimally symptomatic patients with moderate to severe aortic stenosis and left ventricular ejection fraction > 50%.
METHODS: LA reservoir strain (LASr), LA conduit strain (LAScd), and LA contractile strain (LASct) were measured using speckle-tracking echocardiography. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, heart failure hospitalization, progression to New York Heart Association functional class III or IV, acute coronary syndrome, or syncope. Secondary outcomes 1 and 2 comprised the same end points but excluded acute coronary syndrome and additionally syncope, respectively. The prognostic performance of phasic LA strain cutoffs was evaluated in competing risk analyses, aortic valve replacement being the competing risk.
RESULTS: Among 173 patients (mean age, 69 ± 11 years; mean peak transaortic velocity, 4.0 ± 0.8 m/sec), median LASr, LAScd, and LASct were 27% (interquartile range [IQR], 22%-32%), 12% (IQR, 8%-15%), and 16% (IQR, 13%-18%), respectively. Over a median of 2.7 years (IQR, 1.4-4.6 years), the primary outcome and secondary outcomes 1 and 2 occurred in 66 (38%), 62 (36%), and 59 (34%) patients, respectively. LASr < 20%, LAScd < 6%, and LASct < 12% were identified as optimal cutoffs of the primary outcome. In competing risk analyses, progressing from echocardiographic to echocardiographic-clinical and combined models incorporating N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, LA strain parameters outperformed other key echocardiographic variables and significantly predicted clinical outcomes. LASr < 20% was associated with the primary outcome and secondary outcome 1, LAScd < 6% with all clinical outcomes, and LASct < 12% with secondary outcome 2. LAScd < 6% had the highest specificity (95%) and positive predictive value (82%) for the primary outcome, and competing risk models incorporating LAScd < 6% had the best discriminative value.
CONCLUSIONS: In well-compensated patients with moderate to severe aortic stenosis and preserved left ventricular ejection fractions, LA strain was superior to other echocardiographic indices and incremental to N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide for risk stratification. LAScd < 6%, LASr < 20%, and LASct < 12% identified patients at higher risk for adverse outcomes.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Atria
Use of gas liquid chromatography as an adjunct to conventional bacteriological methods in the diagnosis of anaerobic cerebral abscess

Pit S, Jamal F, Cheah FK, Abbas MA

Ann Saudi Med, 1991 Jul;11(4):424-8.
PMID: 17590760

Forty cases of cerebral abscesses were studied prospectively to establish the microbial agents implicated in these cases. Chronic otitis media (14 patients, 35%), congenital heart disease (five patients, 12.5%),a and meningitis (five patients, 12.5%) were among the important predisposing factors. Streptococcus (14 patients, 35%) was the most common causative pre-isolated, the predominant species being Streptococcus milleri (11 patients, 27.5%). Other organisms isolated included Proteus mirabilis in six patients (15%) and Staphylococcus aureus in five patients (12.5%). Anaerobes (12 patients, 30%), predominantly Bacteroides sp. (eight patients, 20%), played an important role in these cases, the majority of which were isolated in mixed cultures. Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of pus detected the presence of anaerobes in another 11 cases of cerebral abscess, in which cultures of anaerobes were negative. Therefore, gas-liquid chromotography is useful as an adjunct to conventional bacteriological methods in providing a rapid and sensitive means of detecting anaerobes in pus obtained especially from patients who had received antibiotic therapy prior to hospitalization.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Diseases
Fulltext Effects of Swedish massage therapy on blood pressure, heart rate, and inflammatory markers in hypertensive women

Supa'at I, Zakaria Z, Maskon O, Aminuddin A, Nordin NA

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2013;2013:171852.
PMID: 24023571 DOI: 10.1155/2013/171852

Swedish Massage Therapy (SMT) is known for its therapeutic relaxation effects. Hypertension is associated with stress and elevated endothelial inflammatory markers. This randomized control trial measured the effects of whole body SMT (massage group) or resting (control group) an hour weekly for four weeks on hypertensive women. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were measured before and after each intervention and endothelial inflammatory markers: vascular endothelial adhesion molecules 1 (VCAM-1) and intracellular adhesion molecules 1 (ICAM-1) were measured at baseline and after the last intervention. Massage group (n=8) showed significant systolic BP (SBP) reduction of 12 mmHg (P=0.01) and diastolic BP (DBP) reduction of 5 mmHg (P=0.01) after four sessions with no significant difference between groups. Reductions in HR were also seen in massage group after sessions 1, 3, and 4 with significant difference between groups. VCAM-1 showed significant reduction after four sessions: the massage group showed reduction of 998.05 ng/mL (P=0.03) and the control group of 375.70 ng/mL (P=0.01) with no significant differences between groups. There were no changes in ICAM-1. In conclusion, SMT or resting an hour weekly has effects on reducing BP, HR, and VCAM-1 in hypertensive women.

Matched MeSH terms: Heart Rate

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