Viruses Are Not Quite Alive and Not Quite Dead, and Other Things to Know About COVID-19
What they are capable of is replicating and adapting, and each virus has a unique way of doing that. Viruses are programmed to detect particular surface proteins or channels on the outside of a cell, and make their way in via the favored route.
A Cellular Doorway
For COVID-19, the favorite avenue to cellular entry appears to be the ACE-2, or angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, receptor. This part of the cell plays a role in regulating blood pressure. Major areas of the body that produce high amounts of cells with ACE-2 receptors include the lungs, the heart and the GI tract.
Cells within the lungs contain type 2 pneumocytes w...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - March 20, 2020 Category: Child Development Authors: Alan Greene MD Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Coronavirus COVID COVID-19 Source Type: blogs
The Proteomic Effects of Cardiopoietic Stem Cell Therapy Following Heart Attack
Cardiopoietic stem cells are used in a form of autologous mesenchymal stem cell therapy. Cells are extracted from patient bone marrow, expanded in culture, and provoked into adopting a cardiac lineage, such that they produce daughter cardiac muscle cells. Human trials have shown benefits in heart attack patients, but, as for all such therapies, it is a question as the degree to which signaling versus integration produces these benefits. Is greater regeneration the result of signaling that changes native cell behavior, followed by the death of near all of the transplanted cells, versus integration of a fraction of those tra...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 19, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
5 steps to improve your diastolic dysfunction of life
I recently attended a cardiology conference where a dear friend of mine was presenting on the topic of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. She discussed how fibrosis within the ventricle causes diastolic dysfunction, an inability of the myocardium to relax. My ears perked up. Just the week before, while on vacation, I personally experienced the inability to relax. […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - March 17, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/susan-maclellan-tobert" rel="tag" > Susan MacLellan-Tobert, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Physician Practice Management Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, March 16th 2020
We report a new class of natural-product-inspired covalent inhibitors of telomerase that target the catalytic active site.
Age-Related Epigenetic Changes that Suppress Mitochondrial Function
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2020/03/age-related-epigenetic-changes-that-suppress-mitochondrial-function/
Today's open access research reports on two specific epigenetic changes observed in old individuals that act to reduce mitochondrial function. This joins an existing list of genes for which expression changes are known to impact mitochondrial function with age. A herd of hundreds of mitochondria are found...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 15, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
CEACAM1 and TNF- α in Age-Related Vascular Dysfunction
Researchers here report on their investigations of one small part of the complex biochemistry of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress that is observed in aging blood vessels. This sort of work is carried out in search of novel target proteins and mechanisms that might be influenced in order to treat age-related vascular conditions, those that arise from the downstream consequences of chronic inflammation in older individuals. It would be a better approach to address the causes of age-related chronic inflammation rather than adjust its mechanisms or immediate consequences, but this remains a less popular strategy in th...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 13, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
New Onset Heart Failure and Frequent Prolonged SVT. What is it? Management?
This middle-aged man with no cardiac history but with significant history of methamphetamin and alcohol use presented with chest pain and SOB, worsening over days, with orthopnea.BP:143/99, Pulse 109, Temp 37.2 °C (99 °F), Resp (!) 32, SpO2 95%On exam, he was tachypneic and had bibasilar crackles.Here was his ED ECG:There is sinus tachycardia (rate about 114) with nonspecific ST-T abnormalities.There is a large peaked P-wave in lead II (right atrial enlargement)There is left axis deviation consistent with left anterior fascicular block.There are nonspecific ST-T abnormalities.There is no evidence of infarction or ischemi...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - March 5, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
What are these wide complexes? If unclear by explanation, the laddergram helps to understand.
An 18 y.o. female who presented for chest pain. Patient reports productive cough and headache x 4 days. She notes persistent sternal chest pain worse at night and waking her from sleep. She also notes intermittent abdominal pain, describing as a " tightness " ." Sinus arrhythmia with variable right bundle origin PVCs "Is this accurate?No.This is sinus bradycardia with a slightly accelerated right ventricular escape, such that sometimes:1. the sinus beat is conducted before any ventricular escape (beats 7)2. the ventricular beat starts at almost the exact same time as the P-wave, and the P-wave therefore does no...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - February 19, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
H/o MI and stents with brief angina has this ED ECG. And what is Fractional Flow Reserve?
A middle-aged man complained of 15 minutes of classic angina that resolved upon arrival to the ED.Here is his initial ECG:What do you think?There is sinus rhythm with RBBB and possible LPFB (see Dr. Grauer ' s detail below). There is ST elevation in II, III, and aVF, and reciprocal ST depression in aVL. And there are Q-waves in both inferior and lateral leads. So this is indeed diagnostic of myocardial infarction.Should we activate the cath lab?No! Not immediately, at least, because this is NOT diagnostic of ACUTE (occlusion) myocardial infarction (Acute OMI). We need to do some more investigat...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - January 30, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
Cardiology MCQ – Recurrence of stress cardiomyopathy
Cardiology MCQ – Recurrence of stress cardiomyopathy
Though stress cardiomyopathy is a reversible condition, recurrence is known. Average recurrence rate is about:
2% to 4% per year
6% to 12% per year
14% to 20% per year
20% to 40% per year
Post your answer as a comment below (Source: Cardiophile MD)
Source: Cardiophile MD - January 1, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiology MCQ DM / DNB Cardiology Entrance Source Type: blogs
Cardiology MCQ – Anti-Ro/SSA – Answer
Cardiology MCQ – Anti-Ro/SSA – Answer
Maternal Anti-Ro/SSA antibodies are associated with fetal:
Correct answer: 4. All of the above
Fetal echocardiographic features of anti-Ro/SSA antibody–mediated cardiac disease includes dilated cardiomyopathy, pericardial effusion, endocardial fibroelastosis, complete heart block and atrioventricular valve regurgitation [1]. But the one familiar to most people is complete heart block in the infant of mother with systemic lupus erythematosus or other maternal connective tissue disease [2].
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Reference
Cuneo BF, Sonesson SE, Levasseur S, Moon-Grady AJ, Krish...
Source: Cardiophile MD - December 31, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiology MCQ DM / DNB Cardiology Entrance Source Type: blogs
InterTAK diagnostic score for Takotsubo cardiomyopathy
InterTAK Diagnostic Score was developed from the results for International Takotsubo Registry [1] by the InterTAK International Registry Group. The score was developed for differentiating Takotsubo cardiomyopathy from acute coronary syndrome in the acute stage. InterTAK Diagnostic Score estimates the probability for Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and was found to have high sensitivity and specificity for differentiating it from acute coronary syndrome.
Points were allocated as follows:
Female gender: 25 points
Emotional trigger: 24 points
Physical trigger: 13 points
Absence of ST-segment depression: 12 points
Psychiatric disord...
Source: Cardiophile MD - December 31, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs
16 fold higher risk of cancer with peripartum cardiomyopathy
German cancer registry (Robert-Koch-Institute) data has shown a 16 fold risk of cancer in those with peripartum cardiomyopathy [1]. According to the report 21 of 236 patients had cancer, of which 12 had cancer diagnosed before peripartum cardiomyopathy. 11 of them had cardiotoxic chemotherapy. Of these, 17% fully recovered cardiac function compared to 55% of peripartum cardiomyopathy patients without cancer. Of the 10 patients who developed cancer after peripartum cardiomyopathy, 80% had left ventricular ejection fraction of 50% or more after cancer therapy. Authors mention that the high prevalence could be due to geneti...
Source: Cardiophile MD - December 23, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardio Oncology Source Type: blogs
Anesthesia before MRI Results in Death of Teen
A 14-year girl in England has died due to complications of being anesthetized prior to her imaging scan.Alice Sloman ’s heart was twice the size of normal hearts, a condition that put her in danger when administered anesthesia. Before her scan, she was described as “extremely anxious” and “hypersensitive,” prompting physicians to give her a dose of general anesthesia. According to her parents, they repea tedly insisted to her doctors that she suffered from a series of symptoms including breathlessness.However, the anesthesia was a miscalculated decision, and three days later Sloman died. Coroner Dr. Simon Fox e...
Source: radRounds - December 23, 2019 Category: Radiology Authors: Julie Morse Source Type: blogs
Wide-complex tachycardia that didn ’t follow the rules
ConclusionIt is well worth remembering that this was a rare case! In most middle-aged patients with a history of cardiomyopathy, a WCT will usually be VT. Furthermore, while specific criteria (e.g. precordial RS duration, aVR morphology) may not be perfectly sensitive, the are more likely to be helpful than suspecting 1:1 atrial flutter in patients not taking sodium-channel-blocking antiarrhythmics.Comparison of the old and WCT ECGsmight have suggested an SVT or atrial flutter at the time of presentation. However, it would not have been prudent for most clinicians to try e.g. a calcium-channel blocker as the first age...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - December 22, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Brooks Walsh Source Type: blogs
Cardiology MCQ – Treatment of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy – Answer
Cardiology MCQ – Treatment of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy – Answer
Recently developed pharmacotherapy which has been shown to halt and reverse the progression of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy:
Correct answer: 2. Tafamidis
Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy is due to transthyretin amyloid fibril deposition in the myocardium. Tafamidis acts by binding to transthyretin and prevents tetramer dissociation, thus preventing amyloid formation.
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Reference
Maurer MS, Schwartz JH, Gundapaneni B, Elliott PM, Merlini G, Waddington-Cruz M, Kristen AV, Grogan M, Witteles R, Damy T, Dr...
Source: Cardiophile MD - December 14, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiology MCQ DM / DNB Cardiology Entrance Source Type: blogs
