BACKGROUND Radiofrequency ablation (RF) of atrial flutter (AFL) has a high procedural efficacy, a low recurrence rate, and reports of procedure-related pain. The aim of the present study was to compare RF with cryoablation (cryo) for the treatment of AFL, with emphasis on pain perception during application of energy. METHODS AND RESULTS Fourteen patients (55+/-11 years, 11 males) with AFL wer...

Chronic aerobic exercise has been shown to increase exercise efficiency, thus allowing less energy expenditure for a similar amount of work. The extent to which skeletal muscle mitochondria play a role in this is not fully understood, particularly in an elderly population. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of exercise efficiency with mitochondrial content and function....

E2F-1 is the best known ultimate transcription factor in the cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase/retinoblastoma gene pathway and is probably involved in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Because E2F-1 can be detected in paraffin sections using immunohistochemical techniques, it could be a useful tumor/proliferation marker. We studied the expression of this gene product in 130 breast tissue speci...

Due to their beneficial reduction in morbidity and mortality angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have become increasingly popular to treat hypertension. However, similar to angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, they can lead to severe hypotension in conjunction with general anesthesia and thus have been recommended to be withheld in the morning of surgery. Here, we present a 51 year old fe...

OBJECTIVE Shiitake (Lentinus edodes) mushrooms have been reported to have cancer-preventing properties. However, little research has been conducted verifying the antitumor activities of "mycochemicals" in shiitake mushrooms. In this study, potential roles of an ethyl acetate fraction from shiitake mushrooms were investigated by in vitro bioassays. DESIGN The activities of an ethyl acetate fra...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Ureteroscopy is nowadays one of the techniques most widely used for upper urinary- tract pathology. Our goal is to describe its complications in a large series of patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between June 1994 and February 2005, 2436 patients aged 5 to 87 years underwent retrograde ureteroscopy (2735 procedures) under video and fluoroscopic assistance. We used semirig...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of a novel Cocoon Duct Occluder device for the transcatheter closure (TCC) of large patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). METHODS In this prospective, non-randomized study, consecutive patients with large PDA (narrowest diameter: ≥3.5/4.0 mm in symptomatic/asymptomatic patients, respectively), who underwent TCC with Cocoon Duct Occluder at...

Objectives: The aim of this ongoing randomized-controlled study is to examine the effects exercise training interventions with different intensities on peak capacity and body composition in adult people Cystic Fibrosis (pwCF). Methods: Up now 17 pwCF (10f/7 m) mean age 35 ± 5yrs (22–57yrs), ppFEV1 66.0 16.3%pred. (43.0–99.0%pred.) participated. Cycle-ergometry (Godfrey-protocol) was used determ...