The Journal of Bucharest College of Physicians and the Romanian Academy of Medical Sciences

Elena-Rodica Dragu

Elena-Rodica Dragu

Importance of NT-pro BNP in the Prevention of Heart Failure, Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction and Cardiovascular Events

Objective: The importance of the NT-proBNP value in detecting patients at risk of developing heart failure (HF) and its importance in guiding medical management to prevent the development of HF. Material and methods: The study is a prospective study and includes 314 patients who was presented at the Bagdasar-Arseni Emergency Hospital for cardiology consultation, by appointment, for a period of 3 years. The inclusion criteria were as follows: essential hypertension (diagnosed more than 5 years before), diabetes mellitus (insulin-deficient or under treatment with oral ant diabetics diagnosed more than 5 years before), ischemic heart disease, mild or moderate valvulopathy (mild or moderate mitral regurgitation and large or moderate aortic stenosis) and permanent or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Exclusion criteria were as follows: a previous diagnosis of heart failure or left ventricular systolic dysfunction, and the presence of signs or symptoms of heart failure at the time of enrollment in the study. Patients were randomized into 2 groups, a control group and a intervention group. Patients in the intervention group were managed according to the NT-proBNP value, and patients in the control group received the conventional intervention. Patients were monitored for 3 years and the following objectives were pursued: new diagnosis of heart failure, systolic or diastolic dysfunction of the left ventricle and hospitalization for cardiovascular pathology. Results: After 3 years, in the control group there were 40 patients (25.5%) who developed HF, compared to 28 patients (17.8%) in the intervention group. In the control group, 60 patients (38.2%) were diagnosed with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, compared to 43 patients (27.4%) in the intervention group. Regarding left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, in the control group there were 98 patients (62.4%), and in the intervention group there were 80 patients (51.0%). Also, the rate of hospitalizations for cardiovascular pathology was higher in the control group, 56 patients (35.7%), compared to 33 patients (21.0%) in the intervention group. Discussions: The incidence of heart failure, left ventricular systolic or diastolic dysfunction, or hospitalizations for cardiovascular events, was lower in the intervention group, in which patients were managed according to the NT-proBNP value, compared to patients in the control group who received conventional intervention. Conclusions: The NT-proBNP biomarker may be useful in the medical management of patients for the prevention of heart failure

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Experimenting on LAB Rodents - Ethical Principles

People have reported themselves differently regarding different species of animals and had different reactions about the animal species. The attention paid to them depends on the role held by them in human life, either as pets or as a method of entertainment, either as research subjects.
Some species enjoy privileges as pets (dogs cats, birds, turtles), others are used to satisfy human native instincts as hunting animals.

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Botulinum Toxin Type A - Possible Anti-Nociceptive Effect on Mice

Botulinum neurotoxin has been used in the treatment of various groups of cronic neuromuscular diseases, which include neuromuscular junction signaling, non-neuromuscular transmission, cholinergic, or non-cholinergic.
Having specificity on releasing neurotransmitter vesicles with acetylcholine in the synaptic gap, the main usage of botulinum toxin was as a muscle relaxant drug in painful or painless spastic syndromes.

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