Impairment of myocardial function is an important potential complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and associated with poor prognosis. The detection of left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction may prompt specific therapeutic interventions. We sought to investigate the prognostic value of both LV and RV deformation in patients with SSc.Speckle tracking LV strain parameters [global long...

The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of a long-term, nurse-led, multidisciplinary programme of home/clinic visits in preventing progressive cardiac dysfunction in patients at risk of developing de novo chronic heart failure (CHF).A trial-based analysis was conducted alongside a pragmatic, single-centre, open-label, randomized controlled trial of 611 patients (mean ag...

The aim of this study was to define the status of preoperative zinc levels in patients with heart disease presenting for cardiac surgery and to identify any predictors for and any clinical consequences of low zinc levels.Adult patients presenting for elective surgery, either coronary artery bypass graft surgery and/or valve replacement, provided a fasting blood sample on the day of admission fo...

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the preferred therapy for patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We reviewed patients undergoing PCI for STEMI over a 6-year period to evaluate changes in procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes given recent changes to STEMI guidelines.All patients presenting to the Alfred Hospital, a tertiary referral h...

The amyloid precursor protein (APP) generates a number of peptides when processed through different cleavage mechanisms, including the amyloid beta peptide that is implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease. It is well established that APP via its cleaved peptides regulates aspects of neuronal metabolism. Emerging evidence suggests that amyloidogenic processing of APP can lead to alte...

High body mass index (BMI) is the second leading contributor to Australia's burden of disease and is particularly prevalent among Aboriginal peoples. This paper aims to provide insight into factors relating to obesity among Aboriginal adults and Aboriginal-non-Aboriginal differences.Cross-sectional analysis of data from the 45 and Up Study, comparing obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m) prevalence and risk f...

Renal denervation (RDN) can reduce blood pressure (BP) in patients with resistant hypertension, but less so in patients with isolated systolic hypertension. A possible explanation is that patients with stiffer arteries may have lesser neural contribution to their hypertension.We hypothesized that arterial stiffness predicts the response to RDN. From ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), ambulatory a...

To examine the transmission dynamics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) isolated from tuberculosis patients in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, we sequenced the whole genomes of 1,635 isolates and compared these with 3,144 isolates from elsewhere. The data identify an underlying burden of disease caused by the endemic Mtb lineage 1 associated with the activation of long-term latent infection, and a ...

The burden of neurocognitive impairment (NCI) in patients receiving maintenance dialysis represents a spectrum of deficits across multiple cognitive domains that are associated with hospitalization, reduced quality-of-life, mortality and forced decision-making around dialysis withdrawal. Point prevalence data suggest that dialysis patients manifest NCI at rates 3- to 5-fold higher than the gene...

Undiagnosed comorbid diseases that independently lead to weight loss before type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) diagnosis could explain the observed increased mortality risk in T2DM patients with normal weight.To evaluate the impact of weight change patterns before the diagnosis of T2DM on the association between body mass index (BMI) at diagnosis and mortality risk.This was a longitudinal cohort s...

In Asia, metabolic-bariatric surgery (MBS) rates have grown rapidly in parallel with rising prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D).The objective of this study was to identify factors that influence glycemic outcomes and diabetes remission 12 months after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or gastric bypass (GB) in a multiethnic Asian cohort.The study's setting was in a tertiary hospital in Singap...

The mechanisms through which excessive sitting time impacts health are important to understand. This study found that each hour of sitting per day was not associated with physical function, although associations with poor body composition were observed. Reducing sitting time for improved weight management in older adults needs further exploration.To examine the association of sitting time and b...

Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is higher during adolescence than at any other life stage. Some research among adolescents indicates that depressive symptoms are associated with suboptimal HbA1c. However, research among adults suggests diabetes distress is a stronger predictor of HbA1c than depressive symptoms.To determine the relative contributions of depressive symptoms and diabetes distress to e...

High quality, contemporary data regarding patterns of chronic disease is essential for planning by health services, policy makers and local governments, but surprisingly scarce, including in rural Australia. This dearth of data occurs despite the recognition that rural Australians live with high rates of ill health, poor health behaviours and restricted access to health services. Crossroads-II ...

Even the most advanced drug-eluting stents evoke unresolved issues, including chronic inflammation, late thrombosis, and neoatherosclerosis. This highlights the need for novel strategies that improve stent biocompatibility. Our studies show that apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) reduces in-stent restenosis and platelet activation, and enhances endothelialization. These findings have therapeutic impli...

Apolipoprotein A-I binding protein (AIBP) reduces lipid raft abundance by augmenting the removal of excess cholesterol from the plasma membrane. Here, we report that AIBP prevents and reverses processes associated with neuroinflammatory-mediated spinal nociceptive processing. The mechanism involves AIBP binding to Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) and increased binding of AIBP to activated microglia,...

Galectin-3 is a biomarker of heart disease. However, it remains unknown whether increase in galectin-3 levels is dependent on aetiology or disease-associated conditions and whether diseased heart releases galectin-3 into the circulation. We explored these questions in mouse models of heart disease and in patients with cardiomyopathy. All mouse models (dilated cardiomyopathy, DCM; fibrotic cardi...

Alterations to body composition (fat or lean mass), metabolic parameters such as whole-body oxygen consumption, energy expenditure, and substrate utilization, and behaviors such as food intake and physical activity can provide important information regarding the underlying mechanisms of disease. Given the importance of body composition and metabolism to the development of obesity and its subseq...