No abstract

Patients with CHF presented impaired cardiac autonomic modulation at rest. In addition, cardiac autonomic control of heart rate was associated with inspiratory muscle weakness in CHF. Based on this evidence, recommendations for future research applications of respiratory muscle training can bring to light a potentially valuable target for rehabilitation.

Objective Lack of knowledge is one of the factors responsible for the persistence of infectious diseases in

Sufferers of schistosomiasis mansoni can evolve a clinical form of the disease associated with portal hypertension. To differentiate this form, routine clinical tests and biological indices were evaluated. In all, 54 HBsAg- and HCV-negative patients were studied, 42 with schistosomiasis and 12 normal volunteers. Using clinical criteria, ultrasonography, and endoscopy, the schistosomiasis patients were classified into two groups: mild chronic form (MS, N = 14) and chronic form associated with portal hypertension (PH, N = 28). The laboratory parameters of the MS group did not differ from the controls. The PH group differed from the others in prothrombin index, thrombocytemia, gamma-glutamyltransferase, serum alpha2-macroglobulin, and the calculated indices. ROC plot cutoff levels verified that isolated thrombocytemia was the most efficient marker for discrimination of the PH and MS forms. Thrombocytemia of 130 x 10(9) platelets/liter discriminated the groups with an 86% accuracy when all patients were analyzed and 96% when only schistosomiasis patients who did not consume alcohol were included.

In patients with schistosomiasis and portal hypertension (presinusoidal type), the levels of VEGF and ET-1 differ from those reported in patients with cirrhosis.