Psoriatic disease: Clinical staging
In 2006, the introduction of the concept "psoriatic disease" (PsD) extended the traditional idea of a condition confined to skin and joints. Now we consider PsD a systemic condition, in which the increased activity of tumor necrosis factor acts as...
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In 2006, the introduction of the concept "psoriatic disease" (PsD) extended the traditional idea of a condition confined to skin and joints. Now we consider PsD a systemic condition, in which the increased activity of tumor necrosis factor acts as the most potent engine for a series of molecular interactions. These lead not only to the genesis of skin and joint symptoms, but also to other clinical aspects such as inflammatory bowel disease, eye involvement, and metabolic syndrome. The blocking of a precise molecular target has dramatically modified therapeutic strategies, making possible adequate control of all the clinical aspects of the condition. Therefore, an expanded clinical staging of patients could now be considered in order to ensure the best therapeutic approach and prognosis.
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Pressure-derived measurement of coronary flow reserve
We aimed to validate the technique of measuring the coronary flow reserve (CFR) with coronary pressure measurements against an established thermodilution technique. The CFR has traditionally required measurement of coronary blood flow velocity with...
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We aimed to validate the technique of measuring the coronary flow reserve (CFR) with coronary pressure measurements against an established thermodilution technique. The CFR has traditionally required measurement of coronary blood flow velocity with the Doppler wire and, more recently, using a thermodilution technique with the coronary pressure wire. However, recent work has suggested that the CFR may be derived from pressure measurements alone (the ratio of the square root of the pressure drop across an epicardial stenosis during hyperemia to that value at rest). This depends on the assumption that friction losses across a coronary stenosis are negligible. We compared pressure-derived CFR values with those obtained by the thermodilution technique using the intracoronary pressure wire in 38 stenoses in 34 patients with significant coronary stenoses undergoing percutaneous intervention. We also compared these two techniques of measuring CFR in 25 stenoses (6 vessels) artificially created by inflating small balloons within a stented coronary artery after percutaneous intervention. There is a close linear relationship between pressure-derived and thermodilution CFR in native (r 2 = 0.52; p < 0.001) and artificial stenoses (r 2 = 0.54; p < 0.05), although the pressure-derived technique appears to systematically underestimate CFR values in both situations. This applies to native and artificial stenoses. Coronary flow reserve cannot be measured merely with pressure alone, and it cannot be safely assumed that friction losses are negligible across a native coronary stenosis. These data suggest that friction loss is an important determinant of the pressure gradient along an atherosclerotic coronary artery. © 2005 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation.
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