Efficacy of Flower Therapy for Anxiety in Overweight or Obese Adults: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of flower therapy for the treatment of anxiety in overweight or obese adults with that of a placebo. The authors examined improvement in sleep patterns, reduction in binge eating, and change in resting heart rate (RHR). Design: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial with a parallel-group design and two arms. Setting/Location: Clinical Research Unit, Medical School, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil. Subjects: The study included 40 participants in the placebo group and 41 in the intervention group. Participants were of both genders, from 20 to 59 years of age, overweight or obese, with moderate to high anxiety. Interventions: The participants were divided into two random groups: one group was treated with Bach flower remedies (BFR) (bottles containing 30 mL of 30% hydro-brandy solution with two drops each of Impatiens, White Chestnut, Cherry Plum, Chicory, Crab Apple, and Pine), and the other group was given a placebo (same solution without BFR). The patients were instructed to orally ingest the solution by placing four drops directly in the mouth four times a day for 4 weeks. Outcome measures: The primary outcome was anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI]). Secondary outcomes were sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]), binge eating (Binge Eating Scale [BES]), and RHR (electrocardiogram). Results: Multivariate analysis showed significant reductions in scores for the following variables in the intervention group when compared with the placebo group: STAI (ß = -0.190; p < 0.001), PSQI (ß = -0.160; p = 0.027), BES (ß = -0.226; p = 0.001), and RHR (ß = -0.07; p = 0.003). Conclusions: The anxiety symptoms, binge eating, and RHRs of the individuals treated with flower therapy decreased, and their sleep patterns improved when compared with those treated with the placebo. Registered at the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (no. RBR-47-kfxh).

Characterization of subclinical diastolic dysfunction by cardiac magnetic resonance feature-tracking in adult survivors of non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with anthracyclines.

BACKGROUND: The use of anthracycline-based chemotherapy is associated with the development of heart failure, even years after the end of treatment. Early detection of cardiac dysfunction could identify a high-risk subset of survivors who would eventually benefit from early intervention. Cardiac magnetic resonance feature-tracking (CMR-FT) analysis offers a practical and rapid method to calculate systolic and diastolic strains from routinely acquired cine images. While early changes in systolic function have been described, less data are available about late effects of chemotherapy in diastolic parameters by CMR-FT. The main goal of this study was to determine whether left ventricular (LV) early diastolic strain rates (GDSR-E) by CMR-FT are impaired in long-term adult survivors of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Our secondary objective was to analyze associations between GDSR-E with cumulative anthracycline dose, systolic function parameters and myocardial tissue characteristics. METHODS: This is a single center cross-sectional observational study of asymptomatic patients in remission of NHL who previously received anthracycline therapy. All participants underwent their CMR examination on a 3.0-T scanner, including cines, T2 mapping, T1 mapping and late gadolinium enhancement imaging. Derived myocardial extracellular volume fraction was obtained from pre- and post-contrast T1 maps. CMR-FT analysis was performed using Trufi Strain software. The data obtained were compared between anthracycline group and volunteers without cardiovascular disease or neoplasia. RESULTS: A total of 18 adult survivors of NHL, 14 (77.8%) males, at mean age of 57.6 (± 14.7) years-old, were studied 88.2 (± 52.1) months after exposure to anthracycline therapy (median 400 mg/m2). Compared with controls, anthracycline group showed impaired LV global early diastolic circumferential strain rate (GCSR-E) [53.5%/s ± 19.3 vs 72.2%/s ± 26.7, p = 0.022], early diastolic longitudinal strain rate (GLSR-E) [40.4%/s ± 13.0 vs 55.9%/s ± 17.8, p = 0.006] and early diastolic radial strain rate (GRSR-E) [- 114.4%/s ± 37.1 vs - 170.5%/s ± 48.0, p < 0.001]. Impaired LV GCSR-E, GLSR-E and GRSR-E correlated with increased anthracycline dose and decreased systolic function. There were no correlations between GDSR-E and myocardial tissue characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Left ventricular early diastolic strain rates by CMR-FT are impaired late after anthracycline chemotherapy in adult survivors of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Carotid artery atherosclerotic profile as a predictor of the aorta atherosclerotic profile in patients with cerebrovascular events.

BACKGROUND: It is well known that the presence of atheroma of the thoracic aorta is a risk factor for cerebrovascular events. We sought to evaluate whether the presence and the morphology of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid artery detected by duplex ultrasonography is associated with disease in the proximal aorta visualized by transesophageal echocardiogram in patients with a cerebrovascular event. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional prospective study including 147 consecutive patients with prior stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Neurological evaluations were performed by an expert neurologist using clinical and tomographic diagnostic criteria including the definition of etiology and whether the patient suffered from stroke or TIA. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms and carotid artery duplex ultrasonography were performed by the same examiner. Patients with and without plaque in the carotid artery were compared using Student's t test or the χ2 test. Regression analysis was used to determine whether the presence of plaque in the carotid artery was predictive of the presence of plaque in the proximal aorta and to analyze the relationship between the echogenicity of carotid and aortic plaques. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: All 147 patients (95 men) were included in the analysis. Patients' ages ranged from 23 to 85 years (65 ± 12.4 years). Most of the patients (58.5%) were Caucasian, while 41.5% were African-Brazilian. Arterial hypertension, diabetes and tobacco use were more frequent among patients with atherosclerotic plaque in the aorta. A normal carotid intima-media thickness halved the risk of atherosclerotic plaque in the aorta [odds ratio (OR) 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23-0.91; p = 0.026]. The presence of carotid plaque increased the risk of aortic plaque by 70-fold (OR 73.2, 95% CI 25.6-2,018.6; p < 0.001) in univariate analysis. The absence of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid artery reduced the risk of plaque in the aorta to almost 0 (OR 0.014, 95% CI 0.004-0.041; p < 0.001). Considering the 86 patients with both aortic and carotid plaques, the presence of hypoechoic plaque in the carotid artery was a predictor of hypoechoic plaque in the aorta (OR 10.1, 95% CI 3.3-31.2; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The carotid artery atherosclerotic profile defined by ultrasonography is a strong predictor of the atherosclerotic profile of the proximal aorta. This should be taken into consideration before referring patients with acute cerebrovascular events for transesophageal echocardiogram.

Pericardite aguda e crônica / Acute and chronic pericarditis

A pericardite é a forma mais comum das doenças do pericárdio e pode se apresentar nas formas aguda e crônica. Frequentemente é idiopática e de evolução benigna. Quando não, as causas mais comuns são tuberculose, neoplasias malignas e doenças autoimunes. O diagnóstico clínico requer a presença de dor precordial típica, atrito pericárdico, elevação difusa do segmento ST e derrame pericárdico. Os exames laboratoriais incluem: ECG, ecocardiograma, RX do tórax e marcadores de inflamação e necrose miocárdica Procedimentos adicionais e internação devem ser considerados para o pacientes de maior risco. Os marcadores de risco são febre >38ºC, evolução subaguda, derrame pericárdico volumoso ou tamponamento cardíaco e ausência de resposta ao tratamento com anti-inflamatórios. O tratamento da pericardite deve ser focar a causa específica, quando identificável. Genericamente, usa-se aspirina ou anti-inflamatórios não hormonais para os casos de etiologia viral ou idiopáticos. A colchicina pode ser útil como droga adicional nos casos recorrentes. A pericardiocentese está indicada nos pacientes com tamponamento cardíaco, quando há chance elevada de tuberculose, pericardite purulenta ou neoplasia. A pericardiectomia fica reservada para os casos de pericardite constrictiva crônica.

Pericarditis is the most common form of pericardial diseases and most of the cases are idiopathic and and follow a benign course. Major nonidiopathic etiologies include tuberculosis, neoplasia and autoimmune diseases.The clinical diagnosis is confirmed when the following criteria are present: typical chest pain, pericardial friction rub, widespread ST-segment elevation, and pericardial effusion. Tests for pericarditis include ECG, echocardiogram, chest radiography and inflammation markers. High-risk patients need tests for etiology search and hospitalization. High-risk patients present fever >38oC, a subacute course, large pericardial effusion or cardiac tamponade and/or failure of antiinflammatory drugs.Treatment should target the specific etiology, if known. Generically, aspirin or a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug is used for treatment of viral and idiopathic pericarditis. Colchicine is recommended as adjunct therapy for recurrent events. Pericardiocentesis is indicated for cardiac tamponade, high suspicion of tuberculosis, purulent pericarditis or neoplasia. Pericardiectomy is recommended for persistent constriction.