Heterotaxy Syndrome

Heterotaxy is defined as an abnormality where the internal thoraco-abdominal organs demonstrate abnormal arrangement across the left-right axis of the body. This broad term includes patients with a wide variety of very complex cardiac lesions. Patients with heterotaxy can be stratified into the subsets of asplenia syndrome and polysplenia syndrome, or the subsets of heterotaxy with isomerism of the right atrial appendages and heterotaxy with isomerism of the left atrial appendages. Treatment of patients with isomerism is determined by the nature and severity of the associated cardiac and extracardiac lesions. Most cardiac operations for patients with isomerism are palliative in nature, since normal anatomy is rarely achieved and mortality rates remain high for patients with heterotaxy syndrome. Patients with left isomerism in general have less severe cardiac malformations than those with right isomerism and, hence, more chance of biventricular repair. For almost all patients with right isomerism, and for many with left isomerism, biventricular repair will not be feasible, and all palliative protocols are then staging procedures prior to a Fontan-type repair. Recent advances in medical management, and improvements in surgical techniques have resulted in improved survival for these patients, and the surgical outcomes are comparable to those with Fontan circulation irrespective of the presence or absence of heterotaxy

AHRI gjennom 36 år

AHRI through 36 years “AHRI through 36 years” is a chronologically told history of Armauer Hansen’s Research Insitute’s existence. Armauer Hansen’s Research Institute (AHRI) was established in 1969 in Addis Ababa after an initiative from Norwegian and Swedish doctors. The initiative was channeled through the Norwegian and Swedish branches of the ‘Save the Children’ organization. Gerhard Armauer Hansen was the first doctor to discover the mycobacterium Leprae. Immunological aspects of the leprosy disease were to be the focal point for the research at AHRI. Placing the institute in a high-endemic area ensured good access to leprosy patients and aided the education of African scientists and medical personnel. Neighboring the institute is the All Africa Leprosy and Rehabilitation Training Centre (ALERT), further strengthening the institute’s access to leprosy patients. Throughout the institute’s 36 years of existence, the degree of Ethiopian employees has been steadily increasing; today’s workforce mainly consists of Ethiopian employees. AHRI and ALERT are currently organized under The Ethiopian Department of Health. The research carried out at AHRI has developed greatly over the years, and now also includes tuberculosis, Leischmaniasis, HIV, HPV, malaria and meningitis in addition to leprosy. Over the years, AHRI has received a great deal of international recognition, and is considered to be a leading research institution within its area

MOESM1 of The effect of surgical and non-surgical weight loss on N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and its relation to obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary function

Additional file 1. Additional tables

NT-proBNP on Cobas h 232 in point-of-care testing: Performance in the primary health care versus in the hospital laboratory

Background. NT-proBNP may be useful for ruling out heart failure in primary health care. In this study we examined the analytical quality of NT-proBNP in primary health care on the Cobas h 232 point-of-care instrument compared with measurements performed in a hospital laboratory. Materials and methods. Blood samples requested for NT-proBNP were collected in primary health care (n = 95) and in a hospital laboratory (n = 107). NT-proBNP was measured on-site on Cobas h 232 instruments both in primary health care centres and at the hospital laboratory and all samples were also analyzed with a comparison method at the hospital. Precision, trueness, accuracy, and lot-variation were determined at different concentration levels and evaluated according to acceptance criteria. Furthermore user-friendliness was assessed by questionnaires. Results. For Cobas h 232 repeatability CV was 8.5-10.7% in the hospital setting and 5.3-10.0% in the primary health care and within the analytical quality specifications, but higher than with the comparison method (<4%). NT-proBNP results obtained in primary health care were significantly higher than by the hospital comparison method (bias ranged from 14.3-23.7%), whereas there was no significant bias when Cobas h 232 was used in the hospital setting (bias ranged from 4.9 to 7.0%). User-friendliness of Cobas h 232 was overall acceptable. Conclusion. Cobas h 232 point-of-care instrument for measurement of NT-proBNP performed satisfactorily with regard to precision, user-friendliness, and lot-variation. A decrease in NT-proBNP levels observed in samples transported to a central laboratory needs further attention and investigation