Background Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) disease is an often asymptomatic, insidious process that includes structural aortic changes, dilation, and eventually causes death. Aneurysm prevalence exceeds 4% and is the 15th leading cause of death in the US. TAA disease is associated with congenital and acquired defects in the aortic wall including elastin derangements, increased collagen, glycosam...

Formation of the heart requires the coordinated functions of cardiac myocytes, smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and connective tissue elements. Several recent studies now reveal that these different cell types arise from a common progenitor (). These findings raise interesting questions about the lineage relationships of cardiovascular progenitor cell populations and suggest possibilitie...

background and aims. in the presence of certain systemic diseases, oral microflora may aggravate the condition of the disease. microbial population in the oral cavity especially with heart disease can increase the risk of bacterial endocarditis. the aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of oral streptococcus mutans and the rate of caries in children suffering from heart disease. materials ...

keratoderma is a group of disorders characterized by abnormal thickening of skin. acquired palmar keratoderma has many underlying causes. the association of thyroid disease and palmar keratoderma rarely reported. hypothyroidism, although very rare association, must be suspected in patients with acquired ppk, particularly when it occurs in setting of systemic symptoms or predisposing conditions....

Acquired myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder of the neuromuscular junction in which patients experience fluctuating skeletal muscle weakness that often affects selected muscle groups preferentially. The target of the autoimmune attack in most cases is the skeletal muscle acetylcholine receptor (AChR), but in others, non-AChR components of the neuromuscular junction, such as the mus...

There is an increasing focus on intensive care unit-acquired weakness, its underlying mechanisms and therapeutic options. In this article we offer a commentary on the paper by Bloch and colleagues entitled 'MiR-181a: a potential biomarker of acute muscle wasting following cardiac surgery'. There is a need for biomarkers for intensive care unit-acquired weakness, not only in clinical practice bu...