This study examines if the prediction of cardiovascular disease in hypertensive patients can be improved upon when renal function and microalbuminuria are added to the classical risk factors The predictive capability of a model is measured by discrimination, calibration, reclassification and Harrell's C.The results are ambigious. In most cases, microalbuminuria should be included in the model, but the results regarding the other measures of renal function are varied. Therefore, the selection of risk factors to include in the model depends on which measure of prediction one prioritizes..

Background:Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a complex clinical condition. The higher survival rate after heart attack and other heart diseases, plus aging population, has led to more CHF patients. Symptoms can have negative impact on exercise capacity, ability to perform activities of daily living and quality of life. Heart failure clinics have been established to help better quality of life. Helping to stabilize and maintain patients´ health can reduce the need of hospital admission.

The Clinical Pathology Laboratory at SLU in Uppsala has analysed several blood samples from Dachshunds with severe anemia. As there are no previous studies on this topic, a study was performed to evaluate if Dachshunds are more prone to severe anemia compared with other breeds. In addition, a retrospective case study on Dachshunds with severe anemia was done to search for common risk factors or diseases. Hemoglobin values in samples from 1272 Dachshunds and 2269 German Shepherds analyzed from September 1994 to October 2007 were used to compare the frequency of severe anemia in Dachshund and German shepherd. The samples were identified by laboratory information system.

Sahlgrenska AcademyAt University of GothenburgDepartment of Internal Medicine and Clinical NutritionAbstractTitle: The obesity paradox, myth or truth in adults with cardiovascular disease.Author: Louise Svensson och Amanda NilssonSupervisor: Fredrik BertzExaminer: Ingrid LarssonProgramme: Dietician study programme, 180/240 ECTSType of paper: Examination paper, 15 hpDate: May 30, 2013Background: It has long been generally accepted that obesity is a risk factor for many diseases. Despite this, new research indicates that a higher BMI could be a protective factor for those with a chronic cardiovascular disease. This discovery is called the obesity paradox and could change the perception of patients' BMI in both public health and clinical work.Objective: The objective of this systematic review article is to examine the scientific evidence for the existence of the obesity paradox in chronic cardiovascular disease, i.e. if a BMI >25 kg/m2 is associated with lower mortality among adults with chronic cardiovascular disease.Search strategy: The databases used in the literature study were PubMed, Summon, Scopus and Cochrane. The keywords were: obesity paradox, cardiovascular, heart, male, BMI, intentional weight loss, cardiovascular mortality and mortality heart failure.Selection criteria: Studies, which had an adult population classified after BMI that suffered from chronic cardiovascular disease and had all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality as endpoints, were included.Data collection and analysis: Ten studies were included.

Background: Patients with heart failure is a patient group growing in numbers, the most common treatment focuses on reliving symptoms and the only cure is heart transplantation. Objective: Aim of the study was to illuminate patients' experiences of living with heart failure at his home. Method: Qualitative design, with a manifest content analysis. The results are based on 12 scientific articles.  Results: Patients with heart failure find that the disease is limited to their daily lives through mental illness and physical symptoms.

Both serum creatinine and measuring GFR can be used to evaluate renal function in dogs suspected to have chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although high creatinine levels usually indicate renal disease, normal creatinine levels can be present in dogs with decreased renal filtration. Measuring GFR is generally believed to be the most accurate way of detecting decreased renal filtration and scintigraphy GFR using 99mTc-DTPA has been found to correlate well with the ?gold standard? inulin clearance method.When measuring GFR by scintigraphy, 99mTc-DTPA is injected intravenously and radioactive decay of technetium gives rise to gamma radiation, which is registered by a gamma camera. Pictures and curves of radioactivity in the kidneys are generated by means of a computer program.

Patients with heart failure have a high mortality and often readmits to hospital care, due to a lack of compliance in the treatment plan. Patient education on self-care provided by nurses is important in improving patient and clinical outcomes.The aim of this study was to describe effects of nurse led interventions of patient education for elderly patients with heart failure. Literature study based on nine quantitative scientific articles. The results shows that different nurse led interventions of patient education with patients with heart failure had positive effects on self-care management, quality of life, health related quality of life and hospital care. E-mail reminder to community nurses and telephone education shows to be the most effective patient education interventions.

Heart failure is an illness that requires life-long treatment and often affects everyday aspects of a person?s life. Self-care is a significant part of the treatment. Good self-care resources make it possible for people with heart failure to make the lifestyle changes they often need to maintain or improve their level of health. Self-care means having knowledge of and being able to recognize the symptoms and signs of deterioration that can occur with heart failure, so that the person can take appropriate measures ? and it also means knowing when it is time to seek professional help.

Heart failure is an illness that requires life-long treatment and often affects everyday aspects of a person?s life. Self-care is a significant part of the treatment. Good self-care resources make it possible for people with heart failure to make the lifestyle changes they often need to maintain or improve their level of health. Self-care means having knowledge of and being able to recognize the symptoms and signs of deterioration that can occur with heart failure, so that the person can take appropriate measures ? and it also means knowing when it is time to seek professional help.

BackgroundHeart failure is an increasing chronic disease in the western world due to an aging population and a changed lifestyle. The basic treatment is pharmacological with substantial lifestyle changes. Much is known about physical exercise in middle aged and younger patients but in the patients over the age of 65, little is known. AimThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of physical exercise on patients aged over 65 with congestive heart failure. MethodA systematic review was undertaken in the databases Cinahl and PubMed.

Heart failure is an illness that requires life-long treatment and often affects everyday aspects of a person?s life. Self-care is a significant part of the treatment. Good self-care resources make it possible for people with heart failure to make the lifestyle changes they often need to maintain or improve their level of health. Self-care means having knowledge of and being able to recognize the symptoms and signs of deterioration that can occur with heart failure, so that the person can take appropriate measures ? and it also means knowing when it is time to seek professional help.

The improvement programme Six Sigma has often been surrounded by an air of success since it was introduced in the 1980s. Yet there are cases in which introduction of the Six Sigma improvement programme show far from successful results, even complete implementation failures with no traces of the Six Sigma methodology or any improvements after completion of the introduction. These failures can cause severe damage to organizations through direct monetary loss caused by a negative result of the investment. Indirectly the failure can cause confusion in the organization and loss of employee motivation. The conclusions have been derived based on a qualitative case study at a Swedish telecommunications company.

Introduction: Pain is a subjective experience. People subjected to pain often experience a reducedquality of life. Chronic pain is pain that has been going on for at least threemonths.Problem area: People with chronic pain are subjected to unnecessary suffering and disability. Therefore it is crucial that the nursing staff takes their situation seriously.Purpose: The purpose of the study was to describe the patient's? experiences and apprehensionof living with chronic non-malignant pain, and how this affected their everydaylife.Method: Systematic analysis of 23 depicting articles.

Social support is important for adults well-being, quality of life and self-esteem. The nurse should respond to the patient's care needs, knowledge of social support for young people with chronic diseases is therefore important. The purpose was to investigate who or which ones provide social support for young people with chronic diseases and what social support contributes to. A descriptiv design where used. The literature search in the database Medline via Cinahl resulted in twelwe articles.

Background:  Heart failure is a multidimensional phenomenon with high mortality. Heart failure is treated with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) - inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) that counteract neurohormonal stimuli that occur in heart failure, as well as providing vessel dilatation, which reduces symptoms and the need for hospitalization and increases survival. Despite this, only about 50% of heart failure patients survive 6 years after diagnosis with drug therapy, and as heart failure is increasing globally, due to improved care and treatment and increasing life expectancy of the population, there is a great need for new drugs such as LCZ696 that acts by dual inhibition of the renin - angiotensin - aldosterone system and neprilysin inhibition.Objective: The aim of this literature study was to evaluate the efficacy of current treatment and possible future treatments on mortality and morbidity in heart failure patients.Results: The examined articles show that treatment with ACE inhibitors in patients with symptomatic heart failure reduces the risk of total mortality by 16% over 3.5 years, reduces all-cause mortality or hospitalization due to heart failure with NNT (number needed to treat) = 10.4 over 3.5 years and increases median survival by 9.2 months over 12.1 years in patients with asymptomatic heart failure. Treatments with high-dose ACE inhibitors reduce mortality and hospitalization because of cardiovascular causes and hospitalizations from any cause by NNT = 30 over 3 years. Beta-blockers reduce sudden death and total mortality and cardiac death or non - fatal myocardial infarction with NNT = 38 and NNT = 23, respectively, over 12 months.