Table 4.
Change blood laboratory and echocardiography parameters (n = 11).
| Initial | Final | Absolute change | P value | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood laboratory | |||||
| WBC | 7.71 ± 0.7 | 7.42 ± 0.6 | –0.3 ± 0.5 | 0.57 | –2.1 ± 5.2 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 13.60 ± 0.4 | 13.45 ± 0.4 | –0.2 ± 0.2 | 0.57 | 1 ± 1.9 |
| Platelets | 250.36 ± 25.6 | 266.18 ± 27.3 | 15.8 ± 11.5 | 0.20 | 6.8 ± 4.7 |
| Sodium (mmol/L) | 138.18 ± 0.7 | 137.45 ± 0.7 | –0.7 ± 0.6 | 0.27 | –0.5 ± 0.5 |
| Bicarbonate (mmol/L) | 23.20 ± 1.2 | 24.27 ± 0.9 | 0.9 ± 0.5 | 0.12 | 4.7 ± 2.5 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 0.84 ± 0.1 | 0.82 ± 0.1 | –0.01 ± 0.01 | 0.34 | –1.3 ± 1.6 |
| BNP (pg/mL) | 109.82 ± 58.1 | 96.00 ± 44.2 | –13.8 ± 17.9 | 0.46 | 16.4 ± 25 |
| L-arginine (nmol/mL) | 48.82 ± 4.4 | 81.82 ± 10.7 | 33.0 ± 9.6* | 0.006 | 72.1 ± 18 |
| L-citrulline (nmol/mL) | 31.91 ± 3.7 | 37.36 ± 4.7 | 5.5 ± 3.8 | 0.19 | 19.9 ± 11.3 |
| Insulin sensitivity (TG/HDL) | 2.82 ± 0.4 | 2.52 ± 0.2 | –0.3 ± 0.2 | 0.29 | –1.7 ± 10.3 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/L) | 5.63 ± 1.9 | 5.32 ± 1.4 | –0.3 ± 0.9 | 0.74 | 43.7 ± 26.2 |
| Echocardiography | |||||
| RA area | 17.62 ± 2.1 | 18.92 ± 1.8 | 1.3 ± 1.3 | 0.35 | 11.2 ± 8.6 |
| Estimated RA pressure | 7.10 ± 0.8 | 6.60 ± 0.9 | –0.5 ± 0.9 | 0.59 | 4.2 ± 19.8 |
| TR jet gradient | 38.04 ± 4.6 | 41.06 ± 6.9 | 3.0 ± 3.6 | 0.43 | 5.7 ± 9.1 |
| TAPSE | 1.57 ± 0.2 | 1.56 ± 0.1 | –0.01 ± 0.1 | 0.93 | 4 ± 8.2 |
| RV EDD | 4.14 ± 0.3 | 4.19 ± 0.2 | 0.05 ± 0.1 | 0.76 | 2.6 ± 4 |
| RV ESD | 3.38 ± 0.3 | 3.40 ± 0.2 | 0.020 ± 0.1 | 0.90 | 2.5 ± 4.1 |
| RV FS | 0.19 ± 0.0 | 0.19 ± 0.0 | 0.001 ± 0.03 | 1.0 | 23.8 ± 27.4 |
| RV EDA | 27.35 ± 2.4 | 28.39 ± 2.5 | 1.04 ± 1.4 | 0.47 | 4.7 ± 5.2 |
| RV ESA | 19.20 ± 2.9 | 19.21 ± 2.9 | 0.007 ± 1.06 | 0.99 | 2.1 ± 5.7 |
| RV FA change | 0.32 ± 0.0 | 0.34 ± 0.0 | 0.02 ± 0.03 | 0.43 | 11.6 ± 10.8 |
| L atrial AP diameter | 3.16 ± 0.1 | 3.15 ± 0.1 | –0.01 ± 0.1 | 0.92 | 0.5 ± 3 |
| LV EDD | 4.31 ± 0.2 | 4.05 ± 0.3 | –0.3 ± 0.2 | 0.25 | –6.2 ± 5.5 |
| LV ESD | 2.82 ± 0.2 | 2.72 ± 0.2 | –0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.60 | –1.3 ± 7.3 |
| LV FS | 34.95 ± 3.1 | 31.86 ± 3.2 | –3.1 ± 3.7 | 0.43 | –4.3 ± 9.9 |
| LV EDV | 93.03 ± 8.6 | 92.39 ± 6.3 | –3.4 ± 9.1 | 0.72 | 0.7 ± 9.8 |
| LV ESV | 34.23 ± 4.9 | 42.01 ± 4.4 | 2.9 ± 5.0 | 0.58 | 18.5 ± 16.5 |
| LV EF | 64.22 ± 2.8 | 58.62 ± 1.8 | –4.8 ± 2.1 | 0.07 | –7.1 ± 3.3 |
| LV SV | 61.38 ± 4.8 | 52.75 ± 3.0 | –9.4 ± 5.1 | 0.11 | –11.6 ± 7.4 |
| AVA | 2.70 ± 0.1 | 2.84 ± 0.3 | 0.30 ± 0.4 | 0.68 | 10.2 ± 7.4 |
| E/A | 1.28 ± 0.1 | 1.15 ± 0.1 | –0.13 ± 0.09 | 0.20 | –7.2 ± 7 |
| E/E’ | 8.01 ± 0.7 | 7.80 ± 0.6 | –0.27 ± 1.6 | 0.84 | 3.8 ± 12.4 |
Values are means ± SEM for the 11 of 12 patients that completed the study. Paired t-testing was used to analyze changes between the pre-test (Initial) and post-test (Final) at the end of 12 weeks in all outcome variables, with bold type and asterisks indicating a significant change (*P < 0.05) in comparison to baseline.
WBC, white blood cell count; BNP, brain natriuretic peptide; TG, triclycerides; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; RA, right atrial; TR, tricuspid regurgitant; TAPSE, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion; RV, right ventricle; LV, left ventricle; EDD, end-diastolic diameter, ESD, end-systolic diameter; FS, fractional shortening; EDA, end-diastolic area; ESA, end-systolic area; FA change, fractional area change; AP, anteroposterior; EDV, end-diastolic volume; ESV, end-systolic volume; EF, ejection fraction; SV, stroke volume; AVA, aortic valve area; E/A, average ratio of transmitral Doppler E wave velocity to A wave velocity; E/E’, ratio of Doppler-derived peak E velocity and early diastolic E' velocity at mitral annulus.