Assessment of right heart function in preeclampsia by echocardiography.

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a multisystemic disorder characterized by hypertension and proteinuria that is specific to pregnancy and associated with maternal and fetal morbidity-mortality.

Aim: To assess right heart structure and function in PE by echocardiography using conventional and tissue Doppler techniques.

Methods: In total, 67 women with untreated PE and 46 matched healthy pregnant women were included.

Association between soluble lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 levels and coronary slow flow phenomenon.

Introduction: The coronary slow flow phenomenon (CSFP) has been associated with myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, life-threatening arrhythmias, sudden cardiac death and increased cardiovascular mortality similar to coronary artery disease (CAD). Possible underlying mechanisms of CSFP are endothelial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, microvascular dysfunction and diffuse atherosclerosis. Soluble lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (sLOX-1) seems to play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

To decide medical therapy according to ECG criteria in patients with supraventricular tachycardia in emergency department: adenosine or diltiazem.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of ECG criteria which are used for the distinction between AVNRT and AVRT for the choice of treatment in patients with Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT). The 77 patients with narrow QRS complex SVT which was treated with Adenosine or Diltiazem in the Emergency Department were evaluated retrospectively. All 12-lead ECG during tachycardia were blindly reviewed according to ECG criteria (Pseudo-r` in V1, Pseudo-S-wave in the inferior leads, Visible P-wave, aVL notch) by a cardiologist and an emergency physician.

Coronary slow flow phenomenon associated with high serum levels of soluble CD40 ligand and urotensin II: a multi-marker approach.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) levels, serum uroten- sin II levels, and serum leptin levels as an indirect indicator of endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and atherosclerosis at the microvascular level, and the comparison of those values with those of the control group with a nor- mal coronary flow pattern.

Methods: The study included 35 consecutive patients (17 women, 18 men; average age: 51.20 ± 10.

The Association between the Epicardial Adipose Tissue Thickness and Oxidative Stress Parameters in Isolated Metabolic Syndrome Patients: A Multimarker Approach.

The risk for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus significantly increases in the patient population with metabolic syndrome (MeS). The present study aimed to investigate the association between the epicardial adipose tissue thickness (EATT) and the oxidative stress parameters in MeS patients. The study included 181 patients as a patient group of 92 consecutive patients with MeS and a control group of 89 consecutive patients with similar age and gender.

Comparison of Temperamental Features, Anxiety, and Depression Levels Between Non-Cardiac Angina and Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Introduction: In many studies that are aimed to determine the psychological profile of patients admitted to the emergency unit with non-cardiac angina (NCA), it was indicated that psychiatric problems, less effective problem-solving, and alexithymia are more common in NCA compared with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. In this study, aiming to find predictive psychological clinical features, we compared the temperament, anxiety, and depression scores of patients with NCA and ACS.

Methods: Sociodemographic variables of 63 patients (n=41 NCA, n=22 ACS) who were admitted to the emergency unit with chest pain were recorded.

The effect of postoperative positive end-expiratory pressure on postoperative bleeding after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

Introduction: To compare postoperative prophylactic use of two positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels in order to prevent postoperative bleeding in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery.

Material And Methods: Sixty patients undergoing an elective off-pump CABG operation were included in this prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial. Patients were divided into two groups as receiving either 5 cm H2O (group 1) or 8 cm H2O PEEP (group 2) after the operation until being extubated.

Electrocardiography changes in bipolar patients during long-term lithium monotherapy.

Objective: Cardiovascular side effects of lithium have been reported to occur mainly at higher-than-therapeutic serum levels. We aimed to investigate the impact of the long-term lithium use on electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters in association with the serum levels in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and in healthy controls (HCs) serving as the reference group.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 53 euthymic BD type I patients on lithium monotherapy at therapeutic serum levels (M = 0.

The role of insulin-like growth factor-1 in development of coronary no-reflow and severity of coronary artery disease in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Introduction: Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has atheroprotective effects via reduction in oxidative stress, cellular apoptosis, pro-inflammatory signaling, and endothelial dysfunction.

Aim: We hypothesized that low levels of IGF-1 may be associated with the severity and extent of coronary artery disease and development of the coronary no-reflow phenomenon in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and investigated the role of the IGF-1 molecule in the coronary no-reflow phenomenon and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with acute STEMI in a tertiary hospital.

Material And Methods: The study was conducted among 113 patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for STEMI, of whom 49 patients developed the no-reflow phenomenon.

Single therapeutic catheterization for treatment of late diagnosed native coarctation of aorta using a covered stent.

Here in we are reporting a 35-year-old pregnant, hypertensive woman with a strict descending aorta coarctation. She had two missing pregnancies which were complicated with hypertension, but which were not diagnosed for any pathologies before. We diagnosed coarctation of aorta, but however postponed her treatment after delivery of baby, because hypertension was under control with medical treatment and she had no complication.

Carotid endarterectomy using a "home-constructed" shunt for patients intolerant to cross-clamping.

Purposes: There is a small minority of patients with occlusive carotid artery disease, who are at high-risk for general anesthesia because of their intolerance to carotid flow blockage, even if only for seconds, without neurologic deficit. Even <30 s of temporary clamping of the carotid arteries to deploy a shunt may prove eventful in this patient group. We define safe carotid endarterectomy after the insertion of a novel shunt that we made from simple medical equipment in this patient population.

From Clinical Misdiagnosis to Electrophysiological Diagnosis: Two Male Asystole Cases.

Differential diagnosis of epilepsy and syncope may be difficult. Arrhythmias such as asystole, or ventricular fibrillation, may lead to cerebral hypoperfusion mimicking partial or secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizures. While performing an electroencephalogram (EEG) for epilepsy diagnosis, simultaneous electrocardiogram (ECG) recording may detect cardiac pathology.

Pressure-controlled mechanical ventilation is more advantageous in the follow-up of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease after open heart surgery.

Objective: Cardiopulmonary bypass deteriorates pulmonary functions to a certain extent. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with increased mortality and morbidity risks in the postoperative period of open-heart surgery. In this study we compared 2 different mechanical ventilation modes, pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) and volume-controlled ventilation (VCV), in this particular patient population.

Contrast layering: late clearance of contrast dye--a novel angiographic phenomenon of early atherosclerosis.

Patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries sometimes exhibit delayed clearance of contrast medium. This contrast layering (CL) was tested with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and markers of endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress. The study group (n = 26) consisted of patients with CL and the control group (n = 32) comprised patients with normal coronary arteries despite angina symptoms.

Mean platelet volume is elevated in patients with patent foramen ovale.

Introduction: Platelets play a major role in thromboembolic events. Increased mean platelet volume (MPV) indicates higher platelet reactivity and also a tendency to thrombosis. Patent foramen ovale (PFO), persistence of the fetal anatomic shunt between right and left atria, is strongly associated with cryptogenic stroke.

Elevated serum gamma-glutamyltransferase levels in patients with dilated ascending aorta.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels as an indirect marker of elevated oxidative stress in patients with dilated ascending aorta.

Methods: The study was designed as an observational cross-sectional controlled study. One hundred consecutive patients with dilated ascending aorta and 50 consecutive controls with normal ascending aorta diameter were selected for the study by comprehensive transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).

High sensitive troponin-I in patients with slow coronary flow pattern.

Hypothesis: We examined the hypothesis that a specific myocardial injury marker, namely high sensitive cardiac troponin-I (HsTn-I), is elevated in patients with slow coronary flow (SCF) pattern.

Aim: To examine the above hypothesis by studying a group of patients who had undergone coronary angiography for the detection of their chest pain aetiology with SCF pattern despite an angiographically normal coronary arteriogram.

Methods: We evaluated and performed coronary angiography (CAG) of 97 patients with chest discomfort.

Risk of cerebral embolism after interventional closure of symptomatic patent foramen ovale or atrial septal defect: a diffusion-weighted MRI and neuron-specific enolase-based study.

Objectives: The aim of this single-center prospective study is to investigate the silent and clinically apparent cerebral embolic events after transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) and patent foramen ovale (PFO).

Background: Although transcatheter closure of ASD and PFO is a widely accepted technique and has been proven to be safe and effective with different kinds of devices, there are few studies in the literature that report the peri-interventional cerebral embolism risk and neurological complications. In this study, we investigated the peri-interventional cerebral embolism incidence with diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) and its relation to patients' clinical neurologic examination findings and plasma neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels.

Prolidase activity in patients with coronary artery aneurysm.

Decreased collagen biosynthesis and increased collagenolysis may induce aneurysmal progress in arterial walls. Prolidase plays a role in collagen synthesis. In this study, we sought to evaluate whether there is a correlation between nonatherosclerotic coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) and prolidase activity.

[Comparison of standard Euroscore, logistic Euroscore and Euroscore II in prediction of early mortality following coronary artery bypass grafting].

Objective: EuroSCORE is the most widely used risk prediction system. Standard EuroSCORE, which had been published in 1999, was revised as a Logistic EuroSCORE in 2003. Further, it was reconsidered and published as EuroSCORE II in 2011.

Spontaneous triple coronary artery dissection.

Multivessel spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is extremely rare, and to the best of our knowledge, triple-vessel dissection has been reported in only 7 patients to date. We present the successful surgical treatment of the triple coronary artery dissection in a 57-year-old man. The patient had aortic valve replacement simultaneously.

Hypertension as a risk factor for aspirin and clopidogrel resistance in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Background: Platelets play an important role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). The importance of dual antiplatelet therapy to prevent recurrent ischemic events in patients who have acute coronary syndrome and who will undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is well known and widely accepted as a gold standard. However, despite this apparently effective therapy, incidence of adverse ischemic events could not be decreased enough.

Evaluation of atrial conduction features with tissue Doppler imaging in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: The electrical activity of atria can be demonstrated by P waves on surface electrocardiogram (ECG). Atrial electromechanical delay (AEMD) measured with tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) echocardiography can be a useful non-invasive method for evaluating atrial conduction features. We investigated whether AEMD is prolonged in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Coronary artery bypass grafting in a patient with gout arthritis.

Ischemic heart disease is accepted as the most common cause of mortality and morbidity nearly all over the world. Gout disease is the most common condition of inflammatory arthritis among the adult population. Literature includes limited information about the treatment strategies when both the conditions coexist.

The relationship between severity of calcific aortic stenosis and serum uric acid levels.

Serum uric acid (SUA) level is a marker of endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Consecutive patients (n = 64) with normal coronary angiography who demonstrated calcific aortic stenosis (AS) by transthoracic echocardiography were included in the study. The patients were categorized into 3 groups: 23 mild AS (12 males), 21 moderate AS (10 males), and 20 severe AS cases (10 males).