Papillary fibroelastoma of the aortic valve in a β-thalassemia patient.

Papillary fibroelastomas are uncommon benign tumors with frond-like growths usually arising from the heart valves. The identification of their presence is of major clinical importance owing to the fact that although rarely symptomatic they can cause coronary occlusion, stroke, and even sudden cardiac death. We present an asymptomatic 38-year-old woman with homozygous β-thalassemia in whom transthoracic echocardiography incidentally discovered an aortic mass.

Development, repeatability and validity regarding energy and macronutrient intake of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire: methodological considerations.

Background And Aim: The aim of this work was to evaluate the repeatability and the validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and to discuss the methodological framework of such procedures.

Methods And Results: The semi-quantitative FFQ included 69 questions regarding the frequency of consumption of all main food groups and beverages usually consumed and 7 questions regarding eating behaviors. Five hundred individuals (37 ± 15 yrs, 38% males) were recruited for the repeatability process, while another 432 (46 ± 16 yrs, 40% males) also completed 3-Day Diaries (3DD) for the validation process.

The impact of demographic characteristics and lifestyle in the distribution of cystatin C values in a healthy greek adult population.

Background. The aim of the present study was to examine sources of variation for serum cystatin C in a healthy Greek population. Methods.

Atrial fibrillation induced by carotid sinus massage.

A case of atrial fibrillation paroxysm induced by carotid sinus massage is reported in a patient with recurrent episodes of syncope. Despite extensive investigations, no cause for the syncopal episodes was determined.

Electroanatomical mapping and ablation of upper loop reentry atrial flutter.

Upper loop reentry is a rare type of non isthmus-dependent atrial flutter with a reentry circuit around the superior vena cava. We present a case of atrial flutter of this type in a 75-year-old man with concomitant sick sinus syndrome. The diagnostic approach used three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping with the upgraded ENSITE 3000 system.