[Investigation of herpes group and hepatitis A virus nucleic acids in the atherome plaque samples of patients with coronary arterial disease].

It is assumed that various infectious agents play direct or indirect roles in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis which is accepted as a chronic inflammatory phenomenon. However, the data obtained from different studies are contradictory. The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of herpes virus group [Herpes simplex virus (HSV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV)] and hepatitis A virus (HAV) which are debated in terms of their impact in the pathogenesis of coronary arterial diseases.

Autoimmune myasthenia gravis after coronary artery bypass surgery.

Myasthenia gravis is the most common disorder of neuromuscular transmission and is a heterogeneous disorder that is generally autoimmune, which is caused by an auto-antibody to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. We present a rare case of myasthenia gravis that occurred 8 weeks after a coronary artery bypass grafting operation. A 64-year-old man with multivessel coronary artery disease underwent myocardial revascularization.

Double right coronary artery; fistula and atherosclerosis: rare combination.

Combination of the primary congenital coronary artery anomalies, fistula and atherosclerosis rarely occur. We report a 50-year-old male who presented with severe chest pain, for which he underwent a coronary angiography. Injection into the right coronary artery (RCA) demonstrated a double RCA running very closely together in the atrioventricular groove.

Quadricuspid aortic valve: a chance for repair.

Quadricuspid aortic valve is an uncommon congenital anomaly that often causes aortic regurgitation in adulthood, necessitating valve replacement. A 54-year-old woman presented with symptoms and signs of aortic regurgitation, but during surgery a quadricuspid aortic valve was identified. The abnormal cusp was fibrotic, short, thick, and fenestrated.

Magnesium decreases cardiac injury in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.

Background: The calcium-channel blocking effect of magnesium might have protective effects in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. We assessed the effects of magnesium on hearts undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery with intermittent warm blood hyperkalemic cardioplegia in the antegrade fashion.

Patients And Methods: Twenty patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery were randomly divided into two groups, a control group who received intermittent antegrade warm blood hyperkalemic cardioplegia for myocardial protection, and a study group who received the same solution with the addition of magnesium to the cardioplegia.