Background: The Geleijnse score, which was proposed to assess for coronary ischemia, has practical limitations.
Objectives: Our aim was to design and evaluate a simplified version of the Geleijnse score.
Methods: We enrolled patients with suspected coronary heart disease but negative troponin T or absence of enzymatic curve, and a non-diagnostic 12-lead ECG.
Background: Nurses play a central role in the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. An unresolved question is whether a nurse-led clinic would improve clinical outcomes. Herein, we investigated the impact of a nurse-led clinic on anticoagulation therapy and clinical outcomes in a cohort of naïve AF patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Heart Assoc
April 2018
Background: A simple method to assess renal function is the estimated glomerular filtration rate, and it shows prognostic implications. However, it remains unknown which equation should be used in patients with acute coronary syndrome. We compared the ability and correlation of the Cockcroft-Gault, Modification of Diet in Renal Disease-4 (MDRD-4), and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations and their predictive performance for major adverse cardiovascular events, all-cause mortality, and major bleeding in a cohort of patients with acute coronary syndrome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRemodelling in the atria could appear as a result of hypertension, diabetes or ischaemic heart disease. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a mediator of profibrotic pathways and a potential biomarker of cardiac remodelling. We prospectively recruited consecutive patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) more accurately than the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation.
Hypothesis: New CKD-EPI equations improve risk stratification in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) and provide complementary information to the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score.
Methods: We studied 350 subjects (mean age, 68 ± 12 years; 70% male) with NSTE-ACS.
Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and fibrosis. Although is an autosomal dominant trait, a group of nonsarcomeric genes have been postulated as modifiers of the phenotypic heterogeneity.
Material And Methods: We prospectively recruited 168 HCM patients and 136 healthy controls from three referral centres.
Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality after cardiac surgery. Von Willebrand factor (vWF) has been proposed as a biomarker of endothelial damage/dysfunction. We hypothesized that vWF levels could be used as valuable biomarker for AF occurrence after cardiac surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained chronic cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice, which increases the risk of stroke and thromboembolism and is an independent predictor of mortality. The underlying mechanisms involved in the development of AF have yet to be fully elucidated. However, once initiated, AF tends to self-perpetuate, owing to structural and electrical remodeling in the atria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) has an incidence rate of approximately 30% and is the most frequent arrhythmia following heart surgery. Factors such as inflammation, the presence of heart fibrosis, stress and cardiomyocyte apoptosis, have all been associated with AF.
Objectives: We believe that atrial remodelling is a pre-existent process in patients with post-surgical AF.
Eur J Clin Invest
April 2015
Background: Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations estimate glomerular filtration rate more accurately than the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study equation. Our aim was to evaluate whether CKD-EPI equations based on serum creatinine and/or cystatin C (CysC) predict risk for major bleeding (MB) more accurately than the MDRD Study equation in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (ACS).
Materials And Methods: Three hundred and fifty consecutive subjects with non-ST-segment elevation ACS (68 ± 12 years, 70% male) were studied.
Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by inappropriate hypertrophy, myocyte disarray and increased interstitial fibrosis. The tumour necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) is a cell surface cytokine with biological activities including stimulation of cell growth, induction of inflammatory cytokines and stimulation of apoptosis. There are controversial data about the potential role of TWEAK in different cardiovascular pathologies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction And Objectives: High baseline levels of interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein confer an increased risk of mortality in non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome. The aim of the study was to determine whether serial measurements of interleukin-6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein provide additional information to baseline measurements for risk stratification of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome.
Methods: Two hundred and sixteen consecutive patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome were prospectively included.
Introduction: Aiming at identifying biomarkers for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the serum proteome was explored through a two-dimensional gel-based proteomic approach (2D-DIGE) coupled with mass spectrometry and database interrogation.
Methods: Serum samples from 20 male HCM patients and their sex- and age-matched controls were cleaned from interfering components. Patients and controls were pooled in five matched groups with the same age, and proteins extracts from each pool were labelled with cyanine dyes.
Background: Beta-trace protein (BTP) and cystatin C (CysC) are novel biomarkers of renal function. We assessed the ability of both to predict major bleeding (MB) in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS), compared to other renal function parameters and clinical risk scores.
Methods And Results: We included 273 patients.
Beta-trace protein (BTP) is a low-molecular mass protein belonging to the lipocalin protein family, which is more sensitive than serum creatinine for detecting impaired renal function. The aims of the present study were to evaluate whether plasma BTP improves the risk stratification of patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes and to compare it to cystatin C (CysC), serum creatinine, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Two hundred twenty-six consecutive patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes were prospectively included.
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