Coronary Implications of COVID-19.

Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection carry an increased risk of cardiovascular disease encompassing various implications, including acute myocardial injury or infarction, myocarditis, heart failure, and arrhythmias. A growing volume of evidence correlates SARS-CoV-2 infection with myocardial injury, exposing patients to higher mortality risk. SARS-CoV-2 attacks the coronary arterial bed with various mechanisms including thrombosis/rupture of preexisting atherosclerotic plaque, de novo coronary thrombosis, endotheliitis, microvascular dysfunction, vasculitis, vasospasm, and ectasia/aneurysm formation.

Coronary angiography through the interosseous artery: expanding the limits of the wrist approach.

A 59-year-old diabetic man with a history of numerous coronary angiographies (CAs) and peripheral artery disease underwent CA due to a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. Femoral, radial, and ulnar arteries were unpalpable.

Differential Expression of Circulating Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns in Patients with Coronary Artery Ectasia.

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is defined as abnormal dilation of a coronary artery with a diameter exceeding that of adjacent normal arterial segment by >1.5 times. CAE is a pathological entity of the coronary arteries and characterized as a variant of coronary atherosclerosis.

The role of intravascular imaging in chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention.

Chronic total occlusions (CTOs) represent the most complex subset of coronary artery disease and therefore careful planning of CTO percutaneous coronary recanalization (PCI) strategy is of paramount importance aiming to achieve procedural success, and improve patient's safety and post CTO PCI outcomes. Intravascular imaging has an essential role in facilitating CTO PCΙ. First, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), due to its higher penetration depth compared to optical coherence tomography (OCT), and the additional capacity of real-time imaging without need for contrast injection is considered the preferred imaging modality for CTO PCI.

Emergent Inflammatory Markers and Echocardiographic Indices in Patients with Bronchial Asthma.

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease, characterized by chronic inflammation and oxidative stress of the airways. Several inflammatory pathways including activation of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) have been described in the course of the disease. DJ-1 is a redox-sensitive protein with multifaceted roles in mast cell homeostasis and an emerging role in the pathogenesis of asthma.

Emerging markers of inflammation and oxidative stress as potential predictors of coronary artery disease.

Background And Aims: The multi-ligand receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and its ligands AGEs and S100/calgranulin proteins are important mediators of inflammation and oxidative stress whereas the soluble form of RAGE (sRAGE) by acting as a decoy and the antioxidant PARK7/DJ-1 exert antiatherogenic effects. We examined whether sRAGE and its ligands AGEs, S100A8/A9, S100B, S100A12 and DJ-1 are associated with the presence of angiographic coronary artery disease (CAD) in asymptomatic patients with and without diabetes.

Methods And Results: Plasma levels of RAGE ligands, sRAGE and DJ-1 were determined in 50 patients with angiographically proven CAD and in 50 age-matched healthy controls.

Exploring the association between sleep insufficiency and self-reported cardiovascular disease among northeastern Greeks.

Objective: To explore the association of sleep characteristics with cardiovascular disease (CVD) using self-reported questionnaires.

Material And Methods: 957 adults between 19 and 86 years old were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The participants were classified into three groups [short (<6h), normal (6-8h), and long (>8h) sleepers] by using multistage stratified cluster sampling.

Angiographic predictors of aberrant circumflex artery during cardiac catheterization.

Objectives: To identify angiographic predictors of aberrant left circumflex artery (LCx) by comparing left main (LM) length and bifurcation angle between patients with aberrant LCx and normal anatomy.

Background: Failure to recognize aberrant LCx during a cardiac catheterization may hamper correct diagnosis, delay intervention in acute coronary syndromes, and result in increased contrast volume, radiation exposure, and infarct size.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed angiograms of aberrant LCx patients and normal anatomy matched controls, in three-participating centers.

Association between sleep insufficiency and dyslipidemia: a cross-sectional study among Greek adults in the primary care setting.

Objective: To investigate the potential association between sleep insufficiency and dyslipidemia (DL) in the primary care setting using self-reported questionnaires.

Material And Methods: 957 adults aged between 19 and 86 years old from the rural area of Thrace, Greece were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Multistage stratifed cluster sampling was used and the subjects were classifed into three groups according to sleep duration [short (<6h), normal (6-8h), and long (>8h) sleep duration].

Sleep insufficiency and incident diabetes mellitus among indigenous and minority populations in Greece.

Objective: To investigate the potential association between sleep pathology and diabetes mellitus (DM) using self-reported questionnaires.

Material And Methods: 957 adults aged between 19 and 86 years old were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Multistage stratified cluster sampling was used and subjects were classified into three groups [short (<6h), normal (6-8h) and long (>8h) sleep duration].

Differential Regulation of Circulating Soluble Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products (sRAGEs) and Its Ligands S100A8/A9 Four Weeks Post an Exercise Intervention in a Cohort of Young Army Recruits.

Apart from its beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors, an anti-inflammatory effect of exercise is strongly implicated. Yet, data regarding the effect of an exercise intervention on healthy individuals are limited and contradictory. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of a physical activity intervention on the soluble form of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGEs) and its ligands S100A8/A9.

Simultaneous Proximal Median and Ulnar Neuropathy: A Rare Complication of 24-hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring with Unexpected Neurophysiological Findings.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is a non-invasive method of obtaining brachial artery pressure assessment over 24 hours while patients undergo normal daily activities. Side effects, such as peripheral petechiae, limb edema, and sleep disturbance, are usually mild and reversible. A 67-year-old male presented with excruciating left hand pain and weakness on waking up from night sleep, having worn a cuff on his left arm for a whole day in the context of 24-hour ABPM.

Cytoprotective Mechanisms of DJ-1: Implications in Cardiac Pathophysiology.

DJ-1 was originally identified as an oncogene product while mutations of the gene encoding DJ-1/PARK7 were later associated with a recessive form of Parkinson's disease. Its ubiquitous expression and diversity of function suggest that DJ-1 is also involved in mechanisms outside the central nervous system. In the last decade, the contribution of DJ-1 to the protection from ischemia-reperfusion injury has been recognized and its involvement in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease is attracting increasing attention.