Rivaroxaban in atrial fibrillation cardioversion: an update.

Currently, atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, with a prevalence of about 2-3% in the general population, representing a powerful risk factor for stroke and systemic thromboembolism and increased mortality and morbidity. Restoration of sinus rhythm is an important treatment option in AF and has a high success rate, but there is the need for an effective anticoagulation strategy to reduce the risk of embolic events. Anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists is often associated with failure to achieving effective international normalized ratio.

Inflammation and C-reactive protein in atrial fibrillation: cause or effect?

Atrial fibrillation is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality rates. The incompletely understood pathogenesis of this cardiac dysrhythmia makes it difficult to improve approaches to primary and secondary prevention. Evidence has accumulated in regard to a relationship between inflammation and atrial fibrillation.

Increasing specificity of high-sensitivity troponin: new approaches and perspectives in the diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes.

In the past years, new generations of assays to detect cardiac troponin (cTn), called sensitive or high sensitivity troponin (hs-Tn), have been introduced. Progressive improvement in the analytical sensitivity of cTn assays has led to a more rapid diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and improved risk stratification in patients with non ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS) but, at the same time, has introduced the problem of a lower diagnostic specificity. As a matter of fact, hs-Tn assays are able to detect very small increases in the biomarker concentration and therefore result "positive" in a wide range of non-ischemic clinical conditions, acute and chronic, cardiac and extra-cardiac.

Potential therapeutic role of microRNAs in ischemic heart disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most important cause of death and illness in the western world. Atherosclerosis constitutes the single most important contributor to CVD. miRNAs are small ribonucleic acids (RNAs) that negatively regulate gene expression on the post-transcriptional level by inhibiting mRNA translation or promoting mRNA degradation.

A case of unusual acute coronary syndrome.

Pheochromocytoma is a rare tumor that usually develops ahead of the neuroectodermal chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla, but it may arise anywhere within plexus of sympathetic adrenergic nerves. Headache, palpitations, tremor, excessive sweating, abdominal pain, and hypertensive paroxysm are the common clinical presentations of the tumor, but it has also been reported several cardiac symptoms.