Native valve endocarditis in a patient with autoimmune hepatitis on low dose systemic corticosteroids: A case report.

infectious endocarditis (IE) is a rare cause of culture-negative endocarditis. The main risk factors are severe immunosuppression and prosthetic heart valve. We describe a case of IE on a native mitral valve in a patient with autoimmune hepatitis in remission while on low dose corticosteroids.

Fluoroless catheter ablation of accessory pathways in adult and pediatric patients: a single centre experience.

Catheter radio-frequency ablation (RFA) and cryo-ablation (CRA) procedures are an effective and safe treatment options for adult and pediatric patients with accessory pathway (AP) mediated tachycardias. Non-fluoroscopic techniques during catheter ablation (CA) procedures reduce potentially harmful effects of radiation. Our aim was to investigate the efficacy and safety of completely fluoroless RFA and CRA procedures in pediatric and adult patients with APs.

Multicentric Atrial Strain COmparison between Two Different Modalities: MASCOT HIT Study.

Two methods are currently available for left atrial (LA) strain measurement by speckle tracking echocardiography, with two different reference timings for starting the analysis: QRS (QRS-LASr) and P wave (P-LASr). The aim of MASCOT HIT study was to define which of the two was more reproducible, more feasible, and less time consuming. In 26 expert centers, LA strain was analyzed by two different echocardiographers (young vs senior) in a blinded fashion.

Skin blood flow and its oscillatory components in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background/aims: Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) was used to determine the influence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and of successful reperfusion treatment on basal skin blood flow and its oscillatory components.

Methods: Skin LDF was performed on all extremities in 58 patients 4-9 days after AMI (Killip class I), and in 71 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Wavelet analysis was applied to evaluate oscillatory components within the interval 0.

Macro- and microcirculation in the lower extremities--possible relationship.

Aims: Impaired blood supply is a significant risk factor for diabetic foot ulceration and gangrene. A possible relationship between peripheral macroangiopathy and the spectral components of microvascular skin blood flow in the lower extremities was tested in diabetic patients (DP) and non-diabetic subjects (C).

Patients And Methods: Basal skin blood flow (BSBF) was recorded for 30min at the right and left medial malleolus (predominantly nutritive capillary circulation) by laser Doppler flowmetry in 64 DP and 31 C.