Early echocardiographic evaluation of right ventricular load adaptability after sequential combination treatment in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Background: Using the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE)/pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP) ratio as an index of right ventricular load adaptability, we aimed to evaluate early changes in right heart contractile function of patients with group 1 pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) after sequential combination PAH-specific therapy.

Methods: A total of 49 patients with group 1 PAH and 31 control participants were included in the study. The baseline clinical and echocardiographic data of the control and PAH group were compared.

Assessment of proarrhythmic ventricular electrophysiological remodeling in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is related to cardiovascular disease and results in increased mortality rates. Ischemia, autonomic nervous system dysfunction, impaired cardiac ionic currents, and genetic predisposition may be the underlying mechanisms. Proarrhythmic ventricular electrophysiological remodeling detected on the basis of Tp‑e interval, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios plays a key role in the prognosis.

Evaluation of the relationship between COVID-19 pneumonia severity and pulmonary artery diameter measurement.

The goal of the present work was to examine associations between COVID-19 pneumonia severity and pulmonary artery diameter. A total of 101 patients with COVID-19 were included in this retrospective observational study. The patients were divided into three groups based on the CT images: 41 patients with mild pneumonia, group 2 had 39 patients with moderate pneumonia, and group 3 had 21 patients with severe pneumonia.

Increased Arterial Stiffness Measured By Carotid Femoral (Aortic) Pulse Wave Velocity In Patients with Inactive Behçet's Disease.

Introduction Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic, multisystemic disease characterised by vascular involvement. Acute and chronic inflammatory processes associated with BD may cause endothelial dysfunction, which can then lead to a subsequent increase of arterial stiffness and altered pressure wave reflections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurements in patients with inactive BD and control subjects.

The frequency of type 2 second-degree and third-degree atrioventricular block induced by blunt chest trauma in the emergency department: A multicenter study.

Background: Conduction disturbances including type 2 second-degree atrioventricular block (Mobitz II) and third-degree atrioventricular block following blunt chest trauma are probably rare. Moreover, the pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for this rare dysrhythmia following trauma are not well understood yet. In this study, it was aimed to identify the frequency of this dysrhythmia associated with trauma.

Assessment of P wave duration and P wave dispersion in high level football referees.

Background: P wave dispersion and P wave maximal duration reflect the activation of atrial muscle and is influenced by the mass of the excited tissue. It may reflect atrial remodelling, most likely atrial fibrosis. The purpose of this study was to measure P wave duration and P wave dispersion in the high level football referees.

Assessment of carotid body tumor and its association with tetralogy of fallot: effect of the chronic hypoxia.

This is a rare combined presentation of Tetralogy of Fallot and carotid body tumor (CBT). Hypotheses and further discussion provides data for the development of CBT as a response to chronic hypoxemia. This present study demonstrates and discusses such an occurrence.

Association of Mitral Annular Calcification with Left Ventricular Mechanics: A Speckle Tracking Study.

Background: Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a common echocardiographic finding in clinical practice and is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis. However, data regarding left ventricular (LV) functions are lacking. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between MAC and LV mechanical functions with the utility of two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE).

Acute effects of ultrafiltration on aortic mechanical properties determined by measurement of pulse wave velocity and pulse propagation time in hemodialysis patients.

Objective: The effects of acute hemodialysis session on pulse wave velocity are conflicting. The aim of the current study was to assess the acute effects of ultrafiltration on the aortic mechanical properties using carotid-femoral (aortic) pulse wave velocity and pulse propagation time.

Methods: A total of 26 (12 women, 14 men) consecutive patients on maintenance hemodialysis (mean dialysis duration: 40.

Recent developments in drug-eluting coronary stents.

The interventional treatment of coronary artery disease was introduced in 1970`s by Andreas Grüntzig. The initial treatment strategy with plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) was associated with high restenosis rates. The introduction of coronary stents, especially drug-eluting stents (DES) in 2002 has improved the results by lowering the rate of in-stent restenosis from 20-40% in the era of bare-metal stent (BMS) to 6-8%.

Recent developments in antiplatelet therapy after percutaneus coronary intervention.

Antiplatelet therapy plays an important role in the treatment of patients suffering from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in order to prevent atherothrombotic events and restenosis or ischemic reocclusion, respectively. Moreover, stent implantation is often performed along with PCI to ensure that the arteries remain open. However, stent thrombosis ST is a possible complication which can occur up to about one year after the procedure.

Stent thrombosis--mythy and facts.

Stent thrombosis is a serious complication in stent era. It can be presented as death, cardiogenic shock or a large non-fatal myocardial infarction, usually with ST elevation. Risks of stent thrombosis, stent thrombosis incidence and predictors are controversial issues due to sparse and controversial data.

Triple antiplatelet therapy after PCI--should or could it be done?

In case of coronary stenting in patients taking long-term oral anticoagulants (OAC), addition of both aspirin and clopidogrel in the drug regimen (so-called triple antiplatelet therapy) is recommended. However such triple therapy increases the risk of serious bleeding events. Comparative data on the efficacy and safety of the triple therapy versus therapy with a single antiplatelet agent and oral anticoagulants in case of coronary stenting are very rare.

Interaction between thienopyridines and proton pump inhibitors.

Adenosin diphospat (ADP) plays a crucial role in thrombus formation. Therefore its inhibition can control excess platelet generation to prevent cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). One of ADP's target receptors, P2Y12 has a limited tissue distribution and is therefore an attractive pharmacological target.

Is metabolic syndrome related with coronary artery disease severity and complexity: An observational study about IDF and AHA/NHLBI metabolic syndrome definitions.

Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the relation between metabolic syndrome (MS) and coronary artery disease (CAD) complexity, assessed by Syntax score (SS), and severity in non-diabetic patients with stable CAD who underwent coronary angiography, and to evaluate whether the MS defined by different definitions, including International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and American Heart Association/National Heart Lung Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) guidelines, similarly correlated with SS.

Methods: The present study is cross sectional and observational with prospective inclusion of 248 consecutive patients (157 male) who underwent coronary angiography due to stable CAD.

Results: The prevalence of MS was 54.

Outcomes and effectiveness of bilateral percutaneous transluminal renal artery stenting in patients with critical bilateral renal artery stenosis.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of percutaneous bilateral renal artery stenting in patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis and in-hospital and 4 month outcome of the procedure, focusing on the changes in renal function and blood pressure.

Methods: Five consecutive patients (mean age: 64.8 ± 9.

The effects of serum potassium and magnesium levels in a patient with Gitelman's syndrome on the timing of ventricular wall motion and the pattern of ventricular strain and torsion.

Gitelman's syndrome is a primary renal tubular hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis. Hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia can cause cardiac tissue excitability and conduction. Global ventricular mechanical function is directly related to the contractile properties of cardiac myocytes, which are largely dependent on the flow of ions such as potassium and magnesium.

Aortic properties and atrial electrophysiology in the young and old football players.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between P wave dispersion, aortic elastic properties and transthoracic echocardiographic findings in the young and old football players compared to control groups in order to asses the influence of regular sportive activity on aortic distensibility and its potential effect on atrial electrophysiology.

Methods: We recruited 42 young football players with a training history of many years. The control group was formed by 27 healthy sedentary men.

Impairment of arterial distensibility in premenopausal women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background And Aim: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease affecting young women and is associated with increased frequency of atherosclerotic vascular diseases. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is an index of arterial stiffness and a marker of cardiovascular events. This study aimed to investigate arterial distensibility using carotid-femoral (aortic) PWV measurements in premenopausal women with SLE.

Arterial distensibility in Wegener's granulomatosis: a carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis; that chronic inflammation may impair vascular function and lead to an increase of arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV) in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG).

Methods: We recruited 5 patients with WG and 5 healthy age and sex matched controls in this cross-sectional case-controlled study. Aortic PWV was determined by using an automatic device (Complior Colson, France), which allowed on-line pulse wave recording and automatic calculation of PWV.