Efficiency of a self-administered outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (s-opat) for infective endocarditis within the context of a shortened hospital admission based on hospital at home program.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of treatment of infectious endocarditis (IE) via Self-administered Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (S-OPAT) supported by a shortening hospital admission program in a hospitalization-at-home unit (HAH), including a short review of the literature.

Methods: Ambispective cohort study of 57 episodes of IE in 54 patients treated in an HAH unit between 1988 and 2014 who receive S-OPAT after prior intra-hospital clinical stabilization. Characteristics of each episode of IE, safety and efficiency of the care model, were analyzed.

Infective endocarditis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

Infective endocarditis (IE) complicating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a poorly known entity. Although current guidelines do not recommend IE antibiotic prophylaxis (IEAP) in HCM, controversy remains.This study sought to describe the clinical course of a large series of IE HCM and to compare IE in HCM patients with IE patients with and without an indication for IEAP.

Self-administered outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (S-OPAT) for infective endocarditis: a safe and effective model.

The safety and efficacy of treatment of infectious endocarditis (IE) was evaluated within a program of hospital-in-home (HIH) based on self-administered outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (S-OPAT). IE episodes (n=48 in 45 patients; 71% middle-aged males) were recruited into the HIH program between 1998 and 2012. Following treatment stabilization at the hospital they returned home for HIH in which a physician and/or a nurse supervised the S-OPAT.

Functional polymorphisms in genes of the Angiotensin and Serotonin systems and risk of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: AT1R as a potential modifier.

Background: Angiotensin and serotonin have been identified as inducers of cardiac hypertrophy. DNA polymorphisms at the genes encoding components of the angiotensin and serotonin systems have been associated with the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, including left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).

Methods: We genotyped five polymorphisms of the AGT, ACE, AT1R, 5-HT2A, and 5-HTT genes in 245 patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM; 205 without an identified sarcomeric gene mutation), in 145 patients with LVH secondary to hypertension, and 300 healthy controls.

Endothelial dysfunction, measured by reactive hyperaemia using strain-gauge plethysmography, is an independent predictor of adverse outcome in heart failure.

Aims: In congestive heart failure (CHF), arterial response is regulated by endothelial molecules. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether endothelial dysfunction (ED) was a predictor of outcome in a cohort of patients with heart failure.

Methods And Results: Endothelial function was assessed in 242 patients with CHF by forearm reactive hyperaemia measured with intermittent venous occlusion plethysmography using a mercury strain gauge.

The changing face of prosthetic valve endocarditis at a tertiary-care hospital: 1986-2005.

Introduction And Objectives: To investigate changes in the clinical characteristics, etiology and prognosis of prosthetic valve endocarditis at a tertiary-care hospital.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of all patients diagnosed with prosthetic valve endocarditis using modified Duke criteria between 1986 and 2005. The analysis covered two time periods: January 1986 to December 1995 (P1) and January 1996 to December 2005 (P2).

Repeat mitral valve replacement: 30-years' experience.

Prosthetic heart valve dysfunction is an acquired condition that carries a significant risk of emergency surgery. However, the long-term natural history of the condition is not well understood. Between 1974 and 2006, 1535 isolated mitral valve replacements were performed at our hospital (in-hospital mortality 5%).

A diet enriched with mackerel (Scomber scombrus)-derived products improves the endothelial function in a senior population (Prevención de las Enfermedades Cardiovasculares: Estudio Santoña--PECES project).

Background: Regular consumption of fish reduces cardiovascular risks. Here, we investigate if the consumption of products with mackerel (Scomber scombrus) with 8.82 g of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content per 100 g of product improves parameters of endothelial function in a controlled population.

[Mutations in sarcomeric genes MYH7, MYBPC3, TNNT2, TNNI3, and TPM1 in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy].

Introduction And Objectives: Mutation of a sarcomeric gene is the most frequent cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. For each such gene, however, previous studies have reported a range of different mutation frequencies, and clinical manifestations have been highly heterogeneous, both of which limit the use of genetic information in clinical practice. Our aim was to determine the frequency of mutations in the sarcomeric genes MYH7, MYBPC3, TNNT2, TNNI3, and TPM1 in a cohort of Spanish patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Soluble Fas ligand plasma levels are associated with forearm reactive hyperemia in subjects with coronary artery disease: a novel biomarker of endothelial function?

Objectives: Fas ligand expression by endothelial cells is downregulated under proinflammatory conditions, facilitating the vascular infiltration by circulating cells. We have analyzed whether the forearm vasodilatory response to reactive hyperemia is associated with soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) plasma concentrations in subjects with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: Forearm blood flow to reactive hyperemia, an indicator of endothelial function, and forearm blood flow to nitroglycerin (endothelial-independent) were measured in 110 subjects with stable CAD.

Vasodilatory action of loop diuretics: a plethysmography study of endothelial function in forearm arteries and dorsal hand veins in hypertensive patients and controls.

Introduction: Intravenous administration of loop diuretics induces venodilation before the diuretic response. We investigated whether furosemide and torasemide exert a dilatory effect on arteries and veins mediated by endothelial release of nitric oxide.

Methods: We performed intermittent venous occlusion plethysmography to study forearm blood flow and dorsal hand-vein distension in response to furosemide and torasemide infusion in hypertensive patients and healthy controls.

Prevalence and spectrum of mutations in the sarcomeric troponin T and I genes in a cohort of Spanish cardiac hypertrophy patients.

We sequenced the coding exons of the cardiac troponins T (TNNT2) and I (TNNI3) genes in 115 Spanish HCM-patients (32% with a family history of the disease). Only two (2%) had mutations in the TNNT2 (Arg278>Cys and Arg92>Lys). These mutations were associated with variable clinical outcomes.

Ischemic preconditioning and kidney transplantation: in vivo nitric oxide monitoring in a rat ischemia-reperfusion experimental model.

Direct nitric oxide measurement in live tissue would help us to understand its role in ischemia-reperfusion injury and its relationship to ischemic preconditioning (IP). We constructed four experimental groups of ischemia-reperfusion in the rat kidney: G1 were controls; G2, 1 hour of renal ischemia; G3 and G4: one or two 15/10 minute cycles, respectively, of IP prior to 1 hour of ischemia. Real-time in vivo nitric oxide measurements were compared with functional parameters of kidney damage at 24 hours.

[Aspergillus fumigatus endocarditis in a patient with a biventricular pacemaker].

Aspergillus fumigatus endocarditis is one of the rarest and severest complications in cardiological patients. We describe a patient with an intracardial pacemaker who was diagnosed as having Aspergillus fumigatus endocarditis. Postmortem examination showed a large, Aspergillus-infected thrombus encased in the right ventricle, pulmonary trunk and main pulmonary branches.

Levels of plasma total adrenomedullin are related with two acute phase inflammatory reactants (fibrinogen and sialic acid) but not with markers of endothelial dysfunction in Type 1 diabetes Adrenomedullin and vascular risk factors in Type 1 DM.

Adrenomedullin (AM), an ubiquitous regulatory peptide with different actions, is known to be elevated in different clinical situations, including diabetes mellitus (DM), but its potential role in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications is not clear. In the present study, we examined plasma total AM levels, and their association with different markers of endothelial dysfunction and with other established risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, in patients with Type 1 DM. We studied a total of 155 patients, 117 patients without any kind of vascular complications, 24 patients with retinopathy only, and 14 patients with retinopathy and microalbuminuria but normal renal function.

Effects of changes in body weight and insulin resistance on inflammation and endothelial function in morbid obesity after bariatric surgery.

Metabolic alterations such as insulin resistance are thought to underlie the endothelial dysfunction and low grade inflammation found in morbid obesity. Twenty-six morbidly obese patients, aged 39.0 +/- 10.

Effect of transdermal nitroglycerin on inflammatory mediators in patients with peripheral atherosclerotic vascular disease.

Objective: To demonstrate that nitroglycerin improves biological markers of arterial inflammation in patients with peripheral vascular disease.

Background: Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which there is an increase in active inflammation markers such as C-reactive protein and other factors released by endothelial cells. Nitroglycerin acts by a chemical liberation of nitric oxide.

Autoantibodies against oxidized LDL and serum total antioxidant status in active cyclists and ex-cyclists.

There is an apparent paradox between the benefits of aerobic exercise and the potentially deleterious effects of increased free radicals and decreased circulating antioxidants generated during exercise. To assess the oxidative/antioxidative status in competitive cyclists and ex-cyclists, we measured two markers not well studied in these situations, serum total antioxidant status (TAS) and antibodies against oxidized LDL (AuAb-ox-LDL) in 18 competitive male cyclists, 10 ex-competitive cyclists and 14 healthy males. AuAb-ox-LDL was evaluated by enzyme immunoassay, and serum TAS concentration was analyzed by spectrophotometry.

[Reproducibility of C-reactive protein analyses].

The aim of this study was to measure the reliability of different nephelometric techniques for measuring C-reactive protein (CRP). One hundred and twenty samples were obtained from 40 patients. All 120 samples were divided in three parts to measure CRP using three different methods.

Venous endothelial function in postmenopausal women after six months of tibolone therapy.

Study Objective: To test venous endothelial function in long-term climateric therapy with tibolone.

Design: Measurement of dorsal hand-vein diameter by venous occlusion plethysmography during infusion of norepinephrine (NE), bradykinin (BK), NG-monomethyl L-arginine (L-NMMA) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP).

Setting: Plethysmography and Menopause Units.