Prevalence of Transmitted Drug Resistance among HIV-1 Patients in the Aegean Region: Results from the Western Part of Turkey.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the antiretroviral drug resistance in antiretroviral treatment-naïve HIV-positive patients in the Aegean Region of Turkey from 2012 to 2019.

Methods: The study included 814 plasma samples from treatment-naïve HIV-positive patients. Drug resistance analysis was performed by Sanger sequencing (SS) between 2012-2017 and by next-generation sequencing sequencing (NGS) between 2018-2019.

Investigation of West Nile virus among healthy blood donors in the western part of Turkey.

Background/aim: THE West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus causing different forms of infection among humans, varying from asymptomatic illness to fetal central nervous system infection. Turkeylies within an endemic region for WNV. Transfusion of infected blood products is another well-documented major route of transmission.

Metastatic pulmonary calcinosis and leukocytoclastic vasculitis in a patient with multiple myeloma.

Unlabelled: Both leukocytoclastic vasculitis and metastatic pulmonary calcification are conditions that rarely occur during the course of multiple myeloma. We present a multiple myeloma patient that had severe dyspnea due to metastatic pulmonary calcinosis, and ulceronecrotic skin lesions caused by leukocytoclastic vasculitis. After 3 courses of standarddose chemotherapy all skin and pulmonary lesions disappeared.

Prediction of early postoperative atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery: is it possible?

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation is common after cardiac surgery. In this study, we aimed to investigate the value of interatrial conduction time for the prediction of early postoperative atrial fibrillation, using intra-operative transoesophageal echocardiography.

Methods: A total of 65 patients undergoing cardiac surgery in our hospital between January and March 2007 were prospectively evaluated, and 59 patients with sinus rhythm were included in the study.

Acute thrombotic occlusion of right coronary and left circumflex coronary arteries in a patient with antiphospholipid syndrome: successful stent implantation.

Antiphospholipid syndrome is a rare disorder. Acute myocardial infarction is uncommon among these patients. Here we report a case of a 44-year-old man with antiphospholipid syndrome admitted for acute inferior myocardial infarction.

C-reactive protein in unstable angina pectoris and its relation to coronary angiographic severity and diffusion scores of coronary lesions.

Objective: We aimed to assess the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) and the severity and diffusion of coronary artery lesions in patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP) and the independent association of CRP with this clinical situation.

Methods: This cross-sectional, observational study included 50 patients. Classification by Braunwald was used for UAP.

Can left internal mammary artery side branches affect blood flow rate?

The left internal mammary artery (LIMA) is the most commonly used arterial graft for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, and occluding the LIMA side branches during surgery is important to avoid myocardial ischaemia afterwards. In this study we investigated the incidence of patent LIMA graft side branches in our coronary angiography series, and compared LIMA flow rate changes by means of the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count in patients with and without LIMA graft side branches. Patients with a history of CABG surgery and who were scheduled for coronary angiography in our centre between 1 January and 15 December 2006 were enrolled in the study.

Echocardiographic Predictors of Symptomatic Atrial Fibrillation In Patients with Rheumatic Mitral Stenosis and Normal Sinus Rhythm.

Unlabelled: Rheumatic mitral stenosis (RMS) increases the risk of both atrial fibrillation (AF) and thromboembolism. Patients with mitral stenosis and normal sinus rhythm were enrolled in the study prospectively.The present study was designed to study whether echocardiographic evaluation in patients with mitral stenosis and normal sinus rhythm could predict the occurrence of symptomatic AF .

Effect of chronic arsenic exposure from drinking waters on the QT interval and transmural dispersion of repolarization.

This study investigated the effects of chronic arsenic exposure on QT- and QTc-interval prolongation, QTc dispersion (QTcd) and transmural dispersion of repolarization (TDR). We compared cardiac parameters from 40 male subjects chronically exposed to arsenic (group A) with those of 40 male subjects not exposed to arsenic (group B). Although subjects in both groups had non-corrected QT intervals within normal limits, subjects in group A had significantly longer QTc and QTcd intervals compared with group B.

Multi-center transferability of a breath-hold T2 technique for myocardial iron assessment.

Background: Cardiac iron overload is the leading cause of death in thalassemia major and is usually assessed using myocardial T2* measurements. Recently a cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) breath-hold T2 sequence has been developed as a possible alternative. This cardiac T2 technique has good interstudy reproducibility, but its transferability to different centres has not yet been investigated.

Solitary osteochondroma causing popliteal pseudoaneurysm that presented as a mass lesion.

Osteochondromas are the most frequently occurring bone tumors and can rarely lead to vascular complications. A 14-year-old boy with solitary exostosis of the right femur presented with a mass lesion at the posterior aspect of the thigh. Radiological studies demonstrated a popliteal artery pseudoaneurysm.

Is there an association between left bundle branch block and coronary slow flow in patients with normal coronary arteries?

Slow flow in angiographically normal coronary arteries is not a rarely seen problem. It is unknown whether it is related with conduction disorders. In this study we investigated the frequency of conduction disorders in patients with normal coronary artery and slow flow.

Transient cortical blindness after cardiac catheterization with iobitridol.

The occurrence rate of transient cortical blindness after contrast media exposure has been reported to be as high as 1% to 4% after cerebral or vertebral angiography, but such blindness has been described in only a few cases of coronary angiography with modern, non-ionic, low-osmolality radio-contrast agents. In this study, we present a case of abrupt cortical blindness after exposure to contrast media during diagnostic coronary angiography; to our knowledge, this is the 1st report in the medical literature that describes transient cortical blindness after iobitridol use.

The time interval from the initiation of the P-wave to the start of left atrial appendage ejection flow: does it reflect interatrial conduction time?

Unlabelled: Recurrence of atrial fibrillation is more common in patients with atrial conduction delay. In the present study, we evaluated whether findings obtained from transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), a semi-invasive method, correlate with those from an invasive method, electrophysiologic study (EPS), in measuring interatrial conduction time.

Methods And Results: We compared two methods of calculating interatrial conduction time in a group of 33 patients.

Acute myocardial infarction in a young man caused by centipede sting.

It is known that insects can cause various clinical effects such as myocardial ischaemia and hypotension from vasospasm and the myocardial toxic effects of the venom and anaphylaxis. Although myocardial ischaemia resulting from centipede sting has been reported once before, myocardial injury has not. In this report, the authors present the case of a 20 year old male patient bitten by a centipede and admitted to the emergency room with chest pain, abnormal electrocardiographic findings, and increased cardiac enzymes (cardiac troponin T) suggesting acute myocardial infarction.

Brucella endocarditis: the importance of surgical timing after medical treatment (five cases).

Introduction: Brucella endocarditis is a disease that is hard to treat medically and has a high mortality. Immediate surgery after medical treatment is very important because delaying surgery may lead to that are difficult to repair.

Methods: Five patients who were admitted to our institution with a diagnosis of Brucella endocarditis were medically treated with doxycycline (200 mg/d), rifampin (600 mg/d), and ceftriaxone (2 g/d).

Gene therapy: applications in interventional radiology.

Gene therapy is a new and rapidly developing area in medicine. Although it is a new therapy method, recent studies look promising. Since vascular wall is a good target for this treatment, interventional radiologists should become familiar with this new therapy and be involved in this multidisciplinary collaboration.