Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of Patients Hospitalized for Decompensated Heart Failure with Extremely High NT-proBNP Levels.

Background: NT-proBNP levels with a wide range at admission play both a diagnostic and a prognostic role in patients with HF. The differences regarding the clinical profiles and demography in decompensated HF patients according to NT-proBNP levels at admission are not clear.

Methods: This study aimed to analyze and compare clinical profiles and demographics in patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure according to levels of NT-proBNP at admission.

Echocardiographic assessment of epicardial adipose tissue thickness as independent predictor in coronary artery disease.

This study aimed to assess the utility of echocardiography-measured epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness (EATT) as an independent predictor for coronary artery disease (CAD), examining its correlation with oxidative stress levels in epicardial tissue and the complexity of the disease in patients undergoing open-heart surgery. This study included a total of 25 patients referred for cardiac surgery with 14 in the CAD group and 11 in the non-CAD group. Epicardial fat was sampled from patients subjected to open-heart surgery EATT was higher in the CAD group compared to the non-CAD group (8.

Aortic aneurysms in patients with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in the southwestern region of Romania - clinical and histopathological study.

An aneurysm is defined as a dilation of the arterial wall with a diameter exceeding 1.5 times the normal diameter of the vessel concerned. Aortic aneurysms (AAs) can develop at any level but are mostly found at the abdominal and infrarenal levels and extend to the iliac arteries.

Assessing the Relationship between Indexed Epicardial Adipose Tissue Thickness, Oxidative Stress in Adipocytes, and Coronary Artery Disease Complexity in Open-Heart Surgery Patients.

: This cross-sectional study conducted at the Timișoara Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Romania, and the Centre for Translational Research and Systems Medicine from "Victor Babeș" University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Timișoara, Romania, investigated the relationship between indexed epicardial adipose tissue thickness (EATTi) and oxidative stress in epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) adipocytes in the context of coronary artery disease (CAD) among open-heart surgery patients. The objective was to elucidate the contribution of EATTi as an additional marker for complexity prediction in patients with CAD, potentially influencing clinical decision-making in surgical settings. : The study included 25 patients undergoing cardiac surgery, with a mean age of 65.

Potential role for pentoxifylline as an anti-inflammatory drug for patients with acute coronary syndrome.

The link between inflammation and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains to be sufficiently elucidated. It has been previously suggested that there is an inflammatory process associated with ACS. Pentoxifylline, a methylxanthine derivate, is known to delay the progression of atherosclerosis and reduce the risk of vascular events, especially by modulating the systemic inflammatory response.

Contribution of Global and Regional Longitudinal Strain for Clinical Assessment of HFpEF in Coronary and Hypertensive Patients.

Contribution of global and regional longitudinal strain (GLS) for clinical assessment of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is not well established. We sought to evaluate subclinical left ventricular dysfunction secondary to coronary artery disease (CAD) in HFpEF patients compared with hypertensive patients and age-matched healthy subjects. This was a retrospective study that included 148 patients (group 1 = 62 patients with HFpEF, group 2 = 46 hypertensive patients, and group 3 = 40 age-matched control subjects).

The Incremental Prognostic Value of E/(e'×s') Ratio in Non-ST-Segment Elevated Acute Coronary Syndrome.

It has been shown that the E/(e'×s') index, which associates a marker of diastolic function (E/e', early transmitral/diastolic mitral annulus velocity ratio) and a parameter that explores LV systolic performance (s', systolic mitral annulus velocity), is a good predictor of outcome in acute anterior myocardial infarction. There are no studies that have investigated the prognostic value of E/(e'×s') in a non-ST-segment elevated acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) population. Echocardiography was performed in 307 consecutive hospitalized patients with NSTE-ACS and succesful percutaneous coronary intervention, before discharge and six weeks after.

Effects of pentoxifylline on inflammatory markers and blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: Pentoxifylline is a xanthine derivative with potential cardiovascular benefits.

Aim: To evaluate the impact of pentoxifylline on blood pressure (BP) and plasma TNF-α, C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-6 through a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Methods: The protocol was registered (PROSPERO: CRD42016035988).

Comparison of clinical outcomes between bioresorbable vascular stents versus conventional drug-eluting and metallic stents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: Several studies have suggested good procedural and similar clinical outcomes between everolimus-eluting Absorb bioresorbable stents (BRS) versus conventional drug-eluting stents (DES), but the evidence is not definitive. Our aim was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effects of BRS versus conventional drug-eluting and bare metallic stents on the cardiovascular endpoints and all-cause mortality.

Methods And Results: The follow-up in the included studies was up to 13 months.

Bioresorbable scaffold - A magic bullet for the treatment of coronary artery disease?

Today, drug-eluting metal stents are considered the gold standard for interventional treatment of coronary artery disease. While providing inhibition of neointimal hyperplasia, drug-eluting metal stents have many limitations such as the risk of late and very late stent thrombosis, restriction of vascular vasomotion and chronic local inflammatory reaction due to permanent implantation of a 'metallic cage', recognized as a foreign body. Bioresorbable scaffold stents (BRS) are a new solution, which is trying to overcome the limitation of the 'metallic cage'.