Pulmonary artery catheterization in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock: A review of contemporary literature.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction patients, the most common cause of cardiogenic shock (CS), have acutely deteriorating hemodynamic status. The frequent use of vasopressor and inotropic pharmacologic interventions along with mechanical circulatory support (MCS) in these patients necessitates invasive hemodynamic monitoring. After the pivotal Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness trial failed to show a significant improvement in clinical outcomes in shock patients managed with a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC), the use of PAC has become less popular in clinical practice.

C-reactive protein levels associated with COVID-19 outcomes in the United States.

Context: COVID-19 caused a worldwide pandemic, and there are still many uncertainties about the disease. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels could be utilized as a prognosticator for disease severity in COVID-19 patients.

Objectives: This study aims to determine whether CRP levels are correlated with COVID-19 patient outcomes and length of stay (LoS).

Sex Differences in Clinical Outcomes Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention of Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has emerged as a reasonable alternative to coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in well-selected patients with unprotected left main coronary disease (LMCD). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis with the aim of assessing the impact of sex on outcomes of PCI in patients with unprotected LMCD.

Methods: A systematic search of PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases was performed to identify studies comparing the outcomes of men vs.

Comparison of percutaneous device closure versus surgical closure of peri-membranous ventricular septal defects: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: While percutaneous device closure (PDC) is a first-line therapy for isolated muscular ventricular septal defects (mVSD), surgery is still the preferred approach for peri-membranous ventricular septal defects (pmVSD).

Objective: We sought to compare the outcomes of percutaneous versus open surgical closure of pmVSDs.

Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched through October 15, 2014 for English language studies comparing outcomes of PDC with surgical closure of pmVSDs.

Vitamin D deficiency induces cardiac hypertrophy and inflammation in epicardial adipose tissue in hypercholesterolemic swine.

Introduction: Vitamin D is a sectosteroid that functions through Vitamin D receptor (VDR), a transcription factor, which controls the transcription of many targets genes. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked with cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure and coronary artery disease. Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)3 regulates different biological processes such as inflammation and cellular differentiation and is an endogenous negative regulator of cardiac hypertrophy.

A comparison of stent-induced stenosis in coronary and peripheral arteries.

Background And Objectives: Restenosis is a complication of interventional procedures such as angioplasty and stenting, often limiting the success of these procedures. Knowledge regarding the relative behaviour of different arteries after these procedures is limited, despite the extensive use of different vascular models. Although the results from studies using different vessels are analysed to predict the behaviour of coronary arteries and other vasculature, direct controlled comparisons between different arteries are necessary for a better understanding of the differential response to restenosis.

Calphostin C as a rapid and strong inducer of apoptosis in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play a major role in the development of atherosclerotic and restenotic lesions. The apoptotic process has been implicated in the development of this pathology. In this study, we characterized the induction of apoptosis by calphostin C (CC), a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, in primary human coronary artery smooth muscle cells in the presence and absence of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I).

Comparison of fixed-dose transdermal nicotine, tapered-dose transdermal nicotine, and buspirone in smoking cessation.

The authors compared the outcome of 208 smokers treated with fixed-dose transdermal nicotine (n = 69), tapered-dose transdermal nicotine (n = 71), or buspirone (n = 68). At baseline, there were no significant differences among the three treatment groups with regard to age, gender, educational level, duration of smoking, number of cigarettes smoked per day, concomitant disease states or drug use, or Fagerstrom score. All smokers participated in a behavior modification program.

Randomized, controlled trial of transdermal clonidine for smoking cessation.

Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of clonidine versus placebo in smoking cessation.

Design: Single-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel-design comparison of transdermal clonidine with behavior modification, transdermal clonidine without behavior modification, placebo with behavior modification, and placebo without behavior modification.

Setting: Outpatient, university-based ambulatory care facility.

Cortical blindness after cardiac catheterization: effect of rechallenge with dye.

Transient cortical blindness (CB) is a rare complication of dye usage during cardiac catheterization, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) or directed coronary atherectomy (DCA), and is limited to few case reports. In this paper, we are describing three such cases of CB who, upon reexposure to dye during subsequent cardiac catheterization, did not develop CB. To our knowledge, the consequences of reexposure of these patients to dye has not been described in literature.