The Role of Statins in the Management of Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

Each year, a large number of patients undergo coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) worldwide. Accumulating evidence suggests that the preoperative administration of statins might be useful in preventing adverse events after CABG. In the present review, we discuss the role of statins in the perioperative management of patients undergoing CABG.

Left atrial deformation as a potent predictor for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in patients with end-stage renal disease.

It is widely known that various factors contribute to left atrial (LA) mechanical dysfunction in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). However, the connection between atrial dysfunction and arrhythmic events such as paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF), in this group of patients, remains unclear. The purpose of our study was to evaluate prospectively the association between LA deformation indices and PAF in ESRD patients.

Radical scavenging activity characterization of synthetic isochroman-derivatives of hydroxytyrosol: A gas-phase DFT approach.

Hydroxytyrosol (HT) and a set of synthetic isochroman derivatives of HT have been studied with regards to their radical scavenging activity in the gas employing density functional theory (DFT) and the Becke's 3 Lee Yang Parr (B3LYP) functional. Values of molecular descriptors (bond dissociation enthalpy, BDE; ionization potential, IP; proton dissociation enthalpy, PDE; proton affinity, PA; electron transfer energy, ETE; electron accepting power, ɷ+; electron donating power, ɷ-; net electrophilicity, Δɷ) characterizing the hydrogen atom or electron donating efficiency of test compounds were used. Published experimental findings for the radical scavenging activity of the same compounds using methods such as Rancimat, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical cation and oxygen radical absorbance capacity were discussed.

Case report of a patient with iliac occlusive disease due to pseudoxantoma elasticum and review of the bibliography.

Background: Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by progressive calcification and fragmentation of elastic fibers in the skin, the retina, and the cardiovascular system, and is also termed as elastorrhexia. The purpose of this case presentation is to report the case of a PXE patient with an atypical localization of atherosclerotic lesion (iliac arteries) and that this rare disease should always be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with premature atheromatosis.

Methods And Results: A 58-year-old patient, suffering from PXE, came to our clinic to seek advice for his severe lower limb claudication.