A Prospective Noninterventional, Observational Study to Describe the Effectiveness and Safety of Trandolapril and Verapamil Single-Pill Combination in the Management of Patients with Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Harvest TR Study.

Maintaining regular blood pressure control usually requires multidrug regimens rather than monotherapy. The objective of this study was to describe the effectiveness and safety of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and a nondihydropyridine calcium channel blocker in a single-tablet combination in patients with hypertension, a heart rate higher than 70 beats/min, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study was conducted in Turkey as a prospective, noninterventional, observational study.

[Turkish Cardiology Association Consensus Report: COVID-19 Pandemic and Cardiovascular Diseases (May 13, 2020)].

In December 2019, in the city of Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China, treatment-resistant cases of pneumonia emerged and spread rapidly for reasons unknown. A new strain of coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 [SARS-CoV-2]) was identified and caused the first pandemic of the 21st century. The virus was officially detected in our country on March 11, 2020, and the number of cases increased rapidly; the virus was isolated in 670 patients within 10 days.

[Consensus Report from Turkish Society of Cardiology: COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Diseases. What cardiologists should know. (25th March 2020)].

In December 2019, in the city of Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China, treatment-resistant cases of pneumonia emerged and spread rapidly for reasons unknown. A new strain of coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 [SARS-CoV-2]) was identified and caused the first pandemic of the 21st century. The virus was officially detected in our country on March 11, 2020, and the number of cases increased rapidly; the virus was isolated in 670 patients within 10 days.

A rare and overlooked mechanical complication of partial nephrectomy: Accelerated hypertension due to renal artery stenosis.

Secondary hypertension accounts for 5% to 10% of all hypertensive cases, and renal artery stenosis is one of the most common causes of secondary hypertension. Although atherosclerotic vascular disease and fibromuscular dysplasia are the leading causes of renal artery stenosis, there are other, rare etiologies, such as vasculitis and trauma. A partial nephrectomy is the standard of care treatment option for early stage renal carcinoma patients.

[All diuretics used in the treatment of hypertension are not the same].

Diuretics have been used for years to treat hypertension as both a monotherapy and in combination. Hydrochlorothiazide, indapamide, and chlorthalidone have frequently been considered in the same category as thiazide diuretics, but there is no evidence that their activities are similar. Studies have shown that chlorthalidone and indapamide reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality; however, there is no study indicating that hydrochlorothiazide has beneficial effects on cardiovascular outcomes such as myocardial infarction, renal failure, stroke, or death.

New insights into the mechanisms of diastolic dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Little is known about the role of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their receptor (RAGE) in diabetic cardiovascular complications. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association of serum soluble RAGE (sRAGE) levels and left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Our study consisted of 40 patients with type 2 diabetes and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy control group.

Ischemic stroke phenotype in patients with nonsustained atrial fibrillation.

Background And Purpose: The widespread use of ambulatory cardiac monitoring has not only increased the detection of high-risk arrhythmias like persistent and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), but also made it possible to identify other aberrations such as short-lasting (<30 seconds) irregular runs of supraventricular tachycardia. Ischemic stroke phenotype might be helpful in understanding whether these nonsustained episodes play a similar role in stroke pathophysiology like their persistent and paroxysmal counterparts.

Methods: In a consecutive series of patients with ischemic stroke, we retrospectively determined clinical and imaging features associated with nonsustained AF (n=126), defined as <30-second-lasting supraventricular tachyarrhythmias with irregular RR interval on 24-hour Holter monitoring, and compared them to patients with persistent/paroxysmal AF (n=239) and no AF (n=246).

High-density lipoprotein subfractions and influence of endothelial lipase in a healthy Turkish population: a study in a land of low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Purpose: Low concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is prevalent in Turkey. Endothelial lipase (EL) regulates lipoprotein metabolism. Small, lipid-poor HDL particles represent more-efficient cholesterol acceptors than their large, lipid-rich counterparts.

Prevalence of coronary artery disease before valvular surgery in patients with rheumatic valvular disease.

Background: Although many patients with valvular heart disease have concomitant coronary artery disease (CAD), there are limited data on the association between rheumatic valvular disease (RVD) and CAD. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of CAD in a group of patients with RVD and undergoing coronary angiography before valvular surgery.

Methods: In this retrospective analysis, we enrolled a total of 1075 patients (658 women, 61.

Simultaneous subacute thrombosis of bare metal coronary stents in two different arteries early after clopidogrel cessation.

Coronary stent thrombosis is a rare event leading to ST segment elevation myocardial infarction and death. Although early thrombosis of drug-eluting and bare metal stents is relatively frequent, simultaneous thrombosis of bare metal coronary stents has rarely been reported. Here, we present a case of simultaneous subacute thrombosis of two bare metal stents in different coronary arteries early after clopidogrel cessation.

Diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of echocardiographic indices for detecting left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease and normal ejection fraction.

Objective: The aim of present study was to assess the clinical utility and diagnostic accuracy of diastolic dysfunction criteria that were recommended in current American Society of Echocardiography and European Association of Echocardiography recommendations for prediction of increased LVEDP (>16 mmHg) in patients with coronary artery disease and normal EF.

Methods: Forty-five consecutive patients (mean age=61.5±10.

Effects of lowering dialysate sodium on flow-mediated dilatation in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Objective: This study examined the effects of low dialysate sodium on endothelial dysfunction (ED) as measured by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of brachial artery in haemodialysis (HD) patients.

Methods: Thirty HD patients (17 men; mean age: 48.4 ± 17.

[Incomplete pacemaker lead fracture revealed by superficial maneuvers].

A 75-year-old man presented to our department with a complaint of recurrent syncope episodes seven years after dual chamber pacemaker implantation due to complete atrioventricular block. His electrocardiogram obtained on presentation showed a normal dual-chamber pacemaker rhythm. The chest X-ray and pacemaker interrogation did not show any lead fracture or dysfunction.

Are the conventional cutoff values adequate to define hypertension in young women?

Background: Women have lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels than men during early adulthood. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) tends to be just marginally lower in women than men regardless of age.

Objective: Aims of this study were (i) to determine 95th percentile value of SBP, DBP, and mean arterial blood pressure in healthy women, and (ii) to evaluate the effects of basal demographic and anthropometric features on blood pressure.

[Mean systolic annular velocity and strain score index: new and non-invasive parameters for the evaluation of acute myocardial infarction patients].

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of mean annular velocity (MAV) and strain score index (SSI) for determination of the left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with first acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: Seventy-one patients (55 male, mean age: 59+/-12 years) with first acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction and 30 healthy subjects were included in this cross-sectional and observational study. Echocardiography with tissue Doppler and strain analysis was performed during initial hospital admission.

Intron 4 VNTR polymorphism of eNOS gene is protective for cardiac syndrome X.

Microvascular abnormalities caused by endothelial dysfunction seem to be responsible for the myocardial ischemia in patients with cardiac syndrome X (CSX). Nitric oxide is a key mediator of endothelial function and is synthesized by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). We investigated if the 3 potential polymorphisms of the eNOS gene (VNTR in intron 4, T786C polymorphism in the promoter region, and G894T polymorphism in exon 7) are independent risk factors for CSX.

Distribution of endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene polymorphisms in Turkish population.

Nitric oxide (NO) is the major mediator in the regulation of vascular homeostasis. It is synthesized by endothelium from arginine with the catalytic help of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS). Polymorphisms in the eNOS gene have been associated inconsistently with many vascular diseases.

Association of plasma osteopontin levels with coronary calcification evaluated by tomographic coronary calcium scoring.

Evidence indicates that proteins controlling bone mineralization are also involved in the regulation of coronary calcification. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the association between plasma osteopontin (OPN) levels and coronary calcification quantified by using tomographic coronary calcium scoring. Plasma OPN levels were measured from samples of 80 intermediate-risk asymptomatic patients (56 +/- 10 years) who underwent tomographic coronary calcium scoring via multislice computed tomography for incremental risk stratification.

[The early predictors of ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction: the role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha].

Objective: Ventricular remodeling (VR) is a pathologic process characterized by progressive ventricular dilatation occurring after acute myocardial infarction (MI) leading to left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) levels to predict the left VR.

Methods: This prospective observational cohort study included 72 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed MI with age ranging between 38-87 years (mean 59 +/- 12 years).

Fenofibrate improves endothelial function and decreases thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor concentration in metabolic syndrome.

Procoagulant state, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction have been documented in metabolic syndrome. Endothelial dysfunction is a strong predictor of cardiovascular events. Studies on the association of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor and thrombosis are still controversial, but substantial evidence suggests that increased thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor or thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibits or protects against arterial thrombosis.

The role of surface ECG and transthoracic echocardiography for predicting postoperative atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass surgery.

Objective: To evaluate the roles of surface electrocardiogram (ECG) and transthoracic echocardiography (ECHO) for prediction of atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Methods: This study was conducted from 2002-2004 at the Cardiovascular Department of Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. Seventy consecutive patients were enrolled in this study that underwent elective CABG.

Early electrocardiographic diagnosis of acute coronary ischemia on the paced electrocardiogram.

Background: Twelve-lead electrocardiography (ECG) is the most important source for the early diagnosis of an acute myocardial ischemia. However, its diagnostic value when the sequence of ventricular activation is altered by ventricular pacing is unknown. The aim of the study was to evaluate the ECG changes on the paced ECG during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by doing temporary pacing.

Comparison of strain doppler echocardiography and radiologic left ventriculography for quantitative assessment of regional myocardial function.

Objective: We aimed to study the comparison of strain and strain rate parameters with conventional left ventriculography derived regional function.

Method: Forty patients were included in the study. The study group was selected from patients who had undergone left ventriculography and coronary angiography for clinical indications.