Physical exercise in hypertensive heart disease: From the differential diagnosis to the complementary role of exercise.

Arterial hypertension (AH) is one of the most common pathologic conditions and uncontrolled AH is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. AH chronically causes myocardial and arterial remodelling with hemodynamic changes affecting the heart and other organs, with potentially irreversible consequences leading to poor outcomes. Therefore, a proper and early treatment of AH is crucial after the diagnosis.

Right ventricular dysfunction in chronic heart failure: clinical laboratory and echocardiographic characteristics. (the RIVED-CHF registry).

Background: Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) and pulmonary hypertension have been recognized as two important prognostic features in patients with left side heart failure. Current literature does not distinguish between right heart failure (RHF) and RVD, and the two terms are used indiscriminately to describe pulmonary hypertension and RVD as well as clinical sign of RHF. Therefore, the right ventricle (RV) adaptation across the whole spectrum of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) values has been poorly investigated.

Usefulness of Combined Ultrasound Assessment of E/e' Ratio, Pulmonary Pressure, and Cava Vein Status in Patients With Acute Heart Failure.

Congestion is poorly investigated by ultrasound scans during acute heart failure (AHF) and systematic studies evaluating ultrasound indexes of cardiac pulmonary and systemic congestion during early hospital admission are lacking. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of ultrasound cardiac pulmonary and systemic congestion in a consecutive cohort of hospitalized patients with AHF, analyzing the relevance of each ultrasound congestion component (cardiac, pulmonary, and systemic) in predicting the risk of death and rehospitalization. This is a prospective research study of a single center that evaluates patients with an AHF diagnosis who are divided according to the left ventricular ejection fraction in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction or reduced ejection fraction.

Aortic banding and endovascular aneurysm repair in a case of juxtarenal aortic aneurysm with unsuitable infrarenal neck.

The proximal aortic neck is one of the limiting factors for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and represents a crucial factor for success or failure of the procedure. In contrast to open surgery, where a clamp can be placed suprarenally but the repair performed infrarenally, EVAR requires a good infrarenal neck for durable fixation and seal. In a high-risk surgical 79-year-old patient with juxtarenal aortic aneurysm with unsuitable infrarenal neck, a hybrid procedure was chosen: juxtarenal aortic banding and EVAR.

Protein S-100B as biochemical marker of brain ischemic damage after treatment of carotid stenosis.

Background: S-100 protein is a family of low molecular weight proteins found in vertebrates characterized by two calcium binding sites of the helix-loop-helix ("EF-hand type") conformation. There are at least 21 different types of S-100 proteins. The name is derived from the fact that the protein is 100% soluble in ammonium sulfate at neutral pH.

Early increase of oxidative stress and soluble CD40L in children with hypercholesterolemia.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyze the behavior of oxidative stress and its interplay with CD40L, a protein that is implicated in atherosclerosis, in hypercholesterolemic children.

Background: Oxidative stress has been suggested to play a major role in premature atherosclerosis.

Methods: Forty-one children with hypercholesterolemia (mean age 9.

Effect of dietary supplementation with glucomannan on plasma total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic children.

Aim: This paper evaluates the effect of the adjunct of the hydrosoluble fiber glucomannan to a Step-One-Diet in 40 plasma hypercholesterolemic children, during a randomized controlled trial, to reduce plasma cholesterol.

Methods: All the subjects recruited underwent an 8-week run in diet period; a Step-One-Diet was prescribed. After that, they were randomly allocated to one of two groups: Step-One-Diet only (control), and Step-One-Diet plus glucomannan in gelatine capsules.