Multimodality imaging assessment of a caseous calcification of the mitral valve annulus.

Caseous calcification of the mitral annulus (CCMA) is a rare echocardiographic finding. It is commonly misdiagnosed as an abscess, tumor or infective vegetation on the mitral valve. Since it is a benign process, differentiating it from malignant intra-cardiac mass is primordial to avoid unnecessary surgery.

[Limits of quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) in intermediate stenosis measuring: a correlation and concordance study with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)].

Background: Although coronarography is still the gold standard to evaluate coronary lesions, it remains a bidimensional representation of a tridimensional complex structure, which can represent a source of error in measurements.

Aims: to perform a correlation and concordance study between quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and intravascular ultrasound measurements for intermediate and ambiguous lesions.

Methods: We analysed 40 patients' coronary arteries from March 2009 to November 2011 by both QCA and intravascular ultrasound to perform then a correlation and concordance study.

[Role of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in determining the therapeutic strategy for the patients with intermediate coronary lesions].

Background: Coronarography presents some limits in assessing intermediate stenosis. Intravascular ultrasound provides tridimensional measurements of the artery, with more reliable data guiding revascularization decision.

Aims: to evaluate the impact of intravascular ultrasound measurements on revascularization decision of intermediate and ambiguous coronary lesions.

Cardiac events in Costello syndrome: One case and a review of the literature.

Costello syndrome is a rare syndrome associated with de novo mutations in the HRAS gene. It is mostly revealed during in the first months of life by growth retardation, facial dysmorphic features, skin and cardiac abnormalities and subsequent cognitive deficit of varying severity. We report a case of Costello syndrome in a 3-month-old infant.

[Benefits of coronary revascularization in septuagenarian patients with acute coronary syndrome].

Background: Prognosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in elderly patients is bleak. Also older people tend to receive less invasive treatment than younger patients.

Aim: To analyze the impact of coronary revascularization on the mid-term outcome of septuagenarian patients admitted with ACS.

[Circular shunt in the severe neonatal form of Ebstein's Anomaly. The prostaglandine infusion is it beneficial or harmful?].

Ebstein's disease with functional pulmonary atresia is a severe neonatal presentation of Ebstein's anomaly where the therapeutic management is typically based on the prescription of prostaglandins. The circular shunt is a serious "hemodynamic" complication which is often undiagnosed leading to the discontinuation of prostaglandins. We report a severe neonatal form of Ebstein's anomaly with hemodynamic deterioration relatted to a circular shunt.

Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is a new natural host of Hop stunt viroid.

Besides hop, Hop stunt viroid (HpSVd) infects many woody species including grapevine, citrus, peach, plum, apricot, almond, pomegranate, mulberry and jujube. Here, we report the first detection of HpSVd in pistachio (Pistacia vera L.).

[Coronary angiographic characteristics in septuagenarian patients with acute coronary syndrome].

Background: Although the prognosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in elderly patients is bleak , elderly population is less well treated both in medical and interventional terms. aims: to analyse angiographic findings in septuagenarian patients admitted with ACS and its impact on the therapeutic strategy.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed 250 patients 70 years or older hospitalised for ACS who underwent a coronary angiography between january 2006 to September 2010.

Comparison of coronary calcifications detection by angiogram versus intravascular ultrasound.

Background: The presence, extent and location of calcium in coronary artery lesions are important determinants of the success of per cutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Although coronarography remains the gold standard for coronary disease detection, Intravascular ultrasound ( IVUS) is proposed as a superior technique for identifying patients with coronary artery calcification .

Aim: To define sensibility and specificity of coronary angiography in detecting calcifications considering the IVUS as gold standard.

Single-strand conformation polymorphism for molecular variability studies of six viroid species.

Molecular diversity within six viroid species and different molecular variants, in each species infecting fruit trees was first estimated by the single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) technique and then by direct sequencing analysis. The different variants studied are to three Australian grapevine viroids(AGVd), four citrus dwarfing viroids (CDVd), eleven grapevine yellow speckle viroids type-1 (GYSVd-1), four hop stunt viroids (HSVd), seven peach latent mosaic viroids (PLMVd), and eight pear blister canker viroids (PBCVd). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) conditions were compared and optimized to improve the sensitivity of the existing SSCP parameters.

Giant aortic arch aneurysm complicating Kawasaki disease: an original case report.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a common acute vasculitis in pediatric population that usually involves small and middle-sized arteries, commonly coronary arteries. Although the incidence and natural course of coronary aneurysms after KD are well documented, related reports on peripheral arterial and aortic aneurysms are scarce. We report an original case of a giant aortic aneurysm involving the horizontal part of aortic arch in a 28 months- old patient diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease.

[Coronary artery bypass grafting in diabetic patients: early and mid-term outcomes].

Background: The outcome of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in diabetic patients has traditionally been worse than in nondiabetic patients. Recent studies have suggested an improvement in outcome in diabetic patients undergoing CABG. However, the direct impact of diabetes on mortality and morbidities following CABG remains unclear.