Association between plasma asymmetrical dimethylarginine activity and saphenous vein graft disease in patients with coronary bypass.

Background: Coronary vein graft disease is an important contributor to the morbidity after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Graft occlusion is a serious complication, which limits the use of the saphenous vein as a coronary bypass conduit. Asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase and it reduces the bioavailability of nitric oxide and begets endothelial dysfunction.

Induction of phenolic compounds and pathogenesis-related proteins by mycorrhizal fungal inoculations against Phytophthora capsici Leonian in pepper.

In this study, the effects ofmycorrhizal fungal inoculations of Glomus mosseae, G. etunicatum, G. fasciculatus and Gigaspora margarita species on phenolic compounds and pathogenesis related proteins were investigated in pepper - Phytophthora capsici plant pathosystem.

Diastereoselective control through hydrogen bonding in the aziridination of the chiral allylic alcohols by acetoxyaminoquinazolinone.

A high diastereoselectivity (up to >99:1) is found for the aziridinations of chiral allylic alcohols with acetoxyaminoquinazolinone (Q-NHOAc). The selectivity is explained in terms of hydrogen bonding between the hydroxy functionality of the allylic alcohol and the remote carbonyl group of the quinazolinone.

[Transportation of two patients with acute myocardial infarction for primary percutaneous coronary intervention by a helicopter ambulance].

Air ambulance system has been established throughout the country by the Ministry of Health of Turkey. Fifteen provinces are determined as centers of the system so that all the country is covered within at the most one-hour flight distance. As part of this nationwide system, two helicopter ambulances have been deployed in our hospital since October 2008.

Influence of heavy cigarette smoking on heart rate variability and heart rate turbulence parameters.

Background: Cigarette smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular events related with several mechanisms. The most suggested mechanism is increased activity of sympathetic nervous system. Heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate turbulence (HRT) has been shown to be independent and powerful predictors of mortality in a specific group of cardiac patients.

Resolution of late sirolimus-eluting stent thrombosis after tirofiban treatment.

A 40-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital with acute chest pain. A sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) had been deployed to the circumflex artery (Cx) 3 years before. Now, inferior ST-segment elevations were observed and coronary angiography revealed stent thrombosis with distal TIMI 3 grade flow in the Cx.

Acute coronary syndrome triggered by honeybee sting: a case report.

A 56-year-old previously healthy man was admitted to our hospital with a severe chest pain that started shortly after being stung by a honeybee. He did not have any allergic symptoms and there was no cutaneous or respiratory evidence of allergy on physical examination. Electrocardiographic and biochemical markers were consistent with an acute coronary syndrome.

Production of (R)-1-phenylethanols through bioreduction of acetophenones by a new fungus isolate Trichothecium roseum.

A total of 120 fungal strains were isolated from soil samples and evaluated in the bioreduction of substituted acetophenones to the corresponding (R)-alcohols. Among these strains, isolate Trichothecium roseum EBK-18 was highly effective in the production of (R)-alcohols with excellent enantioselectivity (ee > 99%). Gram scale preparation of (R)-1-phenylethanol is reported.

Low-dose natural human interferon-alpha lozenges in the treatment of Behçet's syndrome.

Objectives: There had been evidence that low-dose local IFN could be beneficial in the management of recurrent oral ulcers (OUs). We investigated the efficacy and collected initial data on the safety of low-dose natural human IFN-alpha administered by the oral mucosal route in Behçet's syndrome (BS) in a placebo controlled, double blind study.

Methods: Eighty-four (59 males and 25 females) patients with BS with mainly skin mucosa disease and a history of recurrent OU for > or = 1 year were studied.

Vertebral artery stenting by using coronary intervention techniques and devices.

Atherosclerotic disease of the vertebro/basilar vessels is an important cause of posterior circulation infarction. Commonly, the primary atheroma forms at the origin of the vertebral arteries. Although initial treatment is medical, arch and four-vessel studies (CTA, MRA, or DSA) are warranted if symptoms continue.

Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of the essential oil and methanol extract of Nepeta cataria.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is an important medicinal herb belonging to the mint family, Lamiaceae. In this study, the in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extract from Nepeta cataria, and its essential oil composition were investigated. The essential oil, which has 4aalpha,7alpha,7abeta-nepetalactone (70.

Singlet oxygen generation from [bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodo]benzene and hydrogen peroxide.

Decomposition of hydrogen peroxide with a hypervalent iodine compound was examined. The results indicate that treatment of a hypervalent iodine compound with hydrogen peroxide produces singlet molecular oxygen ((1)O(2)). Convergent evidence for the production of singlet molecular oxygen ((1)O(2)) by decomposition of hydrogen peroxide with a hypervalent iodine compound comes from chemical trapping experiments and the specific chemiluminescence detection of (1)O(2) at 1270 nm.

P-wave dispersion increases in prehypertension.

Background: Prolongation of P-wave durations and increased P-wave dispersion are independent predictors of atrial fibrillation (AF). AF is the most common arrhythmia of the general population. Prehypertension, including those with systolic blood pressure ranging from 120-139 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ranging from 80-89 mmHg was described by JNC7.

[Cutaneous infection caused by Alternaria alternata in an immunocompetent host].

Human infections caused by Alternaria alternata are more frequently reported in immunosupressive hosts. In this report, a rarely seen cutaneous infection, caused by A. alternata in an immunocompetent patient was presented.

Enhancing myocardial salvage and regeneration as adjuncts to reperfusion therapy: unresolved issues after myocardial infarction.

Despite substantial advances in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction, ischemic cardiac injury and ventricular dysfunction may develop in patients undergoing reperfusion therapy. In the past few years, several experimental and clinical studies have investigated ways of enhancing myocardial salvage and regeneration. Although clinical evidence suggests that some treatment strategies might be able to enhance myocardial salvage and regeneration, many open questions remain, including the exact mechanisms leading to benefits, the influence of patient characteristics, optimal clinical indication and patient selection, and delivery method, route, and timing of therapies.

Multisided cardiac hemangiomas mimicking biatrial thrombus: atypically located cardiac hemangiomas of left atrial appendage and right atrium.

Hemangiomas are rare benign tumors of the heart. Clinical presentation is highly variable according to the location, size, and extension of the tumor. Hemangiomas have been described in all cardiac chambers, but most occur on the right side of the heart and in the left atrium.

Effect of additives on chemoselectivity and diastereoselectivity in the catalytic epoxidation of chiral allylic alcohols with hydrogen peroxide and binuclear manganese complexes.

The catalytic oxidations of chiral allylic alcohols 2 by manganese complexes of the cyclic triamine 1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane (tmtacn) 1 and hydrogen peroxide as oxygen donor in the presence of co-catalyst are investigated to understand the factors that affect the catalyst selectivity. Chemoselectivity and diastereoselectivity of catalyst 1 are significantly affected by the structure of the allylic alcohol and the nature and amount of co-catalyst. More pronounced is the influence of the amount of added molar equivalents of H(2)O(2) (20-110 mol % with respect to the substrate).

Diastolic heart failure in elderly: the prognostic factors and interventions regarding heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction is more common in elderly. Common comorbidities may have an impact on management of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. The prognosis in more recent studies has been shown to be essentially similar to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Heart rate turbulence and heart rate variability in patients with atrial synchronous ventricular pacing.

Background: Heart rate turbulence (HRT) and heart rate variability (HRV) have been shown to be independent and powerful predictors of mortality in a specific group of cardiac patients. Pacing has unfavorable effects on autonomic function. Our aim is to investigate autonomic responses to atrial synchronous ventricular pacing (VDD) by evaluating HRT and HRV parameters.

The relationship between Chlamydophila pneumoniae IgG titer and coronary atherosclerosis.

Background: The role of Chlamydophila pneumoniae (CP) in the progression of atherosclerosis is controversial. Also no sufficient angiographic study is available about the impact of CP infection on severity and intensity of coronary atherosclerosis. We investigated the relation between CP IgG antibody titers and severity and intensity of coronary atherosclerosis

Methods: The study population consisted of 516 consecutive patients who underwent a coronary angiography.

Coronary saddle embolism causing myocardial infarction in a patient with mechanical mitral valve prosthesis: treatment with thrombolytic therapy.

Coronary embolism is an uncommon cause for myocardial infarction in clinical practice and there is no consensus on the treatment of this subject. Thrombolytic agents and percutaneous intervention are up to date options and yet there are only a few case reports regarding thrombolytic therapy in this special subgroup of patients suffering from myocardial infarction. We reported a 37-year-old woman patient with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction due to coronary embolism who was successfully treated using intravenous thrombolytic therapy with tissue plasminogen activator.

Takayasu disease with prominent pulmonary artery involvement: confusion with pulmonary disease leading to delayed diagnosis.

Pulmonary artery involvement as the initial predominant clinical manifestation in Takayasu arteritis (TA) is rare. We describe a young adult female who presented with life-threatening complications of proximal pulmonary arterial involvement of Takayasu arteritis. In our case, atypical presentation of TA with pulmonary symptoms due to pulmonary artery involvement resulted in an erroneous initial diagnosis of sarcoidosis and then tuberculosis.