The effects of perindopril on aortic elasticity and inflammatory markers in hypertensive patients.

Background: Inflammation plays an important role in hypertension and in atherosclerosis. Inflammatory changes induced even in prehypertensive subjects can lead to increased arterial stiffness. The effects of perindopril on both inflammatory and aortic elasticity markers were tested in hypertensive patients.

Levosimendan has an inhibitory effect on platelet function.

Levosimendan enhances cardiac contractility by increasing myocyte sensitivity to calcium, and induces vasodilatation. Although studies have evaluated the efficacy of levosimendan in heart failure, it is not clear whether it might produce functional influence on platelet response. In this study, the effect of levosimendan on platelet aggregation was investigated.

Evaluation of plasma adiponectin levels in young men with coronary artery disease.

Objective: In this study, we investigated the relation between plasma adiponectin levels and other risk factors in a young patient population.

Material And Results: We enrolled consecutively 69 young patients (< 45 years) with coronary artery disease in the study group. he patient enrollment period was between February 2003 and November 2004.

Coronary angiography for follow-up of heart transplant recipients: insights from TIMI frame count and TIMI myocardial perfusion grade.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the course of Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) frame count (TIMI FC) and myocardial perfusion grade (TIMI MPG) in heart transplant recipients and whether these parameters could predict mortality.

Methods: Sixty-two heart transplant recipients were enrolled in this study. All patients had coronary angiography at baseline and at 1 year, which were evaluated for TIMI FC and TIMI MPG.