A call for neurologists to take up stroke intervention.

Recent data have provided overwhelming evidence in favor of benefits of emergent endovascular intervention in large vessel acute ischemic stroke (AIS). India with its large population has a huge burden of AIS. Hence, neurologists need to gear up to the new challenge of providing interventional care to huge populations of AIS in the country.

Role of coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) expression and viral load of adenovirus and enterovirus in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Enteroviruses (EVs) and adenoviruses (AdVs) are two important etiological agents of viral myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Both these viruses share a common receptor, the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), for their infection. However, the role of viral load and CAR expression in disease severity has not yet been completely elucidated.

Diastolic dysfunction, prolonged QTc interval and pericardial effusion as predictors of mortality in acute pancreatitis.

Background And Aim: The cardiac changes in acute pancreatitis have been earlier studied but the data on their prognostic significance is limited. This study was done to determine electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic changes in acute pancreatitis and determine their prognostic significance.

Methods: Fifty-two consecutive patients (mean age 36.

Ribonucleic acid extraction from archival formalin fixed paraffin embedded myocardial tissues for gene expression and pathogen detection.

Introduction: Archival tissue samples preserved in formalin are a great source of treasure for biomedical research and diagnostics. Formalin, though is a good preservative, causes the modification of nucleic acid limiting the application of fixed tissues. The present study evaluated three methods of RNA extraction for constitutive gene expression and pathogen detection.

Therapeutic potential of Terminalia arjuna in cardiovascular disorders.

The bark of the tree Terminalia arjuna (Roxb.) is widely used in Indian medicine (Ayurveda) for various cardiovascular ailments. The bark has been reported to contain several bioactive compounds.

Risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes with tumor necrosis factor-α 308G/A gene polymorphism in metabolic syndrome and coronary artery disease subjects.

Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and obesity. The increased expression of TNF-α in adipose tissue is known to induce insulin resistance, and a polymorphism at position -308 in the promoter region of TNF-α gene may lead to its increased transcription in adipocytes. The objective of this work was to determine the role of TNFα-308G/A gene polymorphism in metabolic syndrome (MetS) and coronary artery disease (CAD) with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Proteomic analysis of circulating human monocytes in coronary artery disease.

Monocytes play an important role in inflammation and atherosclerosis; however, the molecular details underlying these diverse functions are not completely understood. Proteomic analysis of monocytes can provide new insights into their biological role in coronary artery disease (CAD). Twenty angiographically confirmed male, CAD patients (≥50% stenosis) attending cardiology clinic of Nehru Hospital, PGIMER, Chandigarh, and who were not receiving any lipid lowering therapy and 20 TMT negative subjects who served as controls were enrolled in the study.

Common variants of HMGCR, CETP, APOAI, ABCB1, CYP3A4, and CYP7A1 genes as predictors of lipid-lowering response to atorvastatin therapy.

There is interindividual variation in lipid-lowering response to statins. The objective of this study was to investigate whether common variation in genes involved in lipid and statin metabolism modify the effect of statins on serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentration in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. We studied the association between 18 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in six genes (HMGCR, CETP, APOAI, ABCB1, CYP3A4, CYP7A1) in response to atorvastatin therapy (20 mg/day) in 265 newly diagnosed CAD patients using multivariable adjusted general linear regression.

Decreased myocardial expression of dystrophin and titin mRNA and protein in dilated cardiomyopathy: possibly an adverse effect of TNF-alpha.

Background And Aims: While the molecular basis of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains uncertain, concrete evidence is emerging that sarcomeric and cytoskeleton gene expression of myocardium isolated from failing versus non-failing patients differ dramatically. The central aim to this work was to find out the possible role of dystrophin and titin along with the TNF-alpha in the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathy.

Patients And Methods: mRNA levels and protein expression of a cytoskeletal protein, dystrophin and a sarcomeric protein, titin in endomyocardial biopsies of DCM patients were examined using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively.

ECG changes of hyperkalemia during paced rhythm.

Paced rhythms can mask ECG changes of several conditions. ECG changes due to hyperkalemia during paced rhythm have not been well described. We report a patient with isolated noncompaction of left ventricle with left ventricular dysfunction and complete heart block on a permanent pacemaker who developed hyperkalemia.

A combination of proatherogenic single-nucleotide polymorphisms is associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction in Asian Indians.

Common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes of lipid metabolism modestly influence plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). We evaluated a panel of LDL-C-modulating SNPs for potential association with risk of CAD in Asian Indians. Fifteen SNPs of CETP, ABCB1, APOAI, CYP7A1, and HMGCR genes were genotyped in 265 CAD patients and 150 controls of North Indian origin.

Genetic and clinical profile of Indian patients of idiopathic restrictive cardiomyopathy with and without hypertrophy.

Both idiopathic restrictive cardiomyopathy (IRCM) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are part of the same disease spectrum and are due to sarcomeric gene mutations. A patient with restrictive physiology without left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) would be diagnosed as IRCM, while one with LVH would be diagnosed as HCM with restrictive physiology. We studied a group of patients with restrictive physiology for mutations in beta-myosin heavy chain (MYH7) and troponin I (TNNI3) gene.

Unusual cause of rapidly progressive right-sided heart failure: aortic sinus of Valsalva aneurysm causing ball valve obstruction of the tricuspid valve.

A rare presentation with rapidly progressive right heart failure due to tricuspid inflow obstruction (simulating right-sided valvular heart disease) caused by a non-coronary cusp sinus of Valsalva aneurysm with small perforation is reported. The aneurysm was causing ball valve obstruction at the tricuspid valve, leading to dilated right atrium and back pressure changes which were relieved after successful aneurysectomy.

Circulating proinflammatory cytokines and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide significantly decrease with recovery of left ventricular function in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background: Increased levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, their soluble receptors, and NT-proBNP have been observed in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). In the present study, we assessed the possible involvement of proinflammatory cytokines and their soluble receptors with and without recovery of LV function in DCM patients.

Methods And Results: Forty patients with DCM were enrolled and divided into two groups: Group I consisted of DCM patients (n = 30) whose left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) had not recovered on follow up and Group II comprised DCM patients (n = 10) whose LVEF had recovered.

Double right coronary artery with acute inferior wall myocardial infarction.

A double right coronary artery arising from a single ostium in the right sinus of Valsalva is an extremely rare coronary artery variation. We report for the first time in the literature a case of inferior wall myocardial infarction due to a double right coronary artery occlusion that was successfully managed with percutaneous coronary intervention. The rarity of this unusual coronary artery anomaly, its angiographic diagnosis and an important diagnostic dilemma of a high takeoff of a large right ventricular branch are discussed here.

ACE I/D polymorphism in Indian patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy.

Aim: The study was carried to determine the association of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism with the risk of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM).

Methods And Results: A total of 174 patients diagnosed with cardiomyopathy (118 with HCM, 51 with DCM, and 5 with RCM) and 164 ethnically, age- and gender-matched controls were included in the study. ACE I/D genotyping was performed by PCR.

Familial conduction system disease associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

A large family with a new phenotype of conduction system disease including heart blocks and preexcitation associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and transmitted in an autosomal dominant pattern is described.

Protection against acute adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity by garlic: role of endogenous antioxidants and inhibition of TNF-alpha expression.

Background: Oxidative stress is the major etiopathological factor in adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity. Relatively low amounts of endogenous antioxidant makes the heart vulnerable to oxidative stress-induced damage. Chronic oral administration of garlic has been reported to enhance the endogenous antioxidants of heart.