Atrial conduction time associated predictors of recurrent atrial fibrillation.

Identifying patients at high risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence remains challenging. This study aimed to evaluate total atrial conduction time (TACT) and left atrial (LA) asynchrony as predictors of AF recurrence. Consecutive patients after the first AF episode, terminated either spontaneously or with cardioversion, underwent transthoracic echocardiography.

α2-Heremans-schmid glycoprotein (fetuin A) downregulation and its utility in inflammatory bowel disease.

Aim: To investigate the impact of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on α2-Heremans-Schmid Glycoprotein (AHSG/fetuin A) and potential associations with disease and patient characteristics.

Methods: AHSG serum levels were determined in treatment-naïve newly-diagnosed patients, 96 with ulcerative colitis (UC), 84 with Crohn's disease (CD), 62 with diarrhea-predominant or mixed irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, D- and M- types) and 180 healthy controls (HC), by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All patients were followed for a minimum period of 3 years at the Gastroenterology Department of the University Hospital of Larissa, Greece.

Epidemiological characteristics and in-hospital management of acute coronary syndrome patients in Greece: results from the TARGET study.

Introduction: Conduction of national surveys is needed to depict temporal trends in the risk profile, type of implemented treatment strategy and outcome of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The TARGET study is a multicenter, observational study that aimed to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics, management pattern and outcome of ACS patients in Greece.

Methods: A total of 418 consecutive patients with ACS (44.

Echocardiographic manifestation of hiatus hernia simulating a left atrial mass: case report.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of hiatus hernia, a relatively small number of echocardiographically manifested cases have been reported.

Case Presentation: An 82-year old woman presented with acute retrosternal pain indicative of cardiac etiology. Physical examination and biochemical tests, as well as 12-lead electrocardiogram, were normal.

[Portable ultrasound devices. A new era for clinical cardiologists].

Recent advances in ultrasound technology have led to the development of fully portable ultrasound machines for point-of-care cardiac examination. Limited comparative studies indicate that these devices are more accurate than physical examination in identifying cardiac abnormalities. Though their diagnostic performance is generally inferior to standard echocardiography, there appears to be good concordance at least for some conditions.