The "Black Pattern", a Simplified Ultrasound Approach to Non-Traumatic Abdominal Emergencies.

Background: A key issue in abdominal US is the assessment of fluid, which is usually anechoic, thus appearing "black". Our approach focuses on searching for fluid in non-traumatic patients, providing a new, simplified method for point-of-care US (POCUS).

Objective: Fluid assessment is based on a three-step analysis that we can thus summarize.

Major cardiovascular events in patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019: Experience of a cardiovascular department of Northern Italy.

• We report a translational experience of a cardiovascular department facing MACE in COVID-19 patients. • Acute arterial events are the real emergency into this COVID-19 pandemic. • COVID-19 infection may trigger a hypercoagulable status leading to MACE and high mortality rate.

2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia complications: the importance of lung ultrasound.

In December 2019, a novel coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) was first reported in Wuhan, China, and rapidly spread around the world, leading to an international emerging public health emergency. As reported from Chinese experiences, approximately 20% of patients had a severe course, requiring intensive care, with an overall case fatality rate of 2.3%.

NT-proBNP, a useful tool in hypertensive patients undergoing a diagnostic evaluation for primary aldosteronism.

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most frequent form of secondary hypertension, but diagnostic tools for this disease still lack optimal accuracy. The heart is one important target tissue for damage due to excess aldosterone, and the role of natriuretic peptides is well recognized in diagnosing heart failure. We hypothesized that measuring the NT-proBNP could improve the diagnostic evaluation of PA.

Paraoxonases: ancient substrate hunters and their evolving role in ischemic heart disease.

Interest in the role of paraoxonases (PON) in cardiovascular research has increased substantially over the past two decades. These multifaceted and pleiotropic enzymes are encoded by three highly conserved genes (PON1, PON2, and PON3) located on chromosome 7q21.3-22.

Urinary prostasin in normotensive individuals: correlation with the aldosterone to renin ratio and urinary sodium.

Prostasin, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored serine protease, activates the epithelial sodium (Na) channel (ENaC), and prostasin is released in extracellular fluids, including urine. Previous data have suggested a direct association between urinary prostasin and the activation of an aldosterone-driven pathway, but a quantitative association has never been demonstrated in normotensive subjects. Similarly, physiological relationships with natriuresis or possible gender- or female hormone-related changes in urinary prostasin concentrations have never been investigated.

Low levels of serum paraoxonase activities are characteristic of metabolic syndrome and may influence the metabolic-syndrome-related risk of coronary artery disease.

Low concentrations of plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDLs) are characteristic in metabolic syndrome (MS). The antioxidant ability of HDLs is, at least in part, attributable to pleiotropic serum paraoxonase (PON1). Different PON1 activities have been assessed in 293 subjects with (n = 88) or without MS (n = 205) and with (n = 195) or without (n = 98) angiographically proven coronary artery disease (CAD).

A 'desaturase hypothesis' for atherosclerosis: Janus-faced enzymes in omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism.

The delta-5 and delta-6 desaturases are key enzymes in the metabolism of omega-3 (omega-3) and omega-6 (omega-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which in turn influence cellular functions by regulating several metabolic pathways with well-known effects on the cardiovascular system. At present, data about desaturase activity and cardiovascular risk remain inconclusive. In this short review we propose a 'desaturase hypothesis' of atherosclerosis, providing suggestions for the Janus-faced role of desaturases, with both more favorable (mainly related to omega-3 long-chain fatty acids) and more harmful (mainly related to omega-6 long-chain fatty acids) cardiovascular effects than those obtained in subjects with lower desaturase activity.