Favorable changes in arterial elasticity, left ventricular mass, and diastolic function after significant weight loss following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in obese individuals.

Background: Obesity is accompanied by increased arterial stiffness, left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, and diastolic dysfunction, all associated with a negative prognosis. The evolution of LV mass, function, and arterial elasticity after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) was unknown, and this is what we have investigated.

Methods: Thirty-four consecutive obese subjects (mean age, 39 ± 11 years; 35.

Portopulmonary hypertension: from diagnosis to treatment.

Portopulmonary hypertension is a form of pulmonary arterial hypertension that has gained interest in recent years with the development of liver transplantation techniques and new pulmonary vasodilator therapies. Portopulmonary hypertension is defined as pulmonary artery hypertension associated with portal hypertension with or without advanced hepatic disease. Echocardiography plays a major role in screening for portopulmonary hypertension but right heart catheterization remains the gold standard for diagnosis.

Right ventricular myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism differential diagnosis--a challenge for the clinician.

It is frequently recognized in medical literature as well as in daily clinical practice that right ventricular myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism are two of the most challenging clinical pictures to differentiate in cardiology and the treatment, often chosen upon a mixture of clinical suspicion criteria subsequently confirmed by other diagnostic methods, can lead to therapeutic success. Differential diagnosis is often difficult due to similar clinical picture, unspecific electrocardiographic changes and unspecific biological markers. It is very important to know the risk factors and the associated comorbidities for these two clinical entities in order to be able to interpret them contextually.

Echocardiography in congenital mitral valve regurgitation--the liaison between cardiologist and surgeon.

Congenital heart diseases are broadly defined as those cardiac anomalies that are present at birth. By their very nature, such defects have their origin in embryonic development. Congenital mitral valve regurgitation is a rare disease occurring in infancy or childhood.

Changes in plasma levels of MMP-9, MMP-7 and their inhibitors in patients with coronary artery disease.

Unlabelled: To describe the enzymatic profile of plasma matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-7 and -9) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1 and -2) in different categories of patients (pts.) with coronary artery disease (CAD), and their relationship with clinical status, left ventricular (LV) function and remodelling.

Methods: Total plasma MMP7, active fraction of MMP9, TIMP1 and TIMP2 were determined in 68 consecutive pts with confirmed CAD (Group A, 56.

Circulating adiponectin: associations with risk factors and the Reynolds risk score in women without prior major cardiovascular events.

Objective: Adiponectin may play an important role in the interplay between metabolic changes and cardiovascular risks. Our aim was to establish if plasma adiponectin can be used to detect the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in women without a history of major cardiovascular events and to evaluate its correlation with the global cardiovascular risk expressed by the Reynolds risk score (RRS).

Methods: 148 consecutive women without a history of cardiovascular events with or without MetS have been investigated.

Cardiac tumors: the experience of a tertiary cardiology center.

Unlabelled: Cardiac tumors represent a rare condition, often presenting with severe symptoms and having a poor outcome in the absence of early diagnosis and therapy. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and type of cardiac tumors, the techniques used for the diagnosis and the therapy used in a tertiary cardiology center.

Methods: During a 2-years period, among the 35004 patients (pts) hospitalized in our Cardiology Department, 24 pts were diagnosed with CTum (0.

Shone's syndrome diagnosed with echocardiography and confirmed at pathology.

The Shone's complex, defined by four cardiovascular defects such as a supravalvular mitral membrane, valvular mitral stenosis by a parachute mitral valve, subaortic stenosis, and aortic coarctation, is a rare entity, which occurs most frequently in its incomplete form. We report the case of a 19-year-old female patient who presented at the emergency room for progressively worsening dyspnoea, orthopnoea, fever, and productive cough, due to bronchopneumonia. Echocardiography revealed the co-existence of aortic coarctation with bicuspid aortic valves, mitral supravalvular ring, and dysplastic mitral valves producing severe mitral stenosis and severe pulmonary hypertension.

Current challenges of anticoagulant treatment.

Anticoagulant therapy plays an important role in current medical practice. The main types of anticoagulant agents are: heparins, hirudins and vitamin K antagonists. None of the drugs used as anticoagulants meet the criteria of an ideal anticoagulant because they have side effects and they interact with other compounds.

Spontaneous echo contrast of unexpected etiology.

Cor triatriatum sinister is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by the presence of a fibromuscular membrane dividing the left atrium into two chambers: one entering the four pulmonary veins, the other connecting to the mitral valve. The extent of the communication between the two chambers and the presence of associated lesions determine the severity of symptoms and the complications. We report the case of a 20-year-old man firstly diagnosed with obstructive cor triatriatum sinister and severe pulmonary hypertension.

Up to date in pharmacological treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy.

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a syndrome characterized by dilatation and impaired function of one or both ventricles and represents the most common heart failure entity requiring heart transplantation. The treatment we currently use does not directly influence specific underlying pathomechanisms of this disorder, and several attempts are being made in order to introduce more specific therapies. We summarized the most important pharmacological strategies that are being evaluated for the treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy and pointed out the novel therapeutic approaches concerning heart failure secondary to this clinical condition.