New prognostic markers in pulmonary arterial hypertension: CRP to albumin ratio and uric acid.

Introduction: Idiopathic pulmonary hypertension(IPAH) is a rare disease that causes severe morbidity and mortality despite advances in treatment management. Evaluating the prognosis of the disease is critical in determining therapeutic approaches. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) and uric acid, which is an easily applicable and inexpensive parameter in patients with IPAH.

Prediction of fractional flow reserve with angiographic DILEMMA score.

Objective: Angiographic assessment of stenosis has limited predictive value for functionally significant lesions compared with fractional flow reserve (FFR). The recently developed angiographic DILEMMA score, which consists of minimal lumen diameter (MLD), lesion length (LL) and Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation (BARI) Myocardial Jeopardy Index (MJI) was found to have diagnostic value in predicting FFR ≤0.80.

The value of exercise SPET for the detection of coronary artery steal syndrome secondary to unligated major side branch of left internal mammary artery.

Objective: The clinical significance of unligated major left internal mammary artery (LIMA)-side branches (SB) remains controversial in patients with previous coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of unligated major LIMA-SB by using exercise myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with single-photon emission tomography.

Subjects And Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 2819 consecutive patients who underwent diagnostic angiography.

Bleeding complications during cardiac electronic device implantation in patients receiving antithrombotic therapy: is there any value of local tranexamic acid?

Background: The perioperative use of antithrombotic therapy is associated with increased bleeding risk after cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation. Topical application of tranexamic acid (TXA) is effective in reducing bleeding complications after various surgical operations. However, there is no information regarding local TXA application during CIED procedures.

Elevated mean pulmonary artery pressure in patients with mild-to-moderate mitral stenosis: a useful predictor of worsening renal functions?

Objective: Renal dysfunction commonly accompanies the course of cardiac disorders and strongly associates with increased morbidity and mortality. Elevated central venous pressure is related to worsening renal function in patients with heart failure. However, predictors of worsening renal function in mitral stenosis-whose pathophysiologic process is similar to heart failure with regard to right heart dysfunction-are unknown.

Atrial fibrillation is associated with increased mean platelet volume in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Platelet abnormalities in diabetes mellitus (DM) and atrial fibrillation (AF) may underline the etiology of a prothrombotic state in these conditions. Increased mean platelet volume (MPV) is a marker of abnormal platelet function and activation. We aimed to investigate the possible association of chronic AF with MPV in patients who have type 2 DM.

C-type natriuretic peptide is associated with the severity of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is characterized by vascular dysfunction, indicating the involvement of endothelial cells. C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) plays a critical role in the coordination of vascular tone and is associated with the prognosis in critically ill patients such as those with sepsis and septic shock. We investigated whether CNP is related to the severity of CCHF.

Gamma-glutamyltransferase to determine cardiovascular risk: shifting the paradigm forward.

Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), regarded as a marker of excessive alcohol consumption or liver disturbances, is an enzyme catalyzing the first step in the extracellular degradation of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) and may take part in atherogenesis. The marked relationship between GGT and the atherosclerotic process has shifted attention to the issue of whether its serum levels can aid in the detection of individuals at high risk for incident cardiovascular events. It is likely that the process entails the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein through GSH/GGT-dependent iron reduction within the plaque.

Acute effects of passive smoking on endothelial function.

Impairment of endothelial functions has been shown to occur after acute and chronic exposure to passive smoking (PS), as assessed by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery. A total of 61 participants, 30 male and 31 female, mean ages 26 (18-36) were enrolled in the study. All were clinically well and nonsmokers.

Cytokines: potential contributors to arrhythmogenesis in demyelinating syndromes?

Neurological disorders including chronic demyelinating syndromes (CDSs) have been known to elicit propensity to cardiac arrhythmias possibly due to autonomic imbalance, myocardial myocytolysis and some psychological conditions (major depression etc.) associated with these syndromes. CDSs are generally characterized by variable degrees of inflammatory response that may corrrelate with clinical disease activity (relapse, progression etc.

Natriuretic peptides: useful biomarkers in predicting the possibility of restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing cardioversion?

Natriuretic peptides (NPs) have been regarded as of diagnostic and prognostic importance in a variety of clinical conditions including congestive heart failure (CHF). Paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillations (AFs) have been reported to be associated with high plasma levels of NPs that decline after restoration of sinus rhythm. Rhythm control of AF largely depends on the duration of the arrhythmia and the presence of underlying structural heart disease that may exert negative effects on the restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm.

Dronedarone: a promising alternative for the management of atrial fibrillation.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequently encountered chronic arrhythmia associated with significant morbidity. It is generally encountered in the elderly, and will presumably become more prevalent in the future due to the increasing proportion of the elderly in the population. Major studies on AF have demonstrated no significant difference between rhythm and rate control in terms of mortality.

Association of gamma-glutamyltransferase with cardiovascular risk: a prognostic outlook.

gamma-Glutamyltransferase (GGT), an enzyme responsible for the extracellular catabolism of antioxidant glutathione, may explicitly participate in atherogenesis. Several population-based studies have documented strong cross-sectional associations between serum GGT concentrations and certain cardiovascular risk factors, irrespective of alcohol consumption. The mechanism underlying these associations remains largely enigmatic.

Avicenna: messages from a great pioneer of ancient medicine for modern cardiology.

Avicenna deserves to be remembered for his contributions to the field of cardiovascular medicine. His masterpiece, the Canon of Medicine, has served as an essential medical encyclopedia for scholars in the Islamic territories and Europe for almost a millennium. The Canon, which is a general treatise on medicine, consists of five books.

CA125 levels among patients with advanced heart failure: an emerging independent predictor for survival.

Serum CA125, a high-molecular weight glycoprotein, is a tumor marker widely used for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with ovarian cancer in clinical practice. Recently, increased serum CA125 values, in parallel with catecholamines and natriuretic peptides, have also been documented in patients with heart failure. As far as the relationship between CA125 and cardiac dysfunction is concerned; interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α, which are all elevated in heart failure, might play a pivotal role, since there are data suggesting that the proliferation of CA125-producing cells is induced by proinflammatory cytokine network.