Fibrinolytic therapy of prosthetic mitral valve thrombosis during pregnancy: three case reports and review of the literature.

The incidence of prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT), which is a life-threatening complication, increased during pregnancy because of the hypercoagulable state. Despite adequate anticoagulation, the incidence of PVT has been estimated as 4% to 14% during pregnancy. Prosthetic valve thrombosis occurring during pregnancy requires urgent therapy including fibrinolytic therapy, valve replacement, and surgical thrombectomy due to high mortality.

Successful percutaneous coronary intervention for severe stenosis of a double right coronary artery.

Anomalies of the coronary arteries are uncommon and often asymptomatic. Double right coronary artery (RCA) is a very rare coronary anomaly. So far, the number of reported cases of double RCA is low.

Intraosseous leiomyoma in a rib. A case report.

Intraosseous leiomyomas are very rare. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published case of primary intraosseous leiomyoma in a rib. This rare benign tumour should be included in the differential diagnosis of any relatively small intraosseous lesion with benign imaging findings, but with gradually worsening, long-standing pain.

Significance of mean platelet volume on prognosis of patients with and without aspirin resistance in settings of non-ST-segment elevated acute coronary syndromes.

Platelet volume is a marker of platelet function and activation. An elevated mean platelet volume (MPV) is associated with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Recurrent cardiovascular events were found to be higher in patients with aspirin resistance.

Enhanced topical delivery of terbinafine hydrochloride with chitosan hydrogels.

Chitosan-based carriers have important potential applications for the administration of drugs. In the present study, topical gel formulations of terbinafine hydrochloride (T-HCl) were prepared using different types of chitosan at different molecular weight, and the antifungal inhibitory activity was evaluated to suggest an effective formulation for the treatment of fungal infections. The characteristics of gel formulations were determined with viscosity measurements and texture profile analysis.

Effect of pistachio diet on lipid parameters, endothelial function, inflammation, and oxidative status: a prospective study.

Objective: Recent studies have suggested that nuts have favorable effects beyond lipid lowering. We aimed to investigate effect of the Antep pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) on blood glucose, lipid parameters, endothelial function, inflammation, and oxidation in healthy young men living in a controlled environment.

Different approaches for improving skin accumulation of topical corticosteroids.

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effect of vehicle, chemical enhancer and iontophoresis on the skin accumulation of clobetasol propionate (CP) and mometasone furoate (MF). In vitro permeation experiments were performed using pig ear skin as barrier and HPLC as quantification method. The formulations tested were chitosan gels, sodium-deoxycholate gels and commercial creams of CP and MF.

A dreadful sign of aortic dissection: aortic intimo-intimal intussusception with prominent intimal flap prolapsing into the left ventricular apex.

Intimo-intimal intussusception is an unusual clinical form of aortic dissection resulting from circumferential detachment of the intima. Clinical presentation varies according to the level of detached intima in the aorta. We present a case of acute type A dissection with prominent prolapse of the circumferential detachment intimal flap into the left ventricular cavity extended to the apex.

Pericardial tamponade consequent to a dynamite explosion: blast overpressure injury without penetrating trauma.

Acute cardiac tamponade is a life-threatening emergency that requires prompt treatment by either percutaneous or surgical pericardiocentesis. It may occur after penetrating or blunt chest trauma. We report a case of pericardial tamponade in the absence of penetrating trauma, due to blast overpressure injury after a dynamite explosion-which has not, to our knowledge, been reported before.

Severe bone marrow failure due to valganciclovir overdose after renal transplantation from cadaveric donors: four consecutive cases.

Valganciclovir is an l-valyl ester pro-drug of ganciclovir that was initially used to treat cytomegalovirus (CMV)-associated retinitis in patients with human immunodeficiency virus. Currently, it is also indicated for the prevention of CMV disease in solid-organ transplantation. It is primarily eliminated via the kidneys through glomerular filtration and tubular secretion.

Contribution of renal function impairment to unexplained troponin T elevations in congestive heart failure.

Background: Patients with severe congestive heart failure (CHF) often have unexplained elevations in serum concentrations of troponin T (TnT), and it is proposed that this is due to cardiac TnT release because of underlying cardiac disease. We investigated whether impaired renal function is an additional underlying phenomenon contributing to increased TnT levels in patients with CHF.

Methods: Sixty-two patients with nonischemic CHF, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III-IV, with normal coronary angiogram and normal serum creatinine were included in the study.

Electrical cardioversion.

External electrical cardioversion was first performed in the 1950s. Urgent or elective cardioversions have specific advantages, such as termination of atrial and ventricular tachycardia and recovery of sinus rhythm. Electrical cardioversion is life-saving when applied in urgent circumstances.

Her-2/neu gene amplification in paraffin-embedded tissue sections of meningioma patients.

Aim: Meningiomas arise from the meningoendothelial cells and are one of the most common tumors of the central nervous system. The HER-2/neu gene is located on the 17q11.2-q12 chromosome region and encodes an epidermal growth factor receptor.

Plasma urotensin II as a marker for severity of rheumatic valve disease.

In developing countries, rheumatic valve disease (RVD) is still prevalent. Management of RVD depends on symptomatology, physical examination and echocardiographic evaluation, all of which, however, might be inadequate. Reliable biomarkers to establish severity of RVD and predict complications would be highly beneficial.

The spectrum of rheumatic heart disease in the southeastern Anatolia endemic region: results from 1900 patients.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) continues to affect mainly young adults, and accounts for a major proportion of all cardiovascular diseases in the Southeastern Anatolia region, where the disease is still endemic. The study aim was to determine the echocardiographic profile of RHD in this region, from which no recent data are available.

Methods: In this retrospective study, transthoracic echocardiographic data acquired between June 2003 and January 2008 were reviewed.

Mediastinal testicular tumor compressing the left atrium in a young male presenting initially with symptoms of left heart failure.

Extrinsic left atrial compression is an uncommon source of hemodynamic compromise that can be caused by many mediastinal structures including bronchogenic cysts, carcinoma, lymphoma, thymoma, aortic aneurysm and diaphragmatic hernia. We describe an unusual case of a 26-year-old man presenting with symptoms of left heart failure. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated extrinsic left atrial compression caused by a metastatic testis non-seminomatous germ cell tumor.

A case of Salmonella typhi endocarditis in pregnancy.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an uncommon but life-threatening infection during pregnancy. Although there have been several reports of endocarditis caused by Salmonella typhi, to our knowledge it has not been reported as a cause of endocarditis during pregnancy. We report a case of 27-year-old pregnant woman with aortic valve IE caused by S.

Cryptogenic stroke in two cases with left atrial band: coincidence or cause?

Congenital left atrial band (LAB) has been reported previously. However, clinical significance of the LAB has not been clearly defined. Although LAB is generally known as a benign entity, it has been reported to be associated with Chiari's network, patent foramen ovale, mitral valve prolapse, mitral regurgitation, and supraventricular arrhythmias.

Right atrial appendage: forgotten part of the heart in atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinically encountered arrhythmia in adults. Because it is associated with an increased risk of atrial thrombus formation and embolism, medical and/or electrical cardioversion is the preferred treatment method in the majority of clinics. Thrombus formation in the setting of AF most commonly occurs in the left atrial appendage (LAA), left atrium (LA), right atrial appendage (RAA), and right atrium in decreasing frequency.

Efficiency of ellagic acid and arbutin in melasma: a randomized, prospective, open-label study.

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of gel formulations containing arbutin, synthetic ellagic acid and plant extracts that contain ellagic acid, on patients with melasma. Thirty patients who applied to Ege University Medical Faculty, Department of Dermatology, were included in the study. A signed consent was obtained from each patient prior to study.

The identification and characterisation of novel KIT transcripts in aggressive mast cell malignancies and normal CD34+ cells.

KIT mutations have been identified in several malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and systemic mastocytosis (SM). Mast cell leukemia (MCL) is the most aggressive mast cell neoplasm, but has not been well studied due to its rarity. We identified novel KIT transcripts in two patients with MCL and two patients with SM with an associated hematological disorder, but not from two patients with SM.

Acute sleep deprivation is associated with increased QT dispersion in healthy young adults.

Background: Sleep deprivation (SD) is known to be associated with worse cardiovascular outcome including mortality. We investigated the association between acute SD and electrocardiographic maximum QT interval (QTmax), QT, and corrected QT dispersion (QTd/cQTd), which are known to be among predictors of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death.

Methods: We obtained electrocardiograms of 37 healthy young volunteers (age: 28.

Chronic carbon monoxide exposure increases electrocardiographic P-wave and QT dispersion.

We investigated the association between chronic carbon monoxide (CO) exposure and electrocardiographic maximum/minimum P-wave duration (Pmax/Pmin), P-wave dispersion (Pd), maximum/minimum QT interval (QTmax/QTmin), and QT and corrected QT dispersion (QTd/cQTd), which are known as predictors of atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden death. We obtained electrocardiograms of 48 apparently healthy male indoor barbecue workers (age mean +/- SD; 33.6 +/- 9.

Factors associated with prolonged prehospital delay in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Objectives: We investigated factors associated with prolonged prehospital delay in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Study Design: A total of 439 patients (351 males, 88 females; mean age 57+/-12 years) with ST-elevation AMI were interviewed within 48 hours of hospitalization. Patients were pain-free and hemodynamically stable at the time of interview.