Impact of renin-angiotensin system targeted therapy on aortic elastic properties assessed by computed tomography.

Background: Aortic stiffening is a well-known cardiovascular risk factor. Computed tomography (CT) has proven to be a valuable tool in the assessment of aortic elastic properties. Drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) play a central role in cardioprotective therapy.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Role of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in MINOCA: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is common in current clinical practice. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) plays an important role in its management and is increasingly recommended by all the current guidelines. However, the prognostic value of CMR in patients with MINOCA is still undetermined.

A novel technique of proximal optimization with kissing balloon inflation in bifurcation lesions.

Background: Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) of bifurcation lesions poses a technical challenge with a high complication rate. Kissing balloon inflation (KBI) and proximal optimization technique (POT) are used to correct bifurcation carina after stenting. However, both may still lead to uncomplete strut apposition to the side branch (SB) lateral wall.

Adipoparacrinology--vascular periadventitial adipose tissue (tunica adiposa) as an example.

Human adipose tissue is partitioned into two large depots (subcutaneous and visceral), and many small depots associated with internal organs, e.g. heart, blood vessels, major lymph nodes, pancreas, prostate gland and ovaries.

Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761(R), donepezil or both combined in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease with neuropsychiatric features: a randomised, double-blind, exploratory trial.

Objective: This randomised, double-blind exploratory trial was undertaken to compare treatment effects and tolerability of EGb 761(R), donepezil and combined treatment in patients with AD and neuropsychiatric features.

Method: We enrolled 96 outpatients, aged 50 years or above, who met the NINCDS/ADRDA criteria for probable AD, scored below 36 on the TE4D, a screening test for dementia, below 6 on the Clock-Drawing Test (CDT) and between 9 and 23 on the SKT, a cross-culturally validated cognitive test battery. They scored at least five on the 12-item Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI).

Anomalous origin of left circumflex coronary artery from the right pulmonary artery in adult.

Anomalous coronary arteries occur in less than 2% of the general population. The left circumflex (LCx) artery's origin from the pulmonary artery as a cause of classic angina in adults is extremely uncommon. We report a case of ischemic heart disease due to an origin of the LCx artery from the right main pulmonary artery in a 33-year-old man.

Oligomeric organization and strain-specific proteolytic modification of the virion M2 protein of influenza A H1N1 viruses.

The M2 protein of influenza A H1N1 strains PR8, WS, and WSN is present in homooligomeric forms in virions grown in the allantoic cavity of embryonated eggs. The bulk of the virion M2 is detected as tetramers and dimers. The oligomeric forms of PR8 virions differ from those of WS and WSN not only in apparent molecular weight (MW) but also in that they seem to be composed of two types of monomers differing in MW by approximately 1.