Systematic basic and advanced resuscitation training in medical students and fellows: a proposal from the Working Group on Cardiovascular Urgences and Emergencies of the Italian Society of Cardiology.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in Europe. High-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and guidelines compliance of rescuers have been associated with better outcomes after cardiac arrest. However, wide variability in attempting bystander CPR manoeuvres has been reported.

Celiac Disease and Cardiovascular Risk: A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

Background: The association of celiac disease (CD) with premature atherosclerosis, including increased carotid artery intima-media thickness and cardiovascular disease (CVD), is controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate this relationship.

Methods: Clinical records of patients from Northern Sardinia referred to the Gastroenterology section of the Department of Medicine, University of Sassari, Italy, were analyzed.

Increased Risk to Develop Hypertension and Carotid Plaques in Patients with Long-Lasting Gastritis.

Unlabelled: infection has been reported to be positively associated with hypertension, although with conflicting results. In this study, the relationship between infection and hypertension, as well as atherosclerotic carotid lesions, was analyzed.

Methods: Clinical records of patients referred to undergo upper endoscopy and gastric biopsy were retrieved.

Not-high before-treatment platelet reactivity in patients with STEMI: prevalence, clinical characteristics, response to therapy and outcomes.

Platelet reactivity (PR) has been indicated as a pathophysiological key element for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) development. Patients with not-high before-treatment platelet reactivity (NHPR) have been poorly studied so far. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, response to therapy and outcomes of baseline prior to treatment NHPR among patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI.

Cardiac Abnormalities in Alzheimer Disease: Clinical Relevance Beyond Pathophysiological Rationale and Instrumental Findings?

Objectives: This case control study sought to assess the presence and characteristics of cardiac abnormalities in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD).

Background: Protein misfolding is involved in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders such as AD. Recently, amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregates were identified within the cardiomyocytes and interstitium of patients with AD, suggesting that Aβ oligomers may reach and damage the heart.

Prevalence and Determinants of Peripheral Microvascular Endothelial Dysfunction in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: To define the prevalence and determinants of peripheral microvascular endothelial dysfunction (ED) in a large series of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients free of previous cardiovascular events.

Materials And Methods: Data from 874 RA patients enrolled in the EDRA study (Endothelial Dysfunction Evaluation for Coronary Heart Disease Risk Estimation in Rheumatoid Arthritis-ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02341066) were analyzed.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine and arterial stiffness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A case-control study.

Objective: To investigate whether levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), as a measure of endothelial dysfunction, are higher in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared with healthy control subjects. The relationships between ADMA and surrogate measures of arterial stiffness were evaluated.

Methods: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy control subjects were recruited.

Gender specific profiles of white coat and masked hypertension impacts on arterial structure and function in the SardiNIA study.

Background: There is no definite consensus on the CV burden associated to Masked hypertension (MH) or White Coat Hypertension (WCH) — conditions that can be detected by out-of-office blood pressure measurements (24 hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring, 24 h ABPM).

Methods: We investigated the association of WCH and MH with arterial aging, indexed by a range of parameters of large artery structure and function in 2962 subjects, taking no antihypertensive medications, who are participating in a large community-based population of both men and women over a broad age range (14–102 years).

Results: The overall prevalence of WCH was 9.

Left ventricular diastolic function in hypertension: methodological considerations and clinical implications.

The assessment of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function should be an integral part of a routine examination of hypertensive patient; indeed when LV diastolic function is impaired, it is possible to have heart failure even with preserved LV ejection fraction. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) occurs frequently and is associated to heart disease. Doppler echocardiography is the best tool for early LVDD diagnosis.

An update on hypertensive emergencies and urgencies.

Severe acute arterial hypertension is usually defined as 'hypertensive crisis', although 'hypertensive emergencies' or 'hypertensive urgencies', as suggested by the Joint National Committee and the European Society of Hypertension, have completely different diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.The prevalence and demographics of hypertensive emergencies and urgencies have changed over the last four decades, but hypertensive emergencies and urgencies are still associated with significant morbidity and mortality.Different scientific societies have repeatedly produced up-to-date guidelines; however, the treatment of hypertensive emergencies and urgencies is still inappropriate, with potential clinical implications.

Cardiovascular health in migrants: current status and issues for prevention. A collaborative multidisciplinary task force report.

Objectives: To review information on cardiovascular health and migration, to stress the attention of researchers that much needs to be done in the collection of sound data in Italy and to allow policy makers identifying this issue as an important public health concern.

Background: In Italy, the rate of immigrants in the total number of residents increased from 2.5% in 1990 to 7.

Ventricular-vascular coupling in hypertension: methodological considerations and clinical implications.

The present review is addressed to analyse the complex interplay between left ventricle and arterial tree in hypertension. The different methodological approaches to the analysis of ventricular vascular coupling in the time and frequency domain are discussed. Moreover, the role of hypertension-related changes of arterial structure and function (stiffness and wave reflection) on arterial load and how ventricular-vascular coupling modulates the process of left ventricular adaptation to hypertension are analysed.

Serum free thyroxine levels are positively associated with arterial stiffness in the SardiNIA study.

Objective: Thyroid dysfunction may accelerate atherosclerosis. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) is an early index of arterial stiffness and an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and might therefore be linked to changes in thyroid activity. We investigated the relationship between thyroid function and carotid-femoral PWV, as an index of arterial stiffness.