Association of Meteorological Variables and Coronary Blood Flow.

We aimed to assess the impact of meteorological variables on coronary blood flow (CBF). Coronary blood flow was evaluated using the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count (TFC). The association of CBF with meteorological parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, total solar radiation, atmospheric pressure, wind velocity, and total sunshine duration were investigated as well as demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics.

Angiographic characteristics of coronary artery fistulas.

Objectives: Coronary artery fistula (CAF) in adults is a rare form of coronary artery anomaly. It is often diagnosed incidentally during coronary angiography. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and angiographic characteristics of adult patients with CAF.

The impact of central blood pressure levels on the relationship between oscillometric and central blood pressure measurements: a multicenter invasive study.

The aim of this study was to investigate impact of central blood pressure (BP) levels and sex on the difference between central and upper arm oscillometric BP values. Oscillometric arterial BP measurements of 675 patients were simultaneously compared with values measured from the ascending aorta. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to systolic BP levels.

Predictors of preinterventional patency of infarct-related artery in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: Importance of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and uric acid level.

Background: Patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and a patent infarct-related artery (IRA) experience lower mortality and better clinical outcome, but little is known about the predictors of IRA patency before primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the setting of STEMI.

Objective: To assess possible predictors of patency of IRA before primary PCI in patients with STEMI.

Methods: A total of 880 patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI were prospectively included (646 male, 234 female; mean [± SD] age 58.

Evaluation of the hypertensive patients in southeastern Anatolia; demographic features and target organ damage.

We investigated the socio-demographic characteristics, blood and pulse pressure, and end organ damage of hypertensive patients applying to an outpatient cardiology clinic in southeastern Anatolia. End organ damage in 100 consecutive hypertensive patients was defined by left ventricular hypertrophy, retinopathy, and albuminuria. The determined independent risk factors of left ventricular hypertrophy were advanced age and low educational level; of nephropathy were high pulse pressure and unawareness of the name of anti-hypertensive drug; and for retinopathy were high pulse pressure and female gender.

An investigation of the heart rate, heart rate variability, cardiac ions, troponin-I and CK-MB in men exposed to 1.5 T constant magnetic fields.

The aim of this study was to investigate heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV) and other cardiac parameters in individuals who were exposed to a high static magnetic field. 30 healthy male volunteers aged between 20-30 years were included. The searching was divided into three phases: pre-magnetic field, during the magnetic field and post-magnetic field.

A comparison of blood pressure and pulse pressure values obtained by oscillometric and central measurements in hypertensive patients.

Objective: Wide pulse pressure (PP) affects the accuracy of oscillometric blood pressure measurements (OBPM): however, the degree of this impact on different patient groups with wide PPs is unclear. This study will investigate the accuracy of OBPM in achieving target BP and PP in isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) group compared with mixed hypertension (MHT) group.

Method: A total of 115 patients (70 with ISH and 45 with MHT) were enrolled in the study.

Association of breast arterial calcification and carotid intima-media thickness.

Breast arterial calcification (BAC) on mammography has been identified as calcific medial sclerosis of medium-sized breast arteries, and has been reported to be associated with cardiovascular risk factors, coronary artery disease, and cardiovascular mortality. Carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT) is a well-known surrogate marker of atherosclerosis and predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Consequently, the present study was designed to investigate the association between the presence of BAC on mammography and C-IMT.

Association of paraoxonase activity and coronary collateral flow.

Objectives: Paraoxonase is a high-density lipoprotein-bound antioxidant enzyme that inhibits atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction. Coronary collateral flow is a crucial clinical entity with significant impact on the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study sought to determine the relationship between the degree of angiographically visible coronary collateral circulation and serum paraoxonase activity.

Lymphocyte DNA damage and total antioxidant status in patients with white-coat hypertension and sustained hypertension.

Objectives: We assessed lymphocyte DNA damage and total antioxidant status (TAS) in patients with white-coat hypertension (WCH) and sustained hypertension (SHT).

Study Design: The study included 23 patients (14 females, 9 males; mean age 46+/-6 years) with WCH, 21 patients (13 females, 8 males; mean age 45+/-7 years) with newly diagnosed SHT, and 19 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers as controls. All subjects underwent echocardiographic examination, office blood pressure measurements, and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

Isolated single coronary artery: a series of 10 cases.

Background: Isolated single coronary artery (SCA) is an extremely rare congenital coronary anomaly. Some subgroups of SCA can lead to angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction or even sudden death in the absence of atherosclerosis. Young patients, especially, have the risk of serious clinical events, but middle-aged-to elderly patients have a variable clinical course.

Unruptured and ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysms in two cases.

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms (SVA) are relatively rare lesions with a variable clinical presentation. We presented two patients, one of whom (male, aged 96 years) had an unruptured asymptomatic right SVA without a left-to-right shunt to the right ventricle, and the other (male, aged 33 years) a fistula from the right sinus of Valsalva to the right atrium due to nonpenetrating thoracic trauma. The diagnosis was made by echocardiography in both cases.

The association of serum prolidase activity with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease.

Objectives: Prolidase is a cytosolic exopeptidase that cleaves iminodipeptides with carboxy-terminal proline or hydroxyproline and plays major role in collagen turnover. Collagen is the essential content in atherosclerotic plaque playing a key role in the stability/instability of and progression of coronary artery disease (CAD). Consequently, in this study we sought to determine serum prolidase activity and markers of oxidative stress such as lipid hydroperoxide and total free sulfhydryl in CAD.

The association of elasticity indexes of ascending aorta and the presence and the severity of coronary artery disease.

Objectives: To investigate the association between elasticity indexes of aorta and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with stable CAD.

Methods: Fifty-six patients with CAD (CAD group) and 40 patients without CAD [non CAD (NCAD group)] were included in the study. Ascending aorta (Ao) diameters (mm) and Ao elastic indexes namely, Ao strain (AS), Ao distensibility (AD) were calculated from the echocardiographically derived Ao diameters and hemodynamic pressure measurements in all patients.

Association of prolidase activity, oxidative parameters, and presence of atrial fibrillation in patients with mitral stenosis.

Background: Mitral stenosis (MS) is a common cause of atrial fibrillation (AF). Oxidative stress and inflammation factors were shown to be involved in atrial remodeling. The study aim was to compare the oxidative parameters and prolidase activity in severe MS patients with and without AF.

Myocardial noncompaction and myocardial bridging: a novel coexistence?

Noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium is an increasingly recognized unclassified congenital cardiomyopathy that is frequently misdiagnosed as dilated or apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Coexistence of myocardial noncompaction and myocardial bridging might be a pitfall in the diagnosis of myocardial noncompaction as previous reports have very well elucidated the coexistence of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and myocardial bridging. With this report we aimed to emphasize the significance of watchful echocardiographic evaluation in appropriate diagnosis of myocardial noncompaction.

What seals the inflammation in acute coronary syndromes?

Inflammation plays a key role in the development of acute coronary syndromes and its consequences. Coronary stenting provides improved mortality and morbidity in appropriate cases by several routes. However the beneficial effects of the coronary stenting on inflammation remain controversial as the coronary stenting might lead to--systemically detected--local inflammatory reaction.

Relation of serum uric acid levels with the presence and severity of angiographic coronary artery disease.

The aim of this study is to investigate the association between uric acid level and severity of coronary artery disease. Consecutive 495 patients with coronary artery disease and 356 individuals with normal coronary angiograms were included in the study. Severity of coronary artery disease was evaluated using the Gensini score index.

Diagnosis of the left circumflex coronary artery fistula drainage into the left ventricle by echocardiographic color Doppler flow imaging.

Congenital coronary fistula is consisted of a communication between a coronary artery and a cardiac chamber or pulmonary vessel. Congenital left coronary artery-left ventricle fistula is uncommon. A 41-year-old female patient admitted to our institution for evaluation of heart murmur etiology.

Paraoxonase and arylesterase activities in untreated dipper and non-dipper hypertensive patients.

Objectives: Paraoxonase, a high density lipoprotein (HDL) associated enzyme, was shown to be reduced in patients with cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to examine serum paraoxonase and arylesterase activities, and oxidative stress markers such as lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) and total antioxidant status (TAS) in dipper and non-dipper hypertensive patients.

Design And Methods: Forty-six non-dipper hypertensives (NDH group), 40 dipper hypertensives (DH group) and 28 healthy control subjects were included in the study.

The relationship between plasma C-reactive protein levels and presence and severity of coronary stenosis in patients with stable angina.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is an inflammation marker and potential predictor of cardiovascular events. However, there is no consensus on the relationship between plasma hsCRP levels and angiographically documented severe coronary lesions in patients with stable angina pectoris. In this study we aimed to assess whether plasma levels of hsCRP can indicate the severity of the coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with stable angina.