Noninvasive assessment of impaired endothelial function in psoriasis.

The objectives of this study are noninvasive assessment of endothelial dysfunction (ED) and diagnosing the possible early vascular development of atherosclerosis in psoriasis disease (PD). Twenty-eight PD patients (study group) without any obstructive vascular involvement were compared with 28 healthy controls (control group) in terms of ED utilizing endothelium-dependent dilation as well as endothelium-independent dilation, which was assessed by measuring changes in brachial artery diameter following sublingual glyceryl trinitrate (400 microg Nitrolingual spray). All patients underwent a complete transthoracic echocardiographic and tissue Doppler study.

Novel intubation technique for transesophageal echocardiographic examination.

Pharyngeal intubation is a challenging problem during transesophageal procedures. The rate of unsuccessful intubation varies from 1.5 to 1.

Inflammation and hypercoagulable state in adult psoriatic men.

Hyperhomocysteinaemia is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and plays a role in atherothrombosis. Psoriasis is a common chronic and recurrent inflammatory skin disease associated with increased thrombosis. The aim of this study was to examine serum homocysteine levels and their relationships with inflammatory and atherothrombotic markers in psoriasis.

Harvesting of the radial artery: subfasciotomy or full skeletonization: a comparative study.

Background: Long fasciotomy of the posterior aspect of the radial artery (RA) for the purpose of sympathectomy is one of the surgical techniques for the preparation of this graft. We compared the early results of this technique with those of the RA graft harvested as a pedicle in the conventional fashion.

Methods: The study patients have been selected from the patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using the RA graft harvested either with a long posterior fasciotomy (group 1) or as a whole with a pedicle in the classical manner (group 2).

Noninvasive assessment of impaired endothelial dysfunction in mucocutaneous Behçet's disease.

Noninvasive assessment of endothelial dysfunction (ED) and diagnosing the early vascular development of atherosclerosis in active mucocutaneous Behçet's disease. Twenty-nine active BD patients (study group) without any obstructive vascular involvement were compared with twenty-nine healthy controls (control group) in terms of ED utilizing endothelium-dependent dilation as well as endothelium-independent dilation (FMD), which was assessed by measuring changes in brachial artery diameter following sublingual glyceril trinitrate (400 microg Nitrolingual spray). All patients underwent a complete transthoracic echocardiographic and tissue Doppler study.

Predictors of left ventricular dilatation in young adults (from the Bogalusa Heart Study).

Left ventricular (LV) dilatation may be an early sign of cardiac decompensation progressing to LV dysfunction. Determinants of LV dilatation in young asymptomatic adults are unknown. Five hundred six asymptomatic subjects (mean age 32 +/- 3 years) enrolled in the Bogalusa Heart Study underwent echocardiographic examination.

The effects of lipid-lowering therapy on graft patency in coronary bypass surgery patients.

Background: Our aim was to investigate the effects of lipid-lowering treatment (LLT) on graft patency in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients.

Methods: A total of 209 CABG patients (95 men, 45%) with a total cholesterol level above 200 mg/dL and a low-density lipoprotein level above 100 mg/dL were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups on the basis of administration of LLT after CABG: group 1 received LLT after the operation (those patients undergoing operations after 1998, n = 102, 49% male) and group 2 did not receive LLT after the operation (those patients undergoing operations between 1992 and 1998, n = 107, 42% male).

Papillary fibroelastoma of mitral papillary chordae in a young patient.

Our case is a 38-year-old man, admitted to Cardiology Department with shortness of breath. Echocardiography yields a hyperechogenic mass localized to papillary muscle with severe mitral regurgitation. Coronary angiography demonstrated radiopacity localized to the papillary muscle.

Comorbidity of constrictive pericarditis and hemophilia A.

Objective: To report a case of comorbidity of constrictive pericarditis and hemophilia A.

Clinical Presentation And Intervention: A 21-year-old male with hemophilia A was referred to our clinic and was examined with the subsequent evaluation of shortness of breath, leg edema and ascites. Clinical and laboratory examinations were performed.

Aortic elastic properties in young pregnant women.

This study aimed to investigate the aortic elastic properties of young pregnant women by comparing them with those of age-matched healthy females. The study group consisted of 21 pregnant women at a mean age of 26 +/- 1 years; 22 healthy women at a mean age of 25 +/- 1 years constituted the control group. Doppler-color echocardiographic variables and serum estradiol (E2) levels were measured from both groups.

A clinic investigation into prehospital and emergency department delays in acute stroke care.

Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate the factors which cause prehospital and emergency department (ED) delays in acute stroke care.

Subjects And Methods: We prospectively studied 229 acute stroke patients (median age: 71 +/- 19 years, 90 female and 139 male) who presented to the ED of the Gulhane Military Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. Prehospital delay was defined as time from symptom onset to arrival at the ED.

Short QT interval syndrome: a case report.

Twelve-lead electrocardiograms revealed fine atrial fibrillation and a short QT interval (SQTI) (<300 milliseconds) with an average ventricular rate of 54/min in a 20-year-old male presented with exertional dyspnea. His echocardiographic evaluation revealed interatrial septal aneurysm and slightly dilated pulmonary artery. An electrophysiologic study revealed atrial fibrillation with a very high frequency, short ventricular effective refractory period (130 milliseconds) and ventricular fibrillation inducible with 3 short coupled extrastimuli.

Noncompaction of ventricular myocardium involving both ventricles.

Aim: We aimed to present a case with ventricular myocardial noncompaction involving both ventricles.

Methods And Results: Noncompaction of ventricle is a rare and unclassified congenital cardiac malformation is due to an arrest in intrauterine endomyocardial morphogenesis. We presented a ventricular myocardial noncompaction case involving both left and right ventricles.

Partial atrial standstill: a case report.

Twelve-lead electrocardiograms revealed no atrial activity and a wide QRS escape rhythm at 38 beats/min in a 20-year-old man who presented with syncope. Doppler echocardiography documented the absence of A wave both in the tricuspid and mitral valve flow. The only mechanical activity was documented at the left atrial appendage.

[Short-term effect of nebivolol on the left ventricular diastolic function].

Objective: To determine the effects of nebivolol on diastolic functions of the left ventricle in the hypertensive patients in the early treatment period.

Methods: Twenty patients with mild to moderate hypertension taking daily 5 mg of nebivolol were assessed by using Doppler echocardiography before and after 6-week drug treatment period. The results were analyzed with Wilcoxon test and p<0.