Comparison of early and long-term follow-up results of percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty and mitral valve replacement.

Background: Percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty and mitral valve replacement have been the treatment options for mitral stenosis for several years, however, studies that compare these two modalities are very rare in the literature.

Objective: In this article, we aim to investigate the comparison of clinical results of percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty and mitral valve replacement.

Methods: 527 patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis, treated with percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty or mitral valve replacement (276 patients with percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty and 251 patients with mitral valve replacement) from 1991 to 2012 were evaluated.

Comparison of hypertension prevalence and the use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockers in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 viral pneumonia.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of hypertension and pre-existing use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockers in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and non-COVID-19 viral pneumonias.

Methods: Real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 pneumonia patients were retrospectively analyzed. The presence of hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), and pre-existing use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) were compared between the groups.

Association between renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor treatment, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, D-Dimer and clinical severity of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients: a multicenter, observational study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between worse clinical outcomes and the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. A total of 247 adult patients (154 males, 93 females; mean age: 51.3 ± 14.

Relationships between visceral/subcutaneous adipose tissue FABP4 expression and coronary atherosclerosis in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Background: Cytoplasmic fatty acid-binding proteins facilitate the transport of lipids to specific compartments in cells. Fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), also known as aP2 or A-FABP, plays a key role in the development of atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, obesity, and metabolic syndrome (MS). The FABP4 polymorphisms are associated with protein expression changes in vitro and metabolic and vascular alterations in vivo.

Two-Year Follow-up of Sirolimus-Eluting Stents versus Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction.

It has been shown that drug-eluting stents (DESs) significantly reduce restenosis rate when compared with bare-metal stents in a broad range of patients with coronary artery disease. However, current data are limited about the efficacy of different DESs in treatment of ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of sirolimus-eluting stents (SESs) with paclitaxel-eluting stents (PESs) in primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

The role of mediastinal adipose tissue 11β-hydroxysteroid d ehydrogenase type 1 and glucocorticoid expression in the development of coronary atherosclerosis in obese patients with ischemic heart disease.

Background: Visceral fat deposition and its associated atherogenic complications are mediated by glucocorticoids. Cardiac visceral fat comprises mediastinal adipose tissue (MAT) and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), and MAT is a potential biomarker of risk for obese patients.

Aim: Our objective was to evaluate the role of EAT and MAT 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD-1) and glucocorticoid receptor (GCR) expression in comparison with subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in the development of coronary atherosclerosis in obese patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), and to assess their correlations with CD68 and fatty acids from these tissues.

Mediastinal adipose tissue expresses a pathogenic profile of 11 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase Type 1, glucocorticoid receptor, and CD68 in patients with coronary artery disease.

Objective: Cardiac visceral fat is accepted to be a new marker for cardiometabolic risk due to its association with increased cardiovascular risk factors. This study aimed to compare the expression of 11 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (11β-HSD)-1, glucocorticoid receptor (GCR), and CD68 in mediastinal and subcutaneous adipose tissues (MAT, and SAT, respectively) and to assess their possible relationships with the development of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods And Results: Expression of 11β-HSD-1, GCR, and CD68 mRNA levels were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in MAT and SAT tissues of 37 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting due to CAD (CAD group) and 19 non-CAD patients (controls) undergoing heart valve surgery.

Adipose tissue gene expression of adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-α and leptin in metabolic syndrome patients with coronary artery disease.

Objective: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). In MS, adipose tissue has been shown to function as a paracrine and an endocrine organ secreting various adipocytokines. In the current study, adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and leptin gene expressions in the epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), paracardial adipose tissue (PAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) were investigated in MS patients with CAD and in non-MS patients without CAD.

[The microvolt T-wave alternans test].

Several clinical parameters and noninvasive tests have been developed to identify patients under the risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD). The microvolt T-wave alternans (MTWA) test is a noninvasive diagnostic method based on the measurement of subtle (microvolt) beat-to-beat alternation of the T-wave on the surface electrocardiogram and used for risk stratification of patients under the risk for SCD. Studies in the last decade have shown that the MTWA test is an effective method to distinguish patients with a high risk for arrhythmogenic mortality among patients suffering ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathies or with a history of myocardial infarction, with a high negative predictive value.

Comparison of intracoronary versus intravenous administration of tirofiban in primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the intravenous bolus dose of tirofiban with intracoronary bolus dose in primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with regard to in hospital and six months clinical outcomes and peak cardiac enzyme levels.

Methods: We retrospectively examined 84 ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who underwent primary PCI from March 2006 to February 2007. All patients received the systemic bolus dose of tirofiban 10 mcg/kg either via intracoronary (IC) or intravenous (IV) route, followed by a 36 hours of IV infusion at 0.

Treatment of patients with coronary artery disease with biodegradable polymer based paclitaxel-eluting Infinnium coronary stent system: results of 1-year clinical follow-up a single center experience.

Objectives: Evaluating the efficacy of the Infinnium paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system with the biodegradable polymer in the treatment of symptomatic coronary artery disease.

Methods And Results: Total 153 patients were treated with native coronary artery lesion treated with Infinnium paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system. This study was a single centre, non-randomized, retrospective study.

Treatment of saphenous vein graft lesions with paclitaxel- and sirolimus-eluting stents: comparison of short- and long-term clinical outcomes.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare treatment of saphenous vein graft (SVG) lesions with paclitaxel-eluting (PES) and sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) in daily practice with regard to short- and long-term clinical outcomes.

Methods: Between August 2002 and September 2006, a total of 71 patients with SVG lesions who were implanted PES or SES with percutaneous coronary intervention in our center were evaluated retrospectively. Forty-six patients with PES (PES group) were compared to twenty-five patients treated with SES (SES group) in terms of in-hospital, 30-day, six-months and 1-year clinical outcomes.

Very late thrombosis of paclitaxel-eluting stent.

Drug-eluting stents (DES) have been proven to be effective in reducing restenosis after percutaneous coronary interventions, but they are associated with a risk of late thrombotic occlusion with adverse clinical events. We report a case of an angiographically confirmed paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) thrombosis which occurred 36 months after successful stent implantation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the most delayed case of PES thrombosis described so far.

Spontaneous healing of spontaneous coronary artery dissection: a case report.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an extremely rare cause of myocardial ischemia. It is more prevalent in young women, particularly in the peripartum period. We report a case of SCAD occurring in a 40-year-old non-pregnant woman who presented with acute coronary syndrome.