Factors Associated with Reinitiation of Statin Treatment in Older Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease.

Background: Long-term persistence represents a basic precondition of successful statin treatment in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Objectives: The aims of our study were evaluation of reinitiation in older PAD patients who were non-persistent with statin treatment, and identification of patient-related characteristics associated with the patient's probability of reinitiation.

Methods: Our study cohort included 2977 older patients (≥ 65 years) who were non-persistent with statin treatment in whom PAD was newly diagnosed in 2012.

Patient-Associated Characteristics Influencing the Risk for Non-Persistence with Statins in Older Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease.

Background And Objectives: Secondary prevention of peripheral arterial disease includes administration of statins regardless of the patient's serum cholesterol level. Our study aimed to identify patient-associated risk factors for statin non-persistence and comparison of the explanatory power of models based on clusters of patient-associated characteristics.

Methods: Our study cohort (n = 8330) was assembled from the database of the largest health insurance provider in the Slovak Republic.

Effect of melatonin on the behaviour of rats with continuous light-induced hypertension.

This study investigated whether continuous light exposure (CLE) results in behavioural disturbances in rats and whether melatonin can modify these potential changes. Four groups of 3-month-old Wistar rats were treated as follows for six weeks: control, melatonin, CLE, and CLE with melatonin. CLE increased systolic blood pressure and melatonin reduced it.

17β-Estradiol treatment reversed left ventricular dysfunction in castrated male rats: an echocardiographic study.

No data are available on heart function in chronic testosterone deficiency and on the effect of estrogen treatment. Eighteen 4-week-old male Lewis rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 6): 1 group of sham-operated rats and 2 groups of castrated rats. Sixty-six weeks after surgery, 1 castrated group received a dose of 17β-estradiol (10 μg/kg per day) and the remaining 2 groups received a placebo subcutaneously for 14 days.

Effect of ivabradine, captopril and melatonin on the behaviour of rats in L-nitro-arginine methyl ester-induced hypertension.

Cardiovascular diseases including hypertension are often associated with behavioural alterations. The aim of this study was to show, whether ivabradine, the blocker of If-channel in sinoatrial node, is able to modify the behaviour of rats in L-nitro-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)-induced hypertension and to compare the effect of ivabradine with captopril and melatonin. 12-week-old male Wistar rats were divided into the following groups: controls, ivabradine (10 mg/kg/24 h), L-NAME (40 mg/kg/24 h), L-NAME + ivabradine, L-NAME + captopril (100 mg/kg/24 h), L-NAME + melatonin (10 mg/kg/24 h).

Long-term liquid nutrition intake and development of obesity: differences between young and adult rats.

Objective: Obesity is particularly associated with an increased consumption of palatable fat and sugar dense food and beverages. Therefore, we examined the effect of a normocaloric liquid diet (Fresubin) with increased carbohydrate content (constituting 55% of calories) on development of obesity in different developmental periods in male Wistar rats.

Methods: Fresubin was provided to 3 groups of rats: the first group received Fresubin immediately after weaning (21st day of age) to the end of experiment (150th day of age) for 5 months; the second group was fed with Fresubin from weaning to adulthood (90th day of age) for 3 months; and the third group received Fresubin only in adulthood (from 90th to 150th day of age) for 2 months.

Role of NT-proBNP in detection of myocardial damage in childhood leukemia survivors treated with and without anthracyclines.

Background: Exposure to anthracyclines (ANT) during childhood represents a high risk for development of late cardiotoxicity. Cardiotoxicity is usually detected only when clinical symptoms or progressive cardiac dysfunction have already occurred. Early detection of cardiotoxicity may lead to better therapeutic outcome.

Diastolic blood pressure as a major determinant of tissue perfusion: potential clinical consequences.

Blood pressure measuring represents a routine investigation in general medicine. In the last decades large studies have determined average blood pressure values all around the world. Large clinical trials have shown that blood pressure reduction irrespective of the used type of therapeutic intervention reduces mortality.

High resolution electrocardiography in healthy dogs: time domain parameters and comparison of the non-stationary (Wigner distribution) versus standard stationary frequency domain analysis methods.

Fractionated heart activation can be detected as late potentials from surface recordings of signal-averaged electrocardiograms (SA ECG) which are considered as a marker of sustained ventricular tachycardia. For animal studies, reference values in time and frequency domain analyses are essentially missing. In the present study, we have established reference values in SA ECG time domain analysis and time-frequency representation of heart activation in healthy dogs.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2003 to Paul C. Lauterbur, Peter Mansfield for magnetic resonance imaging.

Imaging of human internal organs by exact and non-invasive methods is very important for medical diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. 2003 Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine have made original discoveries in the use of magnetic resonance to visualize different structures. Their discoveries have led to the development of modern magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, which represents a breakthrough in medical diagnostics and research.

Voltage sum of filtered ECG signal--a sensitive parameter of ventricular activation.

On the basis of the signal averaged ECG (SA ECG) principle the authors analyse the gradually filtered ECG signal (in ranges of 0-120 Hz with increments of 10 Hz). The voltage sums are determined in eight segments of the QRS complex. The described VSF-ECG method (Voltage Sum of Filtered ECG) was applied in a group of healthy probands and in groups of selected patients.

Segmental blood flow through intramyocardial coronary arteries during ventricular systole.

The presented hypothesis assumes, in contrast with the currently prevailing view, that blood continues to flow through the coronary vascular bed even during systole. The contraction of differently oriented myocardial layers closes the penetrating branches of the coronary arteries in the interlayer boundaries. Coronary arteries of a different caliber are during systole under equal intramyocardial pressure.

The antihypertensive treatment and high-resolution electrocardiography.

After six months of antihypertensive treatment the regression of the initially present myocardial hypertrophy was observed: The decrease in blood pressure values is in correlation with the regression of the left ventricular hypertrophy. No correlation with parameters of high-resolution electrocardiography was noted. In one patient, a deterioration of late potentials was observed.

Gliding-window fast Fourier transform analysis of the entire QRS complex and the distribution of area ratio peaks in healthy subjects and patients with myocardial infarction.

Background: The high-frequency contribution (i.e. 60-120 Hz) within the QRS complex of the surface ECG is supposed to be related to the arrhythmogenic substrate underlying sustained ventricular tachycardia in patients with coronary artery disease.

Gliding window fast Fourier transform analysis--a new method for discovering the contribution of higher frequencies in signal-averaged ECG.

Objective: An attempt to detect the 'parasitic contribution' of high frequencies in the electrocardiogram signal.

Design: A new method--gliding window fast Fourier transform analysis (GWFFTA)--was developed. It was applied in healthy subjects and in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Special computer graphical method for detection of myocardial infarction.

The application of computer graphics for detection of myocardial infarction is reviewed and a special method is described. It is based on construction of two isointegral maps (Q wave map and ST segment map) realized in contour representation and using the Selvester distribution of the left ventricle.

Does the heart electric activation split upon the infarcted area? An attempt at its detection by high-resolution electrocardiography.

Based on the presumption of the activation front splitting, the authors present their own proposal for the estimation of the myocardial electric activation course and for the detection of micropotentials 'hidden' within QRS complexes by the method of high-resolution electrocardiography. After filtration of QRS complex the values of delta RMS and those of cumulative amplitudes are calculated from the initial and from the terminal parts of QRS complexes. The presence of late potentials is reflected in a slowing down of the termination of activation course.

Graphic representation of deviations of the cardiac electric field.

The first part of the paper presents a survey of mapping methods in electrocardiography and discusses the present possibilities of graphic representation of individual types of maps of the cardiac electric field (CEF). In the second part of the paper, the authors describe their own method of constructing complete departure maps. The mode of determining the matrix of the departure map surface is given.

Computer graphics and computer animation of the electric heart field.

The authors present in their paper the possibilities of the application of computer graphics and computer animation for visualization of the electric heart field (EHF). They describe the construction of three-dimensional potential maps by the methods of interpolation, perspective projection, hidden line elimination and text generation. They also present a method for making of animation films showing the electric activity of the heart by using 80 three-dimensional potential maps recorded at different intervals over the entire cardiac cycle.