Two Cases of Testicular Tuberculosis and Review of the Recent Literature.

In this review, two cases of testicular tuberculosis (TB) are presented, and another 58 cases published in PubMed between January 1, 2012, and July 31, 2023, are reviewed. Testicular TB remains a disease mainly of the developing world, with one notable exception - the infections caused as a result of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin infusion immunotherapy for bladder cancer. Its clinical course is subacute; however, it might get disseminated and become life-threatening; therefore, prompt diagnosis is very important.

Direct Oral Anticoagulants Versus Vitamin K Antagonists for the Management of Left Ventricular Thrombus After Myocardial Infarction: A Meta-Analysis.

Left ventricular (LV) thrombus formation remains a post-acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complication even in the modern era of early reperfusion. The optimal anticoagulation regimen in this clinical scenario is poorly defined. The present meta-analysis sought to investigate the efficacy and safety profile of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) compared with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) for the management of LV thrombus after AMI.

Prognostic implications of genotype findings in non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy: A network meta-analysis.

Aims: Evidence on the relative impact of diverse genetic backgrounds associated with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains contradictory. This study sought to synthesize the available data regarding long-term outcomes of different gene groups in DCM.

Methods And Results: Electronic databases were systematically screened to identify studies reporting prognostic data on pre-specified gene groups.

Right Ventricular and Right Atrial Strain Are Associated with Kidney Dysfunction in Acute Heart Failure.

Background: In acute heart failure (HF), low cardiac output and venous congestion are pathophysiological mechanisms that contribute to renal function impairment. This study investigated the association between advanced echocardiographic measures of right ventricular and atrial function and renal impairment in patients with acute HF.

Methods And Results: A total of 377 patients hospitalized for acute HF were prospectively evaluated.

Prognostic relevance of pre-procedural plasma volume status estimation in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation: A meta-analysis.

Background: To systematically evaluate the prognostic utility of estimated plasma volume status (ePVS) on the outcomes of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Methods: The exposure variable of interest was the ePVS, enumerating the percentage change of the actual plasma volume from the ideal plasma volume, and being calculated on the basis of weight and hematocrit using sex-specific constants. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed after a systematic literature search in PubMed, Scopus and Web Of Science.

Right ventricular-pulmonary arterial coupling in patients with first acute myocardial infarction: an emerging post-revascularization triage tool.

Background: The tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion/pulmonary artery systolic pressure (TAPSE/PASP) ratio is a non-invasive surrogate for right ventricular-pulmonary arterial (RV-PA) coupling, studied in chronic RV pressure overload syndromes. However, its prognostic utility in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), which may cause acute RV pressure overload, remains unexplored.

Objective: This study aimed to determine predictors of RV-PA uncoupling in patients with first AMI and examine whether it could improve risk stratification for cardiovascular in-hospital mortality after revascularization.

Hypoglycemic Drugs in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Heart Failure: A Narrative Review.

Over the last few years, given the increase in the incidence and prevalence of both type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and heart failure (HF), it became crucial to develop guidelines for the optimal preventive and treatment strategies for individuals facing these coexisting conditions. In patients aged over 65, HF hospitalization stands out as the predominant reason for hospital admissions, with their prognosis being associated with the presence or absence of T2DM. Historically, certain classes of glucose-lowering drugs, such as thiazolidinediones (rosiglitazone), raised concerns due to an observed increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and cardiovascular (CV)-related mortality.

Multiorgan Congestion Assessment by Venous Excess Ultrasound Score in Acute Heart Failure.

Background: This study sought to explore the prevalence and clinical utility of different patterns of multiorgan venous congestion as assessed by the venous excess ultrasound (VExUS) score in hospitalized patients with acute heart failure (HF).

Methods: Consecutive patients admitted for acute HF were prospectively enrolled. Inferior vena cava diameter, hepatic vein, portal vein, and renal vein Doppler waveforms were assessed at admission, and patients were stratified based on VExUS score from 0 to 3, with higher values indicating worse congestion.

Newly detected diabetes mellitus patients with acute coronary syndrome have an adverse cardiometabolic profile similar to patients with prior diabetes and a more extensive ischemic myocardial insult.

Aims: The impact of newly detected diabetes mellitus (NDDM) on metabolic parameters and extent of myocardial necrosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is not fully explored. We examined the impact of NDDM on cardiometabolic characteristics and myocardial necrosis in ACS patients.

Methods: CALLINICUS-Hellas Registry is an ongoing prospective multicenter observational study evaluating the adherence to lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) among ACS patients in Greece.

The Role of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Assessment of Mitral Regurgitation.

Mitral regurgitation (MR), a primary cause of valvular disease in adults, affects millions and is growing due to an ageing population. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has emerged as an essential tool, offering insights into valvular and myocardial pathology when compared to the primary imaging modality, echocardiography. This review highlights CMR's superiority in high-resolution volumetric assessment and tissue characterization, including also advanced techniques like late gadolinium enhancement imaging, parametric mapping, feature tracking and 4D flow analysis.

Multimodality imaging for the global evaluation of aortic stenosis: The valve, the ventricle, the afterload.

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular heart disease growing in parallel to the increment of life expectancy. Besides the valve, the degenerative process affects the aorta, impairing its elastic properties and leading to increased systemic resistance. The composite of valvular and systemic afterload mediates ventricular damage.

The prognostic impact of diastolic dysfunction after transcatheter aortic valve replacement: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Diastolic dysfunction (DD) is a long-established marker of disease progression in patients with aortic valve stenosis (AS), indicating valvular myocardial damage. Recently, substantial observational data have emerged demonstrating that worse pre-operative DD assessed using echocardiography is associated with adverse long-term clinical outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Aim: To systematically appraise and quantitatively synthesize current evidence on the prognostic impact of echocardiographic severe DD derived by echocardiography before TAVR.

Prognostic value of stress hyperglycemia ratio in patients with acute myocardial infarction: A systematic review with Bayesian and frequentist meta-analysis.

The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the prognostic value of stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A total of 26 cohort studies, involving 87,974 patients, were analyzed. The frequentist meta-analysis showed that AMI patients with SHR in the upper quantile had a significantly higher hazard of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE, HR = 1.

Oral Anticoagulation in Patients With Atrial High-Rate Episodes: Focus on Clinical Implications.

Background Although previous studies showed that atrial high-rate episodes (AHREs) are associated with a higher risk of developing incident atrial fibrillation (AF) and thromboembolic events, their clinical significance is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to define whether there is any clinical impact on the occurrence of ischemic and hemorrhagic events in patients with AHREs and initiation of oral anticoagulation (OAC). Methodology Patients with AHREs who had received cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs, i.

Unmet Needs in the Assessment of Right Ventricular Function for Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation.

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a highly prevalent valvular heart disease that has been long overlooked, but lately its independent association with adverse cardiovascular outcomes was recognized. The time point to intervene and repair the tricuspid valve is defined by the right ventricular (RV) dilation and dysfunction that comes up at a later stage. While guidelines favor tricuspid valve repair before severe RV dysfunction ensues, the definition of RV dysfunction in a universal manner remains vague.

Prognostic Implications of Clinical, Laboratory and Echocardiographic Biomarkers in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction-Rationale and Design of the ''CLEAR-AMI Study''.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a major cause of death worldwide. Survivors of AMI are particularly at high risk for additional cardiovascular events. Consequently, a comprehensive approach to secondary prevention is necessary to mitigate the occurrence of downstream complications.

The prognostic impact of right ventricular-pulmonary arterial coupling in heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The echocardiographic tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion/pulmonary artery systolic pressure (TAPSE/PASP) ratio is a non-invasive surrogate of right ventricular-pulmonary arterial (RV-PA) coupling which corresponds well with the respective invasively derived index. Recently, a wealth of observational data has arisen, outlining its prognostic value in heart failure (HF) patients. To systematically appraise and quantitatively synthesize the evidence of the prognostic value of TAPSE/PASP ratio in left-sided HF regardless of etiology or left ventricular ejection fraction.