Effects of carvedilol on right ventricular ejection fraction and cytokines levels in patients with systolic heart failure.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction frequently complicates advanced left ventricular (LV) heart failure and contributes to an unfavorable prognosis. It is known that carvedilol increases left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) significantly, and carvedilol reduces mortality by associating with improvement in LV function. However, the effect of carvedilol on RV function in heart failure has not adequately been studied, so far.

Arterial distensibility in Wegener's granulomatosis: a carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis; that chronic inflammation may impair vascular function and lead to an increase of arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV) in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG).

Methods: We recruited 5 patients with WG and 5 healthy age and sex matched controls in this cross-sectional case-controlled study. Aortic PWV was determined by using an automatic device (Complior Colson, France), which allowed on-line pulse wave recording and automatic calculation of PWV.

Right coronary artery aneurysm: possible relation with obesity?

Aneurysms of the coronary arteries are uncommon occurrences that usually develop secondary to atherosclerosis and are often asymptomatic. We present a 57-year-old male patient who presented with the diagnosis of an inferior wall acute myocardial infarction with a large aneurysm of the right coronary artery and with morbid obesity. To the best of our knowledge, a relationship between body mass index and coronary artery aneurysm has not been reported in the literature so far.

Incidence of antiheparin-platelet factor 4 antibodies and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in Turkish patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

The frequency of antiheparin-platelet factor 4 antibodies by means of antigenic and functional assays ((14) C-serotonin release assay and citrated plasma platelet aggregation) was determined in 115 Turkish patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Blood samples were taken immediately before surgery and on days 5 and 10 +/- 2. Platelet counts were recorded and thrombotic events were determined by clinical methods.

The effects of nebivolol on fibrinolytic parameters in mild and moderate hypertensive patients.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of nebivolol (5 mg daily) on plasma levels of hemostatic and fibrinolytic endothelial function markers in mild or moderate hypertensive patients.

Methods And Results: Thirty-five (22 female, 13 male; mean +/- SD 54.7 +/- 11.

Analysis of intervariable relationships between major risk factors in the development of coronary artery disease: a classification tree approach.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine how the major risk factors are related to each other in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) using Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID).

Methods: All patients with suspected CAD seen in the cardiology clinic between January 1999 and February 2003 who underwent coronary angiography were included in the study. A retrospective analysis was performed in 1381 patients.

Effects of carvedilol on plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in patients with ischemic and nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

We prospectively investigated the effects of adding carvedilol to the standard treatment of ischemic and nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), by measuring the plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Sixty patients with DCM (35 ischemic and 25 nonischemic) were divided into 2 subgroups: patients on standard therapy alone (digoxin, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and diuretics) and patients on standard therapy plus carvedilol. Study participants' serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured at the beginning and again at the end of the study.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection after heavy lifting in a 25-year-old man with coronary risk factors.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a clinical condition rarely leading to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We report the case of SCAD presenting AMI in a 25-year-old man with coronary risk factors after strenuous exercise, who was successfully treated with systemic thrombolysis. Coronary angiography revealed spiral dissection of the proximal part of the left anterior descending artery.

Differentiating the infarct-related artery on initial electrocardiogram in single or multi-vessel disease in acute inferior myocardial infarction and evaluating involvement of vessels using correspondence analysis.

Initial electrocardiography changes were compared prospectively with the findings of coronary angiography to predict the infarct-related artery (IRA) in cases of single- and multi-vessel disease and to demonstrate the relationship between other coexisting coronary involvements and IRA in patients who presented with acute inferior myocardial infarction (AMI). ST elevations or depressions of at least 1 mm (0.1 mV) were evaluated in the leads I, aVL, and V1-V6.

A controlled study of the effects of carvedilol on clinical events, left ventricular function and proinflammatory cytokines levels in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background: Carvedilol is known to decrease the severity of ventricular dysfunction, to increase the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and, consequently, to reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. There is accumulating evidence that inflammatory cytokines have an important role in the pathogenesis of heart failure.

Objective: To establish whether the addition of carvedilol has an additive beneficial effect on cytokines in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy who are already receiving treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, digoxin and diuretics.

[Comparison of multiple prediction models for hypertension (Neural networks, logistic regression and flexible discriminant analyses)].

Objective: In this study, we compared performances of logistic regression analysis (LR), flexible discriminant analysis (EAA) and neural networks (SA) in prediction of primary hypertension.

Methods: Predictor variables were family history, lipoprotein A, triglyceride, smoking and body mass index. The data were collected from Cardiology Clinic of Trakya University Medical Faculty in Turkey, 2001.

Increased pulse wave velocity and shortened pulse wave propagation time in young patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic immune and inflammatory disease associated with excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is an index of arterial stiffness and a marker of cardiovascular events.

Objective: To investigate arterial stiffness using carotid-femoral (aortic) PWV measurements in young patients with RA.

Arterial distensibility as determined by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity in patients with Behçet's disease.

Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic, multisystem disorder characterized by genital and oral aphthae, skin lesions, uveitis, and tendency to thrombosis. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is an important factor in determining cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. It is an index of arterial wall stiffness and inversely related to the arterial distensibility.

The potential cardioprotective effects of amifostine in irradiated rats.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the cardioprotective efficacy of amifostine. The study consists of researching the relationship between plasma brain natriuretic peptide levels and the electrical and morphologic changes in irradiated rats with or without amifostine.

Methods And Materials: Sixty Wistar albino rats were divided into 4 groups, and their hearts were given 15 Gy/fraction with (60)Co.

Acute myocardial infarction in a patient with essential thrombocythemia treated with glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor.

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) rarely causes obstruction of coronary arteries or acute myocardial infarction. Treatment of acute myocardial infarction in patients with ET may be a problem due to the important role of platelets in the pathogenesis of infarction. There is no reported case of acute myocardial infarction with essential thrombocythemia treated with a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor.

Relationship with plasma neurohormones and dyssynchrony detected by Doppler echocardiography in patients undergoing permanent pacemaker implantation.

Objective: To determine whether isovolumic relaxation flow (IRF) and isovolumic contraction flow (ICF) resulted from asynchrony and asynergy due to VVI and DDD pacemakers modulated neurohormones, we measured neurohormone levels in plasma and investigated the characteristics of IRF and ICF using Doppler echocardiography.

Methods And Results: We studied 11 patients with dual-chamber pacemakers (DDD) and 11 patients, with ventricular inhibiting mode (VVI). All patients underwent Doppler echocardiography of the left ventricle.

Automatic backscatter analysis of regional right ventricular systolic function using colour kinesis in patients with inferior wall acute myocardial infarction with or without right ventricular involvement.

Background: In patients with inferior acute myocardial infarction (AMI), right ventricular (RV) function is an important determinant of global cardiac performance, prognosis, and exercise capacity. Several echocardiographic methods for quantifying RV function have been developed over the years but the usefulness of colour kinesis (CK) and acoustic quantification (AQ) have not yet been investigated.

Aim: To test whether AQ and CK may provide quantitative assessment of global and regional RV function in patients with inferior AMI.

Predictive value of admission electrocardiogram for multivessel disease in acute anterior and anterior-inferior myocardial infarction.

Background: Our aim was to investigate the correlation between admission ECG and coronary angiography findings in terms of predicting the culprit vessel responsible for the infarct or multivessel disease in acute anterior or anterior-inferior myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: We investigated 101 patients with a diagnosis of anterior AMI with or without ST-segment elevation or ST-segment depression in at least two leads in DII, III, aVF. The patients were classified as those with vessel involvement in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery and patients with multivessel disease.