[Antibiotic prophylaxis for infective endocarditis: current approaches].

This review addresses current views on prevention of infectious endocarditis (IE). History of establishing the concept of antibacterial prophylaxis (ABP), major approaches, and substantiation of changes in ABP in recent years are described. Recent international and national guidelines are highlighted, specifically, guidelines of the European Society of Cardiologists, American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology, and the Japanese Circulation Society.

[Anaemia and iron deficiency in chronic heart failure patients].

Tis review focused on prevalence of anemia and iron defciency (ID) in CHF and their effect on the course and prognosis of this condition. Based on evaluation of numerous laboratory data defnitions of anemia and ID were suggested. Specifcally, a diagnostic value of measuring serum iron, serum ferritin, transferrin saturation, total iron-binding capacity, and concentration of soluble transferrin receptors was discussed.

[The case of repeated syncopes in recurrent pulmonary embolism].

The article provides a case report of recurrent syncopal episodes in a 57-year old male patient. During a three-month period of recurrent syncope, the patient was managed by the family doctor and at pulmonology and cardiology departments for different diagnoses. Due to an uncertainty in diagnosis, the patient was moved to a hospital where he underwent echocardiographic examination and duplex scanning of right leg veins, which detected a 49.

[The Development of Pulmonary Damage When Receiving Amiodarone].

In this report we describe in detail a case from clinical practice of the most dangerous side effect of an antiarrhythmic agent amiodarone - amiodarone induced pulmonary toxicity.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BLOOD ALDOSTERONE AND SOMATOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEART FAILURE AND PRESERVED EJECTION FRACTION OF LEFT VENTRICLE.

Unlabelled: Blood aldosterone level is an independent predictor of aggravated prognosis in patients with cardiovascular disorders. Synthesis of this hormone and its activity can determine the amount of adipose tissue in the body, but this dependence is poorly known in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Aim: To analyse the relationship between blood aldosterone level and somatometric parameters in patients with CHF and preserved ejection fraction of left ventricle (LV).

[Infective endocarditis in the elderly: The current view of the problem].

The review gives the current views of the etiology and risk factors of infective endocarditis (IE) in the elderly. It reports the specific clinical picture of the disease at this age, including clinically apparent syndromes, comorbidity, and various clinical signs and peculiarities of IE. Particular emphasis is placed on the diagnosis of an endocardial infectious lesion, which is based on the use of the modified Duke criteria.

[Sudden Cardiac Death in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy].

This literature review is devoted to the problem of studying sudden cardiac death (SCD) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). It covers prevalence of SCD and its structure among young individuals and trained athletes, contains discussion of relation of SCD to sex, age, and hypertrophic response of myocardium to physical exercise. Modern views on arrhythmogenic substrate underlying SCD in HCM as well as pathophysiologic cascade of life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmia are presented in detail.

[True polycythemia: current views of pathogenesis, diagnostics and treatment].

Current concepts of true polycythemia are reviewed. Results of numerous epidemiological studies on the prevalence of this form of myeloproliferative neoplasms are presented with special reference to recent findings concerning its pathogenesis and the role of JAK2V617F mutation that occurs in the majority of patients. The clinical picture and new diagnostic criteria are discussed The data on the incidence and prevalence of the disease and its complications are considered including venous and/or arterial thrombosis, transformation into post-polycythemic myelofibrosis and acute myeloleucosis.

[The role of T-wave alternans in prognosis of risk of sudden cardiac death].

The literature review contains data dedicated to one of tools of stratification of risk of fatal arrhythmia - detection of T-wave alternans (TWA). Methods of determination of TWA, problems of results interpretation, mechanism of the TWA genesis, and its clinical meaning in different cardiovascular diseases are considered. Special attention is paid to the role of TWA in the identification of the patients who require cardioverter-defibrillator implantation.

[Marfan syndrome].

Marfan syndrome is a hereditary disease of connective tissue with predominant involvement of cardiovascular system, skeleton and eyes. Timely diagnosis and adequate management can substantially decrease mortality in this condition. The review summarizes data of clinical observations and studies of etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of Marfan syndrome.

[Effect of propranolol in silent myocardial ischemia induced by anthracyclines].

Effect of propranolol on pain-free myocardial ischemia induced by exposure to anthracyclinic antibiotics were assessed by findings from Holter ECG monitoring in 36 patients with acute lymphoblast leukemia against the background of a complete clinical-and-hematological remission. In those patients having received small cumulative doses of anthracyclines (less than 550 mg/m2) in whom depression of ST-segment had an apparent tachydependent character the severity of pain-free ischemia was shown to be alleviated by a 3-week intake of propranolol. Remarkably, those patients with "silent" myocardial ischemia having received high cumulative doses of cytostatics (more than 550 mg/m2) did not derive much benefit from beta-adrenoblocker, which fact might be associated with the presence in this case of ischemic episodes unrelated to tachycardia.

[Roentgenologic assessment of articular lesions in rheumatoid arthritis].

The article presents a comparative analysis of methods for quantitative assessment of roengenologic changes in the joints in rheumatoid arthritis that have come to be widely used in USA and Europe. It is noted that the Steinbroker's method widely employed by clinicians fails to give an integral assessment of the articular affection. Expediency is documented of employment of the Sharp's method in roentgenologic monitoring in clinical trials of new antirheumatic drug preparations.

[Brugada syndrome].

The Brugada syndrome is a clinical-electrocardiographic diagnosis characterized by syncopal episodes or sudden death (caused by ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation) in patients with a structurally normal heart with a characteristic electrocardiographic pattern consisting of ST segment elevation in precordial leads (Vl-V3) and a morphology of the QRS complex resembling right bundle branch block (the latter can transiently disappear). Timely diagnosis and adequate treatment may essentially decrease mortality of this disease. In our review we have summarized results of recent studies of etiology, pathogenesis, clinical picture, diagnosis and treatment of the Brugada syndrome.

[Long QT interval syndrome].

Long QT interval syndrome is a cardiac disorder associated with fatal ventricular arrhythmias (torsade de pointes and ventricular fibrillation). Timely diagnosis and adequate treatment may decrease mortality due this syndrome. The present review summarizes results of recent studies of etiology, pathogenesis, clinical picture, diagnosis and treatment of the long QT syndrome.

[The late results of electrical cardioversion in patients with a chronic form of atrial fibrillation].

The paper presents results of study of the electric cardioversion (ECV) long-term effects in 216 patients with a chronic form of cardiac fibrillation (CF). The CF relapses were found to occur in 45.4% of cases, with the 43.

[The role of Holter ECG monitoring in the diagnosis of syncopal states].

Diurnal Holter ECG monitoring (HM) was used to examine 53 patients with different cardial pathology accompanied by syncopal conditions whose arrhythmogenic genesis was confirmed by long recording of the ECG. Based on the results of comparing the cardiorecorder readings and the diaries of patients' subjective sensations, the authors have demonstrated HM and thorough anamnestic studies to be highly significant in the diagnosis of the syncopal syndrome.

[The effect of tocopherol and nicotinic acid on the microcirculation and blood coagulability in patients with ischemic heart disease].

Patients with ischemic heart disease were treated by routine techniques (53), using also tocopherol acetate (54) and combination of tocopherol with nicotinic acid (53). Changes of the microcirculatory bed of the bulbar conjunctiva was studied biomicroscopically and in the process of blood coagulation hemoelectrocoagulographically. Complex treatment using tocopherol acetate produced a positive effect on the coagulation properties of the blood and did essentially influence the fibrinolytic activity and microcirculation.