Relationship between MTHFR C677T and A1298C gene polymorphisms and complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus in an Emirati population.

Purpose: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most common form of diabetes with clinical consequences giving rise to chronic multiple organ complications. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms are genetic variations that have been linked to T2DM, and micro/macrovascular complications. The link between MTHFR and T2DM however is strongly dependent on the ethnic group studied.

Pregnancy in Women With a Mechanical Heart Valve: Data of the European Society of Cardiology Registry of Pregnancy and Cardiac Disease (ROPAC).

Background: Pregnant women with a mechanical heart valve (MHV) are at a heightened risk of a thrombotic event, and their absolute need for adequate anticoagulation puts them at considerable risk of bleeding and, with some anticoagulants, fetotoxicity.

Methods And Results: Within the prospective, observational, contemporary, worldwide Registry of Pregnancy and Cardiac disease (ROPAC), we describe the pregnancy outcome of 212 patients with an MHV. We compare them with 134 patients with a tissue heart valve and 2620 other patients without a prosthetic valve.

Tenecteplase in prosthetic mitral valve thrombosis.

In the few reported cases of prosthetic mitral valve thrombosis, where surgical intervention was considered as high risk, fibrinolytic therapy had proved life saving. The authors present clinical, laboratory, and imaging data from such a patient, with prosthetic mitral valve thrombosis and its successful management with tenecteplase. The use of tenecteplase as a viable fibrinolytic agent for the first time was justified, due to the lack of immunogenicity concerns compared to streptokinase.

Prevalence and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors in outpatients with atherothrombosis in the Middle East.

Objective: To characterise the risk-factor profile and treatment gaps among patients with, or at risk for, cardiovascular disease in the Middle East.

Design: Secondary analysis of a prospective observational study.

Setting: International multicentre study (Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health).

B-type natriuretic peptide levels predict functional capacity in postcardiac surgery patients.

Objective: Plasma levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) are often increased in postcardiac surgery patients. The six-minute walking test (6MWT) is useful to assess functional capacity in postcardiac surgery patients. The aim of this study was to determine whether BNP levels are associated with exercise capacity evaluated by 6MWT in patients after cardiac surgery.

Prominent crista terminalis mimicking a right atrial mass: case report.

The crista terminalis is a normal anatomical structure within the right atrium that is not normally visualised in the standard views obtained while performing a transthoracic echocardiogram. In this case report, transthoracic echocardiography suggested the presence of a right atrial mass in a patient with end stage renal disease. However, subsequent transesophageal echocardiography revealed that the right atrial mass was actually a thick muscular bridge in the right atrium consistent with a prominent crista terminalis.

Relationship between B-type natriuretic peptide levels and echocardiographic indices of left ventricular filling pressures in post-cardiac surgery patients.

Background: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is increased in post-cardiac surgery patients, however the mechanisms underlying BNP release are still unclear. In the current study, we aimed to assess the relationship between postoperative BNP levels and left ventricular filling pressures in post-cardiac surgery patients.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 134 consecutive patients referred to our Center 8 +/- 5 days after cardiac surgery.

Impact of fasting in Ramadan in patients with cardiac disease.

Objectives: To investigate whether Ramadan fasting has any effect on patients with heart disease.

Methods: We prospectively studied 465 outpatients with heart disease who were fasting during the month of Ramadan from October 24 to November 24, 2003. These studied subjects were from various medical centers in the Gulf region; State of Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.