The Effect of Intracoronary Infusion of Autologous Bone Marrow-Derived Lineage-Negative Stem/Progenitor Cells on Remodeling of Post-Infarcted Heart in Patient with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

: Regenerative capacity of the heart is limited, and the post-infarct left ventricle (LV) dysfunction is associated with poor prognosis. Administration of stem/progenitor cells (SPCs) is a promising approach for cardiac regeneration. : In the study, we assessed LV function and post-infarcted remodeling in patients with ST-elevated myocardial infarct (STEMI) who received autologous lineage-negative (LIN) SPCs.

Novel Evidence of the Increase in Angiogenic Factor Plasma Levels after Lineage-Negative Stem/Progenitor Cell Intracoronary Infusion in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Cell therapy raises hope to reduce the harmful effects of acute myocardial ischemia. Stem and progenitor cells (SPCs) may be a valuable source of trophic factors. In this study, we assessed the plasma levels of selected trophic factors in patients undergoing application of autologous bone marrow (BM)-derived, lineage-negative (Lin) stem/progenitor cells into the coronary artery in the acute phase of myocardial infarction.

Angiographic severity of coronary artery disease and cardiovascular risk in acute coronary syndrome in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Background: The extent of angiographic lesions, size of infarct, and in-hospital and long-term prognosis in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS) have not been clearly determined.

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of MS on the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardio-vascular risk evaluated using the GRACE 2.0 risk score and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with first acute coronary syndrome (ACS) treated with coronary angioplasty.

The paradox of the first cycle of chemotherapy-transient improvement of contractility and diastolic function after the first cycle of anthracycline-based chemotherapy: a prospective clinical trial.

Aims: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, and anthracyclines are the most commonly administered drugs for these patients. Cardiotoxicity is one of the complications, which limits the success of this therapy. Very few studies have evaluated anthracycline toxicities within the first few hours after the first infusion, and the majority of published studies were performed in animal models.

Variability of platelet response to clopidogrel is not related to adverse cardiovascular events in patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Antiplatelet response to clopidogrel and its influence upon the risk of cardiovascular adverse events among patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not been investigated fully.

Methods: Two hundred eleven patients treated with aspirin and clopidogrel were included in the study. Immediately before PCI, residual platelet reactivity testing with impedance aggregometry assay and a single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping analysis targeting variants of CYP2C19, ABCB1, and PON1 genes was performed.

Elevated NT-proBNP is associated with unfavorably altered plasma fibrin clot properties in atrial fibrillation.

Background: Dense fibrin clot formation and hypofibrinolysis have been reported in atrial fibrillation (AF). It is unclear which factors affect fibrin clot properties in AF.

Methods And Results: We investigated plasma fibrin clot permeability (K), clot lysis time (CLT), endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) as well as other coagulation and fibrinolysis parameters along with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in 160 AF patients (median age, 70.

Cardiac safety of systemic therapy in breast cancer patients with high risk of atherosclerosis complications.

Aim: This study was designed to verify the efficacy of breast cancer treatment and its cardiac toxicity in population with significant cardiac comorbidities.

Materials & Methods: Prospective observational study was conducted in 48 patients.

Results: The increase and dependence of echocardiographic parameter early/late were observed on hemoglobin level in all patients, and white blood cells and cholesterol in patients with diabetic were reported.

Alcohol septal ablation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy utilizing a longitudinal 17-year study (mean 10.8). Observation follow-ups taken at a single medical centre.

Background: Alcohol septal ablation (ASA) is a method of treatment in obstructive hypertrophic car-diomyopathy (HOCM), but there is little data on the long-term results of ASA and the natural course after treatment. The aim of the study was to evaluate the results of ASA in HOCM in multiannual observation, and its impact on patient survival, exercise capacity, electrical complications, and changes in the anatomy and function of the heart.

Methods: The study evaluated 47 patients with HOCM with a high left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT gradient) treated between 1997 and 2014 with ASA.

Factors Affecting Exercise Test Performance in Patients After Liver Transplantation.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplant recipients. In addition, low physical activity is a risk factor for cardiac and cerebrovascular complications.

Objectives: This study examined potential relationships between physical activity, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and an exercise test in liver-graft recipients.

Inflammation markers are associated with metabolic syndrome and ventricular arrhythmia in patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: Inflammation plays a major role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease (CAD). Inflammation markers, including white blood cell (WBC) count, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), are widely used for cardiovascular risk prediction. The aim of the study was to establish factors associated with WBC, CRP and IL-6 in patients with CAD.

[Coronary artery disease in women – how to prevent heart failure after myocardial infarction?].

Cardiovascular disease has been the most common cause of death and disability in women. The prevelence of cardiovascular diseases in women increases dramatically with age as the population ages and women’s life expectancy inareases. Compared with men, women with coronary artery diseases are older and more likely to have hyprtension, diabetes and congestive heart failure.

[The role of biochemical markers with special regard to troponin, CK-MB, NT-proBNP as early biomarkers of cardiotoxicity among women after chemotherapy due to breast cancer].

Introduction: Cardiotoxicity of drugs in oncology is a growing problem which cardiologists and oncologists have to struggle with. So far, researchers have been looking for biochemical markers which could help to extract a group more prone to developing complications after chemotherapy. Authors’ reports are inconsistent in this topic.

[Pregnant woman with pulmonary hypertension].

Pulmonary hypertension is a disease with diverse etiology. According to the New ESC guidelines, pregnancy is contraindicated for a patent with pulmonary hypertension and qualify such patent to class IV NYHA, regardless of the reason of hypertension. Pregnancy is revived for a patient with pulmonary hypertension despite of the fact that recent treatment methods including specific therapy with the endothelin receptor antagonistst (bosentan), phosphodiesterase inhibitors (sildenafil) and prostacyclin analogs (iloprost) were introduced.

Prognostic role of troponin and natriuretic peptides as biomarkers for deterioration of left ventricular ejection fraction after chemotherapy.

Cardiotoxicity due to anthracyclines, trastuzumab and other potential cardiotoxic drugs is still a problem of modern chemotherapy. For years researchers have tried to find biological markers that can predict changes in the heart. The most thoroughly tested markers are troponin and natriuretic peptides.

[Maternal arrhythmias during pregnancy. Practical review].

Pregnancy is accompanied by a variety of cardiovascular changes in normal women, and these changes can increased incidence of maternal cardiac arrhythmias. Supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias reguiring treatment are rarely seen during pregnancy in healthy women. Structural cardiac defects or residual defects after repair may contribute to the occurrence of clinically relevant arrhythmias.

[Sick sinus syndrome and conduction disorders in women--frequency, treatment].

Conduction disorders in women are often presented as sick sinus syndrome in comparison to men who have more often disturbances of AV conduction diseases and sinus carotid diseases. Nearly every heart disease with prevalence of ischeamic heart disease and idiopathic degenerative fibrotic process, which leads to reduction number of trigger cells, can result in conduction disorders. As a gold standard in treatment is pacemaker implantation with appropriate pacing mode, after exclusion a reversable reason of the disease.

Coronary artery disease. A study of three polymorphic sites of adenosine deaminase gene.

Objectives: The role of adenosine as a cardioprotective agent is well known and recent experimental studies suggest that impairment of adenosine-related signal transduction contributes to the pathophysiology of chronic heart failure. The recent observation of an association between ADA, genetic polymorphism and coronary artery disease (CAD) prompted us to study the possible relevance of three intragenic polymorphic sites of the ADA gene (ADA1, ADA2 and ADA6).

Methods And Results: 136 non-diabetic patients with coronary artery disease and 246 healthy blood donors from the white Italian population of Central Italy and 129 non-diabetic patients with CAD and 204 newborns from the white Polish population were studied.

Effect of cardiac resynchronisation therapy on coronary blood flow in patients with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background: Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) has beneficial effects on cardiac function, exercise tolerance, symptoms, and prognosis. Coronary blood flow impairment has been observed in patients with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) despite angiographically normal coronary arteries. No data are available on coronary blood flow and coronary flow reserve (CFR) measured by intracoronary Doppler in different coronary arteries in patients with DCM and left bundle branch block (LBBB) before and during treatment with CRT.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and hypertension are associated with left ventricular mass in a gender-dependent manner.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare echocardiographic parameters in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and in controls with normal kidney function taking into account gender and the presence of hypertension.

Methods: 47 patients with ADPKD (age 36.3 ± 11.