Gout and arrhythmias: In search for causation beyond association.

Gout is a systemic disease, characterized by the formation and deposition of crystals in tissues (mainly in and around the joints) of individuals with elevated serum uric acid levels. Lately, a considerable number of reports relating elevated uric acid and/or gout with rhythm disorders, such as atrial fibrillation, have been published. This review summarizes evidence linking common arrhythmias and hyperuricemia/gout and discusses questions or controversies that surround it.

Invasive treatment in peripheral artery disease.

Invasive treatment in peripheral artery disease (PAD) has evolved as a viable alternative to surgical treatment. However, beyond the common pathophysiological substrate, as far as treatment is concerned, each site of atherosclerotic disease (subclavian and vertebral arteries; carotid arteries; intracranial arterial tree; renal arteries; lower extremity arteries) features unique characteristics. Treatment options include medical treatment, endovascular management and/or surgery.

Open radical prostatectomy after transurethral resection: perioperative, functional, oncologic outcomes.

Introduction: To demonstrate any differences in the perioperative, functional and oncologic outcomes after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) among those patients having previously performed transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) and those not.

Materials And Methods: A total of 35 patients were diagnosed with prostate cancer (T1a and T1b) after TURP, underwent RRP and completed a 1 year follow up (group A). They were matched with a cohort of another 35 men (group B) in terms of age, body mass index (BMI), prostatic specific antigen (PSA), Gleason score, prostate volume (before surgery), pathological stage and neurovascular bundle-sparing technique.

Surgery for pheochromocytoma: A 20-year experience of a single institution.

Objective: Resection of pheochromocytomas is a challenging procedure due to hemodynamic lability. Our aim was to evaluate surgical outcomes in 67 patients with pheochromocytoma and to validate the role of laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of these tumors.

Design: This study is a retrospective review.

New Treatment Strategy for a Delayed Skin Necrosis Related to a Calcaneal Fracture.

In calcaneal avulsion fractures, skin necrosis as a result of pressure from the underlying fragment is a fairly common and serious complication. In spite of proper treatment, skin healing complication may occur. We report a calcaneal fracture case complicated by skin necrosis and managed with a novel treatment strategy including application of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Vacuum Assisted Closure (VAC).

Colchicum Genus in the Writings of Ancient Greek and Byzantine Physicians.

The plants of the Colchicum family were known during the archaic period in Greece for their deleterious properties. Later on, they were used for the treatment of podagra. The treatment was introduced by the ancient Greek physicians and passed on to the Byzantine and Arabian physicians to endure until nowadays.

Coincidental ganglionated plexus modification during radiofrequency pulmonary vein isolation and post-ablation arrhythmia recurrence.

Aims: Vagal responses (VR) during left atrial ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment have been reported to be associated with less recurrences, presumably because they are a sign of ganglionated plexi modification. Our objective was to evaluate whether coincidentally elicited VR during left atrial ablation are associated with lower AF recurrence rates.

Methods And Results: This is a post hoc analysis of a prospective study of 291 patients with paroxysmal AF undergoing radiofrequency pulmonary vein isolation (PVI).

Nocardia osteomyelitis in an immunosuppressed patient.

Osteomyelitis is an inflammation process of bone caused by a pathogenic microorganism and associated by edema, thrombosis of small vessels and eventually bone necrosis. Infection of bone occurs as a consequence of hematogenous dissemination of bacteria, invasion from a contiguous focuw of infection and skin breakdown. We report a case of lower limbs osteomyelitis due to Nocardia spp in a 68 years old man with Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA) during his treatment of underlying vasculitis.

Chitinase-3-like protein-1 (YKL-40) before and after therapy in supraventricular arrhythmias.

Background: The inflammatory glycoprotein chitinase-3-like protein 1 or YKL-40 has emerged as a potential biomarker of cardiovascular diseases, including atrial fibrillation (AFib). We sought to assess YKL-40 in a wide spectrum of supraventricular arrhythmias besides AFib in comparison with other inflammatory markers.

Methods: We determined serum levels of YKL-40, C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-6 in 70 patients with AFib, atrial flutter, atrioventricular node reentry tachycardia or other supraventricular tachycardias before, immediately after therapy and 1 week after therapy; 20 healthy patients served as controls.

Gender-related differences in antiplatelet treatment patterns and outcome: Insights from the GReekAntiPlatElet Registry.

Aims: Data on the clinical impact of gender in "real-life" patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), receiving clopidogrel, prasugrel, or ticagrelor are limited. We aimed to investigate sex-based differences in clinical outcome of those patients.

Methods: In a prospective, observational, multicenter, cohort study, 2047 patients were recruited into the GReekAntiPlatElet (GRAPE) Registry and were followed up until 1 year for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE, composite of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, urgent revascularization, and stroke) and bleeding events (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium [BARC] classification).

Remote Ischemic Conditioning and Renal Protection.

Over the course of the last 2 decades, the concept of remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) has attracted considerable research interest, because RIC, in most of its embodiments offers an inexpensive way of protecting tissues against ischemic damage inflicted by a number of medical conditions or procedures. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common side effect in the context of various medical procedures, and RIC has been suggested as a means of reducing its incidence. Outcomes regarding kidney function have been reported in numerous studies that evaluated the effects of RIC in a variety of settings (eg, cardiac surgery, interventions requiring intravenous administration of contrast media).

Treatment satisfaction of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents.

Purpose: To assess the psychometric properties of the Greek Macular Disease Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (MacTSQ) and evaluate the factors that influence treatment satisfaction of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods: The MacTSQ was translated into Greek and administered to 176 patients. All patients completed the SF-12 Health Survey and the Macular disease Dependent Quality of Life Questionnaire (MacDQoL) and underwent vision measurements.

Transurethral resection versus open bladder cuff excision in patients undergoing nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract carcinoma: Operative and oncological results.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of distal ureter management on oncological results after open nephroureterectomy (ONU) comparing transurethral resection of the intramural ureter to conventional open excision, as controversy still exists about the method of choice for managing the distal ureter and bladder cuff during ONU.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively collected data from 378 patients who underwent ONU for upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma (UUT-TCC) from 1988 to 2009. Patients were divided into two subgroups according to the type of operation performed.

Subconjunctival orbital fat prolapse and thyroid associated orbitopathy: a clinical association.

Background: Thyroid associated orbitopathy (TAO) comprises a spectrum of well-recognized clinical signs including exophthalmos, eyelid retraction, soft tissue swelling, ocular misalignment, keratopathy as well as a number of less common manifestations. Subconjunctival fat prolapse is a rare clinical condition occurring typically spontaneously in elderly patients with a mean age of 65-72 years. We describe subconjunctival prolapse of orbital fat as an uncommon clinical association of TAO.

Dyspnea in patients treated with P2Y receptor antagonists: insights from the GReek AntiPlatElet (GRAPE) registry.

In 'real life' acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and receiving contemporary antiplatelet treatment, data on dyspnea occurrence and impact on persistence with treatment are scarce. In a prospective, multicenter, cohort study, ACS patients undergoing PCI were recruited into the GReekAntiPlatElet (GRAPE) registry. During 1-year follow up, overall, 249/1989 (12.

Permanent pacemaker implantation in octogenarians with unexplained syncope and positive electrophysiologic testing.

Background: Syncope is a common problem in the elderly, and a permanent pacemaker is a therapeutic option when a bradycardic etiology is revealed. However, the benefit of pacing when no association of symptoms to bradycardia has been shown is not clear, especially in the elderly.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pacing on syncope-free mortality in patients aged 80 years or older with unexplained syncope and "positive" invasive electrophysiologic testing (EPT).

Consumption of antibiotics for community-acquired infections by adults in Greece: A cross-sectional study.

We studied the rates and characteristics of antibiotics consumption for community-acquired infections in 309 adult patients. Of them, 293 (94.8%) had received at least 1 course of antibiotics during the past year.

A complicated case of primary hypophysitis with bilateral intracavernous carotid artery occlusion.

Unlabelled: Primary hypophysitis (PH) is a rare clinical entity characterized by inflammatory infiltration of the pituitary gland with various degrees of pituitary dysfunction.

Objective: To present a complicated case of aggressive PH with bilateral cavernous sinuses infiltration, successfully treated with azathioprine after failure of corticosteroid treatment.

Methods And Results: A 48-year-old woman presented with episodes of recurrent headache and progressively worsening muscle weakness.

Duplication of the dura as a cause of anterior thoracic spinal cord herniation. A case report.

The authors report the surgical management of anterior thoracic spinal cord herniation through a defect of the inner layer of a duplicated dura mater in a 55-year-old patient presenting with a 5-year history of progressive myelopathy, addressing the possible pathogenesis and the surgical treatment options of this rare entity.

The ongoing challenge of discrepant growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor I results in the evaluation of treated acromegalic patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) are the principal biomarkers used to assess disease activity in acromegaly, and any discrepancy between them renders interpretation of results inconclusive. Purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of this discrepancy and identify parameters that might affect its occurrence.

Design: A systematic review of MEDLINE and Scopus was performed (1987-2013) followed by a meta-analysis to address the frequency of discrepant results between GH and IGF-I levels.

Contemporary antiplatelet treatment in acute coronary syndrome patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: 1-year outcomes from the GReek AntiPlatElet (GRAPE) Registry.

Unlabelled: Essentials The comparative efficacy and safety of antiplatelet agents in 'real life' is not clear. We recruited acute coronary syndrome patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention. At 1-year follow-up, prasugrel offers better anti-ischemic protection than clopidogrel.