Magnetic resonance imaging and clinical outcome in patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis after carotid artery revascularization.

Introduction: About 30% of patients with carotid artery stenosis (CAS) develop dementia after a cerebral ischemic event (CIE), and 20-50% suffer from CIE recurrence during 6 months. Carotid artery revascularization (CAR) may prevent CIE recurrence, at the cost of new microembolic lesions (MES). The impact of CAR on cognitive function is debatable.

Fibrin Clot Permeability as a Predictor of Stroke and Bleeding in Anticoagulated Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background And Purpose: Formation of denser fiber networks has been reported in atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke. In this longitudinal cohort study, we evaluated whether fibrin clot density may predict thromboembolic and bleeding risk in patients with atrial fibrillation on vitamin K antagonists.

Methods: In 236 patients with atrial fibrillation receiving vitamin K antagonists treatment, we measured ex vivo plasma clot permeability (K), a measure of the pore size in fibrin networks.

Impaired fibrinolysis and lower levels of plasma α-macroglobulin are associated with an increased risk of severe asthma exacerbations.

Recently we have reported that asthma is associated with enhanced plasma thrombin formation, impaired fibrinolysis and platelet activation. In the present study we investigated whether described prothrombotic blood alterations might predispose to thromboembolic events or asthma exacerbations. In 164 adult asthmatics we assessed clinical events during 3-year follow-up and analyzed their associations with measured at baseline prothrombotic blood parameters.

How does preclinical laboratory training impact physical examination skills during the first clinical year? A retrospective analysis of routinely collected objective structured clinical examination scores among the first two matriculating classes of a reformed curriculum in one Polish medical school.

Objective: As a result of a curriculum reform launched in 2012 at our institution, preclinical training was shortened to 2 years instead of the traditional 3 years, creating additional incentives to optimise teaching methods. In accordance with the new curriculum, a semester-long preclinical module of clinical skills (CS) laboratory training takes place in the second year of study, while an introductory clinical course (ie, brief introductory clerkships) is scheduled for the Fall semester of the third year. Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are carried out at the conclusion of both the preclinical module and the introductory clinical course.

Efficacy of HCV treatment in Poland at the turn of the interferon era - the EpiTer study.

The Aim Of The Study: Was to analyze the efficacy achieved with regimens available for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Poland between 2013 and 2016.

Material And Methods: Data were collected from 29 centers and included 6786 patients with available sustained virologic response (SVR) data between 1 January 2013 and 31 March 2016.

Results: The sustained virologic response rate for genotypes (G) 1a, 1b, 2, 3 and 4 was 62%, 56%, 92%, 67% and 56% respectively; 71% patients ( = 4832) were treated with pegylated interferon α (Peg-IFNα) and ribavirin (RBV), with SVR rates of 58%, 49%, 92%, 67% and 55% respectively.

Determinants of long-term outcome in patients after percutaneous stent-assisted management of symptomatic subclavian or innominate artery stenosis or occlusion.

Aims: Incidence and determinants of restenosis and adverse events after endovascular management (PTA±stent) of the subclavian/innominate artery (SA/IA) stenosis/occlusion remain unclear due to the relatively short-term follow-up or limited size of prior studies. This large-scale, long-term prospective study investigated safety, efficacy, and prognosis after SA/IA PTA±stent.

Methods And Results: The study involved 411 consecutive patients with symptomatic SA/IA stenosis/ occlusion; 393 were followed annually after successful PTA±stent for up to 16 (minimum one) years.

Prothrombotic Fibrin Clot Phenotype in Patients with Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism: A New Risk Factor for Recurrence.

Prothrombotic fibrin clot phenotype, involving faster formation of dense meshwork composed of thinner and highly branched fibers that are relatively resistant to plasmin-induced lysis, has been reported in patients with not only myocardial infarction or stroke, but also venous thromboembolism (VTE), encompassing deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and/or pulmonary embolism (PE). Prothrombotic fibrin clot phenotype, in particular prolonged clot lysis time, is considered a novel risk factor for VTE as well as venous thrombosis at unusual location, for example, cerebral sinus venous thrombosis, retinal vein obstruction, and Budd-Chiari syndrome. Growing evidence from observational studies indicates that abnormal fibrin clot properties can predict recurrent DVT and PE and they are involved in serious complications of VTE, for example, thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and postthrombotic syndrome.

Eye movements in essential tremor patients with parkinsonian and cerebellar signs.

Unlabelled: Apart from intention tremor essential tremor (ET) patients may display other cerebellar signs, like dysmetria or tandem gait disturbances as well as parkinsonian signs like resting tremor, cogwheel sign, subtle bradykinesia. Previous reports claimed the occurrence of the eye movement abnormalities characteristic for dysfunction of cerebellar dorsal vermis in ET patients with concomitant cerebellar signs. There are no previous reports evaluating the eye movement abnormalities in ET patients with concomitant parkinsonian signs.

Left atrial accessory appendages, diverticula, and left-sided septal pouch in multi-slice computed tomography. Association with atrial fibrillation and cerebrovascular accidents.

Background: The aim of this study is to provide a morphometric description of the left-sided septal pouch (LSSP), left atrial accessory appendages, and diverticula using cardiac multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) and to compare results between patient subgroups.

Methods: Two hundred and ninety four patients (42.9% females) with a mean of 69.

Inhibition of left ventricular stimulation due to left ventricular lead failure and the left ventricular T-wave protection algorithm in patient with cardiac resynchronization therapy and pacemaker dependency.

The electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation in patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is often a perplexing problem. The difficulty in the device evaluation increases in the presence of unfamiliar timing cycles and a lead dysfunction. Authors describe a special function of a Biotronik CRT devices called the left ventricle T-wave protection (LVTP), and demonstrate its behavior in a patient with left ventricular (LV) lead failure.

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.

Management of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Focus on Treatment Options.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is leading cardiac arrhythmia with important clinical implications. Its diagnosis is usually made on the basis on 12-lead ECG or 24-hour Holter monitoring. More and more clinical evidence supports diagnostic use of cardiac event recorders and cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIED).

Prothrombotic State in Asthma Is Related to Increased Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines, IL-6 and TNFα, in Peripheral Blood.

Recently, we have reported that asthma is associated with enhanced plasma thrombin formation and impaired fibrinolysis. The mechanisms underlying the prothrombotic state in this disease are unknown. Our aim was to investigate whether prothrombotic alterations in asthmatics are associated with inflammation.

[Predictive parameters of occurrence of adequate interventions in patients with implanted cardioverter-defibrillators with or without resynchronisation therapy in primary prevention of sudden cardiac death in dilated cardiomyopathy].

Unlabelled: The task of the ICD is to detect ventricular arrhythmias and treatment of its adequate intervention. The task of the CRTD in addition to the above tasks is the treatment of heart failure.

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the predictive parameters of adequate interventions in patients with an ICD and CRTD.

Eye movement abnormalities in essential tremor.

Essential tremor (ET) is the most prevalent movement disorder, characterized mainly by an action tremor of the arms. Only a few studies published as yet have assessed oculomotor abnormalities in ET and their results are unequivocal. The aim of this study was to assess the oculomotor abnormalities in ET patients compared with the control group and to find the relationship between oculomotor abnormalities and clinical features of ET patients.

[The evaluation of the ventricular arrhythmias and interventions of cardiac implantable electronic devices in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death in ambulatory and telemetric follow-up].

Unlabelled: Telemetric follow-up (RM) after cardiac devices implantation is not inferior to classic follow-up and enables earlier clinical complications detection.

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluation of the ventricular arrhythmias and interventions of ICD/CRTD in ambulatory and telemetric follow-up in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Materials And Methods: Group A (CRT-D+ICD) - retrospective, patients followed-up in outpatient clinic - was consisted with 273 patients (mean age 65±11 years, 230M).

Atrioventricular synchrony in the background of ventricular noise and undersensing.

The 24-hr electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation in patients with double-chamber pacemakers may be challenging. The difficulty increases if not well-known pacemaker algorithm and device malfunction coexist. We show atrial synchronization pace (ASP) in a patient with ventricular lead damage.