Relationship Between Melatonin and Cardiovascular Disease.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The coronary atherosclerotic process involves different pathological mechanisms; inflammation is one of the major triggers for the development of atherosclerotic plaque. Although several studies showed the favorable effects of melatonin on the cardiovascular system (CVS), melatonin seems not to take its rightful place in today's clinical practice. This review aims to point out the role of melatonin on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its' risk factors. All data were obtained via PubMed, Wikipedia, and Google.

Antithrombotic treatment patterns and stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation in TURKEY: inferences from GARFIELD-AF registry.

The corner stone of atrial fibrillation therapy includes the prevention of stroke with less adverse effects. The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) study provided data to compare treatment strategies in Turkey with other populations and every-day practice of stroke prevention management with complications. METHODS: GARFIELD-AF is a large-scale registry that enrolled 52,014 patients in five sequential cohorts at >1,000 centers in 35 countries.This study initiated to track the evolution of global anticoagulation practice, and to study the impact of NOAC therapy in AF. 756 patients from 17 enrolling sites in Turkey were in cohort 4 and 5.Treatment strategies at diagnosis initiated by CHA2DS2-VASc score, baseline characteristics of patients, treatment according to stroke and bleeding risk profiles, INR values were analyzed in cohorts.Also event rates during the first year follow up were evaluated. RESULTS: AF patients in Turkey were mostly seen in young women.Stroke risk according to the CHADS2 score and CHA2DS2-VASc score compared with world data. The mean of risk score values including HAS-BLED score were lower in Turkey than world data.The percentage of patients receiving FXa inhibitor with or without an antiplatelet usage was more than the other drug groups. All-cause mortality was higher in Turkey. Different form world data when HAS-BLED score was above 3, the therapy was mostly changed to antiplatelet drugs in Turkey. CONCLUSION: The data of GARFIELD-AF provide data from Turkey about therapeutic strategies, best practices also deficiencies in available treatment options, patient care and clinical outcomes of patients with AF.

The Role of Osteoprotegerin as a Cardioprotective Versus Reactive Inflammatory Marker: the Chicken or the Egg Paradox

Cardiovascular disease is one of the most frequent causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Several variables have been identified as risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Recently, the role of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B, receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand, and the osteoprotegerin system has been recognized as more important in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Besides their roles in the regulation of bone resorption, these molecules have been reported to be associated with the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease. There are conflicting data regarding the impact of osteoprotegerin, a glycoprotein with a regulatory role in the cardiovascular system. The aim of this review is to discuss the current knowledge and the role of osteoprotegerin in cardiovascular disease.

Brain Natriuretic Peptide Levels in Acute Inferior Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between initial serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels and right ventricular functions in inferior myocardial infarction (MI) with and without right ventricular involvement. METHODS: The study included 61 patients, who presented with acute inferior MI. Twenty-seven patients had right ventricular involvement. Blood samples for BNP were obtained from each patient on admission. Echocardiographic assessments were performed and recorded during the first 12 h. Right ventricular involvement was determined by electrocardiography, conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDI). RESULTS: In inferior MI with right ventricular involvement, tricuspid annulus planimetric systolic excursion (TAPSE) and right ventricular fractional area change were lower, and left ventricular E/E' ratio was higher. In the group with BNP levels above 400 pg/mL, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and left ventricular end-systolic diameter were higher, and left ventricular ejection fraction and TAPSE, indicator of right ventricular systolic function, were lower. The elevated BNP levels were negatively correlated with RSm and TAPSE, while they were positively correlated with the E/E' ratio. The systolic blood pressure and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter during admission were independent predictors of BNP levels. CONCLUSIONS: In acute inferior MI, initially increased BNP levels may be valuable in predicting the right ventricle involvement. Higher rates of hypotension, right ventricular dysfunction and increased left ventricle diameters are observed in patients with BNP levels ≥ 400 pg/mL.

Aortic flow propagation velocity, epicardial fat thickness, and osteoprotegerin level to predict subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

OBJECTIVE: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common cause of liver dysfunction in Western countries and an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic heart disease. Appropriate noninvasive parameters are lacking for optimal risk stratification of cardiovascular disease in these patients. We evaluated several recently discovered noninvasive parameters for atherosclerosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: epicardial fat thickness, aortic flow propagation velocity, and osteoprotegerin level. METHODS: Forty-one patients (27 men and 14 women; mean age, 37.9±8.9 years) with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and 37 control subjects (17 men and 20 women; mean age, 34.5±8.6 years) were enrolled in this observational case-control study. Patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease diagnosed at a gastroenterology outpatient clinic were included. Patients with cardiac pathology other than hypertension were excluded. Epicardial fat thickness and aortic flow propagation velocity were measured by echocardiography. The serum concentration of osteoprotegerin was measured using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. RESULTS: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients exhibited a significantly lower aortic flow propagation velocity (155.17±30.00 vs. 179.00±18.14 cm/s, p=0.000) and significantly higher epicardial fat thickness (0.51±0.25 vs. 0.29±0.09 cm, p=0.000) than control subjects. Osteoprotegerin levels were higher, but not significant, in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (28.0±13.0 vs. 25.2±10.8 pg/mL, p=0.244). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that aortic flow propagation velocity (OR, -0.973; 95% CI, 0.947-0.999) and waist circumference (OR, -1.191; 95% CI, 1.088-1.303) were independent predictors of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. CONCLUSION: In this study, epicardial fat thickness and osteoprotegerin level were higher and aortic flow propagation velocity was lower in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Early detection of abnormal epicardial fat thickness and aortic flow propagation velocity may warrant a search for undetected cardiovascular disease in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Effects of Gender on Electrocardiography in Subjects with Shortened Ventricular Depolarization (QRS).

BACKGROUND: Distinctions between electrocardiograms of female and male subjects have been recognized for many years. Due to these differences, arrhythmias in each gender have a tendency to differ. In our study, we aimed to compare electrocardiography intervals between men and women with short QRS durations. METHODS: Subjects with a QRS interval of ≤80 ms were included in the study. Patients were grouped by gender and the parameters were compared. Patients with diseases that might affect QRS interval and/or who were on medications were excluded. The electrocardiogram intervals of the subjects were measured, Holter monitors were placed, and parameters of time-based heart rate variation were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients (55% female) were included in the study. According to statistical analysis, no significant difference between the genders was observed in the heart rate or in the parameters, such as QT, JT, JTp, and TpTe intervals or heart rate-corrected QTc, JTc, JTpc, and TpTec intervals, which affect repolarization and are known to be arrhythmia precursors by shortening or elongation. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups for the parameters of heart rate variability time measures (SDNN, SDANN, rMSSD, and pNN50). CONCLUSION: We observed that when the QRS interval gets shorter, repolarization differences between the genders disappear. New studies are required on this subject.

Validation of a new risk score to predict contrast-induced nephropathy after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a frequent, potentially lethal complication of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs). We prospectively validated the diagnostic performance of a simple CIN risk score in a large multicenter international cohort of patients who underwent PCI. About 2,882 consecutive patients treated with elective or urgent PCI were enrolled. A simple CIN risk score was calculated for all patients by allocating points according to a prespecified scale (pre-existing renal disease = 2; metformin use = 2; previous PCI = 1; peripheral arterial disease = 2; and injected volume of contrast medium ≥300 ml = 1). CIN was defined as an increase, compared with baseline, of serum creatinine by ≥25%, or by ≥0.5 mg/dl, 48 hours after PCI. CIN occurred in 15.7% of the study population. The predictive accuracy of the CIN risk score was good (c-statistic 0.741, 95% confidence interval 0.713 to 0.769). Receiver-operating characteristic analysis identified a score of ≥3 as having the best diagnostic accuracy. Examination of the performance of the proposed risk score using different definitions of CIN yielded a robust predictive ability. The score exhibited good discrimination (area under the curve ≥0.700) across all predefined subgroups of the study population. Compared with 2 previously published risk scores for CIN, our score demonstrated higher discriminative ability and resulted in a net reclassification improvement and an integrated discrimination improvement (p <0.001). In conclusion, the new risk score can easily be applied in the setting of urgent or elective PCI, allows for robust risk assessment and offers the potential to improve the peri-interventional management of patients at risk for CIN.

The relation between the levels of osteoprotegerin and the degree of coronary artery disease in patients with acute coronary syndrome and stable angina pectoris.

BACKGROUND: Osteoprotegerin (OPG), an inhibitor of osteoclastogenesis, has recently been under the spotlight in studies regarding the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. AIM: To evaluate the value of serum OPG in the diagnosis and severity in patients with stable angina pectoris (SA) and unstable angina pectoris/non ST elevation myocardial infarction. METHODS: This study involved 160 patients, SA (n = 65), acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS; n = 65), and a control group (n = 30). Blood samples were collected in the first hour, after 24 hours and on the fifth day. The prevalence of coronary artery atherosclerotic lesions was determined using the Gensini scoring system. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was observed in the first hour OPG levels between the control group and both the SA and NSTE-ACS group (p < 0.001). When the cut-off value was determined as 247.71 pg/mL, the sensitivity and specificity of the first hour OPG levels indicating coronary artery disease were 91.54% and 46.67%, respectively, while the positive predictive value was 88.1% and the negative predictive value was 56%. No correlations were observed between the first, 24th hour and the fifth day OPG levels and the Gensini scores. No relation was denoted between the OPG levels and number of diseased coronary arteries. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, serum OPG level seemed to be unrelated to the severity or the degree of coronary artery disease in patients with SA and unstable angina pectoris/non ST elevation myocardial infarction. OPG may only be accepted as an indicator of coronary atherosclerosis.

[Problems in cardiology specialty training in Turkey]. / Türkiye'deki kardiyoloji uzmanlik egitiminin sorunlari

Cardiology Specialty Training in our country should be made in accordance with the law numbered 1219 on the Practice of Medicine and Related Arts, and according to the Medical and Dental Specialist Training Regulation which is published according to the 9th article of this law. The duration of Cardiology Specialist Training has been defined as 4 years in our country. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC), European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), and the European Cardiology Section Foundation (ECSF) define the duration of Cardiology Specialist Training as 6 years. Therefore, insufficient Cardiology residency training occurs in our country due to the shortened length of time. In this report, the problems of the Cardiology Specialist Training in Turkey will be addressed under different headings.

Coronary slow flow and acute coronary syndrome in a patient with spinal cord injury.

We report the case of a 55-year-old man who presented with acute coronary syndrome due to coronary slow flow after spinal cord injury. Data regarding the causes and clinical manifestations of coronary slow flow are inconclusive, but the autonomic nervous system is believed to be at least a contributing factor. The predominant vagal activity causes vasodilation and hemostasis, which can lead to acute coronary syndrome. We hereby call attention to hyperactive parasympathetic tonicity, which can lead to coronary slow flow and acute coronary syndrome in acute spinal cord injury patients.

Assessment of ventricular and left atrial mechanical functions, atrial electromechanical delay and P wave dispersion in patients with scleroderma.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate ventricular functions and left atrial (LA) mechanical functions, atrial electromechanical coupling, and P wave dispersion in scleroderma patients. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with scleroderma and twenty-four controls were included. Left and right ventricular (LV and RV) functions were evaluated using conventional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). LA volumes were measured using the biplane area- -length method and LA mechanical function parameters were calculated. Inter-intraatrial electromechanical delays were measured by TDI. P wave dispersion was calculated by 12-lead electrocardiograms. RESULTS: LV myocardial performance indices (MPI) and RV MPI were higher in patients with scleroderma (p = 0.000, p = 0.000, respectively) while LA passive emptying fraction was decreased and LA active emptying fraction was increased (p = 0.051, p = 0.000, respectively). P wave dispersion and inter-intraatrial electromechanical delay were significantly higher in patients with scleroderma (25 [10-60] vs 20 [0-30], p = 0.000, 16.50 [7.28-26.38] vs 9.44 [3.79-15.78] and 11.33 [4.88-16.06] vs 4.00 [0-12.90], p < 0.05, respectively). Interatrial electromechanical delay was negatively correlated with LV E wave, (p = 0.018). LV E wave was demonstrated to be a factor independent of the interatrial electromechanical delay (R² = = 0.270, b = -0.52, p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that in scleroderma patients, global functions of LV, RV and mechanical functions of LA were impaired, intra-interatrial electromechanical delays were prolonged and P wave dispersion was higher. LV E wave was demonstrated to be a factor that is independent of the interatrial electromechanical delay. Reduced LV E wave may also give additional information on the process of risk stratification of atrial fibrillation.

Comparison of antihypertensive efficacy of carvedilol and nebivolol in mild-to-moderate primary hypertension: a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study is to compare the antihypertensive effects of carvedilol and nebivolol in mild-to-moderate hypertensive patients. METHODS: It is a prospective; placebo-controlled, cross-over, double-blind, randomized, single-center clinical trial. Patients (n=20) who were first diagnosed with mild to moderate systemic hypertension according to mean ambulatory blood pressure measurements > 130/85 mmHg and no previous antihypertensive therapy were prospectively enrolled into the study. After 10 days of placebo run-in period, they were randomized within the same group as cross-over design to one month carvedilol 25 mg and one month nebivolol 5 mg regimen given once daily in the morning. The primary outcome variables were systolic and diastolic blood pressures determined by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements. Mutlivariate analysis of variance for repeated measurements with 3x2 factorial design was used for statistical analysis of results. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 6 women and 14 men whose mean age was 42.9±12.8 years (range 19-63 years). Mean heart rate was significantly decreased after commencing both carvedilol (70.2±5.2 bpm) and nebivolol (64.9±3.9 bpm) treatments compared to placebo (78.8±5.2 bpm) (p<0.05). Both carvedilol (133.8±9/86.6±8.6 mmHg) and nebivolol (134±8.7/85.6±7.4 mmHg) significantly decreased mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures compared to placebo (143.9±8.9/94.4±9.2 mmHg), respectively (p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in decreasing either systolic or diastolic blood pressure between nebivolol and carvedilol therapies (p>0.05). No side effects were recorded during both carvedilol and nebivolol treatments. CONCLUSION: Although both carvedilol and nebivolol effectively decreased blood pressure compared to placebo, they showed similar efficacy for lowering blood pressure.

Bidirectional tachycardia in a patient with pulmonary embolism.

We report a 55 year-old man with sudden cardiac arrest. Electrocardiography revealed runs of bidirectional ventricular tachycardia, and transthoracic echocardiography showed indirect findings of pulmonary embolism.

Assessment of the relationship between asymmetric dimethylarginine and severity of erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease.

The plasma concentration of asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, has been linked to endothelial dysfunction. We investigated the relation between plasma ADMA concentration and severity of erectile dysfunction (ED) and coronary artery disease (CAD). We measured plasma levels of ADMA in 92 male patients. Patients were divided into three groups: group 1 (n = 41), patients with ED and without CAD; group 2 (n = 29), patients with stable CAD; group 3 (n = 22), control group (patients without CAD or ED). Erectile function was evaluated by the erectile function domain of the international index of erectile function (IIEF-EFD) a validated 15-item self-administered questionnaire. Erectile function is specifically addressed by six questions that form the so-called erectile function domain of the questionnaire. Each question is scored 0-5. ED is defined as any value < 26. Patients with CAD who have stable angina pectoris were selected after coronary angiography. ADMA was analyzed by ELISA method. Group 1 had significantly higher concentrations of plasma ADMA than groups 2 and 3 (respectively, 0.75 ± 0.40 vs. 0.50 ± 0.30, P = 0.013; 0.75 ± 0.40 vs. 0.50 ± 0.25, P = 0.021). There was negative correlation between ADMA and IIEF-EFD score in all groups (n = 92) (r = -0.322, P = 0.002). In a multiple logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, hyperlipidemia, ADMA remained independent predictor for severe ED. Odds ratio for plasma ADMA was 14.151 (1.101-181.940; P = 0.042). First of all, this study provides that ADMA concentrations are significantly higher in patients who have ED when compared to patients with CAD and controls. Second, there was a negative correlation between ADMA and severity of ED. Elevating levels of circulating ADMA is an independent risk factor for severe of ED, and ADMA may be a link between CAD and ED.

Asymmetrical dimethylarginine and severity of erectile dysfunction and their impact on cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Coronary artery disease (CAD) and vascular erectile dysfunction (ED) are related to endothelial dysfunction. Elevated asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels and ED are common in patients with increased cardiovascular risk. Our aim was to investigate whether ADMA has a predictive role for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The secondary aim of this study was to investigate whether severity of ED predicts MACE in these patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Follow-up data were available for severity of ED in 71 patients with ACS. Plasma ADMA levels were determined by ELISA in 57 patients. Erectile dysfunction was assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function-6 (IIEF-6) score. Major adverse cardiovascular events (reinfarction, all-cause hospitalisation, stroke and all-cause death) was evaluated after a median of 10 months. RESULTS: Severe ED had no significantly increased hazard ratio for cardiovascular events compared with mild, mild to moderate, and moderate ED (0.259 [95% CI 0.041-1.6], p = 0.147; 0.605 [95% CI 0.095-3.8], p = 0.594; 0.980 [95% CI 0.233-4.1], p = 0.978; and 0.473 [95% CI 0.052-1.3], p = 0.508). The patients who had ADMA levels ≥ 0.32 µmol/l had no significantly increased hazard ratio for cardiovascular events compared with patients who had ADMA levels < 0.32 µmol/l (2.018 [95% CI 0.615-6.6], p = 0.247). CONCLUSIONS: Severity of ED and ADMA did not increase the risk of cardiovascular events in follow-up patients with ACS in our study. Larger prospective studies are necessary to evaluate whether ADMA predicts cardiovascular events in patients with ACS.