[Cleft lobe sign. A curious clinical sign or an ischemic heart disease marker?]. / Signo del lóbulo hendido, curiosidad clínica o marcador de cardiopatía isquémica?

The majority of studies have demonstrated a correlation between diagonal earlobe creases sign with coronary artery disease and atheroscleosis. Diagonal earlobe creases run from the lower pole of the external meatus, diagonally backwards to the edge of the lobe at approximately 45. The objective of this paper is review the evidence related to this interesting clinical sign.

The history of surgery for ischemic heart disease.

Myocardial revascularization had its beginnings in the early 1900s with extracardiac operations, such as sympathetic denervation and thyroid ablation. From there it evolved through neovascularization via pericardial poudrage and cardiopexy in the 1930s to 1950s, to mammary artery myocardial implantation in the 1940s and endarterectomy in the 1950s, to saphenous vein- and mammary artery-coronary artery bypass grafting in the 1960s. The history of the surgical treatment of myocardial ischemia is presented here in chronologic sequence to highlight the prescient thinking and the persistence of efforts, as well as the false starts and the rediscovery of old ideas, that have marked the development of this treatment.

Profulla Kumar Sen: his contributions to cardiovascular surgery.

One of the most eminent cardiothoracic surgeons of India, Profulla Kumar Sen (1915-1982) had a keen interest in research and in the subsequent clinical application of knowledge gained in the laboratory. His most significant contributions are his pioneering work on a transmyocardial acupuncture technique for treatment of ischemic myocardium, on heart transplantation in canine models and later in human beings, and on a new technique for aortic arch replacement. Transmyocardial laser revascularization of the 1990s was but an extension of his mechanical myocardial acupuncture for the treatment of ischemic heart disease, which he introduced 30 years earlier. On 16 February 1968, after many years of preparation through work with animal models, P.K. Sen and his team performed the 1st cardiac transplantation in India and the 6th in the world.

[Atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease. Short historical notes]. / Aterosclerosis y cardiopatía isquémica. Notas históricas breves.

A review of some historical accounts in Medicine reveals concepts, clinical descriptions and prognosis of coronary atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease in the recent past and in remote antiquity. Herein, the historical accounts disclosed include some concepts and terms utilized in reference to atherosclerosis: the oldest documentation of coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction in Egyptian mummies; the clinical syndrome of angor pectoris in the Ebers' papyrus, as well as clinical and prognostic data in the Corpus Hippocraticum regarding possible cases of angina, infarction and sudden death. These reports give a better insight into primitive medicine in the Ancient Western World, revealing the evolving concept of atherosclerosis and the existence of this disease in humanity's remote past.

Regional disparities in mortality after ischemic heart disease in a Brazilian state from 2006 to 2010.

BACKGROUND: High technology in the field of interventional cardiology applied in tertiary hospitals has brought enormous benefits in the treatment of ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, IHD mortality rates remain high. We analyzed the relationship between IHD mortality rate and the socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic conditions in 399 cities in Parana state, Brazil, from 2006 to 2010. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were obtained from the Mortality Information System and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics and evaluated through Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis. GeoDa™ was used to analyze 29.351 deaths across 399 cities. We found a positive spatial autocorrelation regarding IHD mortality (I = 0.5913, p = 0.001). There was a significant positive association between each of three socioeconomic and demographic indicators and IHD mortality rate: Population Elderly Index (I = 0.3436), Illiteracy Rate (I = 0.1873) and City Development Index (I = 0.0900). In addition, two indicators presented significant negative association with IHD mortality rate: Adjusted Population Size (I = -0.1216) and Gross Domestic Product (I = -0.0864). We also found a positive association between IHD mortality rates and the geographic distances between patients' city of residence and their corresponding regional referral centers in interventional cardiology (I = 0.3368). Cities located within Regional Health Units with Reference Interventional Cardiology Center presented a significantly lower average specific mortality rate by IHD. The high mortality rate by IHD within the Regional Health Units was not restricted to socioeconomic and demographic variables, but dependent on the distance between each city and their reference interventional cardiology center. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that geographic factors play a significant role in IHD mortality within cities. These findings have important policy implications regarding the geographic distribution of cardiac health care networks in Latin America and in other emerging countries.

Bone marrow cell injection for chronic myocardial ischemia: the past and the future.

Intramyocardial bone marrow cell injection is currently being investigated as a new therapeutic option for the treatment of chronic myocardial ischemia. Experimental studies and early phase clinical trials established a favorable safety profile of this approach and suggested that bone marrow cell injection was associated with clinical and functional improvements. Recently, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that intramyocardial bone marrow cell injection was associated with beneficial effects on myocardial perfusion and anginal symptoms. However, the mechanisms by which bone marrow cells may improve myocardial perfusion are only partially understood, and several issues remain to be addressed. This review aims to provide a summary of the current experience with bone marrow cell therapy as a novel treatment option for patients with chronic myocardial ischemia. Therefore, the most frequently used cell types will be reviewed along with the mechanisms through which bone marrow cells may improve myocardial perfusion and function. In addition, possible routes of delivery are compared, and the results of currently available experimental and clinical studies are discussed.