Assessment of the relationship between C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio and slow coronary flow in patients with stable angina pectoris.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between severity of coronary artery disease and inflammatory parameters has been previously demonstrated. However, there is a lack of data regarding the role of C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) in slow coronary flow (SCF) in patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP). In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between CAR and presence of SCF in patients with SAP. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study enrolled 217 patients undergoing coronary angiography for SAP. SCF was detected in 81 (37.3%) patients, and the control group included 136 patients. All clinical, demographical, and laboratory parameters were entered into a dataset and compared between SCF group and the controls. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 66.1 ± 12.1 years (male: 57.1%). C-reactive protein and CAR were significantly higher in patients with SCF compared with controls (P = 0.004 and < 0.001, respectively). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that high CAR level was an independent determinant of SCF (odds ratio: 1.023; 95% confidence interval: 1.013-1.034; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Higher CAR level may be a valuable predictor of SCF in patients with SAP who undergo coronary angiography. Inflammation may play an important role in the pathogenesis of SCF.

Assessment of long-term cardiovascular effects of unilateral nephrectomy.

PURPOSE: There is conflicting evidence regarding long-term effects of unilateral nephrectomy such as cardiovascular diseases. Excessive increase in blood pressure (BP) during exercise called "hypertensive response to exercise" may be a sign of unborn hypertension and increased cardiovascular risk. Decrease in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with unilateral nephrectomy may be associated with disturbance of circadian BP changes without affecting the absolute levels of BP. We aimed to investigate the circadian BP changes and hypertensive response to exercise in normotensive patients with preserved renal functions who had undergone unilateral nephrectomy for other causes rather than organ donation. METHODS: This study enrolled 32 patients (mean age 43.4 ± 9.9 years, male 15) with unilateral nephrectomy and 40 healthy controls (mean age 47 ± 6.1 years, male 17). All patients were undergone both office and ambulatory BP measurements and treadmill stress test. RESULTS: The median time since nephrectomy was 12 (9-22) years in the patient group. The median GFR of the patient group was lower than that of the controls without significance [85.1 (76.0-97.9) vs. 93.2 (84.5-104.9), respectively; p = 0.14]. There was no significant difference between groups in terms of office BP measurements, night time diastolic and systolic BP, mean arterial pressure (MAP), night/day time ratio of MAP in ambulatory BP measurements. The results of treadmill stress tests and hypertensive response to exercise ratios were also similar between the groups. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that there was no increase in long-term cardiovascular risks one decade after unilateral nephrectomy based on circadian BP changes and hypertensive response to exercise in normotensive patients.

Is triglyceride/HDL ratio a reliable screening test for assessment of atherosclerotic risk in patients with chronic inflammatory disease?

OBJECTIVE: The term chronic inflammatory disease (CID) refers to a category of inflammatory diseases that includes Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). The incidence of adverse cardiovascular events is greater among patients with CID, though they may not have conventional atherosclerotic risk factors. Endothelial dysfunction is one of the underlying fundamental mechanisms that trigger development of atherosclerotic alterations in arteries, and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) is a noninvasive method to determine endothelial dysfunction. Recent studies have shown a relationship between high triglyceride high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio and coronary atherosclerosis. Many studies have demonstrated that patients with CID have lower FMD values compared to healthy population, indicating endothelial dysfunction. However TG/HDL ratio and its relationship to FMD in patients with CID has not been investigated. The present study investigated whether TG/HDL ratio in CID patients differs from that of healthy population, and its relationship to FMD in patients with CID. METHODS: A total of 58 patients with CID and a group of 58 healthy volunteer individuals were enrolled in the study. FMD measurements were taken with high resolution ultrasound (US), and TG/HDL ratios were calculated. RESULTS: Patients with CID had significantly higher TG/HDL-C ratio (2.5 [2.2-2.8] vs 2.3 [2.1-2.5]; p=0.03) and lower FMD values (5.2 [4.2-6.3] vs 6.7 [6.3-9.7]; p<0.001), compared to healthy group, and a negative correlation was found between FMD levels and TG/HDL ratio of the study population. CONCLUSION: Higher TG/HDL ratio and lower FMD values found in CID patients may reflect increased atherosclerotic risk.

Assessment of Anti-Tissue Type Plasminogen Activator Antibodies in Patients With Prosthetic Heart Valve Thrombosis: The ATA Trial.

BACKGROUND: Thrombolysis is an effective treatment strategy for prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT). Recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is widely used as a thrombolytic agent. Infusion of rt-PA may trigger the production of anti-tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) antibodies (ATAs). We aimed to evaluate the possible relationship between ATA levels and PVT formation, and the role of baseline ATA levels on outcomes of thrombolytic therapy in patients with PVT. METHODS: This prospective, single-center cohort study included 28 patients with PVT undergoing thrombolysis and 31 controls with normal prostheses. Plasma samples were collected from patients with PVT at baseline and at 15th, 30th, 90th, and 180th days after thrombolysis and from controls at baseline only. The ATA levels were assessed in human plasma by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Baseline ATA-immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM were significantly higher in patients with PVT than in controls. The levels of IgM and IgG peaked at 15th and 30th days after rt-PA infusion, respectively. Subtherapeutic international normalized ratio and baseline ATA-IgM were independent predictors of PVT. Thrombolysis failed in 6 patients (21%) in whom baseline IgM levels were significantly higher than successfully lysed patients. Rethrombosis occurred in 9 patients (32%) in whom baseline IgG levels were significantly higher than those without rethrombosis. There was a moderate positive correlation between baseline and 15th-day IgM levels and the dose of rt-PA needed for successful lysis. CONCLUSION: The ATA levels tended to be higher in patients with PVT at the time of initial diagnosis compared to controls without PVT. In addition, such patients with PVT and high ATA levels may be at high risk for failed thrombolysis or rethrombosis.

Echocardiographic assessment of right ventricular functions in nondiabetic normotensive hemodialysis patients.

PURPOSE: Heart is affected structurally and functionally in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, the data available about adverse effects of ESRD on right ventricle (RV) is scarce. We aimed to evaluate echocardiographic parameters of RV in nondiabetic, normotensive patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis (HD). METHODS: A total of 45 (24 women; mean age 52.4 ± 12.4 years) consecutive nondiabetic, normotensive patients with ESRD undergoing HD and 39 healthy age and sex-matched control subjects (22 women; mean age 50.3 ± 6.6 years) were enrolled in the study. M-mode and two dimensional images, color, pulsed and continuous wave Doppler, and tissue Doppler measurements were acquired from all subjects. Echocardiographic evaluation was performed in the days between HD dates of the patients. RESULTS: RV fractional area change, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, tricuspid E velocity, E/A ratio, tricuspid annular E´ velocity, and E´/A´ ratio were lower in patients than controls (p < 0.001, p = 0.003, p = 0.007, p = 0.005, p < 0.001, and p = 0.034, respectively). However, RV diastolic area, RV myocardial performance index, E/E´ ratio, and mean and systolic pulmonary artery pressure were higher in patients than controls (p < 0.001, p = 0.007, p = 0.005, p < 0.001, p = 0.006, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: RV systolic and diastolic functions of nondiabetic, normotensive HD patients are deteriorated as compared to healthy controls.

Value of serum fibrinogen levels in the assessment of mechanical prosthetic valve thrombosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: The evaluation of prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) is crucial due to higher mortality and morbidity rates. The study aim was to assess the value of fibrinogen in the diagnosis of PVT, an important and a common cause of prosthetic valve failure. METHODS: Between December 2007 and April 2012, 154 patients with PVT and 116 control subjects with a normally functioning prosthesis were enrolled in the study. PVT was diagnosed using transesophageal echocardiography, and fibrinogen levels were measured at presentation. The patients and controls had similar demographic features. RESULTS: NYHA functional class, ineffective anticoagulation, presence of symptoms and moderate to severe left atrial spontaneous echo contrast (LASEC) were significantly different between the groups. The fibrinogen level was significantly higher in patients with PVT compared to controls (393.46 +/- 127.87 versus 276.93 +/- 69.22 mg/dl, p < 0.001). Ineffective anticoagulation, the presence of symptoms, a poor NYHA functional class, the presence of moderate to severe LASEC and elevated fibrinogen levels were independent predictors of PVT on multivariate regression analysis (p < 0.001, odds ratio (OR) 38.811, 95% confidence interval (CI): 13.319-113.091; p < 0.001, OR 6.745, CI: 2.777-16.386; p = 0.031, OR 3.557, CI: 1.126-11.239; p = 0.026, OR 3.203, CI: 1.146-8.955, and p < 0.001, OR 1.011, CI: 1.007-1.016 respectively). CONCLUSION: Besides known indicators of PVT, including ineffective anticoagulation, the presence of LASEC and decreased NYHA functional capacity, elevated fibrinogen levels may be a valuable marker for the assessment of PVT.

Real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography in the assessment of mechanical prosthetic mitral valve ring thrombosis.

Although 2-dimensional (2D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is the gold standard for the diagnosis of prosthetic valve thrombosis, nonobstructive clots located on mitral valve rings can be missed. Real-time 3-dimensional (3D) TEE has incremental value in the visualization of mitral prosthesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of real-time 3D TEE in the diagnosis of mitral prosthetic ring thrombosis. The clinical outcomes of these patients in relation to real-time 3D transesophageal echocardiographic findings were analyzed. Of 1,263 patients who underwent echocardiographic studies, 174 patients (37 men, 137 women) with mitral ring thrombosis detected by real-time 3D TEE constituted the main study population. Patients were followed prospectively on oral anticoagulation for 25 ± 7 months. Eighty-nine patients (51%) had thrombi that were missed on 2D TEE and depicted only on real-time 3D TEE. The remaining cases were partially visualized with 2D TEE but completely visualized with real-time 3D TEE. Thirty-seven patients (21%) had thromboembolism. The mean thickness of the ring thrombosis in patients with thromboembolism was greater than that in patients without thromboembolism (3.8 ± 0.9 vs 2.8 ± 0.7 mm, p <0.001). One hundred fifty-five patients (89%) underwent real-time 3D TEE during follow-up. There were no thrombi in 39 patients (25%); 45 (29%) had regression of thrombi, and there was no change in thrombus size in 68 patients (44%). Thrombus size increased in 3 patients (2%). Thrombosis was confirmed surgically and histopathologically in 12 patients (7%). In conclusion, real-time 3D TEE can detect prosthetic mitral ring thrombosis that could be missed on 2D TEE and cause thromboembolic events.