Pulmonary arterial wall thickness increased in Behçet's disease patients with major organ involvement: Is it a sign of severity?

OBJECTIVES: Behçet's disease (BD) is a unique systemic vasculitis mainly involving veins, in contrast to other vasculitides. Prior studies have shown that pulmonary arteries (PAs) have a similar structure to systemic veins. In this study we aimed to assess PA wall thickness by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in BD patients compared with healthy controls (HCs) and patients with non-inflammatory pulmonary embolism (NIPE). METHODS: Patients with BD (n = 77) and NIPE (n = 33) and HCs (n = 57) were studied. PA wall thickness was measured from the mid-portion of the main PA with TTE by two cardiologists blinded to cases. RESULTS: PA wall thickness was significantly lower in HCs [3.6 mm (s.d. 0.3)] compared with NIPE [4.4 mm (s.d. 0.5)] and BD [4.4 mm (s.d. 0.6)] (P < 0.001 for both). PA wall thickness was similar between BD and NIPE (P = 0.6). Among patients with BD, PA wall thickness was significantly higher in patients with major organ involvement compared with mucocutaneous limited disease [4.7 mm (s.d. 0.4) vs 3.7 (0.4), P < 0.001], HCs and NIPE (P < 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively). PA wall thickness was comparable between patients with vascular and non-vascular major organ involvement [4.6 mm (s.d. 0.5) vs 4.7 (0.3), P = 0.3]. CONCLUSION: We observed that PA wall thickness was significantly higher in BD with major organ involvement compared with patients with only mucocutaneous limited disease, HCs and NIPE. These results suggest that increased PA wall thickness may be a sign of severe disease with major organ involvement in BD.

The Impact of Timing of Fixed Dose Triple Antihypertensive Combinations on Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Parameters.

INTRODUCTION: Re-establishing "dipping" physiology significantly reduces cardiovascular events. The aim was to investigate the effect of timing of fixed dose triple antihypertensive combinations on blood pressure (BP) control. METHODS: One hundred sixteen consecutive patients (62.7 ± 10.7 years, 38 men) with grade II hypertension were randomized into four groups. Group 1 and Group 2 patients were given angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor-based triple antihypertensive pills to be taken in the morning or evening, respectively while Group 3 and Group 4 patients were given angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) based triple antihypertensive pills to be taken in the morning or evening, respectively. All patients underwent 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring 1 month after the initiation of treatment. RESULTS: There were not any significant differences in the characteristics, BP values and loads among groups. All patients in each group had good BP control. Dipping pattern in systolic BP was observed significantly less in Group 3 patients taking ARB in the morning (3 patients) compared to other groups (12 patients) in each group, [P = .025]. Similarly, dipping pattern in diastolic BP was observed significantly less in Group 3 patients (4 patients) compared to others (13 patients) in Group 1 and 15 patients in Group 2 and Group 4, [P = .008]. Nondipping pattern was significantly associated with taking ARB in the morning, even when adjusted by age, sex, and other comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Fixed dose triple antihypertensive drug combinations enable good BP control regardless of the timing of drug while ARB-based ones may be taken in the evening to ensure dipping physiology.

Evaluation of Arterial Stiffness and Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness in Patients with Coronary Slow Flow.

Background: Coronary slow flow may not only affect the coronary arteries, but it may also be a vascular problem affecting the rest of the arterial system. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine peripheral arterial stiffness and the thickness of the choroid layer in patients with slow coronary flow. Methods: Fifty consecutive patients (age, 54.3 ± 11.4 years, 38 male) with coronary slow flow and 25 consecutive patients (age, 50.5 ± 9.9 years, 16 male) with normal coronary arteries both documented by coronary angiography were included. Arterial stiffness parameters were measured noninvasively using a Mobil-O-Graph arteriography system. The choroidal thickness was assessed using the enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography method. Results: The patients with coronary slow flow had significantly higher peripheral systolic blood pressure, peripheral pulse pressure, central pulse pressure, and pulse wave velocity (PWV) and significantly thinner choroidal thickness compared to the controls. Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count was positively correlated with PWV (r: 0.237, p = 0.041) and negatively correlated with choroidal thickness (r: -0.249, p = 0.031). There was also a negative correlation between PWV and mean choroidal thickness (r: -0.565, p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis showed that coronary slow flow was an independent predictor of both PWV and choroidal thickness when adjusted by age and sex. Conclusions: The acceleration of average peripheral arterial PWV with a thinning of choroidal thickness in patients with coronary slow flow may support the idea that this phenomenon may be a coronary presentation of a systemic microvascular disorder.

Neurogenic stunned myocardium in acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Neurogenic myocardial injury occurs as a result of dysregulation of autonomic nervous system. The aim of this study was to explore the frequency of elevated troponin and dynamic ST segment/T wave changes and their relation with left ventricular (LV) systolic functions in acute ischemic stroke patients. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-five patients (mean age: 65.1±15.2years, 76 male) presenting with acute ischemic stroke were consecutively included. 12-lead electrocardiogram was taken to assess dynamic ST segment/T wave changes, conventional transthoracic echocardiography to determine LV ejection fraction (LVEF). High-sensitive cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) level>0.04ng/mL was accepted as elevated. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients (21.6%) had elevated hs-cTnI and 60 patients (48%) had dynamic ST segment/T wave changes. The stroke patients with elevated hs-cTnI had significantly higher NT-proBNP values (2302±3450pg/mL vs 799±2075pg/mL p<0.001) and higher frequency of ST segment/T wave changes (85.2% vs 37.8% p<0.001), and lower LVEF (52.2±13.6% vs 61.0±8.5% p=0.002) compared to patients with normal troponin levels. The patients with ST segment/T wave changes had significantly higher frequencies of hyper-lipidemia (31.7% vs 15.4% p=0.031) and coronary artery disease (CAD) (43.3% vs 13.8% p<0.001), hs-cTnI (0.19±0.55ng/mL vs 0.02±0.01ng/mL p<0.001) and NT-proBNP levels (1430±2564pg/mL vs 842±2425pg/mL p=0.016), and lower LVEF (56.1±11.7% vs 61.9±8.3% p=0.009). Linear regression analysis revealed presence of CAD, but not ST segment/T wave changes as an independent predictor of hs-cTnI (p=0.034). LVEF was independently associated with hs-cTnI (p=0.003) and presence of CAD (p=0.009) when adjusted by age, sex and presence of ST segment/T wave changes. CONCLUSION: Troponin elevation and ST segment/T wave changes occurring in patients suffering acute ischemic stroke, especially in those with CAD, may be a sign of neurogenic stunned myocardium.

The evaluation of right ventricle dyssynchrony by speckle tracking echocardiography in systemic sclerosis patients.

PURPOSE: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is associated with right ventricle (RV) remodeling and dysfunction. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate RV dyssynchrony (RV-Dys) in SSc patients using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). METHODS: Fifty-five SSc patients with functional class I-II and 45 healthy controls were consecutively included and underwent 2D-STE. RV-Dys was defined as the standard deviation of time to peak strain of mid and basal segments of RV free wall and interventricular septum. SSc group was further classified according to the presence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Patients with tricuspid regurgitant velocity >2.8 m/s with additional echocardiographic PAH signs were defined as SSc PAH (+). RESULTS: SSc patients had lower RV longitudinal strain (RV-LS) (-17.6 ± 4.6% vs. -20.8 ± 2.8%, p < 0.001) and greater RV-Dys (49.9 ± 25.4 ms vs 24.3 ± 11.8 ms, p = 0.006) than controls despite no significant difference in conventional echocardiographic variables regarding RV function. Although SSc PAH(+) patients had lower RV-LS and higher RV-Dys than SSc PAH(-) patients, the differences were not statistically significant. The only independent predictor of RV-Dys was RV-LS (ß:-0.324 [-3.89- -0.45]; p = 0.014). CONCLUSION: SSc patients had not only reduced RV-LS but also impaired RV synchronicity even as conventional echocardiographic variables were preserved.

Evaluation of early electrocardiographic changes after successful percutaneous stent implantation to isolated coarctation of aorta.

BACKGROUND: Coarctation of aorta (CoA) is a congenital obstructive lesion characterized by narrowing of the aorta in which concludes as increase in afterload. Percutaneous stent implantation to CoA is a treatment of choice in older children and adults. Pathology related to CoA mainly caused by increased afterload and left ventricular hypertrophy. Electrocardiographic (ECG) findings are also related to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Evidence shows that, in variety of diseases, the correction of the pathology might normalize ECG findings and ventricular dysfunction related to increase in afterload. Therefore the aim of this study was to compare the pre- and postprocedural ECG findings of the patients who underwent percutaneous intervention for isolated CoA. METHODS: After exclusion criterion was applied, 30 patients were included into study, retrospectively. ECG records before the procedure and 3 months after the procedure of the patients were evaluated. The parameters related to LVH, ventricular and atrial conduction were evaluated and compared between pre- and post-procedural ECG records. RESULTS: The findings showed that parameters of atrial conduction including P wave maximum duration (p < 0.001) and p wave dispersion (p < 0.001) were significantly decreased after stent implantation. Additionally, ventricular repolarization parameters including QT duration (p = 0.039), Tpe interval (p < 0.001), Tpe / QT (p = 0.038) and Tpe / QTc (p = 0.003) were significantly decreased after stent implantation. Sokolow-Lyon criteria (p < 0.003) and voltage in selected leads were significantly decreased after intervention. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous intervention to CoA might regress LVH parameters in ECG and improve atrial and ventricular repolarization in ECG, which might lead to decreased event of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias in patients with isolated CoA.

The potential of Raman and FT-IR spectroscopic methods for the detection of chlorine in human nail samples.

Although chlorine (Cl2) has been used as a chemical warfare agent since World War I there is no known specific and reliable biomarker to indicate the presence of chlorine. We distinguished chlorinated human nails from unchlorinated ones using Raman spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy. This research was carried out between October 2018 and July 2019 on two nail samples taken from 55 male and 104 female volunteers. One sample from each participant was chlorinated, while the second sample was used as a control. Spectral data were collected from chlorinated and unchlorinated (control) human nails using Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy. Raman measurements were made between 100 and 3200 cm-1, while FT-IR measurements were recorded over the range of 650 to 4000 cm-1. Partial least squares regression-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to develop classification models for each spectral instrument. Results showed that the control and chlorinated nail samples were successfully discriminated with similar results achieved with both instruments. Minor differences were observed in the performance of classification models. The FT-IR spectroscopy model (sensitivity = 95%, specificity = 99%, accuracy = 97%) was found to be more successful with a smaller margin of error (sensitivity = 95%, specificity = 99%, accuracy = 96%) compared to the Raman spectroscopy model. This method can be used successfully for both ante-mortem and post-mortem diagnosis of chlorine exposure.

Evaluation of right atrial volumes and functions by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography in patients after acute inferior myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricle (RV) involvement causes acute systolic and diastolic functional alterations in the RV in patients after inferior myocardial infarction (IMI), which may result in an increase in left ventricle (LV) end-diastolic and right atrial (RA) pressure. In our study, we sought to evaluate RA volumes and mechanical functions using real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) in IMI patients with or without RV involvement. METHODS: Ninety-six consecutive patients with IMI (mean age: 59.7 ± 10.2 years, 60 female) were included. RV myocardial involvement (RVMI) was defined as the presence of a culprit lesion at the proximal portion of the first RV marginal branch in coronary angiography. The study population was divided into two groups: IMI (58.3%) and IMI + RVMI (41.7%). Patients were evaluated using conventional two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) and RT3DE. RESULTS: In RT3DE measurements, IMI + RVMI patients had significantly higher RA phasic volumes and worse conduit mechanical function. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that an RT3DE RA maximum volume (Vmax) index > 27.9 mL/m2 was an independent predictor of RV involvement in patients after acute IMI, with a sensitivity of 80.0% and a specificity of 89.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Right ventricle involvement may cause an increase in RA phasic volumes and deterioration of conduit function in patients with acute IMI.

Increased inferior vena cava wall thickness as a sign of extensive venous inflammation in Behçet's Disease.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: Behçet's disease (BD) affects both arterial and venous vessels. We have previously shown that common femoral vein wall thickness (WT) is increased in BD and can be used as a diagnostic test. However, there is limited data assessing large veins. Therefore, this study seeks to assess inferior vena cava wall thickness (IVC) by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in BD compared to healthy controls (HC). METHODS: Age- and gender-matched 70 BD patients and 51 HC were included. IVC wall thickness and common femoral vein WT were measured by TTE and Doppler ultrasonography, respectively. All examinations were performed on the same day as the clinical assessment. RESULTS: The mean IVC wall thickness of BD patients was significantly higher than HC (2.9 mm (0.3) vs 2.6 mm (0.3), p < 0.001). Patients with mucocutaneous involvement (2.8 mm (0.3)) and major organ involvement (2.9 mm (0.3)) had significantly thicker walls compared to HC (p = 0.003, p < 0.001, respectively). IVC wall thickness was higher in patients with vascular involvement compared to those with nonvascular major organ involvement (3.1 mm (0.3) vs 2.8 mm (0.2), p = 0.04). There was a moderate correlation between IVC and common femoral vein WT (r = 0.49 for the right, r = 0.43 for the left, p = 0.01 for both). CONCLUSION: This study shows that venous wall inflammation is not limited to lower extremity veins and is also present in IVC walls of BD patients regardless of IVC involvement. Vascular wall inflammation is probably a widespread vascular event of all venous walls in BD. Key Points • Venous wall inflammation is not limited to lower extremity veins and is present also in IVC wall in Behçet's disease. • Extensive venous wall inflammation in Behçet's disease includes large venous structures despite not being clinically involved.

"Main Vessel-Oriented" Treatment Strategy Versus "Open Side Branch" Treatment Strategy in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients With Culprit Bifurcation Lesions.

Percutaneous coronary intervention of bifurcation lesions is associated with an increased risk of complications in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The study aimed to evaluate the in-hospital outcomes of patients with ACS with culprit bifurcation lesions who were treated with either a "main vessel-oriented" (MVO) treatment strategy or an "open side branch" (OSB) treatment strategy. This retrospective study included 575 consecutive patients with ACS. "MVO" and "OSB" treatment strategies were defined as primary/urgent percutaneous coronary intervention procedures performed by either totally ignoring the side branch (SB) or trying to maintain both main vessel and SB open with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction 3 flow. Procedural success and major cardiac/cerebrovascular events during hospitalization were noted. MVO and OSB treatment strategies were performed on 384 and 191 patients, respectively. The procedural success rate was significantly higher in the OSB treatment strategy whereas major cardiac/cerebrovascular events rates were similar except for the contrast-induced nephropathy rate being slightly higher in OSB treatment strategy. Subgroup analysis revealed a significantly higher procedural success rate in OSB treatment strategy if the SB was located within the bifurcation core, especially in those where the diameter of SB was ≥2 mm. In conclusion, our results suggest a better procedural result with SB protection attempts in patients with ACS with a culprit bifurcation lesion if the SB is originating within the bifurcation core and its diameter is ≥2 mm. MVO treatment strategy may be preferred in most cases with minor SBs located distant to the bifurcation core because of the similar procedural success.

Evaluation of Arterial Stiffness Parameters and the Growth Differentiation Factor-15 Level in Patients with Premature Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction (MI) is increasing at a younger age. Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) has been implicated in several key mechanisms of atherogenesis. Arterial stiffness parameters, including pulse wave velocity (PWV) and the augmentation index (AIx), can indicate the presence or progression of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the GDF-15 level and arterial stiffness parameters in patients with premature MI. METHOD: Thirty patients aged ≤45 years (mean age: 39 ± 5 years, 23 male) who recovered from a MI and 15 age and sex-matched subjects were consecutively included. The serum GDF-15 concentration levels and arterial stiffness parameters of the patients and controls were measured. RESULTS: GDF-15 levels were significantly higher in patients with premature MI, while there were no significant differences in PWV and AIx between the groups. The GDF-15 level was correlated negatively with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and positively with uric acid levels. Both GDF-15 (p = 0.046, odds ratio: 1.092, 95% confidence interval: 1.003-1.196) and HDL cholesterol (p = 0.037, odds ratio: 0.925, 95% confidence interval: 0.859-0.995) were found as independent factors associated with premature MI. CONCLUSIONS: GDF-15 could be a risk factor for premature MI. Further studies are needed to elucidate the central role of GDF-15 in the pathophysiology of early atherosclerosis and MI in the young population.

The Impact of Cystic Fibrosis- and Noncystic Fibrosis-Bronchiectasis on Pulmonary Artery Wall Thickness and Right Heart Functions Assessed by Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Right heart functions are affected in patients with bronchiectasis as a result of pulmonary hypertension induced by chronic hypoxemia. Pulmonary artery wall thickness has recently been introduced as a sign of intensive and prolonged inflammation. The aim of this study was to analyze right ventricular and right atrial functions and to mea-sure pulmonary artery wall thickness in patients with cystic fibrosis-bronch iecta sis in comparison to those with noncystic fibrosis-bronchiectasis and healthy individuals. METHODS: We studied 36 patients with cystic fibrosis-bronchiectasis, 34 patients with noncystic fibrosis-bronchiectasis, and 32 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Lung function tests were performed. All subjects underwent comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation including conventional, tissue Doppler, speckle-tracking, and pulmonary artery wall thickness measurements. RESULTS: Right ventricular global longitudinal strain and global longitudinal right atrial strain during ventricular systole decreased in cystic fibrosis-bronchiectasis group compared with noncystic fibrosis-bronchiectasis and control groups (P <.001, both). Conversely, pulmonary artery wall thickness was increased in cystic fibrosis-bronchiectasis group in comparison to other groups (P <.001). Moreover, right ventricular global longitudinal strain was lower and pulmonary artery wall thickness was higher in patients with airflow obstruction (P <.001 and P =.025, respectively) than in those without. Only right ventricular global longitudinal strain was significantly correlated with pulmonary function test parameters. The negative effect of cystic fibrosis on right ventricular and right atrial functions was independent of age, gender, and disease duration. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that right ventricular and right atrial functions were deteriorated and pulmonary artery wall was thickened in cystic fibrosis-bronchiectasis patients more than noncystic fibrosis-bronchiectasis patients. Right ventricular global longitudinal strain detected subclinical right ventricular dysfunction and was associated with the severity of pulmonary disease.

Social media video analysis methodology for sarin exposure.

As social media becomes increasingly ubiquitous, many events are recorded and released on social media platforms, including chemical weapon attacks. We develop an objective tool in order to evaluate brief and unstructured social media videos for analysing sarin exposure from a civilian medical pathology perspective. We developed and validated this new questionnaire using a standardized procedure that includes content domain specification, item pool generation, content validity evaluation, a pilot study, and assessment of reliability and validity. In total, 51 sarin attacks and 48 matched videos were analysed. Cronbach's α for all 20 items was 0.75, which indicates adequate internal reliability. The test-retest reliability was 0.96, which indicates good internal reliability. The inter-observer intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.97. After verifying sampling adequacy with the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure and the factorability of the items with Barlett's test of sphericity, a factor analysis was performed. According to the principal axis factoring, a six-factor solution explained 51.86% of the total variance. The receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the Video Score Questionnaire has a sensitivity of 0.817, a specificity of 0.478, and an efficiency of 65.3. Therefore, the Video Score Questionnaire is reliable and valid for evaluating sarin attacks from brief and unstructured social media videos.Key pointsChemical weapons are still used as a method of warfare.Social media videos are an important source of information.We developed a validated scale which can analyse sarin exposure in short and unstructured videos.

Predictors of Concomitant Coronary Artery Disease and Major Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) and ischemic stroke share the same risk factors. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence and predictors of concomitant CAD in acute ischemic stroke patients. METHODS: One hundred and five patients (64.3 ± 15.0 years, 61 male) presenting with acute ischemic stroke documented by neuroimaging were consecutively included. All patients were carefully evaluated to determine their cardiovascular disease risk scores. The patients who had been previously shown to have ≥50% stenosis in at least one of the major coronary arteries by coronary angiography were grouped as CAD patients. RESULTS: Of the 105 stroke patients, 27 patients had documented concomitant CAD. The stroke patients with CAD had higher cardiovascular risk scores and troponin I levels and carotid plaques were more prevalent. ROC analysis determined cut-off values as ≥22% for Framingham Heart Study Risk Score, ≥0.05 ng/mL for Troponin I, and ≥0.80 mm for carotid artery intima-media thickness to predict concomitant CAD. During 6 months of follow-up, among the 78 stroke patients without documented CAD, 16 patients had experienced major cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction, recurrent stroke, or cardiovascular death. These patients had higher Framingham Heart Study Risk Score and high-sensitive C reactive protein levels. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests stroke patients with higher Framingham Heart Study Risk Score and troponin I levels and carotid plaques be further investigated for the presence of concomitant CAD.

Bleeding risk with concomitant use of tirofiban and third-generation P2Y12 receptor antagonists in patients with acute myocardial infarction: A real-life data.

OBJECTIVE: Combination of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors can increase bleeding risk. In this study, we aimed to investigate bleeding complications of different DAPTs with concomitant tirofiban use in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: This retrospective study included 224 consecutive ACS patients (mean age 56.6±11.1 years, 193 men) who were given conventional dose of tirofiban (25 µg/kg per 3 minutes followed by an infusion of 0.15 µg/kg/min for 24 hours) in addition to DAPT (300 mg aspirin followed by 100 mg/day + 600 mg clopidogrel followed by 75 mg/day or 180 mg ticagrelor followed by 90 mg twice daily or 60 mg prasugrel followed by 10 mg/day). Any intra-hospital bleeding complications were noted. RESULTS: Of the 224 patients, 115 were given ticagrelor and 32 were given prasugrel. Mean hemoglobin fall was similar between the patients taking ticagrelor/prasugrel and those taking clopidogrel. Ten patients taking ticagrelor and one patient taking prasugrel had hemoglobin fall ≥3 g/dL versus two patients in clopidogrel group (p=0.228). Gastrointestinal bleeding (two patients taking ticagrelor), hematoma at access site (three patients taking ticagrelor), and cardiac tamponade (two patients taking ticagrelor) rates were also similar. Creatinine levels were associated with hemoglobin fall ≥3 g/dL (p=0.032, Odds ratio 2.189, 95% confidence interval 1.070-4.479). There was no relation between hemoglobin fall ≥3 g/dL and antiplatelet agent, age, sex, hypertension, or diabetes. CONCLUSION: Tirofiban may be given to patients receiving ticagrelor or prasugrel with a bleeding rate similar to clopidogrel. Close monitoring for bleeding risk is recommended, especially in patients with higher creatinine levels.

Evaluation of the relation between cardiac biomarkers and thorax computed tomography findings in COVID-19 patients.

Background: Troponin levels may be elevated in COVID-19 infection. The aim of this study was to the explore relation between troponin levels and COVID-19 severity. Materials, methods & Results: One hundred and forty consecutive patients with COVID-19 pneumonia were included. Diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia was based on positive chest computed tomography (CT) findings. Quantitative PCR test was performed in all patients. Only 74 patients were quantitative PCR-positive. Twenty four patients had severe CT findings and 27 patients had progressive disease. These patients had significantly lower albumin and higher ferritin, D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein, and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI). Conclusion: COVID-19 patients with severe CT findings and progressive disease had higher hs-cTnI levels suggesting the use of hs-cTnI in risk stratification.

A case of heart failure mimicking COVID-19 pneumonia: The role of clinical and chest computed tomography findings in the differential diagnosis.

Acute heart failure (HF) is one of the most common cardiac emergencies. Pulmonary edema caused by HF may mimic an exudative disease on chest computed tomography scans. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in China in December 2019 and quickly spread around the world. During this pandemic period, the need to exclude the possibility of COVID-19 pneumonia in patients with acute dyspnea may cause a delay in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with acutely decompensated HF who have similar symptoms. This case report describes a diabetic patient admitted with dyspnea one week after she suffered an acute myocardial infarction. The objective of this report is to draw attention to the differential diagnosis of HF and COVID-19 pneumonia.

Heart Failure and Mortality in Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation Started on Novel Oral Anticoagulant Therapy: A Single-Center Experience.

Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of in-hospital morbidity and mortality in the elderly population. Coexistence of HF and atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of thromboembolic events. Oral anticoagulant therapy reduces the risk of thromboembolic events in patients with AF. Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been introduced as an alternative drug for prevention from thromboembolic events in patients with nonvalvular AF. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the clinical effects of warfarin, dabigatran, and rivaroxaban in patients with nonvalvular AF. The secondary aim of this study is to reveal the predictors of all-cause mortality in patients with nonvalvular AF undergoing NOACs therapy. The study population consisted of 171 patients with nonvalvular AF. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the usage of oral anticoagulant therapy including coumadin (51 patients), dabigatran (52 patients), and rivaroxaban (68 patients). Although CHA2DS2-VASc score was similar between groups, HAS-BLED score was significantly higher in patients using rivaroxaban. Dyspepsia and itching were more common in patients using dabigatran. Heart failure and vascular disease were more common in the nonsurviving group (10 patients) than in the surviving group (110 patients) in patients using NOACs. Among age, sex, HF, hypertension, vascular disease, and CHA2DS2-VASc, which were included in the regression model, only the presence of HF was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients using NOACs. In conclusion, the mortality rate is significantly higher in patients with HF using NOACs. Moreover, HF is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients using NOACs.

Evaluation of electrocardiographic parameters in patients with diabetes insipidus.

BACKGROUND: There is limited data regarding the effect of altered serum osmolality on cardiac electrical activity. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the electrocardiographic (ECG) effects of diabetes insipidus (DI) and any related hyperosmolality in a population of young patients with DI and without any known cardiovascular disease or risk factors. METHODS: Twelve-lead ECG's of 44 consecutive untreated young male patients (age: 21.8 ± 2.9 years) who had been referred to endocrinology clinic and diagnosed as DI based on water deprivation test were retrospectively evaluated. A total of 30 age-matched (21.9 ± 2.4 years) healthy males were selected as control group and ECG's of these controls were obtained for comparison with ECG's of DI patients. All ECG parameters were measured and compared. RESULTS: Duration of QRS complex was significantly shorter in patients with DI compared with controls (85.2 ± 12.0 vs. 94.0 ± 10.6 ms, p: 0.001). P wave dispersion (PWD) of patients with DI was significantly higher compared with controls (31.9 ± 9.9 vs. 26.5 ± 10.6 ms, p: 0.03) and it was significantly correlated with serum osmolality and serum sodium level (r = - 0.36, p: 0.02 and r: - 0.35, p: 0.02, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: DI patients without any cardiovascular disease or risk factors displayed significantly shorter QRS duration and increased p wave dispersion compared with controls.