Assessment of proarrhythmic ventricular electrophysiological remodeling in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is related to cardiovascular disease and results in increased mortality rates. Ischemia, autonomic nervous system dysfunction, impaired cardiac ionic currents, and genetic predisposition may be the underlying mechanisms. Proarrhythmic ventricular electrophysiological remodeling detected on the basis of Tp­e interval, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios plays a key role in the prognosis. Our aim was to assess proarrhythmic ventricular electrophysiological remodeling in patients with RA, a well-known chronic inflammatory disorder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 163 patients with RA and 47 patients as a control group were included in this retrospective study. Proarrhythmic ventricular electrophysiological remodeling markers were evaluated in both groups along with baseline demographic and clinical variables. Patients using medication or with chronic disorders that can affect ventricular repolarization markers were excluded. RESULTS: The patients with RA had prolonged Tp­e interval (66 ms [44-80]; 80 ms [78-96], p < 0.001) and increased Tp-e/QT ratio (0.18 [0.12-0.22]; 0.22 [0.20-0.24], p < 0.001) and Tp-e/QTc ratio (0.16 [0.11-0.19]; 0.20 [0.17-0.22], p < 0.001) compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The Tp­e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio, which may help to clarify the pathophysiological mechanisms of ventricular arrhythmias, were increased in patients with RA.

Evaluation of the relationship between COVID-19 pneumonia severity and pulmonary artery diameter measurement.

The goal of the present work was to examine associations between COVID-19 pneumonia severity and pulmonary artery diameter. A total of 101 patients with COVID-19 were included in this retrospective observational study. The patients were divided into three groups based on the CT images: 41 patients with mild pneumonia, group 2 had 39 patients with moderate pneumonia, and group 3 had 21 patients with severe pneumonia. Furthermore, the diameter of the main pulmonary artery was calculated as well as ascending aorta, right and left pulmonary artery diameters. Laboratory analysis results were also compared. Analyses show an increased main pulmonary artery diameter is associated with poorer prognosis for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Further studies are needed into the mechanisms between severe hypoxemia, increased inflammation, and vascular resistance and higher numbers of thromboembolic events.

Increased Arterial Stiffness Measured By Carotid Femoral (Aortic) Pulse Wave Velocity In Patients with Inactive Behçet's Disease.

Introduction Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic, multisystemic disease characterised by vascular involvement. Acute and chronic inflammatory processes associated with BD may cause endothelial dysfunction, which can then lead to a subsequent increase of arterial stiffness and altered pressure wave reflections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurements in patients with inactive BD and control subjects.Methods We studied 50 patients with inactive BD and 49 healthy control subjects without known cardiovascular disease. Carotid-femoral PWV was determined in all subjects by the same expert research clinician using Complior device (Colson, Paris, France).Results Mean disease duration was 3.23±2.31 years. Patients with BD (mean age 36.04±9.94 years) had significantly higher PWV levels compared to controls (9.57±1.88 vs. 8.47±1.13 m / s; p=0,003). PWV was found to be positively correlated with age, systolic, diastolic, mean blood pressure, waist, and waist / hip ratio.Conclusion In our study we demonstrated that patients with BD exhibit significantly increased arterial stiffness assessed by increased carotid-femoral PWV compared to healthy control subjects.

Association of Mitral Annular Calcification with Left Ventricular Mechanics: A Speckle Tracking Study.

BACKGROUND: Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a common echocardiographic finding in clinical practice and is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis. However, data regarding left ventricular (LV) functions are lacking. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between MAC and LV mechanical functions with the utility of two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE). METHODS: The study involved 91 patients with MAC and 48 control subjects. Mitral annular thickness of 1-2 mm was reported as mild, 2-5 mm as moderate, and >5 mm as severe MAC. All patients underwent 2D echocardiography. RESULTS: MAC was observed in 91 (65.5%) patients. Of LV diastolic parameters, E/Em ratio, LAVI, LV mass index, and t-LV UR were increased. Of LV systolic parameters, GLS and Sm were decreased, whereas Ar, Ar-rate systole, peak LV twist, peak LV twist rate, LV-tor, and MPI were increased, which were all correlated with presence and severity of MAC. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that LV mass index (ß = 0.225, P = 0.012), t-LV UR (ß = 0.370, P < 0.001), LV mass index (ß = 0.183, P = 0.025), MPI (ß = 0.288, P < 0.001), and GLS (ß = -0.385, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with MAC severity. CONCLUSION: The presence and severity of MAC is associated with impaired LV systolic and diastolic functions. Therefore, preventive strategies might be taken in patients with MAC to avoid LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction.

Assessment of carotid body tumor and its association with tetralogy of fallot: effect of the chronic hypoxia.

This is a rare combined presentation of Tetralogy of Fallot and carotid body tumor (CBT). Hypotheses and further discussion provides data for the development of CBT as a response to chronic hypoxemia. This present study demonstrates and discusses such an occurrence.

Triple antiplatelet therapy after PCI--should or could it be done?

In case of coronary stenting in patients taking long-term oral anticoagulants (OAC), addition of both aspirin and clopidogrel in the drug regimen (so-called triple antiplatelet therapy) is recommended. However such triple therapy increases the risk of serious bleeding events. Comparative data on the efficacy and safety of the triple therapy versus therapy with a single antiplatelet agent and oral anticoagulants in case of coronary stenting are very rare. Most studies show a decreased stroke and myocardial infarction risk, but an increased risk of bleeding events in case of triple therapy. There is general agreement that, when possible, the duration of triple therapy should be shortened followed by clopidogrel and an oral anticoagulant to minimize bleeding risk without increasing other adverse events. In patients with a high risk of bleeding, BMS should be used and triple therapy should be applied for only 1 month, followed by one antiplatelet agent and oral anticoagulant. The WOEST study was the first study showing that therapy with clopidogrel and OAC is safe and reduces bleeding and mortality more effectively than triple therapy including aspirin in patients undergoing coronary stenting. Although the risk of bleeding increases with triple therapy as compared to OAC plus a single antiplatelet agent, the second treatment regimen cannot be recommended to all patients. However for those at the highest risk of bleeding it is not unreasonable to consider. Additional randomized studies are needed for the implementation of future treatment guidelines in patients with high risk for bleeding and thrombotic complications.

Stent thrombosis--mythy and facts.

Stent thrombosis is a serious complication in stent era. It can be presented as death, cardiogenic shock or a large non-fatal myocardial infarction, usually with ST elevation. Risks of stent thrombosis, stent thrombosis incidence and predictors are controversial issues due to sparse and controversial data. But all attending physicians should have knowledge of the risk of stent thrombosis, predisposing and protective factors before and after the intervention. This issue is discussed in detail in this review.

Recent developments in antiplatelet therapy after percutaneus coronary intervention.

Antiplatelet therapy plays an important role in the treatment of patients suffering from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in order to prevent atherothrombotic events and restenosis or ischemic reocclusion, respectively. Moreover, stent implantation is often performed along with PCI to ensure that the arteries remain open. However, stent thrombosis ST is a possible complication which can occur up to about one year after the procedure. Therefore, it is standard to treat patients with a dual antiplatelet regime whereby aspirin is combined with either clopidogrel, prasugrel or ticagrelor. This review summarizes the characteristics of these P2Y12 antagonists and evaluates the current and future clinical guidelines for antiplatelet therapy in the setting of PCI with or without stenting.

Recent developments in drug-eluting coronary stents.

The interventional treatment of coronary artery disease was introduced in 1970`s by Andreas Grüntzig. The initial treatment strategy with plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) was associated with high restenosis rates. The introduction of coronary stents, especially drug-eluting stents (DES) in 2002 has improved the results by lowering the rate of in-stent restenosis from 20-40% in the era of bare-metal stent (BMS) to 6-8%. However, in 2006 with the observation of late stent thrombosis the reputations of DES have decreased. However, improvements in stent design especially antiproliferative agents, polymeric agents as well as stent platforms improved newer generation DES. In controlled trials as well as registries the use of second-generation DES as compared to bare-metal stents (BMS) was associated with better clinical and angiographic results. A further development of these stents with use of biodegradable polymers, polymer-free stents, and biodegradable stents on the basis of poly L-lactide (PLLA) or magnesium resulted in third-generation DES and has been evaluated in preclinical and first clinical trials. However, to date, there is a lack of data comparing these third-generation DES with first- and second-generatrion DES in a large scale.

Interaction between thienopyridines and proton pump inhibitors.

Adenosin diphospat (ADP) plays a crucial role in thrombus formation. Therefore its inhibition can control excess platelet generation to prevent cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). One of ADP's target receptors, P2Y12 has a limited tissue distribution and is therefore an attractive pharmacological target. Thienopyridines are class of drugs that specifically and irreversibly inhibit the P2Y12 receptor. Three generations exist and in most patients, they are administered in combination with aspirin. Because of possible gastro-intestinal toxicity, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) is often concomitantly prescribed. However, several studies suspect an interaction between thienopyridines (in particular with clopidogrel) and PPIs which decreases the inhibition of platelet formation and thus enhances the risk for cardiac events. In this review, a concise overview of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of all thienopyridines is given and a critical discussion of the presumed interaction with PPIs is provided.

Is metabolic syndrome related with coronary artery disease severity and complexity: An observational study about IDF and AHA/NHLBI metabolic syndrome definitions.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to assess the relation between metabolic syndrome (MS) and coronary artery disease (CAD) complexity, assessed by Syntax score (SS), and severity in non-diabetic patients with stable CAD who underwent coronary angiography, and to evaluate whether the MS defined by different definitions, including International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and American Heart Association/National Heart Lung Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) guidelines, similarly correlated with SS. METHODS: The present study is cross sectional and observational with prospective inclusion of 248 consecutive patients (157 male) who underwent coronary angiography due to stable CAD. RESULTS: The prevalence of MS was 54.4% according to IDF definition and 50.4% according to AHA/NHLBI definition. MS score according to IDF definitions (r = 0.446, p < 0.001), MS score according to AHA/NHLBI definitions (r = 0.341, p < 0.001) were moderately correlated with SS. In Fisher r to z transformation test the correlations of the presence of MS according to IDF and AHA/NHLBI definitions with SS were not statistically significant (p = 0.168, z = -1.38). The systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001, B = 0.354, 95% CI = -0.308 to 0.228), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.006, B = -0.194, 95% CI = -0.333 to -0.056), age (p = 0.014, B = 0.147, 95% CI = 0.029 to 0.264), left ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.031, B = -0.150, 95% CI= -0.286 to -0.014), waist/hip circumference (p < 0.001, B = 45.713, 95% CI = 23.235 to 68.1919) and log10 high density lipoprotein (p < 0.001, B = -22.209, 95% CI = -33.298 to-11.119) were the independent predictors of SS in linear regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: MS is associated with the presence and complexity of CAD. Besides the presence of discrepancy in the limits of waist circumference, both IDF and AHA/NHLBI criteria were similarly correlated with CAD complexity.

Outcomes and effectiveness of bilateral percutaneous transluminal renal artery stenting in patients with critical bilateral renal artery stenosis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of percutaneous bilateral renal artery stenting in patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis and in-hospital and 4 month outcome of the procedure, focusing on the changes in renal function and blood pressure. METHODS: Five consecutive patients (mean age: 64.8 ± 9.7 years, 1 women) with bilateral renal artery stenoses underwent percutaneous interventions. We compared blood pressure, number of oral antihypertensive medications, and renal function changes preprocedure and postprocedure at 4 months follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 5 bilateral atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis patients underwent percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty and 10 stents were placed. Although systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly decreased in follow-up period, glomerular filtration rates were not significantly changed as compared with baseline data (p = 0.009, p = 0.008, p = 1.00, respectively). Also, the number of oral antihypertensive medications were significantly decreased at follow-up period (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral renal artery stenting provides a beneficial outcome such as stabilization of renal functions, significant improvement in blood pressure control and reduction in the number of oral antihypertensive medications at follow-up.

The effects of serum potassium and magnesium levels in a patient with Gitelman's syndrome on the timing of ventricular wall motion and the pattern of ventricular strain and torsion.

Gitelman's syndrome is a primary renal tubular hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis. Hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia can cause cardiac tissue excitability and conduction. Global ventricular mechanical function is directly related to the contractile properties of cardiac myocytes, which are largely dependent on the flow of ions such as potassium and magnesium. Here, we show that increased levels of potassium, in addition to magnesium, in a patient with Gitelman's syndrome significantly impacts the timing of ventricular wall motion and the pattern of ventricular strain and torsion. Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography was used for evaluation of the hypokalemic-hypomagnesemic period (first day) and third day after potassium chloride and magnesium replacement therapy. The transthoracic echocardiography showed that the percent ejection fraction was similar in hypokalemic-hypomagnesemic (63%) and normokalemic-normomagnesemic (after potassium and magnesium therapy, 67%) hearts. However, decreased left ventricular apical 4-chamber peak systolic longitudinal strain, left ventricle global peak systolic strain, and global torsion values increased after potassium chloride and magnesium replacement therapy.

Aortic properties and atrial electrophysiology in the young and old football players.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between P wave dispersion, aortic elastic properties and transthoracic echocardiographic findings in the young and old football players compared to control groups in order to asses the influence of regular sportive activity on aortic distensibility and its potential effect on atrial electrophysiology. METHODS: We recruited 42 young football players with a training history of many years. The control group was formed by 27 healthy sedentary men. Twenty-three healthy retired football players of a professional football club aged over 50 years were included in the study as old group and 18 subjects over 50 year old who did not perform regular exercise when they were young were included in the control group of old subjects. RESULTS: The heart rate and ejection fraction were decreased in the young football players. There were no significant differences in the aortic elastic parameters and P wave dispersion between young football players and control group. But in old subjects with sustained participation in regular sportive activity, the significant difference of left ventricular dimension, wall thickness and systolic functions detected in the young group disappeared while increase in the left atrial diameter became significant. CONCLUSION: Potential effect of aortic elastic properties which changes with age, on atrial electrophysiology through increasing P wave dispersion was shown.

Impairment of arterial distensibility in premenopausal women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease affecting young women and is associated with increased frequency of atherosclerotic vascular diseases. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is an index of arterial stiffness and a marker of cardiovascular events. This study aimed to investigate arterial distensibility using carotid-femoral (aortic) PWV measurements in premenopausal women with SLE. METHODS: We recruited 24 premenopausal women with SLE (SLE duration: 5.3+/-4.6 years) and 24 age- and sex-matched controls. Aortic PWV was determined by using an automatic device, the Complior Colson (France), which allowed on-line pulse wave recording and automatic calculation of PWV. RESULTS: The carotid-femoral PWV (8.98+/-2.05 vs. 8.05+/-0.94 m/s), systolic blood pressure (117.08+/-17.12 vs. 106.87+/-11.96 mmHg), pulse pressure (45.62+/-11.91 vs. 38.33+/-9.04 mmHg), heart rate (81.41+/-9.20 vs. 71.12+/-10.32 beat/min) and serum glucose levels (89.68+/-8.12 vs. 73.80+/-10.72 mg/dl) were significantly higher in premenopausal women with SLE, as compared with control subjects (p=0.04, p=0.02, p=0.02, p=0.001, p <0.001, respectively). We found a significant correlation between PWV and age, body mass index, waist--to-hip ratio, heart rate and blood pressure. CONCLUSION: Arterial distensibility is decreased in premenopausal women with SLE.

Arterial distensibility in Wegener's granulomatosis: a carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis; that chronic inflammation may impair vascular function and lead to an increase of arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV) in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). METHODS: We recruited 5 patients with WG and 5 healthy age and sex matched controls in this cross-sectional case-controlled study. Aortic PWV was determined by using an automatic device (Complior Colson, France), which allowed on-line pulse wave recording and automatic calculation of PWV. RESULTS: The carotid-femoral (aortic) PWV was increased in patients with WG as compared with control group (p=0.04). Although we found positive correlation between PWV and heart rate (r=0.75, p=0.01), we did not find any significant correlation between PWV and anthropometric and other hemodynamic parameters (p>0.05). In addition, we found positive correlation between PWV and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in patients with WG (r=0.90, p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Pulse wave velocity is increased and arterial distensibility decreased in patients with WG. Measurements of carotid-femoral (aortic) PWV may provide an easy and noninvasive technique to identify patients at increased risk of arterial disease.