Beta-blockers increase bone mineral density.

UNLABELLED: Authors of animal studies suggest that beta-blockers stimulate bone formation and inhibit bone resorption. On the other hand, data in humans are limited and conflicting results exist in literature. We conducted a prospective case-control study in order to investigate the effects of beta-blockers on bone mineral density in the elderly population. None of the patients were receiving anti-resorptive medicine. Bone mineral density of 50 beta-blocker users was significantly greater at all measured skeletal sites compared with 100 nonusers. Bone mineral density for total hip and spine (beta-blocker users and nonusers) were, 0.85 +/- 0.13, 0.80 +/- 0.11 and 0.90 +/- 0.15, 0.83 +/- 0.12, respectively. Our results suggest that use of beta-blockers is associated with an increase in bone mineral density. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, LEVEL III (case control study). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of the levels of evidence.

Evaluation of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction with conventional and current Doppler techniques in Behcet's disease.

Behcet's disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis characterized by genital and oral ulcers, uveitis, and other organs' involvement. Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction has been documented in BD. However, conventional echocardiographic techniques have serious limitations like its dependence on preload, afterload and heart rate. Recently, new techniques like colour M-mode and tissue Doppler imagining (TDI) have provided additional concept in the assessment of diastolic function. The aim of the present study was to investigate the LV diastolic dysfunction with conventional and new echocardiographic techniques in BD. Forty-eight patients with BD (25 women, 23 men) and 26 healthy volunteers (15 women, 11 men) were enrolled in the study. LV diastolic functions were examined with mitral inflow pulse wave Doppler, TDI and mitral flow propagation rate (MFPR). The following were accepted as diastolic dysfunction: in mitral inflow pulse wave Doppler, E/A<1, isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT)>110 ms and deceleration time of E wave (DT)>240 ms; in TDI of mitral ring with pulse wave, E'/A'<1; and in MFPR, velocity slope (Vp)<45 cm/s. The two groups were comparable in age, sex, heart rate, body mass index, smoking, hyperlipidemia and basic echocardiographic measurements. LV diastolic dysfunction was significantly higher in BD group according to E/A<1 (p<0.05). When echocardiographic measurements were compared one by one for two groups, As' (late diastolic TDI wave in septal wall) was found to be significantly higher in BD group (p<0,0001). IVRT was longer in BD group than in controls, but it did not reach statistical significance (p=0,06). Diastolic dysfunction of LV is more frequent in patients with BD than in control according to E/A and As'. Conventional and current techniques like TDI and colour M-mode Doppler echocardiography could be used to investigate diastolic functions in BD.

Usefulness of preprocedural soluble CD40 ligand for predicting restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

CD40-CD40 ligand interaction is involved in the inflammatory pathogenesis of atherosclerosis but clinical data about its role in stent restenosis are still limited. We investigated the effect of preprocedural CD40 ligand (sCD40L) on stent restenosis. We enrolled 36 patients (mean age 61.4 +/- 8.5 years) with stable angina who underwent successful stent implantation. Control angiograms were performed in all patients after 6 months. Plasma sCD40L and high-sensitive C-reactive protein levels were measured before stent implantation and at 1 and 6 months after the procedure. Angiographically proven restenosis rate was 27.8%. Plasma sCD40L levels were significantly higher (preprocedural 0.74 +/- 0.79) and more prolonged in patients with stent restenosis compared with patients without stent restenosis (0.02 +/- 0.22 ng/ml, p < 0.001). According to receiver-operator characteristic analysis, sCD40L > 0.41 ng/ml was the best distinguished parameter between patients with and without restenosis. At the multivariate logistic regression analysis, preprocedural sCD40L was an independent predictor (RR 39.4, 95% confidence interval 4.05 to 383.8, p = 0.002) of stent restenosis after adjusting for confounding variables, including diabetes, reference vessel diameter, lesion length, stent diameter, stent length, and baseline high-sensitive C-reactive protein. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values and likelihood ratio of preprocedural sCD40L levels in stent restenosis were 78%, 92%, 78%, 92%, and 9.37%, respectively. In conclusion, enhanced inflammation of plaque (increased sCD40L) before percutaneous coronary intervention may increase the rate of stent restenosis. Increased preprocedural sCD40L level is an independent predictor of stent restenosis. We can use this marker for the assessment of risk stratification before planning stent implantation.

Cardioversion under the guidance of transesophageal echochardiograhy in persistent atrial fibrillation: results with low molecular weight heparin.

BACKGROUND: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) guided cardioversion to restoration of sinus rhythm is a therapeutic option in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Anticoagulation at the time of and after cardioversion is necessary to prevent formation of new thrombus during atrial stunning period. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety to TEE guided cardioversion with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in patients with atrial fibrillation. METHODS: We followed up 208 patients with persistent AF (mean age: 65.5+/-10.2 years) who were attempted TEE guided cardioversion. LMWH were used as an anticoagulant and warfarin therapy was continued. RESULTS: Cardioversion were performed in 183 patients. Sinus rhythm restored in 144 patients (78.7%). Mean follow up duration was 155 days. No cardiac death occurred. In the early follow up period (within 30 day) one thromboembolic event (0.54%) occurred in a patient who was cardioverted. Two patients who had not been cardioverted because of left atrial thrombus presented embolic stroke, one in early and another in late follow up period. All embolic complications occurred in patients who had been taking warfarin and whose INR level was subtherapeutic at the time of stroke. Sinus rhythm was maintained in 64% and total hemorrhagic complications occurred in 4.8% of the patients in long-term follow-up. CONCLUSION: TEE guided cardioversion with a short-term anticoagulation protocol using low molecular weight heparin is a safe and effective method in restoring and maintaining sinus rhythm and enables us to make earlier cardioversion in atrial fibrillation.

Evaluation of cardiotoxicity of a combined bolus plus infusional 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid treatment by echocardiography, plasma troponin I level, QT interval and dispersion in patients with gastrointestinal system cancers.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cardiotoxicity of LV5FU2 regimen (bolus plus infusional 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid) treatment by non-invasive methods such as echocardiography, plasma troponin I (TnI) level, QT interval and QT dispersion on ECG. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with gastrointestinal cancer who received LV5FU2 chemotherapy were evaluated prospectively during 12 cycles of chemotherapy. Plasma TnI assay and ECG recording analyses were performed before the first cycle, at 24 h, before each cycle until cycle 6 and every three cycles thereafter. The longest QT interval measurement on each recording corrected with Bazzett's formula was considered as QTmax and the difference between the QTmax and the shortest corrected QT interval was considered as QT dispersion (QTd). A complete M-mode, 2D and color Doppler echocardiogram was performed at baseline and at the first, third and sixth months of treatment. RESULTS: Echocardiography did not show any significant change in either systolic or diastolic functions. Also, TnI measurements were found to be below detectable level in all patients and in all measurements. Meanwhile, significant prolongations of QTmax and QTd were observed as early as 24 h after first administration of chemotherapy. These events persisted and became more important over the duration of chemotherapy (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical implication of these findings as predictive factors for subsequent events such as malignant arrhythmias in patients taking 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy need longer follow-up and further detailed evaluations.