Prognostic Value of Non-HDL Cholesterol in COVID-19 Pneumonia. / Valor Prognóstico do Colesterol não HDL na Pneumonia por COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: In addition to coronary artery disease, non-high-density lipoprotein(non-HDL-C) provides short and long-term predictive information for many chronic inflammatory diseases such as stroke, hemodialysis, post-renal transplant, non-alcoholic hepatosteatosis, and human immunodeficiency virus. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the predictive value of non-HDL-C measured before SARS-CoV-2 for mortality in COVID-19 infection. METHODS: This study retrospectively included 1435 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and treated in the thoracic diseases ward in a single center between January 2020 and June 2022. All patients included in the study had clinical and radiological features and signs of COVID-19 pneumonia. The COVID-19 diagnosis of all patients was confirmed by a polymerase chain reaction studied from an oropharyngeal swab. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The study patients, including 1435 subjects, were divided into 712 patients in the non-surviving group and 723 in the surviving group. While there was no difference between the groups regarding gender, there was a statistically significant age difference. The non-surviving group was older. Age, lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), C reactive protein(CRP), triglycerides, D-dimer, and non-HDL-C were independent risk factors for mortality in regression analyses. In correlation analysis, age, CRP, and LDH were positively correlated with non-HDL-C. In the ROC analysis, sensitivity for non-HDL-C was 61.6%, and specificity was 89.2%. CONCLUSION: We believe that the non-HDL-C level studied before COVID-19 infection can be used as a prognostic biomarker for the disease.

FUNDAMENTO: Além da doença arterial coronariana, a lipoproteína de não alta densidade (não-HDL-C) fornece informações preditivas de curto e longo prazo para muitas doenças inflamatórias crônicas, como acidente vascular cerebral, hemodiálise, pós-transplante renal, hepatoesteatose não alcoólica e vírus da imunodeficiência humana. OBJETIVOS: Este estudo examinou o valor preditivo do não-HDL-C medido antes do SARS-CoV-2 para mortalidade na infecção por COVID-19. MÉTODOS: Este estudo incluiu retrospectivamente 1.435 pacientes diagnosticados com COVID-19 e tratados na enfermaria de doenças torácicas em um único centro entre janeiro de 2020 e junho de 2022. Todos os pacientes incluídos no estudo apresentavam características clínicas e radiológicas e sinais de pneumonia por COVID-19. O diagnóstico de COVID-19 de todos os pacientes foi confirmado por uma reação em cadeia da polimerase estudada a partir de um swab orofaríngeo. A significância estatística foi estabelecida em p < 0,05. RESULTADOS: Os pacientes do estudo, incluindo 1.435 indivíduos, foram divididos em 712 pacientes no grupo de não sobreviventes e 723 no grupo de sobreviventes. Embora não tenha havido diferença entre os grupos em relação ao sexo, houve uma diferença de idade estatisticamente significativa. O grupo que não sobreviveu era mais velho. Idade, lactato desidrogenase (LDH), proteína C reativa (PCR), triglicerídeos, D-dímero e não-HDL-C foram fatores de risco independentes para mortalidade em análises de regressão. Na análise de correlação, idade, PCR e LDH foram positivamente correlacionados com não-HDL-C. Na análise ROC, a sensibilidade para não-HDL-C foi de 61,6% e a especificidade foi de 89,2%. CONCLUSÃO: Acreditamos que o nível de não HDL-C estudado antes da infecção por COVID-19 pode ser usado como um biomarcador prognóstico para a doença.

Ocular pulse amplitude and visual field changes in patients diagnosed with aortic regurgitation.

PURPOSE: To examine whether there is a relationship between ocular pulse amplitude (OPA), intraocular pressure (IOP), and visual field (VF) deterioration among the patients diagnosed with aortic regurgitation (AR). METHODS: Twenty-nine patients (average age of 62.06 ± 13.27 years) with AR diagnosis without glaucoma history as AR group and 32 healthy participants (average age 63.81 ± 6.42 years) as control group were included in the study. Routine ophthalmologic examination including VF test [mean deviation (MD), pattern standard deviation (PSD) and VF index (VFI) values were recorded], diurnal IOP and OPA measurements with Pascal dynamic contour tonometry (DCT) was conducted on the patients. VF deficits were classified by Glaucoma Staging System 2 (GSS 2) score. RESULTS: Sixteen (50.0%) of 32 healthy subjects and 14 (48.3%) of 29 AR patients were female (p = 1.000). The measurement conducted at 15:30 among the diurnal IOP measurements performed with the Pascal DCT was found to be statistically significantly higher in the AR group (p = 0.009). While the MD and PSD values of the group diagnosed with AR were determined to be statistically significantly high, the VFI value was found to be significantly low. When the healthy cases and the patients diagnosed with AR were compared, it was observed that there was a statistically significant positive correlation in terms of the significant GSS 2 stage (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Although there was no significant increase in IOP, VF deficits were detected in patients with AR. These VF pathologies may be due to the ocular perfusion disorder in AR. However, additional comprehensive studies that also examine perfusion are needed to further confirm this.

The effect of hemodialysis on the body composition and cardiovascular disease markers in recently diagnosed end stage renal disease patients.

AIM: Uremic toxins and excess fluid contributes to increased cardiovascular (CV) risk. We aimed to determine the body fluid status in patients who are just starting hemodialysis (HD) and to determine the effects of excess fluid removed by HD on the CV system. METHODS: A total of 52 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who had just started HD were included. Before the HD, the left atrial diameter was measured, the volumes were calculated, the pulse wave velocity (PWV) and the augmentation index (AIx) were measured, the bioimpedance analysis (BIA) was performed, the blood was taken for brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). When patients reached their dry weight with HD, the same measurements were repeated. RESULTS: Measurements were made to determine the volume status, and all parameters except the fat tissue index decreased significantly after HD. With the removal of fluid by HD, there was an average weight reduction of 4.38 kilograms. Positive correlations between PWV and age and cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) before HD were determined. Negative correlations were found between PWV and lean tissue mass (LTM) and intracellular water (ICW) before HD. At the end of the last HD, PWV was positively correlated with age, CTR, central pulse pressure Correlation between pulse wave velocity and LTI was negative. CONCLUSIONS: HD significantly improves PWV in patients reaching dry weight. Reduction of fluid excess by ultrafiltration in HD patients may reduce CV mortality by reducing arterial stiffness.

The effect of hemodialysis on the body composition and cardiovascular disease markers in recently diagnosed end stage renal disease patients

SUMMARY AIM: Uremic toxins and excess fluid contributes to increased cardiovascular (CV) risk. We aimed to determine the body fluid status in patients who are just starting hemodialysis (HD) and to determine the effects of excess fluid removed by HD on the CV system. METHODS: A total of 52 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who had just started HD were included. Before the HD, the left atrial diameter was measured, the volumes were calculated, the pulse wave velocity (PWV) and the augmentation index (AIx) were measured, the bioimpedance analysis (BIA) was performed, the blood was taken for brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). When patients reached their dry weight with HD, the same measurements were repeated. RESULTS: Measurements were made to determine the volume status, and all parameters except the fat tissue index decreased significantly after HD. With the removal of fluid by HD, there was an average weight reduction of 4.38 kilograms. Positive correlations between PWV and age and cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) before HD were determined. Negative correlations were found between PWV and lean tissue mass (LTM) and intracellular water (ICW) before HD. At the end of the last HD, PWV was positively correlated with age, CTR, central pulse pressure Correlation between pulse wave velocity and LTI was negative CONCLUSIONS: HD significantly improves PWV in patients reaching dry weight. Reduction of fluid excess by ultrafiltration in HD patients may reduce CV mortality by reducing arterial stiffness.

RESUMO INTRODUÇÃO: Em pacientes com doença renal crônica (DRC), toxinas urêmicas e hipervolemia contribuem para aumentar o risco cardiovascular. Nosso objetivo foi determinar o estado de hidratação em pacientes com DRC iniciando hemodiálise (HD) e avaliar os efeitos da correção da hipervolemia sobre o sistema cardiovascular. MÉTODOS: Foram incluídos 52 pacientes que haviam acabado de iniciar HD. Antes do início da sessão, foram determinados o diâmetro e o volume atrial esquerdo, a velocidade de onda de pulso (VOP) e o índice de amplificação sistólica ("augmentation index", AI). Além disso, realizamos análise da composição corporal por bioimpedância elétrica (BIA) e mensuramos os níveis plasmáticos de peptídeo natriurético tipo B. Os mesmos procedimentos foram repetidos após os pacientes alcançarem o "peso seco". RESULTADOS: O peso corporal dos pacientes foi reduzido, em média, em 4,38 kg. Na BIA, todos os parâmetros, exceto o índice de gordura corporal, foram significativamente reduzidos após a hemodiálise. Antes da HD, a VOP se correlacionou positivamente com idade e razão cardiotorácica (RCT), e negativamente com a massa magra e a água intracelular. Ao final da hemodiálise, a VOP se correlacionou positivamente com idade, RCTe pressão de pulso central, correlacionando-se negativamente com a Lean Tissue Index (LTI). CONCLUSÃO: A hemodiálise melhora a VOP por meio da redução da volemia. O controle da hipervolemia via ultrafiltração pode reduzir a mortalidade cardiovascular por meio da redução da rigidez arterial.

A new predictor of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass graft surgery: HATCH score.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between HATCH score and atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. 369 patients (103 patients with AF and 266 patients without AF) undergoing isolated CABG surgery were analyzed. Complete medical records were retrospectively collected to investigate HATCH score. The median age of patients with AF was significantly higher than the median age of non-AF group (60.8±10.0 years vs 67.8±9.5 years, P<0.001). HATCH score was significantly higher in patients who developed AF after CABG surgery than the non-AF group (P=0.017). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that HATCH score (OR 1.334; 95% CI 1.022 to 1.741, P=0.034) was an independent predictor of AF after CABG surgery. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the cut-off point of HATCH score related to predict AF was >1 (two or more), with a sensitivity of 42% and specificity of 70%. Patients with elevated preoperative HATCH score may have higher risk for AF after CABG surgery.

Diurnal blood pressure parameters in normal tension glaucoma, primary open angle glaucoma, and healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVE: The pathophysiology of glaucoma is still undisclosed. Cardiovascular hemodynamic changes are hypothesized to contribute to glaucoma. This study aimed to determine the differences in the diurnal blood pressure (BP) of patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG), primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), and controls without glaucoma. METHODS: A total of 129 patients were included in this study. The day-night average systolic and diastolic BPs, the day-night average pulse pressures (PPs), the day-night average heart rates, and the percentage of BP decline at night were obtained from the Holter devices and compared. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, case-control study. RESULTS: This study included 43 NTG patients (Group 1), 44 POAG patients (Group 2), and 42 healthy subjects without glaucoma (Group 3). The age (p=0.138) and sex (p=0.216) distributions between the groups were similar. The average day-night PP values of Group 1 were 49.17±9.90 and 46.07±10.84 mm Hg, respectively, while their total average PP was 48.48±9.60, their total average systolic BP was 120.02±12.65, and their night average systolic BP was 111.93±15.87 mm Hg. In Group 2, the average day and night PP values were 54.83±10.35 and 51.73±9.10 mm Hg, respectively, their total average PP was 54.00±9.87, their total average systolic BP was 126.75±11.50, and their night average systolic BP was 119.21±12.38 mm Hg. These differences were statistically significant and the corresponding p values were 0.040, 0.040, 0.037, 0.033, and 0.038. CONCLUSION: NTG patients have low diurnal BP parameters, which may reduce their optic nerve perfusion and may be responsible for their glaucomatous visual field damage.

Circulating microRNAs in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression levels of cardiac-related circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in ST-elevation myo- cardial infarction (STEMI) patients. METHODS: This study has a prospective experimental cohort design. A total of 12 consecutive patients with acute chest pain within 12 h admit- ted to emergency department (STEMI group) and 13 adult patients with normal coronary angiography during the same period were enrolled (control group) in this study. Changes in the expression of miR-122, miR-208, miR-375, miR-22, miR-133b, miR-92b, miR-21, miR-133a, miR-423-5p, miR-27b, miR-30a-3p, miR-17, miR-30d, miR-642, and miR-95 were analyzed using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Blood samples were collected before angiography and 24 h after angiography. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences v19. RESULTS: The STEMI group included 12 patients (7 males) with an average age of 56.5±8.3 (range, 44-69) years. The control group included 13 patients (9 males) with an average age of 59±11 (range, 42-80) years. When fold differences were calculated for the miRNA expression values, only miR-30d and miR-423-5p expression levels in STEMI patients showed significant differences in expression levels compared with control patients. The miRNA levels were 2.3-fold higher for miR-30d (p=0.034) and 6.9-fold higher for miR-423-5p (p=0.017). There was no significant cor- relation between troponin I and miR-30d or miR-423-5p levels (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, the expression levels of miRNAs related to cardiac disease were evaluated in peripheral blood. The circulating miR- 423-5p and miR-30d levels in peripheral blood were found to be higher in STEMI cases than in the control group. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate their potential use as biomarkers in STEMI cases.

Blood count parameters can predict the severity of coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Because of the inflammatory nature of coronary artery disease (CAD), both platelets and white blood cells have been investigated for years. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between some prominently hematologic blood count parameters (mean platelet volume [MPV], neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio [NLR]) and the severity of CAD by using Gensini scores. METHODS: A total of 194 patients, who had undergone coronary angiography, enrolled in this study. The control group consisted of 42 patients who had normal coronary arteries. Remaining CAD patients were divided into two groups according to their Gensini scores. RESULTS: NLR and MPV were higher in the severe atherosclerosis group compared with the mild atherosclerosis group (p = 0.007, p = 0.005, respectively). The Gensini score showed significant correlations with NLR (r = 0.20, p = 0.011), MPV (r = 0.23, p = 0.004) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = -0.161, p = 0.047). Using a cut-off level of 2.54, NLR predicted severe atherosclerosis with a sensitivity of 74% and specificity of 53% (area under curve [AUC], 0.627; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.545 to 0.704; p = 0.004). MPV values above 10.4 predicted severe atherosclerosis with a sensitivity of 39% and specificity of 90% (AUC, 0.631; 95% CI, 0.549 to 0.708; p = 0.003). In the multiple logistic regression analysis, high levels of NLR (odds ratio [OR], 1.450; 95% CI, 1.080 to 1.945; p = 0.013) and MPV (OR, 1.622; 95% CI, 1.147 to 2.295; p = 0.006) were found to be independent predictors of severe atherosclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that both NLR and MPV are predictors of severe atherosclerosis and may be used for the prediction and identification of cardiac risks in CAD patients.

Relationship of anxiety and burnout with extrasystoles in critical care nurses in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between levels of anxiety and burnout and prevalence of atrial extrasystoles (AESs) and ventricular extrasystoles (VESs) among critical care nurses. METHODS: The sample of study included 51 nurses who worked in the intensive care units of a university hospital located in western Turkey. Beck's Anxiety Inventory and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were used in the study. RESULTS: The mean emotional exhaustion score of the nurses was 14.68±6.10, the mean personal accomplishment score was 19.19±7.08, the mean depersonalization score was 5.31±3.84 and the mean anxiety score was 12.37±11.12. The rates of VESs and AESs detected in the critical care nurses were 21.6% and 35.3%, respectively. No relationship was found between levels of anxiety and burnout and the prevalence of AESs and VESs among the critical care nurses. A positive correlation was found between personal accomplishment scores and numbers of VESs (r= 0.693, p=0.001) and AESs (r= 0.700, p= 0.001). CONCLUSION: In the present study, there were low mean scores of burnout and anxiety among nurses working in intensive care units. No relationship was found between levels of anxiety and burnout and the prevalence of AESs and VESs among nurses who work in intensive care units. It was found that the people feeling more personal accomplishment have more VES or AES. The prevalence of AESs and VESs among the critical care nurses suffering from burnout and anxiety may be studied in the future studies.

S100A1 as a Potential Diagnostic Biomarker for Assessing Cardiotoxicity and Implications for the Chemotherapy of Certain Cancers.

This study examined the value of blood marker S100A1 in detecting cardiotoxicity induced by chemotherapy agents; trastuzumab and lapatinib, in normal rat heart. The rats were divided into three groups: control (n = 8, no treatment), T (n = 8, one time ip treatment with 10 mg/kg trastuzumab) and L (n = 8, oral treatment with 100 mg/kg/day lapatinib for 7 days). The activities of oxidative stress parameters Malondialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT) and Glutathione (GSH) were measured from the extracted cardiac tissues. The levels of troponinI and S100A1 expressions were measured from blood samples. All biomarkers responded to the treatments as they exhibited alterations from their normative values, validating the chemically induced cardiotoxicity. S100A1 expression attenuated significantly (75%), which made the sensitive detection of cardiotoxicity feasible. Assessment of cardiotoxicity with S100A1 may be a valuable alternative in clinical oncology of cancers in some organs such as breast and prostate, as they do not overexpress it to compete against.

Association between hematologic parameters and in-hospital mortality in patients with infective endocarditis.

Early and accurate risk prediction is an important clinical demand in patients with infective endocarditis (IE). The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is an independent predictor of worse prognosis in various cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the value of PLR in the prediction of in-hospital mortality among IE patients. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic data of 59 adult patients with definite IE and in 40 adult controls. In-hospital mortality occurred in 16 (27%) patients. Vegetation size, levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein and procalcitonin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and PLR were significantly higher in the in-hospital-mortality-positive group than in the in-hospital-mortality-negative group (p = 0.004, p = 0.009, p = 0.030, p = 0.001, and p = 0.008, respectively). Lymphocyte count was, however, significantly lower in the in-hospital-mortality-positive group (p = 0.004). In the receiver-operating characteristic analysis, PLRs over 191.01 predicted in-hospital mortality with 56.3% sensitivity and 81.4% specificity [area under the curve 0.725, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.594-0.833; p = 0.0027]. In the multivariate analysis, PLR was found to be an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in patients with IE (odds ratio 1.022, 95% CI 1.003-1.042; p = 0.021). In conclusion, higher PLR may predict in-hospital mortality in patients with IE.

The relation between compliance to the Mediterranean diet and the extensiveness of coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE: There are various studies showing the cardiovascular benefits of the Mediterranean diet (MD), but, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which aimed to investigate the relation between adherence to the MD and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: The study was a single centre, cross-sectional prospective study which included 200 consecutive patients (131 men [65.5%] and 69 women [34.5%], mean age 57±9) who were diagnosed with CAD by coronary angiography between January 2012 and April 2013. A food frequency questionnaire was administered to the patients. Compliance to the MD was evaluated by the MD score (MDS), which collects prominent diet characteristics under 10 main titles. Each patient's angiographic data was examined by a cardiologist, and Gensini scores (GS) were then calculated to evaluate the extensiveness of coronary atherosclerosis. RESULTS: Forty-four percent of patients were in the third category of body mass index (BMI) (≥30 kg/m2) and 17.5% were in the first category (BMI<25 kg/m2). Education levels were markedly low, with 78% of the patients having fewer than six years in education. Most patients had low physical activity levels (55.5%). Frequency of metabolic syndrome was prominent (79%). The median (25-75 percentiles) of GS was found to be 21.25 (7-44.75) and the MD score was 4 (3-5). A negative correlation was found between compliance to the MD and GS (r=-0.380, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study found that in patients with CAD, compliance with the traditional MD is related to decreased severity of coronary atherosclerosis.

Evaluation of left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions in bipolar patients during lithium therapy.

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic mental illness that is associated with substantial functional impairment, morbidity and mortality. Lithium is still considered as a first-line therapy in BD. In this study, systolic and diastolic function parameters were measured with echocardiography in BD during lithium therapy and compared to those of a control group. METHODS: Thirty BD under lithium therapy and controls were included in our study. Blood samples were taken 12 hours after receiving the last dose of lithium treatment, in the meantime echocardiography were performed. Left ventricular systolic and diastolic function was assessed by conventional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging. Serum lithium level correlation between diastolic function parameters was measured. RESULTS: Baseline demographic and laboratory results did not differ significantly between the groups. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (66.7 ± 7.1% vs 66.7 ± 4.9%), E/A ratio (1.14 ± 0.41 vs 1.28 ± 0.29), and isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT) (77.8 ± 14.5 cm/sec vs 75.9 ± 17.7cm/sec) measured with conventional echocardiography showed no significant difference between the two groups. Em (14.8 ± 5.2 cm/sec vs 15 ± 4.6 cm/sec), Am (12.7 ± 4.0 cm/sec vs 11.1.0 ± 2.4 cm/sec) and E/Em (5.5 ± 1.8 vs 5.9 ± 2.4) measured with tissue Doppler echocardiography showed no significant difference between the two groups. Serum lithium levels were not correlated with LVEF, mitral inflow E velocity, mitral inflow A velocity, E/A ratio, deceleration time (DT), IVRT, or E/Em ratio. CONCLUSION: Left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions were preserved in BD during lithium therapy.

Nebivolol to attenuate the effects of hyper-homocysteinaemia in rats.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the prophylactic effect of nebivolol against hyper-homocysteinaemia (hHcy) induced oxidative stress in brain, heart, liver and kidney tissues and histomorphometric changes in the thoracic aorta. METHODS: Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats were divided into a control, nebivolol, hHcy and nebivolol+hHcy group. hHcy was induced by oral administration of L-methionine (1 g/kg/day) for 28 days. 10 mg/kg/day nebivolol was administered orally for 28 days. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels and catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the tissues were determined. The total cross-sectional area (TCSA), luminal cross-sectional area (LCSA) and intima-media thickness (IMT) were measured in the thoracic aorta. RESULTS: Homocysteine (Hcy) levels were lower in the nebivolol+hHcy group than in the hHcy group. Nebivolol treatment significantly decreased high MDA levels in the brain, heart and liver tissues. The level of GSH was higher in the brain, heart and kidney tissues of the nebivolol+hHcy group (P<0.001). The activity of CAT increased only in the kidney tissue of the nebivolol+hHcy group (P<0.01), and the activity of SOD was significantly increased in all the tissues in this group. Increased TCSA and IMT in the nebivolol+hHcy group were significantly decreased after nebivolol administration. The LCSA was significantly higher in the hHcy group than the control group, probably due to outward vascular remodelling. CONCLUSION: Nebivolol treatment may be useful in different clinical scenarios where hHcy affects physiopathological pathways.

Ozone preconditioning attenuates contrast-induced nephropathy in rats.

BACKGROUND: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is an important complication of vascular interventions. Ozone therapy can induce tolerance to ischemic insults, a phenomenon known as ozone oxidative preconditioning (OOP). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of OOP on CIN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two Wistar rats were randomized into four groups (n = 8). The control group had intravenous saline injection. The contrast media (CM) group had intravenous meglumine/sodium diatrizoate injection to form CIN. The ozone (O3) group received intraperitoneal ozone for 5 d before the induction of CIN. The oxygen (O2) group was given an equal amount of oxygen for 5 d before the induction of CIN. The animals were sacrificed 48 h after the administration of contrast agent or saline. Kidneys were harvested, and blood samples were obtained. Renal function tests, serum and renal tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO) levels and renal oxidant system parameters were determined. Histologic examination was performed for renal injury. RESULTS: Serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, and serum and renal MDA were increased after contrast exposure. Renal NO was decreased, and there was prominent tubular necrosis in the CM group. Serum BUN, creatinine, serum and renal MDA, and grade of tubular necrosis were decreased in the O3 group as compared with those in the CM group. The levels of serum and renal NO and renal total antioxidant system in O3 group were higher than the levels in the CM group. CONCLUSIONS: OOP attenuates experimental CIN. This effect is suggested to be mediated by reinforcement of renal antioxidant defenses and maintenance of renal NO levels.

The usefulness of carvedilol and nebivolol in preventing contrast nephropathy in rats.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress and vasoconstriction appear to be important components of contrast nephropathy (CN) pathogenesis, and both carvedilol and nebivolol are known to have vasodilatory and antioxidant effects. AIMS: This study aimed to investigate whether carvedilol and nebivolol play preventive roles against developing CN and to compare the effects of each. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Wistar albino rats were divided into control (C, n = 6), contrast material (CM, n = 6), carvedilol (CV, n = 7), carvedilol + contrast material (CV + CM, n = 7), nebivolol (N, n = 7), and nebivolol + contrast (N + CM, n = 7) groups. Following 3 days of dehydration, 6 mL/kg diatrizoate was administered to each rat. Carvedilol was given at a dose of 2 mg/kg and nebivolol at a dose of 1 mg/kg by way of oral gavage. After scarification, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were studied in renal tissue. Histopathological findings were graded as mild (+), moderate (++), and severe (+++). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Most of the histopathological findings and MDA levels were significantly higher in the CM group than that in the C, CVCM, and NVCM groups, whereas there was no significant difference between the C, CVCM and NVCM groups. TAC level in the CM group was significantly lower than in all other groups. There was no difference in SOD among groups. CONCLUSIONS: Carvedilol and nebivolol both prevent development of nephropathy related to CMs by decreasing oxidative stress. Neither is superior to the other.

A clinical study about contrast nephropathy: risk factors and the role of beta blockers.

OBJECTIVE: There is still a group of patient that have unpredictable risk for the development of contrast nephropathy (CN). There is also an effort to find more effficient strategies to prevent CN. Carvedilol, metoprolol and nebivolol seem to have theoretical potentials for the prevention of CN. In this study, we aimed to investigate their effects on the prevention of CN. We also aimed to define the risk factors associated with the development of CN in our study group. METHODS: In this prospective, cross-sectional study, the patients were divided into four groups according to whether they were taking 25 mg/day carvedilol (n:56), 5 mg/day nebivolol (n:60), 50 mg/day metoprolol (n:68) or none (n:63). We made analysis to determine the agents' efficiency on the prevention of CN. We also performed multiple logistic regression analysis including all groups to define the risk factors associated with CN. RESULTS: The incidents of CN were the lowest in the carvedilol group (4%) while the worst performance occurred in those taking metoprolol (10%). The difference between the groups in terms of the development of CN did not reach statistical significance (p>0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed age (p=0.003), higher triglyceride levels (p=0.011) and family history of coronary artery disease (p=0.038) to be the predictors of CN. CONCLUSION: In this study, we didn't find any relation between the development of CN and carvedilol, metoprolol or nebivolol usage. We found age, higher levels of triglyceride and family history of coronary artery disease to be risk factors for predicting CN.

Predictors of early death in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

AIM: We aimed to determine the predictors of early death in the course of acute pulmonary embolism (APE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 206 patients who had been admitted to our hospital between January 2011 and April 2013 with the diagnosis of APE. We derived a new model including corrected QT interval dispersion (QTcd) and P wave dispersion (Pd), echocardiographic findings, laboratory markers, and blood cell count indices to predict early death in patients with APE. RESULTS: Thirty patients (14.5%) died; 176 patients (85.5%) lived after diagnosis of APE. Logistic regression (LR) analysis found that troponin I (odds ratio [OR], 1.084 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.009-1.165]), creatinine (OR, 4.153 [95% CI, 1.375-12.541]), mean platelet volume (OR, 1.991 [95% CI, 1.230-3.223]), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (OR, 1.079 [95% CI, 1.005-1.160]), QTcd (OR, 1.084 [95% CI, 1.043-1.127]), Pd (OR, 1.049 [95% CI, 1.004-1.096]) were associated with early death in APE. New LR model (area under the curve [AUC], 0.970) performed better than the simplified pulmonary embolism severity index (sPESI) score (AUC, 0.859) in predicting early death in APE (P=.021). The predictivity of the sPESI score significantly improved after its single combination with creatinine, QTcd, or troponin I. When the combined model was constructed together with these 6 independent variables and sPESI score, stepwise LR model automatically excluded Pd and NLR, and the AUC from the rest of the combined model was 0.976, which is significantly different from the AUC of sPESI (0.859) (P=.0031). CONCLUSIONS: Creatinine, troponin I, and QTcd significantly improves sPESI score. A new model with troponin I, creatinine, mean platelet volume, NLR, QTcd, and Pd seems to have greater prognostic power than the sPESI scoring system.