Is elevated triglyceride high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio a risk factor that causes acute coronary syndrome to appear earlier?

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the triglyceride/high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and the risk of acute myocardial infarction in young adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 621 patients, who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) due to Myocardial Infarction (MI) at our hospital were included in this study. Demographic characteristics, risk factor profile, laboratory test results, electrocardiographic and CAG findings were assessed in the selected groups. RESULTS: Total cholesterol, triglyceride/high density lipoprotein cholesterol (Tg/HDL) ratio, Tg levels, were higher in younger patients with MI, while glucose and high-density lipoprotein levels were lower. Using propensity score matching in the matched population comparing young patients to the older ones, serum triglyceride levels [179 (145-231) vs 148 (101-197)] and triglyceride to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio [5.8 (4.1-9.1) vs 3.0 (1.8-4.6)] were significantly higher, whereas high density lipoprotein levels were observed dramatically lower (32.6 ± 8.2 vs 41.7 ± 8.8). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that Tg/HDL ratio may be an important predictor for an acute coronary syndrome in the young adult population. Tg/HDL ratio can be used to prevent MI in young adults (Tab. 3, Fig. 1, Ref. 32.).

Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio may predict in-hospital mortality in patients with acute type A aortic dissection.

INTRODUCTION: Inflammation has been reported to be associated with aortic dissection (AD), from the development to the prognosis of AD. In this study we aimed to find the role of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the prediction of clinical events in patients with acute AD type A. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study comprised 37 patients who were hospitalized at our center between 2009 and 2013 with the diagnosis of acute AD type A. RESULTS: The mean NLR was significantly higher in patients with pericardial effusion than those without effusion (15.6 ± 11.4 vs. 7.5 ± 4.8, p = 0.005). An NLR value > 8.51 yielded an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.829 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.674-0.984, p = 0.004], which demonstrated a sensitivity of 77 % and specificity of 74 % for the prediction of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The novel inflammatory marker NLR could be used to predict pericardial effusion and in-hospital mortality in patients with acute AD type A.

Reversible myocardial stunning due to carbon monoxide exposure.

We report on a 37-year-old patient who suffered from myocardial stunning after exposure to carbon monoxide, despite having normal coronary arteries. As myocardial ischaemia may be asymptomatic in these patients, close monitoring with serial electrocardiography and of serum cardiac enzymes and troponins is recommended.