Search

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the clinical characteristics of patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) and compare them with those of HFpEF patients without AF. Methods: This study was a sub-group analysis of a multicenter, observational, and cross-sectional registry conducted in Turkey (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03026114). Patients with HFpEF were divided into 2 groups: HFpEF with AF and HFpEF with sinus rhythm (SR), and the clinical characteristics of the groups were compared. Results: In a total of 819 HFpEF patients (median age: 67 years; 58% women), 313 (38.2%) had AF. Compared to the patients with SR, those with AF were older (70 years vs 66 years; p

Developing technological infrastructure has enabled the development of computer based biomedical systems as in many areas in the field of medicine. One of these systems are biomedical imaging systems. Many studies are being conducted for a new image processing techniques to improve the performance of this systems. Noise reduction is one of the important steps in biomedical image processing. In this study, noise reduction was performed to emphasize coronary arteries on x-ray heart angiography images. For this purpose, the original angiography images were smoothed using non-local averages. Thus, insignificant groups of pixels in the image described as noise has been removed. Then, the boundaries of coronary arteries are sharpened with first and second derivatives of image based combined enhancement method. It is seen that the mean square error values obtained by the proposed method are more successful when compared with the noise reduction results obtained using the Wiener filter. These results show that the non-local means method can be used as a successful pre-processing method for noise reduction in angiography images.

WOS: 000380806300010, PubMed ID: 27182772, Background Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) frequently coexists with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the optimal antithrombotic strategy for patients with concomitant CAD and NVAF is controversial. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of CAD with NVAF and to determine antithrombotic treatment options in patients with or without a history of CAD. Methods ReAl-life Multicenter Survey Evaluating Stroke prevention strategies in Turkey (RAMSES study) was a cross-sectional, multicenter, nationwide observational study carried out in NVAF patients. We studied the clinical data of 6264 Turkish patients participating in the RAMSES study. Demographic properties and antithrombotic therapies were recorded and compared between patients with and without CAD. Results CAD was present in 1828 (29.2%) of patients with NVAF. Most of the NVAF patients with CAD were men (58%) and comorbid diseases were significantly more common in patients with CAD. Although patients with CAD had higher CHA(2)DS(2)VASc scores than those without disease (4.1 +/- 1.5 vs. 2.9 +/- 1.5; P=0.001), they had lower use of oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy (66.1 vs. 74.4%, P=0.01). Among OAC drugs, warfarin was the preferred medication in patients with CAD (35.4 vs. 30.6%, P=0.01), whereas nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants were preferred in patients without CAD (40 vs. 34.3%, P=0.01). Patients with CAD required nearly three-fold higher antiplatelet treatment compared with patients without CAD (57.8 vs. 21.4%, P

WOS: 000301065000003, PubMed: 22211098, Background: Detection of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) in acute ischemic stroke patients poses diagnostic challenge. The aim of this study was to predict the presence of PAF by means of 12-lead ECG in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Our hypothesis was that P-wave dispersion (P-d) might be a useful marker in predicting PAF in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: 12-lead resting ECGs, 24-hour Holter recordings and echocardiograms of 400 patients were analyzed retrospectively. PAF was detected in 40 patients on 24-hour Holter monitoring. Forty out of 360 age and gender matched patients without PAF were randomly chosen and assigned as the control group. Demographics, P-wave characteristics and echocardiographic findings of the patients with and without PAF were compared. Results: Maximum P-wave duration (p=0.002), P-d (p

Although exaggerated blood pressure responses (EBPR) to exercise have been related to future hypertension and masked hypertension (MHT), the relationship between exercise capacity and MHT remains unclear. A sedentary life style has been related to increased cardiovascular mortality, diabetes mellitus (DM), and hypertension. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between exercise capacity and MHT in sedentary patients with DM.This study included 85 sedentary and normotensive patients with DM. Each patient's daily physical activity level was assessed according to the INTERHEART study. All patients underwent an exercise treadmill test, and exercise duration and capacity were recorded. Blood pressure (BP) was recorded during all exercise stages and BP values ≥ 200/110 mmHg were accepted as EBPR. MHT was diagnosed in patients having an office BP140/90 mmHg and a daytime ambulatory BP135/85 mmHg. Patients were divided into two groups according to their ambulatory BP monitoring (MHT and normotensive group).The prevalence of MHT was 28.2%. Exercise duration and capacity were lower in the MHT group than in the normotensive group (p0.05) and were negatively correlated with age, HbA1c, mean daytime BP, and mean 24 hour BP. Peak exercise systolic BP and the frequency of EBPR were both increased in the MHT group (25.0% and 8.1%, respectively, p=0.03). According to a multivariate regression, exercise capacity (OR: 0.61, CI95%: 0.39-0.95, p=0.03), EBPR (OR: 9.45, CI95%: 1.72-16.90, p=0.01), and the duration of DM (OR: 0.84, CI95%: 0.71-0.96, p=0.03) were predictors of MHT.Exercise capacity, EBPR, and the duration of DM were predictors of MHT in sedentary subjects with DM.

Kalbi besleyen koroner arterlerin anatomisinin bilinmesi kalp hastalıklarının tanısında büyük önem arz etmektedir. Koroner arterlerden sağ koroner arter (RCA), sol ana koroner arter (LMCA), sol ön inen arter (LAD) ve sirkumflex arter (Cx) veya alt dallardaki arterlerden birinde meydana gelebilecek bir tıkanmanın büyüklüğü tedavi yöntemi için önem arz etmektedir. Yapılan çalışmada koroner arterlerin bölütlenmesi temelli bir tanı destek sistemi oluşturulmuştur. Bu amaçla, kalp anjiyografi görüntülerine sayısal görüntü işleme teknikleri uygulanarak koroner arterlerde meydana gelen daralmanın yüzdesinin belirlenmesine yönelik bir yazılım geliştirilmiştir. Çalışma uzman kardiyolog gözetiminde gerçekleştirilmiş olup yazılımda elde edilen sonuçlar uzman doktorun elde ettiği sonuçlarla karşılaştırılmıştır. Çalışmanın başarımı ZSI başarım belirleme indeksine göre test edilmiştir. Elde edilen başarım sonuçları 0.8 ile 0.95 arasında olup, bu değerler literatürde başarılı olup, klinik uygulamalarda kullanılabilecektir.

An increased prevalence of masked hypertension (MHT) has been demonstrated among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). MHT appears to cause cardiovascular (CV) complications similar to clinically overt hypertension. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous nitric oxide inhibitor and higher plasma levels of ADMA are related to increased CV risk in both the general population and among patients with DM. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between MHT and ADMA in diabetic patients.This study included DM patients (n = 131) with normal office blood pressure (140/90 mmHg). None of the participants were using antihypertensive medications. All participants utilized an ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM) for 24 h. Serum ADMA and arginine levels were measured using the fluorescence detector high performance liquid chromatography method.The prevalence of MHT was 24.4% among the study subjects. ADMA levels were increased in the MHT group when compared with normotensive diabetics (6.2 ± 2.2 vs 4.2 ± 1.7 μmol/L p = 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, arginine/ADMA ratio was lower in the MHT group than among the normotensive group (29.9 ± 12.1 vs 46.0 ± 19.0 p = 0.001). In the multivariate logistic regression model, ADMA, BMI and HDL levels were found to be independent predictors of MHT Odds ratio: 1.63 (1.28-2.06), 1.19 (1.05-1.35), and 0.95 (0.90-0.99), respectively. The cut-off value of the ADMA was 4.34 μmol/L with a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 84.4%, 59.6%, of 40.3%, and 92.2%, respectively (AUC = 0.78).Serum ADMA may play a role in both the pathophysiology and screening of MHT in DM subjects.

We admitted a maintenance haemodialysis patient with hypotension and weakness. He had undergone cadaveric renal transplantation 19 years earlier. He had lost his kidney due to chronic allograft nephropathy 1 year after transplantation and returned to haemodialysis. He had hypotension, especially remarkable during haemodialysis. He also had hepatitis C but no cirrhosis. The patient denied a previous pulmonary tuberculosis. On physical examination, he was hypotensive (80/60 mmHg) but without peripheral oedema, neck vein distention or hepatomegaly. Heart sounds were weakly heard and there was no audible murmur or friction rub. Pericardial calcification was noticed on chest x-ray (Figure ​(Figure1).1). Echocardiography could not visualize the pericardium or heart. Only coarse calcification of the pericardium from the subphrenic angle, but no further detail, was visible. Subsequently, we performed computerized tomography of the pericardium (Figure ​(Figure2),2), which revealed a crescent-like calcification of the pericardium. There were calcific plaques on the right lower lobe of the pulmonary pleura as well. Fig. 1 Postero-anterior chest x-ray showing crescent-like pericardial calcification. Note also that calcification in the pleura overlying right lower lung. Fig. 2 Coronal section of computerized tomography of the chest depicting crescent-like calcification of the pericardium encasing heart and right lower pleural calcification. The presence of pericardial calcification strongly suggests constrictive pericarditis (CP) in patients with symptoms and signs of heart failure. A myriad of disease states can cause pericardial calcification. In the Western world, the most common cause is idiopathic. However, in the developing countries, tuberculosis remains an important cause. Plain chest radiographs can display calcification. Echocardiography may confirm the diagnosis, showing a thickened pericardium and calcification in some cases. However, normal echocardiography does not rule out CP. Transoesophageal echocardiography is more sensitive; however, the gold standard for diagnosis is invasive haemodynamic evaluation. Patients with CP may present with two types of complaints: those related to fluid overload, ranging from peripheral oedema to anasarca; and those related to a diminished cardiac output response to exertion, such as fatiguibility and dyspnoea. These symptoms may be masked in haemodialysis patients due to ultrafiltration and close volume regulation. Conflict of interest statement. None declared.