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Copyright of Ege Journal of Medicine is the property of Ege University, Faculty of Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Atherosclerosis plays an important role in the etiopathogenesis of coronary artery ectasia (CAE). The relationship between total bilirubin (TBil) and carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) in patients with CAE has not been fully investigated. Hence, we evaluated the relationship between TBil levels and cIMT in 142 consecutive eligible patients with CAE, newly diagnosed coronary artery disease (CAD), and normal coronary arteries. There were no significant differences in TBil (P =.772) and cIMT (P =.791) between the CAE and CAD groups. Bilirubin levels were significantly lower in both CAE and CAD groups compared to the controls (P <.01). The cIMT was significantly higher in both CAE and CAD groups compared to control participants (P <.01). A negative correlation between cIMT and TBil was found in all the groups (P <.01, r =.354). We show for the first time that patients with CAE and CAD have lower TBil and greater cIMT compared to controls with normal coronary angiograms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of hypertension is increasing among young population worldwide. So there is an interest in detecting prehypertension and hypertension in childhood. We determined blood pressure (BP) recorded at a screening test in a young population. We retrospectively evaluated the medical records including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) of 685 male and 130 female apparently healthy adolescents. We evaluated the prevalence of BP categories: normotension, prehypertension, and hypertension. The prevalence of normotension (n = 369), prehypertension (n = 333), and hypertension (n = 113) was 45.3%, 40.9% and 13.9%, respectively; prehypertension and hypertension were significantly higher among males. The prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension was significantly higher among overweight males and females. The BMI significantly correlated with SBP, DBP, and heart rate among both genders. The prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension is high among Turkish adolescents. Screening tests focused on BP and BMI measurement may help detect the young population at risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No-reflow is of prognostic value in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) but has not been extensively investigated in young patients. Young patients with STEMI admitted within 12 hours from symptom onset and treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) were recruited. Patients were classified into 2 groups based on postintervention thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade; no-reflow: TIMI flow grade 0, 1 or 2 (group 1; n = 27; 21 men, mean age: 42 ± 4 years); and angiographic success: TIMI flow grade 3 (group 2; n = 118; 110 men, mean age: 43 ± 4 years). Adjusted odds ratios were 13.79 for female gender (P < .001; confidence interval [CI] = 1.88-101.26), 2.09 for pain to balloon time (P < .017; CI = 1.14-3.812), 12.29 for high TIMI thrombus grade (P = .012; CI = 1.74-86.94), 0.04 for tirofiban use (P < .001; CI = 0.01-0.22), 5.19 for mean platelet volume (MPV; P < .001; CI = 2.44-11.01), and 1.008 for platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR; P = .034; CI = 1.001-1.016). In conclusion, female gender, pain to balloon time, high TIMI thrombus grade, tirofiban, MPV, and PLR were independent predictors of no-reflow in young patients with STEMI after pPCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical diagnosis of right ventricular (RV) cardiomyopathies is often challenging. It is difficult to differentiate the isolated left ventricular (LV) noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NC) from biventricular NC or from coexisting arrhythmogenic ventricular cardiomyopathy (AC). There are currently few established morphologic criteria for the diagnosis other than RV dilation and presence of excessive regional trabeculation. The gross and microscopic changes suggest pathological similarities between, or coexistence of, RV-NC and AC. Therefore, the term arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy is somewhat misleading as isolated LV or biventricular involvement may be present and thus a broader term such as AC should be preferred. We describe an unusual case of AC associated with a NC in a 27-year-old man who had a history of permanent pacemaker 7 years ago due to second-degree atrioventricular block. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Radiofrequency (RF) ablation of the slow pathway for treatment of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) is conventionally performed during sinus rhythm. Aim: To evaluate the clinical and electrophysiological features and the short- and long-term results of slow pathway RF ablation during ongoing AVNRT. Material and methods: A total of 282 consecutive patients with AVNRT undergoing RF catheter ablation were analysed. Patients whose tachycardia episodes could not be controlled during RF energy application and who underwent slow pathway ablation or modification during ongoing tachycardia formed the study group (group 1, n = 16) and those ablated during sinus rhythm formed the control group (group 2, n = 266). Results: Of the clinical characteristics, only the frequency of tachycardia attacks was higher in group 1 (3.3 ±1.2 vs. 2.1 ±0.9 attacks/month, p < 0.001). Among the baseline electrophysiological measurements, the echo zone lasted significantly longer in group 1 than in group 2 (78 ±25 ms vs. 47 ±18 ms; p < 0.001). The immediate procedural success rate was 100% in both groups. There were no significant differences between groups regarding the mean number of radiofrequency energy applications (5.2 ±4.2 vs. 5.8 ±3.9), total procedure times (42.4 ±30.5 min vs. 40.2 ±29.4 min) and fluoroscopy times (11.4 ±8.5 min vs. 12.2 ±9.3 min) (p > 0.050 for all). All patients were followed-up for 29 ±7 months; only 2 patients (< 1%) in group 2 recurred (p > 0.050). No permanent atrioventricular block was observed. Conclusions: The RF catheter ablation or modification of the slow pathway during ongoing AVNRT is feasible with acceptable short- and long-term efficacy and safety. However, this approach needs to be clarified with large-scale studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is the most common valvular heart disease and characterized by the displacement of an abnormally thickened mitral valve leaflet into the left atrium during systole. There are two types of MVP, broadly classified as classic (thickness ≥5 mm) and non-classic (thickness <5 mm) according to the morphology of the leaflets. We aimed to investigate elastic properties of the aorta in young male patients with classical and non-classical MVP. Material/Methods: In the present study, 63 young adult males (mean age: 22.7 ± 4.2) were included. Patients were divided into classic MVP ( n = 27) and non-classic MVP ( n = 36) groups. Aortic strain, aortic distensibility and aortic stiffness index were calculated by using aortic diameters obtained by echocardiography and blood pressures measured by sphygmomanometer. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of age, body mass index, left ventricular mass and ejection fraction. When comparing the MVP group it was found that aortic strain and aortic distensibility were increased ( p = 0.0027, p = 0.016, respectively) whereas the aortic stiffness index was decreased ( p = 0.06) in the classical MVP group. Conclusion: We concluded that the elastic properties of the aorta is increased in patients with classic MVP. Further large scale studies should be performed to understand of morphological and physiological properties of the aorta in patients with MVP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a new candidate immunoinflammatory marker that has been reported to be associated with cardiometabolic risk factors. We aimed to investigate the effects of valsartan and amlodipine on the PTX3 and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients with essential hypertension. Patients with a newly diagnosed essential hypertension were admitted to our internal medicine outpatient clinic. Patients were randomized to one of the following intervention protocols: calcium channel blocker (amlodipine, 5-10 mg/day) as group A ( n = 22; mean age ± standard deviation [SD]: 52 ± 11 year) and angiotensine II receptor blocker (valsartan, 80-320 mg/day) as group B ( n = 28; mean age ± SD: 50 ± 14 year). Endothelial dysfunction and systemic inflammation were evaluated with PTX3 and CRP. There was a significant decrease in the level of PTX3 after treatment in two groups ( P < .05). Although there was a significant decrease in the level of CRP after treatment in amlodipine group, there was no significant decrease in the levels of PTX3 and CRP after treatment in two groups. There were no significant differences in the systolic and diastolic blood pressure reduction between the two treatment groups. In the treatment of hypertension, prior knowledge of the level of plasma PTX3 could be important in antihypertensive drug choice. C-reactive protein and PTX3 are the markers that have role in vascular inflammation and are found associated with the prognosis of cardiovascular outcomes in many trials. In our study, PTX and CRP levels were decreased when compared to baseline levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]