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Introduction: Naftidrofuryl and cilostazol are drugs with proven efficacy in the treatment of claudication in peripheral vascular disease. In this experimental study, we evaluated the effects of naftidrofuryl and cilostazol in ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury on various tissues. Materials and Methods: 40 male albino Wistar rats (8-12 weeks old, 250-350 g.) are randomly divided into 4 groups: Control (Group 1), sham (group 2), cilostazol pre-treatment (group 3), naftidrofuryl pre-treatment (group 4). During 21 days placebo is given to group 2, 12 mg/kg/day cilostazol is given to group 3, 50 mg/kg/day naftidrofuryl is given to group 4 orally. Ischemia and reperfusion are induced at the lower hind limb in Groups 2, 3 and 4. Ischemic muscle, kidney, liver, heart, brain and blood samples are obtained. The total antioxidant capacity, oxidant levels and oxidative stress index are studied for each group. Results: Both drugs have protective effects of remote organ injury following IR. Systemic effects are similar to each other, both have protective effects of IR injury. It showed no statistical significance in the total antioxidant capacity. Total oxidant levels are significantly affected by cilostazol in the heart (p < 0.01) and by naftidrofuryl in the liver (p < 0.01). The effect on oxidative stress was only significant with cilostazol on the heart (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Cilostazol and naftidrofuryl had beneficial effects in all tissues against tissue damage caused by IR injury. In ischemic muscle, kidney and heart cilostazol had improved outcomes comparing to naftidrofuryl. Naftidrofuryl had benefits over cilostazol in liver tissue.

The Fontan operation is the primary surgical technique used for palliation of patients with single-ventricle physiology. Arrhythmias are frequently observed and associated with morbidity and mortality in Fontan patients. The frequency of arrhythmias after the Fontan procedure increases over time and it was reported to reach 50% in a 20-year follow up. Atrial tachyarrhythmias, especially atrial tachycardia and sinus bradycardia, are most frequently observed in these patients. Ventricular arrhythmias are rarely observed. Generally, medical therapy, catheter ablation, pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation are options in the treatment of these arrhythmias. It may be difficult to implant either a pacemaker or an ICD in patients on whom the Fontan procedure has been performed. In conditions where access to the right ventricle is from the venous system, it is anatomically impossible. Where there is no functional right ventricle, device implantation can be performed with alternative methods other than the conventional transvenous approach. In this report, we discuss a middle-aged woman with a Fontan operation performed 14 years earlier, who presented with ventricular tachycardia (VT) and in whom an epicardial ICD was implanted. The literature on this issue is also reviewed.

Pericardial fluid (PF) is often considered to be reflection of the serum by which information regarding the physiological status of the heart can be obtained. Some local and systemic disorders may perturb the balance between synthesis and discharge of PF and may cause its aberrant accumulation in the pericardial cavity as pericardial effusion (PE). PE may then lead to an increased intrapericardial pressure from which the heart function is undesirably affected. For some cases, the causes for the perturbance of fluid balance are well understood, but in some other cases, they are not apparent. It may, thus, be helpful to understand the molecular mechanisms behind this troublesome condition to elucidate a clinical approach for therapeutic uses. In this study, protein profiles of PEs from idiopathic pericarditis patients were analyzed. Control samples from patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery (ECS) were included for comparison. In addition to high abundant serum-originated proteins that may not hold significance for understanding the molecular mechanisms behind this disease, omentin-1 was identified and its level was higher for more than two-fold in PE of IP patients. Increased levels of omentin-1 in PE may open a way for understanding the molecular mechanisms behind idiopathic pericarditis (IP).

Behcet hastaligi tum viseral arterleri tutabilen kronik ve tekrarlayan sistemik vaskulittir. Bu yazida Behcet hastaligi olan 37 yasinda erkek bir olgu, tekrarlayan viseral arter anevrizmasi ve cerrahi tedavi ile birlikte sunuldu. Anah tar soz cuk ler: Anevrizma; Behcet hastaligi; viseral arter. Behcet’s disease is a chronic, recurrent systemic vasculitis which can involve all visceral arteries. In this article, we present a 37-year-old male case with Behcet’s disease with recurrent visceral artery aneurysm and the surgical treatment.

Peri-procedural Changes in Serum Arylesterase Acvitivity in Patients Undergoing Elective PCI for Stable CAD. H. Erman, H.A. Cakmak, B. Ikitimur, V. Sozer, Z. Ongen, B. Karadag, R. Gelisgen, G. Simsek, H. Uzun. Department of Biochemistry, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Cardiology, Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Cardiology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Physiology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Biochemistry, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey. Introduction: Oxidative stress, characterized by an imbalance between the generation ROS and the capacity of the intrinsic antioxidant defense system, may be implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and stent deployment induce production of vascular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) leading to post-procedural pathophysiological changes including restenosis, stent thrombosis, and endothelial dysfunction. Previous studies suggest that oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathophysiology of restenosis. Because of the actual mechanism accounting for the increased oxidative stress formation in circulation among patients undergoing PCI is still undefined, we aimed to investigate through the analysis of a novel parameter, namely ARE activity, whether early changes in oxidative stress takes place in stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients undergoing elective PCI with implantation of stents. Methods: In this study 32 consecutive chronic stable angina patients (mean age 61 9.8 years, 75% male) undergoing PCI for management