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Objective: The goal of this study was to develop a national database of patients hospitalized in Turkey with acute heart failure (AHF) using evaluations of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Methods: Patient data were collected using an Internet-based survey. A total of 588 patients were enrolled from 36 participating medical centers across the country. Results: Mean age was 62 +/- 13 years and 38% of the patients were female. Ratio of de novo AHF to study cohort was 24%. Coronary heart disease and hypertension were found in 61% and 53% of the patients, respectively. Valvular heart disease was the underlying cause in 46% of heart failure patients. The most frequent factor associated with decompensation was noncompliance with treatment, observed in 34% of patients. Systolic blood pressure was 125 +/- 28 mmHg and heart rate was 93 +/- 22 beats/minute in the cohort. The most common findings on physical examination were inspiratory fine crackles (84%), peripheral edema (64%), and cold extremities in 34%. Mean ejection fraction (EF) measured at admission was 33 +/- 13%. Preserved EF (>=%40) was present in 20% of patients. On admission, 60%, 46%, and 40% of patients were using angiotens-in-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker, beta-blocker, or aldosterone antagonist, respectively. In-hospital events were reported as 3.4% death, 1.6% stroke and 2% myocardial infarction. Conclusion: Compared to previous data collected around the world, AHF patients in Turkey were younger, had more frequently valvular heart disease as the underlying cause, and were more noncompliant with medical treatment, but overall mortality was lower. Drugs shown to reduce mortality, and which also form the basis of guideline-directed medical therapy, are still used inadequately.

WOS: 000421963600007, PubMed: 25782122, Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common causes of preventable ischemic stroke and is related to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. There is a lack of data in Turkey on the use of new oral anticoagulants (NOACs), and time in therapeutic INR range (TTR) in vitamin K antagonist users and AF management modality. In this multi-center trial, we aimed to analyze, follow and evaluate the epidemiological data in non-valvular AF patients. Study design: Four thousand one hundred consecutive adult patients from 42 centers with at least one AF attack identified on electrocardiography will be included in the study. Patients with rheumatic mitral valve stenosis and prosthetic valve disease will be excluded from the study. At the end of one year, the patients will be evaluated in terms of major cardiac end points (death, transient ischemic attack, stroke, systemic thromboembolism, major bleeding and hospitalization). Results: First results are expected in June 2015. Data about major cardiovascular end-points will be available in January 2016. Conclusion: The rates and kind of oral anticoagulant use, TTR in vitamin K antagonist users and main management modality applied in non-valvular AF patients will be determined by AFTER-2 study. In addition, the rate of major adverse events (MACEs) and the independent predictors of these MACEs will be detected (AFTER-2 Study ClinicalTrials. gov number, NCT02354456.).

Aims: We aimed to investigate the predictors of Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) in premenopausal women. Background: CIMT was shown to be a strong coronary artery disease predictor in both pre- and postmenopausal women. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 2298 participants. The final cohort included 783 pre-menopausal women (with a mean age of 39 ± 11). Carotid intima media thickness was measured in all of the participants. Results: Mean CIMT of premenopausal women was 0.51 ± 0.14 mm. Age- adjusted correlates of CIMT was SBP (r = 0.138; p=

Objective: The aim of this retrospective multicenter study was to investigate the clinical manifestations, microbiological profile, echocardiographic findings and management strategies of infective endocarditis (IE) in Turkey. Methods: The study population consisted of 248 Turkish patients with IE treated at 13 major hospitals in Turkey from 2005 to 2012 retrospectively. All hospitals are tertiary referral centers, which receive patients from surrounding hospitals. Data were collected from the medical files of all patients hospitalized with IE diagnosed according to modified Duke Criteria. Results: One hundred thirty seven of the patients were males. Native valves were involved in 158 patients while in 75 participants there was prosthetic valve endocarditis. Vegetations were detected in 223 patients (89%) and 52 patients had multiple vegetations. Mitral valve was the most common site of vegetation (43%). The most common valvular pathology was mitral regurgitation. The most common predisposing factor was rheumatic valvular disease (28%). Positive culture rate was 65%. Staphylococci were the most frequent causative microorganisms isolated (29%) followed by enterococci (11%). In-hospital mortality rate was 33%. Conclusions: Compared to IE in developed countries younger age, higher prevalence of rheumatic heart disease, more frequent enterococci infection and higher rates of culture negativity were other important aspects of IE epidemiology in Turkey. © 2013 by AVES Yayi{dotless}nci{dotless}li{dotless}k Ltd.

WOS: 000308510700010 PubMed: 23157032 Investigation: Combined oral contraceptives use is associated with an increased risk of developing venous and arterial thromboembolic events. Platelet size, measured as mean platelet volume (MPV), is associated with platelet reactivity. Methods: Ninety-five women using oral contraceptives for contraception were investigated retrospectively. The patients' blood pressure, pulse and hematological values at application and at the sixth month were evaluated retrospectively. Results: There was no difference between the values of blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), pulse, hematological values (which contain leukocytes, platelets and mean platelet volume) at application and at the sixth month. Conclusion: We determined that using oral contraceptives for contraception did not change MPV values in young women.

It is unclear whether serum adiponectin concentrations diminish linearly with increasing adiposity and, if not, which factors codetermine this association. These issues were investigated cross-sectionally in 1188 men and women, representative of middle-aged and elderly Turkish adults. Serum total adiponectin was assayed by ELISA. Serum adiponectin values in men, though declining significantly in transition from the bottom to the mid tertile of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), were similar in the two respective upper tertiles. In women, serum adiponectin concentrations were not significantly different in any tertile of these indices, were significantly correlated with BMI or WC within the low tertiles and not within the two higher tertiles. In a linear regression analysis for WC (or BMI) in a subset of the sample in which serum sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) was available and which additionally comprised adiponectin, fasting insulin and other confounders, only insulin and, in women SHBG, were significantly associated, but not adiponectin. In linear regression analyses for covariates of adiponectin in two models comprising 12 variables, insulin and SHBG concentrations were significantly associated in both genders though not BMI. Whereas in men HDL-cholesterol and CRP were covariates of adiponectin (both p

Gender-related impact of alcohol consumption on blood pressure (BP), serum lipoprotein profile, and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations was evaluated prospectively. Alcohol drinking status was assessed as abstainers and categories of light, moderate, and heavy (daily >40 ml ethanol) intake. Mean age of the 3,443 men and women who were followed up for a mean of 7.4 years was 47.6 +/- 12 years. In each multivariable linear or logistic regression analysis, alcohol drinking status was adjusted for age, sex, smoking status, and physical activity. Among men. drinking was significantly associated positively with low-density lipo protein (LDL) cholesterol, apolipoprotein (apo) B, systolic and diastolic BR and with CRP in a log-linear manner exhibiting features of a threshold at heavy drinking. With respect to response of serum triglycerides to light-to-moderate drinking, whereas men exhibited a significant increase, women exhibited a decline (P < .05). Lower BPs (P < .03) and CRP levels (P = .032) were observed in female drinkers than abstainers and, as distinct from men, no increases in LDL cholesterol and apoB were noted. Heavy drinking tended to protect the sexes against the risk of developing low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in prospective multi adjusted analyses. Sex modulates response of cardiometabolic risk variables to moderate alcohol consumption among Turks. Only women respond with lower triglycerides and CRP, whereas men show a log-linear positive association of drinking categories with BP, LDL cholesterol, apoB, and CRP. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PubMed ID: 18497551 Objectives: We analyzed all-cause and coronary mortality as well as incident coronary heart disease (CHD) among the participants of the Turkish Adult Risk Factor Study, who resided essentially in the Marmara and Central Anatolia regions and were surveyed in the summer of 2007. Study design: Information on the mode of death was obtained from first-degree relatives and/or health personnel of the local heath office. Most of the participants who were alive underwent physical examination and 12-lead electrocardiography. Incident CHD was defined as fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction that occurred after the previous survey or incident stable angina and/or myocardial ischemia. Results: Of 1,618 participants to be surveyed, 961 were examined, 501 subjects were assessed based on information obtained, 18 men and 12 women were dead, and 52 subjects were lost to follow-up. The number of newly recruited subjects was 138. Addition of 3,010 person-years of follow-up raised the total follow-up of the survey to 48,500 person-years. Eight deaths were attributed to CHD; new coronary events were identified in 16 subjects. Annual mortality was estimated as 10.0 and coronary mortality as 2.7 per 1,000 adults. Overall mortality which was 11.2 per 1,000 person-years in the original cohort declined to 9.1 and 5.9 in more recently recruited 1997/98 and 2002/03 cohorts, respectively. In the age bracket of 45 to 74 years, all-cause mortality which was 15.2 in 2004 decreased to 10.2 per 1,000 person-years in the past three years (p=0.003), with a corresponding decrease in coronary mortality from 6.0 to 5.1 (p

World Congress of Cardiology -- MAY 18-21, 2008 -- Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA WOS: 000259224800390 … World Heart Federat, Argentine Soc Cardiol, Argentine Federat Cardiol

WOS: 000334063700024 PubMed: 25558655 Aim: Resistin plays a role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease and is related to mortality and morbidity through a number of mechanisms. We hypothesize that plasma resistin levels are increased in the presence of ischemia, as measured by GATED single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (SPECT MPS), in comparison with nonischemic subjects. Materials and methods: Fasting intravenous blood samples of patients were drawn before a stress test. An ELISA kit was used for the assays. All patients underwent a technetium 99m-sestamibi GATED SPECT MPS study with a 1-day stress-rest protocol. Images were analyzed visually and patients were assessed as ischemic or nonischemic. Resistin levels were presented as medians (25th-75th percentiles) and were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Plasma resistin levels were higher in the ischemic group (n = 47) than in the nonischemic group (n = 67) [9.04 mu mol/L (6.27-11.8 mu mol/L) vs. 3.56 mu mol/L (0.39-7.93 mu mol/L), respectively; P < 0.001). We showed that plasma resistin levels (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.13-1.41; P < 0.001) and METs (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.70-0.92; P = 0.021) were independent predictors of ischemia. No linear correlation was found between plasma resistin levels and GATED SPECT or stress test parameters. Conclusion: Increased baseline resistin levels are independently related to presence of ischemia but are not related to the extent or severity of ischemia, or other functional parameters such as poststress ejection fraction, end systolic, and end diastolic volumes.

WOS: 000359064200034 PubMed: 26422873 Background/aim: Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) plays role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease and related mortality and morbidity through a number of mechanisms. We hypothesized that plasma ADMA levels would be increased in the presence of reversible ischemia as measured by GATED single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS). Materials and methods: Fasting i.v. blood samples were drawn before testing. All patients underwent 99mTc-sestamibi GATED SPECT MPS with a one-day stress-rest protocol; the images were visually analyzed. Post-stress GATED parameters, including ejection fraction, end systolic and end diastolic volumes, and automatic stress defect scores, were recorded. Results: The plasma ADMA levels were higher in the ischemic group than in the non-ischemic group (0.46 +/- 0.19 vs. 0.40 +/- 0.15; P = 0.016). Plasma ADMA levels (odds ratio [OR] = 13.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.7-109.01; P = 0.015) and sex (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.18-5.26; P = 0.017) were independent predictors of ischemia. There was no linear correlation between plasma ADMA levels and both the GATED SPECT and stress test parameters. Conclusion: Our data support the hypothesis that increased baseline ADMA levels are independently related with the presence of reversible ischemia.

An atrial septal pouch (ASP) results from partial fusion of the septum primum and the septum secundum, and depending on the site of fusion, the pouch can be left-sided (LASP) or right-sided (RASP). LASPs have been described in association with thrombi found in patients admitted with acute strokes, raising awareness of its potential cardioembolic role, especially in those with no other clearly identifiable embolic source. We retrospectively studied 39 patients in whom the presence of an ASP had been identified by three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE) and who had a two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiogram (2DTEE) performed during the same clinical encounter. The incremental value provided by 3DTEE over 2DTEE included the detection of six ASPs not found by 2DTEE; the detection of two ASPs in the same subject (in four patients) not identified by 2DTEE; larger ASP measurements of length and height in over 80% of the cases; and measurement of the ASP width (elevational axis) for the calculation of the area of the ASP opening, because of its unique capability to view the pouch en face. In addition, the volume of ASP and of the echogenic masses contained in the ASP (four of 39 patients) could be calculated by 3DTEE, which is a superior parameter of size characterization when compared to individual dimensions. One of these patients who presented with ischemic stroke diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging had a large (>2 cm) mass in a LASP, with echolucencies similar to those seen in thrombi and associated with clot lysis and resolution. This mass completely disappeared on anticoagulant therapy lending credence that it was most likely a thrombus. There was no history of stroke or any other type of embolic event in the other three patients with masses in ASP. In conclusion, this retrospective study highlights the incremental value of 3DTEE over 2DTEE in the comprehensive assessment and characterization of ASPs, which can aid in the clarification of their role in cryptogenic stroke patients.

… Turkish Soc Cardiol