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Apomorphine, used to treat OFF episodes in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), is typically administered via subcutaneous injections. Administration of an oromucosal solution could offer a non-invasive and user-friendly alternative. This two-part clinical study evaluated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and dose proportionality of a novel apomorphine hydrochloride oromucosal solution, as well as its relative bioavailability to subcutaneous apomorphine injection and apomorphine sublingual film. In part A of the study, 12 patients with PD received 2 mg oromucosal apomorphine (4% weight/volume) and 2 mg subcutaneous apomorphine in a randomized order, followed by 4 and 8 mg oromucosal apomorphine. In part B of the study, 13 patients with PD received 7 mg oromucosal apomorphine (7% weight/volume) and 30 mg sublingual apomorphine in a randomized order, followed by 14 mg oromucosal apomorphine. Washout between dose administrations in both study parts was at least 2 days. Safety, tolerability, and PK were assessed pre- and post-dose. Both study parts showed that oromucosal apomorphine was generally well-tolerated. Observed side effects were typical for apomorphine administration and included asymptomatic orthostatic hypotension, yawning, fatigue, and somnolence. Oromucosal apomorphine exposure increased with dose, although less than dose proportional. The mean (SD) maximum exposure reached with 14 mg oromucosal apomorphine was 753.0 (298.6) ng*min/mL (area under the plasma concentration-time curve from zero to infinity) and 8.0 (3.3) ng/mL (maximum plasma concentration). This was comparable to exposure reached after 2 mg subcutaneous apomorphine and approximately half of the exposure observed with 30 mg sublingual apomorphine. In summary, clinically relevant plasma concentrations could be reached in PD patients without tolerability issues., (© 2024 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.)

Background: An epileptic seizure is a common neurological presentation in the Emergency Department (ED). Electrolyte disturbances are an important cause of neurological symptoms like seizures and hypomagnesemia is one of them. PPI's can cause hypomagnesemia and are readily prescribed. Therefore patients taking PPI's are at risk of developing neurological symptoms due to hypomagnesemia., Case: A 82-year old woman was seen in ED with a history of nausea, vomiting and vertigo. A vertical nystagmus was observed with attacks of mydriasis followed by a phase of encephalopathy and restlessness. These were recognized as epilepsy. Hypokaliemia, hypocalcemia and a deep hypomagnesemia were present. The PPI accounted for hypomagnesemia. After 2 days of intravenous magnesium suppletion all symptoms disappeared., Conclusion: PPI's can cause hypomagnesemia and magnesium levels should be obtained in patients presenting with encephalopathy or atypical neurological symptoms.

Several indications for sutureless aortic valve replacement (SU-AVR) have been a matter of debate. We evaluated our experience with Perceval-S (LivaNova group, Saluggia, Italy) SU-AVR in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) involving bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), even though presence of BAV is still considered to be a contraindication for sutureless valves. From January 2013 through March 2018, 13 patients with severe AS involving BAV underwent SU-AVR with the Perceval-S (LivaNova group, Saluggia, Italy) prosthesis in a single center. Preoperative evaluation included coronary catheterization and multisliced computerized tomography was performed in all patients. Three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography was used to evaluate for obtaining the anatomy and phenotype of BAV. Minimally invasive approach through right anterior thoracotomy from third intercostal space was performed for all patients. The mean age was 72.8 ± 2.26 years ranging from 70 to 77, and 53.8% (n = 7) were male. The mean aortic valve gradient decreased from 46.4 ± 13.8 to 13.6 ± 4.4 mmHg postoperatively. The mean aortic valve area increased from 0.69 ± 0.22 to 1.81 ± 0.38 cm 2 . There was no in-hospital mortality. One patient (7.6%) had third-degree atrioventricular block requiring permanent pacemaker implantation. Mean follow-up was 15.1 ± 6.3 months (maximum 2 years). No major paravalvular leakage or valve migration occurred postoperatively. This study shows that SU-AVR is a technically feasible and safe procedure in patients with severe AS and BAV with acceptable good surgical outcomes. Presence of BAV in AS should not be considered a contraindication to Perceval-S prosthesis (LivaNova group, Saluggia, Italy)., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The goal of this retrospective study was to clarify the effect of using temporary vascular shunt (TVS) as a previous intervention., Methods: A total of 96 cases with war-related lower extremity arterial injury and surgically treated between October 2013 and March 2016 were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups: those in which TVS was performed as a previous intervention on admission (TVS group, n=24) and those in which compression, tourniquet, and ligation/clampage were performed as a previous intervention on admission (non-TVS group, n=72)., Results: In comparing injury pattern, there was no difference between the two groups. In addition, mean hematocrit level, mean systolic blood pressure, the incidence of concomitant vein injury, nerve injury, soft tissue damage, and bone injury were similar in both groups. The overall amputation rate was 19%. There were a total of 18 amputations, with 1 (4%) in the TVS group and 17 (24%) in the non-TVS group. The difference on amputation rate was statistically significant. The mean values of the mangled extremity severity score (MESS) were 6.45 in the TVS group and 7.44 in the non-TVS group. The overall mean MESS was 7.1. The duration of ischemia (DoI) was 4.84+-1.84 h in the TVS group and 5.95+-1.92 h in the non-TVS group. These differences in MESS and DoI were statistically significant., Conclusion: We think that it may be beneficial for patients to consider a TVS to reduce DoI and gain time for surgical revascularization. As a result, the present study demonstrates that the use of TVS may successfully serve as a bridge between initial injury and definitive repair with a reduction in amputation rates.

Objectives: Right heart failure (RHF) is an important prognostic factor in continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy. We aimed to assess the clinical variables associated with RHF after LVAD implantation and to compare their performance against currently available RHF predictive scoring systems., Methods: The study cohort comprised 57 patients who underwent LVAD therapy between January 2012 and May 2018 in our centre. The mean age of the patients was 39.9 ± 18.3 years, and 43 (81.1%) of them were men. Thirty-eight patients (66.6%) were in the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) profile I or II. The study cohort was divided into the patients with RHF postoperatively (n = 20, 35.1%) and without RHF (n = 37, 64.9%)., Results: Independent predictors for RHF were preoperative right ventricular ejection fraction <25% [odds ratio (OR) 4.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.41-15.5; P = 0.01], right ventricular stroke work index <400 mmHg ml-1 (OR 3.73, 95% CI 1.01-13.7; P = 0.04), right ventricular outflow tract systolic excursion <7 mm (OR 1.55, 95% CI 0.31-0.84; P = 0.002), right ventricular outflow tract fractional shortening <15% (OR 1.62, 95% CI 0.34-0.78; P = 0.02), right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain ≤19% (OR 3.13, 95% CI 1.01-2.43; P = 0.003), right ventricular fractional area change <27% (OR 3.71, 95% CI 1.15-11.9; P = 0.02) and prealbumin <14 mg/dl (OR 3.45, 95% CI 1.07-11.03; P = 0.03). Modest diagnostic performance for RHF was detected in 4 of 7 validated scoring systems with resulting area under the curve values of 0.70 (95% CI 0.55-0.84; P = 0.001) for the Seattle Heart Failure Model; 0.68 (95% CI 0.49-0.81, P = 0.03) for the Fitzpatrick's; 0.68 (95% CI 0.53-0.83, P = 0.028) for the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II; and 0.66 (95% CI 0.50-0.82, P = 0.04) for the model for end-stage liver disease scoring systems. However, we found best discrimination performance of the score with a resulting area under the curve value of 0.94 (95% CI 0.55-0.89, P = 0.03) for right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain ≥-15.5% and 0.82 for right ventricular stroke work index <400 mmHg ml-1 m-2 in predicting RHF., Conclusions: Right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain ≥-15.5% and right ventricular stroke work index <400 mmHg ml-1 m-2 were independent predictors of RHF following LVAD implantation. Currently available prediction risk scores had the modest power of accuracy in the low INTERMACS profile Turkish population., (© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Apheresis is performed for treatment of numerous diseases by removing auto-antibodies, antigen-antibody complexes, allo-antibodies, paraproteins, non-Ig proteins, toxins, exogenous poisons. In current study, we present our experience of using therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) in patients with different types of clinical scenarios., Methods: Between January 2013 and May 2016, we retrospectively presented the results of 64 patients in whom postoperative TPE was performed in ICU setting after cardiac surgery. Patients were grouped into four as; 1-sepsis (n = 26), 2-hepatorenal syndrome(n = 24), 3-antibody mediated rejection(AMR) following heart transplantation(n = 4) and 4-right heart failure(RHF) after left ventricular asist device(LVAD)(n = 10). Hemodynamic parameters were monitored constantly, pre- and post-procedure peripheral blood tests including renal and liver functions and daily complete blood count (CBC), sedimentation, C-reactive protein and procalcitonin (ng/ml) levels were studied., Results: The mean age was 61 ± 17.67 years old and 56.25% (n = 36) were male. Mean Pre TPE left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (%), central venous pressure (CVP)(mmHg) pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP)(mmHg) and pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP)(mmHg) were measured as 41.8 ± 8.1, 15.5 ± 4.4, 17.3 ± 3.24 and 39.9 ± 5.4, respectively. Procalcitonin (ng/ml) level of patients undergoing TPE due to sepsis was significantly reduced from 873 ± 401 ng/ml to 248 ± 132 ng/ml. Seventeen (26.5%) patients died in hospital during treatment, mean length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay(days) was 13.2 ± 5.1., Conclusion: This study shows that TEP is a safe and feasible treatment modality in patients with different types of complications after cardiac surgery and hopefully this study will lead to new utilization areas., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Sutureless aortic valve replacement (SU-AVR) is an alternative technique to standard aortic valve replacement. We evaluated our experience with the Perceval SU-AVR with concomitant mitral valve surgery, with or without tricuspid valve surgery, and aimed to discuss the technical considerations., Methods: From January 2013 through June 2016, 30 patients with concomitant severe mitral valve disease, with or without tricuspid valve disease, underwent SU-AVR with the Perceval prosthesis in a single center., Results: The mean age was 73.0 ± 6.6 years, ranging from 63 to 86 years, and 60% (n = 18) were male. Mean logistic EuroScore of the study cohort was 9.8 ± 4.6. Concomitant procedures consisted of mitral valve repair (n = 8, 26.6%), mitral valve replacement (n = 22, 73.3%), tricuspid valve repair (n = 18, 60%), tricuspid valve replacement (n = 2, 6.6%), and cryoablation for atrial fibrillation (n = 21, 70%). Median prosthesis size was 25 mm (large size). At 1 year, there were 2 deaths from noncardiac causes. One patient (3.3%) had third-degree atrioventricular block requiring permanent pacemaker implantation. Three patients (10%) had intraoperative supra-annular malpositioning of the aortic prosthesis, which was safely removed and reimplanted in all cases. Mean follow-up was 18 ± 4.5 for months (maximum 3 years). During the postoperative period, sinus rhythm restoration rate in patients who underwent the cryo-maze procedure was 76.1% (n = 16) at discharge. There was no structural valve deterioration or migration of the prosthesis at follow-up., Conclusions: Perceval SU-AVR is a technically feasible and safe procedure in patients with severe aortic stenosis with good results even in the presence of multivalvular disease and atrial fibrillation surgery., (Copyright © 2018 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To evaluate the results of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) following cardiac surgery in the TurcoSCORE (TrS) database., Methods: Sixty patients with HCV who underwent cardiac surgery between 2005 and 2016 in our clinic out of a total 8,018 patients from the TrS database were included in the study. The perioperative morbidity and mortality rates in these patients were compared with a matched cohort., Results: The mean follow-up time was 96.6 ± 12.3 months. Hospital mortality rates (HCV group 5% vs. control group 1.7%, p  = 0.61) were similar between the groups. No significant difference was found in the duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (HCV 79.1 ± 12.3 vs. control 82.6 ± 11.8, p  = 0.88) and cross clamps (HCV 33.4 ± 6.9 vs control 33.8 ± 7.2 p  = 0.76) between the two groups. The rate of patients who were revised due to postoperative hemorrhage was significantly higher in the HCV arm compared with the matched cohort (HCV 13.3% vs. control 1.7%, p  < 0.05). Although the measured prothrombin time (PT) and international normalized ratio (INR) in the postoperative 24th hour were in normal ranges in both arms, they were significantly higher in the HCV arm (HCV 11.2 ± 1.2 vs. control 10.5 ± 0.8, p  < 0.05; HCV 0.99 ± 0.06, vs. control 0.92 ± 0.03, p  < 0.0001)., Conclusion: The presence of HCV can be an important prognostic factor for morbidity in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. It can also play an important role in the risk models generated for cardiac surgery., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Background: Liver resection for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) with invasion of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and hepatic veins (HV) is a challenging procedure., Case Presentation: We report a case of a 63-year-old woman with a 6-cm, centrally located liver mass. Her biochemistry results were normal except for a Ca19-9 level of 1199 U/ml. The liver biopsy was consistent with ICC and 60% macrosteatosis. Abdominal CT scans revealed a large central mass invading the left HV, middle HV and right HV, infringing on their junction with the vena cava. An operation was planned using a 3-dimensional (3D) computer simulation model using dedicated software. We also describe a novel veno-portal-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VPV-ECMO) support with in-situ hypothermic perfusion (IHP) during this procedure. We aimed to perform an extended left hepatectomy and reconstruct 3 right HV orifices with an interposition jump graft to the IVC with total vascular exclusion (TVE) and IHP A supplemental video describing the preoperative planning, the operative procedure with the postoperative follow-up in detail is presented. After the patient was discharged, she developed a hepatic venous outflow obstruction 3 months postoperatively, which was effectively managed with hepatic venous stenting by interventional radiology. She is currently symptom free and without tumour recurrence at the 1-year follow-up., Conclusions: This report demonstrates that extended left hepatectomy for IHC with IHP and VPV-ECMO is safe and feasible under the supervision of a highly experienced team.

Objectives: Patients on venoarterial or venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support may require venoarterial-venous (VAV-ECMO) configuration during follow-up. We report 12 cases of VAV-ECMO with significant outflow steal., Methods: Between October 2014 and November 2016, a total of 97 patients (56.6 ± 12.0 years; 59 men/38 women; body surface area 1.84 ± 0.36 m2) were supported with venoarterial ECMO (n = 85) or venovenous ECMO (n = 12). Among the 97 patients, 12 patients (age 61.5 ± 3.5 years; 8 men/4 women; body surface area 1.8 ± 0.8 m2) required hybrid use of VAV-ECMO. Control and monitoring of flow ratios in supplying cannulae using flow sensors were performed, and occluder devices were used according to patient requirements to achieve optimum haemodynamics and oxygenation., Results: Among the 85 venoarterial ECMO-supported patients, Harlequin syndrome was detected in 9 cases (10.6%) who required switching to VAV-ECMO. Among the 12 patients, 3 (25%) patients required VAV-ECMO while on venovenous ECMO support as a result of initial respiratory failure subsequently developed cardiac decompensation. Mean duration of VAV-ECMO support was 6.4 ± 1.8 days. Overall, on VAV-ECMO support, 70.0 ± 4.6% of blood flow was detected within the supplying right internal jugular vein cannula as a result of lower afterload in venous system. We partially occluded the internal jugular vein cannula and directed flow to the common femoral artery. After adjustment, 34.3 ± 7.4% flow was directed to internal jugular vein and 65.6 ± 7.4% to common femoral artery., Conclusions: Non-invasive monitoring of flow rates within the supplying cannulae of VAV-ECMO and the use of partial occlusion for venous-supplying cannula enable individualized patient management and effective weaning from VAV-ECMO., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-accelerated catheter-directed thrombolysis (UACDT) in the treatment of massive and submassive pulmonary embolism (PE)., Methods: We conducted a prospective, observational cohort study of consequtive patients with massive or submassive PE treated with low-dose UACDT using EKOS EkoSonic® system at single center from May 2014 until April 2015. Overall, thirty-eight patients (median age, 64.5 years) were included. The primary safety outcomes were change in right ventricular (RV) to left ventricular (LV) diameter ratio within 24 hours of procedure initiation, at 1- and 6-month follow-up and major bleeding within 96 hours of the procedure initiation. BNP, troponin and D-dimer levels were also measured., Results: The ultrasound-accelerated thrombolytic catheters were bilaterally placed in 25 (65.8%) patients. The median tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) dose for all patients in our study was 21.0 mg and the median infusion time was 15 hours. Measurements before and after treatment showed a decrease in pulmonary artery pressure. The median value of RV/LV diameter ratio decreased from 0.9 (0.7-1.1) at baseline to 0.7 (0-0.97) at 6-month follow-up (P=0.001) and pulmonary artery pressure from 61.4 ±16.7 to 37.2±9.1 mmHg (P=0.001). The median BNP level at baseline was 169 (29-721) pg/mL and 45.5 (0-328) pg/mL at 6 month follow-up (P=0.001). Of 38 patients with PE, one had intracranial hemorrage, one gastrointestinal bleeding and two developed puncture site bleeding., Conclusions: This prospective study provides alternative treatment option and an addition to the treatment algorithm for the management of pulmonary embolism.

Background: Different techniques have been reported for the exploration and repair of femoral artery (FA) in patients who undergo minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) and endovascular aortic surgery. We used a modified approach alternative to the conventional technique (group CT) since May 2013, which specifies a shorter groin incision and diamond-shaped hemostatic purse sutures for arteriotomy closure without the requirement of cross-clamping (group PT [purse suture technique]) and evaluated early outcomes and the complication profiles of the 2 techniques for femoral access., Methods: In our clinic, between May 2011 and December 2015, 503 FA cannulations were performed on 345 patients who underwent MICS (n = 109, mean age 64.1 ± 17.6 years, female/male ratio 71/38), endovascular abdominal aneurysm repair (n = 158, mean age 71.3 ± 10.2 years, female/male ratio 63/95), thoracal endovascular aneurysm repair (n = 50, mean age 65.0 ± 15.3 years, female/male ratio 15/35), and transaortic valve implantation (n = 28, mean age 80.8 ± 5.9 years, female/male ratio 13/15). A total of 295 FAs were exposed via mini incision and were repaired with the PT. We compared the duration of femoral closure (FC), wound infection, and vascular complications including bleeding hematoma, thromboembolic and ischemic events, pseudoaneurysm, seroma, surgical reintervention rates, delayed hospital stay for groin complications, and existence of postoperative local luminal narrowing (LLN) at the intervention site over 25% for both groups., Results: FC time (CT 14.9 ± 3.16 min, PT 6.5 ± 1.12 min, P < 0.0001), bleeding hematoma frequency (CT 6.2%, PT 1.7%, P = 0.01), and prolonged hospital stay for groin complications (CT 14.9%, PT 3.4%, P < 0.0001) were significantly lower in the PT group. Rate of technical success (CT 80.3%, PT 87.4%, P = 0.03) and event-free patient (CT 66.1%, PT 77.5%, P = 0.03) were significantly better in the PT group. There were no differences between groups in terms of ischemic events, wound infection rates, development of pseudoaneurysm and seroma, surgical reintervention rates, and LLN of FA over 25% at 6-month duplex evaluation., Conclusions: The comparison of the 2 approaches revealed the advantages of the PT in terms of bleeding hematoma and shortening in FC time and the length of hospital stay. We suggest performing a smaller skin incision for FA access and utilizing purse sutures, which allows completing the procedure without cross-clamping, thus providing a favorable approach and excellent comfort for the surgeon., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study was designed to compare vascular complications and the outcomes of ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous cannulation with distal perfusion catheter (PC-DP) and arterial side-graft perfusion (SGP) techniques in patients who require veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) support for refractory cardiogenic shock (RCS)., Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study of consequtive patients with RCS treated with VA-ECMO at a single transplant center from March 2010 until August 2015. Overall, 148 patients underwent VA-ECMO for RCS (99 men, aged 56.6 ± 12.0 years; BSA, 1.85 ± 0.19). Patients were categorized based on VA-ECMO perfusion technique into PC-DP via femoral artery and SGP via axillary/femoral artery groups., Results: The median duration of VA-ECMO support was 5 days (range, 8 hours-80 days). Hospital mortality (PC-DP group, 54.7%; SGP group, 64.4%; p=0.23) and overall ECMO survival (PC-DP group, 36.9%; SGP group, 32.2%; p=0.47) was similar between the groups. There were no significant between-group differences in the rate of acute limb ischemia (PC-DP group, 4/75, 5.3%; SGP group, 2/73, 2.7%; p=0.68). However, the rate of surgical/cannulation site bleeding (PC-DP, 9/75 (12%) vs SGP, 18/73 (24.7%), p=0.05) and hyperperfusion syndrome (PC-DP, 2/75 (2.7%) vs SGP, 22/73 (30.1%),p=0.001) were higher in the SGP group than in the PC-DP group., Conclusions: We observed no significant difference in major vascular complications or survival between patients who underwent the PC-DP technique and those who underwent arterial SGP.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-accelerated catheter-directed thrombolysis (UACDT) in the treatment of upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (UEDVT)., Methods: We conducted a prospective, observational cohort study of consecutive patients with acute UEDVT with low-dose UACDT using the Ekosonic® Endovascular System (EKOS Corporation, Bothell, WA, USA) at a single center from September 2012 until October 2014. Overall, sixteen patients (11 males and 6 females, age range 18 to 70 years, mean age, 45.6 years) were included in the study protocol. The primary efficacy outcome was complete thrombus clearance. The primary safety outcomes were recurrence of thrombosis within the follow-up visit and major bleeding within 96 hours of the procedure initiation., Results: The median tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) dose for all patients in our study was 16.81±2.51 mg (range 15 to 28 mg) and the median infusion time was 15 hours. Complete thrombus clearance was achieved in 11 (68.8%) patients, and partial clearance was detected in 3 (18.8%) patients. Of 16 patients with UEDVT, two had gastrointestinal bleeding, and two had puncture site bleeding., Conclusions: This prospective study demonstrates effectiveness and safety of ultrasound accelerated thrombolysis in patients with UEDVT.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the heat induced damage at the saphenofemoral junction level according to histopathological changes after radiofrequency or 1,470 nm radial tip laser ablation., Patients and Methods: Varicose vein segments of 6-10 mm in diameter were exposed to radiofrequency (Closure Fast catheter, 7 cm heat segment, one cycle, 15 seconds, 10 Watt, 120 °C) or laser ablation (1,470 nm radial tip, continuous wave, vein diameter: 6 cm/8 cm/10 cm-power: 10 Watt-pullback speed: 2.2 mm/s, 1.7 mm/s, 1.3 mm/s-LEED: 45J/cm, 60J/cm, 75J/cm-EFE 25J/cm 2 , respectively). Approximate 2 cm segments of the vein were left untreated, then histopathological examinations of the untouched segments (5 slices: level 1 - furthest segment, level 2 - nearest segment) for heat induced damage were performed. A total damage scoring system was established, including the presence of endothelial swelling, intimal thickening, cellular vacuolisation in the muscle layer, oedema in the tunica media, and extent of necrosis., Results: At level 1, the furthest segment of the specimen, there was no significant difference between the laser and control group, while the total damage score of the radiofrequency group was significantly higher than the control group (p < 0.01). Radiofrequency group had higher total damage score compared to the laser group at level 1 (p < 0.01), 2 (p < 0.01), and 5 (p < 0.01); while no significant difference was observed at level 3 (p = 0.46) and 4 (p = 0.13)., Conclusions: Significant heat induced damage may be seen even if the 2 cm segment of the vessel is left unablated. Radiofrequency ablation seems to cause more histological damage than laser ablation in this ex vivo study. Further in vivo studies are necessary, in order to validate these findings.

In this article, we use the popular photoswitchable molecule, azobenzene, to demonstrate that the embedding in a nanoporous, crystalline solid enables a precise understanding of light-induced, reversible molecular motion. We investigate two similar azobenzene-containing, pillared-layer metal-organic frameworks (MOFs): Cu2(AzoBPDC)2(BiPy) and Cu2(NDC)2(AzoBiPy). Experimental results from UV-vis spectroscopy and molecular uptake experiments as well as theoretical results based on density-functional theory (DFT) show that in the Cu2(AzoBPDC)2(BiPy) MOF structure, the azobenzene side groups undergo photoisomerization when irradiated with UV or visible light. In a very similar MOF structure, Cu2(NDC)2(AzoBiPy), the experimental studies show an unexpected absence of photoisomerization. The DFT calculations reveal that in both MOFs the initial and final states of the photoswitching process (the trans and the cis conformation) have similar energies, which strongly suggests that the reason for the effective blocking of photoswitching in the AzoBiPy-based MOFs must be related to the switching process itself. More detailed calculations show that in Cu2(NDC)2(AzoBiPy) a naphthalene linker from the molecular framework blocks the photoisomerization trajectory which leads from the trans to the cis conformation. For Cu2(AzoBPDC)2(BiPy), as a result of the different geometry, such a steric hindrance is absent.

Background: Sleep deprivation (SD) is associated with an increased incidence of adverse cardiovascular events, we aimed to determine the impact of acute SD on structural and functional alterations of the left ventricle (LV) and on electrocardiogram (ECG) markers including T wave peak-to-end interval (TpTe), QT interval, and TpTe/QT ratio in healthy subjects after a night of SD., Methods: The study population consisted of 40 healthy young adults (19 males, 21 females; mean age: 28.2 ± 3.86 years). Echocardiographic images and ECGs were obtained from the participants after a night of regular sleep (RS) and SD. The average sleep time of the subjects was 6.67 ± 1.76 hours during RS and 1.25 ± 0.74 hours during a night of SD., Results: The myocardial performance index, isovolumic relaxation time, and deceleration time values were significantly higher after SD. In addition, the corrected TpTe interval, corrected QT interval (QTc) max, and TpTe/QT ratio were significantly increased after a night of SD when compared with a night of RS (78.5 ± 6.8 ms vs 70.7 ± 7.6 ms, P < 0.001; 407.5 ± 18.6 ms vs 395.07 ± 21.3 ms, P = 0.001; and 0.189 ± 0.014 ms vs 0. 0.179 ± 0.016 ms, P < 0.001, respectively). However, subjects had similar QTp interval values (defined as beginning of the QRS complex to peak of the T wave) after a night of SD as a night of RS (294.6 ± 19.0 vs 291.9 ± 18.5, P = 233)., Conclusion: Our crossover study revealed the presence of subclinical LV diastolic functional changes and increased QT intervals, TpTe intervals, and TpTe/QT ratios in healthy young adults after one night SD. Therefore, the increased QT interval occurred secondary to the increased TpTe interval in this population., (©2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Introduction and Objective: We investigated the relationship between coronary sinus (CS) diameter and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and normal left ventricular systolic function., Methods: A total of 155 participants referred for transthoracic echocardiography were included in the study. The study population consisted of 100 patients with chronic PH and 55 control subjects. Patients with PH were divided into two groups according to PASP: those with PASP 36-45 mmHg, the mild PH group (n=53); and those with PASP >45 mmHg, the moderate to severe PH group (n=47). CS diameter was measured from the posterior atrioventricular groove in apical 4-chamber view during ventricular systole according to the formula: mean CS=(proximal CS+mid CS+distal CS)/3., Results: Mean CS diameter was significantly higher in the moderate to severe PH group than in the controls and in the mild PH group (1.12±0.2 cm vs. 0.82±0.1 cm and 0.87±0.1 cm, respectively; p<0.001). It was significantly correlated with right atrial (RA) area (r=0.674, p<0.001), RA pressure (r=0.458, p<0.001), PASP (r=0.562, p<0.001), inferior vena cava diameter (r=0.416, p<0.001), right ventricular E/A ratio (r=-0.290, p<0.001), and E/Em ratio (r=0.235, p=0.004). RA area (β=0.475, p<0.001) and PASP (β=0.360, p=0.002) were found to be independent predictors of CS diameter., Conclusions: A dilated CS was associated with moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension, and RA area and PASP were independent predictors of CS diameter., (Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)

The first example of a planar-chiral building block being used for chiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is presented. The porous MOF structure combined with the chiral properties of the planar linker allows a selective adsorption, demonstrated for a nonpolar terpene limonene in thin surface-mounted MOF films.

Introduction: Cardiac syndrome X (CSX) is a clinical entity defined as the triad of typical angina pectoris on exercise, electrocardiographic or metabolic findings of ischemia and normal epicardial coronary arteries. Platelets, whose amount in the blood is indicated with plateletcrit (PCT), play an important role in inflammatory and thrombotic processes and the physiopathology of cardiovascular events., Aim: To investigate the association between cardiac syndrome X and PCT and platelet count., Material and Methods: A total of 113 patients with normal coronary angiogram were included in the study. Fifty patients with typical chest pain and evidence of myocardial ischemia in non-invasive tests formed the CSX patient group. The control group consisted of 63 age- and gender-matched patients with normal coronary arteries but without angina., Results: The mean PCT value of the CSX group was significantly higher than that of the control group (0.22 ±0.06 vs. 0.19 ±0.04; respectively, p=0.03). Higher PCT was found to be associated with the presence of CSX in patients with normal coronary arteries by multivariate logistic regression analysis., Conclusions: We suggest that high PCT may predict the presence of cardiac syndrome X in patients with normal coronary arteries. The value of PCT appears additive to conventional expensive methods commonly used in CSX prediction.

Background: Coronary collaterals may be insufficient for restoring blood flow to normal levels in patients with chronic total occlusions (CTO), leading to myocardial ischemia and electrical inhomogeneity in the ventricles. We evaluated the effect of percutaneous CTO revascularization on parameters of ventricular repolarization, including the T wave peak-to-end interval (TpTe) interval, the TpTe/QT ratio, and QT dispersion., Patients and Methods: A total of 114 patients who underwent CTO percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of any major coronary artery were divided into two groups: the successful CTO PCI group (n=90) and the failed CTO PCI group (n=24). Patients' 12-lead ECGs were analyzed within 24 h before revascularization and 24-48 h after the procedure for the following parameters: corrected QT interval (QTc) dispersion, TpTe interval (V2 and V5), and TpTe/QT ratio (V2 and V5). Subsequently, the successful CTO PCI group was divided into subgroups according to the Rentrop class, number of diseased vessels, and target vessels for further evaluation., Results: There was no significant difference between the successful and the failed CTO PCI groups in terms of any baseline demographic or angiographic characteristic, or ventricular repolarization parameter. The post-PCI values of TpTe (85.3±12.8 vs. 74.8±10.4; P<0.001), the TpTe/QT ratio (0.21±0.02 vs. 0.19±0.02; P<0.001), and QTc dispersion (65.6±9.8 vs. 53.4±11.6; P<0.001) were significantly decreased compared with the pre-PCI values after successful CTO PCI. The patients in Rentrop class 1 and patients with multivessel disease had higher pre-PCI values for TpTe and the TpTe/QT ratio than those in the other groups (P<0.05). No significant differences were detected when the preprocedure values of TpTe, the TpTe/QT ratio, and QTc dispersion were compared according to the target vessel., Conclusion: In patients with CTO, a poor coronary collateral status and multivessel disease may further impair electrical homogeneity. Our results indicate that successful CTO PCI reduces the arrhythmic vulnerability of the myocardium on the basis of an analysis of the TpTe, the TpTe/QT ratio, and QTc dispersion.

Hydatid cysts are a serious health problem in many countries that raise farm animals, and they usually involve the liver and lungs. Although cardiac involvement is a rare manifestation of hydatid cyst disease, its early diagnosis and surgical management are crucial. Patients with cardiac hydatidosis may develop acute life-threatening complications secondary to their invasion of surrounding cardiac structures, such as cyst rupture together with systemic and pulmonary dissemination. Therefore, surgical excision is the definitive method of treatment for cardiac hydatid cysts in order to prevent these potential life-threatening complications, even for asymptomatic patients. Herein, we report the case of a 36-year-old man who initially presented with pleuritic chest pain, hemoptysis, and dyspnea. This was followed by the revelation of multiple cardiopericardial hydatid cysts which were discovered via transesophageal echocardiography and multislice computed tomography. In this case, there was a higher risk of cyst rupture and thromboembolism during systemic and pulmonary circulation due to the invasive nature of the cysts which were located in the left atrium as well as between the pulmonary artery and aorta. The patient successfully underwent the removal of the multiple cardiac cysts under cardiopulmonary bypass by taking into account their relationship with the surrounding cardiac structures and the potential risk of local, systemic, and pulmonary dissemination. A pathological evaluation of the surgical specimens confirmed the diagnosis of cardiac echinococcosis and the aggressive nature of the cardiopericardial hydatid cysts by demonstrating their myocardial invasion.

Preprocedural high-thrombus burden (HTB) of infarct-related artery (IRA) is a harbinger of procedural complications following primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The HTB of IRA can lead to poor outcomes by various mechanisms, including no-reflow phenomenon, increased myocardial necrosis and with subsequent reduced survival benefit at follow-up. In this study, we investigated the relationship between all platelet indices on admission and thrombus burden and the no-reflow phenomenon after primary PCI of IRA in patients with STEMI. We retrospectively enrolled 475 patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI. Study population was divided into two groups according to the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction thrombus grade of IRA as low-thrombus burden or HTB. There were no statistically significant differences in platelet indices, including platelet count, platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR), mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution with (PDW) among the groups. However, in the subgroup analysis, P-LCR, MPV and PDW were significantly higher in the no-reflow patients than reflow patients despite similar platelet count (P for all < 0.001). The cutoff value of P-LCR for predicting no-reflow was 26.5% with a sensitivity of 67.0% and a specificity of 62% (area under the curve, 0.689; 95% confidence interval, 0.614-0.765; P < 0.001). Furthermore, P-LCR, MPV and PDW had similar AUC (0.689, P < 0.001; 0.688, P < 0.001; and 0.677, P < 0.001; respectively) for predicting no-reflow phenomenon after primary PCI. As a result, all of the platelet indices have no effect on thrombus load of IRA, however, these parameters seem to impair epicardial perfusion after primary PCI.

We investigated 2 hypotheses: (1) a relationship between platelet indices and stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and (2) a relationship between platelet indices on admission and thrombolysis outcomes in patients with STEMI. A total of 260 patients were enrolled. The white blood cell (WBC) and platelet distribution width (PDW) were found to be increased in patients with STEMI (P for both < .001). White blood cell and PDW were independent predictors of acute STEMI. Mean platelet volume (MPV) and PDW were significantly higher in the thrombolysis failure group than in the thrombolysis success group (9.9 ± 1.8 vs 9.2 ± 1.5 fL, P = .021 and 17.7 ± 1.0 vs 16.4 ± 2.1 fL, P < .001, respectively). Mean platelet volume and PDW were independent predictors of thrombolysis failure. Patients with acute STEMI had higher PDW than did patients with stable CAD. In addition, higher PDW and MPV seem to correlate with thrombolysis failure in patients with STEMI., (© The Author(s) 2013.)

Background: The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to evaluate either non-dipper-type or dipper-type circadian rhythm of blood pressure (BP) in normotensive rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS) patients., Methods and Results: Eighty-eight normotensive rheumatic mitral valve disease (RMVD) patients and 41 normal participants were enrolled in the study. All participants underwent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Nocturnal BP dipping was calculated as follows: (awake BP-asleep BP)×100/awake BP. Patients with a nocturnal reduction in average daytime systolic BP and diastolic BP of less than 10% were classified as nondippers. Patients with RMVD were divided into two groups with respect to the top and bottom 1.5 cm of the mitral valve area (MVA). There was a highly significant relationship between the two groups with control in the frequency of a nondipping status (χ=22.721; d.f.=2; P<0.001). Afterwards, the Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare the two groups and the control group. There was no difference in the frequency of nondipping between patients with an MVA of greater than 1.5 cm and the control group (P>0.05). However, the nondipping level was higher in patients with an MVA of less than 1.5 cm than in the control group and in patients with RMVD with an MVA of greater than 1.5 cm (P<0.001 and <0.001, respectively)., Conclusion: The circadian BP rhythm is impaired and the incidence of nondipping BP is higher in patients with MS than in normal patients. Moreover, we believe that autonomic nervous system dysfunction in patients with MS may be detected efficiently using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

As the CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores include similar risk factors for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD), they may provide crucial information regarding the severity of coronary artery lesions and the risk of thromboembolism. To increase the likelihood of determining CAD severity, we formulated the CHA2DS2-VASc-HS score comprising hyperlipidemia and smoking in addition to the components of the CHA2DS2-VASc score and male instead of female gender. We aimed to investigate whether these 3 risk scores can be used to predict CAD severity. A total of 407 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography were enrolled in the study. Presence of >50% stenosis in a coronary artery was assessed as significant CAD. Of the patients, 87 had normal coronary angiograms and served as group 1. The remaining 320 patients with coronary stenosis were further classified into 2 groups according to CAD with stenosis of <50% or ≥50%: 123 patients with mild CAD as group 2 and 197 patients with severe CAD as group 3. The CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc, and CHA2DS2-VASc-HS scores were significantly different among the 3 groups. The CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc, and CHA2DS2-VASc-HS scores correlated significantly with the number of diseased vessels (r = 0.406, p <0.001; r = 0.308, p <0.001; and r = 0.533, p <0.001, respectively) and the Gensini score (r = 0.383, p <0.001; r = 0.300, p <0.001; and r = 0.500, p <0.001, respectively). The CHA2DS2-VASc-HS score was found to be the best scoring scheme to predict CAD severity in the area under the curve comparison of these scoring systems. For prediction of severe CAD, the cut-off value of CHA2DS2-VASc-HS score was >2 with a sensitivity of 85.2% and a specificity of 57.5% (area under the curve 0.802, 95% confidence interval 0.760 to 0.839, p <0.001). In conclusion, our findings suggest that the CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc, and especially CHA2DS2-VASc-HS scores could be considered predictive of the risk of severe CAD., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The remote control of surface properties is one of the key challenges in interfacial systems chemistry. Here, we report the realization of a SURMOF (surface-mounted metal-organic framework)-based hybrid system in which a crucial component can be switched by light. The realization of this two-component system is made possible by installing vertical compositional gradients via liquid-phase epitaxy. After loading the porous coating with guest molecules, its release is initiated by illumination with visible light and monitored by a quartz crystal microbalance.

Behcet's disease (BD) is a multisystemic inflammatory disorder of unknown origin, presenting with mucocutaneous, ocular, articular, vascular, gastrointestinal and central nervous system manifestations. Coronary involvement is very rare in patients with BD. Sildenafil, an oral drug used to treat erectile dysfunction, was shown to cause significant cardiovascular problems including acute myocardial infarction (MI) and sudden cardiac death. Acute MI associated with BD and sildenafil has not been reported previously. We present a case of a 23-year-old male patient with an acute inferior MI associated with BD diagnosed after admission of sildenafil, who was successfully treated with thrombus aspiration and tirofiban administration.

A 48-year-old woman underwent aneurysmectomy and primary suture repair with a pericardial patch for sinus of Valsalva aneurysm secondary to ankylosing spondylitis. The sinus of Valsalva aneurysm recurred one year after surgery, and reached a diameter of 53 mm. Special attention must be paid to the potential relapse of aortic aneurysms that develop secondary to autoimmune disorders, when using primary suture or patch repair.

Among all myxomas, left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) myxomas are very rare. This article reports an LVOT myxoma in a 67-year-old woman presenting with palpitations and weight loss. Surgical excision of the LVOT myxoma was performed.

What Is Known and Objectives: Acute viral myocarditis (AVM) is an inflammatory heart disease that may lead to acute heart failure caused by cardiomyocyte loss. AVM may result in fatal outcome due to hemodynamic compromise. There is no specific treatment for AVM. Treatment is generally same as the treatment of conventional heart failure. Levosimendan is a new molecule with inotropic and vasodilator effect and is widely used for acute decompensated heart failure., Details of the Cases: Case 1: A 48-years-old, previously healthy male patient admitted to our clinic with complaints of acute onset of rest dyspnea and orthopnea, started the day before. Cardiac chambers were enlarged on echocardiography with global hypokinesia and ejection fraction (EF) was 25%. The patient was diagnosed as AVM complicated with decompensated heart failure. Continuous infusion of 0·2 μg/kg/min levosimendan for 24 h with treatment of conventional heart failure. Echocardiographic follow-up revealed a rapid improvement in left ventricular EF (50%) after 24 h. Case 2: A 33-years-old male patient admitted to our clinic with new onset shortness of breath and palpitation complaints. Echocardiography revealed enlarged left heart cavities with global hypocinesia (EF was 25%). The patient was diagnosed as AVM complicated with decompensated heart failure. Continuous infusion of 0·2 μg/kg/min levosimendan for 24 h with treatment of conventional heart failure. Echocardiography revealed dramatic improvement of left ventricular systolic function (EF = 55%) 24 h later., What Is New and Conclusion: To our knowledge, there is no report or study on levosimendan therapy for AVM in humans to date. Herein, we share two cases that revealed dramatic improvement in the myocardial function with levosimendan usage during the early phase of AVM., (© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Aim: We aimed to investigate the relationship between PCOS and epicardial fat thickness with transthoracic echocardiography., Patients and Methods: PCOS patients were divided into two groups according to the lean or obesity status: PCOS patients with lean 34 subjects (BMI: 23.3±2.8; mean age: 25.5±4), PCOS patients with obese16 subjects (BMI: 32.3±7.6; mean age: 27.2±3.7) were compared with control healthy lean subjects (BMI: 23.5±1.7; mean age: 25.9±2.2)., Results: There was increased epicardial thickness in obese PCOS subjects compared to lean PCOS subjects (6.3±0.9 mm, 4.7±0.5, respectively, p < 0.001). However, epicardial fat thickness between lean PCOS subjects and lean healthy control groups were not significantly varied (4.7±0.5 mm, 4.5±0.5, respectively, p = 0.6). There was increased epicardial thickness in obese PCOS subjects compared to lean healthy control subjects (6.3±0.9 mm, 4.5±0.5, respectively, p < 0.001). This sudy showed for the first time that increased epicardial fat thickness measured using transthoracic echocardiography is associated with increased BMI in PCOS subjects., Conclusions: Epicardial fat thickness between lean PCOS subjects and lean healty control group were similar which indicate the importance of obesity in PCOS subjects.

Aims. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of echocardiographic epicardial fat thickness (EFT) with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods and Results. A total of 139 patients with T2DM (mean age 54.3 ± 9.2 and 49.6% male) and 40 age and sex-matched control subjects were evaluated. Echocardiographic EFT and ultrasonographic CIMT were measured in all subjects. Patients with T2DM had significantly increased EFT and CIMT than those of the controls (6.0 ± 1.5 mm versus 4.42 ± 1.0 mm, P < 0.001 and 0.76 ± 0.17 mm versus 0.57 ± 0.14 mm, P < 0.001, resp.). EFT was correlated with CIMT, waist circumference, BMI, age, duration of T2DM, HbA1c in the type 2 diabetic patients. Linear regression analysis showed that CIMT (β = 3.52, t = 3.72, P < 0.001) and waist circumference (β = 0.36, t = 2.26, P = 0.03) were found to be independent predictors of EFT. A cutoff high risk EFT value of 6.3 mm showed a sensitivity and specificity of 72.5% and 71.7%, respectively, for the prediction of subclinical atherosclerosis. Conclusion. We found that echocardiographic EFT was significantly higher in patients with T2DM. Our study also showed that EFT was strongly correlated with waist circumference and CIMT as being independent of sex.

Background: Syncope is a transient loss of consciousness, associated with loss of postural tone, with spontaneous return to baseline neurologic function. Syncope is a common complaint in the emergency department., Objectives: Cough syncope occurs immediately after coughing. Cough syncope rapidly recovers in 1-2 second. Although cough syncope has been classified in vasovagal syncope, it may differ from pathogenetic mechanism. Physicians should be aware of this easily recognizable cough induced syncope., Case Report: We present a 59-year-old obese man was referred for clinical evaluation because of recurrent syncope without seizures following coughing who developed cough syncope., Conclusions: Physicians should be aware of this easily recognizable cough induced syncope in all subjects admitted with syncope and should screen possible underlying sources of cough.