The effect of body weight on left atrial function determined by longitudinal strain analysis in young adults.

PURPOSE: Obesity is a risk factor for various cardiovascular disorders. Left atrial (LA) function is vital for predicting adverse outcomes in many diseases. LA strain was recently proposed as a noninvasive and valuable parameter for LA functional evaluation. We investigated the effect of body mass index (BMI) values on left atrial functions determined by longitudinal strain analysis in young adults without concomitant disease. METHODS: We prospectively included 134 subjects in our study. Participants were categorized into three subgroups, obese, overweight, and control, according to their BMI. Conventional echocardiographic measurements and strain analysis were performed on all patients. RESULTS: There were 41 patients (30.5%) in the obesity group, 46 patients (34.3%) in the overweight group, and 47 patients (35.0%) in the control group. Obese patients had significantly larger LA volume (46.9 ± 12.1 ml; p < 0.001) compared to overweight and control subjects; however, LA volume index (21.4 ± 6.1 ml/m2 vs. 22.4 ± 6.1 ml/m2 vs. 22.4 ± 5.0 ml/m2; p = 0.652) were similar between groups. In the LA strain analysis, obese patients were found to have lower left atrial reservoir longitudinal strain (LASr) compared to both the overweight and control group (44.2 ± 5.8% vs. 39.1 ± 3.7% vs. 36.5 ± 4.9%; p < 0.001); moreover obese patients had significantly worse left atrial contraction phase longitudinal strain (LASct) (-15.1 ± 3.1% vs. -13.1 ± 2.5%; p = 0.007) and left atrial conduit phase longitudinal strain (LAScd) (-29.0 ± 7.1% vs. -23.3 ± 5.4%; p < 0.001) values compared to the control group. However, LASct and LAScd values did not differ between overweight and obese patients. CONCLUSION: LA function determined by LA strain analysis was impaired in obese and overweight individuals compared to the control group, even in the early stages of life. The prognostic significance of this finding should be investigated in prospective studies.

Congenital heart disease and air travel.

The number of individuals traveling by airplanes is increasing every year. Patients with congenital heart disease and shunts, exposure to high altitude during a flight is important since it causes pulmonary vaso- constriction leading to an increase in right-to-left shunting and a decrease in arterial oxygen saturation. Patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease and Eisenmenger syndrome should be evaluated before the flight, and necessary precautions should be taken.

Early adulthood obesity is associated with impaired left ventricular and right ventricular functions evaluated by speckle tracking and 3D echocardiography.

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of obesity is increasing globally. Obesity has been shown to be associated with adverse cardiac outcomes. Current knowledge on the impairment of cardiac function caused by obesity in young adult population is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect of obesity on cardiac deformation parameters in healthy obese individuals in early adulthood using 2D deformation imaging and 3D echocardiography. METHODS: Seventy-seven volunteers with a body mass index (BMI) above 25 kg/m2 who were between 18 and 30 years of age and a control group including 40 participants were included. Patients with a history of organic heart disease, poor image quality, or current pregnancy were excluded. Participants were classified as overweight (BMI of 25-29.9 kg/m2) and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Two dimensional and 3D appropriate echocardiographic images were recorded and further analyzed with a post-processing software to obtain the global longitudinal strain (GLS) of left (LV) and right ventricle (RV). RESULTS: A total of 117 subjects without metabolic syndrome were enrolled. Conventional dimensional and functional parameters as well as 3D volumetric measurements showed no significant differences among the groups. Presence of epicardial fat tissue was higher in the obese group. Notable differences were found among the groups for both 2D speckle tracking derived and 3D LV GLS, RV GLS, RV free-wall LS (analysis of variance [ANOVA], p<0.05) showing lower deformation in obese subjects. LV torsion was found to be significantly higher (ANOVA, p<0.05) for the obese group. CONCLUSION: Obesity causes subclinical dysfunction of LV and RV in healthy obese subjects in early adulthood. Risk stratification should be performed by considering possible mentioned impact of obesity on myocardial functions.

Evaluation of left and right ventricular functions with three-dimensional speckle tracking in patients with mitral stenosis.

BACKGROUND: The function of both ventricles has been suggested to be affected in patients with mitral stenosis. In this study, it was aimed to investigate deformation properties of right (RV) and left ventricle (LV) in rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS) patients with three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3D-STE). METHODS: A total of 60 patients were included in the study (20 patients with mild MS diagnosis, 20 patients with moderate MS diagnosis, and 20 healthy volunteers). Three-dimensional echocardiography datasets were obtained for both ventricles in all patients. LV global longitudinal strain (GLS), LV torsion, RV free wall (FW) LS, and interventricular septal (IVS) LS measurements were analyzed. RESULTS: The LV ejection fraction (EF), RV fractional area change, peak systolic velocity of the tricuspit annulus, isovolumic acceleration, and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion values were statistically similar and in the normal range. The LV GLS measurements were significantly different among the groups by being highest in the control group and least in the moderate stenosis group. Patients with MS showed higher torsional values, correlated with MS severity. IVS LS, RVFW LS values obtained by RV analysis also differed significantly among groups. The RVFW-GLS values only showed significant difference between the control group and moderate MS group. CONCLUSION: Patients with MS showed lower LV-GLS and higher LV torsion values. RV deformation indices showed significant decrease in correlation with the severity of the mitral stenosis. In conclusion, our data suggest that subclinical LV and RV systolic dysfunction is present in mild-moderate MS patients and this dysfunction can be detected by 3D-STE.

Effects of upper extremity aerobic exercise training on oxygen consumption, exercise capacity, dyspnea and quality of life in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary and extrapulmonary impairments are prevalent in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) which is a rare, chronic and progressive disease. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of upper extremity aerobic exercise training on exercise capacity, oxygen consumption, dyspnea and quality of life in patients with PAH. METHODS: In a prospective, randomized controlled, double-blinded study, eleven patients in training group applied upper extremity aerobic exercise training (50-80% of maximal heart rate), 15-45 min/day, 3 days a week for 6 weeks and 11 patients in control group alternating active upper extremity exercises for the same period. Exercise capacity evaluated using six minute walk test (6MWT), oxygen consumption simultaneously measured during 6MWT using a portable instrument, dyspnea modified Borg scale and Modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale and quality of life Short Form 36 Health Survey, before and after the exercise training. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics of groups were similar (p>0.05). Dyspnea (p<0.001) and peak oxygen consumption (p = 0.031) were significantly improved in training group compared the controls. Dyspnea, exercise capacity, peak oxygen consumption, minute ventilation, tidal volume, end tidal carbon-dioxide pressure, and vitality, social functioning and role-physical were significantly improved within training group (p<0.05). Oxygen consumption at anaerobic threshold were significantly decreased within control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Upper extremity aerobic exercise training improves oxygen consumption, and decreases dyspnea perception. It is a safe and effective intervention in patients with PAH. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT02371733).

[Pulmonary hypertension spectrum: 16 years of experience from a single center]. / Pulmoner hipertansiyon etiyolojisinin arastirilmasi: Tek merkezden 16 yillik deneyim.

OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is multidisciplinary disorder that should be diagnosed and treated by specialized centers. Progress in the field of PH diagnosis has led to new classifications of the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the etiological properties of PH diagnosed at one center. METHODS: A retrospective search of the database of the right heart catheterization laboratory was conducted. All of the patients who underwent right heart catheterization (RHC) and were diagnosed with PH were included in the study and grouped according to etiology. RESULTS: A total of 379 patients with PH (23 female; 53.2±14.7 years) were included in the current research. There were 82 patients classified as having pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The leading cause among the PAH subgroups was congenital heart disease, and valve disease were found to be most the common reason for postcapillary PH. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean and systolic pulmonary artery pressure and left ventricular ejection fraction between the PH groups (p<0.001, p=0.003, p<0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that the leading causes of PAH and postcapillary PH were congenital heart disease and valve disease, respectively. Additional research of the etiological properties of PH should be performed by specialized centers in Turkey.

Right Coronary Artery Originating from the Left: Do Not Miss the Diagnosis!

OBJECTIVE: Left circumflex (LCx) artery originating from the right coronary arterial (RCA) system has been reported as the most common form of anomalous origination of a coronary artery from the opposite sinus (ACAOS). However, some studies claim that RCA originating from the left coronary sinus (LCS) is the most frequent form. The aim of this study was to determine the most common type of ACAOS in a single center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The database of the catheterization laboratory was retrospectively searched. All patients who were performed coronary angiography between 1999 and 2006 were included to registry. All examinations were carefully analyzed to determine the most frequent type of ACAOS. RESULTS: We detected ACAOS in 35 cases (16 RCA originating from the LCS, 13 LCx from the RCS or the RCA, and 6 others) out of 5165 coronary angiograms. The most common form was RCA originating from LCS. Moreover, we revealed that 5 cases with RCA originating from the LCS were previously misdiagnosed and not reported as a coronary anomaly. CONCLUSIONS: RCA originating from the LCS was the most common form of ACAOS in our registry. The high change of misdiagnosis or underreporting of this anomaly could have biased the true prevalence.

The effect of periodontal therapy on neopterin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 levels in chronic periodontitis patients with and without acute myocardial infarction: a case-control study.

The presence of neopterin in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) is a marker for local and acute immune activation, and the presence of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) in GCF is accepted as a marker for chronic vascular inflammation. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate effects of periodontal treatment on GCF levels of neopterin and VCAM-1 in patients with chronic periodontitis (CP) with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) compared with systemically healthy CP patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty subjects (20 CP patients with AMI, 20 healthy CP patients, and 20 healthy controls) were included. GCF samples were analyzed at baseline and after 3 and 6 months, and the probing pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing, gingival (GI) and plaque (PI) indices were recorded. We determined neopterin and VCAM-1 levels (concentration and total amount) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). No significant differences were seen between the AMI+CP and CP groups for PI, GI, GCF levels of neopterin and VCAM-1 at baseline. RESULTS: The number of teeth with 5 mm≤CAL<7 mm and CAL≥7 mm were significantly increased in the AMI+CP group at baseline. There were no significant differences between the AMI+CP and CP for PI, CAL, GCF volumes, and the AMI+CP group had the highest clinical improvement in the number of teeth with 5 mm≤CAL<7 mm at the sixth month. There were significant positive correlations between clinical periodontal inflammation and the presence of neopterin and VCAM-1 in GCF prior to and following periodontal treatment, and between the GCF volume and clinical parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest that the total amount and concentration of neopterin and VCAM-1 in GCF seemed to be closely associated with periodontal disease severity in CP patients with AMI. Moreover, the results of our study demonstrate that the past periodontal status is potentially correlated between groups, with similar periodontal disease severity.

The effect of periodontal therapy on neopterin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 levels in chronic periodontitis patients with and without acute myocardial infarction: a case-control study

Abstract The presence of neopterin in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) is a marker for local and acute immune activation, and the presence of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) in GCF is accepted as a marker for chronic vascular inflammation. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate effects of periodontal treatment on GCF levels of neopterin and VCAM-1 in patients with chronic periodontitis (CP) with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) compared with systemically healthy CP patients. Material and methods Sixty subjects (20 CP patients with AMI, 20 healthy CP patients, and 20 healthy controls) were included. GCF samples were analyzed at baseline and after 3 and 6 months, and the probing pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing, gingival (GI) and plaque (PI) indices were recorded. We determined neopterin and VCAM-1 levels (concentration and total amount) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). No significant differences were seen between the AMI+CP and CP groups for PI, GI, GCF levels of neopterin and VCAM-1 at baseline. Results The number of teeth with 5 mm≤CAL<7 mm and CAL≥7 mm were significantly increased in the AMI+CP group at baseline. There were no significant differences between the AMI+CP and CP for PI, CAL, GCF volumes, and the AMI+CP group had the highest clinical improvement in the number of teeth with 5 mm≤CAL<7 mm at the sixth month. There were significant positive correlations between clinical periodontal inflammation and the presence of neopterin and VCAM-1 in GCF prior to and following periodontal treatment, and between the GCF volume and clinical parameters. Conclusions Data suggest that the total amount and concentration of neopterin and VCAM-1 in GCF seemed to be closely associated with periodontal disease severity in CP patients with AMI. Moreover, the results of our study demonstrate that the past periodontal status is potentially correlated between groups, with similar periodontal disease severity.

Preliminary results from a nationwide adult cardiology perspective for pulmonary hypertension: RegiStry on clInical outcoMe and sUrvival in pulmonaRy hypertension Groups (SIMURG).

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to evaluate the characteristics of pulmonary hypertension (PH) and adult cardiology practice patterns for PH in our country. METHODS: We evaluated preliminary survey data of 1501 patients with PH (females, 69%; age, 44.8±5.45) from 20 adult cardiology centers (AdCCs). RESULTS: The average experience of AdCCs in diagnosing and treating patients with PH was 8.5±3.7 years. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) was the most frequent group (69%) followed by group 4 PH (19%), group 3 PH (8%), and combined pre- and post-capillary PH (4%). PAH associated with congenital heart disease (APAH-CHD) was the most frequent subgroup (47%) of PAH. Most of the patients' functional class (FC) at the time of diagnosis was III. The right heart catheterization (RHC) rate was 11.9±11.6 per month. Most frequently used vasoreactivity agent was intravenous adenosine (60%). All patients under targeted treatments were periodically for FC, six-minute walking test, and echo measures at 3-month intervals. AdCCs repeated RHC in case of clinical worsening (CW). The annual rate of hospitalization was 14.9±19.5. In-hospital use of intravenous iloprost reported from 16 AdCCs in CWs. Bosentan and ambrisentan, as monotreatment or combination treatment (CT), were noted in 845 and 28 patients, respectively, and inhaled iloprost, subcutaneous treprostinil, and intravenous epoprostenol were noted in 283, 30, and four patients, respectively. Bosentan was the first agent used for CT in all AdCCs and iloprost was the second. Routine use of antiaggregant, anticoagulant, and pneumococcal and influenza prophylaxis were restricted in only two AdCCs. CONCLUSION: Our nationwide data illustrate the current status of PH regarding clinical characteristics and practice patterns.

[As cardioprotective and angiogenic biomarker, can ghrelin predict coronary collateral development and severity of coronary atherosclerosis?] / Kardiyoprotektif ve anjiyojenik bir biyobelirteç olan ghrelin düzeyi koroner kolateral gelisimini ve koroner aterosklerozun ciddiyetini öngördürebilir mi?

OBJECTIVE: Ghrelin exerts protective effects on cardiovascular system by inhibiting progression of atherosclerosis, supression of vascular inflammation, and stimulating angiogenesis. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of serum ghrelin on coronary collateral development and SYNTAX score in patients with severe coronary artery disease. METHODS: Total of 91 patients who had ≥90% stenosis in at least one major coronary artery were prospectively included in this cross-sectional, observational study. Collateral degree was graded according to Rentrop-Cohen classification. Patients with grade 2 or 3 collateral degree were allocated to Good Collateral Group and patients with grade 0 or 1 collateral degree were included in Poor Collateral Group. Ghrelin and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) levels were measured using radioimmunoassay and ELISA kits. RESULTS: Serum ghrelin and VEGF-A levels were significantly higher in Good Collateral Group. Furthermore, ghrelin level showed significant inverse correlation with SYNTAX score (r=0.348; p=0.001). In multivariable regression analysis, ghrelin (Odds ratio, 1.013; 95% confidence interval, 1.011-1.017; p=0.013), VEGF-A, fasting plasma glucose and presence of chronic total occlusion were independent predictors of good collateral development. In receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, ghrelin value cut-off point of ≥781 pg/mL predicted good collateral development with sensitivity of 73.1% and specificity of 67.7%. CONCLUSION: Findings suggested that ghrelin has antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties that protect endothelial functions and also stimulate angiogenesis, which results in development of good coronary collateral and inhibition of progression of coronary atherosclerosis.

Effect of dobutamine stress echocardiography on serum heart fatty acid binding protein levels.

Objective Heart fatty acid binding protein (HFABP) is a low-molecular-weight free protein that is abundant in the intracytoplasmic space of myocytes. Due to its unique features, serum HFABP levels may increase in myocardial ischaemia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of myocardial ischaemia induced by dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) on serum HFABP levels. Methods and results A total of 30 consecutive patients with suspected myocardial ischaemia underwent DSE examination. HFABP levels were measured immediately before and 1 hour after DSE. HFABP rose significantly in individuals in the DSE positive group (1.66 ± 1.18 ng/ml vs 2.65 ± 1.34 ng/ml, P = 0.004), but remained unchanged in the DSE negative group (1.61 ± 0.77 ng/ml vs 1.85 ± 0.76 ng/ml, P = 0.066). Conclusion Serum HFABP levels increased significantly at 1 hour in the presence of ischaemia induced by DSE in patients with stable clinical coronary syndromes. No such increase was evident in the absence of ischaemia.

The role of oxidative DNA damage and GSTM1, GSTT1, and hOGG1 gene polymorphisms in coronary artery disease risk.

OBJECTIVE: Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) appears to be a multifactorial process caused by the interaction of environmental risk factors with multiple predisposing genes. Therefore, in this study we aimed to determine the role of oxidative DNA damage and some variations in glutathione S-transferase (GSTM1 and GSTT1) and DNA repair (hOGG1) genes in CAD risk. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted on 59 individuals who had undergone coronary angiographic evaluation. Of these, 29 were patients diagnosed with CAD (mean age =61.5±10.3) and 30 were controls examined for reasons other than suspected CAD and who had angiographically documented normal coronary arteries (mean age =60.4±11.6). Basal DNA damage as well as pyrimidine and purine base damage were evaluated in peripheral blood lymphocytes using the modified comet assay. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)-based assay was used for genotyping. RESULTS: Basal DNA damage levels in patients [9.16 (3.26)] were significantly higher than those in controls [7.59 (3.23); p=0.017], and basal DNA and pyrimidine base damage levels were significantly correlated with disease severity based on Gensini scoring (r=0.352, p=0.006; r=0.318, p=0.014, respectively). However, no significant differences were observed in terms of oxidized DNA bases between patients and controls. The frequencies of studied genotypes (GSTM1, GSTT1, and hOGG1) were similar between groups. CONCLUSION: The results of this study pointed out the role of DNA damage in CAD and its severity. However, GSTM1, GSTT1, and hOGG1 gene polymorphisms seemed to have no effect on individual susceptibility for disease progression.

Acute myocardial infarction as a finding of acute promyelocytic leukemia-related coagulation disorder.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has one of the most favorable prognoses among other leukemia subtypes. However, the major cause of mortality in APL is disseminated intravascular coagulation at the presentation. We present a case of acute myocardial infarction (MI) at the time of APL diagnosis before treatment. The patient suffered from chest pain, sweating and giddiness. He was hypoxic, hypotensive and bradycardic. ECG showed inferior MI. Unfractioned heparin infusion (850 U/h) was started and 5 min after the previous ECG showed total ST resolution. We suggest that in this case, MI was not related to atherosclerotic plaque rupture but related to DIC manifestation.

The effect of statin treatment on P-wave characteristics and atrial conduction time.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of statin treatment on P-wave morphology, dispersion, and tissue Doppler imaging-derived atrial conduction time (PA-TDI), which are known to be predictors of atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: A total of 132 patients with guideline-directed statin indications but no clinical atrial tachyarrhythmias were studied. P-wave duration, P-wave dispersion, and P-wave amplitude on surface 12-lead electrocardiogram and PA-TDI were evaluated before and after three months of statin (either atrovastatin 10-40 mg/d or rosuvastatin 10-20 mg/d) treatment. RESULTS: Total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly reduced after statin therapy. P-wave dispersion significantly decreased from 39.6 ± 9.4 to 36.9 ± 9.6 ms. Statin treatment significantly decreased both the maximum (from 1.5 ± 0.36 to 1.45 ± 0.33 mV, p = 0.001) and the minimum (from 1.07 ± 0.28 to 1.04 ± 0.27 mV, p = 0.01) P-wave amplitude. The PA-TDI value was found to be significantly shorter after statin treatment (121.7 ± 18.7 vs. 118.7 ± 15.8 ms, p = 0.016) CONCLUSIONS: Short-term statin therapy was shown to significantly affect P-wave amplitude, P-wave dispersion, and atrial conduction time in a broad range of patients without any clinical atrial tachyarrhythmia.

Dasatinib-induced pulmonary hypertension in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: case report.

Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is a pathological condition determined as an increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥25 mmHg. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is precapillary PHT and a life-threatening disease group which consists of different etiologies with the same pathological and clinical findings, and which is characterized by elevated pulmonary vascular resistance. Dasatinib is a dual Src/Abl kinase inhibitor associated with higher affinity for BCR/ABL kinase than imatinib, and is used in the treatment of chronic myelocytic leukemia and Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We describe a case with ALL, in whom dasatinib treatment induced PAH, and who recovered with bosentan treatment.

[The management of adult female patients with Eisenmenger syndrome and advanced pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment: single center experience and follow-up for 5 years]. / Eriskin kadin hastalarda Eisenmenger sendromuna yaklasim ve pulmoner arteriyel hipertansiyonda spesifik tedavi: tek merkeze ait klinik sonuçlar ve bes yillik izlem.

OBJECTIVES: Eisenmenger syndrome (ES) occurs as the most advanced form of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with congenital heart disease. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the management of ES patients, follow-up and specific PAH treatment applying and clinical outcomes during 5 years. STUDY DESIGN: During the period of the month between May 2008 and 2013 ES female patients were included in the study and followed an average for 5 years. Clinical findings, brain natriuretic peptide levels, transthoracic and right heart catheterization findings, 6-min walking test distance were recorded. PAH specific treatment as bosentan, iloprost and sildenafil was given to patients according to guidelines. The patients were evaluated with 3 months intervals as requirement for hospitalization, combination treatment, and mortality. RESULTS: A total of 12 patients were included in the study. All of the patients were women, the mean age was 36.5. As prognostic echocardiographic data, the patients had high pulmonary artery pressure (109.81 ± 24.94 mmHg) related with increased right ventricular wall thickness, elevated right atrial pressure, severe pulmonary regurgitation in 40%, shortened pulmonary acceleration time, diminished myocardial tissue Doppler velocities of the left and right ventricles, increased right atrium area/left atrial area ratio (1.35 ± 0.40), lower right ventricular fractional area change. During the follow-up period of 5 years, a total of 16 events occurred. Combination treatment was required in 8 patients. CONCLUSION: Eisenmenger syndrome is a multi-system affecting disease and due to high morbidity and mortality risk patients with ES should be followed by specialized centers. PAH specific treatment improves the disease course and survival of patients.