Evaluation of the relationship between COVID-19 pneumonia severity and pulmonary artery diameter measurement.

The goal of the present work was to examine associations between COVID-19 pneumonia severity and pulmonary artery diameter. A total of 101 patients with COVID-19 were included in this retrospective observational study. The patients were divided into three groups based on the CT images: 41 patients with mild pneumonia, group 2 had 39 patients with moderate pneumonia, and group 3 had 21 patients with severe pneumonia. Furthermore, the diameter of the main pulmonary artery was calculated as well as ascending aorta, right and left pulmonary artery diameters. Laboratory analysis results were also compared. Analyses show an increased main pulmonary artery diameter is associated with poorer prognosis for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Further studies are needed into the mechanisms between severe hypoxemia, increased inflammation, and vascular resistance and higher numbers of thromboembolic events.

Increased Arterial Stiffness Measured By Carotid Femoral (Aortic) Pulse Wave Velocity In Patients with Inactive Behçet's Disease.

Introduction Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic, multisystemic disease characterised by vascular involvement. Acute and chronic inflammatory processes associated with BD may cause endothelial dysfunction, which can then lead to a subsequent increase of arterial stiffness and altered pressure wave reflections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurements in patients with inactive BD and control subjects.Methods We studied 50 patients with inactive BD and 49 healthy control subjects without known cardiovascular disease. Carotid-femoral PWV was determined in all subjects by the same expert research clinician using Complior device (Colson, Paris, France).Results Mean disease duration was 3.23±2.31 years. Patients with BD (mean age 36.04±9.94 years) had significantly higher PWV levels compared to controls (9.57±1.88 vs. 8.47±1.13 m / s; p=0,003). PWV was found to be positively correlated with age, systolic, diastolic, mean blood pressure, waist, and waist / hip ratio.Conclusion In our study we demonstrated that patients with BD exhibit significantly increased arterial stiffness assessed by increased carotid-femoral PWV compared to healthy control subjects.

The effects of serum potassium and magnesium levels in a patient with Gitelman's syndrome on the timing of ventricular wall motion and the pattern of ventricular strain and torsion.

Gitelman's syndrome is a primary renal tubular hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis. Hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia can cause cardiac tissue excitability and conduction. Global ventricular mechanical function is directly related to the contractile properties of cardiac myocytes, which are largely dependent on the flow of ions such as potassium and magnesium. Here, we show that increased levels of potassium, in addition to magnesium, in a patient with Gitelman's syndrome significantly impacts the timing of ventricular wall motion and the pattern of ventricular strain and torsion. Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography was used for evaluation of the hypokalemic-hypomagnesemic period (first day) and third day after potassium chloride and magnesium replacement therapy. The transthoracic echocardiography showed that the percent ejection fraction was similar in hypokalemic-hypomagnesemic (63%) and normokalemic-normomagnesemic (after potassium and magnesium therapy, 67%) hearts. However, decreased left ventricular apical 4-chamber peak systolic longitudinal strain, left ventricle global peak systolic strain, and global torsion values increased after potassium chloride and magnesium replacement therapy.