The association between mean platelet volume and coronary collateral circulation.

BACKGROUND: Platelets are important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic complications. Higher mean platelet volume (MPV) levels are related to greater in vitro aggregation, and have been identified as an independent risk factor for myocardial infarction, and for death or recurrent vascular events. AIM: To determine the relationship between MPV and the coronary collateral circulation. METHODS: The sample consisted of 96 patients with coronary artery disease, and patients were separated into two groups according to their poorly developed or well-developed collateral circulation. Coronary collateral vessels were analyzed according to the Cohen and Rentrop grading system of 0-3. RESULTS: All analyses were conducted using SPSS 11.5 (SPSS for Windows 11.5, Chicago, IL, USA). Continuous variables were expressed as mean ± SD, and categorical variables were expressed as percentages. Comparison of categorical and continuous variables between the group with well-developed coronary collateral vessels and the group with poorly developed vessels was performed using the chi-squared test and independent samples t-test, respectively. Platelet count and MPV values were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that MPV levels are not related to coronary collateral circulation.  

Asymptomatic and isolated accessory mitral valve tissue in adult population: three case reports and review of the literature.

Accessory mitral valve tissue is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly and commonly it may cause left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). This anomaly occurs as a part of other congenital cardiac anomalies. However, it may be seen isolated. Structures in LVOT such as tumor, vegetation, cysts may have attention for differential diagnosis. The number of cases is increasing with the routinely using of two-dimensional echocardiography. Accessory mitral valve tissue is detected first early in children with symptoms of LVOT and is very rarely diagnosed in adults. One third of cases may asymptomatic, but commonly significant left ventricular outflow tract gradient can be detected in these cases, especially adult period. Optimal treatment of this anomaly is surgery if there is a significant LVOTO. In this report, we presented the three asymptomatic adult cases with accessory mitral valve tissue, without increased gradient in LVOT. Surgical excision was recommended to the first case in another hospital with diagnosis of cardiac cyst. Two cases are presented.

Correlation between the body fat composition and high sensitive C-reactive protein in Turkish adults.

OBJECTIVES: The adipose tissue is an active immune organ. High sensitive C-reactive protein CRP (hs-CRP) is a strong independent predictor of a possible future myocardial infarction and stroke, and it has also been shown to be related to the subclinical atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between the body fat composition, metabolic syndrome, and the hs-CRP plasma levels. METHODS: Total 246 consecutive Turkish subjects, admitted to the internal medicine clinic with the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, were included into the study. The total body fat composition was measured in every participant with a commercially available bio-impedance meter. The hs-CRP levels, body composition parameters, and biochemical variables were compared. RESULTS: The hs-CRP levels increased in parallel with the body weight in Turkish subjects. This increase was significant especially in the women. The waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), and body composition variables (visceral fat level, total body fat, and total body muscle mass) were significant correlates of the hs-CRP. The waist circumference and BMI were independent predictors of the hs-CRP. CONCLUSION: The waist circumference, BMI, and body composition variables (visceral fat level, total body fat and total body muscle mass) were significant correlates of the hs-CRP in Turkish adults. Body weight control may account for an important target especially in patients with the metabolic syndrome.

Is the pepper spray a triggering factor in myocardial infarction? A case report.

Forty-year-old man was admitted to emergency department with complains of chest pain and dispnea after exposure the pepper gas that sprayed to environment during a social event. Physical examination and electrocardiogram was revealed acute myocardial infarction.

Bruxism: is it a new sign of the cardiovascular diseases?

AIM: To determine the relationship between bruxism and cardiovascular diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 120 patients who referred to the Dentistry Faculty with the complaint of bruxism were selected. All patients gave informed consent for participation in the study. All of the patients were examined and bruxism was classified. And also these were examined by B-mode ultrasound to measure the Intima Media Thickness (IMT) at the far wall of the common carotid artery. A wide range of vascular risk factors including age, gender, body mass index, and previous history were surveyed. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to ascertain quantitative comparison, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis test were used for comparison of means RESULTS: There were 66 (55%) male and 54 (45%) female patients, with a female to male ratio of 1/1.2. The mean age was 35.6 +/- 1,25 years (range 18-65 years). In the analysis of bruxism classification and IMT there was a statistical significance between bruxism classification subgroup 1, 2, 3 and IMT. There was no statistical significance between bruxism classification Subgroup 4 and IMT due to the small number of the patients (n = 12). CONCLUSIONS: Stressful situations can cause both bruxism and cardiovascular disease such as coronary artery diseases, hypertension, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy. The statistical analysis supported this hypothesis. However, we need to new studies with large number of samples to confirm this hypothesis. Clearly, future studies in this field will need to take into consideration the influence of the following variables: age, use of medication or drugs, smoking habits, and other sleep disorders.