Carcinoid syndrome with right-sided valve involvement - a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: The survival of patients with neuroendocrine tumors has substantially improved with modern treatment options. Although the associated carcinoid syndrome can be diagnosed early and controlled effectively, cardiologists still encounter patients with cardiac manifestations, particularly among individuals with persistently high levels of vasoactive mediators. Treatment options have been limited to surgical valve replacement in fully manifested disease. Since surgery is not always feasible, transcatheter valve implantation is becoming an interesting alternative. CASE: A case of a 50-year-old woman with carcinoid syndrome and right-sided valvular heart disease is presented. Moderate pulmonary valve stenosis and severe tricuspid valve regurgitation were diagnosed during the evaluation and treatment of neuroendocrine tumor. The possibility of rare valve involvement and the need for interdisciplinary cooperation in the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of patients with neuroendocrine tumors producing vasoactive substances must be emphasized. CONCLUSION: The patient had a typically presenting carcinoid syndrome with a rare cardiac manifestation. Although monitoring and treatment were carried out in accordance with recommendations and appropriate to the clinical condition, rapid progression of the metastatic disease ultimately precluded invasive cardiac intervention.

Characteristics, management, and outcome of infective endocarditis in the Czech Republic: prospective data from the ESC EORP EURO-ENDO registry.

INTRODUCTION: Data describing contemporary profile of infective endocarditis (IE) in the Czech Republic are lacking. The aim of this study was to describe the current profile and outcomes of IE patients. METHODS: Prospectively collected data on consecutive patients admitted for IE diagnosis between April 2016 and March 2018 to 11 main tertiary care cardiac centers in the Czech Republic were used for this analysis. RESULTS: Among 208 patients, 88 patients (42.3 %) had native valve IE (NVIE), 56 patients (26.9 %) had prosthetic valve IE (PVIE), and 57 patients (27.4 %) had intracardiac device-related IE (CDRIE). The mean age was 61.66±15.54 years. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common etiological agent of IE (27.4 %), whereas Culture negative IE was present in 26.4 % patients. Surgery was performed during hospitalization in 112 (53.8 %) patients. In-hospital death occurred in 21.2 % patients, while 1-year mortality was 40.3 %. In patients, who had an indication for surgery, but the procedure was not performed, mortality was significantly higher (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: High proportion of culture negative IE and IE related to artificial intra-cardiac materials calls for action. Furthermore, we show that cardiac surgery should be more often contemplated, especially in the presence of risk factors as septic shock and congestive heart failure (Tab. 6, Fig. 1, Ref. 32).

Growth strategy of the pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans submerged culture under different cultivation formats.

Growth patterns of Cryptococcus neoformans submerged culture in different culture volumes, intensity of agitation and types of sealing were evaluated to better understand the physiological role of hypoxia response in this yeast. When low intensity agitation was set at high culture volumes and air exchange between the cultivation vessel and external environment was not abolished completely, the cells proliferated slowly but steadily. On the other hand, when the intensity of agitation was high but the vessel was withheld from fresh air supply, the cells first proliferated rapidly, then arrested completely and finally died. Therefore, the central strategy of C. neoformans here seems to lie in its proliferation-rate adjustment to the available oxygen levels and not in its capacity to survive under anoxia. The data support the opinion that the cultures grown under limited aeration (even though not completely withheld from fresh air supply) are much closer to the real cryptococcal life in human tissues than conventional well-aerated exponential cultures.