Amides ; therapeutic use ; Antihypertensive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fumarates ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; Male ; Ramipril ; therapeutic use ; Vascular Stiffness ; drug effects

Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Male

Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Pacemaker, Artificial

Aneurysm, Dissecting ; genetics ; Aortic Aneurysm ; genetics ; Diseases in Twins ; Humans ; Male

An 18-year-old girl with an aortico-right atrial tunnel originating from the left sinus of Valsalva, in which the left anterior descending and circumflex coronary arteries arose independently from the different parts of the tunnel, was reported. In the differential diagnosis of continuous murmur, this type of tunnel should be taken into consideration. Surgical approach should be offered.
Adolescent ; Aneurysm ; Coronary Vessel Anomalies ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Fistula ; Humans ; Sinus of Valsalva

Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: The mean platelet volume (MPV) is a marker of the platelet activity and is reported to increase in vascular diseases. We aimed to investigate the association between MPV and vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (ED). MATERIALS AND METHODS: MPV and platelet (PLT) levels were measured in 50 cases of ED and 40 healthy controls. The diagnosis of vasculogenic ED was based on a detailed sexual history, physical examination, laboratory assessment, and color Doppler ultrasonography. The results are given as mean+/-standard deviation of the mean. RESULTS: The mean ages of the patient and the control groups were 53.70+/-12.39 years (range 24~77 years) and 53.85+/-9.5 years (range 30~73 years), respectively (p=0.947). The MPV and PLT values were significantly higher in the patients with ED than those of the controls (7.49+/-1.4), (6.85+/-1.2), (262.97+/-68), (252.89+/-82) respectively, p<0.001). However, the MPV values were not statistically significantly different in the patients with severe ED according to the International Index of Erectile Function than in those with mild ED, p>0.05), and there was no correlation between MPV and either age of patients (p=0.905) or duration of ED (p=0.583). CONCLUSIONS: The platelet count and MPV was detected to be increased in patients with vasculogenic ED. This finding suggests a role for platelets in the pathogenesis of vascular complications and that the MPV would be useful in monitoring disease progression.
Blood Platelets ; Diagnosis ; Disease Progression ; Erectile Dysfunction* ; Female ; Humans ; Impotence, Vasculogenic ; Male ; Mean Platelet Volume* ; Physical Examination ; Platelet Count ; Risk Factors* ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color ; Vascular Diseases

Background: Adductor canal block (ACB) provides effective analgesia after arthroscopic knee surgery. However, there is insufficient data regarding whether ACB should be performed before or after inflation of a thigh tourniquet. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of ACB performed before and after placement of a thigh tourniquet and evaluate associated quadriceps motor weakness. Methods: ACB was performed before tourniquet inflation in the PreT group, and it was performed after inflation in the PostT group. In the PO group, ACB was performed at the end of surgery after deflation of the tourniquet. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of demographic data. There was no statistically significant difference among the three groups in terms of total postoperative opioid consumption (P = 0.513). Patient satisfaction and the amount of rescue analgesia administered were also not significantly different between the groups. There was no significant difference in terms of static and dynamic visual analog scale scores between the groups (for 24 h: P = 0.306 and P = 0.271, respectively). The incidence of motor block was higher in the PreT group (eight patients) than in the PostT group (no patients) and the PO group (one patient) (P = 0.005). Conclusions Using a tourniquet before or after ACB did not result in differences in terms of analgesia quality; however, applying a tourniquet immediately after ACB may lead to quadriceps weakness.

No abstract available.
Thrombosis*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Functional capacity varies significantly among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and it remains unclear why functional capacity is severely compromised in some patients with HFrEF while it is preserved in others. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the role of pulmonary artery stiffness (PAS) in the functional status of patients with HFrEF. METHODS: A total of 46 heart failure (HF) patients without overt pulmonary hypertension or right HF and 52 controls were enrolled in the study. PAS was assessed on parasternal short-axis view using pulsed-wave Doppler recording of pulmonary flow one centimeter distal to the pulmonic valve annulus at a speed of 100 mm/sec. PAS was calculated according to the following formula: the ratio of maximum flow velocity shift of pulmonary flow to pulmonary acceleration time. RESULTS: PAS was significantly increased in the HFrEF group compared to the control group (10.53±2.40 vs. 7.41±1.32, p < 0.001). In sub-group analysis of patients with HFrEF, PAS was significantly associated with the functional class of the patients. HFrEF patients with poor New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional capacity had higher PAS compared those with good functional capacity. In multivariate regression analysis, NYHA class was independently correlated with PAS. CONCLUSION: PAS is associated with functional status and should be taken into consideration as an underlying pathophysiological mechanism of dyspnea in patients with HFrEF.
Acceleration ; Dyspnea ; Heart Failure* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Stroke Volume ; Vascular Stiffness