Savaş Sarıkaya

Association between liver fibrosis and coronary heart disease risk in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is being increasingly recognized as the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. It has been shown that NAFLD in adults is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Because of the limitations of liver biopsy, noninvasive scoring indexes such as the NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) were developed. The Framingham risk score (FRS) provides an estimate of CHD risk. In our study we aimed to investigate whether the severity of liver fibrosis estimated with the NFS is associated with a higher risk of CHD among individuals with ultrasonography-diagnosed NAFLD. Study A total of 155 patients and controls (81 patients with NAFLD and 74 controls) with ages ranging from 18 to 70 years were enrolled in this cross-sectional prospective study. Demographic, anthropometric, clinical, and laboratory data were obtained from each individual. The NAFLD patients were divided into subgroups on the basis of the severity of fatty liver. The FRS and NFS were adopted to predict the risk of CHD and the severity of hepatic fibrosis. Results In our study, we found that the FRS was higher in NAFLD patients than in controls (P<0.05). According to the FRS category, NFSs were higher in the intermediate/high probability CHD risk group in NAFLD (P<0.05). In multiple models, only age, sex, cholesterol, and HDL were independently associated with intermediate/high CHD risk (P<0.05). We also found a positive correlation between the NFS and the FRS (r=0.373, P<0.001). The optimum NFS cutoff point for identifying intermediate/high CHD risk in NAFLD patients was −2.1284, with a sensitivity and specificity of 95.20 and 48.30%, respectively. The predictive performance of the NFS in the determination of intermediate/high CHD risk in NAFLD patients was found to be 72% based on the area under the curve value. Conclusion The FRS is associated with the NFS in NAFLD. The assessment of liver fibrosis may be useful for the risk stratification of CHD in the absence of liver biopsy in clinical practice.

Is there any relationship between RDW levels and atrial fibrillation in hypertensive patient

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and increases the risk of stroke and death. Patients with hypertensive have an increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation. RDW (Red blood cell distribution width) levels are elevated in cardiovascular disorders including heart failure, stable coronary disease, acute coronary syndrome, slow coronary flow and stroke. OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate the relation between RDW and AF in patients with hypertensive. METHOD We retrospectively examined 126 consecutive hypertensive patients (63 hypertensive patients with AF and 63 hypertensive patients without AF matched with age and sex. RESULTS The mean age of the study population was 71,09± 8,50 (af group) and 70,97±8,24 (non-af group) years. RDW level was different among patients with atrial fibrillation and without atrial fibrillation.(15,13±1,58 and 14,05±1,15 p<001) . Logistic regression analysis showed that RDW and left atrial dimension were only independently risk factory associated with atrial fibrillation. (Rdw odds ratio:1,846 CI; 1,221-2,793 p<0,05). Roc curve analyses were applied to determine the cut-off point. Cut-off point was at 14,195 and Sensitive, specificity was %71,4, %56 respectively. CONCLUSION RDW levels were higher in hypertensive patients with atrial fibrillation. An increased RDW level in the patient with hypertension may alert physician on developing or presence of atrial fibrillation.

Abnormal Heart Rate Recovery in Stable Heart Failure Patients

Heart rate decrease after exercise, that is associated with reactivation of parasympathetic system, is important, as it is also associated with mortality. Previous studies have shown that this is an independent mortality predictor in patients having no coronary artery disease and having normal left ventricular function. In our study, we aimed to study heart rate recovery (HRR) after exercise in patients having impaired left ventricular function.

Increased γ-glutamyl transferase levels predict early mortality in patients with acute pulmonary embolism

BACKGROUND Increased γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) level is associated with increased oxidative stress, all-cause mortality, the development of cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. However, its role in acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between GGT and early mortality in patients with acute PE. METHODS A total of 127 consecutive patients with confirmed PE were evaluated. The optimal cutoff value of GGT to predict early mortality was measured as more than 55 IU/L with 94.4% sensitivity and 66.1% specificity. Patients with acute PE were categorized prospectively as having no increased (group I) or increased (group II) GGT based on a cutoff value. RESULTS Of these 127 patients, 18 patients (14.2%) died during follow-up. Among these 18 patients, 1 (1.4%) patient was in group I, and 17 (30.9%) patients were in group II (P < .001). γ-Glutamyl transferase level on admission, presence of shock, heart rate, oxygen saturation, right ventricular dilatation/hypokinesia, main pulmonary artery involvement, troponin I, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and creatinine levels were found to have prognostic significance in univariate analysis. In the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, GGT level on admission (hazard ratio [HR], 1.015; P = .017), presence of shock (HR, 15.124; P = .005), age (HR, 1.107; P = .010), and heart rate (HR, 1.101; P = .032) remained associated with an increased risk of acute PE-related early mortality after the adjustment of other potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS We have shown that a high GGT level is associated with worse hemodynamic parameters, and it seems that GGT helps risk stratification in patients with acute PE.

Cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with erectile dysfunction.

Introduction. There is an increasing interest in the association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and cardiovascular risk factor. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is associated with insulin resistance, increased cardiometabolic risk, and coronary artery disease. Our aim was to investigate relationships between epicardial fat thickness (EFT) as a cardiometabolic risk factor and erectile dysfunction. Method. We selected 30 erectile dysfunction patients without comorbidities and 30 healthy individuals. IIEF-5 score was applied to all patients, and IIEF-5 score below 22 was considered as erectile dysfunction. EFT was measured by echocardiography. Results. Body mass index (BMI) was higher in ED patients than those without ED (28.19 ± 4.45 kg/m2 versus 23.84 ± 2.36 kg/m2, P = 0.001, resp.). Waist circumstance (WC) was higher in ED patients than those without ED (106.60 ± 5.90 versus 87.86 ± 14.51, P = 0.001, resp.). EFT was higher in ED patients compared to non-ED patients (0.49 ± 0.09 cm versus 0.45 ± 0.03 cm, P = 0.016, resp.). There was positive correlation among BMI, WC, and EFT. There was negative correlation between EFT and IIEF-5 score (r : − 0.632, P = 0.001). Conclusion. EAT, BMI, and WC as cardiometabolic risk factors were higher in erectile dysfunction patients.

Detection of atrial electrical and mechanical dysfunction in non-dipper pre-hypertensive subjects.

Abstract Introduction: A relationship between atrial conduction time and hypertension was shown in previous studies. Increased atrial electromechanical intervals used to predict atrial fibrillation by measured tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). So we aimed to search if there was any association between the non-dipping status and atrial electromechanical intervals in pre-hypertensive patients. Methods: Forty-one non-dipper and 33 dipper pre-hypertensive subjects enrolled in the study. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured with a mercury sphygmomanometer. Twenty-four hours blood pressure was measured with cuff-oscillometric method. All patients were evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography. Using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), atrial electromechanical coupling (PA) was measured from the lateral mitral annulus (PA lateral), septal mitral annulus (PA septum) and right ventricular tricuspid annulus (PA tricuspid). Results: Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly higher in subjects with non-dipper phenomenon than dipper ones at night. Twenty-four hours average systolic and diastolic blood pressures were higher in non-dipper pre-hypertensive subjects, but this elevation was not significant. Left and right intraatrial (PA lateral-PA septum and PA septum-PA tricuspid) and interatrial (PA lateral-PA tricuspid) electromechanical coupling intervals were measured significantly higher in non-dipper pre-hypertensive patients (31.3 ± 3.9 versus 24.1 ± 2.3, p = 0.001; 19.5 ± 4.3 versus 13.8 ± 2.1, p = 0.001; and 11.4 ± 2.8 versus 8.8 ± 1.5, p = 0.001). Also, interatrial electromechanical delay was negatively correlated with dipping levels. Conclusion: This study showed that prolonged atrial electromechanical intervals were related non-dipper pattern in pre-hypertensive patients. Prolonged electromechanical intervals may be an early sign of subclinical atrial dysfunction and arrhythmias’ in non-dipper pre-hypertensive patients.

Cancer antigen-125 levels predict long-term mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract Background: Cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) might be a useful biomarker to predict long-term mortality in patients with recent exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: A total of 87 consecutive patients with COPD were evaluated prospectively. Mean age of patients was 68 ± 10 years (55% males, 45% females) with a median follow-up period of 49 months. Optimal cut-off value of CA-125 to predict mortality was found as >93.34 U/ml, with 91% specificity and 40% sensitivity. Results: After follow-up, 20 out of 87 (23%) experienced cardiovascular death. CA-125 levels were higher among those who died compared to those who survived [55 (12–264) versus 28 (5–245) U/ml, p = 0.013]. In multivariate Cox proportional-hazards model with forward stepwise method, only CA-125 > 93.34 U/ml on admission (HR = 3.713, 95% CI: 1.035–13.323, p = 0.044) remained associated with an increased risk of death. Conclusions: For the first time, we demonstrated that CA-125 helps the risk stratification of patients with COPD.

Effects of balanced propofol sedation on QT, corrected QT, and P-wave dispersion on upper endoscopy.

Objective: Combined sedation with propofol and benzodiazepines, known as balanced propofol sedation (BPS), was developed to increase patient comfort during endoscopy. However, the effects of BPS on P-wave dispersion (Pwd), QT interval, and corrected QT (QTc) interval after endoscopy have not been investigated. Methods: The study population consisted of 40 patients with BPS and 42 without sedation who were scheduled to undergo upper endoscopy in this cross-sectional prospective study. Patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, renal failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, or valvular heart disease and those on medications that interfere with cardiac conduction times were excluded. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) was recorded in all patients pre-endoscopy and 10 min post-endoscopy. QT, QT dispersion (QTd), and Pwd were defined from 12-lead ECG. The QTc interval was calculated using Bazett’s formula. All analyses were performed using SPSS 15.0. Results: Post-endoscopy P max duration and Pwd were prolonged compared with baseline values (86±13 ms vs. 92±10 ms and 29±12 ms vs. 33±12 ms, respectively; p<0.05). Post-endoscopy QTc and QTd were decreased compared with baseline values, but these decreases were not statistically significant (431±25 ms vs. 416±30 ms and 62±28 ms vs. 43±22 ms, respectively; p>0.05). Conclusion: The present study showed that P-wave duration and Pwd values increased after endoscopy with a combination of midazolam and propofol sedation. Physicians should be made aware of the potential effects of BPS in terms on P-wave duration and Pwd values.

İNME, HİPERTANSİYON VE BEYİN YARIKÜRESİ ARASINDAKİ İLİŞKİ

Objective: The aim of the study was to research whether or not there was a relationship between hypertension and the involved brain hemisphere in patients who had suffered a stroke and in which brain hemisphere the stroke was most often seen.Mateials and Methods: A retrospective examination was made of the recorded data of 66 patients diagnosed and followed up for an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Demographic characteristics, history and localization of the ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke were recorded.Results: The study comprised 33 (50%) females and 33 (50%) males with a mean age of 68.7±11.2 years. Ischemic stroke was determined in 40 (60.6%) cases and hemorrhagic stroke in 26 (39.4%) cases. There was involvement of the right hemisphere in 26 (39.4%) cases and the left hemisphere in 40 (60.6%) cases. Hypertension was determined in 36 (54.5%) cases. No difference was determined between hemisphere involvement in respect of ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke ratios (right 18:8, left 22:18, p>0.05) and hypertension (right 15, left 21, p>0.05). Conclusion: No relationship was found between the involved hemisphere and hypertension in patients who had experienced a stroke, although left hemisphere involvement was seen more often. Clinical and experimental data have shown hemispheric lateralization to be under the control of the autonomic nerve system. However, the data on this subject are contradictory. There is a need for further studies with greater participation to clarify the etiology in this area

Uyku Apne Sendromlu Hastalarda Otonomik Fonksiyonların Değerlendirilmesi

Aim Obstructive sleep apnea is a highly prevalent disease, affecting 4% of adult in western countries. Heart rate variability is decreased in obstructive sleep apnea patients, and it is associated with poor cardiovascular outcome. We aimed to evaluate autonomic function in obstructive sleep apnea patients with heart rate variability. Material and Method We selected 30 obstructive sleep apnea patients without comorbidity and 30 healthy individual. All patients underwent 24 hours holter monitoring to assess heart rate variability. Results Age and gender were not different in two groups. Body mass index was higher in obstructive sleep apnea patients compared to the control group (36.43±6.8 and 27.21±36.4, p=0.001 respectively). SDNN was lower in obstructive sleep apnea patients than the control group (128.73±31.27 and 144.80±37.74, p=0.021 respectively). LF and LF/HF value were higher in patients with obstructive sleep apnea compared to those with control (680.76±319.47 vs. 524.87±348.78, p=0.02 and 4.745±2.16 vs. 2.9583±1.79, p=0.001 respectively). HF was lower in obstructive sleep apnea patients compared to control group (238.00±96.07 and 167.57±75.09, p=0.007 respectively). Conclusion We detected reduced heart rate variability and impaired balance between sympathetic-parasympathetic systems in OSAS patients. OSAS patients should be closely followed for developing arrhythmias.