1,720,971 research outputs found
Thrombus straddling a patent foramen ovale
No full textWe present a case of a 67-year-old male with pulmonary embolism. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) showed the presence of a mobile thrombus straddling the patent foramen ovale (PFO) and prolapsing into both atria. Treatment with heparin was started. Five days after admission, repeat TEE revealed a reduction in thrombus dimensions, so anticoagulation therapy was continued. Eleven days after admission, TEE showed complete disappearance of the thrombus
Concomitant dynamic obstruction and endocarditis after "valve in valve" TAVI implantation
No full textA peculiar etiology of acute heart failure: adrenergic myocarditis
No full textPheochromocytoma can occur with a variety of cardiovascular signs and symptoms, and this tumor can also precipitate an acute heart failure associated with the typical clinical and instrumental findings of myocarditis. This peculiar etiology of acute myocarditis, known as “adrenergic myocarditis,” should be suspected when specific “red flags” of pheochromocytoma such as headache, palpitations, diaphoresis, hypertension, orthostatic hypotension, and left ventricular dysfunction suggesting Takotsubo syndrome are detected. In fact, its diagnosis allows a specific targeted therapy
Management of atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention
Full text linkAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, occurring in 1-2% of overall population, involving more than 6 millions of European people. It is associated to a reduced quality of life and an increased morbidity and mortality. The Framingham study showed the link between angina and AF. The same risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity promote both AF and coronary artery disease (CAD). About 1/4 of AF patients develop a CAD and, in this setting, about 1/5 undergoes a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In patients with both AF and CAD, the optimal medical strategy is challenging and it is still debated in cardiological community, since patients treated by dual (two antiplatelets drugs ore one antiplatelets drug and an oral anticoagulant drug) or triple therapy (two antiplatelets drugs and an oral anticoagulant drug) are exposed to divergent risk of bleeding or thromboembolic and ischemic complications. Aim of this paper is to focus the attention on the different problems arising from the presence of AF in patients undergoing PCI, such as the risk of stroke, bleeding and stent thrombosis
Safety and efficacy of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation
No full textThe aim of the present meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of non-vitamin-K oral antagonists (NOACs) versus vitamin-K antagonists (VKAs) in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and indirectly compare NOACs in this population
Aortic dissection in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: a series of two cases and a review of the literature
No full textAortic dissection (AD) is the most common life-threatening disease involving the aorta. It is rarely associated with systemic disorders such as Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD), a genetic syndrome characterized by cystic degeneration of kidneys, possible presence of cysts in other organs and extra-renal manifestations, including cardiovascular disorders. We performed a systematic literature search focused on the occurrence of AD associated with ADPKD (25 cases identified), and reported two cases from our experience. We selected data on sex, age, family history of ADPKD and/or AD, habitus, hypertension, renal function, presence of hepatic/pancreatic/splenic cysts, clinical presentation of AD, AD type according to the Stanford classification, treatment and outcome. Furthermore we compared this dataset with the data of the overall population with AD from the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection (IRAD). Stanford A type AD was documented in 62% of patients. As expected, the initial manifestation of AD was most commonly chest and back pain (80%). The mean age of AD occurrence appears significantly reduced in ADPKD patients compared to the general population with AD (49 ± 12 vs 62 ± 14, P < 0.001). Of note, our analysis shows a remarkably higher frequency of hypertension (90%) compared to the overall AD population (75%), although not significantly (P = 0.133). AD should be always ruled out in ADPKD subjects with chest and back pain symptoms, despite them being young and at lower risk. A careful preventive monitoring as well as an optimal blood pressure control may reduce the risk of AD and improve the outcome of these patients
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Transcatheter repair of functional mitral regurgitation in heart failure patients: A meta-analysis of 23 studies on mitraclip implantation
No full textBackground: The aim of this study was to investigate long-term survival, clinical status, and echocardiographic findings of patients with severe functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) undergoing MitraClip (MC) treatment and to explore the role of baseline features on outcome. Methods and Results: Randomized and observational studies of FMR patients undergoing MC treatment were collected to evaluate the overall survival, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and echocardiographic changes after MC treatment. Baseline parameters associated with mortality and echocardiographic changes were also investigated. Across 23 studies enrolling 3,253 patients, the inhospital death rate was 2.31%, whereas the mortality rate was 5.37% at 1 month, 11.87% at 6 months, 18.47% at 1 year and 31.08% at 2 years. Mitral regurgitation Grade <3+ was observed in 92.76% patients at discharge and in 83.36% patients at follow-up. At follow-up, 76.63% of patients NYHA Class I–II and there were significant improvements in left ventricular (LV) volume, ejection fraction, and pulmonary pressure. Atrial fibrillation (AF) had a significant negative effect on 1-year survival (β=0.18±0.06; P=0.0047) and on the reduction in LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (β=−1.05±0.47 [P=0.0248] and β=−2.60±0.53 [P=0.0024], respectively). Conclusions: MC results in durable reductions in mitral regurgitation associated with significant clinical and echocardiographic improvements in heart failure patients. AF negatively affects LV reverse remodeling and 1-year survival after MC treatment
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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