1,720,983 research outputs found
LEFT MAIN CORONARY BIFURCATION TREATMENT WITH IMPELLA SUPPORT IN COMPLEX AND HIGH RISK PATIENT (CHIP)
No full textBifurcation lesions, especially around the left main coronary (LMC), are occasionally encountered.
More frequent LMC lesion are present in Complex and High risk Patients (CHIP) and this case
represent a real challenge for interventional cardiologists. Bifurcation lesions PCI reported to have
high overall major adverse cardiovascular events, and require the use of various complex
interventional techniques. Here, we report a case of successful percutaneous coronary intervention
supported by Impella on an LMC bifurcation treatment with culotte stenting in patient with cardiogenic shock
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
Relationships of Isolated Nocturnal Hypertension with Glomerular Filtration Rate and Albuminuria
Full text linkIsolated nocturnal hypertension (INH) represents a unique phenotype that can only be identified through ambulatory blood pressure monitor- ing (ABPM). An increasing body of evidence suggests a significant association between INH and heightened cardiovascular morbidity, mortality, and, more recently, kidney dis- ease progression. Considering these findings, this study aims to retrospectively assess the prevalence of INH and its relationship with glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and albu- min excretion rate (AER) in a large cohort of hypertensive patients. Methods: A total of 1340 subjects selected from the patients of our European Hypertension Excellence Centre of the University of Palermo were enrolled. Biochemical tests, urinalysis, 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and collection of anamnestic and anthropometric data were performed on each patient. Results: In our cohort, the prevalence of INH was 11%. Logistic regression analyses revealed that male sex, AER, and eGFR were significantly associated with the INH phenotype. AER ≥ 5.8 μg/min predicted the presence of INH with 73.7% sensitivity and 58.4% specificity. An eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was also correlated with INH, although its predictive value was less prominent. Multivariable regression models confirmed that AER and eGFR, along with male sex, were independent predictors of INH. In patients with normal blood pressure, AER and metabolic syndrome were also associated with INH. CKD (AER < 30 mg/day and eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) was significantly linked to INH. Conclusions: Our research confirms the direct relationship between AER and INH and the inverse relationship between GFR and INH, thus underlining the leading role of renal function in the onset of INH, as widely observed in the literature. The confirmed association between renal markers and INH in the subgroup of subjects with a clinically normal blood pressure could help us to identify the subjects who should undergo ABPM
Cardiovascular health in Asian immigrants to Italy: risk factors, pathogenesis and pharmacological treatment
No full textIn the last decades a significant increase of the migratory phenomenon from South Asian countries to the western world has occurred due to several factors, such as economic crisis, political instabilities, persecutions and wars. It is well established that South Asians (SA) have a higher prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and premature onset of myocardial infarction episodes than other populations. This higher predisposition might be caused by genetic factors, common in both SA residing in their birth country and in those residing abroad, but it may also be due to the new spatial environment in which they live. We have found a higher prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors in SA compared with other populations; in particular abdominal obesity, caused by an unhealthy diet rich in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats, plays a key role in the development of insulin-resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension, leading to the increase risk of CAD in SA. Even emerging risk factors were found to be higher in this ethnic group; indeed, the evidence of higher levels of pro-thrombotic and pro-inflammatory factors, such as lipoprotein(a) and pro-inflammatory adipokines, as well as the influence of air pollution and psychosocial stress, may have consequences on the risk, treatment and outcomes of CAD in this population
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
Long-term parameters of heart rate variability in patients with insulin-resistance
No full textHeart rate variability (HRV) is defined as the oscillation
in both the interval between consecutive heartbeats
(considered RR intervals) and consecutives measures
of instantaneous heart rates.1 HRV measures the cardiac
autonomic function noninvasively1,2 and its reduction is
an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events.3
Insulin-resistance is a pathological condition, in which
the body’s cells become resistant to insulin effects.4 The
aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between
insulin-resistance and the reduction of HRV parameters
Role of Lipoprotein Ratios and Remnant Cholesterol in Patients with Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries (MINOCA)
Full text linkBackground: Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is a
clinical situation characterized by evidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI)—according to the
Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction—with normal or near-normal coronary arteries
on angiographic study (stenosis < 50%). This condition is extremely variable in etiology, pathogenic
mechanisms, clinical manifestations, prognosis and consequently therapeutic approach. Objective:
The objective of the study was the evaluation of remnant cholesterol (RC), monocyte/high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and various lipoprotein ratios
in patients with MINOCA in order to establish their validity as predictors of this event. Materials and
Methods: We included 114 patients hospitalized in the Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) and Hospital Wards of our Hospital Center from 2015 to 2019 who received a diagnosis of MINOCA compared
to a control group of 110 patients without previous cardiovascular events. RC was calculated with the
following formula: RC = total cholesterol (TC) − HDL-C − LDL-C. MHR was calculated by dividing
the monocyte count in peripheral blood by high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels; PLR
was obtained by dividing platelet count by lymphocyte count. We also calculated various lipoprotein ratios, like total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDL-C), low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C/HDL-C), triglycerides/highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C), and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol/highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C/HDL-C) ratios. Results: The MINOCA group had
higher mean levels of RC (21.3 ± 10.6 vs. 13.2 ± 7.7 mg/dL), MHR (23 ± 0.009 vs. 18.5± 8.3) and PLR
(179.8 ± 246.1 vs. 135 ± 64.7) than the control group. Only the mean values of all calculated lipoprotein ratios were lower in MINOCA patients. Statistical significance was achieved only in the RC
evaluation. Conclusions: Higher levels of RC and MHR were found in patients with MINOCA. We
also observed higher levels of PLR than in the control group. Only various lipoprotein ratios were
lower, but this could reflect the extreme heterogeneity underlying the pathogenic mechanisms of
MINOCA. In patients who receive a diagnosis of MINOCA with a baseline alteration of the lipid
profile and higher levels of cholesterol at admission as well, the evaluation of these parameters could
play an important role, providing more detailed information about their cardiometabolic ris
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Characteristics of coronary microcirculatory function in patients with Takotsubo syndrome
No full textBackground: Takotsubo syndrome (TS) is a recently described cardiac syndrome whose pathogenesis is
still unclear. We investigated the characteristics of coronary microcirculatory function in patients with TS
through the analysis of the TIMI frame count (TFC) compared to normal subjects and with to subjects with
microvascular angina (MA).
Methods: We enrolled 71 TS patients (F:M =69:2, mean age of 65.27±9.53 years), 70 controls (F:M =34:36,
mean age of 56.63±13.5 years) and 71 patients with MA, (F:M =69:2, mean age of 65.9±9.2 years). The
assessment of the microcirculation was carried out through the TFC.
Results: microcirculation was significantly altered in patients with TS compared with healthy controls
[left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) 25.16±6.91 vs. 17.30±3.76, P<0.001; circumflex artery (CX)
25.48±6.10 vs. 17.05±4.60, P<0.001; right coronary artery (RCA) 26.43±8.95 vs. 15.74±4.27, P<0.001, average
TFC in TS 25.70±5.34 vs. 16,70±3.26, P20 frames was able to discriminate TS patients
from controls with a specificity of 88.57% and sensitivity of 85.92% (AUC 0.927, P<0.0001). Microvascular
dysfunction was diffuse in TS as well as in MA and slightly more severe in this last (mean TFC in MA
28.25±9.3 vs. 25.7±5.34 in TS, P<0.046).
Conclusions: Coronary microcirculation in TS patients is diffuse and milder compared to MA patients.
Cut-off values >20 frames discriminate between patients with normal microcirculation and patients with TS
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