The effects of pre-exercise corinthian currants supplementation on antioxidant responses

Τhe use of nutritional supplements before and during a sporting event, especially of a prolonged nature, is very common among competitors and routinely advised by exercise professionals. Corinthian currants have a high carbohydrate content making them a potentially ideal carbohydrate source for prolonged exercise. However, their effectiveness as an ergogenic aid has never been studied.Published versio

High platelet reactivity in patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: Randomised controlled trial comparing prasugrel and clopidogrel

Background: Prasugrel is more effective than clopidogrel in reducing platelet aggregation in acute coronary syndromes. Data available on prasugrel reloading in clopidogrel treated patients with high residual platelet reactivity (HRPR) i.e. poor responders, is limited. Objectives: To determine the effects of prasugrel loading on platelet function in patients on clopidogrel and high platelet reactivity undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Patients: Patients with ACS on clopidogrel who were scheduled for PCI found to have a platelet reactivity ≥40 AUC with the Multiplate Analyzer, i.e. “poor responders” were randomised to prasugrel (60 mg loading and 10 mg maintenance dose) or clopidogrel (600 mg reloading and 150 mg maintenance dose). The primary outcome measure was proportion of patients with platelet reactivity <40 AUC 4 hours after loading with study medication, and also at one hour (secondary outcome). 44 patients were enrolled and the study was terminated early as clopidogrel use decreased sharply due to introduction of newer P2Y12 inhibitors. Results: At 4 hours after study medication 100% of patients treated with prasugrel compared to 91% of those treated with clopidogrel had platelet reactivity <40 AUC (p = 0.49), while at 1 hour the proportions were 95% and 64% respectively (p = 0.02). Mean platelet reactivity at 4 and 1 hours after study medication in prasugrel and clopidogrel groups respectively were 12 versus 22 (p = 0.005) and 19 versus 34 (p = 0.01) respectively. Conclusions: Routine platelet function testing identifies patients with high residual platelet reactivity (“poor responders”) on clopidogrel. A strategy of prasugrel rather than clopidogrel reloading results in earlier and more sustained suppression of platelet reactivity. Future trials need to identify if this translates into clinical benefit

Combined Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Open Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair Is a Reasonable Treatment Approach: A Systematic Review

We reviewed the literature for studies investigating the outcomes of combined 1-stage coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) open repair (OR) procedures. An electronic search of the English literature was conducted using the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. Age, coronary heart disease severity, AAA size, mean duration from CABG to AAA OR procedures, details of each procedure, mortality, and morbidity rates were analyzed. Between 1994 and 2012, 12 studies (256 patients) with 1-stage treatment fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. There were 20 early (30 days) deaths, accounting for a 30-day mortality rate of 7.8%. The early morbidity was 53% (136 of 256). One-stage treatment when necessary can be undertaken with acceptable mortality and reasonable morbidity rates considering the complexity of both the operations. Nowadays, endovascular AAA repair is preferred over OR. The outcomes of combined cardiac surgery and endovascular AAA repair have not been extensively evaluated

Endovascular Treatment of Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm with Short and Angulated Neck in High-Risk Patient

Endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is an established alternative to open repair. However lifelong surveillance is still required to monitor endograft function and signal the need for secondary interventions (Hobo and Buth 2006). Aortic morphology, especially related to the proximal neck, often complicates the procedure or increases the risk for late device-related complications (Hobo et al. 2007 and Chisci et al. 2009). The definition of a short and angulated neck is based on length (<15 mm), and angulation (>60°) (Hobo et al. 2007 and Chisci et al. 2009). A challenging neck also offers difficulties during open repairs (OR), necessitating extensive dissection with juxta- or suprarenal aortic cross-clamping. Patients with extensive aneurysmal disease typically have more comorbidities and may not tolerate extensive surgical trauma (Sarac et al. 2002). It is, therefore, unclear whether aneurysms with a challenging proximal neck should be offered EVAR or OR (Cox et al. 2006, Choke et al. 2006, Robbins et al. 2005, Sternbergh III et al. 2002, Dillavou et al. 2003, and Greenberg et al. 2003). In our case the insertion of a thoracic endograft followed by the placement of a bifurcated aortic endograft for the treatment of a very short and severely angulated neck proved to be feasible offering acceptable duration of aneurysm exclusion. This adds up to our armamentarium in the treatment of high-risk patients, and it should be considered in emergency cases when the fenestrated and branched endografts are not available