The effect of periodontal therapy on neopterin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 levels in chronic periodontitis patients with and without acute myocardial infarction: a case-control study

The presence of neopterin in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) is a marker for local and acute immune activation, and the presence of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) in GCF is accepted as a marker for chronic vascular inflammation. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate effects of periodontal treatment on GCF levels of neopterin and VCAM-1 in patients with chronic periodontitis (CP) with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) compared with systemically healthy CP patients. Material and methods: Sixty subjects (20 CP patients with AMI, 20 healthy CP patients, and 20 healthy controls) were included. GCF samples were analyzed at baseline and after 3 and 6 months, and the probing pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing, gingival (GI) and plaque (PI) indices were recorded. We determined neopterin and VCAM-1 levels (concentration and total amount) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). No significant differences were seen between the AMI+CP and CP groups for PI, GI, GCF levels of neopterin and VCAM-1 at baseline. Results: The number of teeth with 5 mm≤CAL<7 mm and CAL≥7 mm were significantly increased in the AMI+CP group at baseline. There were no significant differences between the AMI+CP and CP for PI, CAL, GCF volumes, and the AMI+CP group had the highest clinical improvement in the number of teeth with 5 mm≤CAL<7 mm at the sixth month. There were significant positive correlations between clinical periodontal inflammation and the presence of neopterin and VCAM-1 in GCF prior to and following periodontal treatment, and between the GCF volume and clinical parameters. Conclusions: Data suggest that the total amount and concentration of neopterin and VCAM-1 in GCF seemed to be closely associated with periodontal disease severity in CP patients with AMI. Moreover, the results of our study demonstrate that the past periodontal status is potentially correlated between groups, with similar periodontal disease severity

Dasatinib-induced pulmonary hypertension in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: case report.

Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is a pathological condition determined as an increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥25 mmHg. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is precapillary PHT and a life-threatening disease group which consists of different etiologies with the same pathological and clinical findings, and which is characterized by elevated pulmonary vascular resistance. Dasatinib is a dual Src/Abl kinase inhibitor associated with higher affinity for BCR/ABL kinase than imatinib, and is used in the treatment of chronic myelocytic leukemia and Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We describe a case with ALL, in whom dasatinib treatment induced PAH, and who recovered with bosentan treatment

Associaton of angiotensin converting enzyme insertion/deletion gene polymorphism with functional capacity markers and echocardiographic parameters in patients with aortic stenosis

Amaç: Fonksiyonel durumda bozulma aort darlığının doğal seyrinde kritik bir nokta olup kapak değişimi operasyonun en önemli endikasyonunu oluşturur. Bu çalışmada hafif ve orta dereceli aort darlığı (AD) olan hastalarda anjiyotensin dönüştürücü enzim (ADE) geni insersiyon/delesyon (I/D) polimorfizminin fonksiyonel kapasite belirteçleri ve ekokardiyografide sol ventrikül fenotipi ile ilişkisi araştırıldı. Gereç ve Yöntem: Ekokardiyografi ile doğrulanmış hafif-orta dereceli AD’si olan 22 asemptomatik hastanın ADE gen polimorfizmleri ile fonksiyonel kapasiteleri New York Kalp Cemiyeti sınıflaması, 6 dakika yürüme testi, plazma NT-proBNP ölçümleri yapılarak değerlendirildi. Bulgular: Yaş, hipertansiyon, dejeneratif darlık ve aort kapak kalsifikasyonu daha kötü fonksiyonel kapasiteyle ilişkili bulundu (p0.05). ADE gen polimorfizmi ile fonksiyonel kapasite arasında ilişki saptanmadı. DD genotipi normotansif hastalarda egzantrik şekillenmeyle ilişkili bulundu (p:0,03) Hipertansif hastalarda ve 40 yaş üzeri DD genotipli hastalarda daha belirgin sol ventrikül hipertrofisi saptandı (sırasıyla 190,122,2g/m2 vs 132,112,8g/m2; p:0,004 ve 181,929,6g/m2 vs 143,836,3g/m2; p:0,02) . Sonuç: Yaşlı, hipertansif, dejeneratif veya kalsifik hafif orta dereceli AD’si olan hastaların fonksiyonel kapasitenin bozulması açısından daha yakın takip edilmeleri uygun olabilir. DD genotipli hipertansif ve 40 yaş üstünde hafif-orta dereceli aort darlığı olan hastalarda sol ventrikül hipertrofisi daha belirgindir.Aim: Deterioration of functional status is a critical point being the most important indication for valve replacement surgery. In this study on patients with mild or moderate aortic stenosis (AS), association of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism with functional capacity markers and left ventricular phenotype in echocardiography was evaluated. Material and Method: ACE gene polymorphism and functional capacity which was measured with New York Heart Association clas- sification, 6 minute walk test and plasma NT-proBNP levels were assessed in twenty two asymptomatic patient with echocardio- graphically documented mild-moderate AS. Results: Age, hypertension, degenerative stenosis and aortic valvular calsification were related with worse functional capacity (p<0,05). ACE gene polymorphism was not associated with functional capacity. DD genotype was associated with eccentric modelling in normotensive patients (p:0.03). Among either hypertensive patients or patients over 40 years subjects with DD genotype had more significant left ventricular hypertrophy (190.1±22.2 g/m2 vs 132,1±12,8 g/m2; p:0.004 and 181,9±29,6 g/m2 vs 142,8±36,3 g/m2; p:0,02 respectively). Conclusion: Closer follow up of elderly, hypertensive, degenerative and calcified mild-moderate AD patients for deterioration of func- tional capacity may be suitable. Mild-moderate AD patients older than 40 years or with hypertension have more significant left ventricular hypertrophy if they have DD genotype

Association between parathyroid hormone levels and the extensiveness of coronary artery disease.

Previous studies have suggested that there is a relationship between coronary artery disease (CAD) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. Here, we aimed to evaluate the association between PTH levels and severity of CAD

Relationship between elevated platelet volume and saphenous vein graft disease

Background: Saphenous vein graft (SVG) disease is the major determinant of long term graft viability in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Although, platelets play a major role in this pathogenetic process the nature of this interaction has not been yet been clarified. Mean platelet volume (MPV) reflects platelet production rate and stimulation. This study was designed to investigate MPV in patients with late stage SVG disease. Methods: The study population composed of 188 patients who underwent elective coronary angiography more than one year after coronary artery bypass surgery. The study population was divided in to two groups according to SVG patency. The first group consisted of 90 patients (75 men, 15 women; mean age, 63.4 ± 9.2 years) with patent SVG’s (no-stenosis group). The second group consisted of 98 patients (80 men, 18 women; mean age, 62.1 ± 10.1 years) with SVG stenosis based on the results of coronary angiography (stenosis group). Gretaer than 50% stenosis within the SVG was accepted as hemodynamically significant. Results: MPV were significantly higher in patients with SVG disease in comparison with the patients without graft disease group (9.3 ± 1.19 vs. 8.3 ± 1.10 fl, respectively, p < 0.001). In a multiple regression model, SVG disease was independently associated with MPV (β=0.837, p=0.05) along with LDL-cholesterol (β=0.159, p=0.008) and time interval after bypass surgery (β=-0.092, p=0.05). Conclusion: Platelet volume, and therefore platelet activation, appears to play a causal role in late SVG disease graft disease; hence, MPV may be useful as a post-operative marker of graft success

An open-source framework of neural networks for diagnosis of coronary artery disease from myocardial perfusion SPECT

The purpose of this study is to develop and analyze an open-source artificial intelligence program built on artificial neural networks that can participate in and support the decision making of nuclear medicine physicians in detecting coronary artery disease from myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS)