The impact of admission red cell distribution width on long-term cardiovascular events after primary percutaneous intervention: A four-year prospective study

Background: Red cell distribution width (RDW) is an indicator of erythrocyte in different size, and its prognostic value has been demonstrated in numerous cardiac and non-cardiac diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of RDW on the long- -term cardiovascular events in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: Ninety-six consecutive patients (mean age 60.6 ± 12.5 years, 77.1% male) with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), who were treated with primary PCI, were analyzed prospectively. Baseline RDW and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured. The patients were followed up for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) for up to 48 months after discharge. Results: There were 30 patients with long-term MACE (Group 1) and 66 patients without long-term MACE (Group 2). Age, admission RDW, hs-CRP and creatine kinase-MB levels, heart rate after PCI, previously used angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, left anterior descending artery lesion, and electrocardiographic no-reflow were higher in Group 1. Admission hemoglobin levels were lower in Group 1. An RDW level ≥ 13.85% measured on admission had 80% sensitivity and 64% specificity in predicting long-term MACE on receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis. In multivariate analyses, only admission RDW (HR 5.26, < 95% CI 1.71–16.10; p = 0.004) was an independent predictor of long-term MACE. Conclusions: A high baseline RDW value in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI is independently associated with increased risk for long term MACE

Increased mean platelet volume associated with extent of slow coronary flow

Background: Slow coronary flow (SCF) is characterized by delayed opacification of epicardial coronary vessels. SCF can cause ischemia and sudden cardiac death. We investigated the association between presence and extent of SCF, and cardiovascular risk factors and hematologic indices. Methods: In this study, 2467 patients who received coronary angiography for suspected or known ischemic heart disease were retrospectively evaluated between April 2009 and November 2010. Following the application of exclusion criteria, our study population consisted of 57 SCF patients (experimental group) and 90 patients with age- and gender-matched subjects who proved to have normal coronary angiograms (control group). Baseline hematologic indices were measured by the automated complete blood count (CBC) analysis. The groups were evaluated for cardiovascular risk factors and medications. Patients were categorized based on the angiographic findings of vessels with or without SCF. Moreover, patients with SCF were divided into subgroups relative to the extent of SCF. Results: Among the 147 patients (mean age 52.7 ± 10.0, 53.7% male), mean platelet volume (MPV) ranged from 6.5 fL to 11.7 fL (median 7.9 fL, mean 8.1 ± 0.8 fL). Diabetes (OR = 3.64, 95% CI 1.15–10.43, p = 0.03), hypercholesterolemia (OR = 4.94, 95% CI 1.99–12.21, p = 0.001), smoking (OR = 3.54, 95% CI 1.43–8.72, p = 0.006), hemoglobin (OR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.22–2.36, p = 0.002), and MPV (OR = 2.52, 95% CI 1.43–4.44, p = 0.001) were found to be the independent correlates of SCF presence. Only MPV (OR = 2.13, 95% CI 1.05–4.33, p = 0.03) was identified as an independent correlate of extent of SCF. Conclusions: Elevated baseline MPV value was found to be an independent predictor of the presence and extent of SCF

Pro-state paramilitary violence in Turkey since the 1990s

This paper discusses the role of pro-state paramilitary groups in Turkey’s Kurdish conflict from the 1990s to the present. The role of paramilitaries in civil wars has been heavily discussed in general but remains understudied in the context of Turkey’s war with the PKK. Turkish state authorities established a number of paramilitary groups in the initial stage of the conflict. Their impact grew during the 1990s in line with the change in the state’s war strategy to a low-intensity conflict (LIC). This article discusses the evolution of the role of pro-state paramilitary groups in Turkey’s war with the PKK, focusing on their changing relationship with government agencies. It characterizes the first half of the 1990s as the paramilitarisation of the state and demonstrates the continuing impact of this into the 2000s. The data was collected from media resources, interviews, criminal prosecutions of national and local cases, and NGO reports. Overall, this article develops a better understanding of the nexus between paramilitarism and the state through the prism of Turkey’s Kurdish conflict

The Emergence, Transformation and Functions of Paramilitary Groups in Northern Kurdistan (Eastern Turkey) in the 1990s

This dissertation focuses on paramilitarism and the Turkish state during the armed conflict between the state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan, PKK) in the 1990s. In August 1984, the PKK launched an armed struggle against the Turkish state, leading to a full-blown war throughout the 1990s. During the conflict, the Turkish state established new coercive institutions, many of them having a paramilitary character. This dissertation investigates the ways in which these paramilitary groups emerged, functioned, and were deactivated. It analyzes the historical background, transformations and continuities of these paramilitary groups, and examines their violence against civilians in two regions of Northern Kurdistan: Batman province and Cizre district. The dissertation argues that the period between 1991 and 1996 was characterized by the 'paramilitarization of the state', due to the blurring of the boundaries between the state's official military units and bureaucrats, and the paramilitary groups

The Emergence, Transformation and Functions of Paramilitary Groups in Northern Kurdistan (Eastern Turkey) in the 1990s

This dissertation focuses on paramilitarism and the Turkish state during the armed conflict between the state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan, PKK) in the 1990s. In August 1984, the PKK launched an armed struggle against the Turkish state, leading to a full-blown war throughout the 1990s. During the conflict, the Turkish state established new coercive institutions, many of them having a paramilitary character. This dissertation investigates the ways in which these paramilitary groups emerged, functioned, and were deactivated. It analyzes the historical background, transformations and continuities of these paramilitary groups, and examines their violence against civilians in two regions of Northern Kurdistan: Batman province and Cizre district. The dissertation argues that the period between 1991 and 1996 was characterized by the 'paramilitarization of the state', due to the blurring of the boundaries between the state's official military units and bureaucrats, and the paramilitary groups