Tuberculous pericarditis: Challenges and controversies in the modern era

Tuberculous pericarditis (TBP) continues to wreak havoc across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite more than 5 decades of treatment and research into TBP, we are not much closer to alleviating the suffering and mortality associated with this extrapulmonary manifestation of tuberculosis (TB). In the era of modern cardiology, diseases of the pericardium do not receive the same amount of research attention and investment as what diseases of lifestyle do. Interventional techniques for their diagnosis and management do not extend much further than pericardiocentesis with appropriate laboratory investigations. They also do not provide the potential for the development and use of consumable equipment, or that of expensive drugs and, consequently, fi nancial investment into their research and development is not forthcoming. Diseases of the pericardium do, however, remain important within the discipline that we practice and TBP in particular deserves our continuous efforts and attention. It is unfortunate to acknowledge that we have not made much of an impact on this ancient foe over the last 50 odd years. Despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring TB a global emergency in 1993, more than 20 years later we are not much better off. In 2013 an estimated 9 million people developed the disease and 1.5 million died from it.(1) TBP is predominantly a disease of SSA and it requires a solution from the very region which it torments

An Investigation Into Activated Carbon

The extraction of aurocyanide by activated carbon probably involves the adsorption of neutral ion-pair species [M ^jAuCCN)^. The large hydrophobic aurocyanide anion associates with the cation in order to minimize the disruption of the water structure whereby lowering its free energ

Pericardial effusion with cystic mass

Patient with a 2-month history of exertional dyspnoea and a non-productive cough

Chronic coronary syndromes - time to reassess the evidence

CITATION: Kyriakakis, C. 2018. Chronic coronary syndromes - time to reassess the evidence. SA Heart, 15(2):98-101, doi:10.24170/15-2-3042.The original publication is available at https://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/SAHJNo abstract available.https://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/SAHJ/article/view/3042Publisher's versio

Tri-leafl et mitral valves – when lightning strikes thrice

Mitral valves are well known to be bi-leaflet structures with attachments from both leaflets (anterior and posterior) to both papillary muscles (anterolateral and posteromedial). Congenital abnormalities of the mitral valve, although well described, are quite rare. These abnormalities can involve either the leaflet (cleft mitral valve) or the subvalvular apparatus (parachute mitral valve) or even occur as accessory mitral valve tissue (accessory mitral valve leaflet). These can occur in isolation, or in association with other congenital abnormalities. A tri-leaflet mitral valve is a novel echocardiographic finding that has only been described in 6 patients in 4 different case reports.(1-4) Wereport on 3 patients recently found to have trileaflet mitral valves in the setting of atrioventricular concordance and normal offset of the AV valves at our out-patient clinic