Osteoprotegerin and TRAIL in acute onset of atrial fibrillation

Background. There is a growing amount of evidence that inflammatory processes are involved in the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) and its complications. We decided to investigate the behavior of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) in terms of acute onset of AF. Methods and Results. We included 60 patients with acute onset of AF, candidates for pharmacological cardioversion. The presence of cardiovascular comorbidities was connected with higher concentration of OPG and lower level of TRAIL right from the first hours of AF paroxysm. The initial TRAIL level correlated also positively with left ventricle ejection fraction and negatively with left atrium diameter. We found subsequent increase of OPG in subgroups selected on the basis of CHA2DS2-VASc scoring. Although basal concentrations of studied markers did not allow prediction of the restoration of sinus rhythm, we observed important increase of TRAIL concentration in subgroup with sinus rhythm maintenance (94.11 ± 29.46 versus 111.39 ± 30.23 pg/mL; p=0.002). Conclusions. OPG and TRAIL are associated with the underlying cardiovascular damage in AF, but their balance is modulated by the fact of sinus rhythm restoration. Determining the suitability of OPG and TRAIL as predictive markers in AF requires further prospective studies

Niewydolność serca i migotanie przedsionków - gdy nieszczęścia chodzą parami

Niewydolność serca i migotanie przedsionków to dwa często współistniejące schorzenia kardiologiczne. W artykule przedstawiono mechanizmy ich współwystępowania, jego wpływ na rokowanie i wybór optymalnego leczenia. Na podstawie aktualnych wyników badań przedyskutowano strategie kontroli częstości i rodzaju rytmu, profilaktykę przeciwzakrzepową, leczenie nieantyarytmiczne i techniki niefarmakologiczne

Myocarditis related to "Salmonella enteritidis" infection

Myocarditis associated with bacterial enteritis has only rarely been described in literature. The clinical manifestation of the disease is often oligosymptomatic, so the real incidence could be underestimated. A case of myocarditis in a 31-year-old male patient having Salmonella enteritidis infection is reported. The clinical course and problems concerning the diagnosis are discussed. The possibility of myocardial infection should be considered in any patient with cardiac complaints during gastrointestinal infection

Myocarditis related to Salmonella enteritidis infection

Myocarditis associated with bacterial enteritis has only rarely been described in literature. The clinical manifestation of the disease is often oligosymptomatic, so the real incidence could be underestimated. A case of myocarditis in a 31-year-old male patient having Salmonella enteritidis infection is reported. The clinical course and problems concerning the diagnosis are discussed. The possibility of myocardial infection should be considered in any patient with cardiac complaints during gastrointestinal infection. (Cardiol J 2007; 14: 589-591

Knowledge of antithrombotic prophylaxis among patients with atrial fibrillation

Background: Effective and safe anticoagulative therapy needs close co-operation between doctor and patient, the latter being well-informed. The aim of the study was to assess knowledge of oral anticoagulation in a group of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with acenocoumarol and to determine the relationship between knowledge and INR value. Method: The study group consisted of patients with AF who were continuously using anticoagulative therapy and who were admitted to hospital (for different reasons). The questionnaire comprised questions about their knowledge of various aspects of the treatment used. In the assessment of knowledge a numerical scale was introduced (0–9 points) and the patients were given one point for each correct answer. Results: The study group consisted of 61 patients aged 46–91 (mean 70.18). The level of knowledge of oral anticoagulation among the group of patients examined was low (the mean number of points achieved was 4.19 in the 9-point scale). Sex, education and the reason for admission had no relationship with the level of knowledge. Younger patients (4.85 ± 1.94 vs. 3.56 ± 1.86, p = 0.01) and those who had INR within the therapeutic limits at the moment of admission to the hospital (5.50 ± 1.79 vs. 3.56 ± 1.79 points, p = 0.0003) had a higher level of knowledge of the antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions: Knowledge of treatment with acenocoumarol among the patients with atrial fibrillation using oral anticoagulation is low and inversely correlated with age. The greater the knowledge, the better is the value of INR controlled. (Cardiol J 2007; 14: 44–49

Zapalenie mięśnia sercowego związane z zakażeniem Salmonella enteritiditis

Zapalenie mięśnia sercowego związane z bakteryjnym zapaleniem jelita rzadko opisuje się w piśmiennictwie. Przebieg kliniczny choroby jest często skąpoobjawowy, a więc jej rzeczywista częstość występowania może być zaniżona. W pracy przedstawiono przypadek zapalenia mięśnia sercowego u 31-letniego mężczyzny z zakażeniem Salmonella enteritiditis. Możliwość zapalenia mięśnia sercowego należy uwzględnić u każdego pacjenta z dolegliwościami sercowymi występującymi w czasie zakażenia przewodu pokarmowego. (Folia Cardiologica Excerpta 2008; 3: 159-161

Ten-year follow-up after in-hospital adult cardiac arrest

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of in-hospital cardiac arrest and survival during 10 years of observation. Methods: Study group: patients hospitalized in the Internal Medicine Unit (including Intensive Care) in the years 1995-1997 with cardiac arrest during hospitalization. The probable reasons for the cardiac arrest were defined (cardiac or non-cardiac) as well as the mechanism (VF/VT, other). The number of deaths during the first 24 hours from the episode, during the whole stay in the hospital and after one, five and ten-years was analyzed. Results: During the period examined, 152 cardiac arrests took place. The resuscitation was successful in 83 cases. In that group, 66% patients had cardiac cause of cardiac arrest, 50.6% in the mechanism of VF. Ninety percent of the patients died during their stay in the hospital (38.5% during the first 24 hours after the episode), 10% of the patients left the hospital alive. Only 2 of them (2.4%) survived the next 5 years. Nobody survived 10 years. Conclusions: Cardiac arrest within the internal ward was characterized by high in-hospital mortality risk and unsuccessful late prognosis. Non-cardiac cause of cardiac arrest, relatively common in cases of in-hospital cardiac arrest, is connected with better survival after the first 24 hours; however, it does not improve the general survival to hospital discharge

Low-grade chronic inflammation and immune alterations in childhood and adolescent cancer survivors : a contribution to accelerated aging?

Abstract Background The long‐term consequences of chemotherapy and radiotherapy result in a high prevalence and early onset of age‐related chronic diseases in survivors. We aimed to examine whether childhood and adolescent cancer survivors (CS) demonstrate biomarkers of accelerated aging. Methods We evaluated 50 young adult CS at 11 [8–15] years after cancer diagnosis, and 30 healthy, age and sex‐matched controls, who were unexposed to cancer therapy. Using a machine‐learning approach, we assessed factors discriminating CS from controls and compared selected biomarkers and lymphocyte subpopulations with data from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) cohort and the Genotype Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. Results Survivors compared with controls had higher levels of C‐reactive protein and fibrinogen. The surface expression of CD38 on T cells was increased, and there was an increase in the percentage of memory T cells in survivors, compared with the unexposed group. The relationships between above cell subpopulations and age were consistent in CS, FHS, and GTEx cohorts, but not in controls. Conclusions Young pediatric cancer survivors differ from age‐related controls in terms of activation of the adaptive immune system and chronic, low‐grade inflammation. These changes resemble aging phenotype observed in older population. Further research in biomarkers of aging in young, adult childhood cancer survivors is warranted, as it may facilitate screening and prevention of comorbidities in this population