New Therapeutic Guidelines in Cardiology

peer reviewedCardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the so-called industrial countries. An appropriate management is mandatory and its modalities should be known and applied by physicians. European and American recommendations are regularly published and updated. They are available on the web sites of the European Society of Cardiology (www.escardio.org), the American Heart Association (www.aha.org) and the American College of Cardiology (www.acc.org This article describes the recent therapeutic options of some cardiovascular diseases, especially coronary artery disease, valvular diseases, atrial fibrillation and implantable defibrillator, but is far to be exhaustive

Large scale flow effects, energy transfer, and self-similarity on turbulence

The effect of large scales on the statistics and dynamics of turbulent fluctuations is studied using data from high resolution direct numerical simulations. Three different kinds of forcing, and spatial resolutions ranging from 256^3 to 1024^3, are being used. The study is carried out by investigating the nonlinear triadic interactions in Fourier space, transfer functions, structure functions, and probability density functions. Our results show that the large scale flow plays an important role in the development and the statistical properties of the small scale turbulence. The role of helicity is also investigated. We discuss the link between these findings and intermittency, deviations from universality, and possible origins of the bottleneck effect. Finally, we briefly describe the consequences of our results for the subgrid modeling of turbulent flows

syncope

peer reviewedSyncope remains a clinical challenge. Accurate history taking, physical examination and EKG are mainstays of the diagnosis work up. The most important parameter for prognosis and requiring aggressive management is a structural heart disease. Patient without cardiopathy presenting multiple episodes may be candidate for tilt testing and loop EKG recorder

The Brugada Syndrome

peer reviewedThe Brugada syndrome, a genetically transmitted disease according to an autosomal mode with a variable penetrance, is responsible for sudden death secondary to polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. The diagnosis is based on a typical electrocardiographical paturn that combines a right bundle branch block with ST elevation in the right precordial leads. In high risk patients, the automatic implantable defibrillator has the unique capability to protect against the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias

Treatment of Recurrent Pericarditis: Case Report and Review of Literature

peer reviewedBenign acute pericarditis is a common disorder. Recurrence is probably the most troublesome complication, characterized by a return of pericardial pain after recovery from an episode of typical acute pericarditis. Treatment of recurrence is often difficult and the guidelines issued by scientific societies remain vague. A number of investigators published enthusiastic reports on the efficacy of colchicine as adjuvant treatment of recurrent pericarditis and other authors suggested that colchicine should also be used as part of the treatment regimen of acute pericarditis. Colchicine is effective and safe and may be proposed as treatment of choice, especially in the idiopathic form. Treatment with corticosteroids exacerbates and extends the course of recurrent pericarditis and attenuates the efficacy of colchicine

Image of the Month. Myxoma of the Left Atrium

peer reviewe

Left Ventricular Aneurysms: Principles of Surgical Treatment

peer reviewedAfter reviewing the historical background, the morphology and physiopathology of left ventricular aneurysms, the authors review the physiology, the technical aspects, and the current surgical indications of aneurysmectomy, with a particular emphasis on the concept of endoventriculoplasty of Jaten

Ventricular Aneurysm or Pseudoaneurysm?

peer reviewe