OBJECTIVE Impairment in left ventricular (LV) function due to excessive ventricular extrasystoles (VESs) occurs during long-time follow-up. Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) has been shown to be superior to conventional methods for evaluating cardiac functions. We aimed to use STE for early detection of LV dysfunction in patients with apparently normal hearts who have frequent VESs. MET...

Introduction Arterial hypertension (HT) is one of the most common diseases around the world and constitutes a significant medical, social, and economic problem. Lifestyle changes, including adequate fruit and vegetable consumption, play an important role in controlling blood pressure (BP) and other cardiovascular risk factors. Aim To compare the influence of adding acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) ...

BACKGROUND Previous studies have suggested that women with myocardial infarction are treated less aggressively and have worse outcomes compared with men. The objective of this study was to evaluate sex differences in the management and outcomes of elderly (age > or = 70 years) women and men with acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) in the new millennium. METHODS This study includes 1331 consecutiv...

BACKGROUND Increased prevalence of classic early repolarization, defined as ST-segment elevation (STE) in the absence of acute myocardial injury, in African Americans is well established. The prognostic value of this pattern in different ethnicities remains controversial. OBJECTIVE Measure association between early repolarization and cardiovascular mortality in African Americans. METHODS Th...

BACKGROUND In asymptomatic Marfan syndrome (MFS) patients we evaluated the relationship between the types of fibrillin-1 (FBN1) gene mutation and possible altered left ventricular (LV) function as assessed by three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3D-STE). METHODS AND RESULTS Forty-five MFS patients (mean age 24 ± 15 years) and 40 age-matched healthy controls were studied. Genet...

BACKGROUND The effect of individual dietary fatty acids on emerging risk factors for cardiovascular disease that are associated with subclinical inflammation is unknown. OBJECTIVE The goal was to evaluate the role of dietary fat and specific fatty acids, especially trans fatty acids, in altering concentrations of markers of inflammation in humans fed controlled diets. DESIGN In a randomized...

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in cats is characterized by concentric left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and both diastolic and systolic dysfunction. Although impaired cardiac function detected by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in cats with HCM was previously reported, reference ranges of TDI in normal cats and cats with HCM have been reported as widely variable. Two-dimensional speckle trackin...

Background: Strength, muscular endurance, and fl exibility are important components of healthy back function. This study determined the reliability and evaluated the validity of selected low back fi eld tests (FITNESSGRAM® Trunk Extension [FG-TE] and Box 90° Dynamic Trunk Extension [B-90° DTE]) when compared to laboratory tests (Parallel Roman Chair Dynamic Trunk Extension [PRC-DTE], Parallel R...

BACKGROUND Lead aVR is a neglected, however, potentially useful tool in electrocardiography. Our aim was to evaluate its value in clinical practice, by reviewing existing literature regarding its utility for identifying the culprit lesion in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS Based on a systematic search strategy, 16 studies were assessed with the intent to pool data; diagnostic test ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Cardiac changes observed in chronic kidney disease patients are of multifactorial origin including chronic uremia, hemodynamics or inflammation. Restoration of renal function by kidney transplantation (KTX) may reverse cardiac changes. Novel echocardiographic methods such as speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) allow early and sensitive detection of subtle changes of cardiac ...