Background: We aimed to examine the acute effect of aliskiren on smoking-induced endothelial dysfunction in smoker.
Methods: Nineteen male smokers were enrolled. After all participants smoked a cigarette, their endothelial function was assessed with brachial artery flow mediated dilation (FMD). An hour after the administration of aliskiren, they smoked again, their FMD was assessed again.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a relatively frequent genetic disease that affects 1/500 human beings. Main problems with this disease are the development of symptoms in 10-20% of affected individuals, and the increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a subset of patients with the disease. It is important to clarify the cause of symptoms and to assess the risk of sudden death in HCM because we do have therapies to relief these problems.
Potential Arrhythmogenic Risk of DDI/DDD Pacing Modes During Atrial Fibrillation
In patients with paroxysmal-persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), DDI and DDD pacing modes can be used to assess the clinical burden of AF. This report shows how the DDI mode might trigger ventricular tachyarrhythmias during AF. This potential arrhythmogenic phenomenon should be carefully considered when programming a device in DDI (or DDD) mode in patients with AF.
Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection and Implantation of Absorb Bioresorbable Drug-Eluting Stent in Cocaine-Related Acute Coronary Syndrome
The spontaneous dissection of the coronary arteries (SCAD) is rare and few data are available in the worldwide literature. Several diseases and conditions have been associated with SCAD, such as atherosclerosis, connective tissue disorders and the peripartum episode. Cocaine addiction is one of causes of the disease in young patients. In this paper we present a case report of a patient with a acute coronary syndrome who had a history of recent cocaine abuse.
Effect of Scatter, Attenuation and Resolution Correction on a Pediatric Myocardial Perfusion SPECT Image
Scatter correction, attenuation correction, and resolution correction are commonly used to improve the quantify ability of a SPECT image. However, almost none of these are discussed specifically for the pediatric patient. This study aims to suggest practical image processing techniques to improve pediatric SPECT reconstructions.