| 1. |
- Chmiela, Magdalena, et al.
(författare)
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A link between Helicobacter pylori and/or Chlamydia spp. infections and atherosclerosis
- 2003
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Ingår i: Pathogens and Disease. - 2049-632X. ; 36:3, s. 187-192
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Antibodies to Helicobacter pylori, Chlamydia spp. and Mycobacterium bovis were determined in patients with coronary heart disease, H. pylori-related dyspepsia, and tuberculosis, and healthy controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was conducted with a glycine extract and CagA protein of H. pylori, chlamydial lipopolysaccharide and mycobacterial heat shock protein Hsp65. The prevalence of anti-glycine extract IgG in coronary heart disease patients was higher than in the tuberculosis group and controls, and the same as in dyspeptic patients. Anti-chlamydial IgG were more prevalent in the coronary heart disease group than in healthy subjects. There was no difference in the prevalence of anti-CagA IgG in the coronary heart disease group and controls or anti-Hsp65 IgG in the patients with coronary heart disease, dyspepsia, tuberculosis, and controls. Anti-glycine extract IgA (like anti-glycine extract IgG) were more prevalent in the coronary heart disease group than in the healthy group. The highest anti-glycine extract IgG/IgA and anti-chlamydial IgG titers were more frequent in coronary heart disease patients as compared with controls. Infections with H. pylori and Chlamydia spp. and enhanced production of antibodies to these pathogens may predispose to human atherosclerosis. (C) 2003 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Ferrara, Francesco, et al.
(författare)
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Imaging the right heart pulmonary circulation unit : Insights from advanced ultrasound techniques
- 2017
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Ingår i: Echocardiography. - : Wiley. - 0742-2822. ; 34:8, s. 1216-1231
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The right heart pulmonary circulation unit (RH-PCU) is a key determinant of prognosis in several cardiorespiratory diseases. Although right heart catheterization is considered the gold standard for pulmonary hemodynamic assessment, a comprehensive cardiovascular ultrasound approach is an essential step in the diagnostic-prognostic clinical pathway of patients with suspect or overt pulmonary hypertension. The exponential development of advanced ultrasound techniques (strain, 3-dimensional echocardiography and lung ultrasound) has led to new insights into the evaluation of RH-PCU structure and function, overcoming some limitations of standard Doppler echocardiography. In the near future, exercise Doppler echocardiography may become a useful technique for detecting a latent stage of pulmonary hypertension and for evaluating right ventricular contractile reserve.
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| 3. |
- Ferrara, Francesco, et al.
(författare)
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The Right Heart International Network (RIGHT-NET) : Rationale, Objectives, Methodology, and Clinical Implications
- 2018
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Ingår i: Heart Failure Clinics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1551-7136. ; 14:3, s. 443-465
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Right Heart International Network is a multicenter international study aiming to prospectively collect exercise Doppler echocardiography tests of the right heart pulmonary circulation unit (RHPCU) in large cohorts of healthy subjects, elite athletes, and individuals at risk of or with overt pulmonary hypertension. It is going to provide standardization of exercise stress echocardiography of RHPCU and explore the full physiopathologic response.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Kubica, Jacek, et al.
(författare)
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Prolonged antithrombotic therapy in patients after acute coronary syndrome : A critical appraisal of current European Society of Cardiology guidelines
- 2020
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Ingår i: CARDIOLOGY JOURNAL. - : VM Media SP. zo.o VM Group SK. - 1897-5593 .- 1898-018X. ; 27:6, s. 661-676
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The increased risk of non-cardiovascular death in patients receiving clopidogrel or prasugrel in comparison with the placebo group in the Dual Antiplatelet Therapy (DAPT) trial in contrast to the decreased risk of cardiovascular death and all-cause death seen in patients treated with low-dose ticagrelor in the EU label population of the PEGASUS-TIMI 54 trial, resulted in inclusion in the 2020 ESC NSTE-ACS guidelines the recommendation for use of clopidogrel or prasugrel only if the patient is not eligible for treatment with ticagrelor. The prevalence of the primary outcome composed of cardiovascular death, stroke, or myocardial infarction was lower in the low-dose rivaroxaban and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) group than in the ASA-alone group in the COMPASS trial. Moreover, all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality rates were lower in the rivaroxaban-plus-ASA group. Comparison of the PEGASUS-TIMI 54 and COMPASS trial patient characteristics clearly shows that each of these treatment strategies should be addressed at different groups of patients. A greater benefit in post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients with a high risk of ischemic events and without high bleeding risk may be expected with ASA and ticagrelor 60 mg b.i.d. when the therapy is continued without interruption or with short interruption only after ACS. On the other hand, ASA and rivaroxaban 2.5 mg b.i.d. seems to be a better option when indications for dual antithrombotic therapy (DATT) appear after a longer time from ACS (more than 2 years) and/or from cessation of DAPT (more than 1 year) and in patients with multiple vascular bed atherosclerosis. Thus, both options of DATTs complement each other rather than compete, as can be presumed from the recommendations. However, a direct comparison between these strategies should be tested in future clinical trials.
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| 6. |
- Popescu, Bogdan A, et al.
(författare)
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European Association of Echocardiography recommendations for training, competence, and quality improvement in echocardiography
- 2009
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Ingår i: European Journal of Echocardiography. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1525-2167 .- 1532-2114. ; 10:8, s. 893-905
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The main mission statement of the European Association of Echocardiography (EAE) is 'to promote excellence in clinical diagnosis, research, technical development, and education in cardiovascular ultrasound in Europe'. As competence and quality control issues are increasingly recognized by patients, physicians, and payers, the EAE has established recommendations for training, competence, and quality improvement in echocardiography. The purpose of this document is to provide the requirements for training and competence in echocardiography, to outline the principles of quality measurement, and to recommend a set of measures for improvement, with the ultimate goal of raising the standards of echocardiographic practice in Europe.
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| 7. |
- Steeds, Richard P., et al.
(författare)
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EACVI appropriateness criteria for the use of transthoracic echocardiography in adults : a report of literature and current practice review
- 2017
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Ingår i: European Heart Journal Cardiovascular Imaging. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2047-2404 .- 2047-2412. ; 18:11, s. 1191-1204
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The European Association for Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) has outlined the rationale for setting appropriate use criteria (AUC) in cardiovascular (CV) imaging. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the most common imaging modality in CV disease and is a central tool in diagnosis, follow-up, management planning and intervention. The purpose of AUC is to inform referrers, both to avoid under-use, which may result in incomplete or incorrect diagnosis and treatment, and also over-use, which may delay correct diagnosis, lead to 'treatment cascade', and wastes resources. The first step in defining AUC for TTE in the adult has been for a panel of experts in echocardiography to review the evidence, guidelines, recommendations, and position papers from the European Society of Cardiology, EACVI and other specialist societies, and current state-of-the-art clinical practice. The attached document summarizes this work, which will be used to under-pin the development of AUC.
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| 8. |
- Szczesna, Dorota H, et al.
(författare)
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Interferometric measurements of dynamic changes of tear film.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of biomedical optics. - : SPIE-Intl Soc Optical Eng. - 1083-3668. ; 11:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tear film stability plays an important role in the quality of vision. We present an interferometric method for assessing the stability of precorneal tear film in real time. A lateral shearing technique is applied as a noninvasive and sensitive method for investigating tear film stability and the smoothness of the tear film surface by quantitative evaluation of the interference fringe pattern. The evaporation of tears and the appearance of tear film break-up between blinks cause changes in the fringe geometry. For quantitative assessment of the fringe smoothness and consequently of the tear film structure, the fast Fourier transform (FFT) is applied. Four parameters are used to quantitatively estimate dynamic changes in the tear film stability of the cornea 20 s after the eye blink. Examples of examined interferograms recorded in patients with healthy eyes, patients suffering from dry-eye syndrome, and patients wearing contact lenses are given. Significant differences between the stability of the tear film in the healthy eye and that in the dry eye and the eye with a contact lens are observed. The favorable influence of artificial tears applied in patients with dry-eye syndrome or contact lenses is also discussed.
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| 9. |
- Vamvakidou, Anastasia, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical Value of Stress Transaortic Flow Rate During Dobutamine Echocardiography in Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction, Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis : A Multicenter Study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Circulation Cardiovascular Imaging. - 1941-9651 .- 1942-0080. ; 14:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Low rest transaortic flow rate (FR) has been shown previously to predict mortality in low-gradient aortic stenosis. However limited prognostic data exists on stress FR during low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography. We aimed to assess the value of stress FR for the detection of aortic valve stenosis (AS) severity and the prediction of mortality.METHODS: This is a multicenter cohort study of patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and low-gradient aortic stenosis (aortic valve area <1 cm2 and mean gradient <40 mm Hg) who underwent low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography to identify the AS severity and presence of flow reserve. The outcome assessed was all-cause mortality.RESULTS: Of the 287 patients (mean age, 75±10 years; males, 71%; left ventricular ejection fraction, 31±10%) over a mean follow-up of 24±30 months there were 127 (44.3%) deaths and 147 (51.2%) patients underwent aortic valve intervention. Higher stress FR was independently associated with reduced risk of mortality (hazard ratio, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.94-0.99]; P=0.01) after adjusting for age, chronic kidney disease, heart failure symptoms, aortic valve intervention, and rest left ventricular ejection fraction. The minimum cutoff for prediction of mortality was stress FR 210 mL/s. Following adjustment to the same important clinical and echocardiographic parameters, among the three criteria of AS severity during stress, ie, the guideline definition of aortic valve area <1cm2 and aortic valve mean gradient ≥40 mm Hg, or aortic valve mean gradient ≥40 mm Hg, or the novel definition of aortic valve area <1 cm2 at stress FR ≥210 mL/s, only the latter was independently associated with mortality (hazard ratio, 1.72 [95% CI, 1.05-2.82]; P=0.03). Furthermore aortic valve area <1cm2 at stress FR ≥210 mL/s was the only severe aortic stenosis criterion that was associated with improved outcome following aortic valve intervention (P<0.001). Guideline-defined stroke volume flow reserve did not predict mortality.CONCLUSIONS: Stress FR during low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography was useful for the detection of both AS severity and flow reserve and was associated with improved prediction of outcome following aortic valve intervention.
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