Selami Doğan

This study evaluates the association between the Intermountain Risk Score (IMRS) and coronary artery ectasia (CAE) to determine its predictive value. A retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary hospital from January 2019 to January 2024. A total of 446 patients (226 with CAE, 220 controls) were included. Clinical, laboratory, and angiographic data were analyzed. IMRS was calculated based on routine demographic and laboratory parameters. Statistical analyses included logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Patients with CAE had significantly higher IMRS scores (p = 0.011) and were more likely to fall into high-risk IMRS categories (p = 0.002). Smoking (HR: 3.744, p = 0.045), mean corpuscular volume (HR: 1.105, p = 0.019), and IMRS color category (HR: 5.255, p = 0.016) were independent predictors. ROC analysis showed an AUC of 0.617 for IMRS score and 0.627 for IMRS color category. IMRS is a significant predictor of CAE and may serve as a practical risk stratification tool. Higher-risk patients could benefit from closer monitoring and targeted interventions. Further validation in prospective studies is needed.

Background and Objectives: Studies have shown that inflammation markers can be used as prognostic tools in predicting acute ischemic stroke. In this study, we conducted a comparison of several inflammation scores in predicting left atrial thrombosis (LAT) in patients with ischemic stroke without AF. Materials and Methods: In this single-center, retrospective study, we included 303 consecutive patients with ischemic stroke. Each patient underwent a transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) examination within 10 days of admission to detect the presence of LAT. To identify independent predictors of LAT, we conducted a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: In total, 303 patients who had ischemic stroke were included in the analysis. LAT was detached in 34 patients at the time of the TEE examination. The patients were categorized into two groups based on their LAT status. The Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), HALP score, and C-reactive Protein–Albumin Ratio (CAR) were identified as statistically significant predictors of LAT. Based on the results of the multivariate regression analysis, the CAR emerged as the only independent predictor of LAT. Conclusions: Among several inflammation scores, the PNI, HALP, and CAR were statistically significant predictors of LAT in ischemic stroke patients without AF. CAR was identified as the optimal score for the prediction of LAT in patients with stroke and without AF.

Article: Prognostic value of serum albumin to creatinine ratio in patients undergoing carotid artery stenting - International Angiology 2024 Apr 04 - Minerva Medica - Journals

The aim of this study was to evaluate the choroidal thickness and choroidal vascular index in normotensive individuals with dipping and nondipping patterns.

Article: Comparison of the effects of resistance, aerobic and mixed exercise on athlete’s heart - The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2023 Oct 30 - Minerva Medica - Journals

Introduction: Pregnancy is a process that can cause several physiologic changes to the cardiovascular system such as ventricular hypertrophy and dilation of cardiac chambers. Although there are studies about pregnancy‐related changes in echocardiographic examination; there is no data about the long‐term effects of parity on these alterations. Therefore, we evaluated the long‐term effect of pregnancy on right ventricular (RV) dilation and RV hypertrophy and their relation to the parity number.Methods: This prospective study included a total of 600 women (200 consecutive women who had no parity, 200 women who had a parity number of 1 to 4 and 200 women who had a parity number of more than 4). Right chambers’ measurements were compared between the groups.Results: In echocardiographic analysis, RV and right atrial dimensions and areas and RV wall thickness were higher in parous women. On the other hand, RV systolic function parameters were significantly lower in parous women. These significant changes showed a gradual increase or decrease by increasing parity number. By multivariate hierarchical logistic regression analysis, the four independent factors that increased the risk of RV dilation were age (OR: 1.16 CI: 1.10–1.20), body mass index (OR: 1.05, CI: 1.02–1.08), smoking (OR: 1.87, CI: 1.28–4.02), and giving a birth (OR: 3.94 CI: 1.82–8.81). There was also independent relationship between the number of parity and RV hypertrophy even after adjustment for several confounders.Conclusion: Pregnancy‐related physiological changes mostly resolve after delivery. This study about long‐term effects of pregnancy on RV has demonstrated that there is a significant relation between the number of parity and either RV dilation or RV hypertrophy. Each parity had also additive effect on these changes.

Inflammation plays an important role in the initiation of postoperative atrial fibrillation (PoAF) in individuals undergoing cardiac surgery, Thus, this study aimed to investigate the predictive value of the systemic immune inflammation index (SII) to develop PoAF in such patients. In total, 391 consecutive patients undergoing an isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were retrospectively analyzed. PoAF was defined according to the current guideline. The SII is determined using the following equation: neutrophil (N) × platelet (P) ÷ lymphocyte (L). The incidence of PoAF in the present study was 24% (n=97 cases). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the SII was an independent predictor of PoAF (Odds ratio: 1.002 95% confidence interval: (1.001-1.002), p807.8 with 60.8% sensitivity and 80.9% specificity [area under the curve (AUC): 0.7107]. The AUC value of SII in detecting PoAF was much greater than the AUC values of both the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (AUC: 0.6740 and AUC: 0.6426, respectively). This study revealed that SII was an independent predictor of PoAF in patients who were operated on for isolated CABG. Additionally, SII had a better discriminative ability for PoAF compared to either NLR or PLR among these cases.