Myocardial injury induced by RFA can be detected by cTnI, CK-MB, hFABP and GPBB. Plasma cTnI, CK-MB and hFABP levels significantly increased in patients with AFL and AF compared to patients with AVNRT. The increase of cTnI, CK-MB and GPBB levels correlates with the total duration of RFA.

Summary:The authors present the case of a young woman with newly diagnosed Takayasu's arteritis. This woman, with arterial hypertension, was investigated for the unspecific symptoms at the beginning. Afterwards, the transthoracic echocardiography showed dysfunction of the left ventricle and the abdominal sonography showed a stenosis of the right renal artery. PET/CT scan showed chronic modification after inflammatory processes on the wall of the thoracic and abdominal aorta. This case report should be instructive to other clinicians and refers to the necessity to remember this rare disease in our country too.

One month after termination of a 3-mo exposure of rats to cadmium (Cd in drinking water at a concentration of 50 mg/l), the effects of dithiocarbamate analogs on the excretion and distribution of the cadmium were determined. Sodium salts of three dithiocarbamates [sodium bis(hydroxyethyl) dithiocarbamate, DEDTC; sodium N-methyl-D-glucamine dithiocarbamate, MGDTC; and sodium 4-carboxamidopiperidine dithiocarbamate, INADTC] were given to rats ip 2 times at 2.46 mmol/kg. In the following administration of the first injection of DEDTC, cadmium excretion via the urine amounted to 15.8 micrograms and via bile amounted to 124.4 micrograms Cd. Following administration of MGDTC, the urinary and biliary excretions of cadmium were 14.5 and 47 micrograms, respectively, while in the case of INADTC the corresponding values were 23.6 and 7.9 micrograms cadmium. In control animals the urinary and biliary excretion per 12 h reached 0.09 and 0.12 micrograms Cd. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis of bile revealed differences in the distribution of Cd in the elution fractions after the first injections of the individual dithiocarbamates. For all three dithiocarbamates, significant decreases of the concentrations of cadmium in the liver and kidney were found. DEDTC (but neither of the other compounds) increased the concentration of cadmium in the brain from control levels of 49 +/- 5 ppb to 105 +/- 16 ppb.

Background. Activation of the immune system plays a pathogenic role in the process of myocardial remodeling in patients with supraventricular arrhythmias. The intensity of this process is associated with the effectiveness of electrical cardioversion and radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFA). The aim of this study was to test the ability of the biochip microarray to detect immune parameters in patients with supraventricular arrhythmias undergoing RFA treatment. Methods. We used a biochip-based microarray system to determine multiple immune parameters in a group of 35 patients who had undergone RFA for atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT), atrial flutter (AFL) and atrial fibrillation (AF). Results. Before the procedure, serum IL-6 and VEGF levels were significantly increased in patients with atrial fibrillation compared to patients with AVNRT (IL-6: 6.4±6.3 ng/L vs. 1.5±0.7 ng/L, P < 0.01; VEGF: 132.4±74 ng/L vs. 88.5±56.4 ng/L, P < 0.01). After the procedure, serum IL-6, VEGF, IFN-γ and MCP-1 levels significantly increased compared to baseline (IL-6: 5.2±4.8 ng/L vs. 2.9±2.1 ng/L, P < 0.01; VEGF: 195.8±160 ng/L vs. 119.8± 110 ng/L, P < 0.05; IFN-γ: 3.1±1.2 ng/L vs. 2.3±0.6 ng/L, P < 0.05; MCP-1: 104.1±84.5 ng/L vs. 54.5±50 ng/L, P < 0.05). Serum IL-6 and IFN-γ were associated with the number of RFA applications (IL-6: r = 0.56, n 33; IFN-γ: r = 0.47, n 33). Conclusions. This study showed that biochip-based microarray can be useful in the detection of immune activation in patients with arrhythmias and can detect myocardial injury after RF procedures.