No abstract

Behçet disease (BD) is a multisystemic disorder characterized by endothelial dysfunction and inflammation. Monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) is a recently emerged indicator of inflammation and oxidative stress. Sixty patients with BD and 50 control individuals were included to investigate the relationship between MHR and endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial function was assessed by flow- and nitroglycerin-mediated dilatation technique (FMD and NMD, respectively). Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels were measured in all study participants. The MHR and hsCRP levels were significantly higher in patients with active BD than in controls. Brachial artery FMD was significantly lower in patients with active BD than in controls. Brachial artery NMD was similar between groups. There was a strong inverse correlation between MHR and FMD and a strong positive correlation between MHR and serum hsCRP levels. Thus, elevated MHR may be a useful marker reflecting impaired endothelial function and systemic inflammation in patients with BD.

Longitudinal myocardial systolic function assessed by STE, which is a sensitive marker of subclinical ventricular dysfunction is impaired in BD. Increased NT-proBNP levels may be a sign of subclinical ventricular dysfunction in these patients.

This study showed that interatrial and intra-atrial electromechanical delay and PWD were prolonged in patients with moderate-to-severe OSA. LA dilatation, hypoxemia, and the severity of the disease may contribute a prolongation in interatrial electromechanical delay via atrial structural and electrical alterations, which may predict the risk of future AF development in patients with moderate-to-severe OSA.

Objective: The urocortin (Ucn) hormones have many important roles in the cardiovascular system. Apart from systolic dysfunction (SD), there is no sufficient data on the relationship between serum Ucn-2 and diastolic dysfunction (DD), or coronary artery disease (CAD). We investigated serum Ucn-2 levels in SD, DD, and CAD. Methods: In this observational cross-sectional study, study population was enrolled among outpatients who underwent coronary angiography with the pre-diagnosis of CAD. By examining the echocardiography 86 subjects were selected to study after coronary angiography. The subjects distributed over three groups to investigate the relationship between serum Ucn-2 and SD according to their ejection fraction (EF): subjects with moderate to severe SD (Group A, EF=33.6%), subjects with mild to moderate SD (Group B, EF=46.1%), and those without SD (Group C, EF=64.5%). Apart from these groups, the serum Ucn-2 levels were compared between subjects with and without DD (EF≥45%), and also compared between subjects with and without CAD (EF≥55%). Statistical analyses were performed using one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Chisquare, Mann-Whitney U, Spearman correlation and multiple regression analyses tests. Results: Serum Ucn-2 levels were decreased in Group A and were increased in Group B compared to Group C (9.4±3.4, 12.8±3.6 vs. 10.4±3.9 pg/ mL, respectively, p=0.003). Unlike SD; there was no significant difference in serum Ucn-2 levels between subjects with and without DD (11.4±4.1 vs 11.7±3.9 pg/mL, p=0.8) or CAD (10.7±4.7 vs 10.2±3.2 pg/mL, p=0.7). Conclusion: Ucn-2 is elevated in mild to moderate SD. But, DD (impaired relaxation pattern), or CAD (without myocardial infarction) seems to have no effect on Ucn-2 hormone levels. (Anadolu Kardiyol Derg 2012; 12: 115-20) Key words: Urocortin 2, left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction, coronary artery disease, regression analysis 115 ÖZET Amaç: Urocortin (Ucn) hormonları kardiyovasküler sistemde önemli rol oynamaktadır. Sistolik işlev bozukluğu (SD) dışında, diyastolik işlev bozukluğu (DD) veya koroner arter hastalığının (KAH) serum Ucn-2 ile ilişkisine dair yeterli veri bulunmamaktadır. Bu çalışmamızda SD, DD ve KAH'da serum Ucn-2 düzeyini araştırdık. Yöntemler: Bir gözlemsel enine-kesitli olan bu çalışmanın popülasyonu KAH ön tanısı ile koroner anjiyografi işlemine alınan bireyler arasından belirlendi. Koroner anjiyografi sonrası ekokardiyografi yapılarak 86 kişi seçildi. Ucn-2 ile SD arasındaki ilişkiyi araştırmak için ejeksiyon fraksiyonu (EF) farklı üç grup oluşturuldu: orta-ileri düzey SD olanlar (Grup A, EF=%33.6), hafif-orta SD olanlar (Grup B, EF=%46