Background: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) may be treated with pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA), balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) and medical therapy (MT). Assessment in a multidisciplinary team of experts (CTEPH team) is currently recommended for treatment decision making. The aim of the present study was to report the effects of such an interdisciplinary concept. Methods and results: A total of 160 patients were consulted by the CTEPH team between December 2015 and September 2018. Patient baseline characteristics, CTEPH team decisions and implementation rates of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures were analysed. Change in World Health Organization (WHO) functional class and survival rates were evaluated by treatment strategy. A total of 51 (32%) patients were assessed as operable and 109 (68%) were deemed inoperable. Thirty-one (61% of operable patients) underwent PEA. Patients treated with PEA, BPA(+MT) and MT alone were 50.9 ± 14.7, 62.9 ± 15.1 and 68.9 ± 12.7 years old, respectively. At the follow-up, PEA patients had the highest WHO functional class improvement. Patients treated with BPA(+MT) had significantly better survival than PEA (p = 0.04) and MT patients (p = 0.04; 2-year survival of 92%, 79% and 79%, respectively). Conclusions:The CTEPH team ensures that necessary diagnostic procedures are performed. A relatively low proportion of patients was assessed by the CTEPH team as operable and underwent surgery, which in survivors resulted in the best functional improvement. Although patients undergoing BPA(+MT) were older than patients treated with PEA, their survival was better than patients subjected to PEA or MT alone. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Due to an important role of Cide-A protein demonstrated in the development of metabolic diseases such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and their vascular complications, CIDE -A gene and protein are potential therapeutic targets in the case of these diseases.

Due to the important role of the CIDE-A gene and Cide-A protein in the development of metabolic syndrome, obesity and the accompanying vascular lesions such as abdominal aortic an-eurysm, seen in this context, the tested gene and protein Cide-A represent a potential therapeutic target in these diseases.

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Introduction: A comprehensive assessment of right ventricular size and function, as well as evaluation of pulmonary artery pressures is an integral part of every echocardiographic examination. It is important to know the relevant guidelines but also the pitfalls of echocardiography. The aim: To determine the significance of echocardiography in the diagnostic process, prognosis and evaluation of treatment effectiveness in pulmonary hypertension. Review and Discussion: The gold standard for evaluation of size, ejection fraction, and stroke volume of the right ventricle is cardiac magnetic resonance. Whereas, the gold standard for the assessments of pulmonary artery pressures is right heart catheterization. However, echocardiography is the first diagnostic modality in the assessment of size and function of the right heart. Conclusions: Echocardiographic evaluation of the right heart plays a fundamental role in the diagnostic process of pulmonary hypertension. Echocardiography is essential to predict the course of the disease and assess the treatment efficiency.