No abstract

Objective Fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) is an inexpensive and easily measurable novel inflammatory index that has been found to be associated with atherosclerosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between the FAR and coronary artery disease (CAD) severity in patients with stable CAD. Methods In total, 356 consecutive patients with CAD were classified into three groups, those with a low Synergy between percutaneous coronary intervention and the Taxus and Cardiac Surgery Study (SYNTAX) score (≤22), those with an intermediate SYNTAX score (23≥ SYNTAX score ≤32) and those with a high SYNTAX score (>32). Results We determined that there were significant differences in the mean age (P < 0.001), male gender (P = 0.008), serum fibrinogen (P = 0.03), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.001) and FAR (P < 0.001) among the SYNTAX score groups. A strong positive correlation was detected between FAR and SYNTAX score (r = 0.899; P < 0.001), and the cutoff level of FAR for high SYNTAX score was 82 (sensitivity of 82%, specificity of 88.3% and an area under the curve of 0.826). Conclusion The novel inflammatory index, FAR, is significantly associated with the severity of CAD in patients with stable CAD.

No abstract

Objective: Recent studies have shown that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) measured before cardioversion (CV) plays a significant role in predicting atrial fibrillation (AF) relapse. The time course of changes in hs-CRP after successful electrical CV remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic value of pre- and post-CV hs-CRP levels in predicting the long-term risk of AF. Additionally, we evaluated changes in hs-CRP levels over time following a successful CV. Methods: This prospective study comprised 216 patients with persistent AF who underwent CV (mean age 51.94 ± 8.07 years; 55.6% men). hs-CRP levels were examined in all patients, and blood samples were taken prior to and 1, 2, 7 and 30 days after CV. AF relapse was determined by 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring and 12-lead standard ECG during 12 months of follow-up. We further divided the study population into two groups according to their rhythm at the end of the follow-up period (group A: patients with AF at the end of follow-up; group B: patients with sinus rhythm at the end of the follow-up period). Results: The AF recurrence rate was 42.2% throughout the 12-month follow-up period. The basal hs-CRP levels were higher in patients with an AF relapse than in those without (1.68 ± 0.57 vs. 1.12 ± 0.53 mg/dl; p < 0.01). The hs-CRP levels were significantly decreased at 30 days in group B, whereas there was no significant decrease in group A (from 1.12 ± 0.53 to 0.69 ± 0.33 mg/dl, p < 0.01, and from 1.68 ± 0.57 to 1.69 ± 0.76 mg/dl, p > 0.05, respectively). By multivariate Cox analysis, the independent predictors of AF relapse time points were the basal and day-2 hs-CRP levels. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the cutoff value of hs-CRP on the 2nd day for predicting AF relapse was 1.85 mg/dl, with a sensitivity of 62%, a specificity of 82%, a positive predictive value of 85.7% and a negative predictive value of 81.6%. Conclusion: The hs-CRP levels both prior to and after CV predict the long-term risk of AF relapse. In the present study, hs-CRP levels were significantly decreased in patients who remained in sinus rhythm at the end of the study. In contrast, hs-CRP levels remained high throughout the follow-up in patients with an AF relapse.