European journal of clinical investigation
-
Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Aug 2018
Observational StudyPredicting obstructive coronary artery disease using carotid ultrasound parameters: A nomogram from a large real-world clinical data.
Carotid ultrasound is a noninvasive tool for risk assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD). There is no consensus on which carotid ultrasound parameter constitutes the best measurement of atherosclerosis. We investigated which model of carotid ultrasound parameters and clinical risk factors (CRF) has the highest predictive value for CAD. ⋯ Total number of plaques, area of maximum soft, hard and mixed plaques showed significantly incremental prediction ability over CRF. A nomogram based on these factors provided an intuitive and practical method in detecting CAD.
-
Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Jul 2018
Upper body fat predicts metabolic syndrome similarly in men and women.
The metabolic syndrome is a constellation of risk factors including dyslipidemia, dysglycemia, hypertension, a pro-inflammatory state, and a prothrombotic state. All of these factors are accentuated by obesity. However, obesity can be defined by body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, or by body fat distribution. The latter consists of upper body fat (subcutaneous and visceral fat) and lower body fat (gluteofemoral fat). Waist circumference is a common surrogate marker for upper body fat. ⋯ Different waist concumference values should not be used to define abdominal obesity in men and women.
-
Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Jul 2018
Clinical TrialClinical effects of antiplatelet drugs and statins on D-dimer levels.
Acute pulmonary embolism may be ruled out by combining nonhigh clinical probability and a normal D-dimer level. Both antiplatelet drugs and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) have been associated with effects on thrombus formation, potentially influencing D-dimer levels in this setting, leading to a higher rate of false-negative tests. Therefore, we determined whether D-dimer levels in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism are affected by concomitant use of antiplatelet drugs and/or statins and evaluated whether the effect of antiplatelet drugs or statins might affect diagnostic accuracy. ⋯ We conclude that use of statins but not of antiplatelet agents is associated with a modest decrease in D-dimer levels. Adjusting D-dimer cut-offs for statin use did, however, not result in a safer diagnostic strategy in our cohort.