Heart : official journal of the British Cardiac Society
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Comparative Study
Diagnostic accuracy of B type natriuretic peptide and amino terminal proBNP in the emergency diagnosis of heart failure.
To compare head to head the diagnostic accuracy of B type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and the amino terminal fragment of its precursor hormone (NT-proBNP) for congestive heart failure (CHF) in an emergency setting. ⋯ BNP and NT-proBNP may be equally useful as an aid in the diagnosis of CHF in short of breath patients presenting to the emergency department.
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Coronary air embolism remains a recognised complication of coronary catheterisation despite a strong emphasis on prevention. Current treatment consists of supportive measures with 100% oxygen and analgesia. ⋯ A case of coronary air embolism causing an acute coronary syndrome is described that was definitively treated with an aspiration system. The effectiveness of the aspiration system in the distal section of an obtuse marginal artery indicates that such dedicated aspiration systems may prove useful in the standard treatment of air embolism.
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To examine whether 17-beta-oestradiol (E(2)) may alter angiotensin II (Ang II) induced cell proliferation and to identify the putative underlying signalling pathways in rat cardiac fibroblasts. ⋯ The results suggest that E(2) inhibits Ang II induced cell proliferation and ET-1 gene expression, partially by interfering with the ERK pathway through attenuation of ROS generation. Thus, this study provides important new insight regarding the molecular pathways that may contribute to the proposed beneficial effects of oestrogen on the cardiovascular system.