Kardiol Pol
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N-terminal-pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is elevated not only in heart failure (HF) but also in atrial fibrillation (AF). The role and secretion pattern of NT-proBNP in AF is still undetermined. ⋯ NT-proBNP is markedly elevated in the majority of patients with AF even in the absence of HF. LA secretion of NT-proBNP is an important contributor to the overall increase of NT-proBNP also in HF patients. In AF patients, the concentration of NT-proBNP correlates with the remodelling of heart chambers, but not with physical capacity.
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Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia occurring after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Arrhythmia leads to prolonged hospitalisation and may have an impact on both short-term and long-term prognoses. ⋯ POAF was diagnosed in 21% of post-CABG patients, and the major predictors were: age ≥ 70 years, preoperative stable angina, as well as low cardiac output syndrome following CABG.
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Nocturnal hypertension and non-dipping pattern are often associated with endothelial dysfunction. Previous studies suggested that adropin, a novel secreted energy homeostasis protein, has the unique ability to regulate endothelial cell function. ⋯ Decreased adropin levels were found in the nocturnal hypertensive and non-dipper groups. Adropin and hsCRP were found to be independently associated with a non-dipping pattern. We suggest that decreased levels of adropin in non-dipper hypertensive patients might be associated with a longer duration of exposure to high BP. These results point to a possible future role of adropin in identifying hypertensive patients at higher risk of target organ damage.
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Various conditions, including arterial hypertension, exhibit seasonal trends in their occurrence and magnitude. Those trends correspond to an interest exhibited in the number of Internet searches for the specific conditions per month. ⋯ In conclusion, arterial hypertension is more likely to occur during winter months, which correlates with increased interest in the search phrase "hypertension" in Google.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of clinical characteristics of real-life atrial fibrillation patients treated with vitamin K antagonists, dabigatran, and rivaroxaban: results from the CRAFT study.
The first-line drugs for the treatment of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) are non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs), which are preferred over vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). There is some evidence that there are dis-crepancies between everyday clinical practice and the guidelines. ⋯ The prescription of VKAs declined significantly after the introduction of NOACs. Patients treated with different OACs demonstrated a distinct baseline clinical profile. The highest risk of thromboembolic events and incidence of major bleedings was observed in patients on rivaroxaban, in comparison to patients on VKAs and dabigatran. Among NOACs, patients treated with lower doses of dabigatran and rivaroxaban were older and had a significantly higher risk of thromboembolic and bleeding events.