Background and Objectives: Aortic stenosis (AS) is a widespread valvular disease in developed countries, primarily among the elderly. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become a viable alternative to aortic valve surgery for patients with severe AS who are deemed a high surgical risk or for whom the AS is found to be inoperable. Predicting outcomes after TAVR is essential. The Naples Prognostic Score (NPS) is a new scoring method that evaluates nutritional status and inflammation. Our study is aims to examine the relationship between the NPS and outcomes for patients receiving TAVR. Material and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 370 patients who underwent TAVR across three tertiary medical centres from March 2019 to March 2023. The patients were divided into two groups based on their NPS, namely, low (0, 1, and 2) and high (3 and 4). Our study is primarily aimed to determine the one-year mortality rate. Results: Within one year, the mortality rate for the entire group was 8.6%. Nonetheless, the low-NPS group had a rate of 5.0%, whereas the high-NPS group had a rate of 13%. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant, with a p-value of 0.06. Conclusions: Our results show that NPS is an independent predictor of one-year mortality in patients undergoing TAVR.

Elderly patients with acute syndrome are frailer due to the burden of comorbidity. Comorbidities that increase with age result in an increased risk of mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Many scales have been developed to assess the burden of comorbidity, including the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). The aim of our study is to show the effect of the CCI on 1-year mortality and poor clinical outcomes in elderly patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention due to ACS. This single-center retrospective study included 704 patients aged 75 years and older. The study population consisted of patients who were admitted to the hospital with ACS between April 2017 and September 2021 and underwent successful percutaneous intervention. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to their CCI scores as CCI 0 (n:156), 1 (n:266), and ≥2 (n:282). Stroke development was significantly higher in patients with CCI scores ≥ 2 compared to the other 2 groups (P = .005). Mortality rates were found to be 28.4%, 7.5%, and 2.6% in patients with CCI ≥ 2, CCI 1, and CCI 0, respectively. The mortality rate of the CCI ≥ 2 group was significantly higher than those of the other 2 groups (P < .001). The multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model showed that CCI was an independent predictor for 1-year all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 1.632; 95% confidence interval: 1.403–1.898; P < .001). CCI may contribute to treatment and follow-up management, as it indicates a poor prognosis in elderly patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background and Objectives: In-stent restenosis (ISR) is a major problem in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is a nutritional status score used in the literature to determine the prognosis of coronary artery disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of preprocedural PNI values on the risk of ISR in patients with stable coronary artery disease who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 809 patients. Stent restenosis was evaluated in the follow-up coronary angiography of the patients due to stable angina pectoris or acute coronary syndrome. The patients were divided into two groups based on those with (n = 236) and without (n = 573) in-stent restenosis, and their nutritional status was compared with PNI. The PNI values before the first angiography of the patients were calculated. Results: The mean PNI score was significantly lower in patients with ISR than in those without ISR (49.5 vs. 52.3, p < 0.001). Concerning the results of the Cox regression hazard model for predictors of ISR, PNI was significantly associated with the development of ISR (HR = 0.932, 95% CI: 0.909–0.956, p < 0.001). In addition, stent type, stent length, and diabetes mellitus were associated with the development of ISR. Conclusions: A low PNI value indicates poor nutritional status, which is thought to accelerate inflammation processes and cause atherosclerosis and ISR.

Aim: We aimed to evaluate the awareness of pneumococcal vaccination (PCV13, PPSV23) in general cardiology outpatient clinics and impact of physicians’ recommendations on vaccination rates. Methods: This was a multicenter, observational, prospective cohort study. Patients over the age of 18 from 40 hospitals in different regions of Turkey who applied to the cardiology outpatient clinic between September 2022 and August 2021 participated. The vaccination rates were calculated within three months of follow-up from the admitting of the patient to cardiology clinics. Results: The 403 (18.2%) patients with previous pneumococcal vaccination were excluded from the study. The mean age of study population (n = 1808) was 61.9 ± 12.1 years and 55.4% were male. The 58.7% had coronary artery disease, hypertension (74.1%) was the most common risk factor, and 32.7% of the patients had never been vaccinated although they had information about vaccination before. The main differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients were related to education level and ejection fraction. The physicians’ recommendations were positively correlated with vaccination intention and behavior in our participants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a significant correlation between vaccination and female sex [OR = 1.55 (95% CI = 1.25–1.92), p < 0.001], higher education level [OR = 1.49 (95% CI = 1.15–1.92), p = 0.002] patients’ knowledge [OR = 1.93 (95% CI = 1.56–2.40), p < 0.001], and their physician’s recommendation [OR = 5.12 (95% CI = 1.92–13.68), p = 0.001]. Conclusion: To increase adult immunization rates, especially among those with or at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), it is essential to understand each of these factors. Even if during COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increased awareness about vaccination, the vaccine acceptance level is not enough, still. Further studies and interventions are needed to improve public vaccination rates.

Objectives: The endothelial activation and stress index (EASIX) has gained growing recognition as a potential marker for evaluating endothelial dysfunction and survival outcomes across diverse clinical conditions. This research aimed to assess the utility of the EASIX score in predicting disease severity and prognosis in patients diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism (APE). Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out on 364 consecutive patients diagnosed with APE at our hospital between 2022 and 2025. The cohort included 193 female (53%), with an average age of 64.8 ± 15.8 years. Based on clinical severity, patients were stratified into three categories: low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk APE. Calculation of the EASIX score was performed using the following formula: lactate dehydrogenase (U/L) × serum creatinine (mg/dL)/platelet count (109/L). Results: Higher EASIX scores independently predicted both the high-risk APE and in-hospital mortality. Additionally, the EASIX score showed positive correlations with the simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (sPESI), troponin, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis identified an optimal EASIX cutoff value of 1.18 for predicting high-risk APE, offering a sensitivity of 77.5% and a specificity of 72.1%, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.816. Comparative ROC curve analysis revealed that the EASIX score (AUC = 0.835) exhibited a higher discriminative ability for in-hospital mortality compared to both the sPESI (AUC = 0.710) and Wells (AUC = 0.592) scores. Conclusion: The EASIX score appears to be a reliable and easily obtainable marker for assessing both disease severity and prognosis in APE.

This study aimed to compare the left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic parameters and left atrial (LA) mechanical functions of individuals engaging in recreational sports and resistance exercises on a weekly basis. A total of 43 male amateur athletes were included in this study, of which 24 performed resistance exercises (REs) (29.70 ± 8.74 year, weight: 81.70 ± 12.64 kg, height: 176.05 ± 7.73 cm, BMI: 27.64 ± 4.97 kg/m²), and 19 participated in recreational football training and were included in the recreational sports group (31.73 ± 6.82 year, weight: 86.00 ± 18.52 kg, height: 178.62 ± 4.95 cm, BMI: 25.55 ± 3.42 kg/m²). The exercises were standardized according to the weekly exercise frequency and volume. After recording the participants’ demographic information, the LV systolic and diastolic parameters and LA mechanical functions were measured using echocardiography (ECHO) and Tissue Doppler Imaging. Significant differences were observed in various cardiac parameters between the recreational sports group (REG) and resistance exercise Group (RSG). Specifically, the left ventricular (LV) diastolic diameter, LV end diastolic volume index (LVEDVi), and stroke volume index were notably higher in the REG compared to the RSG (t = 2.804, p = .010, effect size (ES) = 2.10; t = 3.174, p = .003, ES = 0.98; t = 3.36, p = .002, ES = 1.02, respectively). Notably, the RSG exhibited higher values for LV mass index (LVMi) and isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) than the REG (t = 2.843, p = .007, ES = 0.87; t = 2.517, p = .016, ES = 0.76) in terms of LV systolic and diastolic parameters. Regarding left atrial (LA) mechanics, the REG demonstrated increased LA total emptying volume index, LA maximum volume index, LA volume before systole measured at the onset of the p-wave index, and conduit volume index compared to RSG (t = 2.419, p = .020, ES = 0.75; t = 2.669, p = .011, ES = 0.81; t = 2.111, p = .041, ES = 0.64; t = 2.757, p = .009, ES = 0.84, respectively). Our study revealed significant variations in LV and LA functions between REG and RSG. Our data suggest that REs led to substantial cardiac remodeling, altering myocardial structure and function. In contrast, the effect of recreational exercise on cardiac adaptation was less pronounced than that of resistance exercise. Consequently, we propose that individuals engaging in recreational exercise should consider modalities that impose higher cardiovascular demand for more effective cardiac conditioning.