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.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a widespread health issue globally, linked to significant morbidity and mortality. While oxidative stress, dysregulated lipid metabolism, and unhealthy lifestyle choices contribute to CAD, recent research highlights the role of immune responses and inflammation. Malnutrition, a modifiable risk factor, notably impacts CAD prognosis. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), derived from serum albumin and lymphocyte count, predicts outcomes in various diseases. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between malnutrition, as assessed by the PNI score, and the functional significance of coronary artery stenosis, evaluated by fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements. Methods: A retrospective analysis involved 232 patients with single intermediate-grade coronary stenosis who underwent FFR measurement between January 2022 and January 2024. Prognostic nutritional index values were calculated from serum albumin and lymphocyte counts. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on FFR values. Results: Patients with hemodynamically significant coronary stenosis (FFR ≤ 0.80) exhibited higher inflammatory markers and triglycerides, while those with FFR > 0.80 showed elevated albumin and PNI levels. Triglycerides and PNI emerged as independent predictors of significant coronary stenosis. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that PNI is independently associated with the functional significance of coronary artery stenosis as determined by FFR. Since lymphocytes, total protein and albumin values, which are readily available from routine blood tests, form the basis for PNI, this index can be easily used in clinical settings to predict hemodynamically significant coronary artery stenosis. However, the results of this study should be further expanded and validated through studies involving larger samples and prospective designs.

Background: Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases. Many studies have pointed out that the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), which demonstrates plasma atherogenicity, is correlated with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular morbidity, atherosclerosis, and severity of coronary artery disease. Within this context, we tried to evaluate the correlation between nondipping circadian pattern and AIP. Methods: We enrolled 1,030 hypertensive patients (mean age: 53.6 ± 11.4) as part of the target population, separated into different groups based on the circadian blood pressure (BP) pattern taken from dipper and nondipper groups subsequent to 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). We calculated the level of AIP using the log transformation of the ratio of triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Results: The AIP observed in the nondipper group was remarkably higher than those of the dipper group (p < 0.001). After measuring the 24-h ABPM, we determined that AIP had a weak but significant correlation with nighttime systolic BP (r = 0.090, p = 0.004) and nighttime diastolic BP (r = 0.073, p = 0.019). As for the analysis based on the multivariate logistic regression, high AIP and age were found to be independently associated with the presence of the nondipping pattern. Conclusion: AIP levels are higher in patients with nondipping pattern compared to dipper patients. Additionally, higher levels of AIP are independently associated with the presence of the nondipping pattern in hypertensive patients.

Objective: Early diagnosis and treatment of acute renal failure is critical for reducing mortality and morbidity in patients with crush syndrome (CS), which necessitates hemodialysis (HD) treatment in 75% of CS cases. This study aimed to evaluate whether the index of cardio electrophysiological balance‐corrected (iCEBc) and/or other electrocardiographic parameters could predict the need for HD among patients who had suffered from CS following the February 6, 2023 earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.Methods: This single‐center retrospective case‐control study included 130 patients diagnosed with CS. They were divided into two groups: the HD group (n = 56) and the non‐HD group (n = 74).Results: The study group had a mean age of 40.6 ± 16.1 years and 71 (54.6%) were males. iCEBc values in the HD group were significantly higher than those in the non‐HD group (p < 0.001). Multivariate regression revealed that high iCEBc (p = 0.029, odds ratio: 2.286, and 95% confidence intervals: 1.086–4.811), creatine kinase (p < 0.001, OR: 1.037, and 95% CI: 1.016–1.058), and white blood cell count (p = 0.002, OR: 1.112, and 95% CI: 1.038–1.191) were independent predictors of HD treatment. iCEBc > 4.67 predicted the need for HD with 75.0% sensitivity and 56.8% specificity. A new scoring system, ranging from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 10 points, has been designed. In patients with a score of ≥5, the need for dialysis was approximately seven times higher (p < 0.001, OR: 6.623, and 95% CI: 3.002–14.612). The area under the curve (AUC) of the new scoring system for predicting dialysis necessity was 0.803 (95% CI: 0.729–0.876 and p < 0.001).Conclusion: iCEBc and new scoring system are a simple, rapid, repeatable, and inexpensive parameter that can effectively predict the need for HD treatment in patients with CS.

Resumo Fundamento: As matrizes metaloproteinases (MMPs) podem afetar o volume extracelular (VEC) e seus compartimentos, e isso pode oferecer informações mais detalhadas sobre o mecanismo de remodelação adversa (RA) do ventrículo esquerdo (VE) após o infarto agudo do miocárdio (IM). Objetivos: Investigar o papel que as alterações (Δ) nos compartimentos de VEC (volume matriz (MVi) e volume celular (CVi)) desempenham no desenvolvimento de RA após o IM, e sua relação com as expressões de MMP-2. Métodos: Um total de noventa [...] Resumo Fundamento: As matrizes metaloproteinases (MMPs) podem afetar o volume extracelular (VEC) e seus compartimentos, e isso pode oferecer informações mais detalhadas sobre o mecanismo de remodelação adversa (RA) do ventrículo esquerdo (VE) após o infarto agudo do miocárdio (IM). Objetivos: Investigar o papel que as alterações (Δ) nos compartimentos de VEC (volume matriz (MVi) e volume celular (CVi)) desempenham no desenvolvimento de RA após o IM, e sua relação com as expressões de MMP-2. Métodos: Um total de noventa