Hypertension plays a dominant role in the development of left ventricular (LV) remodeling and heart failure, in addition to being the main risk factor for coronary artery disease. In this review, we focus on the focal geometric and functional tissue aspects of the LV septal base, since basal septal hypertrophy (BSH), as the early imaging biomarker of LV remodeling due to hypertensive heart disease, is detected in cross-sectional clinic studies. In addition, the validation of BSH by animal studies using third generation microimaging and relevant clinical observations are also discussed in the report. Finally, an evaluation of both human and animal quantitative imaging studies and the importance of combined cardiac imaging methods and stress-induction in the separation of adaptive and maladaptive phases of the LV remodeling are pointed out. As a result, BSH, as the early imaging biomarker and quantitative follow-up of functional analysis in hypertension, could possibly contribute to early treatment in a timely fashion in the prevention of hypertensive disease progression to heart failure. A variety of stress stimuli in etiopathogenesis and the difficulty of diagnosing pure hemodynamic overload mediated BSH lead to an absence of the certain prevalence of this particular finding in the population.

Background: We aimed to investigate the clinical and angiographic characteristics of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who survived this devastating earthquake and were admitted to our hospital in Antakya/Türkiye. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively examined the impact of the earthquake on the occurrences of acute coronary syndromes in Antakya/Türkiye. All 248 consecutive patients with ACS, also survivors of the earthquake in Antakya, were enrolled as the earthquake group. The earthquake group was created from patients hospitalized between February and June in 2023 after the earthquake. In total, 209 consecutive ACS patients who were hospitalized in our cardiology clinic in similar months of 2022 named as the control group. Results: Patients admitted before the earthquake were more hospitalized with multivessel disease compared to after the earthquake group (P <.001). Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA) was the main reason for the significant increase rate of ACS after the earthquake. The earthquake patient group had lesser diabetes mellitus than the control group (P <.001). The risk of men suffering from ACS after an earthquake is approximately 2.1 times higher than women (P =.023). Those with a history of revascularization are approximately 1.8 times more likely to have ACS after an earthquake (P =.05). The risk of experiencing ACS after an earthquake is approximately 3.5 times higher for those with a family history than for those without (P <.001). Conclusion: Effects of the devastating earthquake on the heart are the increase in MINOCA patients triggered by great sudden environmental stress and the decrease in diabetes due to worsening nutritional conditions, respectively.

OBJECTIVE: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and aortic augmentation index (AI) are indicators of arterial stiffness. Pulse wave reflection and arterial stiffness are related to cardiovascular events and sickle cell disease. However, the effect of these parameters on the heterozygous sickle cell trait (HbAS) is unknown. The aim of this study is to evaluate the arterial stiffness and wave reflection in young adult heterozygous sickle cell carriers.\ud METHODS: We enrolled 40 volunteers (20 HbAS cases, 20 hemoglobin AA [HbAA] cases) aged between 18 and 40 years. AI and PWV values were measured by arteriography.\ud RESULTS: Aortic blood pressure, aortic AI, and brachial AI values were significantly higher in HbAS cases compared to the control group (HbAA) (p=0.033, 0.011, and 0.011, respectively). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between aortic pulse wave velocity and mean arterial pressure, age, aortic AI, brachial AI, weight, and low-density lipoprotein levels (p=0.000, 0.017, 0.000, 0.000, 0.034, and 0.05, respectively) in the whole study population. Aortic AI and age were also significantly correlated (p=0.026). In addition, a positive correlation between aortic PWV and systolic blood pressure and a positive correlation between aortic AI and mean arterial pressure (p=0.027 and 0.009, respectively) were found in HbAS individuals. Our study reveals that mean arterial pressure and heart rate are independent determinants for the aortic AI. Mean arterial pressure and age are independent determinants for aortic PWV.\ud CONCLUSION: Arterial stiffness measurement is an easy, cheap, and reliable method in the early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in heterozygous sickle cell carriers. These results may depend on the amount of hemoglobin S in red blood cells. Further studies are required to investigate the blood pressure changes and its effects on arterial stiffness in order to explain the vascular aging mechanism in the HbAS trait population

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether ranging values of thiol and disulphide herald a dilatation or impending acute aortic syndrome at thoracic aorta. Results/methodology: Study population consisted of patients with aortic aneurysm (n = 58), with acute aortic syndrome (n = 32) and without aortic aneurysm (control group; n = 61). A spectrophotometric method was used to determine thiol and disulphide. Native and total thiol levels were moderately correlated with maximal aortic diameter. At the end of 6 months, there was statistically significant increase in native, total thiol levels and decrease in disulfide and disulphide/native thiol ratio in operated group. Discussion/conclusion: Lower thiol levels may be associated with the higher risk of aortic aneurysm development and may increase after surgical therapy.

Ojective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether low thiol levels are associated with peri-procedural factors during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) upon admission with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and the prognostic value at 6-month follow-up. Methods: A total of 241 consecutive acute STEMI patients who underwent pPCI and a control group of 67 individuals with a normal coronary angiography were enrolled in the study. Result: While age, contrast-induced nephropathy, N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), stent length, and creatinine were related to native thiol, NT-proBNP, contrast-induced nephropathy, and creatinine were related to total thiol. NT-proBNP was also related to the disulphide level. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and the levels of native thiol, total thiol, low-density lipoprotein, and serum albumin were found to be independent predictors of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) during 6 months of follow-up. Conclusion: Initial lower native thiol, total thiol, LVEF, LDL, and serum albumin may be used to identify patients with an increased long-term risk of unfavorable cardiac events in case of STEMI.