Background: Graves’ disease has a multitude of effects on the cardiovascular system. In the detection of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction, speckle-tracking echocardiography is more useful than conventional echocardiography. The aim of the present study was to compare the longitudinal global strain values and venous blood concentration of (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1) TIMP-1, a regulator of the extracellular matrix, among hyperthyroid patients with Graves’ disease, euthyroid patients with Graves’ disease and healthy control subjects. Materials and methods: The study enrolled 40 hyperthyroid patients with newly diagnosed Graves’ disease, 40 patients with Graves’ disease who were euthyroid for at least 6 months and 40 control subjects with normal thyroid function. Participants underwent conventional echocardiography and speckle-tracking echocardiography to obtain segmental and global longitudinal strain values. In addition, the serum TIMP-1 value was assessed in the venous blood samples of the participants. Results: The hyperthyroid Graves’ patients showed greater serum TIMP-1 levels versus the control group and the euthyroid Graves’ group. Compared to the control group, the TIMP-1 level was also significantly higher in the euthyroid Graves’ group. Lower GLS (global longitudinal strain) average and GLS2C, GLS3C, GLS4C values were observed in both the hyperthyroid and euthyroid Graves’ patients compared to the control group. The euthyroid Graves’ patients and hyperthyroid Graves’ patients had similar GLS values. The serum TIMP-1 level was negatively correlated with global strain values. Conclusion: Graves’ disease coexists with impaired segmental and global longitudinal strain and increased TIMP-1 levels. This coexistence seems to be independent of serum thyroid hormone levels.

Background/Objectives: Dietary adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) pattern is associated with lower blood pressure; however, most prior studies have relied on office-based measurements and non-specific dietary assessment tools. This study examined the association between DASH diet quality, assessed by the validated DASH-Q questionnaire, and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure in treatment-naive adults referred for diagnostic ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 227 consecutive treatment-naive adults referred for diagnostic 24-h ABPM at a cardiology outpatient clinic. DASH diet quality was assessed using the validated Turkish version of the DASH-Q questionnaire and categorized as low (<36), moderate (36–49), or high (≥50). Hypertension was defined by ABPM-based thresholds. Multivariable linear regression was performed to identify independent predictors of 24-h mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and binary logistic regression was used to evaluate independent predictors of ABPM-defined hypertension, with both models adjusted for age, sex, BMI, smoking, physical activity, and self-reported discretionary salt-adding behavior. Results: DASH-Q total score was the sole statistically significant independent predictor of both 24-h mean systolic blood pressure (B = −1.068, 95% CI: −1.270 to −0.866; β = −0.589; p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (B = −0.560, 95% CI: −0.706 to −0.414; β = −0.470; p < 0.001) in the adjusted models. Each one-unit higher DASH-Q score was also associated with 14.6% lower odds of ABPM-defined hypertension (OR = 0.854, 95% CI: 0.820–0.890; p < 0.001). Higher DASH-Q scores were further associated with a more favorable metabolic profile, including lower LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and C-reactive protein levels. Conclusions: DASH diet quality was independently and inversely associated with 24-h ambulatory blood pressure and the odds of ABPM-defined hypertension in this treatment-naive population. Given the cross-sectional design and the possibility of reverse causality, these results should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in prospective studies.

Complete blood count–derived inflammatory indices have been associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), but their substantial overlap may limit in

Background: A non-dipping blood pressure pattern, defined as an insufficient nocturnal decline in systolic blood pressure, is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and target organ damage. While metabolic abnormalities contribute to circadian blood pressure dysregulation, the independent roles of systemic inflammation and atherogenic burden in individuals without overt metabolic disease remain insufficiently characterized. We aimed to evaluate the associations of systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) with nocturnal blood pressure pattern. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 469 adults who underwent 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) at a single tertiary cardiology outpatient clinic. Participants were classified as dippers (≥10% nocturnal systolic BP decline) or non-dippers (<10%). Hierarchical logistic regression models were constructed sequentially: Model 1 (age, sex), Model 2 (Model 1 + AIP, fasting glucose), and Model 3 (Model 2 + SIRI). Discriminative performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: Non-dipping was present in 62.5% of participants. LDL cholesterol, AIP, and SIRI were higher in non-dippers, whereas CRP was higher in dippers. In hierarchical regression, AIP was independently associated with non-dipping in Model 2 (OR = 3.672, p = 0.003). After addition of SIRI, SIRI remained independently associated (OR = 1.913, p < 0.001), and model explanatory power increased (Nagelkerke R² = 0.104). AIP, fasting glucose (inverse association), and age also remained significant. Individual discrimination was modest for SIRI (AUC = 0.572) and AIP (AUC = 0.576), while the multivariable model achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.660. Non-dipping prevalence increased across SIRI quartiles (p for trend = 0.009). Conclusions: Both inflammatory and atherogenic burden were associated with a non-dipping blood pressure pattern in individuals without overt metabolic disease. Although the discriminative capacity was modest, combined inflammatory–metabolic assessment may provide additional biological insight into circadian blood pressure dysregulation.

Background and Objectives: Red cell distribution width–standard deviation (RDW-SD) has been associated with systemic inflammation and adverse cardiovascular outcomes, but its relationship with the angiographic severity and morphological complexity of drug-eluting stent-in-stent restenosis (ISR) has not been systematically characterized. The present study investigated whether RDW-SD is associated with angiographic restenosis severity and restenotic lesion complexity, and compared its performance with the platelet distribution width (PDW), Metabolic Stress Index (MSI), and Platelet-to-HDL Ratio (PHR). Materials and Methods: In this retrospective single-center observational study, 290 patients undergoing clinically indicated repeat coronary angiography following prior drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation were enrolled. Angiographic luminal narrowing was quantified by QCA and categorized as reference (<50% in-stent luminal narrowing; n = 111), intermediate ISR (50–69%; n = 76), and severe ISR (≥70%; n = 103). The Mehran classification was applied to patients with ISR ≥50% and dichotomized as Mehran class I–II (n = 91) vs. Mehran class III–IV (n = 70). Multivariable logistic regression, hierarchical modeling, and incremental discrimination analyses (IDI and NRI) were performed for both binary outcomes. Results: RDW-SD differed significantly across angiographic severity groups (Kruskal–Wallis H = 51.14, p < 0.001), being highest in the ISR ≥70% group [44.6 fL (IQR 43.8–45.3)] and lowest in the ISR 50–69% group [43.2 fL (42.7–43.7)]. A parallel pattern was observed across Mehran class (H = 50.57, p < 0.001; Mehran class III–IV: 44.9 fL [44.2–45.8]). In multivariable analysis, RDW-SD independently associated with ISR ≥70% (OR = 1.228 per 0.5 fL, 95% CI 1.122–1.344, p < 0.001) and Mehran class III–IV (OR = 1.274, 95% CI 1.155–1.406, p < 0.001). Hierarchical modeling showed that adding RDW-SD improved the AUC from 0.603 to 0.719 for ISR ≥ 70% and from 0.592 to 0.757 for Mehran class III–IV (LRT p < 0.001 for both), with incrementally larger IDI and NRI gains for the Mehran class III–IV outcome. PDW did not retain significance after adjustment; MSI and PHR were not significantly associated with either outcome. Conclusions: RDW-SD was independently associated with both angiographic ISR severity and Mehran morphological complexity in patients with established drug-eluting stent restenosis, with numerically greater model discrimination for the Mehran class III–IV endpoint. These findings suggest that RDW-SD may provide complementary information regarding restenosis burden and complexity in patients with established ISR. Prospective studies are required to validate these observations and determine their clinical relevance.

A 37-year-old male patient was referred to our clinic due to refractory right-sided heart failure. Physical examination showed generalised oedema in lower extremities bilaterally, ascites and hepat...