SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Early diagnosis and risk stratification may provide a better prognosis in pulmonary embolism (PE). Copeptin has emerged as a valuable predictive biomarker in various cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of copeptin in patients with acute PE and to evaluate its relationship with disease severity and PE-related death. METHODS: Fifty-four patients and 60 healthy individuals were included in this study. Copeptin concentrations and right ventricular dysfunction were analyzed. The correlation between copeptin levels and hemodynamic and echocardiographic parameters was examined. After these first measurements, patients were evaluated with PE-related mortality at the one-year follow-up. RESULTS: The copeptin levels were higher in PE patients than in the control group (8.3 ng/mL vs 3.8 ng/mL, p<0.001). Copeptin levels were found to be significantly higher in patients with PE-related death and right ventricular dysfunction (10.2 vs 7.5 ng/ml, p=0.001; 10.5 vs 7.5 ng/ml, p=0.002, respectively). When the cut-off value of copeptin was ≥5.85, its sensitivity and specificity for predicting PE were 71.9% and 85.0%, respectively (AUC=0.762, 95% CI=0.635-0.889, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The copeptin measurement had moderate sensitivity and specificity in predicting the diagnosis of PE, and the copeptin level was significantly higher in patients with PE-related death at the one-year follow-up. Copeptin may be a useful new biomarker in predicting diagnosis, risk stratification, and prognosis of PE.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) measured at admission and the occurrence of no-reflow phenomenon in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Materials and Methods: This study included 126 patients with acute STEMI treated with primary PCI. Hemoglobin, thrombocyte, and lymphocyte levels of the patients were retrieved from the files at the time of admission. Postprocedural thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade, postprocedural myocardial blush grade (MBG), and TIMI thrombus scale were evaluated from the coronary angiography records. Results: Patients were divided into two groups according to TIMI flow grade after PCI as normal coronary flow (n = 66) and no-reflow groups (n = 60). The no-reflow group had lower LVEF and higher PLR compared to the normal coronary flow group PLR was significantly higher in patients with lower TIMI flow grade and MBG. Conclusion: PLR measured at admission was found to be higher in STEMI patients who developed no-reflow after primary PCI compared to the normal coronary flow group. PLR can be used as a predictor for no-reflow in such patients. Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, primer perkütan koroner girişim (PKG) ile tedavi edilen akut ST-segment yükselmeli miyokard infarktüsü (STYMİ) hastalarında başvuru sırasında ölçülen platelet/lenfosit oranının (PLO) ile no-reflow fenomeni oluşumu arasındaki ilişkiyi değerlendirmektir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu çalışmada, primer PKG ile tedavi edilen akut STYMİ'li 126 hasta kapsanmıştırr. Hastaların hastaneye başvuru anındaki hemoglobin, trombosit ve lenfosit düzeyleri dosya verilerinden elde edildi. Hastaların işlem sonrasındaki miyokard infarktüsünde tromboliz (TIMI) akım derecesi, miyokardın boyanma derecesi (MBG) ve TIMI trombüs ölçeği koroner anjiyografi kayıtlarından değerlendirildi. Bulgular: Hastalar PKG sonrası TIMI akım derecesine göre normal koroner akım (s=66) grubu ve azalmış koroner akım (no-reflow) grubu (s=60) olmak üzere iki gruba ayrıldı. No-reflow grupta normal koroner akım grubu ile kıyaslandığında daha düşük SVEF ve daha yüksek PLO vardı. TIMI akım derecesi ve MBG' si daha düşük olan hastalarda, PLO anlamlı olarak daha yüksekti. Sonuç: Primer PKG sonrasında no-reflow gelişen STYMİ hastalarında başvuru sırasında ölçülen PLO daha yüksek saptanmıştır. PLO, bu tür hastalarda no-reflow için bir öngörürücü olarak kullanılabilir.

Aim: We aimed to investigate the effect of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on cardiac reverse remodeling and fibrosis in obese patients. Methods: This prospective study included 72 consecutive patients who underwent LSG for morbid obesity and 72 age- and sex-matched healthy controls between 2020 and 2022. Clinical and echocardiographic evaluations, including serum Galectin-3 (Gal-3) levels and anthropometric measurements, were performed at baseline and at the 6th month postoperatively.Results: There was a significant increase in the mean mitral E peak velocity (p

Background: Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory disease with a chronic course that is not limited to the skin. Atherosclerosis can cause serious cardiovascular events such as cerebrovascular stroke and myocardial infarction, which can result in death. This study aimed to examine the atherosclerosis risk in psoriasis patients by measuring the carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), an important marker of atherosclerosis. Methods: The study included 70 plaque psoriasis patients (41 male and 29 female) and 50 healthy volunteers (30 male and 20 female) between the ages of 18 and 65, from the Cukurova University Faculty of Medicine Department of Dermatology who did not use any systemic treatment in the previous 6 months. Clinical parameters were recorded. The presence of subclinical atherosclerosis was investigated by measuring carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). CIMT was measured manually by the same cardiologist using B-mode ultrasonography. Results: The median value of the CIMT measured individuals in the patient group was 0.8 mm (min: 0.5-max:1.4), and individuals in the control group was 0.6 mm (min: 0.4-max: 0.95). CIMT value in the patient group was statistically significantly higher than in the control group (p< 0.001). A statistically significant relationship was found between age, body mass index, cigarette use, waist and hip circumference, HBA1C, total cholesterol, triglycerides, duration. In multivariate linear regression analysis, cigarette use (p = 0.001) and disease duration (p = 0.024) remained significant, while the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) showed a trend toward significance (p = 0.071). Conclusion: Our study revealed that CIMT value increases in psoriasis patients. It can be said that this increase in CIMT is more serious in the presence of PASI, disease duration and smoking. In conclusion, psoriasis patients—especially those who smoke and those with a longer disease duration—should be regularly investigated and followed up for atherosclerosis.

Background and Objectives: Pituitary adenomas may be associated with metabolic and cardiovascular abnormalities, but comparative evidence across subtypes is limited. We compared cardiometabolic and echocardiographic profiles, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD), and carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT) among patients with prolactinoma, acromegaly, or nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) and healthy controls and investigated factors associated with LVDD. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study included 214 participants evaluated between 2016 and 2018: 91 with prolactinoma, 26 with acromegaly, 45 with NFPA, and 52 healthy controls. Participants underwent clinical, biochemical, echocardiographic, and CIMT assessment. LVDD was diagnosed and graded according to the 2016 American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) and European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) recommendations. Factors associated with LVDD were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. Results: The mean age was 41.3 ± 12.4 years, and 64.5% of participants were women. Acromegaly was associated with the highest fasting glucose, HbA1c, insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values (all p < 0.001) and, compared with controls, a higher left atrial volume index (LAVI) and average E/e′ ratio and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (despite preserved ejection fraction), E/A ratio, and lateral e′ velocity. CIMT was higher in NFPA than in prolactinoma. LVDD was present in 21.5% of the cohort and in 5.8%, 19.8%, 46.2%, and 28.9% of the control, prolactinoma, acromegaly, and NFPA groups, respectively (p < 0.001); 84.8% of cases were grade I. Increasing age was independently associated with LVDD (OR 1.265 per year, 95% CI 1.155–1.385; p < 0.001), and diagnostic group was independently associated with LVDD overall (p = 0.004). Compared with controls, adjusted LVDD odds were higher in prolactinoma (OR 10.9, 95% CI 1.34–89.68), acromegaly (OR 167.5, 95% CI 10.3–2721.4), and NFPA (OR 12.0, 95% CI 1.4–104.8). Conclusions: Pituitary adenoma subtypes were associated with distinct cardiometabolic and echocardiographic profiles and a higher prevalence of LVDD than in healthy controls, particularly in acromegaly. Most LVDD cases were grade I, indicating predominantly impaired relaxation. Although age and diagnostic group were associated with LVDD in the adjusted analysis, the wide confidence intervals warrant cautious interpretation and validation in larger cohorts.

Objective: To compare the cardiometabolic characteristics of patients with mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) and nonfunctioning adrenal incidentalomas (NFAI), with particular emphasis on their biochemical and echocardiographic profiles. Methods: This retrospective study included 67 patients with adrenal incidentalomas, classified as NFAI (n = 32) or MACS (n = 35) according to the post-1-mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) cortisol concentration. Clinical characteristics, hormonal profiles, metabolic parameters, conventional echocardiographic measurements, and global longitudinal strain (GLS) were compared between the groups. Associations between GLS and biochemical parameters were evaluated using correlation analyses, with Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate correction applied for multiple testing. Results: Compared with the NFAI group, patients with MACS had lower adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) (13.0 ± 7.1 vs. 18.6 ± 9.7 pg/mL, p = 0.008) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) concentrations (46.4 ± 31.6 vs. 82.8 ± 48.0 µg/dL, p < 0.001), as well as higher post-1-mg DST cortisol concentrations (3.4 ± 1.3 vs. 1.2 ± 0.5 µg/dL, p < 0.001). Triglyceride concentrations were also higher in the MACS group (165.3 ± 70 vs. 129.4 ± 90.2 m g/dL, p = 0.004). Most conventional echocardiographic parameters were comparable between the groups. GLS did not differ significantly between NFAI and MACS patients (21.92 ± 2.2 vs. 21.94 ± 1.9, respectively; mean difference: 0.0, 95% CI: −1.0 to 1.0, p = 0.846). Nominal correlations between GLS and selected biochemical parameters did not remain statistically significant after false discovery rate correction. Conclusions: MACS was associated with distinct endocrine and metabolic characteristics compared with NFAI; however, no significant between-group difference in GLS was observed. These cross-sectional findings do not establish myocardial dysfunction or a temporal relationship between cortisol autonomy and cardiovascular alterations. Larger prospective longitudinal studies are required to clarify the cardiovascular implications of MACS.