Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a marker of systemic inflammation that correlates with cardiac events. This study assessed the association between NLR and the presence of chronic coronary total occlusion (CTO). The study population included 225 patients, a control group (n = 75), a coronary artery disease group (n = 75), and a CTO group (n = 75). NLR was compared in the three groups. NLR levels were significantly higher in the CTO than in the other two groups (p < 0.001). Bivariate correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between NLR and SYNTAX Score, and multivariate logistic regression analysis found that NLR was an independent predictor of CTO. ROC analysis showed that an NLR cut-off of 2.09 could distinguish between patients with and without CTO (AUC = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.68–0.81), with a specificity of 69.3% and a sensitivity of 61%. NLR may be useful as a marker of CTO.

Experimental and clinical studies evaluating the Tp-Te interval and Tp-Te/QT ratio have reported conflicting data. The overlap between normal Tp-Te/QT ratios (0.17 ±0.02-0.27 ±0.06 ms) and pathological values (0.20 ±0.03-0.30 ±0.06 ms) measured in earlier studies has raised questions about this ECG measurement technique. To analyze normal values of the Tp-Te interval, Tp-Te dispersion Tp-Te(d) and the Tp-Te/QT ratio based on electrocardiographic (ECG) assessment across sex and age groups in a healthy Turkish population. A total of 1,485 healthy participants (723 men) were enrolled into the study. The age of the participants ranged 17-75 years and they did not have either any cardiovascular/systemic disorders or risk factors for atherosclerosis which were detected with physical examination and laboratory tests. The Tp-Te interval, Tp-Te(d) and Tp-Te/QT ratio were determined from V1-V6 derivations. For the entire study, the median Tp-Te interval was 66.0 (64.0-70.0) ms, the Tp-Te(d) was 15.0 (10.0-20.0) ms, and the Tp-Te/QT ratio was 0.18 (0.17-0.19). The Pearson's correlation test demonstrated that the Tp-Te/QT ratio significantly correlated with older age (r = 0.297; p < 0.0001), left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD; r = 0.481; p < 0.0001), body mass index (BMI; r = 0.421; p < 0.0001), body surface area (BSA; r = 0.191; p < 0.0001), LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV; r = 0.484; p < 0.0001), LVEDV index (r = 0.450; p < 0.0001), LV mass (r = 0.548; p < 0.0001), and LV mass index (r = 0.539; p < 0.0001). The reference values for Tp-Te interval, Tp-Te(d) and Tp-Te/QT ratio are associated with age, BMI, BSA, LVEDV, LVEDV index, LV mass, and LV mass index. These structural elements should be considered when using these ECG parameters for assessing repolarization inhomogeneity. These findings may guide further studies assessing healthy and diseased populations.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the relationship between the Systemic Immune-Inflammatory Index (SII) and Morning Blood Pressure Surge (MBPS) in patients with newly diagnosed essential hypertension. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and June 2024, involving 405 participants, 217 controls, and 188 hypertensive patients, recruited from a cardiology outpatient clinic. Participants' blood pressure was monitored using Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM), and inflammatory markers, including SII, were assessed. SII was calculated by multiplying platelet count by neutrophil count and dividing by lymphocyte count. Statistical analysis included ROC curve analysis to evaluate SII's predictive value for MBPS. Results: Hypertensive patients exhibited significantly higher 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime systolic and diastolic blood pressure values compared to controls (all p<0.001). MBPS and SII were also significantly elevated in the hypertensive group (both p=0.003). ROC analysis demonstrated that SII had an AUC of 0.645 (p=0.001) with a sensitivity of 56.4% and specificity of 67% at a cut-off value of 577.38 for predicting MBPS greater than 27.3 mmHg. Elevated neutrophil and platelet counts were associated with higher blood pressure levels and cardiovascular risk. Conclusion: The study identified a significant association between SII and MBPS in hypertensive patients, suggesting that systemic inflammation may play a role in the regulation of blood pressure and the pathogenesis of hypertension. SII could serve as a valuable biomarker for predicting MBPS and associated cardiovascular risks, facilitating earlier and more targeted interventions.

I read with interest the recently published article by Magureanu et al

Aim: Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in the population and its prevalance increases with age; and also is the most morbid and mortal arrhythmia. Usually the beginning of the persistant atrial fibrillation is recurrent episodes of the paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Prediction of the paroxysmal atrial fibrillation can cause prevention of this arrhythmia and thus prevention of the adverse outcomes. We aimed to investigate tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and peak acceleration time (pkAcc) parameters that can predict the paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in this study. Material and Methods: 20-73 years old (mean 47,5) 50 individuals that are diagnosed with PAF included the patient group. 50 individuals who have the similar baseline demographic charasteristics with patient group and who have no persistant or PAF included the control group. Transthoracic echocardiogaphic (TTE) evaluation is applied all of the control and study groups. Tissue Doppler parameters and pkAcc is measured in TTE and statistical analyses is performed. Results: In TTE evaluation, left atrium ejection fraction is lower in the patient group than the study group (%50,6 vs. %59,2, p<0,001). In TDI evaluation, the average of E/E’ which was measured from the anterior, inferior, lateral and septal walls of the left ventricle; is found higher in the patient group compared to the control group (8,17 vs. 7,04; p=0,004). When two groups are compared in terms of pkAcc, it was found that patient group is higher, but this difference did not reach the statistical significance (1063 vs. 994, p=0,14). Conclusions: TDI evaluation can play an important role in prediction of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Background and Objectives: Psychological distress is common in acute coronary syndrome (ACS), yet its relationship with objective coronary anatomical complexity is incompletely understood. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-10 (K10) is a brief self-report instrument that measures non-specific psychological distress over the preceding four weeks. We investigated whether the K10 score is associated with the anatomical SYNTAX I score and the clinical–anatomical SYNTAX II PCI score in patients hospitalized with ACS. Materials and Methods: This prospective, single tertiary-center observational study assessed 865 adult patients with suspected or confirmed ACS between 6 January 2026 and 5 June 2026. After applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 750 consecutive eligible patients with complete K10, SYNTAX I, and SYNTAX II PCI data were included in the final analytic cohort. The cohort consisted of STEMI in 337 patients (44.9%), NSTEMI in 310 (41.3%), and unstable angina pectoris in 103 (13.7%). The validated Turkish version of the K10 scale was administered after pain control and hemodynamic stabilization, within 24–48 h of admission, by trained study personnel blinded to the final SYNTAX analysis. SYNTAX I and SYNTAX II PCI scores were calculated by two blinded interventional cardiologists. The primary endpoint was SYNTAX I score ≥ 23; the key secondary endpoint was SYNTAX II PCI score ≥ 36, interpreted as a cohort-based high clinical–anatomical risk threshold. Results: Mean age was 61.3 ± 11.6 years, and 543 patients (72.4%) were men. Mean K10, SYNTAX I, and SYNTAX II PCI scores were 23.7 ± 6.7, 22.4 ± 9.5, and 31.2 ± 9.6, respectively. K10 score correlated with SYNTAX I (Spearman rho = 0.417, p < 0.001) and SYNTAX II PCI (rho = 0.348, p < 0.001). Each 5-point increase in K10 was independently associated with SYNTAX I ≥ 23 (extended model-adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.59–2.12; p < 0.001) and SYNTAX II PCI ≥ 36 (extended model-adjusted OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.85–2.75; p < 0.001). K10 predicted SYNTAX I ≥ 23 with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.706 (95% CI 0.674–0.744; cutoff ≥ 24) and SYNTAX II PCI ≥ 36 with an AUC of 0.693 (95% CI 0.654–0.736; cutoff ≥ 26). Adding K10 to the extended clinical model improved cross-validated AUC for SYNTAX I ≥ 23 from 0.708 to 0.774 and for SYNTAX II PCI ≥ 36 from 0.871 to 0.905; bootstrap optimism-corrected AUCs were 0.754 and 0.899, respectively. The findings remained consistent in sensitivity analyses excluding prior CABG patients, adjusting for psychiatric history/medication use, and evaluating patients whose K10 was completed before angiography. Conclusions: In this prospective ACS cohort, early in-hospital assessment of K10-defined recent psychological distress was independently associated with both anatomical and clinical–anatomical coronary complexity. K10 should not replace angiographic risk scoring, but it may help identify a psychocardiological phenotype characterized by higher coronary disease burden and greater clinical vulnerability.