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Background: There are still many gaps in our knowledge regarding the direct cardiovascular injuries due to COVID-19 infection. In this study, we tried to find out the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on cardiac function in patients without any history of structural heart disease by electrocardiographic and echocardiographic evaluations. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on patients with COVID-19 infection admitted to Imam Reza hospital, Mashhad, Iran between 14 April and 21 September 2020. COVID-19 infection was verified by a positive reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for SARS-CoV-2 using nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal samples. We enrolled all patients over 18 years old with definite diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. At admission, demographic data, comorbid conditions, physical examination, Lung CT scan and laboratory findings were recorded. All patients underwent a comprehensive transthoracic echocardiography at the first week of admission. Clinical and imaging data were collected prospectively. Findings: In total, 142 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean age of participants was 60.69± 15.70 years (range: 30-90 years). Most patients were male (82, 57.7%). The most common findings were left axis deviation (15.5%) in ECG and Right ventricle (RV) dysfunction (34.5%) in echocardiography. Multivariate analysis showed that O2 saturation at admission was independently a predictor of re-hospitalization (P

Aims: Natural products still serves as a hope for some illnesses which modern medicine fails to cure. Many people, either knowing their effects or not, are using these herbal products. Treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) is yet a complicated clinical challenge and there is need to improve or make new therapeutic targets. Finding new agents for CHF is an important subject in cardiovascular drug research. In this study, we evaluated the effects of ten herbals on treatment of CHF on isoproterenol-induced model. Methods and results: Ninety-six male Wistar rats (16 weeks old) were used in 12 groups. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed on the rats for confirmation of CHF model by decreasing ejection fraction. After 4 weeks’ treatment, hearts were removed and blood samples were collected in tubes to measure plasma levels of laboratory findings. Our results showed that the mean of ejection fraction in model rats was 51.82 ± 3.49 percent and all of our used natural products could significantly increase the ejection fraction (P < 0.01). The most effective herbals in improving the ejection fraction were Allium sativum (30.69 %), Peganum harmala (26.08 %) and Apium graveolens (24.09 %). The best results in decreasing NT-ProBNP, was obtained from Allium sativum, Peganum harmala and Berberis vulgaris respectively. Our results showed that none of natural products had toxic effect on renal and liver tissues. Conclusion: Our results showed that Allium sativum, Peganum harmala and Berberis vulgaris could significantly improve cardiac function by improvement of left ventricular remodeling, lowering hs-CRP and NT-ProBNP and echocardiographic indexes without liver or renal side effects.

Pulmonary prosthetic valve thrombosis is a serious and rare complication with high mortality. Using reteplase for treatment of prosthesis thrombosis is rarely reported. We report the first case in Iran of a thrombosed pulmonary valve in a patient who had undergone repair of tetralogy of Fallot, which was successfully treated twice with intravenous thrombolytic therapy with reteplase.

SummaryIntroduction Considering the high prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency among newborns, different screening methods have been established in various countries. In this study, we aimed to assess the prevalence of G6PD deficiency among newborns in Rasht, Iran, and compare G6PD activity in cord blood samples, using quantitative and qualitative tests. Methods This cross-sectional, prospective study was performed at five largest hospitals in Rasht, Guilan Province, Iran. The screening tests were performed for all the newborns, referred to these hospitals. Specimens were characterized in terms of G6PD activity under ultraviolet light, using the kinetic method and the qualitative fluorescent spot test (FST). We also determined the sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value of the qualitative assay. Results Blood samples were collected from 1474 newborns. Overall, 757 (51.4%) subjects were male. As the findings revealed, 1376 (93.4%) newborns showed normal G6PD activity, while 98 (6.6%) had G6PD deficiency. There was a significant difference in the mean G6PD level between males and females (P = 0.0001). Also, a significant relationship was detected between FST results and the mean values obtained in the quantitative test (P < 0.0001). Conclusion According to the present study, FST showed acceptable sensitivity and specificity for G6PD activity, although it appeared inefficient for diagnostic purposes in some cases.

Background: Patients with Contrast-Induced-Nephropathy (CIN) are at a greater risk of in-hospital complications, longer hospitalization, and long-term mortality in comparison with those without CIN. Despite many studies on the helpful effects of statins in preventing contrast-nephropathy, there is not enough evidence comparing different statins in inhibiting CIN. So, we planned this study to compare the efficacy of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin in prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy. Methods: This was a randomized clinical trial. The efficacy of two known statins, atorvastatin and rosuvastatin were compared in prevention of CIN in patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) who underwent Primary Percutaneous Intervention (PPCI) between May 2015 and April 2016 in Qaem and Imam Reza hospital, Mashhad, Iran. Subjects were divided randomly to 80-mg atorvastatin or 40-mg rosuvastatin group before PPCI. Participants’ characteristics including echocardiographic, laboratory and demographic data were recorded and incidence of CIN was assessed. Results: Two hundred cases with STEMI undergoing PPCI were recruited in the study and randomized to 80-mg atorvastatin (n = 98) or 40-mg rosuvastatin (n = 102) group before PPCI. The incidence of CIN was 5.67% (n = 13) in all participants; 6.3% (n = 7) in the rosuvastatin group and 5.1% (n = 6) in the atorvastatin group. There was a significant difference between creatinine and Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) after 48 hours of PPCI. Creatinine was lower and GFR was higher in the rosuvastatin group (P = 0.029, P = 0.005). Conclusion: There was a little trend for prevention of CIN in patients after PPCI in rosuvastatin group compared to atorvastatin group, in full dose. However, this preference was not clinically relevant.

Ectopic increase of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) or ectopic Cushing syndrome is a rare initial presentation of small cell carcinoma and carcinoid tumor of the lung. Here, we reported a 36-year-old male with atypical symptoms of Cushing syndrome managed by Etomidate that had a central pulmonary nodule, and pathologic evaluation of pulmonary lobectomy revealed the diagnosis of well-differentiated, low-grade typical carcinoids of lung. © 2019Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved. Acta MedIran 2019;57(7):464-467.

Background It is well recognized that cardio- vascular risk factors lead to histological and functional changes in aorta, and aortic stiffness is the best predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In this study we evaluated the relation of a less evaluated echocardiographic parameter of aortic stiffness, aortic propagation velocity (APV) with the presence and severity of CAD. Methods This cross sectional study was conducted from May 2015 to March 2016 in Imam Reza hospital, Mashhad, Iran. Seventy patients who were referred for elective coronary artery angiography were enrolled. Patients were divided into two sub-groups based on angiographic findings: patients with CAD (38 patients, 54.3%) and non-CAD (32 patients, 45.7%). Transthoracic echocardiography was performed using the conventional 2D and color M-Mode imaging. Aortic propagation velocity (APV), aortic strain (AS) and distensibility (AD) were measured. The presence and Severity of CAD (assessing by syntax score) and their relation with aortic stiffness indices were assessed. Results Aortic strain (6.23 ± 1.93% versus 11.66 ± 4.86%, P

Most adverse events following total hip arthroplasty (THA) are uncommon and preventable or treated easily as expected. Adverse effects related to any major surgical procedure, including anesthesia, performing with other medical problems, drugs, and allergic reactions, might also occur. Potential cardiovascular complications are known to occur during or following THA and will be reviewed here. Complications can be categorized as myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, thromboembolism, and so on. Special considerations in cardiovascular procedures are also reviewed in this paper.

Heart failure is a major public health concern and one of the most common reasons for a cardiac hospital admission. Heart failure may be classified as having a reduced or preserved ejection fraction and its severity is based on the symptom score. Given the aging population, it is predicted that admissions with heart failure will increase. Whilst pharmacological therapy has improved the associated morbidity and mortality, there is a need for additional therapies to improve the clinical outcome as the death rate remains high. Curcumin is a natural product derived from turmeric that appears to have cardiovascular benefit through a number of mechanisms. In this review, we have assessed the mechanisms by which curcumin may exert its effects in different models of heart failure and show that it has promise as a complementary treatment in heart failure.

Introduction: Irregular wide antibiotic administration by physicians and over the counter use of them had led to inappropriate or non-essential choice of antibiotic. If blood related diseases like sepsis and bacteremia, have not been diagnosed and treated as soon as possible, they can make high complications and mortalities. This study was conducted to survey of epidemiological changes about frequency of micro-organisms in blood cultures in Razi laboratory of Rasht during 2006 to 2011. Material & Methods: This is a descriptive retrospective study performed by information database of Razi laboratory. For all of positive samples addressed for blood culture, anti-biograms had been done by method of Kirby & Bauer and agar diffusion. Last, formation or deformation of growth zone was evaluated and on the basis of standard table, results were classified to three categories of sensitive, intermediate and resistance. All of common standard antibiotic disks had been used in this survey. Results: In all cases which addressed for culture (466 cases) 43 subjects (9.22%) were positive and one of them was contaminated. The most frequent bacteria separated from the blood cultures were respectively: coagulase negative Staphylococcus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella and coagulase positive Staphylococcus. Relation between type of bacteria and gender of patients was significant (P = 0.001) in which in female cases it was the most frequent. The most resistance in all of applied antibiotics in coagulase negative Staphylococcus group was 60.2%, in gram negative non non-fermentative bacillus group was 43.16% and in gram negative intestinal bacteria group was 39.25%. Discussion & Conclusion: Although there are similar results in the pattern of resistance in comparison of other studies, pattern of this study is unique and exclussive for Rasht city and it is based on hygienic condition of Guilan province. Because of being respective and variables were not considerd by opinions of researchers of this study, it is necessary to conduct a prospective and continous study in this wide level.