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Obesity-associated alterations in coagulation and fibrinolytic factors in favor of thrombosis are well known. Observations suggest that leptin, a recently discovered obesity gene product, in addition to being a satiety factor, induces platelet aggregation, accelerates formation of firm thrombi, and is associated with abnormal fibrinolysis. The authors studied the influence of plasma leptin concentrations on admission within 6 hours of acute myocardial infarction (MI) on the outcome of thrombolytic therapy (TT). Forty-one patients with acute MI who underwent TT were enrolled into the study. Levels of plasma leptin were determined with radioimmunoassay method in samples obtained just before initiation of TT. Patients were initially classified according to the admission plasma leptin concentrations, and it was observed that failure of reperfusion therapy with streptokinase was significantly higher in patients with admission plasma leptin concentrations > or =14 ng/mL (group 2) as compared to patients with admission plasma leptin concentrations <14 ng/mL (group 1). Final failure of TT, identified both by reinfarction and absence of early reperfusion as assessed noninvasively, was observed in 11 patients (39%) in group 1 and in 10 patients (77%) in group 2 (p=0.025). Left ventricular ejection fraction was slightly but significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (p=0.031). High plasma leptin concentrations on admission in patients within 6 hours after the onset of acute MI are associated with less TT efficacy. The authors suggest that admission leptin levels may play a role in the management of patients with acute MI.

Background: Recent evidence has demonstrated that inflammation plays a major role in the initiation and progression of atheroma plaques. C-reactive protein (CRP) is shown to have prognostic significance in acute coronary syndromes. We investigated the influence of CRP levels before thrombolytic therapy on infarct-related artery (IRA) patency and the degree of residual stenosis., Methods: 45 consecutive patients with a first attack of acute myocardial infarction (MI) who underwent streptokinase therapy and subsequently coronary angiography were enrolled into the study. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the level of CRP on admission., Results: Serum CRP levels were > or =0.5 mg/dL in 26 patients (Group-I) and <0.5 mg/dL in 19 patients (Group-II). The patency of IRA (TIMI-2 and 3) evaluated at 90th minute after the initiation of thrombolytic therapy was similar between the two groups (62% vs. 68%, p>0.05). However, the presence of TIMI-3 flow was significantly lower and TIMI-2 flow was higher in Group-I as compared to Group-II (12% vs. 53%, p=0.003 and 50% vs. 16%, p=0.018 respectively). Additionally, among patients with patent IRA, the degree of residual stenosis was significantly higher in Group-I (80 +/- 14% vs. 68 +/- 15%, p=0.032)., Conclusion: High serum CRP levels on admission in patients within 6 hours after the start of acute ST-segment elevation MI are associated with lower TIMI flow grades and higher residual stenosis of IRA after intravenous streptokinase. Our observations imply that patients with higher CRP levels on admission require closer follow-up during and after acute MI.

Several studies have proven that noninvasive reperfusion criteria (NRC) have prognostic significance in patients receiving thrombolytic therapy (TT) after acute myocardial infarction (acute MI). In this study, we investigated the relationship between NRC and pulsed tissue Doppler (PTD) parameters in patients receiving TT after acute MI, and the role of PTD in the management and follow-up of patients with acute MI. The study group(n= 41)was divided into four subgroups defined as: anterior and posterior MI, with or without NRC. In the first PTD measurements (2-3 days after acute MI), all acute MI patients had significantly smaller peak systolic (S-wave) velocity in all evaluated segments and longer Q-Speak durations (time elapsed from the inscription of the Q-wave on the surface ECG to the peak of the S-wave in PTD) as compared with control patients(n= 22; P < 0.001 for both). Among the diastolic parameters, the E/A ratio was significantly smaller in the study group compared with the control group(P < 0.001). Among the patients who had received TT in the first 2 hours, those patients who had NRC displayed significantly higher peak S-wave values in all evaluated segments than those without NRC(P < 0.05). The second PTD study (4-5 weeks after acute MI), revealed that the difference between the systolic PTD parameters of the noninfarcted regions of the study and control groups disappeared. Infarct-related segments, however, displayed significant improvement only in patients having NRC. There was a significant positive correlation between the mean mitral annular S-wave velocity and left ventricular ejection fraction(r = 0.59, P < 0.001). In conclusion, a significant relationship was observed between the PTD parameters and the NRC, which are known to have prognostic significance.