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BACKGROUND Arterial stiffness increases in hypertensive individuals. Arterial stiffness is associated with impairment of systolic and diastolic myocardial function in hypertension (HT). However, the relationship between arterial stiffness and serum heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) levels, a sensitive marker of myocardial damage, has not been previously examined in patients with HT. We investigate the relationship between serum H-FABP levels and arterial stiffness in patients with newly diagnosed HT. METHODS We studied 46 (48.5 ± 10.6, years) never-treated patients with HT and age-matched control group of 40 (47 ± 8.6, years) normotensive individuals. H-FABP levels were determined in all subjects. We evaluated arterial stiffness and wave reflections of study population, using applanation tonometry (Sphygmocor). Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured as indices of elastic-type, aortic stiffness. The heart rate-corrected augmentation index (AIx@75) was estimated as a marker of wave reflections. RESULTS Carotid-femoral PWV (10.5 ± 2.2 vs. 8.7 ± 1.6, m/s, P = 0.0001) and AIx@75 (22.7 ± 9.5 vs. 15 ± 11, %, P = 0.001) were significantly higher in patients with HT than control group. H-FABP levels were increased in hypertensive patients compared with control group (21.1 ± 14.8 vs. 12.9 ± 8.5, ng/ml, P = 0.002). In multiple linear regression analysis, we found that the body mass index (β = 0.42, P = 0.0001) and carotid-femoral PWV (β =0.23, P = 0.03) were significant determinants of H-FABP levels. CONCLUSION Arterial stiffness is associated with serum H-FABP levels, a sensitive marker of myocardial damage, in patients with newly diagnosed HT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a severe disease that can prove fatal. Factors such as advanced age, male gender, family history and cigarette use increase the risk of AAA. These factors associated with AAA development also increase arterial stiffness. Aortic pulse-wave velocity (PWV) was measured as an index of aortic stiffness. The heart rate-corrected augmentation index (AIx@75) was estimated as a composite marker of wave reflections and arterial stiffness. Elevated arterial stiffness increases the risk of development of cardiovascular events and impairs cardiovascular functions. In this study we investigated whether arterial stiffness rises in patients with AAA by measuring aortic PWV and AIx@75 parameters., Methods: Eighteen patients with AAA (age 69 ± 4 years) and 20 patients with no aneurysm (age 66 ± 6) were included. AAA was diagnosed using computerized tomography. Arterial stiffness was measured non-invasively in all patients using a SphygmoCor device. Aortic PWV and AIx@75 were used as arterial stiffness parameters., Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic characteristics. AIx@75 (33.2 ± 8.9 vs 25.1 ± 7.8, p=0.008) and aortic PWV (14.8 ± 4.9 vs 10.0 ± 1.7, p=0.002) were significantly elevated in the AAA group compared to the control group., Conclusion: Elevated AIx@75 and aortic PWV shows that arterial stiffness increases in patients with AAA.

Objective: Throughout the world and among different cultural groups, physical symptoms are the most common expressions of social problems and distress; chest pain is one of the most widely seen, medically unexplained physical symptoms. Most of the time, chest pain cases in which an organic etiology cannot be determined over time and in those presenting with atypical features should be evaluated as a component or an accompanying symptom of various specific psychiatric disorders, primarily such as panic disorder and depression. The aim of this study was to determine the psychiatric comorbidity rate in patients with chest pain without a cardiac etiology., Method: Seventy patients admitted to the cardiology clinic with a complaint of chest pain but without any detectable cardiac etiology were included in the study. All patients were evaluated using a Sociodemographic Data Collection Form and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV., Results: Panic disorder was diagnosed in 47.1% of the non-cardiac chest pain group, depressive disorders in 21.4%, generalized anxiety disorder in 5.7%, anxiety disorders not otherwise specified in 5.7%, obsessive compulsive disorder in 5.7%, and undifferentiated somatoform disorder in 2.9%. Two psychiatric diagnoses were established in 12.9% of the patients and no psychiatric diagnosis in 24.3%., Conclusion: Psychiatric disorder rates are quite high in patients with chest pain that cannot be explained cardiologically. These results show the importance of psychiatric evaluations in patients with non-cardiac chest pain or unexplained chest pain (UCP). In addition, understanding the psychiatric symptom profile of these patients will make an important contribution to the treatment of non-cardiac chest pain.