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miRNA level differences may provide the chance of using these miRNAs as new biomarkers.

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Electrocardiographic ventricular repolarization parameters including T-peak-T-end interval, T-peak-T-end/QT ratio, T-peak-T-end/QTc ratio, QTc, QTd, QTI, QTcI, JTc, JTd, and JTI are prolonged in NCS.

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OBJECTIVE:Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension. 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine is a sensitive biomarker that reflects the degree of oxidative damage to DNA. We investigated whether serum 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine is a clinically useful biomarker for the severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension. METHODS:We measured serum 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels in 25 patients (age 37±13 years, 68% women) diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, familial pulmonary arterial hypertension, or pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease. The severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension was evaluated by six-min walking distance, World Health Organization functional class, and serum brain natriuretic peptide levels. Age and gender-matched 22 healthy subjects served as the control group. RESULTS:The comparison of 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels between patients and controls was not statistically different [(19.86±9.79) versus (18.80±3.94) ng/mL, p=0.622)]. However, there was a significant negative correlation between 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels and six-min walking distance (r= -0.614, p=0.001). Additionally, serum 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels in patients with functional class III-IV were significantly higher than those with functional class I-II (functional class III-IV 32.31±10.63 ng/mL versus functional class I-II 16.74±6.81 ng/mL, respectively, p=0.003). CONCLUSION:The 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels were significantly correlated with exercise capacity (six-min walking distance) and symptomatic status (functional class), both of which show the severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients.

Objective:In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of atrial volume and decrease in contraction force by measuring left atrial volume and contraction with the head-up tilt table (HUTT) test in patients who were diagnosed with neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS). Methods: Overall, 45 patients (26 females/19 males, mean age: 26.4±9.2 years) who experienced vasovagal syncope in HUTT (HUTT+) and 40 healthy controls (17 females/23 males, mean age:28.8±10.5 years; HUTT-) were included in the study. Results: When comparing the groups in terms of left atrial ejection force, there was a significant difference between the HUTT+ and HUTT−vasovagal syncope groups (p=0.05). In both groups, there was a positive correlation between atrial ejection force and left atrial volume (r=0.287, p=0.016) and left atrial volume index (r=0.261, p=0.029). Conclusion:We showed that the left atrial ejection force and the left atrial volume index were significantly lower in positive vasovagal syncope patients than those in the negative vasovagal syncope patients. Keywords: Syncope, echocardiography, left atrium ÖZ Amaç: Vasovagal Senkop (VVS) sık görülen klinik bir durum olmakla birlikte altta yatan mekanizmalar henüz tam olarak anlaşılama-mıştır.Bu çalışma, eğik masa testi pozitif olan VVS'lu hastalarda, sol atrial sistolik fonksiyonun VVS gelişimindeki rolünü araştırmak amacıyla yapılmıştır. Yöntemler: Açıklanamayan senkop nedeniyle eğik masa testi ve ekokardiyografi uygulanan toplam 95 hasta çalışmaya alındı. Eğik masa testi pozitif olan 45 hasta (n=45), eğik masa testi negatif olan 40 hasta (n=40) ile karşılaştırıldı. Bulgular: Yaş ve cinsiyet dağılımı açısından guruplar arasında fark gözlenmedi (sırasıyla p=0,27 ve 0,11). Ekokardiyografik değer-lendirmede sol atrium hacmi, sol atrium hacim indeksi ve sol atrial ejeksiyon kuvveti eğik masa testi pozitif olan gurupta anlamlı olarak daha düşük bulundu (sırasıyla p=0,03, 0,05 ve 0,05). Mitral kapak anulusünden kaydedilen Doppler akımları açısından guruplar arasında fark saptanmadı fakat E/A oranı eğik masa testi pozitif olan gurupta anlamlı olarak daha düşük bulundu (p=0,02).

Objective:Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is a condition that involves increased oxidative stress and decreased total antioxidant status (TAS) levels. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is also associated with ED. We aimed to determine the association between serum TAS and ED as assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in patients with SLE.Methods:Thirty-four patients with stable SLE who were not undergoing any treatment and 39 healthy volunteers without any overt cardiovascular disease were included in this cross-sectional study. Doppler ultrasound was used to measure FMD to assess ED in the study groups. Serum TAS levels were measured using a TAS kit. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and anticardiolipin antibody (aCLA) levels were also measured to assess the inflammatory state. The SLE group further was divided into 2 groups according to presence or absence of aCLA. SLE disease activity was assessed using the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI). Regression analysis was used to define independent predictors.Results:The mean TAS levels were significantly lower in patients with SLE than in controls (1.60±0.11 versus 1.73±0.15 mmol/L, p<0.001). hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in patients with SLE than in controls (8.2±6.0 vs. 2.9±4.0 mg/L; p<0.001), particularly in SLE patients with positive aCLA when compared with SLE patients with negative aCLA (13.8±4.3 vs. 5.6±4.8 mg/L, p<0.001). The FMD percent was significantly lower in patients with SLE than in controls (8.1±4.9 vs. 10.6±4.7, p=0.04). There was a significant positive correlation between FMD and TAS in the SLE group (r=0.448, p=0.008) and the control group (r=0.367, p=0.03) and a significant negative correlation between FMD and serum hs-CRP (r=-0.368, p=0.04) in only the SLE group. In multiple linear regression analysis, TAS, hs-CRP and SLEDAI were independently correlated with FMD (ß=0.50, p=0.003; ß=-0.33, p=0.03; and ß=-0.36, p=0.03; respectively).Conclusion:Patients with SLE who have no overt cardiovascular disease are at increased risk for ED and this may be associated with underlying inflammation and impairment of TAS.