Background: During Ramadan, Muslims fast during the daylight hours for a month. The duration of restricted food and beverage intake is approximately 12 h/day which makes Ramadan a unique model of intermittent fasting. Many physiological and psychological changes are observed during Ramadan that are probably due to the changes in eating and sleeping patterns. Methods: Serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), plasma fibrinogen, D-dimer and homocysteine levels were measured in 24 healthy fasting volunteers (12 females, 12 males) aged 21–35 years. Venous blood samples were taken 1 week before Ramadan, on the 21st day of Ramadan and 20 days after Ramadan. Results: No significant changes were observed on serum total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL levels. HDL levels were significantly elevated during Ramadan (p < 0.001) and 20 days after Ramadan (p < 0.05). Prothrombin time, aPTT, fibrinogen and D-dimer levels were in the physiologic limits in all samples but D-dimer levels were significantly low at the end of Ramadan in comparison to pre- and post-fasting levels (p < 0.001). Homocysteine levels, being still in reference ranges, were low during Ramadan (p < 0.05) and reached the pre-fasting levels after Ramadan. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that intermittent fasting led to some beneficial changes in serum HDL and plasma homocysteine levels, and the coagulation status. These changes may be due to omitting at least one meal when the body was particularly metabolically active and possibly had a low blood viscosity level at the same time. We conclude that intermittent fasting may have beneficial effects on hemostatic risk markers for cardiovascular diseases.

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When combined with AIP201, a deposit microbubble, 3D MCE can be used to accurately determine both risk and infarct volumes in vivo. This method could be used to assess the effects of interventions that attempt to alter the infarct/risk volume ratio.

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The influence of different variables on the yield of factor VIII in cryoprecipitate as prepared in the Central Laboratory of the Netherlands Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, was studied. The following conclusions may be drawn: (1) In case blood should be stored, the use of the anticoagulant solution acid citrate dextrose (ACD) is preferable to citrate phosphate dextrose (CPD) or trisodium citrate (TSC). (2) The temperature of stored whole blood should not decrease below 8 degrees C because of a spontaneous precipitation of factor VIII from blood (and plasma) below this temperature. (3) Cryoprecipitate derived from rapidly frozen plasma (1 min) contains a decreased amount of proteins in comparison with cryoprecipitate prepared from slowly frozen plasma (45 min to 4 h). On the other hand, equal amounts of factor VIII activity were obtained in the precipitate after freezing of plasma at varying rates. (4) Rapid thawing of plasma results in both higher yields of factor VIII procoagulant activity and a higher specific activity of this factor in the resulting cryoprecipitate. (5) The sedimentation of cryoprecipitate is completed after 5 min centrifugation at 1,500 g. (6) At temperatures higher than 8 degrees C, cryoprecipitated factor VIII starts dissolving into the supernatant plasma or in buffer. (7) Factor VIII in lyophilized cryoprecipitate is stable at room temperature. At elevated temperatures it rapidly looses its activity. (8) Evidence was obtained that the improvements which are introduced in the preparation of factor VIII do not lead to a product which is less stable in vitro as well as in vivo.

OPCAB grafting can be performed with low symptom recurrence, adverse cardiac events, and mortality rates. Modification of intra- and postoperative management strategies may improve outcomes.

Takotsubo cardiomypathy is a very rare cardiovascular syndrome leading to myocardial infarction and left ventricular dysfunction in the absence of a detectable coronary artery lesion. It is accepted as reversible left ventricular asynergy occuring typically after an intrinsic adrenergic hyperstimulation. In this report we present Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a 75-year-old patient with multiple autoimmune disorders.

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