Summary:Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms are rare cardiac anomalies which may be acquired or congenital. The congenital aneurysm is m m common than the acquired form, with an incidence ranging from 0.1 to 3.5% of all congenital heart defects. Acquired aneurysms may result from trauma, endocarditis, syphilis, Marfan's syndrome, and senile-type dilatation in which the three sinuses dilate as a result of the normal aging process. This review focuses on both congenital and acquired aneurysms with particular attention to the noninvasive diagnosis of this anomaly.

No abstract

No abstract

To assess the effect of substantial increases in blood hemoglobin (Hb) caused by treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) on exercise capacity in maintenance hemodialysis patients, we evaluated 10 patients (7 men and 3 women) at a mean age of 44.3 ± 8.4 years on maintenance hemodialysis for a mean of 29.7 ± 30.2 months by treadmill exercise to exhaustion. The patients were tested before administration of rhEPO and after a minimum 1 g/dl rise in Hb. With a change in Hb from 7.1 ± 1.4 to 9.8 ± 2.1 g/dl, peak oxygen consumption (VO₂ peak) with exercise increased 50.3 ± 9% (T1 = 15.1 ± 5.3, T2 = 22.7 ± 4.6 ml O₂/kg/min, p < 0.05). Respiratory exchange ratio (RER) at a given submaximal exercise level (3 mph, 6% of elevation) decreased significantly (T1 = 1.13 ± 0.24, T2 = 0.92 ± 0.08, p < 0.05). The rhEPO-mediated increase in Hb was associated with an increased VO₂ peak – an improvement of the peak exercise capacity and a reduced submaximal RER – reflecting a reduction in anaerobic metabolism at activities of daily living.

As patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) survive their episodes of disease activity, increasing morbidity is shown to be related to chronic cardiovascular complications. The objective of this study was to assess the cardiac parasympathetic autonomic functional status, as reflected by heart rate variability, in SLE patients with and without corticosteroid treatment. A cross-sectional study of SLE patients attending the Arthritis Clinic was done, using age and gender-matched controls. Thirty-four female patients, age 39 +/- 11, were entered, 20 of whom were receiving steroids at the time of study. Time and frequency domain heart rate variability indices were significantly reduced in the SLE groups with and without corticosteroid therapy, as compared to controls. The indices were not, however, significantly different in the two SLE groups.