Global Cardiology Science and Practice - Volume 2013, Issue 4

The symposium “The Unstable Plaque: From Molecules to the Community” was sponsored by The Aswan Heart Centre in El Gouna, Egypt, on February 1–3, 2013, as the third installment of the Centre's Science and Practice series. This 3-day symposium delved into the pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment of acute coronary syndromes, bringing together leading international experts who bridged the spectrum of epidemiology, molecul Read More

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) continues to be a challenging form of heart failure – one in which no therapy has yet been proven to improve outcome. Aldosterone antagonists have previously been shown to improve survival in a wide spectrum of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and more recently, small trials suggested that they might have role in HFpEF patients. The effect of spirono Read More

The recent increase in human lifespan, coupled with unhealthy diets and lifestyles have led to an unprecedented increase in cardiovascular diseases. Even in the presence of a wide range of therapeutic options with variable efficacy, mortality due to heart failure is still high and there is a need to identify new therapeutic targets. Genetic and in vitro studies have implicated the Notch signalling in the development and maintenance of th Read More

Background: To report our experience with the Ross operation in patients with predominant aortic stenosis (AS) using an inclusion cylinder (IC) method. Methods: Out of 324 adults undergoing a Ross operation, 204 patients of mean age of 41.3 years (limits 16–62) underwent this procedure for either AS or mixed AS and regurgitation (AS/AR) between October, 1992 and February, 2012, implanting the PA with an IC method. Clinical follow up an Read More

The recent ability to create detailed 3D models of the atrial and ventricular chambers using CT, MRI and rapid prototyping offers unique opportunities to study the size and shape of the different cardiac chambers both before and following operation for complex cardiac anomalies. We here describe the techniques for creating detailed 3D models of the heart and demonstrate the utility of these techniques in a patient studied after the Mustard Read More

Venous thromboembolism is associated with a high morbidity and, if left untreated, may progress to fatal outcome. The standard treatment of venous thromboembolism consists of heparin followed by long-term treatment with a vitamin K antagonist. However, the use of vitamin K antagonist has several inherent problems and practical challenges. These challenges have prompted the search for new oral anticoagulant drugs including d Read More