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To compare the performance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and T (hs-cTnI; hs-cTnT) in diagnosing obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD 50 ) in patients with suspected chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). A total of 706 patients with suspected CCS, referred for Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography, were included. cTn concentrations were measured using the Singulex hs-cTnI (limit of detection [LoD] 0.08 ng/L) and Roche hs-cTnT (LoD 3 ng/L) assays. Obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD 50 ) was defined as ≥ 50% coronary stenosis. Cardiovascular risk was determined by the NORRISK2-score. Median age of the patients was 65 (range 28–87) years, 35% were women. All patients had hs-cTnI concentrations above the LoD (median 1.9 [Q1-3 1.2–3.6] ng/L), 72% had hs-cTnT above the LoD (median 5 [Q1-3 2–11] ng/L). There was a graded relationship between hs-cTn concentrations and coronary artery calcium. Only hs-cTnI remained associated with CAD 50 in adjusted analyses (OR 1.20 95% Confidence Interval [1.05–1.38]), p  = 0.009). The C-statistics for hs-cTnI and hs-cTnT were 0.65 (95% CI [0.60–0.69]) and 0.60 (0.56–0.64). The highest specificity and negative predictive values for CAD 50 were in the lowest NORRISK2-tertile. hs-cTn concentrations provide diagnostic information in patients with suspected CCS, with superior performance of hs-cTnI compared to hs-cTnT in regard to CAD 50 . The diagnostic performance appeared best in those with low cardiovascular risk.

ObjectivesCoronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and detecting CAD in stable chest pain patients is challenging but crucial for early intervention. Strain and strain rate (S/SR) imaging offers a non-invasive method to assess myocardial function and detect coronary stenosis before symptoms occur. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate how effectively and accurately resting strain echocardiography can diagnose CAD.DesignWe conducted a prospective diagnostic accuracy study of patients with chest pain who were referred for CT coronary angiography (CCTA).SettingSingle-centre study conducted in the University Hospital of North Norway in Tromsø, Norway between 2016 and 2021.ParticipantsA total of 510 patients with chest pain were included in the present study.Baseline measuresEchocardiography examination with S/SR imaging was performed.Outcome measuresEchocardiography findings were compared with CCTA and coronary angiography findings. A novel scoring model incorporating S/SR parameters was developed to assess diagnostic accuracy.ResultsIn this study, we showed that receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of early diastolic strain rate (SRe), systolic strain rate (SRs) and peak longitudinal strain (PLS) has high sensitivity and specificity with area under the curve (AUC) scores: SRe, 0.91; PLS, 0.81; SRs, 0.71 in identifying patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). However, these parameters showed lower sensitivity and specificity with AUC scores: SRe, 0.580; SRs, 0.539; PLS, 0.552 in detecting patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).ConclusionsOur study emphasises the potential of S/SR imaging in detecting CAD, particularly in high-risk CABG patients. However, its diagnostic utility in PCI patients is limited. Our study highlights the need for comprehensive approaches in coronary disease prediction.

COVID-19 is a novel virus which causes a variety of clinical manifestations in the body, some of which are yet to be discovered. The main aim of our study is to highlight the neurological manifestations of COVID-19 as it is still new to the medical world, and to emphasize the fact that the physicians have to be wary of the possibility that patients affected by COVID-19 can present with encephalitis. Only a few studies are available so far regarding the neurological manifestations of this novel virus which highlights the need for this study. We present a case series of 4 patients who were found to have COVID-19 encephalitis. There is still no disease-defining test for diagnosis so the mainstay of diagnosis is exclusion of all the common causes of encephalitis. Brain magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis performs an ancillary in the diagnostic tools. Our study also supports the use of IV tocilizumab (4–8 mg/kg) and IV methylprednisolone (0.5–2 mg/kg) as possible treatment options with good results, as the patients described in our case series responded well to these medications.

CdS thin films with different Cu concentrations were grown on glass substrates at room temperature by using the resistive thermal evaporation technique. The effect of Cu doping on the structural, optical and vibrational properties of CdS thin films was investigated. The structural, optical and vibrational analysis was completed using an X-ray diffractrometer and a Raman and a UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer. X-ray diffraction data revealed that incorporation of Cu ions improved the crystalline structure but did not change the cubic phase of the CdS thin film with a preferential orientation along the (111) direction. Various optical parameters, like the refractive index, extinction co-efficient, absorption co-efficient, urbach tail energy Ee and optical band gap, were determined by using transmission data at different copper concentrations. The Raman peaks appearing at 299 cm−1 and 592 cm−1 for CdS were attributed to the 1LO and 2LO phonons of cubic CdS, and a shift towards low wavenumber region was observed with increasing Cu concentration.

Five novel Schiff bases have been prepared from o-formylphenoxyacetic acidand a series of aminothiazoles to form a number of potentially biologically activecompounds. The structures of these Schiff bases have been characterized using IR and 1H-and 13C-NMR spectroscopy.

Patients with acute coronary artery disease (CAD) exhibit reduced global and regional strain and strain rate (S/SR). However, knowledge about segmental S/SR in stable CAD patients is still limited. This study aimed to investigate whether resting segmental S/SR measurements differ in patients with chronic chest pain who have normal coronary arteries or stenotic coronary arteries, and to compare these measurements to those in patients with revascularized myocardial infarction (MI). We prospectively enrolled 510 patients with chronic chest pain referred for coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and 102 patients revascularized after MI. All participants underwent transthoracic echocardiography featuring S/SR analysis. In addition to the patients with MI, patients with suspected CAD based on CCTA findings subsequently underwent invasive coronary angiography (CAG). We assessed global longitudinal strain (GLS) and averaged segmental peak longitudinal strain during systole (PLS), peak systolic strain rate (SRs), peak early diastolic strain rate (SRe), and post systolic shortening (PSS). We also determined functionally reduced segment percentages using differing S/SR cut-off values. There were significant disparities in all average segmental S/SR metrics between the No-CAD and MI groups. SRe was the only S/SR metric that differed significantly between the No-CAD and PCI groups. Differences in SRe, PLS and GLS measurements were observed between the No-CAD and CABG groups. The proportion of diminished segmental S/SR mirrored these findings. For the percentage of pathological segments with varying cut-off values, segmental SRe below 1.5 s− 1 displayed the most marked difference among the four groups (p < 0.001). Revascularized MI patients or those referred to CABG present with diminished segmental S/SR values. However, among patients with chronic chest pain, only segmental SRe discerns subtle disparities between the No-CAD and the PCI group. The diagnostic accuracy of SRe warrants further exploration in subsequent studies.

The pharmacological treatment options for anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation (Afib) have increased with the introduction of novel oral anticoagulants, compared with earlier times, when vitamin K antagonist was the drug of choice. As they age, many Afib patients require percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), necessitating antiplatelet medication in addition to anticoagulation therapy. Choosing the appropriate combination and duration of anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapies may be challenging in stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and even more complicated during and after coronary intervention with the introduction of additional antithrombotic drugs. In this article, we review the scientific basis for the recent guidelines for anticoagulation and antithrombotic therapy in patients with Afib and stable CAD before, during, and after elective PCI.

A series of eight new azomethine derivatives were synthesized by reacting 2-formylphenoxyacetic acid with aromatic amines. The chemical structures of these compounds were confirmed by means of 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, MS and elemental analysis. The compounds were assayed by the disc diffusion method for antibacterial against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Among the compounds tested, 2a, 2b, 2e, 2g and 2h exhibited good antibacterial activity, almost equal to that of Ciprofloxacin used as standard.

Abstract Aims Coronary angiography is the gold standard diagnostic test for coronary artery disease (CAD), and the diagnostic results can have an immediate effect on symptoms. The aim of this study was to explore the long-term impact of diagnostic angiography on symptoms of anxiety and depression in a group of patients without previous CAD. Methods and results The prospective cohort study included 459 consecutive patients undergoing invasive angiography and was approved by the regional board of ethics. Data were collected at baseline and after 6 and 12 months using self-reports. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The sample population had a mean age of 62 years and included 197 (43%) women. Fifty-three percent had hypertension, and 17% had diabetes. The diagnostic results indicated that 41% of patients had normal vessels; 21% had wall changes; and 38% had obstructive stenosis. No significant difference was found between the diagnostic groups at baseline regarding the levels of anxiety or depression. After 6 months, participants with obstructive stenosis had significantly lower levels of anxiety than those without obstructive stenosis. Improvements were observed in all groups over time in both HADS subscale scores; the largest improvement occurred in patients with obstructive stenosis. Conclusion This study demonstrates that patients with normal coronary arteries or minimal coronary disease/non-obstructive coronary disease do not seem to obtain the same benefit from the receipt of information about their coronary status in terms of anxiety and depression as patients with significant obstructive stenosis.

A series of eight new azomethine derivatives were synthesized by reacting 2-formylphenoxyacetic acid with aromatic amines. The chemical structures of these compounds were confirmed by means of 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, MS and elemental analysis. The compounds were assayed by the disc diffusion method for antibacterial against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Among the compounds tested, 2a, 2b, 2e, 2g and 2h exhibited good antibacterial activity, almost equal to that of Ciprofloxacin used as standard.