ABCD
: Appropriate Blood pressure Control in Diabetes
ABI
: ankle–brachial index
ABPM
: ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
ACCESS
: Acute Candesartan Cilexetil Therapy in Stroke Survival
ACCOMPLISH
: Avoiding Cardiovascular Events in Combination Therapy in Patients Living with Systolic Hypertension
ACCORD
: Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes
ACE
: angiotensin-converting enzyme
ACTIVE I
: Atrial Fibrillation Clopidogrel Trial with Irbesartan for Prevention of Vascular Events
ADVANCE
: Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron-MR Controlled Evaluation
AHEAD
: Action for HEAlth in Diabetes
ALLHAT
: Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart ATtack
ALTITUDE
: ALiskiren Trial In Type 2 Diabetes Using Cardio-renal Endpoints
ANTIPAF
: ANgioTensin II Antagonist In Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
APOLLO
: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Aliskiren in the Prevention of Major Cardiovascular Events in Elderly People
ARB
: angiotensin receptor blocker
ARIC
: Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities
ARR
: aldosterone renin ratio
ASCOT
: Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial
ASCOT-LLA
: Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial—Lipid Lowering Arm
ASTRAL
: Angioplasty and STenting for Renal Artery Lesions
A-V
: atrioventricular
BB
: beta-blocker
BMI
: body mass index
BP
: blood pressure
BSA
: body surface area
CA
: calcium antagonist
CABG
: coronary artery bypass graft
CAPPP
: CAPtopril Prevention Project
CAPRAF
: CAndesartan in the Prevention of Relapsing Atrial Fibrillation
CHD
: coronary heart disease
CHHIPS
: Controlling Hypertension and Hypertension Immediately Post-Stroke
CKD
: chronic kidney disease
CKD-EPI
: Chronic Kidney Disease—EPIdemiology collaboration
CONVINCE
: Controlled ONset Verapamil INvestigation of CV Endpoints
CT
: computed tomography
CV
: cardiovascular
CVD
: cardiovascular disease
D
: diuretic
DASH
: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension
DBP
: diastolic blood pressure
DCCT
: Diabetes Control and Complications Study
DIRECT
: DIabetic REtinopathy Candesartan Trials
DM
: diabetes mellitus
DPP-4
: dipeptidyl peptidase 4
EAS
: European Atherosclerosis Society
EASD
: European Association for the Study of Diabetes
ECG
: electrocardiogram
EF
: ejection fraction
eGFR
: estimated glomerular filtration rate
ELSA
: European Lacidipine Study on Atherosclerosis
ESC
: European Society of Cardiology
ESH
: European Society of Hypertension
ESRD
: end-stage renal disease
EXPLOR
: Amlodipine–Valsartan Combination Decreases Central Systolic Blood Pressure more Effectively than the Amlodipine–Atenolol Combination
FDA
: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FEVER
: Felodipine EVent Reduction study
GISSI-AF
: Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Infarto Miocardico-Atrial Fibrillation
HbA1c
: glycated haemoglobin
HBPM
: home blood pressure monitoring
HOPE
: Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation
HOT
: Hypertension Optimal Treatment
HRT
: hormone replacement therapy
HT
: hypertension
HYVET
: HYpertension in the Very Elderly Trial
IMT
: intima-media thickness
I-PRESERVE
: Irbesartan in Heart Failure with Preserved Systolic Function
INTERHEART
: Effect of Potentially Modifiable Risk Factors associated with Myocardial Infarction in 52 Countries
INVEST
: INternational VErapamil SR/T Trandolapril
ISH
: Isolated systolic hypertension
JNC
: Joint National Committee
JUPITER
: Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin
LAVi
: left atrial volume index
LIFE
: Losartan Intervention For Endpoint Reduction in Hypertensives
LV
: left ventricle/left ventricular
LVH
: left ventricular hypertrophy
LVM
: left ventricular mass
MDRD
: Modification of Diet in Renal Disease
MRFIT
: Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial
MRI
: magnetic resonance imaging
NORDIL
: The Nordic Diltiazem Intervention study
OC
: oral contraceptive
OD
: organ damage
ONTARGET
: ONgoing Telmisartan Alone and in Combination with Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial
PAD
: peripheral artery disease
PATHS
: Prevention And Treatment of Hypertension Study
PCI
: percutaneous coronary intervention
PPAR
: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor
PREVEND
: Prevention of REnal and Vascular ENdstage Disease
PROFESS
: Prevention Regimen for Effectively Avoiding Secondary Strokes
PROGRESS
: Perindopril Protection Against Recurrent Stroke Study
PWV
: pulse wave velocity
QALY
: Quality adjusted life years
RAA
: renin-angiotensin-aldosterone
RAS
: renin-angiotensin system
RCT
: randomized controlled trials
RF
: risk factor
ROADMAP
: Randomized Olmesartan And Diabetes MicroAlbuminuria Prevention
SBP
: systolic blood pressure
SCAST
: Angiotensin-Receptor Blocker Candesartan for Treatment of Acute STroke
SCOPE
: Study on COgnition and Prognosis in the Elderly
SCORE
: Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation
SHEP
: Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program
STOP
: Swedish Trials in Old Patients with Hypertension
STOP-2
: The second Swedish Trial in Old Patients with Hypertension
SYSTCHINA
: SYSTolic Hypertension in the Elderly: Chinese trial
SYSTEUR
: SYSTolic Hypertension in Europe
TIA
: transient ischaemic attack
TOHP
: Trials Of Hypertension Prevention
TRANSCEND
: Telmisartan Randomised AssessmeNt Study in ACE iNtolerant subjects with cardiovascular Disease
UKPDS
: United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study
VADT
: Veterans' Affairs Diabetes Trial
VALUE
: Valsartan Antihypertensive Long-term Use Evaluation
WHO
: World Health Organization

### 1.1 Principles

The 2013 guidelines on hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and the European Society of Cardiology …

/pdf/2013-esh-esc-guidelines-for-the-management-of-arterial-4ydvs5ifsx.pdf

2013 ESH/ESC Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension: The Task Force for the management of arterial hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Because of new evidence on several diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of hypertension, the present guidelines differ in many respects from the previous ones. Some of the most important differences are listed below: 
1. Epidemiological data on hypertension and BP control in Europe. 
2. Strengthening of the prognostic value of home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) and of its role for diagnosis and management of hypertension, next to ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). 
3. Update of the prognostic significance of night-time BP, white-coat hypertension and masked hypertension. 
4. Re-emphasis on integration of BP, cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, asymptomatic organ damage (OD) and clinical complications for total CV risk assessment. 
5. Update of the prognostic significance of asymptomatic OD, including heart, blood vessels, kidney, eye and brain. 
6. Reconsideration of the risk of overweight and target body mass index (BMI) in hypertension. 
7. Hypertension in young people. 
8. Initiation of antihypertensive treatment. More evidence-based criteria and no drug treatment of high normal BP. 
9. Target BP for treatment. More evidence-based criteria and unified target systolic blood pressure (SBP) (<140 mmHg) in both higher and lower CV risk patients. 
10. Liberal approach to initial monotherapy, without any all-ranking purpose. 
11. Revised schema for priorital two-drug combinations. 
12. New therapeutic algorithms for achieving target BP. 
13. Extended section on therapeutic strategies in special conditions. 
14. Revised recommendations on treatment of hypertension in the elderly. 
15. Drug treatment of octogenarians. 
16. Special attention to resistant hypertension and new treatment approaches. 
17. Increased attention to OD-guided therapy. 
18. New approaches to chronic management of hypertensive disease

/pdf/2013-esh-esc-guidelines-for-the-management-of-arterial-4eubk4p0u3.pdf

2013 ESH/ESC Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension: the Task Force for the management of arterial hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)

Jeffrey L. Anderson, MD, FACC, FAHA, Chair 

Jonathan L. Halperin, MD, FACC, FAHA, Chair-Elect 

Nancy M. Albert, PhD, RN, FAHA

Biykem Bozkurt, MD, PhD, FACC, FAHA

Ralph G. Brindis, MD, MPH, MACC

Mark A. Creager, MD, FACC, FAHA[#][1]

Lesley H. Curtis, PhD, FAHA

David DeMets, PhD[#][1]

Robert A

/pdf/2014-aha-acc-hrs-guideline-for-the-management-of-patients-1v8ficsqox.pdf

2014 AHA/ACC/HRS Guideline for the Management of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society

For a long time, superoxide generation by an NADPH oxidase was considered as an oddity only found in professional phagocytes. Over the last years, six homologs of the cytochrome subunit of the phag...

/pdf/the-nox-family-of-ros-generating-nadph-oxidases-physiology-zjc88zvh59.pdf

The NOX Family of ROS-Generating NADPH Oxidases: Physiology and Pathophysiology

The discovery that mammalian cells have the ability to synthesize the free radical nitric oxide (NO) has stimulated an extraordinary impetus for scientific research in all the fields of biology and medicine. Since its early description as an endothelial-derived relaxing factor, NO has emerged as a fundamental signaling device regulating virtually every critical cellular function, as well as a potent mediator of cellular damage in a wide range of conditions. Recent evidence indicates that most of the cytotoxicity attributed to NO is rather due to peroxynitrite, produced from the diffusion-controlled reaction between NO and another free radical, the superoxide anion. Peroxynitrite interacts with lipids, DNA, and proteins via direct oxidative reactions or via indirect, radical-mediated mechanisms. These reactions trigger cellular responses ranging from subtle modulations of cell signaling to overwhelming oxidative injury, committing cells to necrosis or apoptosis. In vivo, peroxynitrite generation represents a crucial pathogenic mechanism in conditions such as stroke, myocardial infarction, chronic heart failure, diabetes, circulatory shock, chronic inflammatory diseases, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders. Hence, novel pharmacological strategies aimed at removing peroxynitrite might represent powerful therapeutic tools in the future. Evidence supporting these novel roles of NO and peroxynitrite is presented in detail in this review.

/pdf/nitric-oxide-and-peroxynitrite-in-health-and-disease-3uuuqgfdcz.pdf

Nitric Oxide and Peroxynitrite in Health and Disease

We present a case of a 70 year-old female with severe aortic stenosis, multivessel coronary artery disease and breast cancer who
successfully underwent complex percutaneous coronary revascularisation, transapical aortic valve implantation and mastectomy.
 Kardiol Pol 2011; 69, 11: 1165–1167

/pdf/percutaneous-coronary-intervention-and-aortic-valve-509unqjw3n.pdf

Percutaneous coronary intervention and aortic valve implantation in a patient with breast cancer

The authors present a case report of a 60-year-old patient with an ascending aortic aneurysm along with the associated diagnostic and therapeutic problems. The choice of therapy in patients with aortic intramural hematoma is difficult and should be based on comprehensive evaluation of the patient's status as well as on the experience of the radiologist and surgeon.

/pdf/intramural-hematoma-or-aortic-dissection-a-diagnostic-and-173125rism.pdf

Intramural hematoma or aortic dissection – a diagnostic and therapeutic problem. A case report

Aortic intramural haematoma (AIH) is a variation of aortic dissection where blood collects within the aortic media without the presence of an intimal flap. The natural history of the disease has not yet been definitely established. Two cases of AIH type A are presented – an 81-year-old hypertensive male, and a 60-year-old male, both admitted to the hospital with sudden-onset severe chest pain. In both cases AIH type A was confirmed using computed tomography. One patient underwent successful conservative treatment, whereas another one had urgent surgery.

/pdf/case-report-type-a-aortic-intramural-haematoma-clinical-41jaotz8zz.pdf

Case report Type A aortic intramural haematoma – clinical course in two patients

Streszczenie Cel: Hemoliza jest ubocznym skutkiem zabiegów kardiochirurgicznych. Celem badania było porównanie trzech metod oceny badania hemolizy poprzez pomiar w osoczu wolnej hemoglobiny (FHb), haptoglobiny i indeksu hemolizy (HI) u pacjentów we wczesnym okresie pooperacyjnym. Materiał: Badanie obejmowało 130 pacjentów po zabiegach pomostowania aortalno-wieńcowego (CABG), wszczepiania protezy zastawkowej serca, CABG ze wszczepianiem zastawki serca oraz po innych zabiegach, w tym: plastyce zastawki mitralnej, plastyce przegrody międzyprzedsionkowej i operacji tętniaka aorty z wymienieniem łuku aorty. FHb mierzono metodą kolorymetryczną, haptoglobinę metodą immunoturbidymetryczną, a do pomiaru HI zastosowano technikę bezpośredniego pomiaru optycznego. Wyniki: Mediany (zakresy) dla HI, FHb i haptoglobiny były odpowiednio: 13 (1 106) mg/dl, 30 (5 245) mg/dl i 72 (0 286) mg/dl. HI korelował silnie z FHb (r = 0,94, p < 0,0001). Zarówno HI, jak i FHb miały dodatnią korelację z całkowitym czasem operacji (r = 0,31, p = 0,001 i r = 0,28, p = 0,001), czasem krążenia pozaustrojowego (r = 0,44, p < 0,0001 i r = 0,42, p < 0,0001), czasem zakleszczenia aorty (r = 0,53, p < 0,0001 i r = 0,52, p < 0,0001), a ujemną z haptoglobiną (r = -0,20, p = 0,03 i r = -0,19, p = 0,03). Jednak średnia różnica między wynikami HI i FHb wynosiła -21 mg/dl (95% przedział ufności: -24 mg/dl do -18 mg/dl). Wnioski: Indeks hemolizy można wykorzystywać do oceny nasilenia stopnia hemolizy w osoczu po zabiegach kardiochirurgicznych, ale nie do mierzenia stężenia wolnej hemoglobiny.

Ocena nasilenia hemolizy we wczesnym okresie po operacjach kardiochirurgicznych: porównanie trzech metod

We hereby report the first – to the best of our knowledge – case of primary lipoma of the aortic valve. The tumor has been diagnosed by echocardiography supported by magnetic resonance imaging in a 63-year-old man with acute inferior ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and one-vessel coronary artery disease. Five weeks from the onset of STEMI, direct implantation of a bare metal stent into the right coronary artery was successfully undertaken and 6 weeks later aortic valve with an encapsulated mass was excised with subsequent artificial valve implantation. Histological examination revealed typical features of lipoma. Three months after the operation the patient was asymptomatic and exhibited a good function of the artificial valve. © 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

https://www.internationaljournalofcardiology.com/article/S0167-5273(06)00971-5/pdf

Jerzy Sadowski

Papers

Percutaneous coronary intervention and aortic valve implantation in a patient with breast cancer

Intramural hematoma or aortic dissection – a diagnostic and therapeutic problem. A case report

Case report Type A aortic intramural haematoma – clinical course in two patients

Ocena nasilenia hemolizy we wczesnym okresie po operacjach kardiochirurgicznych: porównanie trzech metod

Letter to the Editor Lipoma of the aortic valve in a patient with acute myocardial infarction