2010;94(4) – ABC CARDIOL

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Case Report

Ambulatory treatment of streptococcal bacterial endocarditis

Sirio Hassem Sobrinho et al. Carlos Henrique de Marchi Ulisses Alexandre Croti Cristiane Girotto de Souza … Érico Vinícius Campos Moreira da Silva Moacir Fernandes de Godoy

Bacterial endocarditis is a severe infectious disease. of which treatment is traditionally carried out in hospitalized patients through intravenous medication. The possibility of at-home or ambulatory treatment. for stringently selected cases. is attractive from the social as well as from the economic point of view. We report 6 patients with a diagnosis of bacterial endocarditis caused by Streptococcus. treated partially or completely on an outpatient basis. All of them evolved without complications and presented complete resolution of the infection.

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Case Report

Infective endocarditis with initial presentation of acute abdomen

Humberto F. G Freitas et al. Paulo R Chizzola Flavio C Pinha Luiz G Velloso

A 35-year-old patient was seen in an Emergency Department. with six hours of pain in the right iliac fossa and fever. The hypothesis diagnosis was acute appendicitis and an exploring laparotomy for appendectomy was carried out. The patient returned to the hospital three days after having been discharged. debilitated. feverish. having alterations in speech. reduction in the level of consciousness and complete hemiparesis to the left. The computed tomography scan of the skull and the liquor puncture were normal. Cerebral magnetic resonance image showed aspects compatible with vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke. Transesphofagic echocardiogram showed vegetation of the aortic valve and moderate aortic insufficiency. Blood cultures were positive for Enterococcus bovis.

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Artigo Original

Assessment of myocardial perfusion and function in victims of scorpion envenomation using Gated-SPECT

Alexandre Baldini de Figueiredo et al. Palmira Cupo Antônio O Pintya Fábio Caligaris … José A Marin-Neto Sylvia E Hering Marcus Vinicius Simões

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock and acute pulmonary edema are the major causes of death of patients with scorpion envenomation, whose pathophysiological mechanism remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between myocardial perfusion abnormalities and left ventricular contractile function in victims of scorpion envenomation. METHODS: Fifteen patients underwent ECG-gated myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (gated SPECT) within 72 hours of, and 15 days after scorpion envenomation. Images were analyzed by means of a semi-quantitative visual perfusion score (0 = normal, 4 = absent) and motion score (0 = normal, 4 = akinesia), using the 17-segment model. Summed perfusion (SPS) and summed motion (SMS) scores were calculated for each patient. Ejection fraction (LVEF) was calculated by a commercially available software. RESULTS: At baseline, 12 out of the 15 patients presented abnormal myocardial perfusion and contractility. Mean values of SPS, SMS and LVEF were 12.5 Â± 7.3, 17.0 Â± 12.8, and 44.6 Â± 16.0%, respectively. A positive correlation between SPS and SMS (r = 0.68; p = 0.005) and negative correlation between SPS and LVEF (r = -0.75; p = 0.0021) were found. The follow-up studies showed recovery of global contractility (LVEF of 68.9 Â± 9.5, p = 0.0002), segmental contractility (SMS of 2.6 Â± 3.1, p = 0.0009) and perfusion (SPS of 3.7 Â± 3.3, p = 0.0003). Improvement of LVEF correlated positively with improvement of SPS (r = 0.72; p = 0.0035). CONCLUSIONS: Myocardial perfusion abnormalities are common in scorpion envenomation and correlate topographically with the contractile dysfunction. Recovery of contractility correlates with reversibility of perfusion defects. These findings suggest the participation of myocardial perfusion abnormalities in the pathophysiology of this form of acute ventricular failure. (Arq Bras Cardiol 2010;94(4): 418-425)

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Correlação Anatomoclínica

Case 2 – seventy-year-old man with mitral stenosis and pulmonary fibrosis, who developed sepsis after balloon mitral valvoplasty

Frederico de Morais Ribeiro et al. Luis Flávio Galvão Gonçalves Rafael Stelmach Paulo Sampaio Gutierrez

ANATOMOPATHOLOGICAL SESSION

Case 2 – seventy-year-old man with mitral stenosis and pulmonary fibrosis. Who developed sepsis after balloon mitral valvuloplasty

[…]

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Revisão

Coronary heart disease, physical exercise and oxidative stress

Ricardo Aurino de Pinho et al. Marília Costa de Araújo Gabriela Lima de Melo Ghisi Magnus Benetti

Cardiovascular diseases are the leaders in morbidity and mortality rates in Brazil and worldwide, being coronary heart disease (CHD) the cause of a large number of deaths and high expenditure on medical assistance. Quite a number of risk factors for CHD are directly related to endothelial dysfunction. Those risk factors induce decreased bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO), the increase of free radicals (FR), and increased endothelial activity. Those changes may lead to vasodilation impairment. Many interventions are performed to treat CHD. Pharmacological agents, a change in eating habits, nutritional supplements and physical exercise on a regular basis are some of those interventions. The benefits of physical exercise on a regular basis over endothelial function have been demonstrated in experiments with animals and humans. However, data in the literature are still controversial as to the required intensity level to result in significantly protective changes in endothelial function. Intense exercising is also related to higher oxygen consumption and to a resulting increase of oxygen free radicals (OFR).

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Revisão

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and renal effects

Michel Batlouni

The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most often prescribed drugs in the world. This heterogeneous class of drugs includes aspirin and several other selective or non-selective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors. The non-selective NSAIDs are the oldest ones and are called traditional or conventional NSAIDs. The selective NSAIDs are called COX-2 inhibitors. In recent years, the safety of NSAID use in clinical practice has been questioned, especially that of the selective COX-2 inhibitors. The evidence on the increase in cardiovascular risk with the use of NSAIDs is still scarce, due to the lack of randomized and controlled studies with the capacity of evaluating relevant cardiovascular outcomes. However, the results of prospective clinical trials and meta-analyses indicate that the selective COX-2 inhibitors present important adverse cardiovascular effects, which include increased risk of myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, heart failure, kidney failure and arterial hypertension. The risk of these adverse effects is higher among patients with a previous history of cardiovascular disease or those at high risk to develop it. In these patients, the use of COX-2 inhibitors must be limited to those for which there is no appropriate alternative and, even in these cases, only at low doses and for as little time as possible. Although the most frequent adverse effects have been related to the selective COX-2 inhibition, the absence of selectiveness for this isoenzyme does not completely eliminate the risk of cardiovascular events; therefore, all drugs belonging to the large spectrum of NSAIDs should only be prescribed after consideration of the risk/benefit balance.

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Case Report

Wellens syndrome

Marcelo Campos Appel-da-Silva et al. Gabriel Zago Aníbal Pereira Abelin Walter Otávio Pin … Oscar Pereira Dutra Renato Vaz

The assessment of chest pain is a routine in emergency health services. Although this is a common complaint with a broad differential diagnosis. the major concern is the possibility of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Electrocardiography and cardiac enzyme levels are important tools in the investigation of these patients; however. negative results may actually be overlooking the identification of some conditions. We report the case of a female patient with angina. whose baseline tests in the emergency room were negative for changes suggestive of ischemic heart disease. The Wellens syndrome. a recently described disease. is a variant of unstable angina which. if not identified. may result in significant morbidity and mortality.

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Case Report

Association of plastic bronchitis to protein-losing enteropathy after fontan operation

Vanessa Alves Guimarães et al. Edmar Atik Jussara Bianchi Castelli Nana Miura Ikari … Ana Maria Thomaz Antonio Augusto Barbosa Lopes

We report an unusual case of association of plastic bronchitis (PB) to protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) in a girl of 4 years and 9 months of age with double inlet single left ventricle and ventriculoarterial concordance. submitted to total cavopulmonary surgery. with an intracardiac lateral tunnel at the age of three. The elimination of the 10 cm fibrin bronchial mold (PB) and the alpha-1-antitrypsin elevation of 52 mg/g in feces had both become outstanding. Using sildenafil. the thoracic duct ligature and the cardiac transplant were programmed in case of continuity of the process.

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Carta ao Editor

Reconstructive surgery of the mitral valve, post-rheumatic fever, in children

Rui M. S Almeida

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Reconstructive surgery of the mitral valve, post-rheumatic fever, in children

[…]

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Brief Communication

Quantification of lymphatic vessels in dilated and chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy

Luiz Alberto Benvenuti et al. Ana Maria Gonçalves da Silva Vera Demarchi Aiello

BRIEF COMMENTS

Quantification of lymphatic vessels in dilated and chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy

[…]

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Artigo Original

Proposed preoperative risk score for patients candidate to cardiac valve surgery

João Carlos Vieira da Costa Guaragna et al. Luiz Carlos Bodanese Fabiana Lucas Bueno Marco Antonio Goldani

BACKGROUND: To establish a risk score for heart surgery allows the assessment of preoperative risk, informing the patient and defining care during the intervention. OBJECTIVE: To assess preoperative risk factors for death in cardiac valve surgery and construct a simple risk model (score) for in-hospital mortality of patients candidate to surgery at Hospital São Lucas of Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (HSL-PUCRS). METHODS: The study sample included 1,086 adult patients that underwent cardiac valve surgery between January 1996 and December 2007 at HSL-PUCRS. Logistic regression was used to identify risk and in-hospital mortality factors. The model was developed in 699 patients and its performance was tested in the remaining data (n = 387). The final model was created using the total study sample (n = 1,086). RESULTS: Global mortality was 11.8%: 8.8% of elective cases and 63.8% of emergency cases. At the multivariate analysis, 9 variables remained independent predictors for the outcome: advanced age, surgical priority, female sex, ejection fraction 2.5 mg/dl or undergoing dialysis). The area under the ROC curve was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.78-0.86). The risk model showed good capacity for observed/predicted mortality: the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was x² = 5.61; p = 0.691 and r = 0.98 (Pearson’s coefficient). CONCLUSION: The variables predictive of in-hospital mortality allowed the construction of a simplified risk score for daily practice, which classifies the patient as having low, moderate, high, very high and extremely high preoperative risk.

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Artigo Original

Evaluation of risk and protection factors associated with high blood pressure in children

Alessandra Vitorino Naghettini et al. Joice M.F. Belem Cláudia Maria Salgado Huber M. Vasconcelos Júnior … Elaine Maria Xavier Seronni Ana Luiza Junqueira Patrícia Marques Fortes

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have shown an increased prevalence of high blood pressure in pediatric patients. Today we know that risk factors can be detected during childhood and may help in preventing the disease. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate risk and protection factors related to high blood pressure in childhood. METHODS: We evaluated children aged 3 to10 years, residing in the east and southwest sanitary districts of the City of Goiânia, Goiás, and obtained the following data: birth weight, breastfeeding, family history of high blood pressure and obesity, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure. We applied the Mann-Whitney U-test to these variables in order to compare pressure variation. RESULTS: In this sample, 519 children were evaluated, and 246 (47.4%) of them were male. The BMI assessment identified 109 (21%) overweight children, of which 53 (10.3%) were obese. Predominant and/or exclusive breastfeeding for less than 6 months was found in 242 (51.2%). The mean systolic pressure was significantly higher in children with exclusive and/or predominant breastfeeding for less than 6 months (p = 0.04), and in children with family history of high blood pressure (p = 0.05), and in overweight children (p <0.0001). These data were confirmed in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: In this sample, we observed that overweight and hereditary factors may be associated with elevated blood pressure, and that breastfeeding for more than 6 months seems to offer a protective effect.

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Artigo Original

Effects of rest interval between exercise sets on blood pressure after resistance exercises

João Veloso et al. Marcos D. Polito Tiago Riera Rodrigo Celes … José Carlos Vidal Martim Bottaro

BACKGROUND: Although studies have demonstrated the occurrence of postexercise hypotension (PEH) in resistance exercises, there is still no consensus on an ideal protocol. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of different rest intervals (RI) between resistance exercise (RE) sets on postexercise blood pressure (BP). METHODS: Sixteen sedentary non-hypertensive young men performed three RE protocols with RI of 1 (P1), 2 (2) and 3 (P3) minutes between the sets, as well as a control protocol (CON), in a counterbalanced manner. The RE protocols consisted of three sets of eight repetitions in six exercises. The loads used in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd exercise sets were 80%, 70% and 60% of one repetition maximum (1RM), respectively. Measurements were taken at rest (RES), 15 (T15), 30 (T30), 45 (T45), 60 (T60), 75 (T75), and 90 (T90) minutes after the session. Factorial analysis of variance (Anova) was carried out, followed by post hoc LSD. RESULTS: No significant change was found in systolic BP after the protocols. A significant increase in diastolic BP was verified after CON at timepoints T45 and T90. Significant reduction in diastolic BP occurred after P1 and P3, with duration of 30 and 15 minutes, respectively. No significant differences were found in the systolic and diastolic BP responses between the protocols with different RI. CONCLUSION: RI does not seem to influence systolic BP reduction after an RE session. However, reductions in diastolic BP (P1 and P3) lasting up to 30 minutes were observed.

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Artigo Original

Temporary limitations in daily routine activities: association with arterial pressure and antihypertensive therapy

Gilberto Senechal de Goffredo Filho et al. Eduardo Faerstein

BACKGROUND: Arterial hypertension has a crucial role in the occurrence of severe clinical events, but there are controversies regarding the impact of the arterial pressure levels or anti-hypertensive medication on the routine activities of individuals. OBJECTIVE: To verify whether the increase in arterial pressure levels or anti-hypertensive medications determine a temporary incapacity for routine activities. METHODS: Analysis of sectional data of 2,953 participants, from 1999-2001, of a cohort of university employees in Rio de Janeiro (Pro-Saude Study). The occurrence and duration of the incapacity on the 14 days before data collection were assessed according to the measured level of arterial pressure, as continuous variable and with the stratification of the participants in four groups, combining the information regarding the arterial pressure ( 140/90 mmHg) and the reported use of anti-hypertensive medications. A multinomial logistic regression was carried out, with multiple adjustments for sex, age, ethnicity, per capita household income and report of comorbidities. RESULTS: The adjusted odds ratio for the association between the use of anti-hypertensive medication and incapacity for 8 to 14 days was 2.08 (95% CI: 1.25-3.48), and 0.92 (95%CI: 0.84-1.01) for the association between a 10 mmHg increase in systolic pressure and incapacity for up to 7 days. CONCLUSION: Temporary incapacity for 8 to 14 days associated to anti-hypertensive medications might be related to its adverse effects. Among other reasons, the suggestive inverse association between the systolic pressure and incapacity for up to 7 days can be related to the phenomenon of hypoalgesia, sometimes described by hypertensive individuals.

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Artigo Original

Renal resistance index predicting outcome of renal revascularization for renovascular hypertension

Simone N. Santos et al. Luiz R. Leite Tak Sun Tse Rebecca Beck … Robert A. Lee Roger F. J. Shepherd

BACKGROUND: Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is a potentially correctable cause of hypertension and ischemic nephropathy. Despite successful renal revascularization, not all patients (pt) overcome it and some get worse. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to assess the value of renal resistance index (RI) in predicting the outcome of renal revascularization. METHODS: Between Jan 1998 and Feb 2001, 2,933 pts were referred to renal duplex ultrasound. 106 out of these had significant RAS and underwent angiography and renal revascularization. Arterial blood pressure (BP) was measured before and after the intervention, at intervals of up to 2 years and medications recorded. Prior to revascularization, RI was measured at 3 sites of each kidney and averaged. RESULTS: Out of the 106 patients, 81 had RI80. RAS was corrected with angioplasty (PTA) alone in 25 pts, PTA + stent in 56 pts and corrected by surgery in 25 pts. Of patients who benefited from renal revascularization; 57 of the 81 patients with RI 80. Using a multiple logistic regression model, RI was significantly associated with BP outcome (p=0.001), adjusted for the effects of age, sex, SBP, DBP, duration of hypertension, type of revascularization, number of medication in use, creatinine level, presence of diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, stroke, peripheral and coronary artery disease and kidney size (OR 99.6 – 95%CI for OR 6.1 to 1,621.2). CONCLUSION: Intrarenal arterial resistance measured by duplex ultrasound plays an important role in predicting BP outcome after renal revascularization for RAS.

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Artigo Original

Prevalence and prognostic impact of diastolic dysfunction in patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis

Silvio H. Barberato et al. Sérgio G. E. Bucharles Admar M. Sousa Costantino O. Costantini … Costantino R. F. Costantini Roberto Pecoits-Filho

BACKGROUND: Diastolic dysfunction (DD) is frequent in patients on hemodialysis (HD), but its impact on the clinical evolution is yet to be established. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence and prognostic impact of left ventricular (LV) advanced diastolic dysfunction (ADD) in patients on hemodialysis. METHODS: The echocardiograms were performed during the first year of HD therapy, in patients with sinus rhythm, with no evidence of cardiovascular disease, excluding those with significant valvopathy or pericardial effusion. The combined assessment of the Doppler echocardiographic data classified the diastolic dysfunction as: 1) normal diastolic function; 2) mild DD (relaxation alteration) and 3) ADD (pseudonormalization and restrictive flow pattern). The assessed outcomes were general mortality and cardiovascular events. RESULTS: A total of 129 patients (78 males), aged 52 ± 16 years, with a DD prevalence of 73% (50% with mild DD and 23% with ADD) were included in the study. The group with ADD was older (p < 0.01) and presented higher systolic (p < 0.01) and diastolic BP (p = 0.043), LV mass (p < 0.01), left atrial volume index (p < 0.01) and number of diabetic patients (p = 0.019), as well as lower ejection fraction (EF) (p < 0.01). After 17 ± 7 months, the general mortality was significantly higher in individuals with ADD, when compared to those with normal function and mild DD (p = 0.012, log rank test). At Cox multivariate analysis, ADD was predictive of cardiovascular events (hazard ratio 2.2; confidence interval: 1.1-4.3; p = 0.021) after adjusted for age, gender, diabetes, LV mass and EF. CONCLUSION: The subclinical ADD was identified in approximately 25% of the patients undergoing hemodialysis and had a prognostic impact, regardless of other clinical and echocardiographic data.

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Artigo Original

Hypertension prevalence and risk factors in a Brazilian urban population

José Paulo Cipullo et al. José Fernando Vilela Martin Luiz Alberto de Souza Ciorlia Maria Regina Pereira de Godoy … João Castilho Cação Afonso Augusto Carvalho Loureiro Cláudia Bernardi Cesarino Antônio C Carvalho José Antônio Cordeiro Emmanuel de Almeida Burdmann

BACKGROUND: The available studies have not fully analyzed the several factors involved in the genesis of hypertension (HT), especially the association among blood pressure, urinary sodium excretion and renal dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: To assess the HT prevalence and risk factors in different age groups in a representative sample of an urban Brazilian population. METHODS: The studied population (1717 adult individuals) was evaluated by age groups: 18 to 39 years; 40 to 49; 50 to 59; 60 to 69 and > 70 years. Quantitative variable means and categorical variables of the hypertensive and normotensive groups were compared. RESULTS: The adjusted overall prevalence of HT was 25.23%. The prevalence increased with age and was higher in individuals with low educational level. Increased body mass index and abdominal waist were positively related to a higher prevalence of HT. There was a significant positive association between HT and urinary sodium excretion. Hypertensive individuals presented higher frequency of renal dysfunction, defined as measured creatinine clearance <60 ml/min/m². The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 5.6% in the overall population and 14.5% in hypertensive individuals. Hypertension was a known condition to 74.4% of the hypertensive individuals. Among treated hypertensive individuals, 52.4% achieved controlled blood pressure and only 34.3% of the overall hypertensive patients (treated or not) had blood pressure controlled. CONCLUSION: This population-based is unique by gathering different demographic, epidemiologic and risk factors involved in the genesis of hypertension in a single sample assessment with a population calculation, which might be extrapolated to other hypertensive populations.

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Artigo Original

Myocardial fibrosis in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and high risk for sudden death

Afonso Akio Shiozaki et al. Tiago Senra Edmundo Arteaga Cristiane Guedes Pita … Martino Martinelli Filho Luis Francisco R. Ávila José Rodrigues Parga Filho Charles Mady Carlos Eduardo Rochitte

BACKGROUND: The stratification of risk for sudden death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) continues to be a true challenge due to the great heterogeneity of this disease’s presentation, as most individuals remain asymptomatic during their entire lives and others present sudden death as first symptom. Recent studies have suggested that myocardial fibrosis may represent an important substrate for the malignant ventricular arrhythmias, that are responsible for the cases of sudden death related to this disease. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and quantification of myocardial fibrosis (MF) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients with implantablecardioverter – defibrillator (ICD) indicated due to their high risk or recovered from cardiac sudden death. METHODS: Twenty-eight HCM patients with ICD were submitted to multidetector computed tomography to assess myocardial fibrosis by delayed enhancement technique. RESULTS: Myocardial fibrosis was present in 96% of these HCM patients with (20.38 ± 15.55 g) comprising 15.96 ± 10.20% of the total myocardial mass. MF was observed in a significantly higher prevalence as compared to other classical risk factors for sudden death. CONCLUSION: It is possible to conclude that there is a high prevalence of myocardial fibrosis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients with high-risk or recovered from cardiac sudden death, like those with clinical indication to implantable cardioverter -defibrillator. The higher prevalence of myocardial fibrosis in comparison to classical risk factors of worse prognosis raise the hypothesis that the myocardial fibrosis may be an important substrate in the genesis of lifethreatening arrhythmias in these high risk HCM population.

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Artigo Original

Single cardiac troponin T measurement predicts risk for adverse outcome in decompensated heart failure

Manoel D. C. Oliveira et al. Juliana Álvares Maria Consolação V. Moreira

BACKGROUND: The slight increase in cardiac troponin in the blood of patients with heart failure (HF) suggests that myofibrils are degraded in the myocardium and released in the circulation, reflecting a continuous and progressive injury process in the contractile system. OBJECTIVE: To correlate the serum levels of cardiac troponin T (TnT) at the hospital admission of patients with decompensated HF and prognosis. METHODS: A total of 79 consecutive patients, hospitalized due to decompensated HF, with LVEF 2.5 mg%, liver failure, or neuromuscular diseases. RESULTS: High levels of TnTc (>0.02 ng/ml) were detected in 37 patients (46.84%). The global mortality was 35.4%. In the groups with high TnT and low TnT levels (<0.02 ng/ml) there were, respectively, 19 versus 9 deaths (RR=2.4; 95%CI 1.24-4.63; p=0.011), 5 versus 4 heart transplants (RR=1,42; 95%CI 0.41-4.89; p=0.73), 11 versus 7 patients needed IV inotropic agents (RR=1.78; 95%CI 0.77-4.12; p=0.26) and 14 versus 10 patients were re-hospitalized (RR=1.85; 95%CI 0.95-3.6; p=0.10). Mean troponin levels were significantly higher in those individuals who died (0.071±0,119 vs 0.032±0.046; p=0.004). At the multivariate analysis, the persistence of the third sound and the need for IV inotropic agents showed to be independent predictors of death; however, we observed a higher tendency towards mortality for patients presenting high TnT when compared to those with low troponin levels (HR=2.64; 95%CI 0.91-7.63; p=0.07). CONCLUSION: The single troponin measurement at hospital admission in patients with decompensated HF predicts adverse outcomes and should be considered at the early stratification of long-term morbimortality.

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Artigo Original

Graduates from a postgraduate program in cardiology: are the results of almost 30 years adequate?

Luana Brock et al. Edileuza Cunha José Roberto Tavares Iran Gonçalves Jr … Angelo A V de Paola Valdir Moisés Antonio Carlos Carvalho

BACKGROUND: Stricto sensu post-graduation in Brazil was implemented in 1965 to increase university professors’ teaching quality and to prepare full, independent researchers. The brazilian share in ISI publications has increased significantly since then, but little information is available on postgraduate quality. OBJECTIVE: To review 29 years of the postgraduate programs in cardiology at the Federal University of São Paulo and to analyze master and doctorate graduates’ characteristics regarding their origin, publications and subsequent career. METHODS: We developed a questionnaire to evaluate 168 postgraduates who produced 196 theses (116 master’s and 80 doctorate) over the period 1975-2004 and contacted 95.9% of them. Information on publications were obtained through the usual science databases. RESULTS: 30% of graduates came from the North-Northeast-Central West regions and only 50% returned to their original area. Mean age at admission was 32.5 and 34.9 years old for master and doctorate students, respectively; average program duration was, respectively, 39.0 and 43.2 months and approximately 50% went through it without any grants. Thesis publications throughout these 29 years averaged 36.5% for master’s and 61.9% for doctorate, but any publishing afterwards occurred in 70.2 and 90.6% of the cases. The average impact factor of the published theses was 1.3 for master’s degree and 3.1 for doctorate programs with 65.5% and 87.5% of Qualis A, respectively. Currently, there are graduates in 17 states of the country and 12 have became full professors. CONCLUSION: Although the stricto sensu program, especially the master’s degree program, has many areas that need improvement, they seem to be contributing to improve professional quality and the number of brazilian indexed publications.

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Artigo Original

Relation between anthropometric indicators and risk factors for cardiovascular disease

Mirele Arruda Michelotto de Oliveira et al. Regina Lúcia Martins Fagundes Emília Addison Machado Moreira Erasmo Benício Santos de Moraes Trindade Tales de Carvalho

BACKGROUND: Studies have been carried out to identify the best anthropometric predictor of chronic diseases in different populations. OBJECTIVE: To verify the relation between anthropometric measures and risk factors (lipid profile and blood pressure) for cardiovascular diseases. METHODS: Transversal study carried out with 180 males and 120 females, with mean age 39.6±10.6 years old. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (%BF), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), lipid profile, glycemia and blood pressure were the variables assessed. RESULTS: BMI, WC and WHR were higher among males, and %BF were higher among females (p<0.001). The proportion of altered cases of WHR and %BF in relation to LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol (TC) was higher among males. The individuals considered normal for WC presented alteration in the values of LDL-c, TC and HDL-cholesterol. There was a correlation between BMI and WC (males: r=0.97 and females: r=0.95; p<0.001). Among males, the best correlation (p<0.001) was presented between WC and WHR (r=0.82) and among females, %BF and WC (r=0.80). Triglycerides (TG) presented correlation to WHR (males: r=0.992; females r=0.95; p<0.001), and to WC (males: r=0.82; females r=0.79; p<0.001). In the multiple analysis (Prevalence ratio – PR, Confidence interval – CI), the BMI were associated with total cholesterol (PR=1.9; 95%CI 1.01-3.69; p=0.051) among males and slightly associated with TG/HDL-cholesterol (PR= 1.8; IC95% 1.01-3.45; p=0.062) among females. CONCLUSION: BMI and WHR were the anthropometric indicators with strongest relation to lipid profile in both sex groups. This data support the hypothesis that BMI and WHR may be considered as risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

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Artigo Original

24-hour blood pressure in normotensive elderly women and elderly women with white-coat hypertension

Paulo Rogério W. Hekman et al. Juarez N. Barbisan Honório S. Menezes Vicente Antonello

BACKGROUND: Changes in the behavior of the circadian rhythm can be deleterious, leading to target-organ damage, which suggests that they can have a prognostic significance and, eventually, can also demand therapeutic intervention. OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare the circadian rhythms of blood pressure (BP) in normotensive elderly women and in those with white-coat hypertension (WCH). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in sample of 36 patients, aged 60-83 years, submitted to ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) for a period of 24 hours. Nineteen normotensive elderly women and 17 with WHC were compared regarding the nocturnal dipping and the BP variability, morning increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP), pulse pressure, post-prandial hypotension and correlation of 24-hour BP means. The statistical analysis used the Student’s t test, Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test and Pearson’s linear correlation. RESULTS: The elderly women with WCH presented higher levels of SBP than the normotensive ones, between 8 am-12 pm (133 ± 8.0 mmHg vs 123 ± 9.0 mmHg, respectively, p < 0.001). The BP variability was higher in the WCH group only during the wakefulness period (between 7 am-11 pm, p = 0.02). A positive correlation was observed between the BMI and the SBP means at night, only in the elderly women with WCH (r = 0.578; p = 0.015 and r = 0.488; p = 0.055, respectively). CONCLUSION: The elderly women with WCH presented higher SBP and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) means during the wakefulness period. In the early hours of the morning, the elderly women with WCH presented significantly higher SBP means.

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Artigo Original

Cardiovascular response to Stroop test: comparison between the computerized and verbal tests

Daniel Fernandes Barbosa et al. Francisco José A. Prada Maria Fátima Glanner Otávio de Toledo Nóbrega Cláudio Córdova

BACKGROUND: The Stroop test requires the individual to respond to specific elements of a stimulus, whereas inhibiting more automated processes. OBJECTIVE: To compare the cardiovascular reactivity induced by the computerized version of the Stroop word-color test TESTINPACS® with the traditional version based on the reading of printed words. METHODS: The sample of convenience consisted of 20 women (22.4 ± 4.1 years). Analyses of variance with repeated measures were used to compare the main effects between the tests (computerized vs verbal), as well as between phases of the test (baseline, Stroop 1, Stroop 3) on the physiological variables (arterial pressure, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, heart failure and respiratory rate). The t tests for paired samples were used to compare the pressure means between Stroop 3 and baseline. Additionally, the magnitude of the effects (d’) was estimated in order to assess the impact of the changes in the physiological measurements between Stroop 3 and the baseline. RESULTS: The two versions of the assessment tool caused significant increase in heart rate (p<0.01) and systolic arterial pressure (p<0.05) when the measurements obtained at the Stroop 3 were compared to that of baseline. However, no significant differences were observed regarding the different versions of the test on the other investigated variables. The d' statistics confirmed the high magnitude of the effects (-1.04 to +1.49) between the measurements from the Stroop 3 and the baseline ones. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the current computerized version (TESTINPACS TM) of the Stroop test constitutes a useful instrument to induce cardiovascular reactivity in women.

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Artigo Original

Physical fitness, age and nutritional status of military personnel

Clarissa Stefani Teixeira et al. Érico Felden Pereira

BACKGROUND: Although there is a trend toward the decrease in levels of physical fitness, the intensity of this decrease due to the aging process and the nutritional status in adult male individuals is not well-known, especially in the Brazilian population. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the levels of physical fitness according to age and the nutritional status in adult male individuals. METHODS: Aerobic and muscular endurance tests as well as flexibility tests and nutritional status assessment were carried out in 1,011 male individuals. Analyses of correlation, covariance and prevalence ratio were performed through Poisson regression. RESULTS: The individuals presented a moderate performance at the physical fitness tests. A decrease in the levels of physical performance according to the aging process was verified, considering all age ranges analyzed. The analysis of covariance corrected by age showed differences (p<0.001) for all tests comparing normal individuals and those with overweight/obesity. The prevalence ratios showed a strong trend toward the decrease in the physical fitness from 18 to 54 years. Individuals aged 41 to 54 years presented prevalences of low VO2max index that were 3.22-fold higher when compared to those aged 18 to 20 and 1.40-fold higher when compared to individuals aged 21 to 25 years. There was a decrease in the VO2max scores in the 18 to 20 age range, when compared to the 41 to 54 age range, of 11.45% in the normal group and 20.91% in the group with overweight and obesity. CONCLUSION: Age and the nutritional status have a strong influence on the decreased physical performance scores, mainly after 30 years of age.

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