Are you Marcela Skvarilová?

Claim your profile

Publications (5)8.57 Total impact

  • Source
    Article: Increased level of advanced oxidation products (AOPP) as a marker of oxidative stress in patients with acute coronary syndrome.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Oxidative stress impairs endothelial function and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute cardiovascular diseases. Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) were proposed as one of the possible markers of oxidative injury, which originates under oxidative and carbonyl stress and increase global inflammatory activity. The present study was undertaken to compare AOPP concentrations in a control group of healthy individuals without ICHS (I), patients with stable angina pectoris (II), patients with acute coronary syndrome over 48 hours without ST elevations (III), and patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (IV). Coronaronary angiography, risk factors and anamnestic data were analyzed. We examined 73 probands with signs of myocardial ischemia, mean age of 61.5 years (64% males) subjected to coronarography and 21 healthy individuals. No significant difference was found between venous blood and coronary samples, or between infarction and non-infarction arteries in the group IV. AOPP concentrations in healthy individuals in the group I (82.9 +/- 29.3 mmol/l) did not differ significantly from patients in group II (89.6 +/- 26.7 mmol/l) and group III (112.3 +/- 54.6 mmol/l). A significant difference in AOPP values was found between the groups I and IV, and between the groups II and IV (82.9 +/- 29.3 mmol/l vs. 125.8 +/- 101 mmol/l, p = 0.02, and 89.6 +/- 26.7 mmol/l vs. 125.8 +/- 101 mmol/l, p = 0.02). No correlations were found between AOPP and body mass index (BMI), nicotinism, left ventricular ejection fraction, parameters of glucose and lipid metabolism. ROC analysis revealed that AOPP concentrations of 89 mmol/l had 64% sensitivity and 71% specificity for revealing an acute coronary syndrome (AUC 0.65, 95% CI 0.55-0.80). AOPP are significantly increased in patients with acute coronary syndromes with ST segment elevation, but also tend to increase in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. Our observations suggest that AOPP may be used as a marker of oxidative stress and as a prognostic factor for severe forms of cardiovascular disease. A cut-off value of 89 mmol/l can be used with 64% sensitivity and 71% specificity for revealing acute coronary syndrome.
    Biomedical papers of the Medical Faculty of the University Palacky, Olomouc, Czechoslovakia 07/2005; 149(1):83-7.
  • Article: MCL-1 (myosin light chains-1) in differential diagnosis of dyspnea.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Myosin light chains-1 (MLC-1) have been recently associated with the markers of heart function (NYHA, LVEF, NT-proBNP). Verification of the relationship between markers of heart function (New York Heart Association classification (NYHA), left ventricle ejection fraction determination (LVEF), N terminal prohormone of natriuretic peptide B type BNP (NT-proBNP) and concentrations of myosin light chains-1 (MLC-1) was assessed. Patients examined for dyspnea without signs of acute coronary syndrome. All patients underwent echocardiography (calculation of left ventricle ejection fraction--LVEF) and in the serum of all subjects NT-proBNP (ELEIA) and MLC-1 (ELISA) were determined. In the 38 patients (21 men, 17 women), mean age of 58 years (+/-12 years as 1 SD), a significant negative correlation was found between NT-proBNP and LVEF (r = - 0.47; p = 0.02, Spearman). The median levels of NT pro-BNP were closely associated with NYHA classification (type II--584 ng/l, type III--2792 ng/l, type IV--6400 ng/l; p < 0.05). Individuals with clinical NYHA IV differed significantly in median MLC-1 concentrations from persons with clinical NYHA classification II and III (type II--5.7 ng/l, type III--8.9 ng/l, type IV--17 ng/l; p < 0.05). A significant negative correlation between MLC-1 and LVEF (-0.35; p < 0.03) and significant positive correlations between MLC-1 and NT-proBNP (0.42; p < 0.012) were found. In conclusion MLC-1 cannot be used as a diagnostic marker in differential diagnosis of dyspnea.
    Biomedical papers of the Medical Faculty of the University Palacky, Olomouc, Czechoslovakia 06/2005; 149(1):89-91.
  • Article: Dramatically improved left ventricular function after biventricular pacemaker implantation--a case report.
    Alan Bulava, Jan Lukl, Marcela Skvarilová, Dan Marek
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: A case study of a patient suffering from severe chronic congestive heart failure resulting from ischemic cardiomyopathy in whom a biventricular (BiV) pacing system was implanted is reported. After a 1-year follow-up, left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction improved dramatically from an initial 15% to 60%, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter decreased, as did left atrial dimension. Tissue Doppler data and acute hemodynamic measurements taken during the biventricular pacemaker implantation procedure are presented. The case represents an exceptional example of left ventricular reverse remodeling with practically normalized left ventricular function after 1 year of synchronized pacing.
    European Journal of Heart Failure 04/2005; 7(2):231-3. · 4.90 Impact Factor
  • Source
    Article: The importance of indicators of the initial phase of atherosclerosis in patients with microvascular angina.
    Marie Scudlová, Marcela Skvarilová, Alan Bulava
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is generally considered to be the initial step in the progression to atherosclerosis but there is still much uncertainty about the role of the microvascular form of angina in patients with a normal coronary angiogram with regard to ED. The authors investigated the extent of endothelial perturbation and thereby whether the microvascular form of angina precedens macroscopic atherosclerosis by means of non-invasive ultrasound measurement of the intima-media thickening (IMT) in common carotid artery and flow mediated dilatation (FMD) in the brachial artery. 28 patients with stable angina with positive exercise test and ST segment depression (22 females, 6 males, average age 54 years) were compared with a control group consisting of 28 patients with no clinical signs of coronary artery disease (18 females, 10 males, average age 53 years). No significant difference in FMD% (7.3 vs. 10.8, p = 0.07) was found between the groups, though specific measurements (average dilatation of the brachial artery induced by ischemic insult, peak blood flow and peak hyperemic flow) differed considerably. Also IMT did not vary significantly between the groups (0.74 vs. 0.65, p = 0.08). In patients with IMT > 0.8 mm (6 patients in each group) a significant decrease of FMD was found as compared with patients with normal IMT (p < 0.05). It was concluded that in patients with increased IMT an inverse relationship between FMD and IMT exists both in patients with microvascular angina and in the healthy control subjects whereas in the group of patients with normal IMT no ED was demonstrated. This supports the hypothesis that the microvascular form of angina is the early stage of coronary artery atherosclerosis and this escapes angiographic recognition.
    Biomedical papers of the Medical Faculty of the University Palacky, Olomouc, Czechoslovakia 12/2003; 147(2):207-10.
  • Article: Increased prognostic value of combined myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging and the quantification of lung Tl-201 uptake.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: The authors wanted to identify those patients assessed by exercise SPECT in whom the quantification of lung Tl-201 uptake helps to evaluate disease prognosis. One hundred forty-nine patients (114 men, 35 women; 74 after myocardial infarction [MI]; mean age, 54 +/- 9 years) underwent exercise Tl-201 SPECT. The SPECT patterns were divided into normal (n = 45), fixed defects (n = 29), and inducible ischemia (n = 75). Anterior planar imaging was performed before SPECT acquisition to calculate the lung-to-heart ratio (L:H). During an average follow-up of 20 +/- 9 months, eight patients had died of cardiac causes and 13 patients experienced nonfatal MIs. Among the 45 patients with normal perfusion, no cardiac event was observed and the L:H ratio was not helpful for risk stratification. In 29 patients with fixed defects, four cardiac deaths occurred (all in patients with L:H ratios >0.5; annual event rate, 21.1% for L:H ratios >0.5 compared with 0% for L:H ratios <0.5; chi-square = 4.07, P < 0.05). Among the 75 patients with ischemia, 4 died and 13 had nonfatal MIs (annual event rate, 15.4% for L:H ratios >0.5 compared with 13% for L:H ratios <0.5; P = NS). These findings suggest a benign prognosis in patients with normal SPECT (regardless of the L:H ratio). Conversely, all patients with ischemia are at high risk for future cardiac events. Quantification of the Tl-201 lung uptake seems to be valuable in evaluations of disease prognosis, especially in patients with fixed defects.
    Clinical Nuclear Medicine 05/2002; 27(4):255-60. · 3.67 Impact Factor