Review articles

We undertook this systematic review to determine the prognostic significance of adrenomedullin (ADM) in patients with heart failure and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Given the difficulty in measuring mature ADM, its surrogate, midregional proadrenomedullin (MRproADM) has been used in most studies. Systematic search of original published studies through MEDLINE and the Cochrane Collaboration databases restricted to reports in English from January 1, 1993, to June 30, 2014, in humans was undertaken. Heterogeneity of studies prohibited a meta-analysis...

Many patients admitted to the hospital have diabetes mellitus-diagnosed or undiagnosed-and others develop hyperglycemia from the stress of hospitalization. This paper discusses the prevalence, outcomes, and evidence for best management of hyperglycemia and diabetes in hospitalized patients outside the critical care setting.

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) disease is the most common congenital cardiac defect. While the BAV can be found in isolation, it is often associated with other congenital cardiac lesions. The most frequent associated finding is dilation of the proximal ascending aorta secondary to abnormalities of the aortic media. Changes in the aortic media are present independent of whether the valve is functionally normal, stenotic, or incompetent. Although symptoms often manifest in adulthood, there is a wide spectrum of presentations ranging from severe disease detected in utero to asymptomatic disease in old age...