| EDITORIAL | 5 |
| CARDIOVASCULAR TOPICS | 8 |
| Comparison of left atrial function in healthy individuals versus patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography | 8 |
| A comparison between size of the occluder device and two-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiographic sizing of the ostium secundum atrial septal defect | 15 |
| The optimal time of B-type natriuretic peptide sampling associated with post-myocardial infarction remodelling after primary percutaneous coronary intervention | 19 |
| Epidemiological and clinical features, ultrasound findings and prognosis of right-sided infective endocarditis in a teaching hospital in Ouagadougou | 25 |
| Maternal imbalance between pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors in HIV-infected women with pre-eclampsia | 28 |
| Prevalence and determinants of hypertension and associated cardiovascular risk factors: data from a population-based, cross-sectional survey in Saint Louis, Senegal | 34 |
| Pre-treatment before coronary artery bypass surgery improves post-operative outcomes in moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients | 38 |
| LETTER TO THE EDITOR | 42 |
| REVIEW ARTICLE | 43 |
| CONFERENCE REPORT | 48 |
| CASE REPORTS - PUBLISHED ONLINE | 51 |
| Acute myocardial infarction complicated by acute pulmonary oedema and cardiogenic collapse during dobutamine stress echocardiography | 51 |
| Peripartum cardiomyopathy and familial dilated cardiomyopathy: a tale of two cases | 54 |
| Spontaneous retrograde dissection of the ascending aorta in a patient with a bicuspid aortic valve | 58 |
| Ventricular tachycardia-based long QT without hypocalcaemia after use of ibandronic acid | 61 |