Magnesium (Mg) is one of the most important cations in the organism, essential for regulating vascular tone, cardiac rhythm, and endothelial functions. In patients with advanced stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) Mg deficit was associated in various studies with vascular calcifications and increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Patients with CKD frequently have hyperparathyroidism, parathormone (PTH) being an important risk factor for vascular calcifications. Increased serum Mg levels inhibit PTH secretion and stimulate left ventricular hypertrophy, while low serum Mg levels stimulate PTH secretion. Correcting Mg de deficiency results in reduced cardiovascular mortality in these patients.

Acute pancreatitis is acute inflammation of pancreatic glandular acinar cells followed by intraparenchymal enzymatic activation and pancreatic auto digestion. In most cases develop mild or moderate forms, with low morbidity and mortality. There is however a lower category of patients that develop severe forms of disease with increased morbidity and mortality. [...]

Acute pancreatitis is the acute inflammation of the glandular pancreatic acinar cells, the consequence of parenchymal enzyme activation. Acinar local autodigestion which determines tissue destruction and ischemic necrosis sets in. Simultaneously, the local inflammatory reaction is followed by the release of pancreatic enzymes in the systemic circulation. In this situation, inflammatory cells appear, which stimulates the production of inflammatory mediators (1,2).
The loss of local control or exaggerated inflammatory reaction triggers the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). The factors involved in determining the systemic response may be infectious (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites etc.), noninfectious (trauma, pancreatitis, burns etc.), or a combination of all the above (Fig. 1).

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death inUnites States and the leading cause of adult morbidity and disability in Europe (1). Ischemic stroke represents approximately 88% of all strokes
however, in NINDS (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) database almost 40% of ischemic strokes are listed as cryptogenic strokes (2). In the context of secondary prevention, establishing an etiological diagnosis is essential when it comes to prescribing the optimal treatment for every patient. Routine evaluation of a stroke patient includes evaluation of cervico-cerebral vessels and also cardiological evaluation in order to rule out an atrial arrhythmia with embolic potential in cerebral circulation (3,4).
Between the heart and the carotid and vertebral arteries lies the aorta, an area difficult to explore. Latest data from the literature suggest an association between aortic arch atheromas and ischemic stroke, thus aortic atheromatosis may be the missing link, responsible for most of the cerebral infarctions of undetermined cause (5,6).