Non-cardiac Diseases Research Articles

Early cardiovascular multimorbidity in out- and in-patient care: age characteristics and medication therapy (data from the REKVAZA and REKVAZA-CLINIC registries)

Aim. To assess the age and sex characteristics, comorbidities and medication therapy in patients with early cardiovascular multimorbidity in out- and in-patient care. Material and methods . The REKVAZA registry includes 3,690 patients with hypertension (HTN), coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure (HF), atrial fibrillation (AF) and their combinations, who applied to primary care facilities in Ryazan in 2012-2013. The hospital registry REKVAZA-CLINIC included 17,018 patients hospitalized due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine from April 2013 to March 2020. The groups of patients with early cardiovascular multimorbidity were compared according to two criteria: criterion 1 — age 18-49 years; criterion 2 — the age of men, 18-54 years; women, 18-64 years. The structure of CVD and related diseases, as well as cardiovascular therapy were analyzed. Results. The proportion of persons with early cardiovascular multimorbidity from the total number of patients with cardiovascular multimorbidity was as follows: using criterion 1 — 4,9% (145/2959) and 4,94% (571/11557) (p=0,66), criterion 2 — 29,0% (859/ 2959) and 18,8% (2168/11557) (p<0,0001), respectively. Using criterion 2, in contrast to criterion 1, the proportion of men with early multimorbidity was 2,7 times less in the REKVAZA registry (17,1 vs 45,5%; p<0,0001) and 1,8 times less in the REKVAZA-CLINIC registry (44,2 vs 80,9%; p<0,0001). Among individuals with >2 CVDs (HTN, CAD, HF, AF, myocardial infarction, acute cerebrovascular accident), the proportion of individuals with early development of each of the listed diseases was significantly higher in the out- and in-patient registries, when using criterion 2 (14-29%) compared to criterion 1 (2-2,5%). Among patients with early onset of CVD in the outpatient registry, when criteria 1 and 2 were used, the proportion of patients with cardiovascular multimorbidity was 41,8 and 62,7% (p<0,0001), respectively; in the inpatient registry — 34,1 and 45,5% (p<0,0001). That is, at the age of <50 years> 1/3 of patients were found to have combined CVDs. Using criterion 2, compared with criterion 1, the proportion of persons with HTN and concomitant CVD among all patients with early HTN was 1,5 times higher (62,8 vs 41,6%; p<0,0001) in the outpatient register and 1,3 times higher in the inpatient one (48,9 vs 37,5%; p<0,0001). The proportions of persons with HTN in combination with other CVDs were among all hypertensive patients aged <45 and <40 years: in the outpatient registry, 35,5% (61/172) and 33,3% (38/114) cases, respectively, and in the inpatient — 27,8% (215/772) and 26,5% (95/359), respectively. According to the data of both out- and inpatient registries, in patients with early development of HTN (<50 years of age) and concomitant CVDs, compared with those without such a combination, there was a greater number of noncardiac diseases (18,3 vs 7,0%; p=0,001), diabetes (12,9 vs 4,7%; p<0,0001), respectively. In the inpatient registry, in addition to diabetes, there was a greater proportion of people with gastrointestinal diseases (78,7 vs 73,2%; p=0,02) and obesity (37,9 vs 30,3%; p=0,004). Among patients <50 years of age, the prevalence of those taking appropriate medications was higher than in the group of patients meeting criterion 2 — 68,0% vs 63,2%, respectively (p=0,03). Conclusion. Early cardiovascular multimorbidity in the REKVAZA and REKVAZA-CLINIC registries was detected in 14-29% of the total number of combined CVD cases when using criterion 2 and only in 2-5% when using criterion 1. However, in relation to the total number of patients with early CVD development, individuals with cardiovascular multimorbidity make up the majority. It is preferable to use age <50 years as a criterion for early cardiovascular multimorbidity. But the criterion for the early development of HTN combined with other CVDs is appropriate to consider the age <40 years. Persons with early cardiovascular multimorbidity, especially at the age of 18-49 years, are the target group for the implementation of preventive measures.

Screening for neurodevelopmental disorders in children with congenital heart disease.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) in children with significant congenital heart disease (CHD) and to determine associated factors to NDD and frequency of follow-up in developmental therapies. Two hundred and ten children with significant CHD aged from 6 to 66months were enrolled over a period of sixmonths. The Ages & Stages Questionnaire Third Edition in French (ASQ-3) was used to assess neurodevelopmental domains. NDD were defined if cut-off scores were ≤ - 1SD. -1SD corresponded to "Monitor" range: children with minor or emerging disorders; - 2SD corresponded to "Refer" range: children exhibiting neurodevelopmental delays. Forty children were in "Monitor" range and 86 in "Refer" range. NDD rate was 60.0% (n = 126, 95% CI, 53.4 to 66.6%). There was no difference regarding CHD severity (p = 0.99). Only the presence of non-cardiac disease (OR = 2.14; 95% CI, 1.11 to 4.20) was associated with NDD. Forty-six children with NDD had no developmental follow-up (among them 21 were in "Refer" range (10%)) despite this being available.Conclusion: Children with significant CHD are at risk for NDD regardless of CHD severity. Systematic and early monitoring in a specific care program is required. Barriers that prevent access of care must be identified.Trial registration: Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children With Congenital Heart Disease. NeuroDis-CHD. NCT03360370. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03360370 What is Known: • Children with CHD are at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders and behavioural problems impacting their social adaptation, academic achievements and quality of personal and family life even in adulthood. What is New: • Children with CHD are at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders regardless of the complexity of the CHD. • Even with the availability of appropriate developmental services, children with CHD are not correctly followed, highlighting the need of a specific program of care for a better outcome. Local barriers that prevent access of care of those children must be identified.

A window into portal hemodynamics in adult fontan patients?

BackgroundFontan circulation alters portal venous hemodynamics, causing chronic passive hepatic congestion and fibrosis. This congestion increases liver stiffness (LS) leading to overestimates of liver fibrosis as measured by ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) of the liver. We evaluated whether Fontan circulation has a similar effect on spleen stiffness (SS) and SS/LS ratio as measured by SWE. MethodsWe retrospectively compared the SS of adult Fontan patients to age and gender matched, control patients without congenital heart disease. We correlated SS measurements to LS measurements and also performed a limited subgroup analysis of SS in Fontan patients with various manifestations of Fontan Associated Liver Disease. ResultsSS in Fontan patients was similar to healthy controls (1.43 vs. 1.36 m/s, p = 0.26). LS was elevated in 78% of the Fontan patients (mean 1.68 m/s, SD 0.31, 95% CI 1.53–1.85). The correlation between LS and SS was modest (Pearson's correlation coefficient, r = 0.5) but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.06). The mean SS/LS ratio was 0.85 (95% CI 0.77–0.94). ConclusionBased on our study cohort, SS in Fontan patients is similar to age and gender matched control patients without congenital heart disease. The SS/LS ratio, however, is frequently less than 1, which is lower than that reported in both healthy patients and those with other forms of non-cardiac liver disease. SS and SS/LS ratio may be a useful indicator of portal hemodynamics in Fontan patients.

Prescription to reduce heart palpitations, a mid-18th century prescription in the New Kingdom of Granada.

The human being, throughout history, has used plants to prevent and cure diseases. It is important to know that for a long time, the mechanism through which those plants worked was unknown, making herbal medicine a purely empirical science. Medical prescriptions in the 19th century in the Kingdom of Nueva Granada were considered a significant medical advance as a result of knowledge and medical practices in the old continent. Medical literature of the time achieved, despite the lack of studies, the development of new schemes with exact dosages and new therapeutic possibilities. The medical prescription presented in this article was used in the management of heart palpitations, a frequent symptom nowadays, described as thoracic and/or neck beating, underlying various cardiac and non-cardiac diseases. The recipe for the palpitations of the historical archive "Cipriano Rodríguez Santa María" is a mixture of herbal agents that, as reviewed in the medical literature, showed to have anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, and antioxidant effects, among others, allowing a beneficial effect on cardiac palpitations. Due to the lack of information on the posology, safety in its use, contraindications, and possible adverse effects, its potential use should have been underestimated at that time for the control of palpitations or as phytochemical agents directed to treat diseases causing this symptom.

Levosimendan Efficacy and Safety: 20 years of SIMDAX in Clinical Use.

Levosimendan was first approved for clinic use in 2000, when authorisation was granted by Swedish regulatory authorities for the haemodynamic stabilisation of patients with acutely decompensated chronic heart failure. In the ensuing 20 years, this distinctive inodilator, which enhances cardiac contractility through calcium sensitisation and promotes vasodilatation through the opening of adenosine triphosphate-dependent potassium channels on vascular smooth muscle cells, has been approved in more than 60 jurisdictions, including most of the countries of the European Union and Latin America. Areas of clinical application have expanded considerably and now include cardiogenic shock, takotsubo cardiomyopathy, advanced heart failure, right ventricular failure and pulmonary hypertension, cardiac surgery, critical care and emergency medicine. Levosimendan is currently in active clinical evaluation in the US. Levosimendan in IV formulation is being used as a research tool in the exploration of a wide range of cardiac and non-cardiac disease states. A levosimendan oral form is at present under evaluation in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. To mark the 20 years since the advent of levosimendan in clinical use, 51 experts from 23 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and Ukraine) contributed to this essay, which evaluates one of the relatively few drugs to have been successfully introduced into the acute heart failure arena in recent times and charts a possible development trajectory for the next 20 years.

Influence of transcatheter aortic valve replacement on patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing non-cardiac surgery

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to clarify the influence of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing non-cardiac surgery.MethodsThirty-four patients with severe AS diagnosed by preoperative evaluation for non-cardiac surgery were reviewed and compared in two categories. First, patient profiles and surgical risk were compared before (pre-TAVR group; n = 10) and after (post-TAVR group; n = 24) the introduction of TAVR. Second, the completion rate of non-cardiac surgery and interval between the two cardiac and non-cardiac operations were compared between surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) patients before the introduction of TAVR (pre-AVR group (n = 10)), in AVR patients after the introduction of TAVR (post-AVR (n = 12)), and in TAVR patients (TAVR group (n = 12)).ResultsAge and Japan score were higher in the post-TAVR group than in the pre-TAVR group. Malignancy was the most common non-cardiac disease (80%) in the pre-TAVR group, whereas orthopedic disease was the most common (50%) in the post-TAVR group. Completion rate of non-cardiac operation in the pre-AVR, post-AVR and TAVR groups was 70, 33, and 75% (post-AVR vs. TAVR: p = 0.010), and the interval between the two operations was 129 ± 98 days, 87 ± 40 days and 27 ± 15 days, respectively (pre AVR vs. TAVR: p = 0.034 and post AVR vs. TAVR: p = 0.025). In the post-TAVR group, AVR was selected because of a lack of fitness for TAVR in 5 of 12 patients.ConclusionsAfter the introduction of TAVR, more senile and high-risk patients became candidates for a two-stage operation, and orthopedic conditions became the most common non-cardiac disease. Innovation in transcatheter valvular interventions and expansion of indications for patients currently evaluated as “unfit for TAVR” might be crucial issues for non-cardiac surgery with severe AS.

Diabetes Mellitus and Noncardiac Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease-Pathogenesis and Pharmacological Treatment Options.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is also a cause of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD). Addressing the atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) burden in DM should reduce premature death and improve quality of life. Diabetes mellitus-associated ASCVD can lead to complications in all vascular beds (carotids as well as coronary, lower extremity, and renal arteries). This narrative review considers the diagnosis and pharmacological treatment of noncardiac atherosclerotic vascular disease (mainly in patients with DM). Based on current knowledge and the fact that modern DM treatment guidelines are based on CV outcome trials, it should be noted that patients with noncardiac CVD may not have the same benefits from certain drugs compared with patients who predominantly have cardiac complications. This leads to the conclusion that in the future, consideration should be given to conducting well-designed trials that will answer which pharmacological treatment modalities will be of greatest benefit to patients with noncardiac ASCVD.

Adiponectin and its receptor genes' expression in response to Marek's disease virus infection of White Leghorns

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) causes T-cell lymphoma in susceptible chicken and is also related to an imbalance of the lipid metabolism. Adiponectin is a circulatory cytokine secreted from adipose tissue and exerts critical metabolic functions. Although the associations between adiponectin and diseases, including lipid disorder and noncardiac vascular diseases, have been reported, little is known about the relationship between MDV infection and adiponectin. Here, we challenged white Leghorns from Marek’s disease (MD)-susceptible and MD-resistant lines with MDV at 7 D of age and then explored the body weight and plasma lipoprotein levels at 21 D after MDV infection. Meanwhile, adiponectin and the expression of its receptors were detected using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot. The results showed that MDV infection induced body weight loss in all the experimental birds. Meanwhile, the concentrations of total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein were lower after the infection, although there was no significant difference (P > 0.05). However, the infection did not affect adiponectin circulating levels in plasma. MD-susceptible birds had much lower plasma adiponectin than MD-resistant birds (P < 0.01). In abdominal fat, there was no significant difference in adiponectin mRNA level. Still, we observed a significant decrease in adiponectin protein concentration, as well as adipoR1 and adipoR2, at both mRNA and protein levels in the infected compared with the noninfected MD-susceptible chickens. In the spleen, MDV infection significantly reduced the adiponectin mRNA expression but increased the protein in MD-susceptible chickens, which decreased both adipoR1 mRNA expression and protein levels. Also interestingly, the adipoR1 mRNA expression level was significantly increased in MD-susceptible chickens in the liver after MDV infection. All findings in the present study provided interesting insights into adiponectin metabolism in chickens after MDV infection, which helps to advance the understanding of lipid metabolism in response to herpesvirus infection.

Levosimendan Efficacy and Safety: 20 Years of SIMDAX in Clinical Use.

Levosimendan was first approved for clinical use in 2000, when authorization was granted by Swedish regulatory authorities for the hemodynamic stabilization of patients with acutely decompensated chronic heart failure (HF). In the ensuing 20 years, this distinctive inodilator, which enhances cardiac contractility through calcium sensitization and promotes vasodilatation through the opening of adenosine triphosphate-dependent potassium channels on vascular smooth muscle cells, has been approved in more than 60 jurisdictions, including most of the countries of the European Union and Latin America. Areas of clinical application have expanded considerably and now include cardiogenic shock, takotsubo cardiomyopathy, advanced HF, right ventricular failure, pulmonary hypertension, cardiac surgery, critical care, and emergency medicine. Levosimendan is currently in active clinical evaluation in the United States. Levosimendan in IV formulation is being used as a research tool in the exploration of a wide range of cardiac and noncardiac disease states. A levosimendan oral form is at present under evaluation in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. To mark the 20 years since the advent of levosimendan in clinical use, 51 experts from 23 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine) contributed to this essay, which evaluates one of the relatively few drugs to have been successfully introduced into the acute HF arena in recent times and charts a possible development trajectory for the next 20 years.

Cardiovascular Health in the COVID-19 Era: A Call for Action and Education

Cardiovascular Health in the COVID-19 Era: A Call for Action and Education

THU0121 COMORBIDITIES AT DIAGNOSIS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Background:Although many studies have reported an increased burden of comorbidities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and their impact on RA outcomes, few studies have compared the pattern of comorbidities already at diagnosis of RA, in relation to the burden among matched control subjects. Only such a comparison can inform on which comorbidities are increased already before RA diagnosis, presumably due to overlapping causal factors, and which arise as a consequence of the RA disease or its treatment.Objectives:The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of common chronic conditions in patients with RA, overall and stratified by serological status, at the time of diagnosis, compared to a matched control group reflective of the general population.Methods:This nationwide study included patients with a new-onset RA diagnosis, using data from the Swedish Rheumatology Quality register, from 2006 to 2015. We included 11,086 incident RA cases, of whom 62% were seropositive. From the Total Population Register, we identified 54,813 population controls, individually matched on age, sex and county of residence. Information about registered comorbidity diagnoses during the five years up until the RA diagnosis was retrieved from the Swedish National Patient Register. Information on dispersed drugs during the year up until the RA diagnosis was collected from the Prescribed Drug Register. Comorbidity diagnoses were grouped into 10 different categories (see table 1). Logistic regression was used to compare comorbidities between cases and controls, adjusted for the matching variables.Table 1.Relative risk of comorbidities at RA diagnosis, overall and by serological statusAll RASeropos RASeroneg RAComorbiditiesOR*95% CIOR*95% CIOR*95% CICardiovascular1.111.03–1.201.060.95–1.171.201.07–1.36Non-cardiac vascular1.030.98–1.091.030.96–1.101.060.97–1.16Respiratory1.581.44–1.741.741.54–1.961.351.15–1.59Gastrointestinal1.171.08–1.271.121.01–1.251.281.12–1.46Psychiatric0.870.82–0.920.870.80–0.930.960.87–1.06Nephrological0.900.71–1.150.890.63–1.250.960.68–1.36Infectious1.121.03–1.231.131.01–1.271.171.02–1.35Endocrine1.391.31–1.471.411.31–1.511.351.23–1.48Cancer0.880.79–0.970.810.71–0.930.930.80–1.10Neurological1.731.59–1.891.621.45–1.812.001.74–2.29*All ORs are adjusted for sex and age, and cases with RA are compared to their individually matched control subjects.Results:In seropositive as well as in seronegative RA, comorbidities within the respiratory (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.44-1.74), gastrointestinal (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.08-1.27), infectious (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.23), endocrine (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.31-1.47) and neurological (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.59-1.89) categories were more common already at the time of RA diagnosis, compared to the matched population controls, as outlined in table 1. A history of cardiovascular disease was slightly increased among patients with seronegative RA (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.07-1.36), and no increase was seen for non-cardiac vascular diseases. A history of psychiatric (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.80-0.93) and cancer diagnoses (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.71-0.93) was less common in seropositive RA vs. their matched controls. In terms of comorbidity burden, 15% of all RA patients had diagnoses from at least two of the ten comorbidity categories vs. 13% of the controls and 8% vs. 8% had diagnoses within three or more comorbidity categories.Conclusion:This large nationwide study demonstrates a marked increase in several comorbidities, in particular respiratory, endocrine and neurological diseases, already at, and before, the diagnosis of RA compared with age and sex matched controls, while psychiatric diagnoses are less common. These findings are important for the interpretation of comorbidity studies in established RA.Figure 1.Prevalence of comorbidities in Swedish patients with newly diagnosed RA compared to the matched controls * p &lt; 0.05Disclosure of Interests:Liselotte Tidblad: None declared, Helga Westerlind: None declared, Johan Askling Grant/research support from: JA acts or has acted as PI for agreements between Karolinska Institutet and the following entities, mainly in the context of the ARTIS national safety monitoring programme of immunomodulators in rheumatology: Abbvie, BMS, Eli Lilly, Merck, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, Samsung Bioepis, Sanofi, and UCB Pharma, Saedis Saevarsdottir Employee of: Part-time at deCODE Genetics/Amgen Inc, working on genetic research unrelated to this project

Noncardiac comorbidity clustering in heart failure: an overlooked aspect with potential therapeutic door.

Heart failure is associated with a range of comorbidities that have the potential to impair both quality of life and clinical outcome. Unfortunately, noncardiac diseases are underrepresented in large randomized clinical trials, and their management remains poorly understood. In clinical practice, the prevalence of comorbidities in heart failure is high. Although the prognostic impact of comorbidities is well known, their prevalence and impact in specific heart failure settings have been overlooked. Many studies have described specific single noncardiac conditions, but few have examined their overall burden and grading in patients with multiple comorbidities. The risk of comorbidities in patients with heart failure rises with more advanced disease, older age, and increased frailty-three conditions that are poorly represented in clinical trials. The pathogenic links between comorbidities and heart failure involve many pathways and include neurohormonal overdrive, inflammatory activation, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction. Such interactions may worsen prognoses, but details of these relationships are still under investigation. We propose a shift from cardiac-focused care to a more systemic approach that considers all noncardiac diseases and related medications. Some new drugs class such as ARNI or SGLT2 inhibitors could change prognosis by acting directly or indirectly on metabolic disorders and related vascular consequences.

Post PCI with stenting Follow-Up in Women for 7 Years in Public Sector Tertiary Care Cardiac Unit. Retrospective Study.

Introduction: Despite of the fact that there is continual improvement in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in catherization Lab introduction of better catheter techniques and new-generation stents and with the acquisition of knowledge from largescale clinical trials Still women appear to have a higher in-hospital mortality after PCI with stenting and during long term follow up specially in developing countries of South Asia the, Reason could be multi-factorial in women. The objectives: The goals of treatment in PCI with stenting in Women is to improve quality of life, to prevent CHD from becoming symptomatic, prevent myocardial infarction, cardiac death and heart failure, the approaches to achieve these goals at the societal or individual level in this regards differ among various countries, the data that have been published are often limited due to the relatively small number of western women. It is important to collect data in under developed countries on outcomes of long term follow up of women with AMI after PCI with stenting to change the global perception of treatment of women with myocardial infarction. Material and Method: Out of 3300 patients, underwent successful PCI with stenting during 2010 to 2016 in Cath Lab of cardiology department of Dow University of Health and Sciences Karachi Pakistan , 577 patients with Sciences Karachi Pakistan, 577 patients with Myocardial infarction within 7 days were included in study and they constitute the present followup population. Additional data regarding noncardiac comorbid diseases and Risk factors were obtained along with crucial aspects of women’s health, such as menopausal status, use of hormonal contraceptives, Follow-up was planned after 1 month and then with annualy for 7 years. The primary end point of study were the long-term rate of major adverse cardiac events (i.e. death, Infarction, and repeat revascularization). The secondary end points were the individual components of the major adverse cardiac events and stent thrombosis. Result: This observational study was conducted by reviewing the record of cases performed and getting information on follow up visits of patients for 7 years from June 2010 to June 2016, out of total 3300 procedure 577 patients were included in the study who underwent PCI with stenting with in the 7 day of Myocardial infarction consisting of 346 patient from urban and 237 people from Rural areas of Sindh Balochistan Provinice of Pakistan Revascularization with stenting was performed in 313 patients 40-50 years of age followed by 219 patients 56-70 years of age in comparison to 23 in older group &gt; 70 years and 22 in younger age &lt; 40 years ,In 528 (91.5%)patients PCI with BMS, in 28 (4.8%)patients DES alone and in 21 (3.6%)patients with BMS and DES performed The odds of short-term mortality were significantly higher among older post - menopausal group compared to premenopausal patients &lt;55 . I3 patients (5 patients during hospitalization) and 8 patients died within 30 days after PCI. Total 57((9.8%) patient died during7 years follow up, 31 (58.5%) cases due to comorbid conditions, and remaining 27 patients death was due to myocardial infarction in 13 (39.4%). Arrhythmias in 5 (9.4%) and worsening of heart Failure in 8 (42.1%) elderly patients. Patient had complete Closure of Target Vessel, 28 (4.8%) had Re PCI on 7 years follow up and CABG was performed in 13 (2.2%). Patients main reason could be noncompliance of therapy in 71 (12.3%) in patients. Conclusion: Ideally a Women patient who has undergone coronary stent implantation should be cared for by the primary cardiologist who by working closely together for long term outcomes in different developing countries of South Asia to collect the data which will change the perception about the treatment of Myocardial infarction in women globally and help in making guidelines.

From traditional pharmacological towards nucleic acid-based therapies for cardiovascular diseases.

Nucleic acid-based therapeutics are currently developed at large scale for prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), since: (i) genetic studies have highlighted novel therapeutic targets suggested to be causal for CVD; (ii) there is a substantial recent progress in delivery, efficacy, and safety of nucleic acid-based therapies; (iii) they enable effective modulation of therapeutic targets that cannot be sufficiently or optimally addressed using traditional small molecule drugs or antibodies. Nucleic acid-based therapeutics include (i) RNA-targeted therapeutics for gene silencing; (ii) microRNA-modulating and epigenetic therapies; (iii) gene therapies; and (iv) genome-editing approaches (e.g. CRISPR-Cas-based): (i) RNA-targeted therapeutics: several large-scale clinical development programmes, using antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) or short interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics for prevention and management of CVD have been initiated. These include ASO and/or siRNA molecules to lower apolipoprotein (a) [apo(a)], proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), apoCIII, ANGPTL3, or transthyretin (TTR) for prevention and treatment of patients with atherosclerotic CVD or TTR amyloidosis. (ii) MicroRNA-modulating and epigenetic therapies: novel potential therapeutic targets are continually arising from human non-coding genome and epigenetic research. First microRNA-based therapeutics or therapies targeting epigenetic regulatory pathways are in clinical studies. (iii) Gene therapies: EMA/FDA have approved gene therapies for non-cardiac monogenic diseases and LDL receptor gene therapy is currently being examined in patients with homozygous hypercholesterolaemia. In experimental studies, gene therapy has significantly improved cardiac function in heart failure animal models. (iv) Genome editing approaches: these technologies, such as using CRISPR-Cas, have proven powerful in stem cells, however, important challenges are remaining, e.g. low rates of homology-directed repair in somatic cells such as cardiomyocytes. In summary, RNA-targeted therapies (e.g. apo(a)-ASO and PCSK9-siRNA) are now in large-scale clinical outcome trials and will most likely become a novel effective and safe therapeutic option for CVD in the near future. MicroRNA-modulating, epigenetic, and gene therapies are tested in early clinical studies for CVD. CRISPR-Cas-mediated genome editing is highly effective in stem cells, but major challenges are remaining in somatic cells, however, this field is rapidly advancing.

Vascular surgery's identity

Vascular surgery's identity

Do the Efficacy and Safety of Treatment with Landiolol, an Ultra-short-acting β1-Selective Blocker, Differ in the Urgent Management of Rapid Atrial Fibrillation between Patients Complicated with Cardiac Versus Non-cardiac Disease ?

Do the Efficacy and Safety of Treatment with Landiolol, an Ultra-short-acting β1-Selective Blocker, Differ in the Urgent Management of Rapid Atrial Fibrillation between Patients Complicated with Cardiac Versus Non-cardiac Disease ?

Investigating the relationship between carotid intima-media thickness, flow-mediated dilatation in brachial artery and nuclear heart scan in patients with rheumatoid arthritis for evaluation of asymptomatic cardiac ischemia and atherosclerotic changes.

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death worldwide. In order to prevent and treat heart diseases, we need to estimate the trend of non-cardiac diseases with the cardiovascular system. Arthritis Rheumatoid is a chronic immune/inflammatory process which leads to subclinical atherosclerosis and increases cardiovascular disease. We examined the patients who referred to our nuclear medicine center for MPI and correlated their findings with flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in arthritis rheumatoid patients. A total 30 known cases with arthritis rheumatoid were referred to our department for MPI and the single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging were visually and quantitatively evaluated by two nuclear medicine physicians and the correlation of the measured FMD and CIMT were evaluated and compared with ultrasonography data. Demographic information such as gender, age and sex and medical history (risk factors, cardiovascular sign and symptoms, lab findings, medication etc…) were recorded in questionnaire sheets and were analyzed by SPSS.20. Chi-square and student t-test were used for further analysis. The mean CIMT (R = 0.452 ± 0.07, L = 0.447 ± 0.08) and %FMD (R = 7.22 ± 8.66, L = 6.42 ± 11.88) were measured for all subjects. Age was the only parameter correlated with both right and left CIMT (P = 0.033 and P = 0.024, respectively). Among the patients, 26.7% had mild ischemia (SSS < 8) and 3 of them suffered from active arthritis rheumatoid. All patients with RA showed normal ventricular ejection fraction and normal volumes and among them, 93.3% had normal functional performance (normal wall motion…). Moreover, the mean CIMT and %FMD were not significantly different in ischemic and non-ischemic patients. Among ischemic patients, just the course of the disease was associated with CIMT and none of the parameters was correlated with FMD. There is no significant statistical difference between ischemic and non-ischemic patients and also the functional performance with values of CIMT and FMD. Among all populations, the parameter of age, and in ischemic group, the course of disease were found as the only variable correlated with CIMT.

Association between heart failure and perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery.

Heart failure (HF) affects ∼5.7 million US adults and many of these patients develop non-cardiac disease that requires surgery. The aim of this study was to determine perioperative outcomes associated with HF in a large cohort of patients undergoing in-hospital non-cardiac surgery. Adults ≥18 years old undergoing non-cardiac surgery between 2012 and 2014 were identified using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample. Patients with HF were identified by ICD-9 diagnosis codes. The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between HF and outcomes. A total of 21560996 surgical hospitalizations were identified, of which 1063405 (4.9%) had a diagnosis of HF. Among hospitalizations with HF, 4.7% had acute HF, 11.3% had acute on chronic HF, 27.8% had chronic HF, and 56.2% had an indeterminate diagnosis code that did not specify temporality. In-hospital perioperative mortality was more common among patients with any diagnosis of HF compared to those without HF [4.8% vs. 0.78%, P < 0.001; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.09-2.22], and the association between HF and mortality was greatest at small and non-teaching hospitals. Acute HF without chronic HF was associated with 8.0% mortality. Among patients with a chronic HF diagnosis, perioperative mortality was greater in those with acute on chronic HF compared to chronic HF alone (7.8% vs. 3.9%, P < 0.001; aOR 1.78, 95% CI 1.67-1.90). In patients hospitalized for non-cardiac surgery, HF was common and was associated with increased risk of perioperative mortality. The greatest risks were in patients with acute HF.

Evaluation of Pulse Oximetry in the Early Diagnosis of Cardiac and NonCardiac Diseases in Healthy Newborns

Background: Critical congenital heart diseases (CCHDs) are among the most common birth malformations. This study aimed to determine the cardiac and noncardiac diseases in the Iranian healthy newborns using pulse oximetry (POX) as a suggested screening method.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, healthy term and near term neonates who were born from October 2017 to March 2018 were evaluated. Preductal and postductal POX was performed in all asymptomatic healthy newborns after 24 hours of life or at any time before discharge from the nursery. Oxygen saturation (SPO2) was considered normal if SPO2 was  95%, and the difference between preductal O2 saturation and postductal POX was obtained at ≤ 3%. The POX was repeated after 2 hours for abnormal patients. In the case of the same results in both repeated measures, echocardiography, chest X-ray, sepsis screening, and blood glucose were conducted.Results: A total of 413 asymptomatic healthy term and near term neonates underwent the pulse oximetry screening (POX). The mean birth weight and gestational age of the neonates were 3256.31±509.62 gr and 38.2 weeks, respectively. The POX was performed averagely 19.5 hours after birth. Finally, a total of 10 cases were detected with abnormal POX. Among these 10 patients, three cases had cardiac diseases (i.e., transposition of the great arteries, ventricular septal defect/pulmonary atresia, and ventricular septal defect/pulmonary hypertension), three cases had noncardiac diseases (i.e., esophageal stenosis, hypoglycemia, and persistent pulmonary hypertension/sepsis), and four subjects were healthy.Conclusion: The obtained findings showed that routine pox, along with clinical examinations could be applied, especially in developing countries for the early detection of cardiac and noncardiac diseases in asymptomatic newborns.

The relationship between exercise capacity and neutrophil//lymphocyte ratio in patients taken to cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between exercise capacity and n/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients enrolled in a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program. NLR has recently been used as a potential marker to determine inflammation in cardiac and non-cardiac diseases. In this retrospective study, an exercise test and six-minute walking test (6MWT) were carried out in 23 patients with coronary artery disease and 28 patients with pulmonary disease before cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program, and routine hemogram test results were evaluated. The result of 6MWT test distance was 333.43 ± 86.58 m in the cardiac rehabilitation group and 348.46 ± 81.37 m in the pulmonary rehabilitation group. There was a negative correlation between 6MWT and NLR in the cardiac rehabilitation group (p < 0.05). As NLR increased, the MET value and duration of exercise decreased in the pulmonary rehabilitation group (p < 0.05). NLR could be used as a predictor to evaluate the exercise capacity in patients to be enrolled in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program (Tab. 3, Ref. 30) Keywords: exercise capacity, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, rehabilitation.