Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors Research Articles

A deep-learning model for the assessment of coronary heart disease and related risk factors via the evaluation of retinal fundus photographs

Objective: To develop and validate a deep learning model based on fundus photos for the identification of coronary heart disease (CHD) and associated risk factors. Methods: Subjects aged>18 years with complete clinical examination data from 149 hospitals and medical examination centers in China were included in this retrospective study. Two radiologists, who were not aware of the study design, independently evaluated the coronary angiography images of each subject to make CHD diagnosis. A deep learning model using convolutional neural networks (CNN) was used to label the fundus images according to the presence or absence of CHD, and the model was proportionally divided into training and test sets for model training. The prediction performance of the model was evaluated in the test set using monocular and binocular fundus images respectively. Prediction efficacy of the algorithm for cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., age, systolic blood pressure, gender) and coronary events were evaluated by regression analysis using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and R2 correlation coefficient. Results: The study retrospectively collected 51 765 fundus images from 25 222 subjects, including 10 255 patients with CHD, and there were 14 419 male subjects in this cohort. Of these, 46 603 fundus images from 22 701 subjects were included in the training set and 5 162 fundus images from 2 521 subjects were included in the test set. In the test set, the deep learning model could accurately predict patients' age with an R2 value of 0.931 (95%CI 0.929-0.933) for monocular photos and 0.938 (95%CI 0.936-0.940) for binocular photos. The AUC values for sex identification from single eye and binocular retinal fundus images were 0.983 (95%CI 0.982-0.984) and 0.988 (95%CI 0.987-0.989), respectively. The AUC value of the model was 0.876 (95%CI 0.874-0.877) with either monocular fundus photographs and AUC value was 0.885 (95%CI 0.884-0.888) with binocular fundus photographs to predict CHD, the sensitivity of the model was 0.894 and specificity was 0.755 with accuracy of 0.714 using binocular fundus photographs for the prediction of CHD. Conclusion: The deep learning model based on fundus photographs performs well in identifying coronary heart disease and assessing related risk factors such as age and sex.

Brief history of the UK Prospective Diabetes Study

The UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) epidemiological findings confirmed that T2DM is not a “mild” disease, with roughly 50% of patients having clinically evident complica- tions at diagnosis, emphasising the need for its early detection and treatment. Hyperglycaemia was identified as an independent coronary heart disease risk factor, with progressive hyperglycaemia shown to be a major pathophysiological feature of T2DM, driven by declining beta-cell function. People with T2DM and hypertension were found to be at double jeopardy for any diabetes endpoint, and worsening kidney function was shown to increase the risk of death substantially. The UKPDS 20-year trial results were the first to demon- strate that diabetic complications are not inevitable but can be prevented by more intensive blood glucose control and by metformin therapy, changing T2DM management guide- lines worldwide. The UKPDS also showed that tighter blood pressure control prevents diabetic complications; the benefits of the glucose and blood pressure interventions are additive. The UKPDS 10-year post-trial monitoring study was the first to identify the T2DM glycaemic and metformin legacy effects, with early more intensive therapy having continuing benefits long after the trial terminated. The trial demon- strated the need to achieve good glycaemic control as early as possible to minimise the risk of future complications.

Risk Stratification for Detection of Coronary Artery Disease and Effectiveness of Sensitization Programme on Reduction of Risk for Coronary Artery Disease among Adults in Selected Urban Areas of Vijayapur

Background: Cardiovascular diseases, especially coronary heart disease (CHD), are epidemic in India. The Registrar General of India reported that CHD led to 17% of total deaths and 26% of adult deaths in 2001-2003, which increased to 23% of total and 32% of adult deaths in 2010-2013. In India, studies have reported increasing CHD prevalence over the last 60 years, from 1% to 9%-10% in urban populations and <1% to 4%-6% in rural populations. Important risk factors for CHD in India are dyslipidemias, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, abdominal obesity, psychosocial stress, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity. Suitable preventive strategies are required to combat this epidemic.Aim: The aim of the study is to assess and stratify the risk of coronary artery disease among adults. Materials and Methods: The research design used for this study is true experimental pre test post test control group design with follow up. Non probability Quota sampling technique will be used for this study. Sensitization programme is an intervention in which repeated administration of interventions to the participants to understand and involve in risk reduction strategies of coronary artery disease.Result: Frequency and Percentage distribution of study participants according to their risk of CAD. Majority 144(72.0%) of the study participants had low risk of CAD followed by 52(26.0%) of the study participants who had intermediate risk and remaining 4(2.0%) of the study participants had high risk. A total of 200 adults were completed the questionnaire. The sociodemographic data represented that frequency and percentage distribution of adults according to socio- demographic profile such as age, gender, religion, marital status, educational status, occupation, dietary habits, family history of heart disease, smoking habits and alcohol consumption. The BMI level of the adults depicts that majority 131(91.0%) had normal BMI, 6(4.2%) were overweight and 7(4.9%) under weight. Off high risk study subjects, majority 28(50.0%) had over weight and 14(25.0%) each of the study subjects had normal weight and obese respectively. In relation to adult stress majority 52(92.9%) were at moderate risk of illness and only 4(7.1%) were at risk illness. It was clear that coronary artery risk score were same between experimental and control group during pretest but the difference in risk scores was highly significant when compared with posttest-I, posttest-II and posttest-III. Hence the sensitization programme was effective on reduction of coronary artery disease among the adults and hence second hypothesis was proved. It was seen that there was no association between knowledge risk scores of coronary artery disease with their selected socio-demographic variables such as Age, Gender, Religion, Education, laborer, dietary habit, family History, smoking habits, alcohol consumption but it was highly associated with Marital Status. Conclusion: The study concludes that risk factor of coronary artery disease was highly associated with selected risk factors such as dietary habits, junk food consumption, family history, smoking habits, consumptions of alcohol, adult stress, BMI and physical activity.

Screening for obstructive sleep apnea before coronary angiography.

The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with suspected coronary heart disease (CHD) is yet to be clarified. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of OSA before coronary angiography (CAG). We retrospectively evaluated patients with suspected CHD admitted to the Department of Geriatric Cardiology of our hospital between July 2019 and July 2021. OSA was screened using the level III home sleep apnea test before CAG. The prevalence of OSA was then compared between the CHD and non-CHD groups. CHD severity was determined using the Gensini score of CAG results, and OSA severity was graded using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). Among the 327 patients, 211 had CHD. In total, 264 patients were diagnosed with OSA (80.7%) (184 patients, CHD group [87.2%]; 80 patients, non-CHD group [69.0%]). The CHD group had a significantly higher prevalence of OSA (P < 0.01) and higher AHI (CHD group 18.76 ± 14.94, non-CHD group 11.56 ± 10.67, P < 0.01). The Gensini score was positively correlated with OSA severity in patients with CHD, and AHI ≥ 20 was a risk factor for CHD (odds ratio: 1.961, 95% confidence interval: 1.065-3.608, P < 0.05). OSA screening before CAG revealed a higher prevalence in CHD patients than in non-CHD patients. The degree of coronary artery obstruction is positively correlated with AHI, and AHI ≥ 20 is a risk factor for CHD. Therefore, attention should be paid to OSA screening and management before CAG in patients with suspected CHD.

Predictors of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) among Malaysian Adults: Findings from MyDiet-CHD Study

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the risk factors of CHD among the Malaysian adult population. Methods: Using a cross- sectional observational study design, this study involved 365 adult patients aged between 30-64 years, attending clinics from eight government hospitals and four health clinics in Terengganu, Pahang, Selangor, Putrajaya, Penang, Kedah, Johor and Sabah from February 2018 until September 2020. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical and dietary data, physical activity and stress level were recorded using a structured questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyse CHD risk factors. Results: The overall response rate was 99.2%. The adjusted odds ratio of CHD was greater for age (AOR; [%95 CI]) (1.043;[ 1.009,1.078]); waist circumference (1.033;[1.009, 1.057]); total fat intake (1.035;[1.021, 1.050]); full cream dairy products intake (1.004;[1.001, 1.008]); smokers vs non-smokers (4.691;[2.399, 9.176]); individual with family history of CHD vs without family history (2.705;[ 1.496, 4.891]); married vs single (0.434;[ 0.217,0.867]); and lower for HDL cholesterol (0.185;[0.052, 0.662]); Chinese vs Malays (10.619;[ 2.255, 49.995]); and third lowest income (0.197;[ 0.073, 0.532]) and forth lowest income (0.167;[ 0.056, 0.499]) vs lowest income. Conclusion: Age, race, income, smoking and marital status, family history of CHD, waist circumference, HDL cholesterol, total fat intake, full cream dairy products intake were significantly associated with CHD among this population. This finding is particularly important to the primary health carers to identify at-risk CHD individuals thus appropriate intervention could be provided.

Study on the risk of coronary heart disease in middle-aged and young people based on machine learning methods: a retrospective cohort study.

To identify coronary heart disease risk factors in young and middle-aged persons and develop a tailored risk prediction model. A retrospective cohort study was used in this research. From January 2017 to January 2020, 553 patients in the Department of Cardiology at a tertiary hospital in Anhui Province were chosen as research subjects. The research subjects were separated into two groups based on the results of coronary angiography performed during hospitalization (n = 201) and non-coronary heart disease (n = 352). R software (R 3.6.1) was used to analyze the clinical data of the two groups. A logistic regression prediction model and three machine learning models, including BP neural network, Extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and random forest, were built, and the best prediction model was chosen based on the relevant parameters of the different machine learning models. Univariate analysis identified a total of 24 indexes with statistically significant differences between coronary heart disease and non-coronary heart disease groups, which were incorporated in the logistic regression model and three machine learning models. The AUCs of the test set in the logistic regression prediction model, BP neural network model, random forest model, and XGBoost model were 0.829, 0.795, 0.928, and 0.940, respectively, and the F1 scores were 0.634, 0.606, 0.846, and 0.887, indicating that the XGBoost model's prediction value was the best. The XGBoost model, which is based on coronary heart disease risk factors in young and middle-aged people, has a high risk prediction efficiency for coronary heart disease in young and middle-aged people and can help clinical medical staff screen young and middle-aged people at high risk of coronary heart disease in clinical practice.

Rapid Drop in Coronary Heart Disease Mortality in Czech Male Population-What Was Actually behind It?

The high mortality of coronary heart disease (CHD) among Czech men-one of the highest worldwide-began to decline in 1991 soon after the abolition of government subsidies to all foodstuffs rich in animal fat. As participants in the WHO MONICA Project, we were able to analyze the CHD risk factors just before and after this major economic change. We had previously documented that the originally subsidized prices decreased animal fat consumption and consequently non-HDL cholesterol concentrations in the population. By the early 1990s, no progress had been made in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction, statins were unavailable as was not the currently more effective antihypertensive therapy. Our recent research proved a close relationship between cholesterolemia and proinflammatory macrophages in adipose tissue and accelerated macrophage polarization with increased palmitate and palmitoleate contents in cell membrane phospholipids. By contrast, the proportion of proinflammatory macrophages decreases with increasing presence of n-3 fatty acids in the cell membrane. The combination of non-HDL cholesterol drop and a decreased proportion of proinflammatory macrophages due to replacement of alimentary fat decreased CHD mortality immediately.

Abstract 9252: Risk for Incident Coronary Heart Disease Associated With High Lipoprotein(a) by Levels of Factor VIII and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein

Introduction: Both coagulation and inflammation may contribute to the higher risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) associated with high lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]. The association of Lp(a) with CHD is stronger in individuals with high versus low high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a marker of inflammation. It is unclear if coagulation Factor VIII also modifies the association of Lp(a) with CHD independently of hsCRP. Hypothesis: Lp(a) is associated with incident CHD in adults with high Factor VIII after adjustment for hsCRP but not among those with low Factor VIII. Methods: We analyzed data from 6,495 adults 45 to 84 years of age without a history of cardiovascular disease in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Lp(a) mass concentration, Factor VIII antigen, and hsCRP were measured using blood collected at baseline (2000-2002). Lp(a), Factor VIII and hsCRP were categorized as high or low (≥75th or &lt;75th percentile of the distribution). Participants were followed for incident CHD through 2015 (median follow-up 14 years). Results: The mean age of participants was 62 years and 47% were male. After log-transformation, the Pearson’s correlation between Factor VIII and hsCRP was 0.15 (p-value &lt;0.001). High Lp(a) was associated with an increased risk for incident CHD in participants with high Factor VIII and high hsCRP, separately, but not among those with low Factor VIII or low hsCRP (Table). The adjusted hazard ratio (95%CI) for CHD associated with high Lp(a) was 1.09 (0.77, 1.53) in participants with low Factor VIII and low hsCRP, 1.49 (0.84, 2.67) in those with low Factor VIII and high hsCRP, 1.54 (0.92, 2.59) in those with high Factor VIII and low hsCRP, and 3.84 (1.85, 7.97) in those with high Factor VIII and high hsCRP (p-value comparing hazard ratios 0.02). Conclusions: High Lp(a) is a risk factor for incident CHD in adults with high Factor VIII or hsCRP. The activation of either the inflammation or coagulation pathway may modify the association of Lp(a) with CHD.

Interplay of Atherogenic Particle Number and Particle Size and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease.

We examined the interplay of apolipoprotein B (apoB) and LDL particle size, approximated by the LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C)/apoB ratio, on the risk of new-onset coronary heart disease (CHD). Participants without cardiovascular disease from the UK Biobank (UKB; n = 308 182), the Women's Health Study (WHS; n = 26 204), and the Framingham Heart Study (FHS; n = 2839) were included. Multivariable Cox models were used to assess the relationship between apoB and LDL-C/apoB ratio and incidence of CHD (14 994 events). Our analyses were adjusted for age, sex (except WHS), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive treatment, diabetes, and smoking. In all 3 studies, there was a strong positive correlation between apoB and LDL-C (correlation coefficients r = 0.80 or higher) and a weak inverse correlation of apoB with LDL-C/apoB ratio (-0.28 ≤ r ≤ -0.14). For all 3 cohorts, CHD risk was higher for higher levels of apoB. Upon multivariable adjustment, the association between apoB and new-onset CHD remained robust and statistically significant in all 3 cohorts with hazard ratios per 1 SD (95% CI): 1.24 (1.22-1.27), 1.33 (1.20-1.47), and 1.24 (1.09-1.42) for UKB, WHS, and FHS, respectively. However, the association between LDL-C/apoB and CHD was statistically significant only in the FHS cohort: 0.78 (0.64-0.94). Our analysis confirms that apoB is a strong risk factor for CHD. However, given the null association in 2 of the 3 studies, we cannot confirm that cholesterol-depleted LDL particles are substantially more atherogenic than cholesterol-replete particles. These results lend further support to routine measurement of apoB in clinical care.

Distribution of risk factors differs from coronary heart disease and stroke in China: a national population survey

ObjectivesThis study aimed to explore the distribution differences of common risk factors between coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke in China.SettingThe China National Stroke Screening Survey is a cluster sampling...

Searching for serum biomarkers linking coronary heart disease and Helicobacter pylori infection using infrared spectroscopy and artificial neural networks

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) Gram-negative bacteria cause gastritis or gastric ulcers. They may be involved in the development of systemic diseases i.e. coronary heart disease (CHD). Both Hp infection and CHD are related to inflammation accompanied by C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor alfa (TNF-α) and homocysteine. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglicerides are a classic risk factors of CHD. Infrared spectroscopy has been introduced for monitoring chronic infections or endogenous disorders using specific absorption bands for biocomponents typed as diagnostic markers. In this study we selected specific motives of infrared radiation (IR) spectra for the sera from CHD patients infected with Hp. In total 141 sera were used: 90 from patients with CHD, all Hp positive, and 51 from healthy donors, 32 Hp negative and 21 Hp positive. Hp status was evaluated by anti-Hp IgG antibodies and/or 13C urea breath testing. IR spectra were measured using FT-IR/FT-NIR Spectrum 400 spectrometer (PerkinElmer) chemometrically analyzed using artificial neural networks and they showed differences in absorption bands corresponding to triglicerides, CRP, homocysteine, LDL and TNF-α, and selected component groups between CHD patients infected with Hp vs healthy uninfected donors (96.15% accuracy). Triglicerides and CRP were the best biomarkers linking Hp infection with CHD.

Correlation between serum Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) levels and coronary artery stenosis

Background and aimsTo study the correlation between the level of serum Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) and the degree of coronary artery stenosis in patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease. Methods and resultsIn 2018, general data and biochemical indexes of 311 patients who underwent coronary angiography were recorded. Before procedure, arterial blood was drawn and the concentrations of DKK1, retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) were measured. Based on coronary angiography results, subjects were divided into a coronary heart disease (CHD) group; and a non-coronary heart disease (non-CHD)group. The CHD group was divided into three subgroups: the low Gensini score; the middle Gensini score; and the high Gensini score subgroups. Compared with those of the non-CHD group, DKK1, RBP4 and PAI-1 of the CHD group were significantly higher, while the OC was lower.DKK1,RBP4 and PAI-1 levels of the middle and high Gensini subgroups were significantly higher, compared with that of the low Gensini subgroup. Differences between osteocalcin (OC), beta-isomerized C-terminal telopeptidase (β-CTX), and 25(OH)2D3 of the three subgroups were not significant.Correlation between DKK1 and the inflammatory factors, RBP4 and PAI-1, was positive. Correlation between DKK1 and β - CTX, 25(OH)2D3 and OC was not significant. DKK1 was a risk factor for CHD. The degree of coronary artery stenosis was related to DKK1 concentration. ConclusionsSerum DKK1 levels in coronary heart disease patients were significantly higher, and positively correlated with the degree of coronary artery stenosis. DKK1 level is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease.

Leukocyte telomere length, allelic variations in related genes and risk of coronary heart disease in people with long-standing type 1 diabetes

BackgroundType 1 diabetes is associated with accelerated vascular aging and advanced atherosclerosis resulting in increased rates of cardiovascular disease and premature death. We evaluated associations between Leukocyte telomere length (LTL), allelic variations (SNPs) in LTL-related genes and the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in adults with long-standing type 1 diabetes.MethodsWe assessed associations of LTL, measured at baseline by RT–PCR, and of SNPs in 11 LTL-related genes with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD: myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization) and all-cause death during follow-up in two multicenter French-Belgian prospective cohorts of people with long-standing type 1 diabetes.ResultsIn logistic and Cox analyses, the lowest tertile of LTL distribution (short telomeres) at baseline was associated with the prevalence of myocardial infarction at baseline and with increased risk of CHD (Hazard ratio 3.14 (1.39–7.70), p = 0.005, for shorter vs longer tertile of LTL) and all-cause death (Hazard ratio 1.63 (95% CI 1.04–2.55), p = 0.03, for shorter vs combined intermediate and longer tertiles of LTL) during follow-up. Allelic variations in six genes related to telomere biology (TERC, NAF1, TERT, TNKS, MEN1 and BICD1) were also associated with the incidence of CHD during follow-up. The associations were independent of sex, age, duration of diabetes, and a range of relevant confounding factors at baseline.ConclusionsOur results suggest that short LTL is an independent risk factor for CHD in people with type 1 diabetes.

The burden of severe hypercholesterolemia and familial hypercholesterolemia in a population-based setting in the US

BackgroundContemporary prevalence, awareness, and control of severe hypercholesterolemia (SH) and familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and the associated atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk in the US are unknown. MethodUsing electronic health records, we assessed the burden of SH and FH in Olmsted County, Minnesota, US, between 2004 and 2015. We defined SH as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level ≥190 mg/dl without secondary causes of hypercholesterolemia and FH as a Dutch Lipid Clinic Network score ≥6. Controls were age- and sex-matched individuals with LDL-C level <190 mg/dl. ResultsThe age- and sex-adjusted point and period prevalence (age-recursive method) of SH was 4.44% and 8.95%, respectively; 1 in 21 had FH (∼1:233 adults), and 46.2% had a recorded diagnosis. Guideline recommended targets (LDL-C <100 mg/dl and <70 mg/dl in the primary and secondary prevention settings, respectively) were achieved in 33.1% and 21.2% of SH cases, with less women overall achieving the target than men (18.6% vs. 23.7%, p=0.022). After adjustment for conventional risk factors, the hazard ratio for incident coronary heart disease (CHD) in those with SH was 1.21 (1.05-1.39; p=0.010), in those with SH and a family history of CHD was 2.16 (1.57-2.96; p<0.001) and in those with FH was 4.61 (2.66-7.97; p<0.001). The association of SH with CHD was modified by age (p-interaction = 0.015), such that the risk was greater at younger ages. ConclusionsSH was prevalent and an independent risk factor for incident CHD. Awareness and control were low, highlighting a treatment gap (more prominent in women) that needs to be addressed.

Non-HDL Cholesterol and LDL Cholesterol as Main Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease: Meta-Analysis

Coronary heart disease is a highly frequent illness in both developed and developing nations. Non-HDL cholesterol (n-HDL-c) and LDL cholesterol (LDL-c) stages are biomarkers that doctors frequently utilize to assess the risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). This study was a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association between n-HDL-c and LDL-c as major risk factors for CHD. Cochrane, PubMed, and Science Direct searches were conducted using the keywords "LDL cholesterol," "non-HDL cholesterol," and "coronary heart disease." Any research that describes the analysis of LDL-c and n-HDL-c as key risk factors for CHD and all studies involving patients diagnosed with CHD are included in the literature. A total of seven papers were involved in the qualitative analysis (systematic review), while five studies were included in the quantitative analysis (meta-analysis). The English-language research includes two RCTs, four case-control studies, and one cohort study, with a total of 68,713 individuals. LDL-c parameters were obtained (MD = 8.45; 95 percent CI = 7.03-9.87 p=0.001) and n-HDLc (p=0.001) (MD = 35.57; 95 percent CI = 33.27-37.88). n-HDL-c may be a more significant parameter of CHD risk because it has a higher MD value.

Metabolic Syndrome as a Risk for Coronary Heart Disease in Indonesia: A Longitudinal Study 2007-2014

Introduction: Indonesia has a serious burden of cardiovascular disease, especially coronary heart disease (CHD). The prevalence of CHD has not in fact increased; however, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of CHD risk factors. Several of these occurring together could cause metabolic syndrome, whose prevalence is relatively high in Indonesia, and consequently increase the risk of CHD. This study aims to obtain the risk of CHD in patients with metabolic syndrome in Indonesia. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study with a median followed up of 6.8 years, secondary data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) waves 4 and 5 (2007-2014), and a study population of 6,571 respondents aged 40-69 years. The Joint Interim Statement criteria were used to define metabolic syndrome, with the omission of one component. Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 20%; the highest component was low HDL at 69.1%, followed by hypertension at 59.7%, and central obesity at 39.7%. The incidence of CHD was 2.72%, with an incidence rate 34per 100,000 person-years. Multivariate analysis found that the relative risk (RR) hazard ratio (HR) was 2.16 (95% CI 1.564-2.985). Conclusion: Subjects with metabolic syndrome had a two times higher risk of developing CHD, as adjusted by sex, age, smoking status, and physical activity.

Relationship between active Helicobacter pylori infection and risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, a cross-sectional hospital-based study in a Sub-Saharan setting

BackgroundChronic inflammation has been reported as one of the novel coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors. Knowing that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) provokes a local inflammation, the relationship between H. pylori infection and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has received considerable attention. However, the attempt to demonstrate the association between H. pylori and specific cardiovascular disease risk factors is always a challenging issue due to the conflicting reports in the literatures.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional study of 363 consecutive dyspeptic subjects in three reference health facilities in Cameroon from October 2020 to October 2021. Each participation gave a written consent and the study was approved by the local Ethical Committee. Check-up for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as dyslipidemia-related parameters, obesity-related parameter, high blood pressure as well as H. pylori detection was done for each participant. Data was analyzed using SSPS statistical package.ResultsHelicobacter pylori infection was significantly associated with higher total cholesterol level (OR: 2.3324, p = 0.0002) and higher LDL cholesterol level (OR: 2.3096, p = 0.0006). The crude OR of H. pylori status on the prevalence of high body mass index (BMI) was 1.0813 (p = 0.7300) and the adjusted OR for confounding factors was 1.1785 (p = 0.5095). The strength of the association between H. pylori infection and blood pressure, shows an OR of 1.3807 (p = 0.2991), 1.0060 (p = 0.9855) and 1.4646 (p = 0.2694) for diastolic pressure, hypertension and high heart rate respectively, while that of systolic pressure was 0.8135 (p = 0.4952). H. pylori infection is associated with dyslipidemia in our milieu.

Marital status and genetic liability independently predict coronary heart disease incidence.

Married individuals have a lower coronary heart disease (CHD) risk than non-married, but the mechanisms behind this are not fully understood. We analyzed whether genetic liability to CHD may affect these associations. Marital status, a polygenic score of CHD (PGS-CHD), and other risk factors for CHD were measured from 35,444 participants (53% female) in Finnish population-based surveys conducted between 1992 and 2012. During the register-based follow-up until 2020, there were 2439 fatal and non-fatal incident CHD cases. The data were analyzed using linear and Cox regression models. Divorced and cohabiting men and women had a higher genetic risk of CHD than married individuals, but the difference was very small (0.023-0.058 standard deviation of PGS-CHD, p-values 0.011-0.429). Both marital status and PGS-CHD were associated with CHD incidence, but the associations were largely independent. Adjusting for behavioral and metabolic risk factors for CHD explained part of these associations (11-20%). No interaction was found between marital status and PGS-CHD for CHD incidence. We showed minor differences between the marital status categories in PGS-CHD and demonstrated that marital status and genetic liability predicted CHD incidence largely independently. This emphasizes the need to measure multiple risk factors when predicting CHD risk.

Chemotherapeutic Propensity of Africa Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa) Seed on Lipid Profile against Potassium Bromate-induced Cardiotoxicity

Background: Cardiovascular disease cases are on the increase despite many standard medical practices. Some disorders have been successfully treated by medicinal plants.&#x0D; Aim: The current study was designed to assess the chemotherapeutic propensity of Parkia biglobosa against potassium bromate-induced cardiotoxicity.&#x0D; Methodology: Using a soxhlet extractor with ethanol as the solvent, P. biglobosa was extracted. Twenty-four mature male Wistar rats were randomly divided into groups A, B, C, and D after being acclimated in the lab. Oral distilled water was administered to Group A. Although groups C and D likewise received 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight of P. biglobosa, respectively, the animals in groups B, C, and D received 100 mg/kg body weight of potassium bromate (KBrO3). Rats received daily doses of freshly prepared potassium bromate and P. biglobosa extract by oral gavage. After receiving the therapy for 28 days, the animals were slaughtered 24 hours after the last treatment ended while being lightly sedated with diethyl ether. Through a heart puncture, blood was taken. Additionally, the animals' hearts were removed and homogenized. Standard techniques were used to measure the lipid profile parameters.&#x0D; Results: When compared to the untreated group, the plasma levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, VLDL, and the CHD risk ratio were significantly higher in the study's animals treated with KBrO3, while HDL and the HDL/LDL ratio were significantly lower. Compared to the control group, administration of KBrO3 significantly decreased cardiac levels of total cholesterol, HDL and HDL/LDL ratio, while increasing levels of triglycerides, LDL, and VLDL, as well as the coronary heart disease (CHD) risk ratio. P. biglobosa attenuated these perturbations in a dose-dependent manner.&#x0D; Conclusion: Potassium bromate caused increase in the levels of triglycerides, LDL, VLDL and a reduction in HDL and HDL/LDL ratio and this effect was found to be attenuated by intake of P. biglobosa. This effect will result in the reduction of CHD risk factors induced by potassium bromate.

Correlation between platelet-derived growth factor-B gene polymorphism and coronary heart disease.

ObjectThe aim of the present work was to investigate the correlation of plasma platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF)‐BB level and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, rs1800817 and rs2285094) of PDGF‐B gene with the onset and stability condition of coronary heart disease (CHD).MethodsTotally, 335 subjects were included in and divided into CHD (n = 247) and control group (n = 88) according to coronary angiography. Besides, the patients in the CHD group were divided into acute coronary syndrome (ACS) group (n = 165) and stable angina pectoria (SAP) group (n = 82), based on CHD stability condition. The plasma PDGF‐BB level was measured by ELISA, and the genotype of PDGF‐B was examined through qPCR assay.ResultsThe PDGF‐BB level was positively correlated with hsCRP level (r = 0.149, p < 0.05). The genotype frequencies of SNP rs1800817 and rs2285094 match Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. There was weak linkage disequilibrium between SNP rs1800817 and rs2285094: D′ = 0.419, r 2 = 0.04, which has no correlation with CHD. There was no statistical difference in plasma PDGF‐BB level among different genotypes in rs1800817 and rs2285094. There were no differences in the plasma PDGF‐BB level among patients with any genotype of SNP rs1800817 and rs2285094, no matter how it was grouped. Logistic regression results indicated that the plasma PDGF‐BB level was the independent risk factor of CHD onset (OR = 1.003, 95% CI 1.001–1.006, p = 0.014).ConclusionsHigh plasma PDGF‐BB level is the risk factor of CHD and has correlation with instability of CHD. The plasma PDGF‐BB level change may be related to inflammatory response. PDGF‐B gene rs1800817 and rs2285094 polymorphisms are not correlated with CHD.