Sex-Related Differences in Myocardial Remodeling Piro, Maddalena, MD, PhD; Della Bona, Roberta, MD; Abbate, Antonio, MD, PhD ...
Journal of the American College of Cardiology,
03/2010, Letnik:
55, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Sex has a profound impact on myocardial remodeling, which is defined as the molecular and cellular events after an injury to the myocardium (i.e., necrosis, pressure overload, volume overload, and ...aging) leading to a change in shape, dimension, and function of cardiac chambers. Indeed, experimental studies and post-mortem and observational clinical studies suggest the presence of important differences in myocardial remodeling between females and males in response to different types of injures including aging, pressure and volume overload, and myocardial infarction. Interestingly, the remodeling process appears to be more favorable in women versus men; women are more likely to present heart failure with preserved systolic function and are at greater risk for low output syndrome acutely. These differences between men and women are widely held to be related to sex hormones such as estrogen, although the molecular effects of estrogen on ventricular cardiomyocytes are incompletely understood. In this review, we summarize the evidence supporting these notions and discuss the underlying mechanisms and the clinical implications.
Brugada syndrome and syncope: A systematic review Mascia, Giuseppe; Della Bona, Roberta; Ameri, Pietro ...
Journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology,
December 2020, 2020-12-00, 20201201, Letnik:
31, Številka:
12
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Introduction
Distinguishing syncope due to malignant arrhythmias from an incidental benign form in Brugada syndrome (BrS) is often difficult. Through systematic literature review, we evaluated the ...role of syncope in predicting subsequent malignant arrhythmias in BrS.
Methods
A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed (MeSH search terms “Brugada syndrome” and “syncope”). Overall, 9 studies for a total of 1347 patients were included. Patients were stratified as affected by suspected arrhythmic syncope (SAS), undefined syncope (US) or neurally‐mediated syncope (NMS).
Results
Overall, 15.7% of the 279 patients with SAS had malignant arrhythmic events during a mean follow‐up of 67 months, corresponding to 2.8 events per 100/person year. At the same time, 7% of the 527 patients affected by US had malignant arrhythmias during a mean follow‐up of 39 months, corresponding 2.2 events per 100/person year. Conversely, 0.7% of 541 patients with NMS had malignant arrhythmic events at follow‐up, corresponding to 0.13 events per 100/person year (p = .0001 NMS versus SAS and US pooled).
Conclusion
In BrS population, the risk of arrhythmic events in the follow‐up may be stratified according to the clinical evaluation. The “relatively” low predictive value of the clinical diagnosis of SAS warrants for a more accurate multi‐parametric assessment, to restrict the number of candidates for implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator therapy.
Abstract
Syncope in patients with Brugada electrocardiogram pattern may represent a conundrum in the decision algorithm because incidental benign forms, especially neurally mediated syncope, are very ...frequent in this syndrome similarly to the general population. Arrhythmic syncope in Brugada syndrome typically results from a self-terminating sustained ventricular tachycardia or paroxysmal ventricular fibrillation, potentially leading to sudden cardiac death. Distinguishing syncope due to malignant arrhythmias from a benign form is often difficult unless an electrocardiogram is recorded during the episode. We performed a review of the existing literature and propose a practical approach for diagnosis and treatment of the patients with Brugada syndrome and syncope.
Abstract
Aim
To provide an updated assessment of the efficacy–safety profile of very short (1 or 3 months) dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) compared with long (12 months) DAPT in patients undergoing ...percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs).
Methods and results
Seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing very short vs. long DAPT in 35 785 patients undergoing PCI were selected. The primary efficacy endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and the primary safety endpoint trial-defined major bleeding through at least 1 year. Compared with longer duration, very short DAPT yielded comparable rates of MACE odds ratio (OR) 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84–1.03, P = 0.19, all-cause mortality (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.80–1.06, P = 0.25), myocardial infarction (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.88–1.15, P = 0.91), stroke (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.72–1.50, P = 0.83), stent thrombosis (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.80–1.37, P = 0.73), target vessel revascularization (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.82–1.18, P = 0.89), and comparable net clinical benefit (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.84–1.01, P = 0.08). Very short DAPT was associated with reduced rates of major bleeding (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.40–0.94, P = 0.03) or any bleeding (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.47–0.90, P = 0.009). Subgroup analyses showed consistent results for 1 vs. 3 month DAPT and for aspirin vs. P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy following very short DAPT.
Conclusions
Compared with long DAPT, very short DAPT did not increase the odds of ischaemic complications, while reducing the odds of major or any bleeding by over 30%.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) may complicate transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) leading to higher mortality. The relationship between AKI, obesity, and mortality, however, is controversial. We ...sought to investigate the impact of body habitus on the prognostic value of AKI in TAVR.
Among the 645 patients who underwent successful TAVR in a single high-volume centre, we retrospectively evaluated the association between AKI-TAVR and 30-day, 6-month, and 1-year mortality, and whether this relationship was affected by BMI. AKI was defined according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 criteria. Patients were categorized into three groups by BMI: low-to-normal weight (<25 kg/m2), overweight (25-30 kg/m2), obese (>30.0 kg/m2).
Three-hundred and twenty-four (50.2%) patients were low-to-normal weight, 223 (34.6%) overweight, and 98 (15.2%) obese. AKI occurred in 141 (21.9%), similarly across BMI groups. Thirty-day, 6-month, and 1-year mortality rates were 2.2, 3.7, and 7.9%, without differences across BMI groups. Among patients who developed AKI-TAVR, 30-day (8.7 vs. 2.0 vs. 0.0%), 6-month (13.0 vs. 6.1 vs. 4.3%), and 1-year (20.3 vs. 12.2 vs. 4.3%) mortality showed a decreasing trend across increasing BMI categories (all P < 0.05); the same trend was not observed for patients without AKI-TAVR. In multivariate models, AKI was associated with 30-day odds ratio (OR): 2.46, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.70-8.67, 6-month (OR: 2.75, 95% CI: 1.32-7.59), and 1-year mortality (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.22-3.71, all P < 0.05). The interaction between AKI and BMI, when added to the models, was consistently significant (all P < 0.05).
Higher BMI is associated with better survival in TAVR patients who develop AKI.
Abstract
Aims
To compare the safety and efficacy of very short (≤3 months), short (6 months), standard (12 months), and extended (>12 months) dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), and of subsequent ...monotherapies, after coronary drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation.
Methods and results
Twenty-two randomized control trials (n = 110 059 patients/year) were selected and included in a Bayesian network meta-analysis. The primary efficacy endpoint (PEP) was a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stent thrombosis (ST), with each of the components of the PEP being a secondary efficacy endpoint. The primary safety endpoint was major bleeding rate. Compared to standard, we found a lower rate of MI odds ratio (OR) 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44–0.77 in extended, a lower rate of major bleeding (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.39–0.87) in very short, and a lower rate of any bleeding (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.38–0.90) in short DAPT. All DAPT durations were comparable regarding the secondary efficacy endpoints. Very short DAPT followed by P2Y12 inhibition was the treatment of choice to reduce both major bleeding and MI. In the ACS subgroup, extended DAPT (as compared to standard) reduced PEP and ST rates (but not MIs).
Conclusion
The efficacy of short and very short is comparable with that of standard DAPT after DES implantation, whereas extended DAPT reduces MI rate. Very short DAPT is associated with lower haemorrhagic events and, followed by a P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy, should be preferred in order to pursue a trade-off between major bleeding and ischaemic events.
Peri-procedural myocardial injury (PPMI) is a common complication after transcatheter valve replacement (TAVR), often remaining clinically silent. The role of valve type on PPMI and the association ...between PPMI and mortality are still unclear. We sought to evaluate predictors and outcome of PPMI after TAVR, and the impact of self-expandable valve (SEV) vs. balloon-expandable valve (BEV) deployment on PPMI. Consecutive patients who underwent successful TAVR in a single-center from January 2014 to December 2019 were included. PPMI was defined according to a modified Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC)-2 definition as a post-procedure elevation of troponin (with a peak value ≥ 15-times the upper-reference limit) < 72 h after TAVR. We included 596 patients, of whom 258 (43.3%) were men. Mean age was 83.4 ± 5.5 years. We deployed 368 (61.7%) BEV and 228 (38.3%) SEV. PPMI was observed in 471 (79.0%) patients. At multivariable analysis, SEV (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.64–4.55,
p
< 0.001), creatinine clearance (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97–1.00,
p
= 0.011), and baseline ejection fraction (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02–1.07,
p
< 0.001) were independent predictors of PPMI; these findings were also confirmed using a propensity-weighted analysis. Thirty-day and 1-year all-cause mortality rates were 2.5% and 8.1%, respectively. No associations between PPMI and 30-day (
p
= 0.488) or 1-year (
p
= 0.139) all-cause mortality were found. Independent predictors of 30-day mortality were increasing EUROSCORE II (HR 1.16 per score point, 95% CI 1.08–1.19,
p
< 0.001) and life-threatening/major bleeding complications (HR 5.87, 95% CI 1.28–26.58,
p
= 0.019), whereas EUROSCORE II (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04–1.13,
p
= 0.031) and acute kidney injury (HR 2.59, 95% CI 1.20–5.35,
p
= 0.020) were related to 1-year mortality. PPMI is frequent after TAVR, but it does not affect 30-day or 1-year all-cause mortality. SEV implantation is associated with an increased frequency of PPMI.
In critically ill patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a high incidence of thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events is reported. COVID-19 may ...lead to impairment of the coagulation cascade, with an imbalance in platelet function and the regulatory mechanisms of coagulation and fibrinolysis. Clinical manifestations vary from a rise in laboratory markers and subclinical microthrombi to thromboembolic events, bleeding, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. After an inflammatory trigger, the mechanism for activation of the coagulation cascade in COVID-19 is the tissue factor pathway, which causes endotoxin and tumor necrosis factor-mediated production of interleukins and platelet activation. The consequent massive infiltration of activated platelets may be responsible for inflammatory infiltrates in the endothelial space, as well as thrombocytopenia. The variety of clinical presentations of the coagulopathy confronts the clinician with the difficult questions of whether and how to provide optimal supportive care. In addition to coagulation tests, advanced laboratory tests such as protein C, protein S, antithrombin, tissue factor pathway inhibitors, D-dimers, activated factor Xa, and quantification of specific coagulation factors can be useful, as can thromboelastography or thromboelastometry. Treatment should be tailored, focusing on the estimated risk of bleeding and thrombosis. The aim of this review is to explore the pathophysiology and clinical evidence of coagulation disorders in severe ARDS-related COVID-19 patients.
Atrial fibrillation and Alzheimer’s disease: A conundrum Benenati, Stefano; Canale, Claudia; De Marzo, Vincenzo ...
European journal of clinical investigation,
July 2021, 2021-Jul, 2021-07-00, 20210701, Letnik:
51, Številka:
7
Journal Article
Recenzirano
During ageing, the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and of cardiovascular disease CVD) increases. Our aim is to investigate the relationship between AD and CVD and its risk factors, with a view ...to explaining the underlying mechanisms of this association. This review is based on the material obtained via MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase and Clinical Trials databases, from January 1980 until May 2019. The search term used was “Alzheimer's disease”, combined with “cardiovascular disease”, “hypertension”, “dyslipidaemia”, “diabetes mellitus”, “atrial fibrillation”, “coronary artery disease”, “heart valve disease”, “heart failure”. Out of the 1328 papers initially retrieved, 431 duplicates and 216 records in languages other than English were removed; thus, only 98 papers were included in our research material. We have found that AD and CVD are frequently associated, while both of them, alone may be considered deleterious to health, the study of their combination constitutes a clinical challenge. Further research will help to clarify the real impact of CVD and its risk factors on AD, in order to better comprehend the effects of subclinical and clinical cardiovascular diseases on the brain. It may be hypothesized that there are various mechanisms underlying the association between AD and CVD, the main ones being: hypoperfusion and emboli, atherosclerosis, furthermore in both the heart and brain of AD patients, amyloid deposits may be present, thus causing damage to these organs. We need to clarify the real impact of these underlying hypothesized mechanisms and to investigate gender issues.