Cardiac troponins are the preferred biomarkers for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Although sex-specific 99th percentile thresholds of troponins are recommended in international ...guidelines, the clinical effect of their use is poorly investigated. The DANSPOT Study (The Danish Study of Sex- and Population-Specific 99th percentile upper reference limits of Troponin) aims to evaluate the clinical effect of a prospective implementation of population- and sex-specific diagnostic thresholds of troponins into clinical practice.
This study is a nationwide, multicenter, stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial of the implementation of population- and sex-specific thresholds of troponins in 22 of 23 clinical centers in Denmark. We established sex-specific thresholds for 5 different troponin assays based on troponin levels in a healthy Danish reference population. Centers will sequentially cross over from current uniform manufacturer-derived thresholds to the new population- and sex-specific thresholds. The primary cohort is defined as patients with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome having at least 1 troponin measurement performed within 24 hours of arrival with a peak troponin value between the current uniform threshold and the new sex-specific female and male thresholds. The study will compare the occurrence of the primary outcome, defined as a composite of nonfatal myocardial infarction, unplanned revascularization, and all-cause mortality within 1 year, separately for men and women before and after the implementation of the new sex-specific thresholds.
The DANSPOT Study is expected to show the clinical effects on diagnostics, treatment, and clinical outcomes in patients with myocardial infarction of implementing sex-specific diagnostic thresholds for troponin based on a national Danish reference population.
URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT05336435.
In this paper, a novel technique on a multiscale energy and eigenspace (MEES) approach is proposed for the detection and localization of myocardial infarction (MI) from multilead electrocardiogram ...(ECG). Wavelet decomposition of multilead ECG signals grossly segments the clinical components at different subbands. In MI, pathological characteristics such as hypercute T-wave, inversion of T-wave, changes in ST elevation, or pathological Q-wave are seen in ECG signals. This pathological information alters the covariance structures of multiscale multivariate matrices at different scales and the corresponding eigenvalues. The clinically relevant components can be captured by eigenvalues. In this study, multiscale wavelet energies and eigenvalues of multiscale covariance matrices are used as diagnostic features. Support vector machines (SVMs) with both linear and radial basis function (RBF) kernel and K-nearest neighbor are used as classifiers. Datasets, which include healthy control, and various types of MI, such as anterior, anteriolateral, anterioseptal, inferior, inferiolateral, and inferioposterio-lateral, from the PTB diagnostic ECG database are used for evaluation. The results show that the proposed technique can successfully detect the MI pathologies. The MEES approach also helps localize different types of MIs. For MI detection, the accuracy, the sensitivity, and the specificity values are 96%, 93%, and 99% respectively. The localization accuracy is 99.58%, using a multiclass SVM classifier with RBF kernel.
While diosgenin has been demonstrated effective in various cardiovascular diseases, its specific impact on treating heart attacks remains unclear. Our research revealed that diosgenin significantly ...improved cardiac function in a myocardial infarction (MI) mouse model, reducing cardiac fibrosis and cell apoptosis while promoting angiogenesis. Mechanistically, diosgenin upregulated the Hand2 expression, promoting the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells under hypoxic conditions. Acting as a transcription factor, HAND2 activated the angiogenesis-related gene Aggf1. Conversely, silencing Hand2 inhibited the diosgenin-induced migration of hypoxic endothelial cells and angiogenesis. In summary, these findings provide new insights into the protective role of diosgenin in MI, validating its effect on angiogenic activity and providing a theoretical basis for clinical treatment strategies.
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•This research provides new insights into the cardioprotective effects of diosgenin in a mouse model of myocardial infarction.•Molecular docking predicts potential binding regions of diosgenin to HAND2.•Diosgenin enhances the comprehension of the angiogenic process by targeting HAND2.•The HAND2-Aggf1 signaling pathway is critical for endothelial cell proliferation and migration under hypoxic conditions.
Assess the relative incidence and compare characteristics and outcome of unstable angina (UA) and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).
Two independent prospective multicentre diagnostic ...studies (Advantageous Predictors of Acute Coronary Syndromes Evaluation APACE and High-Sensitivity Troponin in the Evaluation of Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome High-STEACS) enrolling patients with acute chest discomfort presenting to the emergency department. Central adjudication of the final diagnosis was done by two independent cardiologists using all clinical information including serial measurements of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn). All-cause death and future non-fatal MI were assessed at 30 days and 1 year.
8992 patients were enrolled at 11 centres. UA was adjudicated in 8.9%(95% CI 8.0 to 9.7) and 2.8% (95% CI 2.3 to 3.3) patients in APACE and High-STEACS, respectively, and NSTEMI in 15.1% (95% CI 14.0 to 16.2) and 13.4% (95% CI 12.4 to 14.3). Coronary artery disease was pre-existing in 73% and 76% of patients with UA. At 30 days, all-cause mortality in UA was substantially lower as compared with NSTEMI (0.5% vs 3.7%, p=0.002 in APACE, 0.7% vs 7.4%, p=0.004 in High-STEACS). Similarly, at 1 year in UA all-cause mortality was 3.3% (95% CI 1.2 to 5.3) vs 10.4% (95% CI 7.9 to 12.9) in APACE, and 5.1% (95% CI 0.7 to 9.5) vs 22.9% (95% CI 19.3 to 26.4) in High-STEACS, and similar to non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP). In contrast, future non-fatal MI in APACE was comparable in UA and NSTEMI (11.2%, 95% CI 7.8 to 14.6 and 7.9%, 95% CI 5.7 to 10.2), and higher than in NCCP (0.6%, 95% CI 0.2 to 1.0).
The relative incidence and mortality of UA is substantially lower than that of NSTEMI, while the rate of future non-fatal MI is similar.
Objective. To evaluate the impact of sex on treatment and survival after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Iceland. Methods. A retrospective, nationwide cohort study of patients with STEMI ...(2008-2018) and NSTEMI (2013-2018) and obstructive coronary artery disease. Patient and procedural information were obtained from a registry and electronic health records. Survival was estimated with Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis used to identify risk factors for long-term mortality. Excess mortality from the AMI episode was estimated by comparing the survival with age- and sex-matched population in Iceland at 30-day interval. Results. A total of 1345 STEMI-patients (24% women) and 1249 NSTEMI-patients (24% women) were evaluated. Women with STEMI (mean age: 71 ± 11 vs. 67 ± 12) and NSTEMI (mean age: 69 ± 13 vs. 62 ± 12) were older and less likely to have previous cardiovascular disease. There was neither sex difference in the extent of coronary artery disease nor treatment. Although crude one-year post-STEMI survival was lower for women (88.7% vs. 93.4%, p = .006), female sex was not an independent risk factor after adjusting for age and co-morbidities after STEMI and was protective for NSTEMI (HR 0.67, 95% CI: 0.46-0.97). There was excess 30-day mortality in both STEMI and NSTEMI for women compared with sex-, age- and inclusion year-matched Icelandic population, but thereafter the mortality rate was similar. Conclusion. Women and men with AMI in Iceland receive comparable treatment including revascularization and long-term survival appears similar. Prognosis after NSTEMI is better in women, whereas higher early mortality after STEMI may be caused by delays in presentation and diagnosis.
REDUCE-IT was a double-blind trial that randomized 8,179 statin-treated patients with controlled low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and moderately elevated triglycerides to icosapent ethyl (IPE) or ...placebo. There was a significant reduction in the primary endpoint, including death from cardiovascular (CV) causes. The specific impact of IPE among patients with prior myocardial infarction (MI) was unknown.
Our goal was to examine the benefit of IPE on ischemic events among patients with prior MI in REDUCE-IT.
We performed post hoc analyses of patients with prior MI. The primary endpoint was CV death, MI, stroke, coronary revascularization, or hospitalization for unstable angina. The key secondary endpoint was CV death, MI, or stroke.
A total of 3,693 patients had a history of prior MI. The primary endpoint was reduced from 26.1% to 20.2% with IPE vs placebo; HR: 0.74 (95% CI: 0.65-0.85; P = 0.00001). The key secondary endpoint was reduced from 18.0% to 13.3%; HR: 0.71 (95% CI: 0.61-0.84; P = 0.00006). There was also a significant 35% relative risk reduction in total ischemic events (P = 0.0000001), a 34% reduction in MI (P = 0.00009), a 30% reduction in CV death (P = 0.01), and a 20% lower rate of all-cause mortality (P = 0.054), although there was a slight increase in atrial fibrillation. Sudden cardiac death and cardiac arrest were also significantly reduced by 40% and 56%, respectively.
Patients with a history of prior MI in REDUCE-IT treated with IPE demonstrated large and significant relative and absolute risk reductions in ischemic events, including CV death. (A Study of AMR101 to Evaluate Its Ability to Reduce Cardiovascular Events in High Risk Patients With Hypertriglyceridemia and on Statin. The Primary Objective is to Evaluate the Effect of 4 g/Day AMR101 for Preventing the Occurrence of a First Major Cardiovascular Event. REDUCE-IT; NCT01492361)
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Although in situ restoration of blood supply to the infarction region and attenuating pre‐existing extracellular matrix degradation remain potential therapeutic approaches for myocardial infarction ...(MI), local delivery of therapeutics has been limited by low accumulation (inefficacy) and unnecessary diffusion (toxicity). Here, a dual functional MI‐responsive hydrogel is fabricated for on‐demand drug delivery to promote angiogenesis and inhibit cardiac remodeling by targeting upregulated matrix metalloproteinase‐2/9 (MMP‐2/9) after MI. A glutathione (GSH)‐modified collagen hydrogel (collagen‐GSH) is prepared by conjugating collagen amine groups with GSH sulfhydryl groups and the recombinant protein GST‐TIMP‐bFGF (bFGF: basic fibroblast growth factor) by fusing bFGF with glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST) and MMP‐2/9 cleavable peptide PLGLAG (TIMP). Specific binding between GST and GSH significantly improves the amount of GST‐TIMP‐bFGF loaded in collagen‐GSH hydrogel. The TIMP peptide enclosed between GST and bFGF responds to MMPs for on‐demand release during MI. Additionally, the TIMP peptide is a competitive substrate of MMPs that inhibits the excessive degradation of cardiac matrix by MMPs after MI. GST‐TIMP‐bFGF/collagen‐GSH hydrogels promote the recovery of MI rats by enhancing vascularization and ameliorating myocardium remodeling. The results suggest that on‐demand growth factor delivery by synchronously controlling binding and responsive release to promote angiogenesis and attenuate cardiac remodeling might be promising for the treatment of ischemic heart disease.
A matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐responsive hydrogel is designed to achieve on‐demand basic fibroblast growth factor release at the site of a myocardial infarct for increasing the local protein concentration and reducing unnecessary diffusion, and competitive inhibition of MMP enzymatic activity for reducing adverse myocardial remodeling. Myocardial injection of the MMP‐responsive hydrogel results in significantly improved cardiac function, increased vascularization, and ameliorated cardiac remodeling, with good clinical application prospects.
The objective of the study was to identify any changes in primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in England by analysing procedural numbers, ...clinical characteristics and patient outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent PCI in England between January 2017 and April 2020 in the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society-National Institute of Cardiovascular Outcomes Research database. Analysis was restricted to 44 hospitals that reported contemporaneous activity on PCI. Only patients with primary PCI for STEMI were included in the analysis.
A total of 34 127 patients with STEMI (primary PCI 33 938, facilitated PCI 108, rescue PCI 81) were included in the study. There was a decline in the number of procedures by 43% (n=497) in April 2020 compared with the average monthly procedures between 2017 and 2019 (n=865). For all patients, the median time from symptom to hospital showed increased after the lockdown (150 (99-270) vs 135 (89-250) min, p=0.004) and a longer door-to-balloon time after the lockdown (48 (21-112) vs 37 (16-94) min, p<0.001). The in-hospital mortality rate was 4.8% before the lockdown and 3.5% after the lockdown (p=0.12). Following adjustment for baseline characteristics, no differences were observed for in-hospital death (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.45 to 1.68, p=0.67) and major adverse cardiovascular events (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.32, p=0.28).
Following the lockdown in England, we observed a decline in primary PCI procedures for STEMI and increases in overall symptom-to-hospital and door-to-balloon time for patients with STEMI. Restructuring health services during COVID-19 has not adversely influenced in-hospital outcomes.