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Clin Res Cardiol 2019 Mar 16. Epub 2019 Mar 16.

Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Cardiology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.

Background: Ventricular assist devices (VAD) are increasingly used as long-term treatment for advanced heart failure. However, survival after VAD implantation is still unsatisfactory, and no specific outpatient follow-up algorithms have been formally established. Here, we evaluate the effect of an intensified follow-up protocol (IFUP) on survival rates and VAD-associated complications. Read More

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation, and Vascular Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.

Objectives: Decellularized pulmonary homografts (DPH) have shown excellent results for pulmonary valve replacement. However, controlled multicentre studies are lacking to date.

Methods: Prospective European multicentre trial evaluating DPH for pulmonary valve replacement. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2019 Mar 9. Epub 2019 Mar 9.

Department of Interventional Cardiology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Thoraxcentrum, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address:

Ann Thorac Surg 2019 Mar 13. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Department of Cardiovascular surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.

A 75-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for dyspnea and edema of the lower limbs. Computed tomography angiography revealed a dilated left coronary artery from the left main trunk to the left circumflex branch and a dilated fistula originating from the left circumflex branch and draining into the persistent left superior vena cava. Physical examination revealed pulmonary hypertension and congestive heart failure. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Mar 8. Epub 2019 Mar 8.

Cardiology University Department, Heart Failure Unit, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy; Department for Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milano, Milan, Italy. Electronic address:

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the pattern of exercise left atrial (LA) dynamics, its gas exchange correlates, and prognosis in mitral regurgitation (MR) of primary and secondary origin.

Background: The adaptive response and clinical significance of LA function during exercise in MR is undefined.

Methods: A total of 196 patients with MR (81 with primary MR, 115 with secondary MR) and 54 control subjects underwent exercise stress echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing with LA function assessment. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Mar 8. Epub 2019 Mar 8.

Second Cardiology Department, Attikon Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.

Rheumatic diseases are immune-mediated inflammatory multisystem diseases with frequent cardiovascular manifestations including perimyocarditis, valvular disease, coronary artery disease, heart failure with or without preserved ejection fraction, pulmonary hypertension, aneurysms, and thrombosis. Echocardiography, carotid ultrasonography, cardiac computed tomography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography are valid diagnostic tools for the detection of the cardiovascular complications of the multisystem diseases that frequently determine prognosis. Furthermore, the findings of these methods may offer additive risk stratification in asymptomatic patients over the conventional risk scores used to assess cardiovascular risk in the primary prevention setting. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Mar 8. Epub 2019 Mar 8.

Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands.

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Mar 8. Epub 2019 Mar 8.

Department of Internal Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.

Objectives: This study sought to compare cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging-derived right ventricular (RV) strain and invasively measured pressure-volume loop-derived RV contractility, stiffness, and afterload and RV-arterial coupling in pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Background: In chronic RV pressure overload, RV-arterial uncoupling is considered the driving cause of RV maladaptation and eventual RV failure. The pathophysiological and clinical value of CMR-derived RV strain relative to that of invasive pressure-volume loop-derived measurements in PH remains incompletely understood. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Mar 8. Epub 2019 Mar 8.

Fondazione Gabriele Monasterio CNR/Regione Toscana, Pisa, Italy. Electronic address:

Objectives: The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the predictive value of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and global systolic impairment for future major adverse cardiovascular events in left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC).

Background: The prognosis of patients with LVNC, with and without left ventricular dysfunction and LGE, is still unclear.

Methods: A systematic review of published research and a meta-analysis reporting a combined endpoint of hard (cardiac death, sudden cardiac death, appropriate defibrillator firing, resuscitated cardiac arrest, cardiac transplantation, assist device implantation) and minor (heart failure hospitalization and thromboembolic events) events was performed. Read More

Nitric Oxide 2019 Mar 13. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, UNMC, Omaha, NE 68198-5850, USA.

Exercise training (ExT) is an established non-pharmacological therapy that improves the health and quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Exaggerated sympathetic drive characterizes CHF due to an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system. Neuronal nitric oxide synthases (nNOS) in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) produce nitric oxide (NO•), which is known to regulate the sympathetic tone. Read More

J Mol Cell Cardiol 2019 Mar 13. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli (Isernia), Italy. Electronic address:

Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is the most common heart valve disease in North America and Europe leading to an increased risk of heart failure and death. A multidisciplinary evaluation of symptoms, individual risk profile, echocardiographic parameters, biomarkers assessment is required for an appropriate clinical and therapeutic management of AS. The natriuretic peptides (NPs) represent an important biomarker for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic purposes in several cardiovascular diseases. Read More

J Cardiol 2019 Mar 13. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Heart Failure Center, Department of Cardiology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hypertension Research, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. Electronic address:

Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is characterized by heart failure. Our previous study found that autoantibodies against the M2-muscarinic receptor (anti-M2-R) are increased in PPCM patients. We aimed to evaluate the association of anti-M2-R on prognosis of PPCM patients with standard treatment. Read More

J Natl Med Assoc 2019 Mar 13. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Anti-aging and Regenerative Medicine, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China. Electronic address:

Stroke causes disability and high mortality, while it can be prevented by increasing public awareness of risk factors. The common known risk factors are hypertension, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, smoking, alcohol consumption, low physical activity, overweight and hypercholesterolemia. However, the deep understanding of risk factors is limited. Read More

Rev Clin Esp 2019 Mar 13. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Medicina Interna y Cuidados Paliativos, Hospital Universitario Juan Ramón Jimenez, Huelva, España; Grupo de Trabajo Diabetes, Obesidad y Nutrición de la Sociedad Española de Medicina Interna.

There is a bidirectional association between heart failure (HF) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), which has resulted in an exponential increase in the combination of the 2 diseases in a single patient. This combination is one of many common causes that lead to the pathophysiological pathways resulting in the deleterious effect of DM2 on HF. The inevitable clinical consequence is that, when faced with this situation, patients present worse symptoms and a poorer prognosis than patients with HF but without DM2. Read More

Diabetes Metab J 2019 Feb 28. Epub 2019 Feb 28.

Huh's Diabetes Center and the 21st Century Diabetes and Vascular Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.

Background: Impaired diastolic heart function has been observed in persons with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and/or with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, it is unclear whether NAFLD fibrotic progression, i.e. Read More

Aging Clin Exp Res 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

The Department of Family Medicine, MacKay Memorial Hospital, No. 92, Sec. 2, Zhongshan N. Rd., Zhongshan Dist., Taipei, 104, Taiwan, ROC.

Background: Pneumonia is a leading cause of hospitalization and death worldwide. However, studies focusing on risk factors of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the home health care (HHC) population remain scarce.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate risk factors associated with hospitalization for CAP among HHC patients in Taiwan. Read More

Support Care Cancer 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Hematologic Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China.

Thrombocytopenia is a condition characterized by abnormally low levels of thrombocytes and often induced by chemotherapy. Recombinant human interleukin-11 (rhIL-11) is a cytokine that can stimulate thrombopoiesis and is commonly used to treat thrombocytopenia. We observed the side effects of rhIL-11 in 24 leukemia patients with chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia. Read More

Clin Rheumatol 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, No. 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, 210008, Jiangsu, China.

Objective: To evaluate the incidence and risk factors of relapse in pulmonary sarcoidosis treated with corticosteroids.

Methods: Medical records of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical features, chest radiographs, pulmonary function tests, and treatment information were collected. Read More

N C Med J 2019 Mar-Apr;80(2):128

fellow in advanced heart failure and transplantation, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.

J Card Fail 2019 Mar 12. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and the Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Health Network. Electronic address:

Background: Several known traditional cardiovascular risk factors contribute to the development of heart failure (HF); however, whether ethnicity is also an important predictor is not well-established. We determined the incidence of hospitalization for HF among ethnic groups in Ontario, Canada and examined differences in risk factor prevalence that may contribute to disparities in HF hospitalization incidence between groups.

Methods And Results: We conducted a retrospective observational study from 2008 to 2012 using a linked cohort derived from population-based health administrative, clinical and survey datasets. Read More

J Card Fail 2019 Mar 12. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Dietary guidance for patients with heart failure (HF) has traditionally focused on sodium and fluid intake restriction, but dietary quality is frequently poor in patients with HF and may contribute to morbidity and mortality. Restrictive dietary counselling can lead to inadequate intake of macronutrients and micronutrients by patients with HF, with the potential for deficiencies of calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, thiamine, vitamins D, E, K, and folate. Although inadequate intake and low plasma levels of micronutrients have been associated with adverse clinical outcomes, evidence supporting therapeutic repletion is limited. Read More

J Cardiol 2019 Mar 12. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Department of Pediatric Cardiology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan.

Background: The treatment of heart failure has changed with the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and beta-blockers since the middle of the 1990s. However, the outcome in infantile dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) when treated with them remains poorly understood.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of infants with DCM within 24 months old in our hospital between 1979 and 2012, and compared the outcome in the later group (1997-2012) with that in the early group (1979-1996). Read More

Int J Cardiol 2019 Mar 4. Epub 2019 Mar 4.

Department of Cardiovascular Dynamics, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka 565-8565, Japan.

Aims: To compare the effects of metoprolol and carvedilol on baroreflex-mediated sympathetic circulatory regulation.

Methods: In anesthetized Wistar-Kyoto rats, carotid sinus baroreceptor regions were isolated. Changes in sympathetic nerve activity (SNA), arterial pressure (AP), heart rate (HR), and aortic flow (AoF) in response to a staircase-wise pressure input were examined before (control) and after intravenous injection of low-dose metoprolol (2 mg/kg), high-dose metoprolol (10 mg/kg), or carvedilol (0. Read More

Am J Cardiol 2019 Feb 23. Epub 2019 Feb 23.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.

Although atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (AF/AFL) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) frequently coexist, the influence of AF/AFL on physical activity, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and quality of life in HFpEF is unclear and could have relevance to HFpEF trial design. We evaluated the association between AF/AFL and volitional physical activity, functional performance, NT-proBNP, and quality of life in patients with HFpEF in the Nitrate's Effect on Activity Tolerance (NEAT)-HFpEF trial. Of 99 patients with accelerometer data, 35 (35%) had AF/AFL. Read More

Rev Clin Esp 2019 Mar 12. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, España. Electronic address:

BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2019 Mar 15;19(1):60. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Gregory School of Pharmacy, Palm Beach Atlantic University, 901 South Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL, 33416, USA.

Background: Cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) is a well-recognized complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and there is a clinical need for glucose-lowering therapies that do not further increase CV risk in this population. Although sulfonylureas (SUs) may be used as second-line therapy for patients requiring additional therapy after first-line metformin to improve glycemic control, their long-term effects on CV outcomes remain uncertain, and a wide range of alternative agents exist including dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors.

Methods: Literature searches in PubMed (2013-2018) were conducted with terms for DPP-4 inhibitors combined with CV terms, with preference given to cardiovascular outcomes trials (CVOTs). Read More

J Clin Med 2019 Mar 15;8(3). Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam 13620, Korea.

An angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) mitigates cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). Here, we investigated the effect of fimasartan, a new ARB, on cardiac remodeling after MI. Sprague⁻Dawley rats were assigned into 3 groups: surgery only (sham group, = 7), MI without (MI-only group, = 13), and MI with fimasartan treatment (MI + Fima group, = 16). Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2019 Mar 12;113:108763. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela (CHUS), SERGAS, Travesía da Choupana s/n, Santiago de Compostela, 15706, A Coruña, Spain; CIBERCV, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address:

Objectives: Characterization of the type of glycation found in circulating proteins from cardiovascular patients in comparison with healthy control subjects and to explore the pathophysiological molecular effects of these glycomodified proteins on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in culture.

Methods: Human serum albumin pools from 10 subjects each, of patients with heart failure (HF) presenting high or low glycation levels, and from healthy subjects were isolated and purified. The glycation levels of these pools were characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and compared between them. Read More

Cytokine 2019 Mar 12;119:37-46. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510407, China; Lingnan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510407, China; Key Laboratory of Chronic Heart Failure, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510407, China. Electronic address:

We examined the precise association between IL-10 levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD) prognosis and explored the pleiotropic role of IL-10 in different cardiac pathologies. We performed a meta-analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies investigating IL-10 levels. Meta-regression analyses were used to determine the cause of the discrepancies. Read More

PLoS One 2019 15;14(3):e0213768. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto City, Japan.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common and severe form of muscular dystrophy. The major symptoms of this condition are walking difficulties, dyspnea caused by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, and cardiomyopathy. Recent advances in ventilator support devices have dramatically decreased mortality caused by respiratory distress. Read More

Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, United States.

Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Division of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles; and Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.

Background: Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) in children can be difficult to treat when first-line therapies (beta-blockade or digoxin) are not effective. Both flecainide and amiodarone are used as second-line therapies. We sought to compare the efficacy and safety of flecainide and amiodarone in pediatric patients with recurrent SVT. Read More

Diabetes Ther 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Nightingale Hospital, Kolkata, India.

Introduction: Although the positive effects of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) on hospitalization for heart failure in type 2 diabetes (T2D) seem definite, some doubt exists about their effects on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). This study aims to shed light on this debatable issue.

Methods: An electronic database search (Cochrane Library, PubMed and Embase) was performed using two groups of terms ["sodium glucose cotransporter2 inhibitor", "dapagliflozin", "canagliflozin", "empagliflozin", "ertugliflozin"] AND ["major adverse cardiac events", "MACE", "cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure", non-fatal myocardial infarction", "non-fatal stroke", "cardiovascular death", "hospitalization for heart failure"] and the cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOT) and pre-approval studies in phase 3 of all the SGLT2i analysed using comprehensive meta-analysis (CMA) software, version 3, Biostat Inc. Read More

Drugs Aging 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, 5001, Australia.

Background: Multimorbidity is common in older patients with heart failure (HF), complicating therapeutic management and increasing the risk of harm.

Objective: This study sought to examine the prevalence of medicines for the treatment of comorbid conditions potentially associated with harm in older people, before and after HF hospitalization.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of older people hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of HF over a 12-month period was conducted using administrative health claims data from the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Australia. Read More

Sleep Breath 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Heart Failure Unit, Internal Medicine Department, São Francisco Xavier Hospital - Western Lisbon Hospital Centre (CHLO), Estrada do Forte do Alto do Duque, 1449-005, Lisbon, Portugal.

Heart Fail Rev 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Department of Cardiology, Angiology, and Pulmonology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.

The majority of patients with chronic heart failure (HF) receive long-term treatment with loop diuretics. The comparative effectiveness of different loop diuretics is unknown. We searched PubMed, clinicaltrials. Read More

Basic Res Cardiol 2019 Mar 15;114(3):17. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Institutes of Biology and Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.

We and others have reported that calpain-1 was increased in myocardial mitochondria from various animal models of heart disease. This study investigated whether constitutive up-regulation of calpain-1 restricted to mitochondria induced myocardial injury and heart failure and, if so, whether these phenotypes could be rescued by selective inhibition of mitochondrial superoxide production. Transgenic mice with human CAPN1 up-regulation restricted to mitochondria in cardiomyocytes (Tg-mtCapn1/tTA) were generated and characterized with low and high over-expression of transgenic human CAPN1 restricted to mitochondria, respectively. Read More

Heart Vessels 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Second Department of Internal Medicine, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan.

Coagulation factor Xa activates the protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) and causes tissue fibrosis; however, the effects of Xa inhibitor edoxaban on atrial fibrosis and atrial fibrillation (AF) have not been investigated. We examined the effect of edoxaban on the progression of atrial fibrosis in a canine congestive heart failure (CHF) model. Beagle dogs were assigned to sham, placebo, and edoxaban groups (n = 6/group). Read More

J Neurol 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Background: To evaluate the prevalence of cardiac involvement in patients with congenital myopathies and the association to specific genotypes.

Methods: We evaluated patients with physical examination, electrocardiogram, echocardiography, and 48-h Holter monitoring. Follow-up was performed for major events. Read More

Clin Res Cardiol 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Department of Electrophysiology, University of Leipzig, Heart Center, Leipzig, Germany.

Aims: In the IN-TIME trial, automatic daily implant-based multiparameter telemonitoring significantly improved clinical outcomes in patients with chronic systolic heart failure and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). We compared IN-TIME results for ICD and CRT-D subgroups.

Methods: Patients with LVEF ≤ 35%, NYHA class II/III, optimized drug treatment, no permanent atrial fibrillation, and a dual-chamber ICD (n = 274) or CRT-D (n = 390) were randomized 1:1 to telemonitoring or no telemonitoring for 12 months. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2019 Mar 1;2(3):e190703. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Division of Cardiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora.

Importance: Standard tools used to diagnose pulmonary edema in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), including chest radiography (CXR), lack adequate sensitivity, which may delay appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Point-of-care lung ultrasonography (LUS) may be more accurate than CXR, but no meta-analysis of studies directly comparing the 2 tools was previously available.

Objective: To compare the accuracy of LUS with the accuracy of CXR in the diagnosis of cardiogenic pulmonary edema in adult patients presenting with dyspnea. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2019 Mar 1;2(3):e190634. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Division of General Internal Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.

Importance: The Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) has disproportionately penalized hospitals that treat many black patients, which could worsen health outcomes in this population.

Objective: To determine whether short-term mortality rates increased among black and white adults 65 years and older after initiation of the HRRP and whether trends differed by race.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In a cohort study using an interrupted time-series analysis conducted from March 15, 2018, to January 23, 2019, in 3263 eligible acute care hospitals nationally, risk-adjusted mortality rates observed after Medicare started to impose penalties (October 1, 2012, to November 30, 2014) were compared with projections based on pre-HRRP trends (January 1, 2007, to March 31, 2010) among adults 65 years and older with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure (HF), or pneumonia. Read More

JAMA 2019 Mar;321(11):1081-1095

Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.

Importance: Cholesterol is a common nutrient in the human diet and eggs are a major source of dietary cholesterol. Whether dietary cholesterol or egg consumption is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality remains controversial.

Objective: To determine the associations of dietary cholesterol or egg consumption with incident CVD and all-cause mortality. Read More

JAMA 2019 Mar;321(11):1059-1068

Department of Medical Science and Cardiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Importance: Quality of life is not a standard primary outcome in ablation trials, even though symptoms drive the indication.

Objective: To assess quality of life with catheter ablation vs antiarrhythmic medication at 12 months in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Randomized clinical trial at 4 university hospitals in Sweden and 1 in Finland of 155 patients aged 30-70 years with more than 6 months of atrial fibrillation and treatment failure with 1 antiarrhythmic drug or β-blocker, with 4-year follow-up. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Mar 15;9(1):4668. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Iron overload is associated with various pathological changes which contribute to heart failure. Here, we examined mechanisms via which iron alters cardiomyocyte insulin sensitivity. Treatment of primary adult and neonatal cardiomyocytes as well as H9c2 cells with iron decreased insulin sensitivity determined via Western blotting or immunofluorescent detection of Akt and p70S6K phosphorylation and glucose uptake. Read More

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2019 Mar 11. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Department of Immunology and Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Clinical Immunology, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Objectives: The TNF-blocker adalimumab can be effective in Behçet's disease (BD), a multisystem auto-inflammatory disorder. Unfortunately, the therapeutic efficacy of TNF-blockers can be hampered by the formation of anti-drug antibodies. We present an observational study of adalimumab in refractory BD with measurement of anti-drug antibodies. Read More

Cell Physiol Biochem 2019 15;52(3):435-438. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany,

Background/aims: Tachycardiomyopathy (TCM) is a largely reversible form of non-ischemic heart failure. The underlying mechanism are, however, still today poorly understood. Recent data indicate distinct changes in mitochondrial distribution in these patients, compared to other non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. Read More

Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Background And Aims: Patients with moderate-to-severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) are underepresented in clinical trials of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)-defibrillation or CRT-pacing (CRT-P). We sought to determine whether outcomes after CRT-D are better than after CRT-P over a wide spectrum of CKD.

Methods And Results: Clinical events were quantified in relation to pre-implant estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) after CRT-D (n = 410 [39. Read More

Compr Physiol 2019 Mar 14;9(2):477-533. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Department of Medicine, Yale Translational Research Imaging Center, Yale University School of Medicine, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

Multimodality cardiovascular imaging is routinely used to assess cardiac function, structure, and physiological parameters to facilitate the diagnosis, characterization, and phenotyping of numerous cardiovascular diseases (CVD), as well as allows for risk stratification and guidance in medical therapy decision-making. Although useful, these imaging strategies are unable to assess the underlying cellular and molecular processes that modulate pathophysiological changes. Over the last decade, there have been great advancements in imaging instrumentation and technology that have been paralleled by breakthroughs in probe development and image analysis. Read More

Cardiovasc Res 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

INSERM UMR-1048, Institut des Maladies Métaboliques et Cardiovasculaires, 31432 Toulouse, France.

Aims: Recent studies reported that cAMP-binding protein Epac1-deficient mice were protected against various forms of cardiac stress, suggesting that pharmacological inhibition of Epac1 could be beneficial for the treatment of cardiac diseases. To test this assumption, we characterized an Epac1-selective inhibitory compound and investigated its potential cardioprotective properties.

Methods And Results: We used the Epac1-BRET (bioluminescence resonance energy transfer) for searching for non-cyclic nucleotide Epac1 modulators. Read More