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ASAIO J 2021 Apr 21. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

From the Section of Neurocritical Care and Emergency Neurology, Department of Neurology, Program in Trauma, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland Division of Surgical Critical Care, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR)-veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for refractory cardiac arrest-has grown rapidly, but its widespread adoption has been limited by frequent neurologic complications. With individual centers developing best practices, utilization may be increasing with an uncertain effect on outcomes. This study describes the recent ECPR experience at the University of Maryland Medical Center from 2016 through 2018, with attention to neurologic outcomes and predictors thereof. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Apr;100(17):e25702

Department of Pediatrics, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Korea.

Rationale: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) can cause several complications. Among them, cardiac complications are the most fatal and difficult to detect. Cardiac markers are prognostic factors for morbidity and mortality in adult patients with DKA. Read More

J Med Internet Res 2021 Apr 27;23(4):e25493. Epub 2021 Apr 27.

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, SE-182 88 Stockholm, Sweden.

Background: Chest pain is one of the most common chief complaints in emergency departments (EDs). Collecting an adequate medical history is challenging but essential in order to use recommended risk scores such as the HEART score (based on history, electrocardiogram, age, risk factors, and troponin). Self-reported computerized history taking (CHT) is a novel method to collect structured medical history data directly from the patient through a digital device. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 14;11(1):8186. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is of significant concern in the realm of high impact contact sports, including mixed martial arts (MMA). Extracellular vesicles (EVs) travel between the brain and oral cavity and may be isolated from salivary samples as a noninvasive biomarker of TBI. Salivary EVs may highlight acute neurocognitive or neuropathological changes, which may be particularly useful as a biomarker in high impact sports. Read More

Hum Exp Toxicol 2021 Apr 12:9603271211006170. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Medical Imaging Department, 159363Tangshan Gongren Hospital, Tangshan, Hebei, People's Republic of China.

Aim: A high cholesterol diet (HCD) is known to cause metabolic dysregulation, oxidative stress, cardiovascular diseases and atherogenesis. Zingerone is a pharmacologically active component of dry ginger. Zingerone has been shown to have a wide range of pharmacological properties, including scavenging free radicals, high antioxidant activity, suppressing lipid peroxidation and anti-inflammatory. Read More

J Cardiovasc Echogr 2020 Oct-Dec;30(4):223-226. Epub 2021 Jan 20.

Department of Medicine, Vascular and Emergency Medicine - Stroke Unit, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

The infection by the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is associated with significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Cardiac events require prompt diagnosis and management, also in the SARS-CoV-2 era. A 58-year-old male, heavy smoker and with known SARS-CoV-2 infection, abruptly developed severe hypotension and asthenia. Read More

ESC Heart Fail 2021 Apr 6. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Department of Internal Medicine II (Cardiology), University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, Regensburg, 93053, Germany.

Aims: The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of urinary N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) compared with plasma NT-proBNP in patients presenting with acute chest pain in the emergency department.

Methods And Results: We measured simultaneously plasma and urinary NT-proBNP at admission in 301 patients with acute chest pain. In our cohort, 174 patients suffered from acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Read More

J Pers Med 2021 Mar 22;11(3). Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Department XIII, Discipline of Infectious Diseases, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes" Timisoara, E. Murgu Square, Nr. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.

(1) Background: Coronavirus infection (Covid-19) has emerged as a severe medical condition, associated with high pulmonary morbidity and often with cardiovascular (CV) complications. This study aims to evidence the persistence of left ventricular (LV) systolic function (LV-SF) alterations and diastolic dysfunction (DD) in COVID-19 patients without history of cardiovascular (CV) diseases by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). (2) Methods: 125 patients, aged under 55 years, hospitalized during the first outbreak of Covid-19 for moderate pneumonia, underwent a comprehensive cardiologic examination and TTE at 6-10 weeks after discharge. Read More

Diagnostics (Basel) 2021 Mar 29;11(4). Epub 2021 Mar 29.

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 46, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.

Although vascular abnormalities are thought to affect coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients' outcomes, they have not been thoroughly characterized in large series of unselected patients. The Swiss national registry coronavirus-associated vascular abnormalities (CAVA) is a multicentric cohort of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection who underwent a clinically indicated chest computed tomography (CT) aiming to assess the prevalence, severity, distribution, and prognostic value of vascular and non-vascular-related CT findings. Clinical outcomes, stratified as outpatient treatment, inpatient without mechanical ventilation, inpatient with mechanical ventilation, or death, will be correlated with CT and biological markers. Read More

J Clin Med 2021 Mar 21;10(6). Epub 2021 Mar 21.

Clinic of Cardiology, Emergency Clinical County Hospital, 540136 Târgu Mureș, Romania.

The present study aimed to investigate the link between the severity of periodontal disease (PD), coronary calcifications and unstable plaque features in patients who underwent coronary computed tomography for unstable angina (UA). Fifty-two patients with UA, included in the ATHERODENT trial (NCT03395041), underwent computed tomographic coronary angiography (CCTA) and dental examination. Based on the median value of the periodontal index (PI), patients were assigned to the low periodontal index (LPI) group (PI < 22) and a high periodontal index (HPI) group (PI > 22). Read More

J Coll Physicians Surg Pak 2021 Mar;31(3):262-266

Department of Emergency Medicine, Balikesir University School of Medicine, Balikesir, Turkey.

Objective: To compare the usefulness of shock index (SI) and lactate for prediction of 24-hour and 28-day mortality in acute heart failure (AHF) patients.

Study Design: A descriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Balikesir University Hospital, Balikesir, Turkey; from February 2019 to August 2020. Read More

Dis Markers 2021 6;2021:6657982. Epub 2021 Mar 6.

Department of Pediatrics II, Emergency Clinic Hospital for Children, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Aims: Reference values of the P-wave on 12 lead electrocardiograms are lacking for children and adolescents in Eastern Europe. Hence, the present study is aimed at determining the standard values of the P-wave in children and adolescents based on ECG data from the CARDIOPED project, a large-scale general population of children who participated in a screening program in Transylvania, Romania.

Methods And Results: A total of 22,411 ECGs of participants aged 6 to 18 years old from a school-based ECG screening were obtained between February 2015 and December 2015 in Transylvania, Romania. Read More

Lupus 2021 May 18;30(6):1017-1021. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Department of Internal Medicine, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.

Introduction: Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) is a rare and serious phenomenon that requires prompt recognition and treatment.

Case Presentation: The authors present the case of a puerperal woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) admitted to the emergency room with headache, blurred vision, thoracic pain, and purpuric lesions on both ears. Echocardiogram revealed global decrease in left ventricular function while cardiac and inflammatory markers were elevated. Read More

Klin Lab Diagn 2021 Mar;66(2):75-79

FGBOU DPO «Russian medical Academy of continuing professional education of the Ministry of health of the Russian Federation».

The presence of metabolic syndrome (MS) significantly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases that lead to chronic heart failure (CHF). The values of NT-proBNP, ST-2, and CRP markers and their mutual correlations were studied in 37 patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) without metabolic syndrome (MS) (group 1) and 37 patients with CHF with MS (group 2). The aim of the study was to determine the features of their changes in patients with CHF complicated by MS, and to rank patients by assigning a rank value to the values of NTproBNP, ST2, and CRP concentrations. Read More

Front Cardiovasc Med 2021 23;8:628885. Epub 2021 Feb 23.

Kelly Government Solutions, Rockville, MD, United States.

COVID-19 patients with comorbidities such as hypertension or heart failure (HF) are associated with poor clinical outcomes. The cellular distribution of Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the critical enzyme for SARS-CoV-2 infection, in the human heart is unknown. We explore the underlying mechanism that leads to increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with cardiovascular diseases and patients of cardiac dysfunction have increased risk of multi-organ injury compared with patients of normal cardiac function. Read More

ESC Heart Fail 2021 Mar 11. Epub 2021 Mar 11.

Cardiovascular Division/Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Aims: We sought to examine sex differences in congestion in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure (AHF). Understanding congestive patterns in women and men with AHF may provide insights into sex differences in the presentation and prognosis of AHF patients.

Methods And Results: In a prospective, two-site study in adults hospitalized for AHF, four-zone lung ultrasound (LUS) was performed at the time of echocardiography at baseline (LUS1) and, in a subset, pre-discharge (LUS2). Read More

Exp Physiol 2021 May 25;106(5):1149-1158. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Space Medicine Team, European Astronaut Centre, European Space Agency (ESA), Cologne, Germany.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Recently, an internal jugular venous thrombus was identified during spaceflight: does microgravity induce venous and/or coagulation pathophysiology, and thus an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE)? What is the main finding and its importance? Whilst data are limited, this systematic review suggests that microgravity and its analogues may induce an enhanced coagulation state due to venous changes most prominent in the cephalad venous system, as a consequence of changes in venous flow, distension, pressures, endothelial damage and possibly hypercoagulability in microgravity and its analogues. However, whether such changes precipitate an increased VTE risk in spaceflight remains to be determined.

Abstract: Recently, an internal jugular venous thrombus was identified during spaceflight, but whether microgravity induces venous and/or coagulation pathophysiology, and thus, an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is unclear. Read More

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021 18;12:614679. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

Fetal Medicine Excellence Research Center, Alessandrescu-Rusescu National Institute for Mother and Child Health, Bucharest, Romania.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex disorder that affects around 5% to 10% of women of childbearing age worldwide, making it the most common source of anovulatory infertility. PCOS is defined by increased levels of androgens, abnormal ovulation, irregular menstrual cycles, and polycystic ovarian morphology in one or both ovaries. Women suffering from this condition have also been shown to frequently associate certain cardiovascular comorbidities, including obesity, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and vascular disease. Read More

Clin Res Cardiol 2021 Mar 7. Epub 2021 Mar 7.

Université de Lorraine, CHRU de Nancy, Médecine Intensive et Réanimation Central, INSERM U1116, Nancy, France.

Aims: Optimal outcome after cardiogenic shock (CS) depends on a coordinated healing response in which both debris removal and extracellular matrix tissue repair play a crucial role. Excessive inflammation can perpetuate a vicious circle, positioning leucocytes as central protagonists and potential therapeutic targets. High levels of circulating Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1), were associated with death in acute myocardial infarction confirming excessive inflammation as determinant of bad outcome. Read More

Biomolecules 2021 Feb 28;11(3). Epub 2021 Feb 28.

Department of Surgery, UConn Health, School of Medicine, and Cell & Molecular Tissue Engineering, LLC, Farmington, CT 06032, USA.

Background: Currently, no blood biomarkers exist that can diagnose unstable angina (UA) patients. Nourin is an early inflammatory mediator rapidly released within 5 min by reversible ischemic myocardium, and if ischemia persists, it is also released by necrosis. Nourin is elevated in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients but not in symptomatic noncardiac and healthy subjects. Read More

Drug Des Devel Ther 2021 25;15:843-855. Epub 2021 Feb 25.

Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University & Guangxi Key Laboratory Base of Precision Medicine in Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases Control and Prevention & Guangxi Clinical Research Center for Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases, Nanning, People's Republic of China.

Purpose: Coronary microembolization (CME) can cause myocardial inflammation, apoptosis and progressive cardiac dysfunction. On the other hand, breviscapine exerts a significant cardioprotective effect in many cardiac diseases although its role and the potential mechanisms in CME remain unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to ascertain whether pretreatment with breviscapine could improve CME-induced myocardial injury by alleviating myocardial inflammation and apoptosis. Read More

Eur J Clin Invest 2021 May 10;51(5):e13531. Epub 2021 Mar 10.

3rd Medical Department with Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Wilhelminenhospital, Vienna, Austria.

Background: Mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP) is a strong prognostic marker in several inflammatory, respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, but has not been studied in COVID-19 yet.

Methods: This prospective, observational study of patients with COVID-19 infection was conducted from 6 June to 26 November 2020 in different wards of a tertiary hospital. MR-proANP, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitive cardiac troponin I levels on admission were collected and tested for their association with disease severity and 28-day mortality. Read More

J Korean Med Sci 2021 Mar 1;36(8):e61. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Cardiovascular Center, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.

Background: Although electrocardiography and cardiac troponin play important roles in the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), there remain unmet clinical needs. Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) has been identified as an early diagnostic marker of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In this study, we examined the diagnostic and prognostic value of H-FABP in patients suspected with ACS. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2021 Jan 20;5(1):ytaa478. Epub 2020 Dec 20.

Pediatric Cardiology Division, Department of Pediatrics, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80215, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Studies about the incidence and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children are still significantly lower than those in adults. Moreover, data on the effect of COVID-19 in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are limited. To the best of our knowledge, this study first reported mortality in a child with CHD who acquired COVID-19. Read More

Cureus 2021 Jan 21;13(1):e12832. Epub 2021 Jan 21.

Department of Biochemistry, University of Health Sciences, Şanlıurfa Mehmet Akif İnan Research and Training Hospital, Şanlıurfa, TUR.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether ferritin level can predict the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for both patients and caregivers. Many laboratory markers have been used to better understand the causes of poor outcomes and to improve the management of COVID-19 patients. Read More

Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care 2020 Nov 7. Epub 2020 Nov 7.

Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Blvd. 161, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.

The formation of a thrombus in an epicardial artery may result in an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Despite major advances in acute treatment using network approaches to allocate patients to timely reperfusion and optimal antithrombotic treatment, patients remain at high risk for thrombotic complications. Ongoing activation of the coagulation system as well as thrombin-mediated platelet activation may both play a crucial role in this context. Read More

Br J Anaesth 2021 04 19;126(4):774-790. Epub 2021 Feb 19.

Adult Intensive Care Unit, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK.

Background: The risk of complications, including death, is substantially increased in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) undergoing anaesthesia for surgical procedures, especially in those with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic PH (CTEPH). Sedation also poses a risk to patients with PH. Physiological changes including tachycardia, hypotension, fluid shifts, and an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PH crisis) can precipitate acute right ventricular decompensation and death. Read More

Zhonghua Xin Xue Guan Bing Za Zhi 2021 Feb;49(2):150-157

The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Harbin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Heilongjiang Province, China, Harbin 150086, China;Wang Jifei and Yu Bo are Contributed equally to the arrticle.

To determine the impact of inflammatory reaction levels and the culprit plaque characteristics on preprocedural Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The is a retrospective study. A total of 1 268 STEMI patients who underwent pre-intervention optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination of culprit lesion during emergency PCI were divided into 2 groups by preprocedural TIMI flow grade (TIMI 0-1 group ( =964, 76. Read More

Phytomedicine 2021 Apr 4;84:153450. Epub 2021 Jan 4.

Cardiovascular and Mitochondrial Related Disease Research Center, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan; Department of Biological Science and Technology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan; Center of General Education, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology, Hualien 970, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan; Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are caused by multitudes of stress factors like hypertension and their outcomes are associated with high mortality and morbidity worldwide. Nerolidol, a naturally occurring sesquiterpene found in several plant species, embodies various pharmacological benefits against numerous health disorders. However, their effects on hypertension induced cardiac complications are not completely understood. Read More

Dig Dis Sci 2021 Feb 19. Epub 2021 Feb 19.

Division of Gastroenterology, NYU Langone Health, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at NYU Langone Health, 240 East 38th Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY, 10016, USA.

Background And Aims: Thirty percent of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients hospitalized with flare require salvage therapy or surgery. Additionally, 40% experience length of stay (LOS) > 7 days. No emergency department (ED)-based indices exist to predict these adverse outcomes at admission for IBD flare. Read More