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J Neurol Surg A Cent Eur Neurosurg 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Research and Training in Neurosurgery (CIEN), Rosario University School of Medicine, Samaritan University Hospital, Bogotá, Colombia.

Background:  Scalp arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are a rare vascular disease usually presenting as a progressively increasing pulsating mass in the scalp. These lesions can be associated with mild to severe complications, including congestive heart failure. If ruptures, this pathology constitutes a life-threatening medical emergency because of its potential to cause severe bleeding and acute anemia. Read More

Public Health 2021 Apr 9;193:146-149. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Department of Preventive & Community Dentistry, University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, USA.

Objective: The objective of the study is to demonstrate that electronic dental records (EDRs) can be used to mine meaningful public health information.

Study Design: Retrospective electronic dental chart-based reporting of disease prevalence.

Methods: Using dental EDRs (N = 104,768), the authors assessed the prevalence of common non-communicable medical conditions among unique patients seen at a United States (U. Read More

J Vasc Surg 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address:

Objective: To investigate the association of tunneling technique on patency and amputation in patients undergoing lower extremity bypass for limb ischemia.

Method: The National Vascular Quality Initiative database infrainguinal bypass module from 2008-2017 was queried for analysis. We excluded non-greater saphenous vein grafts, grafts using multiple segments, indication of aneurysmal disease, bypass locations outside of femoral to below knee popliteal artery or tibial arteries, and those missing data on the tunneling type and limb ischemia. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, SAR, China.

Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2021 Apr 9:108796. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Department of Medicine K2, Karolinska Institutet 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address:

Sodium-glucose transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), originally launched as glucose-lowering drugs, have been studied in large cardiovascular outcome trials to ascertain safety. Surprisingly, these compounds reduced the risk of cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial and non-fatal stroke) and total mortality. The mechanisms behind this benefit are only partly understood, but a major contributor is the reduction of heart failure hospitalisations, evident already within weeks after the initiation of the SGLT2i. Read More

Am Heart J 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Hospital Clínico San Carlos. Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC). Madrid, Spain.

Background: The use of Renin-Angiotensin system inhibitors (RASi) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been questioned because both share a target receptor site.

Methods: HOPE-COVID-19 (NCT04334291) is an international investigator-initiated registry. Patients are eligible when discharged after an in-hospital stay with COVID-19, dead or alive. Read More

Lancet Respir Med 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK. Electronic address:

Background: Multiple early reports of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 showed that patients with chronic respiratory disease were significantly under-represented in these cohorts. We hypothesised that the widespread use of inhaled glucocorticoids among these patients was responsible for this finding, and tested if inhaled glucocorticoids would be an effective treatment for early COVID-19.

Methods: We performed an open-label, parallel-group, phase 2, randomised controlled trial (Steroids in COVID-19; STOIC) of inhaled budesonide, compared with usual care, in adults within 7 days of the onset of mild COVID-19 symptoms. Read More

Circ Genom Precis Med 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Division of Statistical Genomics, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.

- Polygenic risk scores (PRS) for coronary heart disease (CHD) may contribute to assess the overall risk of CHD. We evaluated how PRS may influence CHD risk when the distribution of age-at-onset, sex, and family health history differ significantly. - Our study included three family-based ascertainments: Long Life Family Study (LLFS, N=4,572), which represents a low CHD risk, and Family Heart Study, which consists of randomly selected families (FamHS-Random, N=1,806), and high CHD risk families (FamHS-High Risk, N=2,301). Read More

Child Obes 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Center for Better Health and Nutrition, The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation has been investigated in treating elevated triglycerides (TGs), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) in adults, but has not been well studied in youth with obesity. This retrospective study examined the effectiveness of omega-3 as an adjunct therapy for these conditions in patients participating in a pediatric weight management program (PWMP). Patients with a BMI ≥85th percentile and abnormal alanine transaminase (ALT), TGs, or HDL, participating in our PWMP, were identified ( = 617). Read More

Rev Chilena Infectol 2020 Dec;37(6):675-682

Centro de Ciencias Médicas, Hospital Nacional de Niños, Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, San José, Costa Rica.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is the leading cause of pediatric acquired heart disease in many countries, however, there are few published studies from Latin America (LA).

Aim: To describe the epidemiology, clinical aspects, and treatment of KD in children from Panama as part of the REKAMLATINA-2 in LA.

Methods: Retrospective descriptive review of hospitalized patients diagnosed with KD, attended at three main pediatric hospitals of Panama from January-1-2009 to December-31-2013. Read More

J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther 2021 Apr 12:10742484211006997. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Royal Free Hospital Campus, University College London Medical School, 9687University College London (UCL), Pond Street, London, UK.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic and complex metabolic disorder and also an important cause of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD). Patients with type 2 DM (T2DM) and obesity show a greater propensity for visceral fat deposition (and excessive fat deposits elsewhere) and the link between adiposity and CVD risk is greater for visceral than for subcutaneous (SC) adipose tissue (AT). There is growing evidence that epicardial AT (EAT) and pericardial AT (PAT) play a role in the development of DM-related atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation (AF), myocardial dysfunction, and heart failure (HF). Read More

Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

INCLIVA Health Research Institute. Valencia, Spain; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red - Cardiovascular; Cardiology Department. Hospital Clinico Universitario. Valencia, Spain.

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 that first emerged in Wuhan in December 2019 has resulted in the devastating pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019, creating an emerging need for knowledge sharing. Meanwhile, myocardial infarction is and will probably remain the foremost cause of death in the western world throughout the coming decades. Severe deregulation of the immune system can unnecessarily expand the inflammatory response and participate in target and multiple organ failure, in infection but also in critical illness. Read More

Circulation 2021 Apr 12;143(15):1455-1457. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (W.D.M.).

Circulation 2021 Apr 12;143(15):e813-e814. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.

Ann Intern Med 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

From the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California.

Pulmonary hypertension is the term used to describe a group of disorders characterized by abnormally high pressures in the pulmonary arteries. Initial evaluation is focused on identifying the cause, which helps guide appropriate treatment. Pulmonary hypertension is often a feature of advanced common diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and left heart disease, and treatment is focused primarily on the underlying disease. Read More

Biomacromolecules 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

RI-B-NT Research Institute of Bioinformatics and Nanotechnology, Franziusallee 177, 24148 Kiel, Germany.

Misfolding proteins could form oligomers or amyloid fibers, which can cause a variety of amyloid-associated diseases. Thus, the inhibition of protein misfolding and fibrillation is a promising way to prevent and treat these diseases. Captopril (CAP) is an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) that is widely used to treat diseases such as hypertension and heart failure. Read More

Am J Transplant 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of thoracic and vascular surgery, centre de référence de l'Hypertension Artérielle Pulmonaire Sévère, hôpital Marie Lannelongue, groupe hospitalier Paris-Saint Joseph, Plessis-Robinson, France; Faculté de Médecine Paris-Saclay, France ; UMR-S 999, Inserm, Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, Université Paris-Saclay, France.

Patients with end-stage pulmonary arterial hypertension due to congenital heart disease have limited access to heart-lung transplantation or double-lung transplantation. We aimed to assess the effects of a high-priority allocation program established in France in 2007. We conducted a retrospective study to compare waitlist and post-transplantation outcomes before versus after implementation of the high-priority allocation program. Read More

J Cosmet Dermatol 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Dermatology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Background: Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, pruritic, and inflammatory dermatosis that affects approximately 20% of children and 10% of adults worldwide. Dupilumab facial redness is gaining attention as additional cases are coming to light in the medical literature.

Objectives And Methods: Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles that are constantly released by almost all cells. Read More

J Card Surg 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Heart Transplantation, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

Background And Aim: Interrupted aortic arch (IAA) is defined as a complete interruption of aortic lumen between the ascending and descending aorta. It is an uncommon and complicated congenital heart disease. It is rare for patients with isolated IAA to survive to adulthood without operation. Read More

Surg Technol Int 2021 Apr 9;38. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA.

Adult Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (RRP) is a rare disease caused by the human papilloma virus in which papilloma grows from the respiratory epithelium. Patients can suffer from significant respiratory distress secondary to tracheal or bronchial obstruction by papilloma and the mainstay of treatment is bronchoscopic debridement. There are a variety of techniques to resect the endoluminal tumor, including CO2 or YAG laser, argon plasma coagulation, microdebrider and cold forceps. Read More

High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via G.B. Pergolesi, 33, 20900, Monza, Italy.

 INTRODUCTION: Published data on hypertension incidence and management in Anderson-Fabry disease are scant and the contribution of elevated blood pressure to organ damage is not well recognized.

Aim: Therefore, we have assessed blood pressure values and their possible correlations with clinical findings in a well described cohort of Fabry patients.

Methods: Between January 2015 and May 2019, all adult Fabry patients (n = 24 females, n = 8 males) referred to our institute were prospectively enrolled. Read More

Biol Trace Elem Res 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Cardiovascular Physiology Unit, Department of Physiology, Bowen University, P.M.B 284, Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria.

Cardiovascular diseases have been associated with cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). Impaired Ca and Na/K-ATPase activities have also been linked to hemolytic and cardiovascular disorders. This study investigated the effect of rutin on Cd and/or Pb-induced cardiac and erythrocyte disorders in male rats. Read More

Neth Heart J 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Introduction: In the Netherlands, the total number of yearly measured lipid profiles exceeds 500,000. While lipid values are strongly affected by age and sex, until recently, no up-to-date age- and sex-specific lipid reference values were available. We describe the translation of big-cohort lipid data into accessible reference values, which can be easily incorporated in daily clinical practice. Read More

Adv Ther 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Craigavon Cardiac Centre, Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Craigavon, Northern Ireland, UK.

Introduction: Despite the challenge of a global pandemic, 2020 has been an invaluable year in cardiology research with numerous important clinical trials published or presented virtually at major international meetings. This article aims to summarise these trials and place them in clinical context.

Methods: The authors reviewed clinical trials presented at major cardiology conferences during 2020 including the American College of Cardiology, European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions, European Society of Cardiology, Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics and the American Heart Association. Read More

Inflammopharmacology 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Acharya and BM Reddy College of Pharmacy, Soldevanahalli, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune systemic inflammatory disorder that is mostly characterised by progressive symmetrical joint destruction, particularly in the wrist and fingers, while it may also affect additional joints and several organs, such as the skin, heart, blood vessels, and lungs. It is identified by raised anti-rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies. The chemical mediators involved in the activity of RA are IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6. Read More

Cell Mol Life Sci 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.

Homeobox genes encode sequence-specific transcription factors (SSTFs) that recognize specific DNA sequences and regulate organogenesis in all eukaryotes. They are essential in specifying spatial and temporal cell identity and as a result, their mutations often cause severe developmental defects. Pitx genes belong to the PRD class of the highly evolutionary conserved homeobox genes in all animals. Read More

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Gérontopôle de Toulouse, Institut du Vieillissement, CHU de Toulouse, France.

To determine whether visit-to-visit blood pressure (BP) variability (BPV) is associated with incident frailty. We included 1,394 non-frail community-dwelling participants aged ≥ 70 years from the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial (MAPT) who underwent repeated clinical examinations, including BP and frailty, over a 5-year follow-up period. Systolic BPV (SBPV), diastolic BPV (DBPV), mean arterial pressure variability (MAPV) and pulse pressure variability (PPV) were evaluated using standard deviation, coefficient of variation (CV), average real variability, successive variation, variation independent of mean and residual standard deviation. Read More

J Vis Exp 2021 Mar 27(169). Epub 2021 Mar 27.

Department of Pharmacology, Upstate Medical University;

Patients with ion channelopathies are at a high risk of developing seizures and fatal cardiac arrhythmias. There is a higher prevalence of heart disease and arrhythmias in people with epilepsy (i.e. Read More

J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Departments of Pediatrics Pediatric Cardiology Pediatric Haemotology, Keciören Training and Research Hospital, Health Sciences University, Ankara, Turkey.

Introduction: It is well known that serum iron parameters are closely related to cardiovascular health. Iron deficiency may lead to significant cardiac problems, such as atrioventricular conduction abnormalities, and systolic and/or diastolic dysfunction. Studies related to the effect of iron deficiency on cardiac functions are limited in children. Read More

J Clin Rheumatol 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

From the Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Yaoundé, Cameroon Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders, University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia Rheumatology Unit, Yaoundé Central Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology, CHRU Lille, Referral Centre for rare systemic autoimmune diseases North and Northwest of France, Univ. Lille, INSERM U995, LIRIC-Lille Inflammation Research International Centre, Lille, France.

Background: The epidemiology of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) has been extensively studied in America, Europe, and Asia, but remains unclear in Africa.

Objective: The aim of this review was to summarize available data on the epidemiology of IIMs in Africa.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and African Journals Online for studies published up to December 30, 2020, and reporting epidemiological data on IIMs in Africa. Read More