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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

The study and treatment of heart and vascular diseases, including coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, interventional cardiology, and cardiovascular prevention

29 papers

Papers

Effect of intermittent fasting after ST-elevation myocardial infarction on left ventricular function: study protocol of a pilot randomised controlled trial (INTERFAST-MI)

This paper is a protocol outlining a pilot randomized controlled trial (INTERFAST-MI) to investigate the feasibility and safety of intermittent fasting in patients who have recently experienced a severe heart attack. The study aims to gather data on protocol adherence, recruitment rates, and preliminary effects on heart function (left ventricular ejection fraction) to inform the design and sample size calculation for a larger, definitive clinical trial. Key limitations, such as a small sample size and lack of blinding, are acknowledged as inherent to its pilot study design.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Oct 12, 07:46 PM

Influence of geomagnetic disturbances on myocardial infarctions in women and men from Brazil

This observational study found a correlation between geomagnetic disturbances and an increased incidence of myocardial infarctions, especially in women, in a single Brazilian city. The authors acknowledge that these findings are not conclusive and emphasize that the study highlights a hypothetical significance rather than a definitive cause-effect relationship.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Sep 28, 02:05 PM

A Simple, Evidence-Based Approach to Help Guide Diagnosis of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

This single-center retrospective study developed and validated the H2FPEF score, a tool using clinical and echocardiographic data to estimate the probability of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in patients with unexplained dyspnea. The H2FPEF score showed good discrimination of HFpEF from other causes of dyspnea in both the derivation and validation cohorts.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Sep 10, 01:18 PM

Hyperkalemia in Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: Implications and Management

This review explores the challenge of hyperkalemia (high potassium) in heart failure patients, especially those taking renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi) and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs). It discusses the importance of potassium monitoring, combining therapies like SGLT2 inhibitors with RAASi, and using newer non-steroidal MRAs and potassium binders to mitigate this risk.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Sep 07, 06:19 PM

Estimating cardiovascular effects of influenza vaccination in older adults: a target trial emulation using proximal causal inference

This large study from China found that people 65 and older who got flu shots had slightly fewer heart attacks and major adverse cardiovascular events. While they used fancy statistical methods to account for some biases, it's still not a perfect randomized trial, so we can't be 100% sure it's the flu shot itself causing the benefit.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Sep 06, 12:14 PM

Estimating cardiovascular effects of influenza vaccination in older adults: a target trial emulation using proximal causal inference

This large study of over 8 million older adults in China suggests that getting a flu shot might reduce the risk of major heart problems and acute coronary syndromes. The researchers used fancy statistical methods to minimize biases that are common in studies like this, making their findings a little more trustworthy.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Sep 06, 12:14 PM

Two-year outcomes of left bundle branch area pacing versus traditional right ventricular pacing in middle-aged adults: a registry-based trial

In this Italian registry-based trial of adults under 65, pacing the left bundle branch area was better than traditional right ventricular pacing at reducing the combined risk of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization over two years. However, no significant differences were seen in cardiovascular or all-cause mortality alone. Several authors disclosed financial ties to device manufacturers.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Aug 30, 06:53 AM

Association of Coronary Plaque With Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels and Rates of Cardiovascular Disease Events Among Symptomatic Adults

In a large cohort of symptomatic patients undergoing coronary CT angiography, those with high LDL-cholesterol (≥190 mg/dL) and no coronary plaque or calcium buildup had a low risk of cardiovascular events. This suggests that the presence of plaque, especially calcified plaque, is a better indicator of risk than high LDL-C alone in this population, and could be used to better target intensive treatment.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Aug 29, 02:19 PM

Sex-specific body fat distribution predicts cardiovascular ageing

This study found that higher amounts of visceral fat (belly fat) are associated with an older "cardiovascular age" than expected for one's actual age, particularly in men. Gynoid fat (fat in the hips and thighs) showed a protective link to cardiovascular age in women. The study was limited by its predominantly white, UK Biobank population and cross-sectional design.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Aug 24, 07:03 PM

Risk reduction of ASCVD attributed to lowering of remnant cholesterol from statins, fibrates, APOC3 inhibitors, and ANGPTL3 inhibitors: a cohort study

This observational study suggests that lowering remnant cholesterol, as seen with new APOC3 and ANGPTL3 inhibitors, could reduce 10-year ASCVD risk by 2.7-4.1% in statin users and 1.4-2.1% in statin non-users with high remnant cholesterol. However, randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings and establish causality.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Aug 20, 08:05 PM

Risk reduction of ASCVD attributed to lowering of remnant cholesterol from statins, fibrates, APOC3 inhibitors, and ANGPTL3 inhibitors: a cohort study

This observational cohort study suggests that lowering remnant cholesterol, as seen with new APOC3 and ANGPTL3 inhibitors, could reduce 10-year ASCVD risk by 1.4%-4.1%, with greater reductions seen in statin users. However, these are predictions based on observational data and previous genetic studies, assuming a causal link between remnant cholesterol and ASCVD; large randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Aug 20, 08:05 PM

Accelerated vascular ageing after COVID-19 infection: the CARTESIAN study

This large, multinational study found that COVID-19 infection is linked to faster aging of blood vessels, especially in women, as measured by pulse wave velocity. The effect was seen even in people who weren't hospitalized for COVID-19, and it seems to partially reverse after a year. The study was observational and lacked baseline data, making it hard to rule out pre-existing conditions or other factors contributing to vascular aging.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Aug 20, 03:09 AM

Cardiovascular Damage Resulting from Chronic Excessive Endurance Exercise

This review suggests that excessive endurance exercise, such as marathon running, might have negative impacts on the heart, including changes to the heart muscle and arteries. However, much of the evidence comes from animal studies or is correlational in nature, and there are conflicting findings in the literature. Moderate exercise is still much better than no exercise.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Aug 19, 03:54 PM

Physiological pacing: mechanisms, clinical indications, and perspectives

This review discusses physiological pacing strategies designed to mimic the heart's natural electrical system. It highlights the progression from traditional right ventricular pacing, which can have negative side effects, towards techniques like His-bundle pacing and left bundle branch area pacing, aiming to improve heart function and outcomes in conditions such as bradycardia, heart failure, and conduction system diseases. Several clinical trials are ongoing to assess the long-term benefits of these newer methods.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Aug 10, 07:36 PM

Effect of intermittent fasting after ST-elevation myocardial infarction on left ventricular function: study protocol of a pilot randomised controlled trial (INTERFAST-MI)

This pilot study will examine the effect of an intermittent fasting regime (8/16 hour fast/feed cycle) on left ventricular ejection fraction in patients who recently had a heart attack. The small sample size (n=48) limits the study's power to detect a statistically significant benefit. The lack of blinding and single center design also weaken the study.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Aug 09, 02:40 PM

Left Bundle Branch Pacing in Patients with Structural Heart Disease: Personalizing Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

Left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) can effectively resynchronize cardiac contraction in some heart failure patients, offering a more physiological approach compared to traditional biventricular pacing. However, individual patient characteristics, such as the presence of intraventricular conduction delay and myocardial scar, can influence the success of LBBP, requiring careful evaluation and potentially the addition of a coronary sinus lead. Careful patient selection, procedural considerations and long-term effects require further study.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Aug 09, 12:50 PM

LDL-C does not cause cardiovascular disease: a comprehensive review of the current literature

This review argues that high LDL cholesterol does not cause cardiovascular disease, citing studies that found no association or an inverse association between LDL-C and mortality. However, the review suffers from cherry-picked data, misrepresentation of studies, and conflicts of interest, making its conclusions unreliable. It also downplays the established benefits of statin therapy.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Aug 09, 12:09 PM

Sweetener aspartame aggravates atherosclerosis through insulin-triggered inflammation

This study, primarily conducted on mice, suggests that aspartame consumption may exacerbate atherosclerosis through an insulin-dependent mechanism involving the CX3CL1-CX3CR1 signaling pathway. The results were partially validated in monkeys, but with inconsistencies in blood glucose responses. Further research is needed to confirm these findings in humans and explore the effects of other artificial sweeteners.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Jul 21, 06:46 AM

2022 ESC Guidelines on cardio-oncology developed in collaboration with the European Hematology Association (EHA), the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) and the International Cardio-Oncology Society (IC-OS)

These guidelines address cardiovascular care for cancer patients before, during, and after treatment, focusing on prevention, surveillance, and management of cancer therapy-related cardiovascular toxicity. They recommend baseline risk assessment, personalized surveillance protocols, and management strategies for various cancer therapies and cardiovascular conditions, emphasizing a multidisciplinary approach and patient involvement in care.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Jul 14, 05:17 PM

Valve Academic Research Consortium 3: updated endpoint definitions for aortic valve clinical research

This paper updates endpoint definitions for aortic valve clinical research, providing detailed criteria for evaluating mortality, neurologic events, hospitalization, bleeding, and valve dysfunction. The goal is to improve the homogeneity of data reporting and analysis in future clinical trials involving transcatheter and surgical aortic valve interventions.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Jul 14, 05:13 PM

2022 ESC Guidelines on cardio-oncology developed in collaboration with the European Hematology Association (EHA), the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) and the International Cardio-Oncology Society (IC-OS)

These guidelines provide recommendations for cardiovascular risk assessment, prevention, and management in cancer patients and survivors. They emphasize a personalized approach to care based on individual risk factors, cancer type, and cancer therapies.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Jul 14, 05:12 PM

Efficient Prediction of Cardiovascular Disease Using Machine Learning Algorithms With Relief and LASSO Feature Selection Techniques

This study developed a hybrid Random Forest Bagging Method (RFBM) model combined with Relief feature selection for predicting heart disease. Using a combined dataset and 10 key features, the model achieved 99.05% accuracy, significantly outperforming existing models. This suggests RFBM with Relief is a promising approach for improving early diagnosis and mitigating cardiovascular disease mortality.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Jul 14, 05:08 PM

DIETARY FATS, CARBOHYDRATES AND ATHEROSCLEROTIC VASCULAR DISEASE (Concluded)

The review suggests that dietary carbohydrates play a minor role in serum lipid regulation compared to dietary fat and cholesterol. While some animal studies suggest a link between specific carbohydrates and lipid levels, these findings are limited by methodological issues and may not accurately reflect human metabolism. Longitudinal human trials are needed to definitively establish the role of carbohydrates in atherosclerosis.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Jul 08, 12:12 PM

DIETARY FATS, CARBOHYDRATES AND ATHEROSCLEROTIC VASCULAR DISEASE

This 1967 review examines the relationship between dietary fats, carbohydrates, and atherosclerotic vascular disease. It summarizes epidemiological and controlled dietary studies, finding a complex interplay between diet and blood lipid levels, with dietary fat playing a more significant role than carbohydrates in influencing serum cholesterol. However, the review highlights the difficulty in isolating the specific contribution of diet due to the multitude of confounding factors.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Jul 08, 11:51 AM

Urinary tartaric acid as a biomarker of wine consumption and cardiovascular risk: the PREDIMED trial

This case-cohort study found that light-to-moderate wine consumption, as measured by urinary tartaric acid levels, was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease events in older Mediterranean adults at high risk. The strongest association was found for moderate wine consumption (estimated as up to 1 drink/day), specifically with a lower risk of myocardial infarction.

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Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Jul 08, 11:42 AM