Does Hypoxia and Stress Erythropoiesis Compromise Cardiac Function in Healthy Adults? A Randomized Trial.

Objectives: To investigate whether recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) injections during an altitude training camp impact heart function.

Methods: Thirty (12 women) moderately trained subjects stayed at 2320 m altitude for 4 weeks while training. Subjects were randomized to placebo (isotonic saline) or rHuEPO (20 IU/kg body weight) i.

Social support buffers the negative effects of stress in cardiac patients: a cross-sectional study with acute coronary syndrome patients.

Cardiac patients who have social support generally have better prognosis than patients who lack social support. Several theoretical mechanisms have been proposed to explain this protective effect, including the capacity of social support to buffer the negative effects of stress. We tested this buffering effect in a study of patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in Spain.

Numeracy Predicts Risk of Pre-Hospital Decision Delay: a Retrospective Study of Acute Coronary Syndrome Survival.

Background: Many patients delay seeking medical attention during acute coronary syndromes (ACS), profoundly increasing their risk for death and major disability. Although research has identified several risk factors, efforts to improve patient decision making have generally been unsuccessful, prompting a call for more research into psychological factors.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate the relationship between ACS decision delay and numeracy, a factor closely related to general decision making skill and risk literacy.

Type D personality is related to severity of acute coronary syndrome in patients with recurrent cardiovascular disease.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between Type D (distressed) personality and cardiac biomarkers of disease severity in patients with acute coronary syndrome. To identify potential mechanisms behind the effect of Type D personality on cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Design: Cross-sectional.

Dual Antiplatelet Therapy for 6 Months vs 12 Months After New-generation Drug-eluting Stent Implantation: Matched Analysis of ESTROFA-DAPT and ESTROFA-2.

Introduction And Objectives: The recommendation for dual antiplatelet therapy following drug-eluting stent implantation ranges from 6 months to 12 months or beyond. Recent trials have suggested the safety of a 6-month dual antiplatelet therapy regimen, yet certain caveats to these studies limit the applicability of this shorter duration dual antiplatelet therapy strategy in real world settings.

Methods: A registry was constructed with consecutive recruitment of patients undergoing new-generation drug-eluting stent implantation and prescribed 6 months of dual antiplatelet therapy.

Associations of accumulated exposure to persistent organic pollutants with serum lipids and obesity in an adult cohort from Southern Spain.

The aim of this research was to study the association of the accumulated human exposure to persistent organic pollutants with serum lipid levels and obesity, in a cohort of 298 adults. In the multivariable analyses, HCB concentrations evidenced a significant quadratic association with levels of total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and total serum lipids. Likewise, PCBs 138 and 180 were associated with triglycerides and total serum lipids, and PCB 153 with LDL.

Coronary microvascular spasm triggers transient ischemic left ventricular diastolic abnormalities in patients with chest pain and angiographically normal coronary arteries.

Aims: Impaired coronary microvascular dilatory function can lead to exercise induced myocardial ischemia and angina pectoris even in patients without significant (>50%) obstructive coronary atherosclerosis (APWOCA). Diffuse distal vessel epicardial spasm and microvascular spasm have been also proposed as a plausible explanation for angina at rest in these patients. However, objective systematic evidence for the latter i.

Noninvasive assessment of endothelial function in clinical practice.

In the fight against cardiovascular diseases, preventive strategies are becoming the focus of attention. One of these strategies proposes to identify individuals who are at a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Endothelial dysfunction could improve patient risk stratification and the implementation of preventive strategies.

Treatment strategies for chronic stable angina.

Introduction: Stable angina pectoris - generally the expression of an imbalance between myocardial oxygen demand and supply - is often the first manifestation of ischemic heart disease. The effective management of this highly prevalent condition is largely dependent on the identification of the prevailing pathogenic mechanism, the implementation of lifestyle changes and the appropriate use of pharmacological agents and revascularization techniques. There is abundant literature on management of chronic stable angina, but publications are generally devoted to focused areas.