Impact of eccentric cycling in coronary rehabilitation program: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial versus conventional rehabilitation.

Background: This randomized controlled trial examined the feasibility of adding eccentric exercise to a conventional cardiac rehabilitation program (CCRP) for coronary heart disease patients.

Methods: Ninety-three patients were randomly assigned to either the MIX group (eccentric ergometer + CCRP) or the CON group (concentric ergometer + CCRP) for 7 weeks. Training effectiveness was assessed based on "good responders" showing improved functional capacities, such as 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distance and maximal voluntary contraction of the plantar flexors (ankle MVC).

Cardiovascular prevention and at-risk behaviours in a large population of amateur rugby players.

Background And Aim: We aimed to investigate cardiovascular risk factors and health behaviours prospectively in a large population of French amateur rugby players.

Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was displayed to rugby players aged over 12 years enrolled in the 2014-2015 French amateur rugby championship from the Burgundy region ( = 5140). Questions addressed awareness on: (a) cardiovascular prevention; (b) tobacco, alcohol and highly caffeinated beverages consumption; and (c) adherence to prevention guidelines (ECG checks, training in basic life support, avoidance of sports practice during fever/infectious episodes).

Assessment tools for personalizing training intensity during cardiac rehabilitation: Literature review and practical proposals.

Exercise training, associated with therapeutic education, is the main axis of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs. The aim of this study was to review the literature for descriptions of the various assessments of exercise tolerance used to prescribe exercise intensity during CR. A secondary objective was to attempt to formulate a rational practice with these assessments in CR programs.

New insights into symptomatic or silent atrial fibrillation complicating acute myocardial infarction.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent heart rhythm disorder in the general population and contributes not only to a major deterioration in quality of life but also to an increase in cardiovascular morbimortality. The onset of AF in the acute phase of myocardial infarction (MI) is a major event that can jeopardize the prognosis of patients in the short-, medium- and long-term, and is a powerful predictor of a poor prognosis after MI. The suspected mechanism underlying the excess mortality is the drop in coronary flow linked to the acceleration and arrhythmic nature of the left ventricular contractions, which reduce the left ventricular ejection fraction.

The Log book for the secondary prevention of coronary artery disease: A pilot study.

Introduction: In secondary prevention (SP) of coronary artery disease (CAD), in particular after an acute myocardial infarction (MI), a better knowledge and self-management by the patient may have various supports. The Log book (LB) for CAD patients in Côte d'Or, was created in 2010 by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals of Côte d'Or, from a regional care network. This pilot study evaluated LB as novel support for SP after acute MI.

Dual Diagnostic Role of 123I-MIBG Scintigraphy in Inverted-Takotsubo Pattern Cardiomyopathy.

We highlight the dual role of I-MIBG scintigraphy in inverted-Takotsubo pattern cardiomyopathy, the diagnosis of which is sometimes challenging: Firstly, I-MIBG scintigraphy can show myocardial sympathetic dysfunction (low I-MIBG uptake) in the hypokinetic basal segments, sparing the left ventricle apex. It is helpful in the imaging diagnosis of inverted-Takotsubo pattern cardiomyopathy and confirms that acute dysfunction of myocardial sympathetic nerve endings occurs with this cardiomyopathy. Secondly, I-MIBG scintigraphy is an accurate imaging examination to detect and localize pheochromocytoma; it can help in the search for an endogenous cause of this adrenergic stress-related cardiomyopathy.

Clinical effectiveness of the systematic use of the GRACE scoring system (in addition to clinical assessment) for ischaemic outcomes and bleeding complications in the management of NSTEMI compared with clinical assessment alone: a prospective study.

Unlabelled: We assessed the interest of systematically using the GRACE scoring system (in addition to clinical assessment) for in- hospital outcomes and bleeding complications in the management of NSTEMI compared with clinical assessments alone. Multicentre, randomized study that included 572 consecutive NSTEMI patients, randomized 1:1, into group A: clinical stratification alone and group B: clinical+ GRACE score stratification.

Main Outcome Measures: in-hospital outcomes and bleeding complications.

Prognosis of silent atrial fibrillation after acute myocardial infarction at 1-year follow-up.

Background: Silent atrial fibrillation (AF), assessed by continuous ECG monitoring (CEM), has recently been shown to be common in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and associated with higher hospital mortality. However, the long-term prognosis is still unknown. We aimed to assess 1-year prognosis in patients experiencing silent AF in AMI.

Anthracyclines/trastuzumab: new aspects of cardiotoxicity and molecular mechanisms.

Anticancer drugs continue to cause significant reductions in left ventricular ejection fraction resulting in congestive heart failure. The best-known cardiotoxic agents are anthracyclines (ANTHs) such as doxorubicin (DOX). For several decades cardiotoxicity was almost exclusively associated with ANTHs, for which cumulative dose-related cardiac damage was the use-limiting step.

Smokeless tobacco, sport and the heart.

Smokeless tobacco (snuff) is a finely ground or shredded tobacco that is sniffed through the nose or placed between the cheek and gum. Chewing tobacco is used by putting a wad of tobacco inside the cheek. Smokeless tobacco is widely used by young athletes to enhance performance because nicotine improves some aspects of physiology.

Frequency and predictors of stroke after acute myocardial infarction: specific aspects of in-hospital and postdischarge events.

Background And Purpose: Stroke is a serious complication after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and is closely associated with decreased survival. This study aimed to investigate the frequency, characteristics, and factors associated with in-hospital and postdischarge stroke in patients with AMI.

Methods: Eight thousand four hundred eighty-five consecutive patients admitted to a cardiology intensive care unit for AMI, between January 2001 and July 2010.

The iron-regulatory hormone hepcidin: a possible therapeutic target?

The maintenance of stable extracellular and intracellular iron concentrations requires the coordinated regulation of iron transport into plasma. Iron is a fundamental cofactor for several enzymes involved in oxidation-reduction reactions. The redox ability of iron can lead to the production of oxygen free radicals, which can damage various cellular components.

Iron, oxidative stress, and redox signaling in the cardiovascular system.

The redox state of the cell is predominantly dependent on an iron redox couple and is maintained within strict physiological limits. Iron is an essential metal for hemoglobin synthesis in erythrocytes, for oxidation-reduction reactions, and for cellular proliferation. The maintenance of stable iron concentrations requires the coordinated regulation of iron transport into plasma from dietary sources in the duodenum, from recycled senescent red cells in macrophages, and from storage in hepatocytes.

Incidence and prognostic significance of silent atrial fibrillation in acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Silent atrial fibrillation (AF) has been suggested to be frequent after acute myocardial infarction (MI). Continuous ECG monitoring (CEM) has been shown to improve AF screening in patients at risk of stroke.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the incidence and prognosis of silent AF in patients with acute MI.

Relationship between fragmented QRS and no-reflow, infarct size, and peri-infarct zone assessed using cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with myocardial infarction.

Background: The relation between fragmented QRS complex (fQRS) and cardiac magnetic resonance parameters is poorly documented in ischemic cardiopathy.

Methods: Among 209 consecutive patients, those with fQRS were compared with those without fQRS. Cardiac magnetic resonance studies with late gadolinium-enhanced sequences were done during the week after acute myocardial infarction.

Prognostic value of fragmented QRS on a 12-lead ECG in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Objective: To investigate the determinants and the prognostic value of fragmented QRS (fQRS) after AMI.

Patients And Methods: Prospective cohort of 307 consecutive patients with AMI.

Main Outcomes Measured: MACE (death plus non-fatal recurrent MI), hospitalization for an episode of heart failure, ventricular arrhythmia (VT or VF) at two years follow-up.

Outcomes after acute myocardial infarction in HIV-infected patients: analysis of data from a French nationwide hospital medical information database.

Background: We aimed to assess in-hospital case fatality and 1-year prognosis in HIV-infected patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Methods And Results: From the PMSI (Program de Medicalisation des Systèmes d'informatique) database, data from 277 303 consecutive acute myocardial infarction patients hospitalized from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2009, were analyzed. Surviving patients were followed up for 1 year after discharge.

Pre-infarction angina and outcomes in non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: data from the RICO survey.

Background: The presence of pre-infarction angina (PIA) has been shown to confer cardioprotection after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the clinical impact of PIA in non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) remains to be determined.

Methods And Results: From the obseRvatoire des Infarctus de Côte d'Or (RICO) survey, 1541 consecutive patients admitted in intensive care unit with a first NSTEMI were included.

[Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor and calcium antagonist combination. Which place in patients with a stable coronary artery disease?].

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the main causes of early morbidity and mortality within occidental world as well as in developing countries where they become a growing burden of public health. North-American recommendations and the ones of the European Society of Cardiology underline that medical treatment, risk factor management and life-style modifications are cornerstone of the treatment. Thanks to their impact on prognosis, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are obvious in stable coronary patients.