Assessment of renal perfusion with 82-rubidium PET in patients with normal and abnormal renal function.

Background: Noninvasive measurement of renal blood flow (RBF) and renal vascular resistance (RVR) is challenging, yet critical in renal pathologies. This study evaluates the correlation between serum renal function markers and RBF/RVR assessed using rubidium PET.

Methods: Dynamic images from 53 patients who underwent rubidium PET for nonrenal indications were analyzed.

Inflammation in heart failure: pathophysiology and therapeutic strategies.

A role for inflammation in the development and progression of heart failure (HF) has been proposed for decades. Multiple studies have demonstrated the potential involvement of several groups of cytokines and chemokines in acute and chronic HF, though targeting these pathways in early therapeutic trials have produced mixed results. These studies served to highlight the complexity and nuances of how pro-inflammatory pathways contribute to the pathogenesis of HF.

Low-Dose Colchicine in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Recent Myocardial Infarction in the Colchicine Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial (COLCOT).

Objective: The cardiovascular benefits of low-dose colchicine have been demonstrated in patients with coronary disease. Its effects were evaluated in this prespecified analysis in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) from the Colchicine Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial (COLCOT).

Research Design And Methods: COLCOT was a randomized, double-blinded trial of colchicine, 0.

Mediterranean diet and time-restricted eating as a cardiac rehabilitation approach for patients with coronary heart disease and pre-diabetes: the DIABEPIC-1 protocol of a feasibility trial.

Introduction: Despite proven programmes, implementing lifestyle interventions for pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes is challenging. Cardiac rehabilitation, provide a valuable opportunity to promote the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviours for patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, only a limited number of studies have explored the potential for reversing the underlying causes of ASCVD in this setting.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and microaxial left ventricular assist device in cardiogenic shock: Choosing the right mechanical circulatory support to improve outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of patients supported with Impella (CP/5.0) or venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) for cardiogenic shock according to shock phenotype. The primary end point was 30-day survival.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Moderates the Age-Related Association Between Executive Functioning and Mobility: Evidence From Remote Assessments.

Background And Objectives: In older adults, executive functions are important for daily-life function and mobility. Evidence suggests that the relationship between cognition and mobility is dynamic and could vary according to individual factors, but whether cardiorespiratory fitness reduces the age-related increase of interdependence between mobility and cognition remains unexplored.

Research Design And Methods: One hundred eighty-nine participants (aged 50-87) were divided into 3 groups according to their age: middle-aged (MA; <65), young older adults (YOA; 65-74), and old older adults (OOA; ≥75).

Potassium reduction with sodium zirconium cyclosilicate in patients with heart failure.

Aims: Several patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) do not receive renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors at the recommended dose or at all, frequently due to actual or feared hyperkalaemia. Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) is an orally administered non-absorbed intestinal potassium binder proven to lower serum potassium concentrations.

Methods And Results: PRIORITIZE-HF was an international, multicentre, parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the benefits and risks of using SZC to intensify RAAS inhibitor therapy.

Metabolic Improvements and Remission of Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: Results From a Multidomain Lifestyle Intervention Clinic.

Objectives: Although lifestyle interventions are first-line treatment for individuals living with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D), they are rarely implemented effectively in routine clinical care.

Methods: We present a retrospective analysis of a 12-month, single-centre, structured multidomain lifestyle intervention clinic offered to individuals living with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. The intervention consisted of expert-guided educational and nutritional counselling combined with a personalized physical exercise prescription, with the main goal of improving metabolic health and reaching remission.

Optimization of pharmacotherapies for ambulatory patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction is associated with improved outcomes.

Background: In heart failure, specific target doses for each drug are recommended, but some patients receive suboptimal dosing, others are undertreated or remain chronically in a titration phase, despite having no apparent contraindication or intolerance. We assessed the association of different levels of adherence to guidelines with outcomes in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Methods: Medical records of patients with HFrEF followed at our heart failure (HF) clinic for at least 6 months (n = 511) were reviewed and patients categorized as: 1) optimized (25.

Videoconference version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment: normative data for Quebec-French people aged 50 years and older.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced health professionals to rapidly develop and implement telepractice and remote assessments. Recent reviews appear to confirm the validity of a wide range of neuropsychological tests for teleneuropsychology and among these, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a cognitive screening test widely used in clinical settings. The normative data specific to the context of videoconference administration is essential, particularly that consider sociodemographic characteristics.

Predictive risk factors for hospitalization and response to colchicine in patients with COVID-19.

Objective: A predictive model for hospitalization due to COVID-19 or death was developed in the placebo group (N=2,084) from a large clinical trial of colchicine in COVID-19 patients (N = 4,159).

Results: The 7 variables retained in the predictive model were age, gender, body-mass index, history of respiratory disease, use of diabetes drugs, use of anticoagulants, and use of oral steroids at the time of randomization. An optimal threshold value identified from the predictive model was used to classify high-risk patients (those with a predicted probability above the optimal threshold) and low-risk patients (those with a predicted probability below the optimal threshold).

Right ventricular function and its coupling to pulmonary circulation predicts exercise tolerance in systolic heart failure.

Aims: Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, and exercise intolerance have prognostic values, but their interrelation is not fully understood. We investigated how RV function alone and its coupling with pulmonary circulation (RV-PA) predict cardio-respiratory fitness in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Methods And Results: The Evaluation of Resynchronization Therapy for Heart Failure (EARTH) study included 205 HFrEF patients with narrow (n = 85) and prolonged (n = 120) QRS duration undergoing implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation.

Investigation of the Effects of Home-Based Exercise and Cognitive Training on Cognitive and Physical Functions in Cardiac Patients: The COVEPICARDIO Study Protocol of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, confinement measures are likely to produce collateral damage to health (stress, confusion, anxiety), especially in frail individuals and those living with cardiovascular disease (CVD). In cardiac patients in particular, these measures dramatically increase the level of physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle, which can decrease cardiorespiratory capacity and increase the risk of acute events, rehospitalization, and depressive syndromes. Maintaining a minimum level of physical activity and cognitive stimulation during the COVID-19 crisis is essential for cardiac patients.

Impact of smoking on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Aims: Smoking is a major preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. However, the 'smoker's paradox' suggests that it is associated with better survival after acute myocardial infarction. We aimed to investigate the impact of smoking on mortality and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Repurposing Colchicine for Heart Disease.

Colchicine is one of the most ancient medications still prescribed. It is extracted from the plant and is routinely used because of its broad anti-inflammatory properties to treat gout and familial Mediterranean fever. Colchicine has shown efficacy in various clinical settings in which inflammation is a key component, and it has become first-line therapy for acute and recurrent pericarditis.

COVEPIC (Cognitive and spOrt Virtual EPIC training) investigating the effects of home-based physical exercise and cognitive training on cognitive and physical functions in community-dwelling older adults: study protocol of a randomized single-blinded clinical trial.

Background: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown and social distancing measures are applied to prevent the spread of the virus. It is well known that confinement and social isolation can have a negative impact on physical and mental health, including cognition. Physical activity and cognitive training can help enhance older adults' cognitive and physical health and prevent the negative collateral impacts of social isolation and physical inactivity.

Colchicine in the Management of Acute and Chronic Coronary Artery Disease.

Purpose Of Review: Inflammation is involved in the initiation, progression, and destabilization of atherosclerosis. Anti-inflammatory strategies aimed at reducing residual cardiovascular (CV) risk have gained increasing interest in addition to the traditional management of risk factors. Colchicine is a potent anti-inflammatory therapy that affects the inflammasome and other targets.

Colchicine for community-treated patients with COVID-19 (COLCORONA): a phase 3, randomised, double-blinded, adaptive, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial.

Background: Evidence suggests a role for excessive inflammation in COVID-19 complications. Colchicine is an oral anti-inflammatory medication beneficial in gout, pericarditis, and coronary disease. We aimed to investigate the effect of colchicine on the composite of COVID-19-related death or hospital admission.

Genetics of symptom remission in outpatients with COVID-19.

We conducted a genome-wide association study of time to remission of COVID-19 symptoms in 1723 outpatients with at least one risk factor for disease severity from the COLCORONA clinical trial. We found a significant association at 5p13.3 (rs1173773; P = 4.

Performances on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Along the Cardiovascular Disease Continuum.

Unlabelled: Cardiovascular diseases involve a continuum starting with risk factors, which can progress to coronary heart disease and eventually, to heart failure. Cognitive impairment (CI) is observed as early as cardiovascular risk factors, and in up to 50% of patients with heart failure. Because CI in cardiovascular disease is linked to poorer clinical outcomes, early detection is essential.

Pharmacogenomics of the Efficacy and Safety of Colchicine in COLCOT.

Background: The randomized, placebo-controlled COLCOT (Colchicine Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial) has shown the benefits of colchicine 0.5 mg daily to lower the rate of ischemic cardiovascular events in patients with a recent myocardial infarction. Here, we conducted a post hoc pharmacogenomic study of COLCOT with the aim to identify genetic predictors of the efficacy and safety of treatment with colchicine.