Forty years of a Postgraduate Program in Cardiology at a Brazilian public university: indicators of its graduates.

Purpose: To evaluate the profile of graduates of the Postgraduate Program (PGP) in Cardiology of a public federal university, according to sociodemographic factors and professional trajectory.

Methods: The variables were collected from databases from the observed institution and digital platforms. The analysis of differences between the various levels of degrees was carried out in three cohorts: the entire historical series (graduates from 1978-2021), the first 20 years (1978-1997) and the second 20 years (1998-2018).

Association between Morning Surge and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Obese Hypertensive Patients.

Background: Weight gain can trigger mechanisms that increase blood pressure. Nevertheless, obesity causes structural changes in the myocardium, including increased ventricular mass, atrial dilatation, and diastolic and systolic dysfunction. Additionally, blood pressure variations, like morning surge (MS) in obese hypertensive patients may have clinical relevance in cardiovascular events.

Pharmacological Modulation by Low Molecular Weight Heparin of Purinergic Signaling in Cardiac Cells Prevents Arrhythmia and Lethality Induced by Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Although several studies suggest that heparins prevent arrhythmias caused by acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the molecular mechanisms involved remain unclear. To investigate the involvement of pharmacological modulation of adenosine (ADO) signaling in cardiac cells by a low-molecular weight heparin (enoxaparin; ENOX) used in AMI therapy, the effects of ENOX on the incidences of ventricular arrhythmias (VA), atrioventricular block (AVB), and lethality (LET) induced by cardiac ischemia and reperfusion (CIR) were evaluated, with or without ADO signaling blockers.

Methods: To induce CIR, adult male Wistar rats were anesthetized and subjected to CIR.

Pharmaco-invasive Strategy in Myocardial Infarction: Descriptive Analysis, Presentation of Ischemic Symptoms and Mortality Predictors.

Background: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is defined by symptoms accompanied by typical electrocardiogram changes. However, the characterization of ischemic symptoms is unclear, especially in subgroups such as women and the elderly.

Objectives: To analyze the typification of ischemic symptoms, temporal metrics and observe the occurrence of in-hospital outcomes, in the analysis of predictive scores, in patients with STEMI, in a drug-invasive strategy.

Performance of the Electrocardiogram in the Diagnosis of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Older and Very Older Hypertensive Patients.

Background: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an important cardiovascular risk factor, regardless of arterial hypertension. Despite the evolution of imaging tests, the electrocardiogram (ECG) is still the most used in the initial evaluation, however, with low sensitivity.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of the main electrocardiographic criteria for LVH in elderly and very elderly hypertensive individuals.

Ventricular arrhythmias in the Chagas disease are not random phenomena: Long-term monitoring in Chagas arrhythmias.

Background: Variability of ventricular arrhythmias among days in patients with Chagas disease is not detected by 24 hours of Holter monitoring.

Objective: To analyze whether ventricular arrhythmias are a random phenomenon or have a reproducible behavior in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy.

Method: Holter monitoring was recorded in 16 subjects with a mean age of 52 ± 8 years.

Cardioprotective effect of lipstatin derivative orlistat on normotensive rats submitted to cardiac ischemia and reperfusion.

Purpose: To evaluate in vivo animal model of cardiac ischemia/reperfusion the cardioprotective activity of pancreatic lipase inhibitor of the orlistat.

Methods: Adult male Wistar rats were anesthetized, placed on mechanical ventilation and underwent surgery to induce cardiac I/R by obstructing left descending coronary artery followed by reperfusion to evaluation of ventricular arrhythmias (VA), atrioventricular block (AVB) and lethality (LET) with pancreatic lipase inhibitor orlistat (ORL). At the end of reperfusion, blood samples were collected for determination of triglycerides (TG), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB).

[Cross-cultural adaptation of the Myocardial Infarction Dimensional Assessment Scale (MIDAS) to the Brazilian Portuguese language].

From the evaluation of the factors that affect quality of life (QOL) it is possible to plan interventions that lead to the improved well-being of patients. The scope of this study was to conduct the cross-cultural adaptation of the Myocardial Infarction Dimensional Assessment Scale (MIDAS) questionnaire to the Portuguese language, seeking the necessary semantic, idiomatic, conceptual and cultural equivalence. The theoretical framework of Guillemin, Bombardier and Beaton was used, fulfilling the following steps: translation, back translation, evaluation of the authors, peer review and pre-testing.

Electrocardiogram Performance in the Diagnosis of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Hypertensive Patients With Left Bundle Branch Block.

Background: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an important risk factor for cardiovascular events, and its detection usually begins with an electrocardiogram (ECG).

Objective: To evaluate the impact of complete left bundle branch block (CLBBB) in hypertensive patients in the diagnostic performance of LVH by ECG.

Methods: A total of 2,240 hypertensive patients were studied.

Reproducibility and Reliability of the Quality of Life Questionnaire in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Studies have shown the impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on the patients' quality of life. Specific questionnaires enable the evaluation of relevant events. We previously developed a questionnaire to assess the quality of life of patients with AF (AFQLQ version 1), which was reviewed in this study, and new domains were added.

Impact of Intensive Physiotherapy on Cognitive Function after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.

Background: Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is a standard surgical option for patients with diffuse and significant arterial plaque. This procedure, however, is not free of postoperative complications, especially pulmonary and cognitive disorders. Objective: This study aimed at comparing the impact of two different physiotherapy treatment approaches on pulmonary and cognitive function of patients undergoing CABG.

Ventricular arrhythmias are not a short-term reproducible phenomenon--why long recording monitoring is necessary.

Background: The variability of ventricular arrhythmias (VA) among different days of the week is not well detected by one-day Holter monitoring.

Aims: To evaluate whether there are differences in VA distribution pattern during long recording period.

Methods: The EKG was recorded for 14 h per day during 7 days by Holter system in 34 consecutive pat ventricular couplets and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) recording from patients provided graphic data.

Is there a need to redo many of the diagnoses of hypertension?

Context And Objective: Most hypertensive subjects undergoing treatment were diagnosed solely through measurements made in the consultation office. The objective of this study was to redo the diagnosis of treated patients after new clinical measurements and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM).

Design And Setting: Cross-sectional study conducted in an outpatient specialty clinic.

[Duchenne muscular dystrophy: electrocardiographic analysis of 131 patients].

Background: Cardiac involvement is known to occur in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The electrocardiogram (ECG) shows some typical changes in DMD, which makes it a useful test for the diagnosis of cardiac lesion in this disease.

Objective: To evaluate the electrocardiographic changes in patients with DMD and to correlate these changes with the age of the population studied.

Electrocardiography in the diagnosis of ventricular hypertrophy in patients with chronic renal disease.

Background: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk, and its characterization and prevalence in chronic renal disease (CRD) should be further studied.

Objective: To establish the diagnosis of LVH in patients with stage-5 CRD using six different electrocardiographic criteria, and to correlate them with left ventricular mass index (LVMI) as obtained by echocardiography.

Methods: Cross-sectional study including 100 patients (58 men and 42 women, mean age 46.

Biopsy-proven pulmonary determinants of heart disease.

Heart disease (HD) can stress the alveolar blood-gas barrier, resulting in parenchymal inflammation and remodeling. Patients with HD may therefore display any of the symptoms commonly attributed to primary pulmonary disease, although tissue documentation of corresponding changes through surgical lung biopsy (SLB) is rarely done. Intent on exploring the basis of HD-related alveolar-capillary barrier dysfunction, a retrospective analysis of SLB histopathology was conducted in patients with clinically diagnosed HD, diffuse pulmonary infiltrates, and no evidence of primary pulmonary disease.

Validating a new quality of life questionnaire for atrial fibrillation patients.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in clinical practice, and has major impact on health-related quality of life, thus, there is a need for a specific instrument to assess AF symptoms and quality of life.

Methods: We developed and validated a specific questionnaire for quality of life in AF patients (QLAF) based on clinical manifestations (palpitation, breathlessness, dizziness and chest pain), and the usual treatments (medication, cardioversion and ablation). For validation, the new questionnaire was compared with the generic SF-36 questionnaire.

Slow breathing test increases the suspicion of white-coat hypertension in the office.

Background: It would be useful to have a clinical test that increases the suspicion of white coat hypertension (WCH) during the medical consultation.

Objective: To evaluate the Slow Breathing Test (SBT) when differentiating hypertension from WCH.

Methods: 101 hypertensive patients selected at triage had their medication withdrawn for 2-3 weeks.

Correlation of electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy criteria with left ventricular mass by echocardiogram in obese hypertensive patients.

Introduction: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and obesity are important cardiovascular risk factors. This study evaluates the influence of obesity on the diagnostic performance of the most used electrocardiographic criteria for LVH in hypertensive patients.

Methods: One thousand two hundred four outpatients from the Hypertensive Unit of the Hospital São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, were studied.

An 18-week, prospective, randomized, double-blind, multicenter study of amlodipine/ramipril combination versus amlodipine monotherapy in the treatment of hypertension: the assessment of combination therapy of amlodipine/ramipril (ATAR) study.

Background: A combination of antihypertensive agents of different drug classes in a fixed-dose combination (FDC) may offer advantages in terms of efficacy, tolerability, and treatment compliance. Combination of a calcium channel blocker with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor may act synergistically to reduce blood pressure (BP).

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of an amlodipine/ramipril FDC with those of amlodipine monotherapy.

Ventricular mass and electrocardiographic criteria of hypertrophy: evaluation of new score.

Background: The left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an important and independent cardiovascular risk factor. There is a scarcity of studies in Brazil designed to test the efficacy of the electrocardiogram (ECG) in the diagnosis of this important pathological process.

Objective: To evaluate a new electrocardiographic score for the diagnosis of LVH by ECG: the sum of the highest amplitude of the S wave and the highest amplitude of the R wave on the horizontal plane, multiplied by the result of the QRS duration [(S+R) X QRS)] and comparing it with the classic electrocardiographic criteria.