Is Stroke risk analysis (SRA) a reliable method for predicting atrial fibrillation? A systematic review.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation is responsible for a considerable number of cases of cardioembolism, accounting for 17% to 30% of the etiologies of all strokes. The software known as Stroke Risk Analysis (SRA) detects patients at high risk of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation by analyzing a continuous electrocardiogram recorded over different periods of time.

Objectives: This article aims to carry out a systematic review investigating the effectiveness of the SRA method in predicting the risk of stroke patients having paroxysmal atrial fibrillation as the cause of the event.

Does whole-body vibration improve risk of falls, balance, and heart rate variability in post-COVID-19 patients? A randomized clinical trial.

Introduction: Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) can be a therapeutic recovery strategy for patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of a 36-session WBV protocol on the risk of falls, balance, mobility and heart rate variability (HRV).

Study Design: A randomized clinical trial.

Safety and feasibility of a functional electrical stimulation cycling-based muscular dysfunction diagnostic method in mechanically ventilated patients.

Background: A nonvolitional diagnostic method based on FES-Cycling technology has recently been demonstrated for mechanically ventilated patients. This method presents good sensitivity and specificity for detecting muscle dysfunction and survival prognosis, even in unconscious patients. As the clinical relevance of this method has already been reported, we aimed to evaluate its safety and feasibility.

Hematological Changes during Seven Days of Hospitalization in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction is a major cause of mortality worldwide, and atherosclerotic plaque formation is the main pathophysiological mechanism, which results in chronic inflammation that induces erythrocyte maturation and may cause an increase in the red cell distribution width (RDW) index.

Objective: Evaluate the role of the anisocytosis index in patients with acute myocardial infarction in both types of infarctions as a predictor of severity.

Methods: Patients were included in the study according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria, following the hospital routine based on their clinical and laboratory history.

Functional electrical stimulation cycling-based muscular evaluation method in mechanically ventilated patients.

Background: Intensive care acquired muscle weakness is a common feature in critically ill patients. Beyond the therapeutic uses, FES-cycling could represent a promising nonvolitional evaluation method for detecting acquired muscle weakness.

Objectives: To assess whether FES-cycling is able to identify muscle dysfunctions, and to evaluate the survival rate in patients with detected muscle dysfunction.

Impaired Cardiovascular Parameters in Resistance Training Practitioners Who Take Ergogenic Aids.

Background: Although there are studies on blood pressure (BP) and autonomic cardiac control (ACC) impairments caused by ergogenic aids, research has scarcely addressed this analysis during sleep. This study analyzed BP and ACC during sleep and wake periods in three groups of resistance training (RT) practitioners: ergogenic aid non-users, thermogenic supplement (TS) self-users, and anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) self-users.

Methods: RT practitioners were selected for the Control Group (CG; = 15), TS self-users Group (TSG; = 15), and AAS self-users Group (AASG; = 15).

Heart rate turbulence assessed through ergometry after myocardial infarction: a feasibility study.

Background: Coronary artery disease is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. The impact of ventricular arrhythmias with impaired cardiac vagal activity is one of the most recently studied prognostic factors. However, there are no studies evaluating the phenomenon of heart rate turbulence (HRT) during physical exertion.

Contributions of the heart rate turbulence method to risk stratification in patients after myocardial infarction: a review.

Coronary artery disease remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The impact of ventricular arrhythmias and impaired cardiac vagal activity on coronary events is one of the most relevant prognostic factors, despite little research being conducted in clinical practice. A simple and cost-effective way to analyze cardiac autonomic regulation is through the heart rate turbulence (HRT) method.

Orthostatic changes in blood pressure and survival in elderly cardiopaths.

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the association between orthostatic changes in blood pressure and mortality in elderly cardiopath patients.

Methods: A cohort of 455 elderly cardiopath patients, monitored at a referral outpatient cardiology clinic in Pernambuco, Brazil, from October 2015 to July 2018. The exposure groups were formed according to their orthostatic changes in blood pressure following the requirements of the Brazilian Guidelines for Hypertension.

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 as pediatric sepsis biomarker.

Objective: Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 concentration can be used as a predictive, diagnostic, and prognostic marker in patients with sepsis. The objective of this study was to determine the validity of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 levels as a biomarker of sepsis in pediatric patients.

Methods: This was an integrative literature review.

The impact of visceral fat and levels of vitamin D on coronary artery calcification.

Objective: To evaluated calcification of the coronary arteries and its association with visceral fat and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) serum levels.

Methods: A cross sectional study involving 140 individuals without any previous diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. A biochemical analysis of vitamin D serum levels was carried out, as well as computed tomography to measure coronary artery calcium score and visceral adipose tissue.

Effectiveness of chlorthalidone/amiloride versus losartan in patients with stage I hypertension and diabetes mellitus: results from the PREVER-treatment randomized controlled trial.

Aims: To compare the blood pressure (BP)-lowering efficacy of a chlorthalidone/amiloride combination pill with losartan, during initial management of JNC 7 Stage I hypertension in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods: In an a priori subgroup analysis of a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial, volunteers aged 30-70 years, with stage I hypertension and diabetes mellitus, were randomized to 12.5/2.

How Can Galectin-3 as a Biomarker of Fibrosis Improve Atrial Fibrillation Diagnosis and Prognosis?

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a biomarker of fibrosis that has been associated with atrial remodeling. Acknowledging the presence of a biomarker in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) can allow for a better clinical treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the association of Gal-3 with atrial fibrosis in patients with AF.

Mortality due to congenital heart disease in Pernambuco from 1996 to 2016.

BACKGROUND To determine the magnitude and temporal trends of deaths due to congenital heart disease (CHD) in Pernambuco between 1996 and 2016. METHODS This was an ecological, time-series study, involving all cases of deaths from congenital cardiovascular malformations in the state of Pernambuco, from 1996 to 2016, using data from DATASUS, SINASC and SIM. RESULTS There were 3,584 deaths from congenital cardiovascular malformations amongst individuals aged 0 to 14 years, of which 81.

Carbohydrate antigen 125 for mortality risk prediction following acute myocardial infarction.

Carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) is a congestion and inflammation biomarker and has been proved to be related to a worse prognosis in heart diseases. However, the precise relationship between elevated CA125 in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has not yet been sufficiently studied. We set out to determine the association of CA125 with all-cause mortality at 6 months in STEMI.

Does whole body vibration training improve heart rate variability in kidney transplants patients? A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Whole-body vibration (WBV) is an exercise modality that can promote improvements in heart rate variability (HRV) with lower patient overload, and consequently reduce cardiovascular risk in renal transplant patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 12-week WBV training program of two weekly sessions on HRV.

Methods: A double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial with 12 kidney transplant recipients of both genders who underwent WBV training (35 Hz) twice a week for 12 weeks on alternate days (WBV Group) and training with sub-therapeutic WBV (8 Hz) (Sham Group).

Demographic and clinical characteristics of pulmonary arterial hypertension caused by schistosomiasis are indistinguishable from other etiologies.

Introduction: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a serious pulmonary circulation disease caused by several etiologies, including schistosomiasis. The present study retrospectively evaluated the clinical and hemodynamic characteristics of patients with schistosomal PAH (PAH-Sch) compared to those of non-Sch PAH patients (non-Sch PAH).

Methods: Patients treated at the Pronto-Socorro Cardiológico de Pernambuco and diagnosed by right cardiac catheterization were divided into PAH-Sch and non-Sch PAH groups.

Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Late Potentials and Other Prognostic Markers.

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an autosomal dominant genetic disease considered the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in individuals under 35 years old, especially the athletes. This study aimed to investigate the association between the presence of late potentials and a family history of sudden death, syncope, and complex ventricular arrhythmias on patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A case series study was carried out from March 2001 to December 2002, including 22 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy according to transthoracic echocardiogram criteria.