The Effect of SGLT2 Inhibitor Therapy on Endothelial Progenitor Cell Function in Patients With Heart Failure.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality and hospitalizations in patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved or reduced ejection fraction (HFpEF or HFrEF). The mechanism for this benefit is not clear. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are bone marrow-derived cells able to differentiate into functional endothelial cells and participate in endothelial repair.

Correlation between baseline immature platelets fraction levels and peak troponin in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Introduction: Elevated peak cardiac troponin levels have been linked with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Immature Platelets are young and relatively large platelets that are hyper-reactive and pro-thrombotic compared to regular platelets. Increased immature platelet fraction (IPF) has been associated with an elevated risk of thrombotic events.

Differential platelet activation through an interaction with spike proteins of different SARS-CoV-2 variants.

COVID-19 disease is associated with an increased risk of thrombotic complications, which contribute to high short-term mortality. Patients with COVID-19 demonstrate enhanced platelet turnover and reactivity, which may have a role in the development of thrombotic events and disease severity. Evidence has suggested direct interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and platelets, resulting in platelets activation.

Clinical Use of CathPCI Registry Risk Score and Its Validation to Predict Long-Term Mortality.

Risk models to estimate percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) mortality have limited value in complex high-risk patients. However, it was improved by a recently developed bedside model to predict in-hospital mortality using data from the American College of Cardiology CathPCI Registry that included 706,263 patients. The median risk-standardized in-hospital mortality rate was 1.

A novel robotic radiation shielding device for electrophysiologic procedures: A prospective study.

Background: A robotic Radiaction Shielding System (RSS) was developed to provide a full-body protection to all medical personnel during fluoroscopy-guided procedures, by encapsulating the imaging beam and blocking scattered radiation.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate its efficacy in real-world electrophysiologic (EP) laboratory- both during ablations and cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIED) procedures.

Methods: A prospective controlled study comparing consecutive real-life EP procedures with and without RSS using highly sensitive sensors in different locations.

[COMPLETE ATRIOVENTRICULAR BLOCK DUE TO PULMONARY EMBOLISM].

Pulmonary embolism, a common and potentially fatal clinical condition, occurs when a blood thrombus becomes lodged in the pulmonary vasculature and creates an acute increment in the pulmonary vascular resistance, which, in turn, creates a right ventricular strain. Among the more familiar electrocardiographic manifestations in acute pulmonary embolism is sinus tachycardia, right bundle branch block and ST-T abnormalities in the right precordium leads. Complete heart block or any type of bradycardia is uncommon.

Coronary artery disease among patients admitted with atrial fibrillation and chest pain.

Introduction: Patients who present to the emergency department with chest pain during an episode of atrial fibrillation (AF) impose a clinical challenge regarding the source of pain - being coronary artery disease (CAD) or AF in origin. The aim of this study was to identify clinical, imaging or laboratory markers which can predict significant CAD among patients with an AF episode and chest pain.

Methods: We included 57 consecutive patients admitted to our hospital with AF and chest pain.

Identification of protective biologic factors in patients with high cardiovascular risk, but normal coronary arteries (NormCorn).

Background: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have an important role in repair following vascular injury. Telomere length has been shown to be correlated with genome stability and overall cell health. We hypothesized that both EPCs and telomere size are related to protective mechanisms against coronary artery disease.

Comparison of Factors Associated with Inflammation, Thrombosis, and Platelet Reactivity as well as Turnover between Patients with High versus Low CHA2DS2-VASc without Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: The CHA2DS2-VASc score has been shown to predict systemic thromboembolism and mortality in certain groups in sinus rhythm (SR), similar to its predictive value with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Objectives: To compare factors of inflammation, thrombosis, platelet reactivity, and turnover in patients with high versus low CHA2DS2-VASc score in SR.

Methods: We enrolled consecutive patients in SR and no history of AF.

Simultaneous Noninvasive Detection and Therapy of Atherosclerosis Using HDL Coated Gold Nanorods.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. A real need exists in the development of new, improved therapeutic methods for treating CVD, while major advances in nanotechnology have opened new avenues in this field. In this paper, we report the use of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) coated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (GNP-HDL) for the simultaneous detection and therapy of unstable plaques.

Intravascular leiomyomatosis with cardiac extension: a case report.

Background: Intravascular leiomyomatosis (IVL) with intracardiac extension is a rare benign tumour seen exclusively in women, characterized by proliferation of uterine smooth muscle cells through the venous circulation into the inferior vena cava (IVC) and the right heart chambers.

Case Summary: A 47 years old women with history of previous hysterectomy due to myomatosis, presented with nausea, anorexia, and bilateral lower limb swelling over the preceding 2 months. An outpatient abdominal ultrasound discovered a mass in the IVC.

Immature platelets in patients with Covid-19: association with disease severity.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is associated with a high incidence of venous and arterial thromboembolic events. Currently, there are no clinical or laboratory markers that predict thrombotic risk. Circulating immature platelets are hyper-reactive platelets, which are associated with arterial thrombotic events.

Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved versus Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a common clinical entity, with a mechanism that appears to involve endothelial dysfunction of the cardiac microcirculation. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) are bone marrow derived cells that are able to differentiate into functional endothelial cells and participate in endothelial surface repair.

Objectives: To compare the level and function of EPCs in patients with HFpEF compared with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and control subjects.

Diabetes-Related Factors and the Effects of Ticagrelor Plus Aspirin in the THEMIS and THEMIS-PCI Trials.

Background: THEMIS (The Effect of Ticagrelor on Health Outcomes in Diabetes Mellitus Patients Intervention Study) (n = 19,220) and its pre-specified THEMIS-PCI (The Effect of Ticagrelor on Health Outcomes in Diabetes Mellitus Patients Intervention Study-Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) (n = 11,154) subanalysis showed, in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (median duration 10.0 years; HbA 7.1%) and stable coronary artery disease without prior myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke, that ticagrelor plus aspirin (compared with placebo plus aspirin) produced a favorable net clinical benefit (composite of all-cause mortality, MI, stroke, fatal bleeding, and intracranial bleeding) if the patients had a previous percutaneous coronary intervention.

Effects of electret coating technology on coronary stent thrombogenicity.

Stent thrombosis (ST) is a catastrophic event and efforts to reduce its incidence by altering blood-stent interactions are longstanding. A new electret coating technology that produces long-lasting negative charge on stent surface could make them intrinsically resistant to thrombosis. We assessed the thrombogenicity of stents using an annular perfusion model with confocal microscopy, and determined the efficacy of electret coating technology to confer thrombo-resistant properties to standard stents.

Immature platelet fraction over time and clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Immature platelets in the circulation can be measured as immature platelet fraction (IPF). Limited data exist regarding IPF during the course of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the association between IPF and extent of cardiac damage, and the long-term prognostic implications of IPF in patients with AMI.

Aims: To examine the temporal course of IPF during the first month after AMI, the association between IPF and extent of cardiac damage, and the long-term prognostic effect of IPF in AMI patients.

Immature platelets in patients hospitalized with Covid-19.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is associated with high incidence of venous and arterial thromboembolic events. Currently, there are no markers to guide antithrombotic therapy in Covid-19. Immature platelets represent a population of hyper-reactive platelets associated with arterial events.

Prognostic significance of reticulated platelet levels in diabetic patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Levels of reticulated platelets (RP) increase during high platelet turnover conditions, and have been shown to correlate with diabetes mellitus (DM) status. Little is known regarding the prognostic significance of levels of RP among patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD). The study consisted of patients with SCAD and DM, who visited our cardiology outpatient clinic between June 2016 and February 2017.

Dysfunctional endothelial progenitor cells in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma in complete remission.

Background: Patients with a history of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) are at increased long-term risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Studies report an association between the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease (CAD) and levels of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC), which play an essential role in vascular injury repair. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential involvement of abnormal EPC level or function in the CAD risk of survivors of HL in remission.

Hyperlipidemic mice as a model for a real-time in vivo detection of atherosclerosis by gold nanorods-based diffusion reflection technique.

Atherosclerosis (AS), the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular disease, needs an early detection for treatment and prevention of fatal events. Here, for the first time, we applied gold nanorods (GNRs)-assisted diffusion reflection (DR), a noninvasive technique for in vivo detection of AS in a high-fat-diet-induced c57bl mouse model, which resembles the manifestation of AS in humans. DR simply detects the change in light reflection profile of tissue due to the accumulation of GNRs in the AS plaques and enables clear detection of AS lesions in carotid and femoral arteries of these hyperlipidemic mice.

Prediction of mortality in hospital survivors of STEMI: External validation of a novel acute myocardial infarction prognostic score.

Introduction & Objective: Recently we developed and internally-validated the Soroka Acute Myocardial Infarction (SAMI) Score for prediction of all-cause long-term mortality (c-statistic 0.83-0.94) among hospital-survivors of AMI.

The Effect of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists on Recruitment and Function of Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure.

Background: Circulating endothelial progenitor cells have an important role in the process of vascular repair. Impaired recruitment and function of endothelial progenitor cells is related to the pathophysiology of congestive heart failure. Endothelial progenitor cells have been shown to express the mineralocorticoid receptor.