Relationship between alcohol intake, health and social status and cardiovascular risk factors in the Urban Paris-Ile-de-France Cohort: is the cardioprotective action of alcohol a myth?

Background/objectives: Observational studies document the inverse relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and moderate alcohol intake. However, the causal role for alcohol in cardioprotection remains uncertain as such protection may be caused by confounders and misclassification. The aim of our study was to evaluate potential confounders, which may contribute to putative cardioprotection by alcohol.

[Diabetes and socio-economic deprivation. A study in a large French population].

Socio-economically deprived subjects are reported to have an increased risk of diabetes and related complications. The aim of this study was to confirm this relation in a large French population. The study subjects consisted of 32,435 men and 16,378 women aged from 35 to 80 years who had a free health checkup at the IPC Center (Investigations Preventives et Cliniques, Paris-Ile de France) between January 2003 and December 2006.

Vascular risk factors and morphometric data in cervical artery dissection: a case-control study.

Background: Limited knowledge exists on vascular risk factors, body height and weight in patients with spontaneous cervical artery dissection (sCAD).

Patients And Methods: In this case-control study, major vascular risk factors, body weight, body height and body mass index (BMI) of 239 patients obtained from a prospective hospital-based sCAD registry were compared with 516 age- and sex-matched healthy controls undergoing systematic health examinations in the Clinical and Preventive Investigations Center, Paris. Gender-specific analyses were performed.

Lung function impairment and metabolic syndrome: the critical role of abdominal obesity.

Rationale: Increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has been related to both lung function impairment and metabolic syndrome. Data on the relationship between lung function and metabolic syndrome are sparse.

Objectives: To investigate risk for lung function impairment according to metabolic syndrome traits.

Recent advances in metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

Metabolic syndrome is defined as an association of central obesity and several other cardiometabolic risk factors. Dysfunctional visceral adipose tissue and inflammatory status appear to be involved in its genesis. New definitions have decreased the threshold for glycaemia and one has lowered the threshold for waist circumference, leading to an increase in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome.

Absence of CTX-M enzymes but high prevalence of clones, including clone ST131, among fecal Escherichia coli isolates from healthy subjects living in the area of Paris, France.

Quinolone-resistant and CTX-M-15-producing Escherichia coli isolates belonging to clone ST131 have been reported in the community. This study was designed to identify these E. coli isolates in the stools of 332 independent healthy subjects living in the area of Paris, France.

All-cause and cardiovascular mortality using the different definitions of metabolic syndrome.

The aim of the present study was to assess the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in subjects identified as having metabolic syndrome (MS) using either the recent International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition or the revised National Cholesterol Educational Program (NCEP-R) definition, but not the original NCEP (2001) definition. The study population was composed of 84,730 men and women without CVD aged > or =40 years who had a health checkup at the IPC Center. Follow-up for mortality was 4.

The metabolic syndrome: similar deleterious impact on all-cause mortality in hypertensive and normotensive subjects.

Objectives: Few data are available on the impact of the metabolic syndrome on all-cause mortality risk according to the presence of hypertension. Our aim was to evaluate the 5-year impact of the metabolic syndrome, according to blood pressure status, on all-cause mortality risk in a large French population.

Methods: The study population included 39 998 men and 20 756 women with no personal history of cardiovascular disease, who had a health check-up at the IPC Center (Paris, France) between 1999 and 2002, and who were followed up for 4.

[Atrial fibrillation: prevalence, risk factors and mortality in a large French population with 15 years of follow-up].

We examined the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in a large French population according to age, risk factors, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular mortality. The study population was composed of 98,961 men and 55,109 women over 30 years of age who had a free medical checkup at the IPC Center (Centre d'Investigations Préventives et Cliniques). Routine electrocardiograms revealed the presence of AF in 235 men (mean age 60.

[Management of sudden death in a semi-rural district, Seine-et-Marne: the DEFI 77 study].

Sudden death is a major problem in public health, affecting around 50 000 people a year in France. The prognosis for cardiac arrest is abysmal because for every minute lost the chances of survival diminish by 10%. The aim of this work was to prospectively evaluate the characteristics of cardiac arrest victims across an entire 6000 km? area, the Seine-et-Marne district, distinguished by the paradox of lying just outside the capital whilst actually being semi-rural, and to determine the current methods of dealing with this emergency.

Ejection fraction and blood pressure are important and interactive predictors of 4-week mortality in severe acute heart failure.

Background: In acute heart failure syndromes (AHFS), the prognostic value of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), although widely accepted, has been recently challenged. In contrast, blood pressure is increasingly gaining ground over LVEF as predictor of mortality. Therefore, it is not clear whether both LVEF and mean arterial pressure (MAP) are independent risk factors in patients with AHFS.

All-cause mortality associated with specific combinations of the metabolic syndrome according to recent definitions.

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the impact of specific component combinations of the metabolic syndrome on all-cause mortality risk in a large French cohort.

Research Design And Methods: The population was composed of 39,998 men (aged 52.6 +/- 8.

[Cardiac arrhythmias in the elderly].

In the elderly, cardiac arrhythmias and conduction disturbances are characterized by their high frequency, diagnostic difficulties, low tolerance, and delicate treatment. Atrial fibrillation, the prevalence of which exceeds 10% after 80 years, is usually related to hypertensive or ischemic heart disease, and is the cause or the consequence of heart failure. It is first and foremost a cause of thromboembolic events, and especially cerebrovascular embolism.

[Metabolic syndrome: prevalence, risk factors and mortality in a French population of 62 000 subjects].

We evaluated the prevalence, risk factors and impact on all-cause mortality of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in a large French population. The study population consisted of subjects aged 40 years or more who volunteered for a free health check-up at the IPC Center (Investigations Préventives et Cliniques, Paris) between 1999 and 2002. There were 40 977 men (53.

Cardiovascular risk markers associated with the metabolic syndrome in a large French population: the "SYMFONIE" study.

Objective: The SYMFONIE study was designed to analyze the clinical and biological characteristics, and the cardiovascular risk markers, in men and women with the metabolic syndrome compared to control subjects.

Research Design And Methods: The study population included 101,697 men and women, 18 to 80 years of age, who had a health checkup at the Centre d'Investigations Preventives et Cliniques (Paris, France) between 1997 to 2002. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to the ATpiiI-NCEP 2001 criteria.

Characteristics and six-month outcomes in a cohort of 8288 diabetic and non-diabetic patients with previous history of acute coronary syndrome or stroke: the French PREVENIR 3 survey.

Aims: To evaluate the cardiovascular prognosis of 1845 Diabetic Patients (DP) and 6443 Non-Diabetic Patients (NDP) in secondary prevention.

Methods: Patients were recruited prospectively if they had had a previous history of ischemic stroke or acute coronary syndrome (ACS) i.e.

[Survey into cardiac pacing in the Ile-de-France area for the year 2001: evaluation of indications].

Unlabelled: A survey into the implantation of cardiac pacemakers during 2001 in the Ile-de-France area was carried out by the French National Insurance Medical Service in order to evaluate performance in all centres performing more than 10 primary implantations per year.

Methods And Results: In 2001, 12 centres out of a total of 49 performed less than 50 primary implantations per year, representing 5% of the total regional activity, which was estimated to be 6414 procedures. The remaining 95% of procedures were spread evenly among 8 high-throughput centres (> 200 primary implantations per year) and 29 medium-throughput centres (50 to 200 primary implantations per year).

[Heart rate, a major prognostic factor of cardiovascular risk].

The prognostic value of heart rate (HR) was analysed based on the reports from the literature in the general population and in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Multivariate analyses showed that elevated resting HR was found to be an independent predictor of total and cardiovascular mortality. The behaviour of HR during exercise testing was predictive of sudden death.

Relation of depressive mood to plasminogen activator inhibitor, tissue plasminogen activator, and fibrinogen levels in patients with versus without coronary heart disease.

The increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) associated with depression is well documented. We hypothesized that impaired fibrinolysis is involved in this link. To explore the association of depressive mood and/or vital exhaustion with various measurements of fibrinolysis activity, 231 men (40 to 65 years old; 123 without CHD and taking no medication and 108 with documented CHD), completed the Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the Maastricht Questionnaire for vital exhaustion.

Prognosis at 6 months for coronary and cerebrovascular patients: impact of antiplatelet agents and statins: results from the Prevenir III study.

Purpose: The aim of the Prevenir III study was to assess, in secondary prevention, the risk after 6 months of subsequent coronary and cerebrovascular events in a population of patients in private practice.

Methods: A prospective observational survey, including patients diagnosed with previous myocardial infarction, unstable angina or stroke, was carried out by French general practitioners and cardiologists.

Results: 9556 patients were selected by 3746 physicians representative of French physicians.

Clinical profile, contemporary management and one-year mortality in patients with severe acute heart failure syndromes: The EFICA study.

Background: Little is known about the epidemiology of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) in patients admitted to intensive and coronary care units (ICU/CCU). Observational data may improve disease management and guide the design of clinical trials.

Aims: EFICA is an observational study of the clinical profile, management and survival of ADHF patients admitted to ICU/CCU.

[Prognosis at six months for coronary patients: impact of antiplatelet agents and statins].

Purpose: The aim of the PREVENIR III study was to assess, in secondary prevention, the risk after six months of subsequent coronary and cerebrovascular events.

Methods: A prospective observational survey, including patients diagnosed with previous myocardial infarction, unstable angina or ischemic stroke, was carried out by French general practitioners and cardiologists.

Results: 9556 patients were selected by 3746 physicians representative of French physicians.

[Prognosis at six months for primary care patients: prognostics factors analysis].

Unlabelled: AIM OF THE SURVEY: The aim of the PREVENIR III study was to assess, in secondary prevention, the risk of subsequent coronary and cerebrovascular events at six months in a population of patients in private practice.

Methods: This was a prospective observational survey (6-month follow-up), including patients diagnosed with previous myocardial infarction, unstable angina or ischemic stroke, carried out by French general practitioners and cardiologists in private practice.

Results: 8288 patients were selected by 3746 physicians (2961 general practitioners and 785 cardiologists) representative of French metropolitan physicians in private practice.