Exploring the Relationship Between Sleep Apnea, Myocardial Infarct Size, and Coronary Collaterals in Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Multidisciplinary Study.

Purpose: We designed a study investigating the cardioprotective role of sleep apnea (SA) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), focusing on its association with infarct size and coronary collateral circulation.

Methods: We recruited adults with AMI, who underwent Level-III SA testing during hospitalization. Delayed-enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging was performed to quantify AMI size (percent-infarcted myocardium).

Impact of syndemic heavy drinking, smoking, and depression on mortality among MSM with and without HIV: A longitudinal study.

Background: Heavy drinking, smoking, and depression are common among men who have sex with men (MSM). The association of co-occurring longitudinal patterns of these conditions and mortality among MSM were tested, applying a syndemic framework - the interaction of two or more conditions that contribute to poor health outcomes.

Methods: Longitudinal data from 1999 to 2018 from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study of 3046 MSM were analyzed.

Assessment of Inflammatory Biomarkers and Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Older Adults.

Background: Available evidence supports the importance of inflammation in atrial fibrillation (AF) pathogenesis, yet general anti-inflammatory therapies have failed to show benefit for prevention of the arrhythmia. Better understanding of the specific inflammatory pathways involved is necessary to advance therapeutics.

Methods And Results: We evaluated 9 circulating markers of inflammation measured by immunoassays and incidence of AF in a population-based older cohort.

Association of Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 and Cardiac Mechanics in the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Background: Elevated levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) are associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure (HF) in individuals with and without kidney disease. Prior studies investigated the association of FGF23 and structural cardiac changes using conventional echocardiography, which is limited in its ability to detect early cardiac dysfunction. We investigated the relationship between FGF23 levels and cardiac dynamics using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE), a novel imaging modality.

Proteomic Profile of the p.K56M HFpEF Risk Variant.

A common missense variant in among African American individuals (rs5491; pK56M) has been associated with risk of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but the pathways that lead to HFpEF among those with this variant are not clear. In this analysis of 92 circulating proteins and their associated networks, we identified 7 circulating inflammatory proteins associated with rs5491 among >600 African American individuals. Using weighted coexpression network analysis, 3 protein networks were identified, one of which was associated with rs5491.