Abdominal Compared With Coronary Artery Calcification and Incident Cardiovascular Events and Mortality in Black Adults.

Background: Black adults show heightened cardiovascular risk compared with other groups despite comparable or lower coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores, indicating potential cardiovascular risk underestimation by CAC. Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), preceding CAC, may predict cardiovascular events better in Black adults who are prone to early atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and excess events at low CAC scores.

Methods: We included 2551 participants from the JHS (Jackson Heart Study) visit 2 examination (2005-2008) without cardiovascular disease, followed through 2016.

COVID-19 Prevention and Mitigation Decision-Making Processes While Navigating Chronic Disease Care: Perspectives of Black Adults with Heart Failure and Diabetes.

Background: Heart failure and diabetes are comorbidities that disproportionately contribute to high morbidity and mortality among Blacks. Further compounding the racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 health outcomes, Blacks with cardiometabolic diseases are at high risk of experiencing serious complications or mortality from COVID-19. This study aimed to assess how Blacks with heart failure and diabetes navigated chronic care management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Novel pharmacotherapeutic options for the treatment of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

Introduction: Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a disorder characterized by a constellation of symptoms including lightheadedness, fatigue, and palpitations when upright, associated with an increase in the heart rate (HR) of > 30 beats per minute when changing from a lying down to standing position or head-up tilt position and not associated with orthostatic hypotension. The causes as well as the management of POTS are not quite fully understood.

Areas Covered: We performed a literature review on the diagnosis and management of POTS, and this article includes an overview of novel pharmacotherapeutic options for the treatment of (POTS), although an effective treatment has not been established.

Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Improved Stroke Risk Assessment in Hypertensive Black Adults.

Background: We aim to determine the added value of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in stroke risk assessment for hypertensive Black adults.

Methods: We examined 1,647 participants with hypertension without a history of cardiovascular (CV) disease, from the Jackson Heart Study. Cox regression analysis estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for incident stroke per standard deviation increase in cIMT and quartiles while adjusting for baseline variables.

Contemporary Pharmacologic Management of Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Review.

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is defined as the presence of typical symptoms of heart failure (HF) and a left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 40%. HFrEF patients constitute approximately 50% of all patients with clinical HF. Despite breakthrough discoveries and advances in the pharmacologic management of HF, HFrEF patients continue to pose a significant economic burden due to a progressive disease characterized by recurrent hospitalizations and need for advanced therapy.

Circulating T-Cell Subsets, Monocytes, and Natural Killer Cells in Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: Results From the Multicenter IPAC Study.

Objective: The aim of this work was to evaluate the hypothesis that the distribution of circulating immune cell subsets, or their activation state, is significantly different between peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) and healthy postpartum (HP) women.

Background: PPCM is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, and an immune-mediated etiology has been hypothesized. Cellular immunity, altered in pregnancy and the peripartum period, has been proposed to play a role in PPCM pathogenesis.

Role of cannabis in cardiovascular disorders.

The growing popularity of medical and recreational consumption of cannabis, especially among the youth, raises immediate concerns regarding its safety and long-terms effects. The cardiovascular effects of cannabis are not well known. Cannabis consumption has been shown to cause arrhythmia including ventricular tachycardia, and potentially sudden death, and to increase the risk of myocardial infarction (MI).

Dose response characterization of the association of serum digoxin concentration with mortality outcomes in the Digitalis Investigation Group trial.

Aims: Many patients with heart failure and reduced EF remain at high risk for hospitalization despite evidence-based therapy. Digoxin may decrease hospitalization; however, uncertainty persists concerning its proper administration and effect on mortality. This study investigated whether using dose response concepts to re-evaluate the relationship between serum digoxin concentration and key mortality outcomes in patients with reduced EF in the Digitalis Investigation Group trial would help clarify efficacy and safety.

Authorship in a multicenter clinical trial: The Heart Failure-A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training (HF-ACTION) Authorship and Publication (HAP) scoring system results.

Background: Few guidelines exist regarding authorship on manuscripts resulting from large multicenter trials. The HF-ACTION investigators devised a system to address assignment of authorship on trial publications and tested the outcomes in the course of conducting the large, multicenter, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded trial (n = 2,331; 82 clinical sites; 3 countries). The HF-ACTION Authorship and Publication (HAP) scoring system was designed to enhance rate of dissemination, recognize investigator contributions to the successful conduct of the trial, and harness individual expertise in manuscript generation.

Wearing the mask of ST-elevation myocardial infarction: postpericardiotomy syndrome.

Introduction: Postpericardiotomy syndrome (PPS) is an inflammatory process, affecting 15% to 20% of patients, after surgery involving pleura, pericardium, or both. The role of electrocardiogram (ECG) in diagnosing PPS is uncertain because ECG is rarely normal (especially after cardiac surgery). We report a case of PPS that presented initially with localized ST-segment elevation and also discuss proposed mechanisms.

Anemia and iron deficiency in heart failure.

Anemia is a common comorbidity in patients with heart failure (HF) and is associated with poor prognosis. Iron deficiency, with or without anemia, confers increased risk of mortality and morbidity. Along with the altered iron metabolism in HF patients, inflammation creates challenges in the interpretation of laboratory parameters used to diagnose anemia in HF.

A perspective on re-evaluating digoxin's role in the current management of patients with chronic systolic heart failure: targeting serum concentration to reduce hospitalization and improve safety profile.

Digoxin improves exercise tolerance and reduces hospitalizations in patients with systolic heart failure, but its use has declined progressively for the past two decades. The Digitalis Investigation Group trial showed that digoxin reduced hospitalizations but had a neutral effect on total mortality. There was evidence that mortality caused by worsening heart failure was less, but there was also a signal suggesting an increase in other cardiac (presumed arrhythmic) death.

Evaluation of lixivaptan in euvolemic and hypervolemic hyponatremia and heart failure treatment.

Introduction: Lixivaptan is a selective vasopressin type 2 (V2) receptor antagonist that induces aquaresis, the electrolytes sparing excretion of water. Its ability to correct hyponatremia has been demonstrated in experimental animal studies as well as in clinical trials in humans. Recently, three Phase III, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies have been completed.

Association between bilirubin and mode of death in severe systolic heart failure.

The bilirubin level has been associated with worse outcomes, but it has not been studied as a predictor for the mode of death in patients with systolic heart failure. The Prospective Randomized Amlodipine Evaluation Study (PRAISE) cohort (including New York Heart Association class IIIB-IV patients with left ventricular ejection fraction <30%, n = 1,135) was analyzed, divided by bilirubin level: ≤0.6 mg/dl, group 1; >0.

Iron deficiency anemia in heart failure.

Anemia and iron deficiency are quite prevalent in patients with heart failure (HF) and may overlap. Both anemia and iron deficiency are associated with worse symptoms and adverse clinical outcomes. In the past few years, there has been an enormous interest in the subject of iron deficiency and its management in patients with HF.