Targeting Macrophage Phenotypes and Metabolism as Novel Therapeutic Approaches in Atherosclerosis and Related Cardiovascular Diseases.

Purpose Of The Review: Macrophage accumulation and activation function as hallmarks of atherosclerosis and have complex and intricate dynamics throughout all components and stages of atherosclerotic plaques. In this review, we focus on the regulatory roles and underlying mechanisms of macrophage phenotypes and metabolism in atherosclerosis. We highlight the diverse range of macrophage phenotypes present in atherosclerosis and their potential roles in progression and regression of atherosclerotic plaque.

Discordance of Circulating Non-HDL Cholesterol with LDL Cholesterol Concerning Long-Term Prognosis in Statin-Treated Individuals with Acute Coronary Syndrome and Previous Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: Some individuals who maintain desirable low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels still experience the progression of atherosclerosis, which may eventually lead to cardiovascular events. Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) levels are quantified to assess residual risk in statin-treated patients with coronary heart disease. The study aimed to estimate the predictive performance of discordance between non-HDL-C and LDL-C on clinical prognosis in statin-treated patients with previous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Non-Traditional Risk Factors as Contributors to Cardiovascular Disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains one of the primary causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Classic cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), hyperlipidemia, and smoking, have been well identified and given increased attention in clinical practice. However, the incidence and prevalence of CVD remains high, especially in developing countries.

Nomograms Based on Non-High-Density Lipoprotein to Predict Outcomes in Patients with Prior Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting with Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Introduction: Non-high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) is a secondary therapeutic target in cardiovascular diseases and is used for residual risk assessment in patients with coronary artery syndrome (ACS). This study was designed to determine the association between non-HDL-C in patients with prior coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) with ACS and clinical outcomes.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 468 patients with prior CABG with ACS and categorized them into two groups based on the median non-HDL-C level.

Effect of ApoE ε4 gene polymorphism on the correlation between serum uric acid and left ventricular hypertrophy remodeling in patients with coronary heart disease.

Background: Hyperuricemia and dyslipidemia are associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), while the effect of ApoE gene polymorphism on the correlation between serum uric acid (UA) level and severity of LVH in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) has not been clarified.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of patients with CHD. Patients were divided into groups of ε4 carriers and non-ε4 carriers based on sanger sequencing.

Prediction of SYNTAX score II improvement by adding temporal heart rate changes between discharge and first outpatient visit in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: The prognostic ability of the temporal changes in resting heart rate (ΔHR) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) for cardiovascular (CV) mortality and clinical outcomes is rarely examined. This study investigated the predictive value of ΔHR using models with SYNTAX score II (SxS-II) for the long-term prognosis of patients with AMI.

Methods: Six hundred five AMI patients with vital signs recorded at the first outpatient visit (2-4 weeks after discharge) were retrospectively recruited into this study.

A New Predictive Model for In-Hospital Major Adverse Cardiac and Cerebrovascular Events in Chinese Patients After Major Noncardiac Surgery.

Prediction tools focused on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events after noncardiac surgery are lacking, particularly for Chinese patients. We developed and validated what we believe is a new predictive tool for postoperative major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) in Chinese patients in this study. Overall, 401 variables derived from 598 patients who received noncardiac surgery at our center were retrospectively analyzed to develop and validate the new predictive model for MACCEs during hospitalization.

The Impact of Cardiac Dysfunction Based on Killip Classification on Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Owing to limited data, the effect of cardiac dysfunction categorized according to the Killip classification on gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of cardiac dysfunction on GIB in patients with AMI and to determine if patients in the higher Killip classes are more prone to it.

Methods: This retrospective study was comprised of patients with AMI who were admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit in the Heart Center of the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital between December 2010 and June 2019.

One-Stop Hybrid Coronary Revascularization Versus Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

One-stop hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR) is a promising revascularization strategy for treating multivessel coronary artery disease (MVCAD). However, its safety and feasibility remain controversial. Therefore, we introduced our experience with midterm follow-up of HCR in patients with MVCAD and compared it with conventional off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Nomogram for Risk Prediction of Mortality for Patients with Critical Cardiovascular Disease Treated by Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in Coronary Care Unit.

Aims: To establish a nomogram-scoring model for evaluating the risk of death in patients with critical cardiovascular disease after continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in a coronary care unit (CCU).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included data collected on 172 patients, in whom CRRT was initiated in the CCU between January 2017 and June 2021. Predictors of mortality were selected using an adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic model and used to construct a nomogram.

Feasibility and Safety of Drug-Coated Balloon-Only Angioplasty for De Novo Ostial Lesions of the Left Anterior Descending Artery: Two-Center Retrospective Study.

Introduction: There is limited evidence regarding the effectiveness of drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty in the percutaneous treatment of complex ostial coronary lesions. This study primarily aimed to explore the feasibility and safety of this innovative approach for ostial lesions in the left anterior descending artery (LAD).

Methods: Patients treated with paclitaxel DCB or second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) were retrospectively enrolled from two large centers.

A Nomogram for Predicting In-Hospital Major Adverse Cardio- and Cerebro-Vascular Events in Patients Undergoing Major Noncardiac Surgery: A Large-Scale Nested Case-Control Study.

Purpose: Few evidence-based predictive tools are available to evaluate major adverse cardio- and cerebro-vascular events (MACCEs) before major noncardiac surgery. We sought to develop a new simple but effective tool for estimating surgical risk.

Patients And Methods: Using a nested case-control study design, we recruited 105 patients who experienced MACCEs and 481 patients without MACCEs during hospitalization from 10,507 patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery in Beijing Chaoyang hospital.

Adeno-associated virus-mediated in vivo suppression of expression of EPHX2 gene modulates the activity of paraventricular nucleus neurons in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Background: Hypertension can be attributed to increased sympathetic activities. Presympathetic neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus are capable of modulating sympathetic outflow, thus contributing to the pathogenesis of neurogenic hypertension. Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) were reported to have anti-hypertensive effects, which could be degraded by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), encoded by EPHX2.

First post-discharge heart rate and long-term prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Elevated heart rate (HR) is associated with cardiovascular mortality and other events associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The heart rate after discharge is likely superior to reflect the deteriorating heart function, which negatively responds to normal physical activity. This study aimed to explore the effect of HR at the first outpatient visit on clinical outcomes.

Predictive value of ACEF II score in patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease undergoing one-stop hybrid coronary revascularization.

Background: We aimed to investigate the predictive value of recently updated ACEF II score on major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease (MVCAD) undergoing one-stop hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR).

Methods: Patients with MVCAD undergoing one-stop HCR were retrospectively recruited from March 2018 to September 2020. Several prediction risk models, including ACEF II score, were calculated for each patient.

Altered synthesis of genes associated with short-chain fatty acids in the gut of patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: The gut microbiota provides health benefits in humans by producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), whose deficiency causes multiple disorders and inflammatory diseases. However, gut bacteria producing SCFAs in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), an arrhythmia with increasing prevalence, have not been reported. To investigate major gut microbial organisms related to SCFA synthesis, SCFAs-associated KEGG orthologues (KOs), enzymatic genes, and potential producers were examined according to metagenomic data-mining in a northern Chinese cohort comprising 50 non-AF control and 50 AF patients.

Changes in clinical biochemical indexes of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction or patients with hypertensive heart disease before and after treadmill exercise.

Background: The incidence of hypertension is continuously increasing. This study aimed to investigate the changes in clinical biochemical indexes of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), or patients with hypertensive heart disease (HHD) before and after treadmill exercise.

Methods: Seventy-eight patients with HFpEF and 78 patients with HHD who were admitted to our hospital between February 2020 and February 2021 were selected to take a treadmill exercise test.

Increased, Decreased, or Stable Left Ventricle Ejection Fraction over Time in a Series of 626 Heart Failure Patients Receiving Medical Treatment.

Background: Ejection fraction (EF) has been used in phenotype analyses and to make treatment decisions regarding heart failure (HF). Thus, EF has become a fundamental part of daily clinical practice.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the characteristics, predictors, and outcomes associated with EF changes in patients with different types of severe HF.

Age differences in the association between marital status and hypertension: a population-based study.

The findings on the relationship between marital status and hypertension are inconsistent. We aimed to explore age differences in their associations. We used Hainan Hypertension Survey data, including 13,088 individuals aged more than 25 years, as part of the China Hypertension Survey study, a population-based nationwide study.

Impact of Prior Digestive System Disease on In-Hospital Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Objective: Patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with prior digestive system disease are more likely to suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding than those without these diseases. However, few articles reported how the different conditions of the digestive tract produced different risks of GI bleeding.

Methods: A single-center study on 7464 patients admitted for AMI from December 2010 to June 2019 in the Beijing Chaoyang Heart Center was retrospectively examined.

p38/JNK Is Required for the Proliferation and Phenotype Changes of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Induced by in Essential Hypertension.

Aim: Hypertension is a complicated disorder with multifactorial etiology and high heritability. Our previous work has identified as a novel susceptibility gene for the development of essential hypertension, accompanied with activation of p38/JNK. Yet, little evidence has been reported whether p38/JNK contributed directly to -induced vascular remodeling and exploring the potential mechanism of in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).

Blood group A: a risk factor for heart rupture after acute myocardial infarction.

Introduction: Studies have been performed to identify the association between ABO blood groups and coronary artery disease. However, data is scarce about the impact of ABO blood groups on heart rupture (HR) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-control study that included 61 consecutive patients with HR after AMI during a period from 1 January 2012 to 1 December 2019.