High prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in pregnant women in Benin.

Introduction: Modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) are highly prevalent in SubSaharan African communities. In these countries the burden of CVRF during early pregnancy has been poorly documented.

Aim: The objective of this study was to describe the frequency of CVRF in pregnant women before the 20th week of gestation in Benin.

Diuretics and risk of major adverse limb events in patients with type-2 diabetes: An observational retrospective study.

Aim: In patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors are suspected to increase the risk of amputation. "Traditional" diuretics may increase major adverse limb events (MALEs), but the evidence is weak. We studied the association between common diuretics (i.

Performance of electrocardiographic criteria for detecting LVH in hypertensive Africans.

Aims: To evaluate the performance of the currently accepted LVH electrocardiographic (ECG) criteria from ethnic-specific normal values.

Methods And Results: We included 309 hypertensive subjects with both ECG (12‑leads device) and echocardiographic analysis. The diagnosis of LVH was established by echocardiography from specific norms.

Ruthenium nitrosyl complexes with NO release capability: the use of fluorene as an antenna.

A ruthenium nitrosyl complex of formula [Ru(fluorene(C6)CHO-terpy)(bipy)(NO)] (AC) in which fluorene(C6) is the 9,9-dihexylfluorene, terpy the 2,2';6',2''-terpyridine, and bipy the 2,2'-bipyridine is presented with its related [Ru(MeO-terpy)(bipy)(NO)] (C) and 9,9-dihexylfluorene 2-hydroxymethylfluorene (A) building blocks. The reference complex C undergoes NO release capabilities under irradiation at = 365 nm. The effect of the introduction of the fluorescent A antenna within the resulting AC complex is discussed both experimentally and theoretically.

Influenza vaccination coverage and determinants of vaccination in peripheral arterial disease patients.

In the latest American Heart Association guidelines, influenza vaccination is recommended for patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The vaccination coverage in this specific population is currently unknown. This study aims to determine the adherence to influenza vaccination in a PAD population and identify associated determinants.

Photorelease of Nitric Oxide (NO) in Mono- and Bimetallic Ruthenium Nitrosyl Complexes: A Photokinetic Investigation with a Two-Step Model.

Two monometallic and three bimetallic ruthenium acetonitrile (RuMeCN) complexes are presented and fully characterized. All of them are built from the same skeleton [FTRu(bpy)(MeCN)], in which FT is a fluorenyl-substituted terpyridine ligand and bpy is the 2,2'-bipyridine. The crystal structure of [FTRu(bpy)(MeCN)](PF) is presented.

The functional disabilities of the dominant and opposite hands in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: Hand involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) is responsible for 75% of the overall disability but varies greatly among individuals. No study has yet compared the functionalities between the two hands of SSc patients. We thus evaluated the joint limitations and extent of skin involvement in the dominant and contralateral hands.

"I Was Worshiped and in Control": Sugar Arrangements Involving Transactional Sex from the Perspective of Both Sugar Babies and Sugar Benefactors.

Sugar dating arrangements involve an older partner ("sugar daddy/mommy") who provides financial support to a younger partner ("sugar baby") in exchange for intimacy. The current study recruited a U.S.

Effects of iloprost in patients with critical limb ischemia: Results of a cohort study from the COPART registry.

Background: Iloprost has been proposed as an alternative to amputation in Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) patients when revascularization was unsuccessful or not possible. Nonetheless, there is limited evidence of its benefit. The main objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of iloprost and the secondary objective was to evaluate its safety.

A Trojan horse approach for enhancing the cellular uptake of a ruthenium nitrosyl complex.

Ruthenium nitrosyl (RuNO) complexes continue to attract significant research interest due to several appealing features that make these photoactivatable nitric oxide (NO˙) donors attractive for applications in photoactivated chemotherapy. Interesting examples of molecular candidates capable of delivering cytotoxic concentrations of NO˙ in aqueous media have been discussed. Nevertheless, the question of whether most of these highly polar and relatively large molecules are efficiently incorporated by cells remains largely unanswered.

Acetylacetonate Ruthenium Nitrosyls: A Gateway to Nitric Oxide Release in Water under Near-Infrared Excitation by Two-Photon Absorption.

A fundamental challenge for phototriggered therapies is to obtain robust molecular frameworks that can withstand biological media. Photoactivatable nitric oxide (NO) releasing molecules (photoNORMs) based on ruthenium nitrosyl (RuNO) complexes are among the most studied systems due to several appealing features that make them attractive for therapeutic applications. Nevertheless, the propensity of the NO ligand to be attacked by nucleophiles frequently manifests as significant instability in water for this class of photoNORMs.

Impact of Hypertension on Left Ventricular Geometry and Diastolic Function in Africa: Results from the Population-Based TAnve Health (TAHES) Cohort Study.

High blood pressure leads to morphologic changes and functional alterations of the myocardial structure. Transthoracic echocardiography is of great clinical interest to evaluate these alterations, using reference values proposed by the American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, largely based on studies in Caucasian Whites. We aimed to assess the impact of hypertension on echocardiographic parameters in a sub-Saharan African community, using ethnic-specific reference values.

Update About the Management of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Hypertriglyceridemia in Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease Patients: Consensus of the French Society of Vascular Medicine and the French Society for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery.

Background: A French intersociety consensus on behalf the Société Française de Médecine Vasculaire and the Société de Chirurgie Vasculaire et Endovasculaire was proposed in 2021 for the management of patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (LEAD). Recent studies have been published and an update of this consensus about the management of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) and hypertriglyceridemia was required.

Methods: A steering committee of 12 vascular physicians and surgeons defined questions of interest about LDLc and hypertriglyceridemia management.

Ultrasound-detected tibial artery calcification as a marker of cardiovascular and lower-limb risk in asymptomatic patients with type-2 diabetes.

Background: Medial arterial calcification (MAC) is a vascular disease distinct from atherosclerosis. Recently, several studies have demonstrated that MAC is an important marker of cardiovascular events. We aim to assess the presence of MAC during ultrasound screening of lower-limb vasculature and its association with both cardiovascular (CV) and lower-limb events in patients with type-2 diabetes.

Functional and radiographic analysis of a cohort of 48 Tactys® prostheses with an average follow-up of 5 years: A retrospective study.

Objectives: The Tactys® prosthesis is an anatomical unconstrained sliding implant with 4 modular components, designed for proximal interphalangeal arthroplasty. The main objective of our study was to evaluate medium-term functional outcomes at a minimum follow-up of 1 year.

Materials And Methods: Forty-eight implants were studied, with a mean follow-up of 4.

Normal reference values of cardiac chamber sizes and functional parameters in a beninese community population: the TAHES study.

Reported ranges of normal values for echocardiographic measurements are mostly issued from studies performed in Caucasians. This study is a part of TAHES, a population-based prospective cohort study in Benin and aims to establish normal reference values for echocardiographic cardiac chambers dimensions and Doppler parameters in a Sub-Saharan African population. We included 486 healthy (non-diabetic, non-obese and normotensive) individuals (202 men and 284 women, age 37[30-47] years, BSA 1.

Risk of amputation under diuretics in patients with or at risk of lower extremity arterial disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Recently, increased risk of amputation under sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors has been debated. Similar concerns have been raised with other "traditional" diuretics, more particularly in patients with or at risk of lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD).

Aim: To collect all available data on any potential risk of amputation associated with diuretics in patients with or at risk of LEAD.

Cardiovascular risk factors in Sub-Saharan African women.

Cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) are associated with major cause of death and disability in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in women. The contribution of obstetrical, psychological, and socio-economic factors in CVRF are not yet well described in Africa. We aimed to compare the prevalence of CVRF between men and women, and to determine the factors associated to these sex-related differences.

Prevalence and factors associated with hyperglycemia in a rural population of Tanvè and Dékanmey in Benin in 2019.

Background: Hyperglycemia leads to serious damage to the body, especially the blood vessels and nerves. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with hyperglycemia in a rural population of Tanvè and Dékanmey in Benin in 2019.

Materials And Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, nested in the Tanvè Health Study (TAHES) cohort.

Normal limits of electrocardiogram in Africans and their consequences on the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive individuals: Insights from the TAHES study.

Aims: To determine normal limits for major ECG variables, and the electrocardiographic impact of hypertension, in a rural sub-Saharan African setting.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included adults aged ≥25 years from Tanvè Health Study (TAHES) cohort. ECG were recorded at rest at 25 mm/s using a standard 12‑lead device.

Two-photon absorption-based delivery of nitric oxide from ruthenium nitrosyl complexes.

Since the discovery of the numerous physiological roles exhibited by nitric oxide (NO), ruthenium nitrosyl (RuNO) complexes have been regarded as one of the most promising NO donors, stable, well tolerated by the body and capable of releasing NO locally and quantitatively, under light irradiation. This release can be achieved by two-photon absorption (TPA) processes, which allow the irradiation to be performed in the near infrared domain, where light has its maximum depth of penetration in biological tissues. This review provides a short introduction on the biological properties of NO, on RuNO complexes with photo-releasing capabilities, and on the origin of TPA properties in molecules.