Endothelial dysfunction in adults with congenital heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) can face a lifelong risk of premature cardiovascular events. Endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness may be some of the key mechanisms involved. Early identification of endothelial damage in ACHD could be crucial to mitigate the adverse events.

Atrial Fibrillation Ablation in Congenital Heart Disease: Therapeutic Challenges and Future Perspectives.

The increasing prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in adults with congenital heart disease raises significant questions regarding its management. The unique underlying anatomic and physiological background further adds to the difficulty in eliminating the AF burden in these patients. Herein, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on the pathophysiology and risk factors for AF in adult congenital heart disease, with a special focus on the existing challenges in AF ablation.

Physical Activity Level Alterations Due to the Lockdowns: A Multi-Center Greek University-Based Study.

Objective: This cross-sectional study determines the impact of the pandemic lockdowns on physical activity, and evaluates the factors associated with physical activity cessation on students and personnel of eight Greek Higher Education Institutions.

Materials And Methods: A total of 6,380 volunteer participants completed a survey reporting their physical activity levels and perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was made available through an online platform.

Association of Health Status Metrics with Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Atrial Arrhythmias.

The prognostic value of health status metrics in patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) and atrial arrhythmias is unclear. In this retrospective cohort study of an ongoing national, multicenter registry (PROTECT-AR, NCT03854149), ACHD patients with atrial arrhythmias on apixaban are included. At baseline, health metrics were assessed using the physical component summary (PCS), the mental component summary (MCS) of the Short-Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey, and the modified European Heart Rhythm Association (mEHRA) score.

CERT2 ceramide- and phospholipid-based risk score and major adverse cardiovascular events: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Accumulating evidence over the last decade suggests the promising role of ceramides as potential mediators of coronary artery disease (CAD) or prognostic biomarkers of its clinical course. This meta-analysis (CRD42021241058) aimed to assess the prognostic value of a ceramide- and phosphatidylcholine-based risk score, Coronary Event Risk Test 2 (CERT2) score, for the prediction of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE: cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction or stroke) in 26,896 individuals with established CAD. Patients with CERT2=0-3 were used as a reference group.