Impact of an Exercise-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program on Cardiopulmonary Test Parameters.

Introduction: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programs (CRPs) represent a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach tailored to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and overall health-related quality of life, while reducing cardiovascular hospitalizations and mortality. Our aim was to determine changes in exercise capacity and cardiac events according to the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) following a CRP.

Methods: This single-center cohort study included 131 patients who completed a center-based CRP from 2015 to 2022.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension: Navigating the pathways of progress in diagnosis, treatment, and patient care.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a form of precapillary pulmonary hypertension caused by a complex process of endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling. If left untreated, this progressive disease presents with symptoms of incapacitating fatigue causing marked loss of quality of life, eventually culminating in right ventricular failure and death. Patient management is complex and based on accurate diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment initiation, with close monitoring of response and disease progression.

Clinical Outcomes of Anticoagulated Patients With Atrial Fibrillation After Falls or Head Injury: Insights From RE-LY.

Background: Falls are always a concern regarding the balance of risk/benefit in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with anticoagulants. In this analysis, we aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients that had a fall/head injury reported in the RE-LY clinical trial (Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulation Therapy) and to explore the safety of dabigatran (a nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant).

Methods: We performed a post hoc retrospective analysis of intracranial hemorrhage and major bleeding outcomes in the RE-LY trial with 18 113 individuals with atrial fibrillation, according to the status occurrence of falls (or head injury) reported as adverse events.

Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries: Etiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.

Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is responsible for 10% of myocardial infarctions. Previously, patients were thought to have good prognosis, but evidence-based management and treatment strategies were scarce. Today, researchers and physicians recognize MINOCA as a condition with non-trivial mortality and morbidity.

Digital home-based multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation: How to counteract physical inactivity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction And Objectives: Center-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs have been forced to close due to COVID-19. Alternative delivery models to maintain access to CR programs and to avoid physical inactivity should be considered. The aim of this study was to assess physical activity (PA) levels after completing a home-based digital CR program.

Prognostic Accuracy of the Modified CHA2DS2-VASc Score in COVID-19 Patients Admitted to the Emergency Department Due to Clinical Worsening.

Introduction: Risk factors comprising the CHA2DS2VASc score are recognized as risk factors for venous thromboembolism and mortality in COVID-19 patients. A modified CHA2DS2VASc score (M-CHA2D2VASc), developed by changing gender criteria from female to male, has been proposed to predict in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic accuracy of M-CHA2D2VASc for adverse clinical outcomes and short-term mortality in COVID-19 patients admitted to the Emergency Department.

Pulmonary embolism and COVID-19: A comparative analysis of different diagnostic models performance.

Objective: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Several diagnostic prediction rules based on pretest probability and D-dimer have been validated in non-COVID patients, but it remains unclear if they can be safely applied in COVID-19 patients. We aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of the standard approach based on Wells and Geneva scores combined with a standard D-dimer cut-off of 500 ng/mL with three alternative strategies (age-adjusted, YEARS and PEGeD algorithms) in COVID-19 patients.

MICA/B antibody induces macrophage-mediated immunity against acute myeloid leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clonal hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell malignancy characterized by poor clinical outcomes. Major histocompatibility complex class I polypeptide-related sequence A and B (MICA/B) are stress proteins expressed by cancer cells, and antibody-mediated inhibition of MICA/B shedding represents a novel approach to stimulate immunity against cancers. We found that the MICA/B antibody 7C6 potently inhibits the outgrowth of AML in 2 models in immunocompetent mice.

Inhibition of MICA and MICB Shedding Elicits NK-Cell-Mediated Immunity against Tumors Resistant to Cytotoxic T Cells.

Resistance to cytotoxic T cells is frequently mediated by loss of MHC class I expression or IFNγ signaling in tumor cells, such as mutations of or genes. Natural killer (NK) cells could potentially target such resistant tumors, but suitable NK-cell-based strategies remain to be developed. We hypothesized that such tumors could be targeted by NK cells if sufficient activating signals were provided.