The Role of Vericiguat in Early Phases of Anterior Myocardial Infarction: A Potential Game-Changer?

Anterior myocardial infarction is a critical condition with significant implications for cardiac function and patient prognosis. Despite advancements in reperfusion therapies, optimizing recovery during the early phases of myocardial infarction remains challenging. Anterior myocardial infarction can lead to substantial long-term effects on a patient's health due to extensive damage to the heart muscle, particularly the left ventricle, impacting both quality of life and overall prognosis.

COMPArison of Multi-Point Pacing and ConvenTional Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Through Noninvasive Hemodynamics Measurement: Short- and Long-Term Results of the COMPACT-MPP Study.

Invasive hemodynamic studies have shown improved left ventricular (LV) performances when cardiac resynchronization therapy/defibrillator is delivered through multipoint pacing (MPP). Nowadays, strategies have become available that allow studying the same hemodynamic parameters at a noninvasive level. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical implication of using a patient-tailored approach for cardiac resynchronization therapy programming based on noninvasively assessed LV hemodynamics to identify the best biventricular pacing modality between standard single-site pacing (STD) and MPP for each patient.

Determinants of left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with recent diagnosis of essential hypertension.

Objective: Development of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a multifactorial phenomenon. We retrospectively assessed the risk factors for LVH in patients with recent diagnosis of essential hypertension.

Methods: We analysed 1518 participants with recent diagnosis of essential hypertension (≤2 years).

Clinical evidence of efficacy of red yeast rice and berberine in a large controlled study versus diet.

Efficacy of a new patented proprietary combination of natural nutraceuticals (PN) containing natural hypolipidemic as red yeast, policosanol and berberine was tested in a large study on dyslipidemic patients in clinical practice. A parallel, controlled, randomized, multicenter study was designed. After 2 weeks on a stable dietary regimen, the patients were randomized to PN 1 tablet/day associated with diet (PN + D) or diet alone (D) for 16 weeks.

Smoking selectively accelerates carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive patients.

Background And Objectives: Left ventricular hypertrophy, carotid atherosclerosis and renal dysfunction are indicators of target organ damage in hypertension, and independent risk factors for both fatal and non-fatal cardio- and cerebrovascular events. In the general population, smoking is associated with increases in left ventricular mass and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and impaired renal function. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether smoking affects the development of target organ damage in patients with arterial hypertension.

[Renin-angiotensin system modulation: instructions for use].

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and AT1 receptor blockers have long been considered as two classes of drugs with strictly comparable effect in cardiovascular diseases, on the assumption that both classes act on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. The results of large clinical intervention trials, which failed to demonstrate any significant difference between the effects of these two pharmacological classes in patients with essential hypertension, acute myocardial infarction and heart failure, supported this concept. The recent observation that a combination of ACE-inhibitors and AT1 receptor blockers improves the prognosis of these pathological conditions better than monotherapy at higher doses focused on the difference between their mechanisms of action.

Insulin resistance affects the cytoprotective effect of insulin in cardiomyocytes through an impairment of MAPK phosphatase-1 expression.

Objective: Insulin protects cardiomyocytes from apoptosis. Insulin resistance usually refers to a defect in the ability of insulin to stimulate glucose uptake. It is unknown, however, whether or not insulin resistance compromises the cell-protective effect of the hormone.