Rifaximin or Saccharomyces boulardii in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: Results from the randomized GutHeart trial.

Background: The gut microbiota represents a potential treatment target in heart failure (HF) through microbial metabolites such as trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and systemic inflammation. Treatment with the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii have been suggested to improve left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods: In a multicentre, prospective randomized open label, blinded end-point trial, we randomized patients with LVEF <40% and New York Heart Association functional class II or III, despite optimal medical therapy, to treatment (1:1:1) with the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii, the antibiotic rifaximin, or standard of care (SoC) only.

The Use of Two-Dimensional Strain Measured by Speckle Tracking in the Identification of Incipient Ventricular Dysfunction in HIV-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy, Untreated HIV Patients and Healthy Controls.

Background: Most cardiovascular abnormalities in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been associated with myocardial damage directly caused by the virus. Some cases, however, may be associated with adverse effects from antiretroviral therapy (ART). New ventricular function assessment techniques are capable of detecting early changes in the cardiac function of HIV-infected patients using or not using ART.

Design of the GutHeart-targeting gut microbiota to treat heart failure-trial: a Phase II, randomized clinical trial.

Aims: Heart failure (HF) is a multifactorial disease. Current treatments target only a fraction of the putative pathophysiological pathways. In patients with HF, reduced cardiac output and congestion cause increased gut wall permeability.

Evaluation of Quality of Life in Patients with and without Heart Failure in Primary Care.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a major public health issue with implications on health-related quality of life (HRQL).

Objective: To compare HRQL, estimated by the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), in patients with and without HF in the community.

Methods: Cross-sectional study including 633 consecutive individuals aged 45 years or older, registered in primary care.

Gender and obesity interaction in quality of life in adults assisted by family doctor program in Niterói, Brazil.

Obesity impacts the quality of life (HRQL). Studies about the effects of a possible interaction between gender and body mass are rare. The objective of the present paper is to estimate the biological interaction between gender and obesity on HRQL.

Comparison of adipokines in a cross-sectional study with healthy overweight, insulin-sensitive and healthy lean, insulin-resistant subjects, assisted by a family doctor primary care program.

Background: In most individuals, obesity and insulin resistance coexist. However, some individuals have excessive adipose tissue mass but remain insulin sensitive. Moreover, lean individuals can develop acute inflammation-induced insulin resistance, even without excess adipose tissue mass.

The Prevalence of Stages of Heart Failure in Primary Care: A Population-Based Study.

Background: Planning strategies to prevent heart failure (HF) in developing countries require epidemiologic data in primary care. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of HF stages and their phenotypes, HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF), and HF with reduced EF (HFREF) and to determine B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels to identify HF in the adult population.

Methods And Results: This is a cross-sectional study including 633 individuals, aged ≥45 years, who were randomly selected and registered in a primary care program of a medium-sized city in Brazil.

Cardiac I123-MIBG correlates better than ejection fraction with symptoms severity in systolic heart failure.

Background: The association of autonomic activation, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and heart failure functional class is poorly understood.

Objective: Our aim was to correlate symptom severity with cardiac sympathetic activity, through iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) scintigraphy and with LVEF in systolic heart failure (HF) patients without previous beta-blocker treatment.

Methods: Thirty-one patients with systolic HF, class I to IV of the New York Heart Association (NYHA), without previous beta-blocker treatment, were enrolled and submitted to 123I-MIBG scintigraphy and to radionuclide ventriculography for LVEF determination.

Racial differences in HbA1c: a cross-sectional analysis of a Brazilian public primary care population.

Background: Blacks show higher levels of HbA1c in studies with different populations and are disproportionately affected by most diabetes-related complications.

Aims: The study aims to investigate if the prevalence of altered glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) varies with skin color and if there is a familial aggregation of either skin color and HbA1c.

Methods: The study used the CAMELIA study (Cardio-Metabolic-Renal familiar) population, conducted between June 2006 and December 2007 (cross sectional).

Seasonal variation in hospitalizations due to heart failure in Niterói city, Southeastern Brazil.

The objective of the study was to describe seasonality of hospitalizations for heart failure in tropical climate as it has been described in cold climates. Seasonal Auto-regressive Integrated Moving-Average model was applied to time-series data of heart failure hospitalizations between 1996 and 2004 in Niteroi (Southeastern Brazil), collected from the Brazilian National Health Service Database. The standard seasonal variation was obtained by means of moving-average filtering and averaging data.