Publications by authors named "Schou M"
Objective: Beyond glucose-lowering, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have cardioprotective effects with unclear mechanisms. We examined changes in an extensive panel of plasma lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins and whether these changes were independent of weight loss, hemoglobin A1c, and hematocrit in patients treated with empagliflozin versus placebo to better understand the observed cardioprotective effects.
Methods: Post-hoc analyses of two double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, the Empire HF trial including 190 patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction and the SIMPLE trial including 90 patients with type 2 diabetes randomized to, respectively, 10 mg and 25 mg empagliflozin daily or placebo for 12 weeks.
The ability of organisms to cope with poor quality nutrition is essential for their persistence. For species with a short generation time, the nutritional environments can transcend generations, making it beneficial for adults to prime their offspring to particular diets. However, our understanding of adaptive generational responses, including those to diet quality, are still very limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: In the EMPACT-MI trial, empagliflozin reduced heart failure (HF) hospitalizations but not mortality in acute myocardial infarction (MI). Contemporary reports of clinical event rates with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in acute MI trials are sparse. The treatment effect of empagliflozin in those with and without T2DM in acute MI is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Survival after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has markedly increased. Thus, other comorbidities will intersect patient trajectories and challenge follow-up.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe patient characteristics and hospitalizations at end of life to further improve the quality of life for patients undergoing TAVR.
Importance: Long-term use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) is associated with a high risk of left ventricular hypertrophy, heart failure with reduced systolic function, and early sudden death, with the mechanism of progression being understudied. Early and persistent impaired myocardial microcirculation could be of clinical importance and a potential underlying mechanism of frequent and early cardiac disease among individuals with AAS use and a future potential target for intervention.
Objective: To investigate coronary microcirculation by measuring myocardial flow reserve (MFR) in men with current and former AAS use compared with controls with no prior AAS use, using cardiac rubidium 82 (82Rb) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT).
Article Synopsis
- A study in Denmark investigated how thyroid dysfunction impacts heart failure (HF) outcomes in patients diagnosed with HF between 2000 and 2021.
- The research categorized patients based on thyroid function and found that those with both hypo- and hyperthyroidism had higher risks of mortality and hospitalization compared to those with normal thyroid function.
- The findings highlight the need for healthcare providers to be more aware of the risks associated with thyroid issues in patients at risk for heart failure.
Background: Obesity is associated with excessive adipocyte-derived aldosterone secretion, independent of the classical renin-angiotensin-aldosterone cascade, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists may be more effective in patients with heart failure (HF) and obesity.
Objectives: This study sought to examine the effects of the nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone compared with placebo, according to body mass index (BMI) in FINEARTS-HF (FINerenone trial to investigate Efficacy and sAfety superioR to placebo in paTientS with Heart Failure).
Methods: A total of 6,001 patients with HF with NYHA functional class II, III, and IV, a left ventricular ejection fraction of ≥40%, evidence of structural heart disease, and elevated natriuretic peptide levels were randomized to finerenone or placebo.
Aims: Although certain autoimmune diseases (AIDs) have been associated with an increased rate of heart failure (HF), data on the long-term rate of HF across the spectrum of AIDs are lacking. We investigated the long-term rate of HF in individuals with a history of 28 different AIDs.
Methods And Results: Individuals diagnosed with an AID (2000-2021) were identified through Danish nationwide registries.
Background And Objectives: Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is associated with a higher short-term incidence of stroke. However, long-term data on this association are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the long-term incidence of ischemic stroke after TIA according to ABCD score and to identify factors associated with stroke after TIA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) is an aneurismal type of macular neovascularization that show similarities with age-related macular degeneration and diseases that are part of the pachychoroid disease spectrum. Exudative changes in PCV can be treated with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor monotherapy; however, a combination therapy with photodynamic therapy may be required. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluated the efficacy of faricimab for PCV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with heart failure (HF). However, it is unclear if postoperative AF (POAF) following non-cardiac surgery differs from non-surgical AF in terms of the risk of HF. We compared the long-term rate of incident HF in patients developing new-onset POAF following non-cardiac surgery with patients who did not develop POAF following non-cardiac surgery and patients with non-surgical non-valvular AF (NVAF).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe accumulation of aggregated α-synuclein (α-syn) is a pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other synucleinopathies. Here within, we report the in vitro characterization targeting site 2 of α-syn fibrils and in vivo evaluation of NHPs of KAC-50.1 as a potential α-syn positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Iron deficiency (ID) is prevalent in chronic heart failure (HF) but lacks a consensus definition. This study evaluates the prevalence and the prognostic impact of ID using different criteria on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, as well as first hospitalization for HF in patients with new-onset chronic HF.
Methods: In this nationwide registry-based cohort, we explored four definitions of ID: the current European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines [ferritin <100 ng/mL or ferritin 100-299 ng/mL and transferrin saturation (TSAT) <20%], ferritin level <100 ng/mL, TSAT < 20% and serum iron ≤13 μmol/L.
Risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) undergoing contemporary treatment is unclear. cHL patients ≥ 18 years at diagnosis treated with doxorubicin-containing chemotherapy between 2000 and 2022 were matched 1:5 with comparators on birth year, sex, and Charlson Comorbidity Index at time of matching (score of 0 or ≥ 1). Cause-specific cumulative incidence of a composite of CVDs with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed with death and lymphoma relapse as competing events (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Heart failure (HF) significantly increases the risk of death and hospitalization compared to the general population, especially evident in patients initiating guideline-directed therapy.
- In a study of over 35,000 HF patients matched with non-HF individuals, those with HF had a 13% higher risk of death, 17% higher risk of HF-related hospitalization, and 24% higher risk of non-HF hospitalization over five years.
- The excess risk of death declined with age; for example, a 60-year-old man with HF had a similar five-year death risk to a 75-year-old man without HF, suggesting the need to adjust healthcare resources based on age and comorbidities.
Article Synopsis
- Socioeconomic status (SES) impacts heart failure prognosis and access to advanced evaluation, with lower SES often linked to worse outcomes.
- A study analyzed data from 631 heart failure patients to assess the relationship between SES factors (like income and education) and invasive haemodynamics.
- Results showed higher household income correlated with lower pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, but notable differences in cardiac index and pulmonary vascular resistance between the most and least deprived groups were observed, suggesting complex interactions between SES and heart function.
Article Synopsis
- Finerenone demonstrates positive outcomes for patients with heart failure and varying degrees of ejection fraction, specifically HFmrHF and HFpEF, in a large clinical trial involving 6,001 participants aged 40-97.
- The analysis revealed that while the incidence of adverse cardiovascular outcomes increased with age, finerenone consistently reduced the risk of these outcomes across all age groups.
- Safety profiles, including the occurrence of hypotension and changes in potassium levels, showed no significant differences among age categories, suggesting that finerenone is safe and effective regardless of age.
The histamine subtype 3 (H) receptor is an important drug target in the central nervous system (CNS), and PET imaging offers a promising technique for the noninvasive evaluation of CNS disease related to the H receptor. In this study, we synthesized and evaluated the binding effects of [F]H3-2404 and [F]H3-2405 by modifying the structure of AZD5213, a selective H antagonist. These two radioligands were prepared in high radiochemical yields and displayed stability in serum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Observed treatment effects on overall survival (OS) differed substantially in the first 2 randomized clinical trials of lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan (Lu-177) prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Objective: To investigate factors associated with the observed difference in treatment effects on OS, including differences in the risk of crossover from randomized treatment after disease progression.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This comparative effectiveness study used individual participant data from 2 randomized clinical trials, TheraP (A Randomised Phase 2 Trial of 177Lu-PSMA617 Theranostic Versus Cabazitaxel in Progressive Metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer [ANZUP Protocol 1603]) (n = 200), recruited from February 2018 to September 2019 in Australia, and published data from VISION (An International, Prospective, Open Label, Multicenter, Randomized Phase 3 Study of 177Lu-PSMA-617 in the Treatment of Patients With Progressive PSMA-Positive Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer) (n = 831), recruited from June 2018 to October 2019 in North America and Europe.
Background: This study investigated excess risk in patients with heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) with or without elevated levels of NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide).
Methods: Patients with HFrEF from the NorthStar cohort (n = 1120) were matched on age, sex, and presence of AF (atrial fibrillation/flutter) to five controls without HFrEF from The Danish National Patient Registries. Patients were compared with controls before and after stratification according to baseline NT-proBNP levels, with cutoffs defined as View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
- Steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists help patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, but their effectiveness in those with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction is unclear, indicating a need for further research on finerenone.
- In a double-blind study, patients with heart failure (ejection fraction 40% or greater) were assigned to receive either finerenone or a placebo to assess its impact on heart failure events and cardiovascular death.
- Results showed that finerenone led to fewer worsening heart failure events and a lower overall rate of primary outcome events compared to placebo, although it also carried a higher risk of hyperkalemia.
Background And Aims: Endometriosis, a systemic gynaecological disease affecting 10% of women in reproductive age, shares pathophysiological characteristics with cardiovascular disease. However, data on the relationship between endometriosis and cardiovascular outcomes are scarce, prompting this study to address the knowledge gap.
Methods: Using Danish nationwide registries, women diagnosed with endometriosis (1977-2021) were identified and matched with controls in a 1:4 ratio based on year of birth.
Background: Despite improved survival, hospitalization is still common among patients with heart failure (HF).
Objective: This study aimed to examine temporal trends in infection-related hospitalization among HF patients and compare it to temporal trends in the risk of HF hospitalization and death.
Methods: Using Danish nationwide registers, we included all patients aged 18 to 100 years, with HF diagnosed between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2017, resulting in a total population of 147.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed data from the Empire HF trial to understand what factors influence physical activity levels in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
- It found that older age and anemia were linked to lower levels of accelerometer-measured physical activity, indicating that these factors negatively impact patients' activity.
- Additionally, while there was a slight increase in physical activity with improvements in self-reported health status, the correlation was weak, suggesting more research is needed to fully understand how activity levels relate to overall health.