Novel Quinolone Derivatives: Synthesis and Antioxidant Activity.

Novel quinolone derivatives have been designed and readily synthesized according to a simple protocol including -alkylation and Claisen rearrangement processes. Structures of the synthesized compounds have been confirmed by IR, H and C NMR, and mass spectra. The new products have been tested for their antioxidant activity, and two of those demonstrate high antioxidant activity.

Treatment with PBI-4050 in patients with Alström syndrome: study protocol for a phase 2, single-Centre, single-arm, open-label trial.

Background: Alström syndrome (ALMS) is a very rare autosomal recessive monogenic disorder caused by a mutation in the ALMS1 gene and characterised by childhood onset obesity, dyslipidaemia, advanced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes and extreme insulin resistance. There is evidence of multi-organ fibrosis in ALMS and severity of the disease often leads to organ failure with associated morbidities, resulting in reduced life expectancy. There are no specific treatments for this disease, and current management consists of only symptomatic therapies.

Coronary flow reserve is predictive of the risk of cardiovascular death regardless of chronic kidney disease stage.

Microvascular rarefaction is found in experimental uremia, but data from patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are limited. We therefore quantified absolute myocardial blood flow and coronary flow reserve (the ratio of peak to resting flow) from myocardial perfusion positron emission tomography scans at a single institution. Individuals were classified into standard CKD categories based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate.

Usefulness of the Mitral Regurgitation Severity Index to Assess the Severity of Chronic Mitral Regurgitation.

Existing metrics for grading mitral regurgitation (MR) are limited and fraught with high interobserver variability. We developed and evaluated a Doppler-based, semiquantitative novel index (Mitral Regurgitation Severity Index [MRSI]) of MR severity. In a total of 125 patients (70 in the derivation cohort and 55 in the validation cohort), MRSI was calculated as a ratio of time velocity integral of mitral inflow (continuous-wave Doppler-TVI MV) to the time velocity integral of the left ventricle outflow (pulse-wave Doppler-TVI LVOT).

Ranolazine in Symptomatic Diabetic Patients Without Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease: Impact on Microvascular and Diastolic Function.

Background: Treatments for patients with myocardial ischemia in the absence of angiographic obstructive coronary artery disease are limited. In these patients, particularly those with diabetes mellitus, diffuse coronary atherosclerosis and microvascular dysfunction is a common phenotype and may be accompanied by diastolic dysfunction. Our primary aim was to determine whether ranolazine would quantitatively improve exercise-stimulated myocardial blood flow and cardiac function in symptomatic diabetic patients without obstructive coronary artery disease.

Association between various anthropometric measures of obesity and markers of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Central obesity is a known cardiovascular risk factor and measures of visceral obesity are known to predict atherosclerosis. This study sought to explore the association between various anthropometric measures and markers of subclinical atherosclerosis (MoSCA) among low risk healthy individuals. Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) is a population-based study of Caucasian (38%), Afro-American (28%), Chinese (22%) and Hispanic (12%) subjects, aged 45-84 years, free from clinical cardiovascular disease.

Prognostic Value of Coronary Flow Reserve in Patients with Dialysis-Dependent ESRD.

Capillary rarefaction of the coronary microcirculation is a consistent phenotype in patients with dialysis-dependent ESRD (dd-ESRD) and may help explain their excess mortality. Global coronary flow reserve (CFR) assessed by positron emission tomography (PET) is a noninvasive, quantitative marker of myocardial perfusion and ischemia that integrates the hemodynamic effects of epicardial stenosis, diffuse atherosclerosis, and microvascular dysfunction. We tested whether global CFR provides risk stratification in patients with dd-ESRD.

18F-Florbetapir Binds Specifically to Myocardial Light Chain and Transthyretin Amyloid Deposits: Autoradiography Study.

Background: (18)F-florbetapir is a promising imaging biomarker for cardiac light chain amyloidosis (AL) and transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR). Our aim, using human autopsy myocardial specimens, was to test the hypothesis that (18)F-florbetapir binds specifically to myocardial AL and ATTR amyloid deposits.

Methods And Results: We studied myocardial sections from 30 subjects with autopsy-documented AL (n=10), ATTR (n=10), and nonamyloid controls (n=10) using (18)F-florbetapir and cold florbetapir compound and digital autoradiography.

Association of cystatin C with measures of obesity and its impact on cardiovascular events among healthy US adults.

Background: This study sought to explore the relationship between cystatin C (CysC) and anthropometric measures of obesity and the influence of this association on mortality [cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease, and all-cause] in a nationally representative population free of CVD, diabetes mellitus, and macroalbuminuria (MA).

Methods: The study cohort included 4577 adult participants of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Spearman correlation analysis was performed to ascertain the association between various anthropometric measures and CysC.

Left ventricular hypertrophy and risk reclassification for coronary events in multi-ethnic adults.

Background: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) has not been evaluated for reclassification improvement in the intermediate Framingham risk category for incident hard coronary events in a large multi ethnic population free of cardiovascular disease at baseline.

Design: A post-hoc analysis on the Multi Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) dataset (n = 4921) was performed.

Methods: LVH was defined as the upper 95 th percentile of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging derived left ventricular mass (LVM) indexed based on body surface area (BSA) and height.

Uric acid and cardiovascular disease risk reclassification: findings from NHANES III.

Background: The studied associations between serum uric acid (sUA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events have been controversial. We sought to evaluate the association between sUA and CVD mortality, including its ability to reclassify risk in a multiethnic nationally representative population free of clinical CVD and diabetes at baseline.

Methods: The study cohort included 11,009 adults enrolled as a part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III.

Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and coronary artery calcium progression in a multiethnic US population.

Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDLc) is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease risk, with elevated levels signifying an increased risk beyond low-density lipoprotein. Previous data have shown inconsistent association of lipid subfractions with progression of coronary artery calcium (CAC), a surrogate marker of incident cardiovascular disease. We sought to evaluate the association between non-HDLc and development (incident) and progression of CAC in a cohort of multiethnic asymptomatic subjects.

Comparative analysis of red cell distribution width and high sensitivity C-reactive protein for coronary heart disease mortality prediction in multi-ethnic population: findings from the 1999-2004 NHANES.

Background: Red cell distribution width (RDW) has been shown to predict all-cause and cardiovascular (CVD) mortality. However, the predictive ability of RDW for future coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality in comparison to high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has not been assessed in a population cohort free of CVD.

Methods: Analysis was performed on 8,513 adult participants (age > 20 years) free of CVD from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 1999-2004.

Role of hematological parameters in predicting retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in preterm neonates.

Objectives: To study the role of hematological parameters in predicting retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in preterm neonates.

Method: Two hundred forty eight babies less than 34 wk and/or with a birth weight of less than 2,000 g were evaluated. Peripheral blood smear and complete blood count were done on day one of life.

Association between arterial elasticity indices and coronary artery calcium in a healthy multi-ethnic cohort.

Objectives: Reduced arterial elasticity is a risk factor for coronary artery disease. Our main objective was to evaluate the association between large arterial elasticity (LAE) and small arterial elasticity (SAE) with subclinical atherosclerosis as reflected by the coronary artery calcium score (CACS).

Methods: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) includes a multi-ethnic, population-based cohort (n = 6,814), aged 45-84 years, free from clinical cardiovascular disease.

The association of red cell distribution width with glycated hemoglobin among healthy adults without diabetes mellitus.

Background: Red cell distribution width (RDW) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both known to be predictive of future cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Objective: We hypothesized that RDW would be associated with HbA1c in adults without diabetes independent of fasting blood glucose (FBG).

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 15,343 nondiabetic adults, free of CVD, enrolled in NHANES 1999-2008.