Ethnic differences in atrial fibrillation among patients with heart failure in Asia.

Aims: We aimed to characterize ethnic differences in prevalence, clinical correlates, and outcomes of atrial fibrillation (AF) in heart failure (HF) with preserved and reduced ejection fraction (HFpEF and HFrEF) across Asia.

Methods And Results: Among 5504 patients with HF prospectively recruited across 11 Asian regions using identical protocols in the Asian Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure study (mean age 61 ± 13 years, 27% women, 83% HFrEF), 1383 (25%) had AF defined as a history of AF and/or AF/flutter on baseline electrocardiogram. Clinical correlates of AF were similar across ethnicities and included older age, prior stroke, higher NT-proBNP, and larger left atria.

Harnessing technology and molecular analysis to understand the development of cardiovascular diseases in Asia: a prospective cohort study (SingHEART).

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) imposes much mortality and morbidity worldwide. The use of "deep learning", advancements in genomics, metabolomics, proteomics and devices like wearables have the potential to unearth new insights in the field of cardiology. Currently, in Asia, there are no studies that combine the use of conventional clinical information with these advanced technologies.

Prevalence, clinical correlates, and outcomes of anaemia in multi-ethnic Asian patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Aims: Recent international heart failure (HF) guidelines recognize anaemia as an important comorbidity contributing to poor outcomes in HF, based on data mainly from Western populations. We sought to determine the prevalence, clinical correlates, and prognostic impact of anaemia in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction across Asia.

Methods And Results: We prospectively studied 3886 Asian patients (60 ± 13 years, 21% women) with HF (ejection fraction ≤40%) from 11 regions in the Asian Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure study.

Novel Index of Maladaptive Myocardial Remodeling in Hypertension.

Background: Hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy (HTN-LVH) is a leading cause of heart failure. Conventional patterns of cardiac geometry do not adequately risk-stratify patients with HTN-LVH. Using cardiovascular magnetic resonance, we developed a novel Remodeling Index (RI) that was designed to detect an exaggerated hypertrophic response to hypertension and tested its potential to risk-stratify hypertensive patients.

Postnatal Deletion of Fat Storage-inducing Transmembrane Protein 2 (FIT2/FITM2) Causes Lethal Enteropathy.

Lipid droplets (LDs) are phylogenetically conserved cytoplasmic organelles that store neutral lipids within a phospholipid monolayer. LDs compartmentalize lipids and may help to prevent cellular damage caused by their excess or bioactive forms. FIT2 is a ubiquitously expressed transmembrane endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein that has previously been implicated in LD formation in mammalian cells and tissue.

MicroRNAs are required for the feature maintenance and differentiation of brown adipocytes.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is specialized to burn lipids for heat generation as a natural defense against cold and obesity. Previous studies established microRNAs (miRNAs) as essential regulators of brown adipocyte differentiation, but whether miRNAs are required for the feature maintenance of mature brown adipocytes remains unknown. To address this question, we ablated Dgcr8, a key regulator of the miRNA biogenesis pathway, in mature brown as well as in white adipocytes.

Recent advances in understanding proteins involved in lipid droplet formation, growth and fusion.

Lipid droplets (LDs) were once viewed as simple, inert lipid micelles. However, they are now known to be organelles with a rich proteome involved in a myriad of cellular processes. LDs are heterogeneous in nature with different sizes and compositions of phospholipids, neutral lipids and proteins.

Fat storage-inducing transmembrane protein 2 is required for normal fat storage in adipose tissue.

Triglycerides within the cytosol of cells are stored in a phylogenetically conserved organelle called the lipid droplet (LD). LDs can be formed at the endoplasmic reticulum, but mechanisms that regulate the formation of LDs are incompletely understood. Adipose tissue has a high capacity to form lipid droplets and store triglycerides.

The lipid droplet as a potential therapeutic target in NAFLD.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing problem worldwide. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is characterized by an abnormal accumulation of triglyceride-rich lipid droplets (LDs) in the liver, which can lead to liver inflammation and metabolic disturbances. Lipid droplets are dynamic organelles that have recently gained considerable scientific interest.

Host ethnicity and virus genotype shape the hepatitis B virus-specific T-cell repertoire.

Repertoire composition, quantity, and qualitative functional ability are the parameters that define virus-specific T-cell responses and are linked with their potential to control infection. We took advantage of the segregation of different hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in geographically and genetically distinct host populations to directly analyze the impact that host and virus variables exert on these virus-specific T-cell parameters. T-cell responses against the entire HBV proteome were analyzed in a total of 109 HBV-infected subjects of distinct ethnicities (47 of Chinese origin and 62 of Caucasian origin).

Understanding the immunopathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B virus: an Asian prospective.

The study of hepatitis B virus (HBV) immunity has been mainly focused on understanding the differences between subjects who are able to control HBV infection and patients with persistent infection. These studies have been instrumental in increasing our knowledge on the pathogenesis of the disease caused by HBV. However, it is possible that heterogeneity of host and virus factors which segregate in ethnically distinct HBV infected populations might modify important aspects of the immune response against HBV.