Management of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients With COVID-19 and Chronic Chagas Disease: Implications to Prevent a Scourge Still Larger.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in the general population. Because the high prevalence of COVID-19 and chronic Chagas disease (CCD) where the latter is endemic, all such diseases will likely be observed in the same patient. While COVID-19 can provoke generalized endotheliitis, which can lead to a cytokine storm and a hyper-coagulable state culminating into in-site and at a distance thrombosis.

Undernutrition and Cachexia in Patients with Decompensated Heart Failure and Chagas Cardiomyopathy: Occurrence and Association with Hospital Outcomes.

Background: Nutritional disorders are common among patients with heart failure (HF) and associated with poor prognosis. Importantly, some populations of patients, like the ones with Chagas disease, are frequently excluded from most analyses.

Objective: We sought to study the occurrence of undernutrition and cachexia in patients with Chagas disease during episodes of decompensated HF (DHF) as compared to other etiologies, and to investigate the influence of these findings on hospital outcomes.

The course of patients with Chagas heart disease during episodes of decompensated heart failure.

Aims: This study aimed to analyse the clinical presentation and prognosis of patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy and decompensated heart failure (HF), as compared with other aetiologies.

Methods And Results: A prospective cohort of patients admitted with decompensated HF. We included 767 patients (63.

Exhaled breath acetone for predicting cardiac and overall mortality in chronic heart failure patients.

Aims: Exhaled breath acetone (EBA) has been described as a new biomarker of heart failure (HF) diagnosis. EBA concentration increases according to severity of HF and is associated with poor prognosis, especially in acute decompensated HF. However, there are no data on chronic HF patients.

Prognosis and risk stratification in patients with decompensated heart failure receiving inotropic therapy.

Objectives: The prognostic significance of transient use of inotropes has been sufficiently studied in recent heart failure (HF) populations. We hypothesised that risk stratification in these patients could contribute to patient selection for advanced therapies.

Methods: We analysed a prospective cohort of adult patients admitted with decompensated HF and ejection fraction (left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)) less than 50%.

Thromboembolic findings in patients with heart failure at autopsy.

Background: The risk of thromboembolic events is increased in patients with heart failure (HF); however, few studies have reported thromboembolic findings in HF patients who have undergone autopsy.

Methods And Results: We reviewed 1457 autopsies (January 2000/July 2006) and selected 595 patients with HF. We studied the occurrence of thromboembolic events in patients' autopsy reports.

Carvedilol for Prevention of Chemotherapy-Related Cardiotoxicity: The CECCY Trial.

Background: Anthracycline (ANT) chemotherapy is associated with cardiotoxicity. Prevention with β-blockers remains controversial.

Objectives: This prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study sought to evaluate the role of carvedilol in preventing ANT cardiotoxicity.

Clinical findings and prognosis of patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure: Analysis of the influence of Chagas etiology and ventricular function.

Aims: Explore the association between clinical findings and prognosis in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and analyze the influence of etiology on clinical presentation and prognosis.

Methods And Results: Prospective cohort of 500 patients admitted with ADHF from Aug/2013-Feb/2016; patients were predominantly male (61.8%), median age was 58 (IQ25-75% 47-66 years); etiology was dilated cardiomyopathy in 141 (28.

Chronic Chagas Heart Disease Management: From Etiology to Cardiomyopathy Treatment.

Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) infection is endemic in Latin America and is becoming a worldwide health burden. It may lead to heterogeneous phenotypes.

Diagnostic discrepancies in clinical practice: An autopsy study in patients with heart failure.

Autopsies are the gold standard for diagnostic accuracy; however, no recent study has analyzed autopsies in heart failure (HF).We reviewed 1241 autopsies (January 2000-May 2005) and selected 232 patients with HF. Clinical and autopsy diagnoses were analyzed and discrepancies categorized according to their importance regarding therapy and prognosis.

Circulating miR-1 as a potential biomarker of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients.

Cardiotoxicity is associated with the chronic use of doxorubicin leading to cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Identification of cardiotoxicity-specific miRNA biomarkers could provide clinicians with a valuable prognostic tool. The aim of the study was to evaluate circulating levels of miRNAs in breast cancer patients receiving doxorubicin treatment and to correlate with cardiac function.

Impact of Exhaled Breath Acetone in the Prognosis of Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF). One Year of Clinical Follow-up.

Background: The identification of new biomarkers of heart failure (HF) could help in its treatment. Previously, our group studied 89 patients with HF and showed that exhaled breath acetone (EBA) is a new noninvasive biomarker of HF diagnosis. However, there is no data about the relevance of EBA as a biomarker of prognosis.

Reverse auction: a potential strategy for reduction of pharmacological therapy cost.

Background: Polypharmacy is a significant economic burden.

Objective: We tested whether using reverse auction (RA) as compared with commercial pharmacy (CP) to purchase medicine results in lower pharmaceutical costs for heart failure (HF) and heart transplantation (HT) outpatients.

Methods: We compared the costs via RA versus CP in 808 HF and 147 HT patients followed from 2009 through 2011, and evaluated the influence of clinical and demographic variables on cost.

Exercise training improves ambulatory blood pressure but not arterial stiffness in heart transplant recipients.

Background: Hypertension is the most prevalent comorbidity after heart transplantation (HT). Exercise training (ET) is widely recommended as a key non-pharmacologic intervention for the prevention and management of hypertension, but its effects on ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) and some mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of hypertension have not been studied in this population. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ET on ABP and arterial stiffness of HT recipients.

Case series of infective endocarditis caused by Granulicatella species.

Background: Nutritionally variant streptococci (NVS) are Gram-positive cocci characterized by their dependence on pyridoxal or cysteine supplementation for growth in standard blood culture media. They are responsible for severe infections in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed hosts, including infective endocarditis (IE). NVS have been divided into two different genera, Granulicatella and Abiotrophia.