Proenkephalin improves cardio-renal risk prediction in acute coronary syndromes: the KID-ACS score.

Background And Aims: Circulating proenkephalin (PENK) is a stable endogenous polypeptide with fast response to glomerular dysfunction and tubular damage. This study examined the predictive value of PENK for renal outcomes and mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods: Proenkephalin was measured in plasma in a prospective multicentre ACS cohort from Switzerland (n = 4787) and in validation cohorts from the UK (n = 1141), Czechia (n = 927), and Germany (n = 220).

Blood pressure behavior during exercise in patients with diastolic dysfunction and a hypertensive response to exercise.

A hypertensive response to exercise is a precursor leading to hypertension, which is a major risk factor for the development of heart failure and diastolic dysfunction. Herein, we aimed to assess blood pressure (BP) in patients with a hypertensive response to exercise and different degrees of diastolic dysfunction. Between January 2009 and December 2014, 373 patients with a hypertensive response to exercise (HRE) and echocardiographic data assessing diastolic function were enrolled at the University Hospital of Zurich.

Long-term outcomes after echocardiography versus fluoroscopy-guided left atrial appendage closure: Is there still a role for a simplified approach?

Background: Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) represents an alternative to oral anticoagulation for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). While transoesophageal echocardiography is the current standard for guiding LAAC procedures, several centers have employed fluoroscopic guidance alone. However, data on long-term outcomes are lacking.

Effect of a Hypertensive Response During Exercise on Growth Rates of Aortic Diameters.

Background: Aortic diameters are related to age, sex, and body size. There is a scarcity of data on the long-term sequelae of a hypertensive response to exercise (HRE) on aortic diameters. In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the growth rates of the aorta in individuals with a HRE.

A CircRNA-miRNA-mRNA Network for Exploring Doxorubicin- and Myocet-Induced Cardiotoxicity in a Translational Porcine Model.

Despite the widespread use of doxorubicin (DOX) as a chemotherapeutic agent, its severe cumulative cardiotoxicity represents a significant limitation. While the liposomal encapsulation of doxorubicin (Myocet, MYO) reduces cardiotoxicity, it is crucial to understand the molecular background of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Here, we examined circular RNA expression in a translational model of pigs treated with either DOX or MYO and its potential impact on the global gene expression pattern in the myocardium.

Effect of monovalent COVID-19 vaccines on viral interference between SARS-CoV-2 and several DNA viruses in patients with long-COVID syndrome.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation may be involved in long-COVID symptoms, but reactivation of other viruses as a factor has received less attention. Here we evaluated the reactivation of parvovirus-B19 and several members of the Herpesviridae family (DNA viruses) in patients with long-COVID syndrome. We hypothesized that monovalent COVID-19 vaccines inhibit viral interference between SARS-CoV-2 and several DNA viruses in patients with long-COVID syndrome, thereby reducing clinical symptoms.

Is spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) related to local anatomy and hemodynamics? An exploratory study.

Aims: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an increasingly diagnosed cause of myocardial infarction with unclear pathophysiology. The aim of the study was to test if vascular segments site of SCAD present distinctive local anatomy and hemodynamic profiles.

Methods: Coronary arteries with spontaneously healed SCAD (confirmed by follow-up angiography) underwent three-dimensional reconstruction, morphometric analysis with definition of vessel local curvature and torsion, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations with derivation of time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS) and topological shear variation index (TSVI).

Toll-Like Receptor 3 Mediates Aortic Stenosis Through a Conserved Mechanism of Calcification.

Background: Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is characterized by a phenotypic switch of valvular interstitial cells to bone-forming cells. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are evolutionarily conserved pattern recognition receptors at the interface between innate immunity and tissue repair. Type I interferons (IFNs) are not only crucial for an adequate antiviral response but also implicated in bone formation.

Effectiveness of radiation protection systems in the cardiac catheterization laboratory: a comparative study.

Background: As numbers and complexity of percutaneous coronary interventions are constantly increasing, optimal radiation protection is required to ensure operator safety. Suspended radiation protection systems (SRPS) and protective scatter-radiation absorbing drapes (PAD) are novel methods to mitigate fluoroscopic scattered radiation exposure. The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness regarding radiation protection of a SRPS and a PAD in comparison with conventional protection.

[Takotsubo syndrome].

TTS is an acute heart failure syndrome that usually affects postmenopausal women. The Syndrome is often preceded by an emotional or physical trigger. TTS strongly resembles acute myocardial infarction from a clinical standpoint and also exhibits ECG changes in the same proportion.

Cardiac Shockwave Therapy - A Novel Therapy for Ischemic Cardiomyopathy?

Over the past decades, shockwave therapy (SWT) has gained increasing interest as a therapeutic approach for regenerative medicine applications, such as healing of bone fractures and wounds. More recently, pre-clinical studies have elucidated potential mechanisms for the regenerative effects of SWT in myocardial ischemia. The mechanical stimulus of SWT may induce regenerative effects in ischemic tissue growth factor release, modulation of inflammatory response, and angiogenesis.

Lockdown surgery: the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 measures on cardiac cases.

Objectives: The need to ration medical equipment and interventions during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic translated to an ever-lengthening wait list for surgical care. Retrospective analysis of lockdowns is of high importance to learn from the current situation for future pandemics. This monocentric study assessed the impact of lockdown periods on cardiac surgery cases and outcomes.

Athletes and Hypertension.

Purpose Of Review: We reviewed most current medical literature in order to describe the epidemiology, clinical manifestation, outcome, and management of hypertension in athletes.

Recent Findings: An estimated quarter of the world's population is suffering from hypertension and this prevalence is also reflected in athletes and in individuals involved in leisure time sport activities. Several studies found an inverse relationship between physical activity and blood pressure.

Alternative Splicing in Cardiovascular Disease-A Survey of Recent Findings.

Alternative splicing, a driver of posttranscriptional variance, differs from canonical splicing by arranging the introns and exons of an immature pre-mRNA transcript in a multitude of different ways. Although alternative splicing was discovered almost half a century ago, estimates of the proportion of genes that undergo alternative splicing have risen drastically over the last two decades. Deep sequencing methods and novel bioinformatic algorithms have led to new insights into the prevalence of spliced variants, tissue-specific splicing patterns and the significance of alternative splicing in development and disease.

Non-Coding RNAs in Stem Cell Regulation and Cardiac Regeneration: Current Problems and Future Perspectives.

Although advances in rapid revascularization strategies following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have led to improved short and long-term outcomes, the associated loss of cardiomyocytes and the subsequent remodeling result in an impaired ventricular function that can lead to heart failure or death. The poor regenerative capacity of the myocardium and the current lack of effective regenerative therapies have driven stem cell research in search of a possible solution. One approach involves the delivery of stem cells to the site of injury in order to stimulate repair response.

A Standardized Murine Model of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy Induced Soft Tissue Regeneration.

Shockwave therapy (SWT) shows promising regenerative effects in several different tissues. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Angiogenesis, a process of new blood vessel formation is a leading driver of regeneration in softer tissues as well as a recently discovered effect of SWT.