Baseline characteristics of patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction: The FINEARTS-HF trial.

Aims: To describe the baseline characteristics of participants in the FINEARTS-HF trial, contextualized with prior trials including patients with heart failure (HF) with mildly reduced and preserved ejection fraction (HFmrEF/HFpEF). The FINEARTS-HF trial is comparing the effects of the non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone with placebo in reducing cardiovascular death and total worsening HF events in patients with HFmrEF/HFpEF.

Methods And Results: Patients with symptomatic HF, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥40%, estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥ 25 ml/min/1.

Changes of the echocardiographic parameters in chronic heart failure patients with Ile337val, Glu23lys, and Ser1369ala polymorphisms of genes encoding the ATP-sensitive potassium channels subunits in the Ukrainian population.

Different allelic variants of genes that encode ATP-sensitive potassium (K ) channels' subunits may contribute to the development of heart failure. The purpose of the work to investigate SNPs in genes that encode K channels in relation to echocardiographic parameters in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. Ninety-nine people with CHF of ischemic origin with left ventricular systolic dysfunction were examined.

Optimization of heart rate lowering therapy in hospitalized patients with heart failure: Insights from the Optimize Heart Failure Care Program.

Background: Hospitalization is an opportunity to optimize heart failure (HF) therapy. As optimal treatment for hospitalized HF patients in sinus rhythm with heart rate≥70bpm is unclear, we investigated the impact of combined beta-blocker (BB) and ivabradine versus BBs alone on short and longer term mortality and rehospitalization.

Methods And Results: A retrospective analysis was performed on 370 hospitalized HF patients with heart rate≥70bpm (150 BB+ivabradine, 220 BB alone) in the Optimize Heart Failure Care Program in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, from October 2015 to April 2016.

[MRI morphometry of neuroplastic changes in the brain after conservative treatment of traumatic brachial plexopathy].

Aim: To identify neuroplastic changes in the brain structures during treatment of traumatic axonotomy of the brachial plexus (the pathology of peripheral nervous system).

Material And Methods: MRI morphometry of white and grey matter was studied in 62 patients with traumatic axonotomy of the brachial plexus.

Results: There were correlations between the thickness of sensorimotor cortex, morphometric parameters (volume, diffusion, fractional anisotropy) of subcortical formations (corticospinal tracts, the forceps minor), severity of neurological deficit and dynamics of clinical course depending on the therapeutic strategy.

[Early diagnosis of dementia with the help of MR-morphometry in patients with Parkinson's disease].

54 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease were examined. 1,5 Tesla MRI with T1 gradient-echo protocol and following calculating by FreeSurfer software was performed. Dementia was revealed in 23 patients.

[I/D angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism: structural changes in the myocardium and predictive value in chronic heart failure].

The article presents data regarding links of I/D angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism and structural changes in the myocardium and predictive value in chronic heart failure (CHF). We did not find association of I/D ACE gene polymorphism and structural changes in the myocardium and predictive value in patients with CHF, receiving treatment inhibitor ACE.

[Use of inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme and the beta-adrenoblocker metoprolol combined in treatment of chronic cardiac insufficiency].

Clinical-and-hemodynamic effects were studied of a supplementary use of a selective beta-adrenoblocker metoprolol in an ongoing therapy of chronic cardiac insufficiency (CCI) with inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACEI) and diuretics. It has been found out that long (over 8 weeks) course of therapy supplemented with metoprolol results in improvement of the left ventricular systolic function and lowering of the functional class. Long-term administration of metoprolol enhances tolerance to a graded physical exercise in CCI patients, which observation is accompanied by a more economic character of its performance.

[Clinical and instrumental predictors of survival in patients with chronic heart failure and intact systolic left ventricle function].

165 patients with clinically-manifested chronic heart failure (CHF) and preserved (ejection fraction--EF > 40%) left ventricular (LV) systolic function have been investigated. 135 of them have ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and high blood pressure, 8 patients are without IHD and 22 patients with normal blood pressure. 62 patients have chronic atrial fibrillation.

[The clinico-hemodynamic effects of losartan in treating patients with chronic heart failure].

Clinical and hemodynamic effects were studied of the blockader of AII receptors lozartan in patients with chronic cardiac insufficiency (ChCI). Inclusion of losartan into the conventional therapy of ChCI is accompanied by a lowering of the functional class in patients and improvement of haemodynamic maintenance of the physical exercise performance as evidenced by veloergometry. An 8-week's course of lozartan therapy leads also to a decrease in the anterior-posterior dimensions of the left auricle and an increase in the left ventricular ejection fraction in ChCI patients.

[The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in left ventricular dysfunction (the generalization of the experience of multicenter studies)].

The lecture highlights the results of a 10-yr experience gained with the clinical trial of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) in patients presenting with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) on an international multicentre basis. The results obtained and conclusions drawn from the above megatrial were employed in giving guidelines on ACEI use in a clinical setting in different categories of LVD patients.

[An evaluation of the role of paired loading tests in selecting the long-term drug therapy for patients with stable angina].

The examination of 208 patients with stable exercise-induced angina has demonstrated that the long-term (12 weeks and 12 months) antianginal effect can be predicted with a high accuracy from the results of acute pair exercise test using the drugs. The negative result of the test with verapamil is not informative due to the accumulation of its antianginal effect when the agent is used long. The long-term antianginal effect of nitrosorbide is determined not only by positive pair exercise test, but mainly by its dosage regimen during a day.

[Effect of various antianginal agents on the frequency and duration of myocardial ischemic episodes in patients with stable angina pectoris].

The effects of verapamil, nifedipine, propranolol, and combinations of nifedipine+propranolol and nifedipine+verapamil were studied in 60 patients with stable angina pectoris. Verapamil was found to have a pronounced antianginal activity against all types of myocardial ischemia, whereas nifedipine relieved mainly painful ischemic episodes. By the end of 12-week therapy with propranolol, the agent lost its antiischemic effect in a third of patients, which was accompanied by an increase in the number and severity of silent ischemic episodes.

[The significance of the ergometrine test for the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease and the choice of antianginal treatment].

A study of 68 patients showed that the ergometrine test is a rather informative method of the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease that supplements essentially the results of loading tests. The authors demonstrate the possibility of using the ergometrine test with the purpose of evaluating the effect of antianginal therapy.

[Anti-anginal effect of long-term use of obsidan, corinfar and finoptin in patients with stable exercise-induced stenocardia].

Time course changes in antianginal effect were evaluated for obsidan, corinfar and finoptin under 12-week administration in 104 patients with stable angina pectoris. The response to finoptin appeared to rise while for obsidan and corinfar it was stable. Some patients with stable angina developed clinical tolerance to corinfar.

[The efficacy of the long-term therapy of patients with stable stenocardia using korinfar and finoptin].

The authors evaluated the antianginal and hemodynamic effect of the combination of finoptin (80 mg) and corinfar (20 mg) in 52 patients with stable stenocardia. By the end of a three-month course of treatment the antianginal effect was marked in 49% of patients and this was related to reduced requirements of the myocardium in oxygen due to the peripheral hemodynamic effect of the agents and realization of the true coronary reserve under conditions of physical loading.

[Mechanisms of the anti-anginal effect of korinfar].

Some clinical, hemodynamic and biochemical parameters were studied in 25 patients with ischemic heart disease of II-III functional classes depending on the presence of the antianginal effect during paired loading pharmacodynamic tests with corinfar. The antianginal effect of corinfar was found to be associated with a marked growth of "double product" and the presence of a clinical symptom of adaptation. In patients with the lack of corinfar antianginal effect there were noted the adaptation symptom absence and a higher blood catecholamine level.

[Comparative analysis of the information value of electrocardiographic loading tests in relation to the characteristics of atherosclerotic lesions of the coronary arteries].

Diagnostic possibilities of various exercise tests (bicycle ergometry, the dipyridamole test, atrial electrostimulation) were demonstrated, as was a relationship between their sensitivity and the number of stenosed coronary arteries, the extent and level of obstruction, collateral circulation specificity and myocardial function.