Efficacy and Safety of Sacubitril/Valsartan in Chronic Type B Aortic Dissection Combined With Mild Hypertension.

Background: Optimal antihypertensive medication for chronic type B aortic dissection (AD) remains undecided. This study compared the efficacy and safety of sacubitril/valsartan with valsartan to determine suitable antihypertensive drug combinations.

Methods: In this single-center, open-label, randomized, controlled trial, patients with chronic Stanford type B AD and mild hypertension were randomized to receive sacubitril/valsartan 100/200 mg or valsartan 80/160 mg.

The association between serum uric acid / serum creatinine ratio and in-hospital outcomes in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: The role of Serum uric acid (SUA) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was controversial, which might be influenced by the renal clearance function of the patients. The present study aimed to explore the association between serum uric acid to serum creatinine ratio (SUA/Scr), reflecting a net production of SUA, and the in-hospital outcomes of elderly patients with AMI.

Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 330 elderly AMI patients (≥ 75 years) were enrolled.

Protocol for the PORT study: short-term perioperative rehabilitation to improve outcomes in cardiac valvular surgery - a randomised control trial.

Introduction: Perioperative rehabilitation (PORT) has shown a positive effect on patients undergoing cardiac surgery. However, there are minimal data on the impact of short-term PORT in cardiac surgery, which is associated with higher postoperative morbidity and mortality. The trial will assess the efficacy of short-term PORT in reducing in-hospital mortality, postoperative pulmonary complications and length of stay, compared with the usual care in cardiac surgical patients.

The Prognostic Significance of Chronic Kidney Disease on the All-Cause Death of Ischemic Heart Failure in the Chinese Population: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Our team tried to explore the impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on all-cause death among ischemic heart failure (IHF) patients.

Methods: From December 2015 to June 2019, IHF patients were continuously recruited in the Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital. Participants were tracked through telephone interviews until October 15, 2020, or until the clinical endpoints appeared.

Gene expression profile of THZ1-treated nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines indicates its involvement in the inhibition of the cell cycle.

Background: The aim of this study was to identify downstream target genes and pathways regulated by THZ1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: The gene expression profile of GSE95750 in two NPC cell lines, untreated group and treated with THZ1 group, was analyzed. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were compared using the R-software.

Association Between Stress Hyperglycemia Ratio and In-hospital Outcomes in Elderly Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Emerging evidence suggests that stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR), an index of relative stress hyperglycemia, is of great prognostic value in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but current evidence is limited in elderly patients. In this study, we aimed to assess whether SHR is associated with in-hospital outcomes in elderly patients with AMI. In this retrospective study, patients who were aged over 75 years and diagnosed with AMI were consecutively enrolled from 2015, January 1st to 2019, December 31th.

Shock Index-C: An Updated and Simple Risk-Stratifying Tool in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Shock index (heart rate/systolic blood pressure, SI) is a simple scale with prognostic value in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The present study introduces an updated version of SI that includes renal function. A total of 1,851 consecutive patients with STEMI undergoing PCI were retrospectively included at Cardiac Care Unit in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital and divided into two groups according to their admission time: derivation database (from January 2010 to December 2013, = 1,145) and validation database (from January 2014 to April 2016, = 706).

Stress Induced Hyperglycemia in the Context of Acute Coronary Syndrome: Definitions, Interventions, and Underlying Mechanisms.

Elevation of glucose level in response to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has been recognized as stress induced hyperglycemia (SIH). Plenty of clinical studies have documented that SIH occurs very common in patients hospitalized with ACS, even in those without previously known diabetes mellitus. The association between elevated blood glucose levels with adverse outcome in the ACS setting is well-established.

Genetic analysis using targeted next-generation sequencing of sporadic Chinese patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background: Inherited dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) contributes to approximately 25% of idiopathic DCM cases, and the proportion is even higher in familial DCM patients. Most studies have focused on familial DCM, whereas the genetic profile of sporadic DCM in Chinese patients remains unknown.

Methods: Between June 2018 and September 2019, 24 patients diagnosed with idiopathic DCM without a family history were included in the present study.

Association of anaemia and all-cause mortality in patients with ischaemic heart failure varies by renal function status.

Aims: The aims of the current study were to evaluate the association between anaemia and all-cause mortality according to chronic kidney disease (CKD) status and to explore at what level of haemoglobin concentration would the all-cause mortality risk increase prominently among CKD and non-CKD patients, respectively.

Methods And Results: This is a prospective cohort study, and 1559 patients with ischaemic heart failure (IHF) were included (mean age of 63.5 ± 11.

Identification of Biomarkers Related to Atrial Fibrillation With Mitral Regurgitation.

Background: We aimed to explore the biomarkers associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) with mitral regurgitation (MR).

Methods: The gene expression profile data GSE115574 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database, which were obtained from patients with degenerative MR with AF and sinus rhythm (SR). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in samples of AF with MR compared with those of SR with MR were selected, followed by functional enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, transcription factor (TF) prediction, and drug-gene interaction prediction.

The role of the plasma glycosylated hemoglobin A1c/Apolipoprotein A-l ratio in predicting cardiovascular outcomes in acute coronary syndrome.

Background And Aims: Glucose and lipid metabolism are major prognostic indicators of coronary heart disease. The ratio of plasma glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) to apolipoprotein A-l (ApoA-l) is an indirect measure of insulin resistance. The study aimed to evaluate whether the HbA1c/ApoA-1 ratio can predict the prognosis in patients with the acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Lnc-Ang362 is a pro-fibrotic long non-coding RNA promoting cardiac fibrosis after myocardial infarction by suppressing Smad7.

Background: Cardiac fibrosis following myocardial infarction (MI) leads to cardiac remodeling and dysfunction. Dysregulation of Smad7 which negatively regulates the profibrotic transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)/Smad signaling promotes cardiac fibrosis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying TGF-β1/Smad7 dysregulation remain elusive.

Corrigendum to "Cardiac rehabilitation improved oxygen uptake measured by cardiopulmonary exercise test in patients after aortic valve surgery" (Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2019, 20(1):47-52).

The support statement for Song F. et al., "Cardiac rehabilitation improved oxygen uptake measured by cardiopulmonary exercise test in patients after aortic valve surgery" Rev.

Coronary heart disease and intestinal microbiota.

Changes in human body systems influence metabolism and may cause disease. The intestinal microbiota influence health and is itself influenced by factors including diet and drugs. Investigation of the relationship of the intestinal microbiota and chronic conditions like coronary heart disease (CHD) has been facilitated by advances in sequencing technology.

Cardiac rehabilitation improved oxygen uptake measured by cardiopulmonary exercise test in patients after aortic valve surgery.

Evidence for cardiac rehabilitation after valve surgery remains scarce. We retrospectively enrolled consecutive patients undergoing aortic valve surgery. The intervention group consisted of physical exercise for 3 months after surgery, while the control group underwent usual care without physical exercise.

LncRNA CRNDE regulates the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells.

Restenosis after angioplasty or stent is a major clinical problem. While long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are implicated in a variety of diseases, their role in restenosis is not well understood. This study aims to investigate how dysregulated lncRNAs and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) contribute to restenosis.

Association between Contrast Media Volume and 1-Year Clinical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography.

Background: The excess volume of contrast media (CM) is a marker of a more severe coronary culprit lesion and longer intervention duration in patients undergoing cardiac procedures. However, it is unclear whether the contrast volume is directly correlated with worse clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between contrast dose and the incidence of 1-year major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and all-cause bleeding events in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography (CAG).

Atorvastatin protects against contrast-induced nephropathy via anti-apoptosis by the upregulation of Hsp27 in vivo and in vitro.

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is an iatrogenic acute renal failure occurring following the intravascular injection of iodinated radiographic contrast medium. However, the regulatory mechanisms for CIN remain to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate whether atorvastatin protects against CIN via anti‑apoptotic effects by the upregulation of Hsp27 in vivo and in vitro.

Atorvastatin attenuates contrast-induced nephropathy by modulating inflammatory responses through the regulation of JNK/p38/Hsp27 expression.

This study aimed to investigate whether atorvastatin reduce the contrast-induced nephropathy inflammatory response and apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells and the relationship with MAPK signaling pathway. We utilized the iopamidol-induced contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) rat model which was induced by a single dose of iopamidol (2.9 g iodine/kg) and a cell model in which human embryonic proximal tubular (HK2) cells were treated with iopamidol.

Rapid atrial pacing induces myocardial fibrosis by down-regulating Smad7 via microRNA-21 in rabbit.

Tachycardia-induced atrial fibrosis is a hallmark of the structural remodeling of atrial fibrillation (AF). The mechanisms underlying tachycardia-induced atrial fibrosis remain unclear. In our previous study, we found that Smad7-downregulation promoted the development of atrial fibrosis in AF.

Atorvastatin Ameliorates Radiation-Induced Cardiac Fibrosis in Rats.

Radiation-induced heart injury is one of the major side effects of radiotherapy for thoracic malignancies. Previous studies have shown that radiotherapy induced myocardial fibrosis and intensified myocardial remodeling. In this study, we investigated whether atorvastatin could inhibit radiation-induced heart fibrosis in Sprague-Dawley rats, which were randomly divided into six groups: control; radiation only; and four treatment groups receiving atorvastatin plus radiation (E1, E2, E3 and E4).

NAT1 polymorphisms and cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To investigate the association between the N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) slow and rapid acetylation phenotypes with cancer risk based on a meta-analysis.

Methods: Previously published case-control studies were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined to assess the relationship between NAT1 polymorphisms and cancer risk.