Assessing the impact of evolocumab on thin-cap fibroatheroma and endothelial function in patients with very high-risk atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The prevalence of very high-risk atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is significant in China, with suboptimal rates of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compliance exacerbating plaque instability and causing a higher incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) are effective in reducing LDL-C levels, increase the stability of vulnerable plaque, and influence the progression of atherosclerosis through multiple mechanisms as demonstrated in animal studies. However, there is currently a lack of evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of high-intensity statin therapy combined with PCSK9i in the secondary prevention of ASCVD in the Chinese population.

[Tympanic membrane repair using improved endoscopic ear canal flap dissection method].

To investigate the clinical value of tympanic membrane repairment with modified ear canal flap under endoscope. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 62 patients who underwent simple tympanic membrane perforation repair surgery in our hospital from August 2019 to January 2023. All patients were divided into two groups: 37 cases in the otoscopy group and 25 cases in the microscope group.

Effects of a coal to clean heating policy on acute myocardial infarction in Beijing: a difference-in-differences analysis.

Background: In 2015, the Chinese Government launched the coal to clean heating policy (CHP), designed to improve air quality and health in China. The CHP banned household coal burning and provided subsidies for clean electric or gas-powered heating for millions of peri-urban and rural households. We aimed to investigate whether the CHP affected the incidence of acute myocardial infarction in Beijing townships.

Cardiomyocyte-derived small extracellular vesicle: a new mechanism driving diabetic cardiac fibrosis and cardiomyopathy.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is one of the major diabetic cardiovascular complications in which fibrosis plays a critical pathogenetic role. However, the precise mechanisms by which diabetes triggers cardiac fibrosis in the heart remain elusive. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) play an important role in the cellular communication.

Key factors in epidemiological exposure and insights for environmental management: Evidence from meta-analysis.

In recent years, the precision of exposure assessment methods has been rapidly improved and more widely adopted in epidemiological studies. However, such methodological advancement has introduced additional heterogeneity among studies. The precision of exposure assessment has become a potential confounding factors in meta-analyses, whose impacts on effect calculation remain unclear.

Exercise may delay cognitive decline in Chinese older adults: a causal inference for ordered multi-categorical exposures with a Mendelian randomization approach.

The cognitive problems are prominent in the context of global aging, and the traditional Mendelian randomization method is not applicable to ordered multi-categorical exposures. Therefore, we aimed to address this issue through the development of a method and to investigate the causal inference of cognitive-related lifestyle factors. The study sample was derived from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, which included 897 older adults aged 65 + .

Independent Relationship of Lipoprotein(a) and Carotid Atherosclerosis With Long-Term Risk of Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is considered to be a causal risk factor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), but whether there is an independent or joint association of Lp(a) and atherosclerotic plaque with ASCVD risk remains uncertain. This study aims to assess ASCVD risk independently or jointly conferred by Lp(a) and carotid atherosclerotic plaque.

Methods And Results: A total of 5471 participants with no history of cardiovascular disease at baseline were recruited and followed up for ASCVD events (all fatal and nonfatal acute coronary and ischemic stroke events) over a median of 11.

Isolated Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Veins: A 10-Year Experience at a Single Center.

Introduction: Isolated partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection (PAPVC) is difficult to diagnose, and surgical indications remain controversial. We reviewed 10 y of isolated PAPVC cases.

Methods: The data of patients with isolated PAPVC admitted to the Anzhen Congenital Heart Disease Department from 2010 to 2019 were reviewed retrospectively.

Association between periodontal disease and coronary heart disease: A bibliometric analysis.

Background: Periodontal disease and coronary heart disease are both prevalent diseases worldwide and cause patients physical and mental suffering and a global burden. Recent studies have suggested a link between periodontal disease and coronary heart disease, but there is less research in this field from the perspective of bibliometrics.

Objective: This study aimed to quantitatively analyze the literature on periodontal disease and coronary heart disease to summarize intellectual bases, research hotspots, and emerging trends and pave the way for future research.

Scoring model based on cardiac CT and clinical factors to predict early good mitral valve repair in rheumatic mitral disease.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the mitral valve calcification and mitral structure detected by cardiac computed tomography (cardiac CT) and establish a scoring model based on cardiac CT and clinical factors to predict early good mitral valve repair (EGMR) and guide surgical strategy in rheumatic mitral disease (RMD).

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective bi-center cohort study. Based on cardiac CT, mitral valve calcification and mitral structure in RMD were quantified and evaluated.

Recent discoveries of the role of histone modifications and related inhibitors in pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is a common response of the heart to various pathological stimuli. In recent years, various histone modifications, including acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation and ubiquitination, have been identified to have crucial roles in regulating chromatin remodeling and cardiac hypertrophy. Novel drugs targeting these epigenetic changes have emerged as potential treatments for pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

Ultra-high-resolution mapping of ambient fine particulate matter to estimate human exposure in Beijing.

With the decreasing regional-transported levels, the health risk assessment derived from fine particulate matter (PM) has become insufficient to reflect the contribution of local source heterogeneity to the exposure differences. Here, we combined the both ultra-high-resolution PM concentration with population distribution to provide the personal daily PM internal dose considering the indoor/outdoor exposure difference. A 30-m PM assimilating method was developed fusing multiple auxiliary predictors, achieving higher accuracy (R = 0.

The association of SPARC with hypertension and its function in endothelial-dependent relaxation.

Background And Aims: Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is involved in the pathological processes of many metabolic diseases. However, studies on the relevance of SPARC to hypertension and its involvement in endothelial function are scarce. In this study, we aim to explore the relevance of SPARC to hypertension and investigate its role in endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR).

Nonoptimum Temperatures Are More Closely Associated With Fatal Myocardial Infarction Than With Nonfatal Events.

Background: Ambient temperatures trigger hospitalisation, mortality, and emergency department visits for myocardial infarction (MI). However, nonoptimum temperature-related risks of fatal and nonfatal MI have not yet been compared.

Methods: From 2007 to 2019, 416,894 MI events (233,071 fatal and 183,823 nonfatal) were identified in Beijing, China.

Associations between urban exposome and recurrence risk among survivors of acute myocardial infarction in Beijing, China.

Few previous studies have investigated the impacts of coexposure to multiple urban environmental factors on the prognosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) events. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between the urban exposome and AMI recurrence. We used data from 88,509 AMI patients from a large cohort obtained from the Beijing Cardiovascular Disease Surveillance System between 2013 and 2019.

Current perspective on biological properties of plasmacytoid dendritic cells and dysfunction in gut.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), a subtype of DC, possess unique developmental, morphological, and functional traits that have sparked much debate over the years whether they should be categorized as DCs. The digestive system has the greatest mucosal tissue overall, and the pDC therein is responsible for shaping the adaptive and innate immunity of the gastrointestinal tract, resisting pathogen invasion through generating type I interferons, presenting antigens, and participating in immunological responses. Therefore, its alleged importance in the gut has received a lot of attention in recent years, and a fresh functional overview is still required.

Impact of pre-ablation left appendage flow velocities on long term recurrence of catheter ablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Background: Despite undergoing a single ablation, many patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) experience a gradually increasing recurrence rate. This study aims to examine the relationship between left atrial appendage emptying velocity (LAAeV) and filling velocity (LAAfV) profiles and 3-year recurrence of AF after ablation.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study of 658 consecutive PAF patients who underwent their first ablation between January 2018 and December 2019.

Prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Chinese myocardial infarction survivors: A cross-sectional study.

Individuals with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are at increased risk for morbidity and mortality from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Although vaccinations should be a priority for individuals with high-risk CVDs, some may be hesitant to pursue such interventions. This cross-sectional study was designed to document the prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among myocardial infarction (MI) patients in China.