2024 European Heart Rhythm Association/Heart Rhythm Society/Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society/Latin American Heart Rhythm Society expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation.

In the last three decades, ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has become an evidence-based safe and efficacious treatment for managing the most common cardiac arrhythmia. In 2007, the first joint expert consensus document was issued, guiding healthcare professionals involved in catheter or surgical AF ablation. Mounting research evidence and technological advances have resulted in a rapidly changing landscape in the field of catheter and surgical AF ablation, thus stressing the need for regularly updated versions of this partnership which were issued in 2012 and 2017.

Life's Essential 8 Cardiovascular Health Score and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in the Community.

Background: The relation of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) to lifestyle behaviors and factors linked with cardiovascular health remains unclear. We aimed to understand how the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score (and its changes over time) relate to CRF and complementary exercise measures in community-dwelling adults.

Methods And Results: Framingham Heart Study (FHS) participants underwent maximum effort cardiopulmonary exercise testing for direct quantification of peak oxygen uptake (V̇O).

Comprehensive Review of Tenecteplase for Thrombolysis in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Although intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase remains the primary treatment for acute ischemic stroke, tenecteplase has shown potential advantages over alteplase. Animal studies have demonstrated the favorable pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of tenecteplase. Moreover, it is easier to administer.

Elevated Plasma Levels of Ketone Bodies Are Associated With All-Cause Mortality and Incidence of Heart Failure in Older Adults: The CHS.

Background Chronic disease, such as heart failure, influences cellular metabolism and shapes circulating metabolites. The relationships between key energy metabolites and chronic diseases in aging are not well understood. This study aims to determine the relationship between main components of energy metabolism with all-cause mortality and incident heart failure.

NT-proBNP and All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality in US Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) is strongly associated with mortality in patients with heart failure. Prior studies, primarily in middle-aged and older populations, have suggested that NT-proBNP has prognostic value in ambulatory adults. Methods and Results We conducted a prospective cohort analysis of adults, aged ≥20 years, in the nationally representative 1999 to 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, to characterize the association of NT-proBNP with mortality in the general US adult population overall and by age, race and ethnicity, and body mass index.

Social Determinants, Blood Pressure Control, and Racial Inequities in Childbearing Age Women With Hypertension, 2001 to 2018.

Background Hypertension is an important modifiable risk factor of serious maternal morbidity and mortality. Social determinants of health (SDoH) influence hypertension outcomes and may contribute to racial and ethnic differences in hypertension control. Our objective was to assess SDoH and blood pressure (BP) control by race and ethnicity in US women of childbearing age with hypertension.

Effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet on Change in Cardiac Biomarkers Over Time: Results From the DASH-Sodium Trial.

Background The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet has been shown to reduce biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. We aimed to characterize the time course of change in biomarkers of cardiac injury (high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I), cardiac strain (NT-proBNP [N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide]), and inflammation (hs-CRP [high-sensitivity C-reactive protein]) while consuming the DASH diet. Methods and Results The DASH-Sodium trial was a randomized controlled trial of 412 adults with elevated blood pressure or hypertension.

Predicting Arterial Thrombotic Events Following Peripheral Revascularization Using Objective Viscoelastic Data.

Background Peripheral artery disease is endemic in our globally aging population, with >200 million affected worldwide. Graft/stent thrombosis after revascularization is common and frequently results in amputation, major adverse cardiovascular events, and cardiovascular mortality. Optimizing medications to decrease thrombosis is of paramount importance; however, limited guidance exists on how to use and monitor antithrombotic therapy in this heterogeneous population.

Cross-Sectional Relationships of Proximal Aortic Stiffness and Left Ventricular Diastolic Function in Adults in the Community.

Background Stiffness of the proximal aorta may play a critical role in adverse left ventricular (LV)-vascular interactions and associated LV diastolic dysfunction. In a community-based sample, we sought to determine the association between proximal aortic stiffness measured by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and several clinical measures of LV diastolic mechanics. Methods and Results Framingham Heart Study Offspring adults (n=1502 participants, mean 67±9 years, 54% women) with available 1.

Heterogeneity in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Prevalence Among White, African American, African Immigrant, and Afro-Caribbean Adults: Insights From the 2010-2018 National Health Interview Survey.

Background In the United States, Black adults have higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors than White adults. However, it is unclear how CVD risk factors compare between Black ethnic subgroups, including African Americans (AAs), African immigrants (AIs), and Afro-Caribbeans, and White people. Our objective was to examine trends in CVD risk factors among 3 Black ethnic subgroups and White adults between 2010 and 2018.

Normalization of wall shear stress as a physiological mechanism for regulating maternal uterine artery expansive remodeling during pregnancy.

Outward remodeling of the maternal uterine circulation during pregnancy is essential for normal uteroplacental perfusion and pregnancy outcome. The physiological mechanism by which this process is regulated is unknown; we hypothesized that it involved the normalization of wall shear stress (WSS). Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats underwent unilateral ligation of the main uterine artery and vein at the cervical end of the uterus on gestational day 10, thus restricting inflow/outflow of blood into that uterine horn to a single point at the ovarian end; the contralateral sham-operated side provided an internal control.

Pulmonary embolism in pregnancy with COVID-19 infection: A case report.

Pregnant women in the third trimester are at the highest risk. Contracting COVID-19 increases the complications. Hence, it is critical for pregnant women, especially during the third trimester, with slightest COVID-19 symptoms to visit as soon as possible.

Death due to COVID-19 in a patient with diabetes, epilepsy, and gout comorbidities.

There is evidence of increased incidence, rapid progression, and poor prognosis of COVID-19 in patients with underlying comorbidities such as diabetes and epilepsy. Developing effective treatment regimens for COVID-19 patients with multiple comorbidities is crucial, as patients' past medical history is an essential contributor to possible organ injuries in COVID-19 patients. Herein, we report a confirmed case of COVID-19 patient with a history of multiple underlying diseases, including diabetes, epilepsy, and gout.

Deficiency of miR-208a Exacerbates CCl-Induced Acute Liver Injury in Mice by Activating Cell Death Pathways.

Acute liver injury (ALI) is associated with multiple cellular events such as necrosis, apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation, which can lead to liver failure. In this study, we demonstrate a new role of microRNA (miR)-208a in ALI. ALI was induced in wild-type (WT) and miR-208a knockout (KO) mice by CCl administration.

The Selective Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Modulator CHS-131 Improves Liver Histopathology and Metabolism in a Mouse Model of Obesity and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.

CHS-131 is a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma modulator with antidiabetic effects and less fluid retention and weight gain compared to thiazolidinediones in phase II clinical trials. We investigated the effects of CHS-131 on metabolic parameters and liver histopathology in a diet-induced obese (DIO) and biopsy-confirmed mouse model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Male C57BL/6JRj mice were fed the amylin liver NASH diet (40% fat with trans-fat, 20% fructose, and 2% cholesterol).

Study of alteplase for respiratory failure in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2/COVID-19: Study design of the phase IIa STARS trial.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a large surge of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Prior phase I trials (non-COVID-19) demonstrated improvement in pulmonary function in patients ARDS using fibrinolytic therapy. A follow-up trial using the widely available tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) alteplase is now needed to assess optimal dosing and safety in this critically ill patient population.