Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and the Pathogenesis of Intracranial Aneurysms: A Systematic Review on the Missing Link in a Complex Pathway.

Background: Aneurysms are one of the most common and yet devastating cerebrovascular diseases after rupture. Despite several decades of scientific advancements including the expansion of the endovascular capabilities and noninvasive imaging modalities, no medical treatment exists to date. This failure is likely largely attributed to the complex and multifactorial nature of aneurysm pathophysiology.

Implications of Tricuspid Regurgitation Severity in Patients Undergoing Mitral Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair.

Background: Prognostically meaningful tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is not well-defined in the mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair arena. We aimed to explore the prevalence, correlates, and consequences of TR grades and postprocedural trends in this setting.

Methods And Results: A single-center registry of isolated, first-time interventions was retrospectively assessed for pre-, intra-, and postprocedural aspects up to 1 year, of them the primary composite outcome of all-cause deaths or heart failure (HF) hospitalizations, all according to TR severity at baseline and at 1 month following mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair.

Patterns of Telehealth Visits After the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Individuals With or at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease in the United States.

Background: Prior studies have shown that cardiovascular disease (CVD) can be effectively managed through telehealth. However, there are little national data on the use of telehealth in people with CVD or CVD risk factors. We aimed to determine the prevalence of telehealth visits and visit modality (video versus audio-only) in people with CVD and CVD risk factors.

Evaluating the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Guideline-Recommended and Contemporary Pretest Probability Models in a Mixed Asian Cohort: The Contribution of Coronary Artery Calcium.

Background: Most pretest probability (PTP) tools for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) were Western -developed. The most appropriate PTP models and the contribution of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) in Asian populations remain unknown. In a mixed Asian cohort, we compare 5 PTP models: local assessment of the heart (LAH), CAD Consortium (CAD2), risk factor-weighted clinical likelihood, the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology and the European Society of Cardiology PTP and 3 extended versions of these models that incorporated CACS: LAH, CAD2, and the CACS-clinical likelihood.

Sex and Racial Disparities in Proportionate Mortality of Premature Myocardial Infarction in the United States: 1999 to 2020.

Background: The incidence of premature myocardial infarction (PMI) in women (<65 years and men <55 years) is increasing. We investigated proportionate mortality trends in PMI stratified by sex, race, and ethnicity.

Methods And Results: CDC WONDER (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) was queried to identify PMI deaths within the United States between 1999 and 2020, and trends in proportionate mortality of PMI were calculated using the Joinpoint regression analysis.

Percutaneous Microaxial Ventricular Assist Device Versus Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump for Nonacute Myocardial Infarction Cardiogenic Shock.

Background: Evidence on the comparative outcomes following percutaneous microaxial ventricular assist devices (pVAD) versus intra-aortic balloon pump for nonacute myocardial infarction cardiogenic shock is limited.

Methods And Results: We included 704 and 2140 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65 to 99 years treated with pVAD and intra-aortic balloon pump, respectively, for nonacute myocardial infarction cardiogenic shock from 2016 to 2020. Patients treated using pVAD compared with those treated using intra-aortic balloon pump were more likely to be concurrently treated with mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy, and blood transfusions.

Computed Tomography Angiography Characteristics of Thin-Cap Fibroatheroma in Patients With Diabetes.

Background: It was recently reported that thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) detected by optical coherence tomography was an independent predictor of future cardiac events in patients with diabetes. However, the clinical usefulness of this finding is limited by the invasive nature of optical coherence tomography. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) characteristics of TCFA have not been systematically studied.

Early Renal Denervation Attenuates Cardiac Dysfunction in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Background: The renal sympathetic nervous system modulates systemic blood pressure, cardiac performance, and renal function. Pathological increases in renal sympathetic nerve activity contribute to the pathogenesis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We investigated the effects of renal sympathetic denervation performed at early or late stages of HFpEF progression.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction.

Coronary microvascular dysfunction is an underdiagnosed pathologic process that is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. There are data to suggest that coronary microvascular dysfunction, in some cases, may be genetically determined. We present an updated review of single nucleotide polymorphisms in coronary microvascular dysfunction.

Simplified Approach to Predicting Obstructive Coronary Disease With Integration of Coronary Calcium: Development and External Validation.

Background: The Diamond-Forrester model was used extensively to predict obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) but overestimates probability in current populations. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is a useful marker of CAD, which is not routinely integrated with other features. We derived simple likelihood tables, integrating CAC with age, sex, and cardiac chest pain to predict obstructive CAD.

Life's Essential 8 and Incident Hypertension Among US Hispanic/Latino Adults: Results From the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

Background: Life's Essential 8 (LE8) is a new metric to define cardiovascular health. We aimed to describe LE8 among Hispanics/Latinos and its association with incident hypertension.

Methods And Results: The HCHS/SOL (Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos) is a study of Hispanic/Latino adults aged 18 to 74 years from 4 US communities.

Delayed Diagnosis in Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: Associated Factors and Clinical Outcomes.

Background Identifying factors associated with delayed diagnosis of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) can inform future strategies for early detection. Methods and Results We conducted a retrospective cohort study including all participants from ACTION-CVT (Anticoagulation in the Treatment of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis) study who had dates of neurologic symptom onset and CVT diagnosis available. Delayed diagnosis was defined as CVT diagnosis occurring in the fourth (final) quartile of days from symptom onset.

Opportunistic CT Screening-Machine Learning Algorithm Identifies Majority of Vertebral Compression Fractures: A Cohort Study.

Vertebral compression fractures (VCF) are common in patients older than 50 years but are often undiagnosed. Zebra Medical Imaging developed a VCF detection algorithm, with machine learning, to detect VCFs from CT images of the chest and/or abdomen/pelvis. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of the algorithm in identifying VCF.

Evolving Management of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol: A Personalized Approach to Preventing Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Across the Risk Continuum.

Management of elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is central to preventing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and key to reducing the risk of ASCVD events. Current guidelines on the management of blood cholesterol recommend statins as first-line therapy for LDL-C reduction according to an individual's ASCVD risk and baseline LDL-C levels. The addition of nonstatin lipid-lowering therapy to statins to achieve intensive LDL-C lowering is recommended for patients at very high risk of ASCVD events, including patients with familial hypercholesterolemia who have not achieved adequate LDL-C lowering with statins alone.

Repeat Mitral Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair for Recurrent Significant Mitral Regurgitation.

Background There are limited data on repeat mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair for recurrent significant mitral regurgitation (MR). Methods and Results We conducted a single-center, retrospective analysis of consecutive patients referred to a second mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair after a technically successful first procedure. Clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic measures were assessed up to 1 year after the intervention.

Family History of Modifiable Risk Factors and Association With Future Cardiovascular Disease.

Background A parental history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) confers greater risk of future CVD among offspring. Whether the presence of parental modifiable risk factors contribute to or modify CVD risk in offspring is unclear. Methods and Results We studied 6278 parent-child trios in the multigenerational longitudinal Framingham Heart Study.