Days at Home After Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair Versus Medical Therapy Alone in Heart Failure.

Background: Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair of the mitral valve (mTEER) reduced a hierarchical end point that included death and heart failure hospitalization in COAPT (Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients With Functional Mitral Regurgitation Trial). However, the magnitude to which mTEER increases the number of days a patient spends at home (DAH) in the first few years after treatment, a patient-centered end point not captured routinely in clinical trials, has not been evaluated. We compared 1- and 2-year DAH among patients with functional mitral regurgitation and heart failure randomized to mTEER plus medical therapy versus medical therapy alone (control) by linking the COAPT trial to comprehensive health care claims data.

Sex Differences in Protein Biomarkers and Measures of Fat Distribution.

Background: Sex differences in obesity and fat distribution may in part explain differences in cardiovascular risk in men versus women. We sought to examine sex differences in the associations of obesity and adiposity measures with cardiovascular disease-related protein biomarkers.

Methods And Results: In a cross-sectional observational cohort study, we examined whether the association of obesity (body mass index [BMI] and waist circumference) and adiposity measures (visceral adipose tissue) with biomarkers demonstrates effect modification by sex using multiplicative interaction terms in multivariable linear regression models.

Protein Biomarkers of Early Menopause and Incident Cardiovascular Disease.

Background Premature and early menopause are independently associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, mechanisms linking age of menopause with CVD remain poorly characterized. Methods and Results We measured 71 circulating CVD protein biomarkers in 1565 postmenopausal women enrolled in the FHS (Framingham Heart Study).