Cardiovascular Health Status in US Adults With Chronic Diseases: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2013-2018.

Background: Cardiovascular health (CVH) assessment may have important benefits for adults with chronic diseases to prevent incident cardiovascular disease and additional chronic conditions. Few studies have compared CVH in adults with chronic diseases and healthy adults without chronic disease using the American Heart Association's (AHA's) Life's Essential 8 (LE8) metrics.

Methods And Results: We used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2013 to 2018 to identify the presence of 16 chronic diseases by participant self-report of diagnosis.

Exploiting the DCAF16-SPIN4 interaction to identify DCAF16 ligands for PROTAC development.

Traditional small molecule drugs often target protein activity directly, but challenges arise when proteins lack suitable functional sites. An alternative approach is targeted protein degradation (TPD), which directs proteins to cellular machinery for proteolytic degradation. Recent studies have identified additional E3 ligases suitable for TPD, expanding the potential of this approach.

Associations of Neighborhood Food and Physical Activity Environments in Young Adulthood With Cardiovascular Health in Midlife: The CARDIA Study.

Background: Adults who maintain ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) profiles up to midlife have lower risk of several chronic diseases and better quality of life. Some evidence suggests that individual-level exposures earlier in life shape midlife CVH, but the impact of neighborhood-level exposures over the life course remains understudied.

Methods And Results: Participants were 3017 Black and White men and women aged 18 to 30 years at baseline (1985-1986), recruited from Birmingham, Alabama; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois; and Oakland, California, as part of the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study.

Risk of financial catastrophe for breast cancer patients in Nigeria: A retrospective analysis.

Introduction: Cancer imposes significant financial burden on patients in low and middle-income countries like Nigeria, where breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer and has the highest mortality. This study aims to investigate the financial burden of BC care at Lakeshore Cancer Center (LCC) in Nigeria and identify risk factors for financial catastrophe (FC).

Methods: LCC was queried for uninsured patients diagnosed with breast cancers between 2013 and 2023, linked to cost data through chart abstraction of billing data and adjusted to 2023 USD.

Work-Related Stress Is Associated With Unfavorable Cardiovascular Health: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background: Work-related stress is a psychosocial risk factor linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the association between work-related stress and cardiovascular health (CVH) is not well established. We estimated the association between work-related stress and CVH in a multiethnic sample of adults free of cardiovascular disease at baseline.

Clinical Features and Outcomes of Pediatric -Related Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Although genetic variants in are the most frequent cause of pediatric genetic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), there are no studies available describing this entity. We sought to describe clinical features, analyze variant location, and explore predictors of bad prognosis in pediatric -related DCM.

Methods And Results: We evaluated clinical records from 44 patients (24 men; median age at diagnosis, 0.

Adherence to Pediatric Screening.

Background: Preventive screenings in children encourage maintenance of optimal cardiovascular health, but gaps may exist between recommendations and clinical practice. We evaluated adherence to pediatric guidelines for universal age-based and risk-based screening for body mass index, blood pressure, lipids, and blood glucose.

Methods And Results: We used 2010 to 2018 ambulatory visit data from children aged 2 to 12 years within CAPRICORN (Chicago Area Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Network), an electronic health record network in Chicago.

Rate of Change in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Measures Is Associated With Death in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Identifying patients at risk of early death could allow for increased monitoring and more intensive therapy. Measures that associate with death could serve as surrogate outcomes in clinical trials.

Mind the Gap! Working Toward Gender Equity in Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease: Present and Future.

Evidence from medicine and other fields has shown that gender diversity results in better decision making and outcomes. The incoming workforce of congenital heart specialists (especially in pediatric cardiology) appears to be more gender balanced, but past studies have shown many inequities. Gender-associated differences in leadership positions, opportunities presented for academic advancement, and recognition for academic contributions to the field persist.

Social Determinants of Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Asian American Subgroups.

Background: Social determinants of health (SDOH) play a significant role in the development of cardiovascular risk factors. We investigated SDOH associations with cardiovascular risk factors among Asian American subgroups.

Methods And Results: We utilized the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative survey of US adults, years 2013 to 2018.

Correlates of Plasma NT-proBNP/Cyclic GMP Ratio in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: An Analysis of the RELAX Trial.

Background: Phosphodiesterases degrade cyclic GMP (cGMP), the second messenger that mediates the cardioprotective effects of natriuretic peptides. High natriuretic peptide/cGMP ratio may reflect, in part, phosphodiesterase activity. Correlates of natriuretic peptide/cGMP in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction are not well understood.

Associations of Circulating Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 and Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 With Long-Term Cardiac Function.

Background: Although VCAM-1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule-1) and ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule-1) have been associated with incident heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and atrial fibrillation (AF), the associations of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 with sensitive measures of cardiac structure/function are unclear. The objective of this study is to evaluate associations between VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and measures of cardiac structure and function as potential pathways through which cellular adhesion molecules promote HFpEF and AF risk.

Methods And Results: In MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis), we evaluated the associations of circulating VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 at examination 2 (2002-2004) with measures of cardiac structure/function on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at examination 5 (2010-2011) after multivariable adjustment.

Circulating Branched Chain Amino Acids and Cardiometabolic Disease.

Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) are essential for protein homeostasis, energy balance, and signaling pathways. Changes in BCAA homeostasis have emerged as pivotal contributors in the pathophysiology of several cardiometabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and heart failure. In this review, we provide a detailed overview of BCAA metabolism, focus on molecular mechanisms linking disrupted BCAA homeostasis with cardiometabolic disease, summarize the evidence from observational and interventional studies investigating associations between circulating BCAAs and cardiometabolic disease, and offer valuable insights into the potential for BCAA manipulation as a novel therapeutic strategy for cardiometabolic disease.

Consensus-Based Development of a Pediatric Echocardiography Complexity Score: Design, Rationale, and Results of a Quality Improvement Collaborative.

Background: The complexity of congenital heart disease has been primarily stratified on the basis of surgical technical difficulty, specific diagnoses, and associated outcomes. We report on the refinement and validation of a pediatric echocardiography complexity (PEC) score.

Methods And Results: The American College of Cardiology Quality Network assembled a panel from 12 centers to refine a previously published PEC score developed in a single institution.

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.