Elucidating the Causal Link Between Treg-Related Immune Traits and Atherosclerosis-Related Cardiovascular Diseases: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomisation Analysis.

Aim: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a crucial role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. However, the specific association between Treg immune traits and atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular diseases remains unclear, impeding their potential for clinical therapeutic application.

Method: Fifty-eight Treg-related immune traits were obtained from the latest summary level genome-wide association study, which included 3,757 individuals from Sardinia.

Aspirin versus Clopidogrel monotherapy beyond 1 month after complex percutaneous coronary intervention: A pre-specified subgroup analysis of the STOPDAPT-3 trial.

Aims: There were no previous studies comparing aspirin versus P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy following short dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods And Results: We conducted a prespecified subgroup analysis based on complex PCI in the 1-year results of the STOPDAPT-3 trial, which randomly compared 1-month DAPT followed by aspirin monotherapy (aspirin group) to 1-month prasugrel monotherapy followed by clopidogrel monotherapy (clopidogrel group). The main analysis in the present study was the 30-day landmark analysis.

Exploratory study of patients' and carers' preferences for postdischarge surgical wound monitoring using survey and interviews.

Objectives: To explore patients' and carers' preferences for postdischarge surgical wound monitoring.

Design: Explanatory mixed methods study with an online survey followed by online interviews.

Setting: The online survey was distributed via the Cardiothoracic Interdisciplinary Research Network and cardiac surgery patient and public involvement groups in London and Leicester, UK.

The Role of Imaging in Pulmonary Vascular Disease: The Clinician's Perspective.

Pulmonary vascular diseases, particularly when accompanied by pulmonary hypertension, are complex disorders often requiring multimodal imaging for diagnosis and monitoring. Echocardiography is the primary screening tool for pulmonary hypertension, while cardiac MR imaging (CMR) is used for more detailed characterization and risk stratification in right ventricular failure. Chest computed tomography (CT) is used to detect vascular anomalies and parenchymal lung diseases.

Role of Cardiovascular MR Imaging and MR Angiography in Patients with Pulmonary Vascular Disease.

Cardiac MR imaging and pulmonary MR angiography (MRA) are important clinical tools for the assessment of pulmonary vascular diseases. There are evolving noncontrast and contrast-enhanced techniques to evaluate pulmonary vasculature. Pulmonary MRA is a feasible imaging alternative to CTA in pulmonary embolism detection.

Imaging Approach to Pulmonary Hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension is a rare but important clinical problem that presents a sometimes challenging diagnostic dilemma. The diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension relies on a combination of clinical testing and radiologic imaging, with chest computed tomography (CT) often serving as the primary imaging modality for comprehensive evaluation of the chest. Chest CT can be used to evaluate for causes of pulmonary hypertension including chronic lung disease, pulmonary artery obstruction, and congenital heart disease.

Coronary CT angiography-guided management of patients with stable chest pain: 10-year outcomes from the SCOT-HEART randomised controlled trial in Scotland.

Background: The Scottish Computed Tomography of the Heart (SCOT-HEART) trial demonstrated that management guided by coronary CT angiography (CCTA) improved the diagnosis, management, and outcome of patients with stable chest pain. We aimed to assess whether CCTA-guided care results in sustained long-term improvements in management and outcomes.

Methods: SCOT-HEART was an open-label, multicentre, parallel group trial for which patients were recruited from 12 outpatient cardiology chest pain clinics across Scotland.

Identifying proteomic prognostic markers for Alzheimer's disease with survival machine learning: The Framingham Heart Study.

Background: Protein abundance levels, sensitive to both physiological changes and external interventions, are useful for assessing the Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk and treatment efficacy. However, identifying proteomic prognostic markers for AD is challenging by their high dimensionality and inherent correlations.

Methods: Our study analyzed 1128 plasma proteins, measured by the SOMAscan platform, from 858 participants 55 years and older (mean age 63 years, 52.

Associations of early-onset coronary heart disease and genetic susceptibility with incident dementia and white matter hyperintensity: A prospective cohort study.

Background: The associations of early-onset coronary heart disease (CHD) and genetic susceptibility with incident dementia and brain white matter hyperintensity (WMH) remain unclear. Elucidation of this problem could promote understanding of the neurocognitive impact of early-onset CHD and provide suggestions for the prevention of dementia.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether observed and genetically predicted early-onset CHD were related to subsequent dementia and WMH volume.

Ultra-processed food consumption and risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease: The Framingham Heart Study.

Background: Ultra-processed food consumption is emerging as a risk factor for various cardiometabolic diseases, however its association with dementia and Alzheimer's disease has rarely been explored.

Objectives: We sought to examine whether ultra-processed food consumption is associated with risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease among middle-age and older adults.

Design: A prospective cohort study.

Blood-brain barrier integrity disruption is associated with both chronic vascular risk factors and white matter hyperintensities.

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) like hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus are increasingly linked to cognitive decline and dementia, especially in cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD). White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are closely associated with cognitive impairment, but the mechanisms behind their development remain unclear. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction may be a key factor, particularly in cSVD.

Spatiotemporal metabolic mapping of ex-situ preserved hearts subjected to dialysis by integration of bio-SPME sampling with non-targeted metabolipidomic profiling.

Background: Normothermic ex situ heart perfusion (ESHP) has emerged as a valid modality for advanced cardiac allograft preservation and conditioning prior to transplantation though myocardial function declines gradually during ESHP thus limiting its potential for expanding the donor pool. Recently, the utilization of dialysis has been shown to preserve myocardial and coronary vasomotor function. Herein, we sought to determine the changes in myocardial metabolism that could support this improvement.

A Multivariate Analysis of a Modified Frailty Index on Perioperative Morbidity and Mortality Following Non-Emergent Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

Objective: Frailty has become an increasingly recognized perioperative risk stratification tool. While frailty has been strongly correlated with worsening surgical outcomes, the individual determinants of frailty have rarely been investigated in the setting of aortic disease. The aim of this study was to examine the determinants of an 11-factor modified frailty index (mFI-11) on mortality and postoperative complications in patients undergoing endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR).

Differences in Postoperative Disposition by Kidney Disease Severity: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Rationale & Objective: People with advanced kidney disease undergo more non-cardiac operations compared to the general population, with a higher risk of perioperative cardiac events and death. However, little is known about the associations between severity of preoperative kidney dysfunction with postoperative length of hospitalization and discharge disposition; these were the focus of this study.

Study Design: Population-based retrospective cohort.

Arterial Stiffness and Subsequent Incidence of CKD and Kidney Function Decline in a Large Longitudinal Community Cohort: The Atherosclerosis in Communities (ARIC) Study.

Rationale & Objective: Arterial stiffness is associated with prevalent chronic kidney disease (CKD). Whether arterial stiffness is prospectively associated with incident CKD is inconclusive.

Study Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Clonal Haematopoiesis of Indeterminate potential and Cardiovascular diseases : A review.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major driver of mortality and declining health worldwide. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Although dyslipidemia, smoking, diabetes, hypertension and obesity are some well-known causes of CVD, the overlapping genetic pathways between other diseases and those affecting cardiovascular health have been overlooked.

Comparison of patient radiation exposure in coronary angiography via the trans-radial versus trans-femoral approach.

Background: Cardiac catheterization via the trans-radial approach (TRA) has shown several advantages over the trans-femoral approach (TFA) but with a concern of higher radiation exposure. Considering the growing experience with TRA, this study compares patient's radiation during coronary angiography using TRA versus TFA.

Methods: This study included consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiogram over a year at tertiary hospital performed by experienced operators through radial or femoral access.

Impella versus Non-Impella for Non-emergent High-Risk Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Impella vs. Non-Impella for HR-PCI.

Background: The benefit of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) with Impella (Abiomed, Inc, Danvers, MA) for patients undergoing non-emergent, high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (HR-PCI) is unclear and currently the subject of a large randomized clinical trial (RCT), PROTECT IV. While contemporary registry data from PROTECT III demonstrated improvement of outcomes with Impella when compared with historical data (PROTECT II), there is lack of direct comparison to the HR-PCI cohort that did not receive Impella support.

Methods: We retrospectively identified patients from our institution meeting PROTECT III inclusion criteria (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] <35% with unprotected left main or last remaining vessel or LVEF <30% undergoing multivessel PCI), and compared this group (NonIMP) to the published outcomes data from the PROTECT III registry (IMP).

Extraction and purification of Ophiopogon japonicus polysaccharides, structural characterization, biological activity, safety evaluation, chemical modification and potential applications: A review.

Ophiopogonis japonicus is a famous medicinal plant in China with a long history of medicinal and food origin. It contains various chemical components, such as polysaccharides, steroidal saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, etc. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory, it has the efficacy of moistening the lungs and nourishing the yin, benefiting the stomach by generating fluids, and clearing the heart to get rid of vexation.

Long-term Mechanical Circulatory Support in Cardiogenic Shock Secondary to Acromegaly. Case report.

Heart failure is a complication that may develop in patients diagnosed with acromegaly. This complication can progress to cardiogenic shock, which in cases like the one described, may be refractory to optimal medical management, necessitating the use of mechanical circulatory support as a bridge to decision. Given the specific morphology of this patient's heart, the likelihood of finding a suitable donor in our environment was very low.

Mixed reality for preoperative planning and intraoperative assistance of surgical correction of complex congenital heart defects.

Objectives: Mixed reality (MixR) is an innovative visualization tool that presents virtual elements in a real-world environment, enabling real-time interaction between the user and the combined digital/physical reality. We aimed to explore the feasibility of MixR in enhancing preoperative planning and intraoperative guidance for the correction of various complex congenital heart defects (CHDs).

Methods: Patients underwent cardiac computed tomography or cardiac magnetic resonance and segmentation of digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) images was performed.

Position statement on the use of point-of-care ultrasound in heart failure: Recommendations from the Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation, and Clinical Ultrasound Working Groups of the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine (SEMI).

This document provides a comprehensive analysis of the use of point-of-care ultrasound in heart failure (HF), offering detailed recommendations on echocardiography, lung ultrasound, and venous ultrasound. These advanced imaging techniques allow for an accurate, detailed, and non-invasive evaluation of heart failure, facilitating rapid and effective clinical decision-making. Echocardiography enables a rapid assessment of cardiac function at the point of care, enhancing traditional physical examination and being essential for the management of heart failure (HF).

Analysis of clinical features and prognosis in cardiac amyloidosis patients from Spanish hospitals (2016-2021).

Introduction And Objectives: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is a prevalent yet underdiagnosed heart condition characterized by the abnormal accumulation of amyloid fibres, frequently resulting in heart failure (HF), particularly in older people. Despite advancements in non-invasive diagnostic techniques and treatments, the epidemiology of CA patients remains inadequately understood. This nationwide retrospective observational study sought to comprehensively investigate CA patients' characteristics, mortality, and readmission patterns.

Hospital discharges (MBDS) for Takotsubo syndrome in Spain. Regional differences (2008-2021).

Background And Objectives: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an infrequent cause of acute coronary syndrome much better diagnosed in recent years. This study sought to assess the clinical profile of patients admitted with TTS in Spain and to elucidate potential regional differences in admissions and in-hospital mortality between the years 2008 and 2021.

Methods: Retrospective observational study of patients admitted to acute general hospitals of the Spanish National Health System with a main or secondary diagnosis of STT, using the minimum basic data set.