Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Electrocardiography for Prediction of Incident Hypertension.

Importance: Hypertension underpins significant global morbidity and mortality. Early lifestyle intervention and treatment are effective in reducing adverse outcomes. Artificial intelligence-enhanced electrocardiography (AI-ECG) has been shown to identify a broad spectrum of subclinical disease and may be useful for predicting incident hypertension.

Systolic Blood Pressure and Pulse Pressure in Heart Failure: Pooled Participant-Level Analysis of 4 Trials.

Background: Hypertension is common in patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFmrEF/HFpEF), and current guidelines recommend treating systolic blood pressure (SBP) to a target <130 mm Hg. However, data supporting treatment to this target are limited. Additionally, pulse pressure (PP), a marker of aortic stiffness, has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events, but its prognostic impact in HFpEF has not been extensively studied.

High job stress evaluated using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire as an independent risk factor for hypertension among a Japanese male occupational population.

Objective: Stress and working environments are risk factors for hypertension. A new occupational health policy called the Stress Check Program was started in Japan in 2015. Therefore, we clarified whether the presence or absence of high job stress (HJS) as determined using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) is related to the comorbidity of hypertension.

Efficacy and safety of Treating Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension With Imatinib:A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Pulmonary vascular remodeling and arterial hypertension (PAH) correlate to increased platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) activity and elevated KIT expression. Imatinib has emerged as a potential therapeutic agent for PAH. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effectiveness of imatinib in treatment of PAH.

Mortality in ischaemic stroke patients without standard modifiable risk factors: An analysis of the Riksstroke registry.

Introduction: Little is known of the long-term prognosis of patients with acute ischaemic stroke in the absence of standard modifiable stroke risk factors (SMoRFs). In acute coronary syndromes, patients without modifiable risk factors have a higher mortality rate. We analysed data from the Swedish Stroke Register to determine survival of patients without SMoRFs following an ischaemic stroke.

Melatonin improves adverse vascular remodelling and redox homeostasis in monocrotaline-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension.

This study explored the effects of melatonin on cardiac and vascular function, and redox homeostasis in model PAH. Male Wistar rats were divided into: control (CTR), monocrotaline [MCT (60 mg/kg, single dose i.p)], monocrotaline + sildenafil [MCT + SIL (50 mg/kg/day)], and monocrotaline + melatonin [MCT + MEL (10 mg/kg/day)].

Fatal acute pulmonary embolism following endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection for gastric fundal varices.

Acute gastric variceal bleeding is a rare but serious complication of portal hypertension. Initial therapy for bleeding gastric varices focuses on acute hemostasis. In this regard, endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection (ECI) is the first-line approach.

Investigating the Role of TRPV4 and GPR35 Interaction in Endothelial Dysfunction in Aging Mice.

Endothelial dysfunction, characterized by a decline in endothelial physiological functions, is a significant aspect of cardiovascular aging, contributing notably to arterial stiffness, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. Transient receptor potential channel V4 (TRPV4), a key member of Ca-permeable channels, plays a crucial role in maintaining vascular functions. However, the role and mechanisms of TRPV4 in aging-related endothelial dysfunction remain incompletely understood.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is a multisystem hypertensive disorder that manifests itself after 20 weeks of pregnancy, along with proteinuria. The pathophysiology of preeclampsia is incompletely understood. Artificial intelligence, especially machine learning with its capability to identify patterns in complex data, has the potential to revolutionize preeclampsia research.

Prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities in psoriatic arthritis: relationship to clinical phenotype and treatment in a real-life study.

Introduction: The relationship between the phenotype and treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and the increased prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities is not well studied.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities in relation to the clinical phenotype and treatment of PsA.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, real-life study.

LIM kinases in cardiovascular health and disease.

The Lim Kinase (LIMK) family of serine/threonine kinases is comprised of LIMK1 and LIMK2, which are central regulators of cytoskeletal dynamics via their well-characterized roles in promoting actin polymerization and destabilizing the cellular microtubular network. The LIMKs have been demonstrated to modulate several fundamental physiological processes, including cell cycle progression, cell motility and migration, and cell differentiation. These processes play important roles in maintaining cardiovascular health.

Common Variable Immunodeficiency Associated With Noninfectious Pulmonary Complications and Its Treatment: Beyond Immunoglobulin Therapy.

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a type of primary immunodeficiency that presents as a heterogenous disorder characterized by hypogammaglobinemia, poor response to vaccines, recurrent sinopulmonary infections, and can have noninfectious systemic manifestations. We performed a single-center, retrospective, observational study of five patients with noninfectious complications of CVID. All patients had CVID as defined by the European Society of Immunodeficiencies criteria and had received intravenous immunoglobulin therapy.

SARS-CoV-2 strains and clinical profiles of COVID-19 patients in a Southern Brazil hospital.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic had a widespread global impact and presented numerous challenges. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has changed transmission rates and immune evasion, possibly impacting the severity. This study aims to investigate the impact of variants on clinical outcomes in southern Brazil.

Development and validation of a risk score to predict adverse birth outcomes using maternal characteristics in northwest Ethiopia: a retrospective follow-up study.

Background: Adverse birth outcomes are unfavorable outcomes of pregnancy that are particularly common in low- and middle-income countries. At least one ultrasound is recommended to predict adverse birth outcomes in early pregnancy. However, in low-income countries, imaging equipment and trained manpower are scarce.

Association between waist-to-height ratio and osteoporosis in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The link between waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and osteoporosis (OP) remains a contentious issue in the field of medical research. Currently, the available evidence on this association is deemed insufficient. This topic has garnered significant attention and is a focal point of ongoing investigations.

Ganglioside GA2-mediated caspase-11 activation drives macrophage pyroptosis aggravating intimal hyperplasia after arterial injury.

Intimal hyperplasia (IH) remains a significant clinical problem, causing vascular intervention failure. This study aimed to elucidate whether gangliosides GA2 accumulated in atherosclerotic mouse aortae and plasma promote the development of IH. We identified that GA2 was remarkably accumulated in both artery and plasma of atherosclerotic patients and mice.

Comparative Outcomes of Warfarin vs. Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) in Anticoagulant-Related Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Single-Center Study.

Background: The management of thromboembolic risk and the necessity for timely hemorrhage control make anticoagulant-related gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding clinically challenging.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate clinical outcomes (such as bleeding control and mortality) and the effectiveness of anticoagulation reversal techniques in patients with anticoagulant-related GI bleeding in emergency settings.

Methodology: This prospective, observational study conducted at Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, from January to December 2023, included patients aged 18 or older with GI bleeding on warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs).

A Complex Case of Acute Liver Failure Following Idiosyncratic Drug-Induced Liver Injury, Potentiated by Herpes Simplex Virus Infection.

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare, life-threatening condition that may be secondary to drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and certain viral infections. We present the case of a 73-year-old male with a history of fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis with a progressive phenotype, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, who was admitted with ALF potentially secondary to DILI. Prior to admission, he was receiving therapy that may be related to idiosyncratic DILI (I-DILI) and ALF, namely nintedanib, which appears to have a most probable relation to I-DILI in this case, considering it was the most recently started drug.

Reduced kidney size and renal function of high-grade vesicoureteral reflux and intrarenal reflux in contrast-enhanced voiding urosonography.

Background: Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a common pediatric urological condition associated with renal scarring, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. Contrast-enhanced voiding urosonography (ceVUS) has emerged as a promising technique for diagnosing and evaluating VUR, with intrarenal reflux (IRR) often detected using this method. This study aimed to explore the relationship between different VUR grades and IRR on ceVUS, and assess the impact of VUR and IRR on kidney size and function.

Outpatient management after hospitalisation for acute decompensation of cirrhosis: A practical guide.

Acute decompensation in cirrhotic patients signifies the onset of clinically evident events due to portal hypertension. The transition from compensated to decompensated cirrhosis involves hemodynamic changes leading to multiorgan dysfunction, managed predominantly in outpatient settings with regular monitoring. The mortality risk is elevated in decompensated patients.

Clinicopathological presentation of liver abscesses and hydatid liver disease from two South African tertiary hospitals.

Background: Hepatic abscesses represent infections of the liver parenchyma from bacteria, fungi, and parasitic organisms. Trends in both abscess microbiology and management of abscesses (infective collections) have changed over the past decade. There is a paucity of published data regarding the clinicopathological features of liver abscesses in sub-Saharan Africa and other low-income and middle-income countries.

Durable and deep response to CVD chemotherapy in SDHB-mutated metastatic paraganglioma: case report.

Introduction: Succinate dehydrogenase subunit B (SDHB)-mutated paragangliomas (PGLs) are rare neuroendocrine tumors characterized by increased malignancy, readily metastasizing, and poorer prognosis. Here we report a case of SDHB-mutated metastatic PGL, wherein the patient showed significant tumor shrinkage and complete symptom remission following chemotherapy. We aim to contribute additional evidence to the existing knowledge associated with SDHB-mutated PGLs.

Non-persistence with multiple secondary prevention medications for peripheral arterial disease among older hypertensive patients.

Introduction: The benefit of secondary prevention in hypertensive patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is based on continual simultaneous taking of statins, antiplatelet agents and antihypertensive agents, preferably angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). Our study was aimed at a) the analysis of the extent of non-persistence with multiple medication classes, and b) identifying factors associated with the likelihood of non-persistence.

Methods: In our cohort study, 3,401 hypertensive patients (1,853 females and 1,548 males) aged ≥65 years treated simultaneously with statins, antiplatelet agents and ACEIs/ARBs and in whom PAD was newly diagnosed during 2012 were analysed.