Relationship between plaque burden and plaque vulnerability: Acute coronary syndromes versus chronic coronary syndrome.

Background: The relationship between plaque burden and microscopic characterization of plaque features as it pertains to clinical presentation has not been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to compare the relationship between plaque burden and plaque vulnerability in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) versus chronic coronary syndrome (CCS).

Methods: Patients who underwent both coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) before coronary intervention were enrolled.

Centromeric transposable elements and epigenetic status drive karyotypic variation in the eastern hoolock gibbon.

Great apes have maintained a stable karyotype with few large-scale rearrangements; in contrast, gibbons have undergone a high rate of chromosomal rearrangements coincident with rapid centromere turnover. Here we characterize assembled centromeres in the Eastern hoolock gibbon, (HLE), finding a diverse group of transposable elements (TEs) that differ from the canonical alpha satellites found across centromeres of other apes. We find that HLE centromeres contain a CpG methylation centromere dip region, providing evidence this epigenetic feature is conserved in the absence of satellite arrays; nevertheless, we report a variety of atypical centromeric features, including protein-coding genes and mismatched replication timing.

Relationship Between Calcified Plaque Burden, Vascular Inflammation, and Plaque Vulnerability in Patients With Coronary Atherosclerosis.

Background: Coronary artery calcification is an integral part of atherosclerosis. It has been suggested that early coronary artery calcification is associated with active inflammation, and advanced calcification forms as inflammation subsides. Inflammation is also an important factor in plaque vulnerability.

Sex Disparities in the Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes: Insights From the Veterans Affairs Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking Program.

Background: Previous work has demonstrated disparities in the management of cardiovascular disease among men and women. We sought to evaluate these disparities and their associations with clinical outcomes among patients admitted with acute coronary syndromes to the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.

Methods And Results: We identified all patients that were discharged with acute coronary syndromes within the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2022.

Maternal Malnutrition and Elevated Disease Risk in Offspring.

US populations have seen dramatic increases in the prevalence of chronic disease over the past three generations. Rapid increases in type 2 diabetes and obesity have occurred in all the states but have been particularly striking in the Deep South. These increases have contributed to decreases in life expectancy and to painful elevations in health care costs.

PARCCS: A Machine Learning Risk-Prediction Model for Acute Peripartum Cardiovascular Complications During Delivery Admissions.

Background: Maternal mortality in the United States remains high, with cardiovascular (CV) complications being a leading cause.

Objectives: The purpose of this paper was to develop the PARCCS (Prediction of Acute Risk for Cardiovascular Complications in the Peripartum Period Score) for acute CV complications during delivery.

Methods: Data from the National Inpatient Sample (2016-2020) and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes to identify delivery admissions were used.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Across Hemodynamic Subtypes of Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis: A Network Meta-analysis.

Background: Studies assessing outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) with hemodynamic subtypes have demonstrated mixed results with respect to outcomes and periprocedural complications. This study aimed to assess the outcomes of TAVR in patients across various hemodynamic subtypes of severe AS.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched through September 2023 to identify all observational studies comparing outcomes of TAVR in patients with paradoxical low flow low gradient (pLFLG), classic LFLG, and high gradient AS (HGAS).

ZEBRA study: The Z stitch Early Bed Rest Assessment study.

Background: Safe and effective management of venous vascular access is a key component of electrophysiology (EP) procedures. Recently, the Z-stitch method has been developed for effective venous hemostasis. However, the standard postprocedure protocol often includes prolonged bed rest, which may affect patient satisfaction.