Associations of a Composite Stress Measurement Tool With Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Outcomes: Findings From the Dallas Heart Study.

Background: Most data linking chronic stress with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and outcomes have focused on single-domain stress measurements. We evaluated the association between a novel composite measure of chronic perceived stress and CVD risk factors and outcomes in a diverse population.

Methods And Results: Individual chronic stress subcomponents (generalized stress, psychosocial, financial, and neighborhood stress) were standardized and integrated to create a novel composite stress score (CSS).

Unveiling the Genetic Landscape of Coronary Artery Disease Through Common and Rare Structural Variants.

Background: Genome-wide association studies have identified several hundred susceptibility single nucleotide variants for coronary artery disease (CAD). Despite single nucleotide variant-based genome-wide association studies improving our understanding of the genetics of CAD, the contribution of structural variants (SVs) to the risk of CAD remains largely unclear.

Method And Results: We leveraged SVs detected from high-coverage whole genome sequencing data in a diverse group of participants from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine program.

Evaluation and Comparison of the PREVENT and Pooled Cohort Equations for 10-Year Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk Prediction.

Background: We compared the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk prediction performance of the American Heart Association's Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Events (PREVENT) Base and PREVENT Full equations (includes urine albumin/creatinine ratio, glycated hemoglobin, and social deprivation index) with the pooled cohort equations (PCEs).

Methods: We included adults, aged 40 to 75 years, with no history of ASCVD, diabetes, or statin use in 2009 from Kaiser Permanente Southern California and followed up through 2019. ASCVD was defined as myocardial infarction, fatal coronary heart disease, and fatal and nonfatal ischemic stroke.

Development and Validation of Risk Stratification for Heart Failure After Acute Coronary Syndrome Based on Dynamic S100A8/A9 Levels.

Background: The early assessment of heart failure (HF) risk in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) can help reduce mortality. S100A8/A9 is not only rapidly released after myocardial ischemia, but is also involved in reperfusion injury, which is an important predictor of HF after ACS. We attempted to construct a reliable HF risk stratification tool for evaluating patients with ACS after reperfusion therapy based on S100A8/A9 dynamic changes.

Cognitive and behavioral effects of perampanel 4 mg daily dose.

Objective: The neuropsychological adverse effects of antiseizure medications (ASMs) influence the tolerability, and in turn effectiveness of these medications, which can occur in a dose-dependent fashion. In this study, we examine the neuropsychological effects of perampanel (PER) at 4 mg daily as this dose has not been previously assessed with objective cognitive tests.

Methods: The study was originally designed to assess (1) effects of perampanel at 4 mg using different titration rates, and (2) habituation over time.

Assessment of Inflammatory Biomarkers and Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Older Adults.

Background: Available evidence supports the importance of inflammation in atrial fibrillation (AF) pathogenesis, yet general anti-inflammatory therapies have failed to show benefit for prevention of the arrhythmia. Better understanding of the specific inflammatory pathways involved is necessary to advance therapeutics.

Methods And Results: We evaluated 9 circulating markers of inflammation measured by immunoassays and incidence of AF in a population-based older cohort.

Prevalent Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Among Veterans by Sexual Orientation.

Background: Seven million lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults will be aged >50 years by 2030; assessing and addressing their risk for cardiovascular disease is critical.

Methods And Results: We analyzed a nationwide cohort using the Veterans Health Administration data. Sexual orientation (SO) was classified via a validated natural language processing algorithm.

Methodological Approaches for Measuring the Association Between Heat Exposure and Health Outcomes: A Comprehensive Global Scoping Review.

Objective: To synthesize the methodologies of studies that evaluate the impacts of heat exposure on morbidity and mortality.

Methods: Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched from date of inception until 1 March 2023 for English language literature on heat exposure and health outcomes. Records were collated, deduplicated and screened, and full texts were reviewed for inclusion and data abstraction.

Cardiovascular Risks in People With Narcolepsy: Expert Panel Consensus Recommendations.

Background: Observational and retrospective studies suggest that people with narcolepsy may have an increased prevalence of cardiovascular and cardiometabolic comorbidities and may be at greater risk for future cardiovascular events. An expert consensus panel was formed to establish agreement on the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular/cardiometabolic disease in people with narcolepsy and to develop strategies to mitigate these risks.

Methods And Results: Experts in sleep medicine and cardiology were selected to participate in the panel.

Reduction of Filamin C Results in Altered Proteostasis, Cardiomyopathy, and Arrhythmias.

Background: Many cardiomyopathy-associated pathogenic variants are heterozygous truncations, and pathogenic variants are associated with arrhythmias. Arrhythmia triggers in filaminopathy are incompletely understood.

Methods And Results: We describe an individual with biallelic pathogenic variants, p.

Moderate Endurance Exercise Increases Arrhythmia Susceptibility and Modulates Cardiac Structure and Function in a Sexually Dimorphic Manner.

Background: Although moderate endurance exercise has been reported to improve cardiovascular health, its effects on cardiac structure and function are not fully characterized, especially with respect to sexual dimorphism. We aimed to assess the effects of moderate endurance exercise on cardiac physiology in male versus female mice.

Methods And Results: C57BL/6J mice of both sexes were run on a treadmill for 6 weeks.

In Vivo Mapping of Myocardial Injury Outside the Infarct Zone: Tissue at an Intermediate Pathological State.

Background: The goal was to determine the feasibility of mapping the injured-but-not-infarcted myocardium using Tc-duramycin in the postischemic heart, with spatial information for its characterization as a pathophysiologically intermediate tissue, which is neither normal nor infarcted.

Methods And Results: Coronary occlusion was conducted in Sprague Dawley rats with preconditioning and 30-minute ligation. In vivo single-photon emission computed tomography was acquired after 3 hours (n=6) using Tc-duramycin, a phosphatidylethanolamine-specific radiopharmaceutical.

A Comparison of 5 Measures of Accelerated Biological Aging and Their Association With Incident Cardiovascular Disease: The CARDIA Study.

Background: Accelerated biological aging is an increasingly popular way to track the acceleration of biology over time that may not be captured by calendar time. Biological aging has been linked to external and internal chronic stressors and has the potential to be used clinically to understand a person's personalized functioning and predict future disease. We compared the association of different measures of biological aging and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) overall and by race.

Association Between Young Adult Characteristics and Blood Pressure Trajectories.

Background: Blood pressure (BP) trajectories from young adulthood through middle age are associated with cardiovascular risk. We examined the associations of hypertension risk factors with BP trajectories among a large diverse sample.

Methods And Results: We analyzed data from young adults, aged 18 to 39 years, with untreated BP <140/90 mm Hg at baseline from Kaiser Permanente Southern California (N=355 324).

Measurement bias in caregiver-report of early childhood behavior problems across demographic factors in an ECHO-wide diverse sample.

Background: Research and clinical practice rely heavily on caregiver-report measures, such as the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5 (CBCL/1.5-5), to gather information about early childhood behavior problems and to screen for child psychopathology.

Association Between Pharmacy Proximity With Cardiovascular Medication Use and Risk Factor Control in the United States.

Background: Poor neighborhood-level access to health care, including community pharmacies, contributes to cardiovascular disparities in the United States. The authors quantified the association between pharmacy proximity, antihypertensive and statin use, and blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) among a large, diverse US cohort.

Methods And Results: A cross-sectional analysis of Black and White participants in the REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) study during 2013 to 2016 was conducted.

Association Between Self-Reported Medication Adherence and Therapeutic Inertia in Hypertension: A Secondary Analysis of SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial).

Background: Therapeutic inertia (TI), failure to intensify antihypertensive medication when blood pressure (BP) is above goal, remains prevalent in hypertension management. The degree to which self-reported antihypertensive adherence is associated with TI with intensive BP goals remains unclear.

Methods And Results: Cross-sectional analysis was performed of the 12-month visit of participants in the intensive arm of SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial), which randomized adults to intensive (<120 mm Hg) versus standard (<140 mm Hg) systolic BP goals.

Process Evaluation of a Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of a Quadruple Ultra-Low-Dose Treatment for Hypertension Within a Federally Qualified Health Center Network (QUARTET USA).

Background: This convergent parallel-design mixed-methods process evaluation of the QUARTET USA (Quadruple Ultra-Low-Dose Treatment for Hypertension USA) clinical trial (NCT03640312) explores patient and health care professional perceptions about the use of low-dose quadruple therapy (LDQT) as a novel strategy for hypertension management.

Methods And Results: A survey of all 62 patients enrolled in the QUARTET USA trial was conducted. A subsample of 13 patients and 11 health care professionals, recruited via purposive sampling, took part in semistructured interviews.

Trends in Ductus Arteriosus Stent Versus Blalock-Taussig-Thomas Shunt Use and Comparison of Cost, Length of Stay, and Short-Term Outcomes in Neonates With Ductal-Dependent Pulmonary Blood Flow: An Observational Study Using the Pediatric Health Information Systems Database.

Background: The modified Blalock-Taussig-Thomas shunt is the gold standard palliation for securing pulmonary blood flow in infants with ductal-dependent pulmonary blood flow. Recently, the ductus arteriosus stent (DAS) has become a viable alternative.

Methods And Results: This was a retrospective multicenter study of neonates ≤30 days undergoing DAS or Blalock-Taussig-Thomas shunt placement between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2020 at hospitals reporting to the Pediatric Health Information Systems database.

Novel Size-Based High-Density Lipoprotein Subspecies and Incident Vascular Events.

Background High-density lipoprotein (HDL) particle concentration likely outperforms HDL cholesterol in predicting atherosclerotic cardiovascular events. Whether size-based HDL subspecies explain the atheroprotective associations of HDL particle concentration remains unknown. Our objective was to assess whether levels of specific size-based HDL subspecies associate with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in a multiethnic pooled cohort and improve risk prediction beyond traditional atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk factors.