Mitral Annular Disjunction in Heritable Thoracic Aortic Disease: Insights From the Montalcino Aortic Consortium.

Background: Mitral annular disjunction (MAD), posterior displacement of the mitral valve leaflet hinge point, predisposes to arrhythmias or sudden cardiac death. We evaluated the burden of MAD, mitral valve prolapse (MVP), and mitral regurgitation (MR) by heritable thoracic aortic disease gene in a cross-sectional analysis of 2014-2023 data in the Montalcino Aortic Consortium registry.

Methods And Results: MAD was determined by direct measurement of echocardiographic images.

Primary and Secondary Cardiovascular and Kidney Prevention With Canagliflozin: Insights From the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE Trial.

Background: This study evaluated the effects of canagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes with and without prevalent cardiovascular disease (secondary and primary prevention).

Methods And Results: This was a pooled participant-level analysis of the CANVAS (Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study) Program and CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes With Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation) trial. The CANVAS Program included participants with type 2 diabetes at elevated cardiovascular risk, whereas the CREDENCE trial included participants with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease.

Positive Airway Pressure Therapy Adherence and Health Care Resource Use in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, current evidence is equivocal regarding the potential benefits of treating OSA with positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy in HFpEF. This study assessed the association between adherence to PAP therapy and health care resource use in patients with OSA and HFpEF.

Positive Airway Pressure Adherence and Health Care Resource Utilization in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common comorbidity in patients with heart failure, although current evidence is equivocal regarding the potential benefits of treating OSA with positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy in patients with heart failure. This study assessed the impact of adherence to PAP therapy on health care resource utilization in patients with OSA and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Methods and Results Administrative insurance claims data linked with objective PAP therapy use data from patients with OSA and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction were used to determine associations between PAP adherence and a composite outcome of hospitalizations and emergency room visits.

A novel approach using electroacupuncture for erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy: A case report.

Introduction: Research shows that electrical stimulation to damaged peripheral nerves has promising effects on nerve regeneration and recovery of function.

Description: A 71 yr. old male, who was 12 months post left intrafacial and right incremental nerve sparing robotic radical prostatectomy received 6 sessions of sacral electroacupuncture/acupuncture at weekly intervals, commencing 12 months post operatively.

Mortality and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients Presenting With Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Despite No Standard Modifiable Risk Factors: Results From the SWEDEHEART Registry.

Background A significant proportion of patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (MI) have no standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (SMuRFs) and have unexpected worse 30-day outcomes compared with those with SMuRFs. The aim of this article is to examine outcomes of patients with non-ST-segment-elevation MI in the absence of SMuRFs. Methods and Results Presenting features, management, and outcomes of patients with non-ST-segment-elevation MI without SmuRFs (hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, smoking) were compared with those with SmuRFs in the Swedish MI registry SWEDEHEART (Swedish Web-System for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-Based Care in Heart Disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies; 2005-2018).

Effects of respiratory rate on the fluid mechanics of a reconstructed upper airway.

This study aims to utilise particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques to investigate the time-dependant effects of respiratory rate in the extrathoracic airway, to show how they affect the flow field developed. There has been limited validation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models using experimental setups. Furthermore, the large majority of existing CFD models focus on rigid airways, not accounting for active deformation through the breathing cycle.

Prevalence and Outcomes of Low-Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis-From the National Echo Database of Australia.

Background The prevalence and outcomes of the different subtypes of severe low-gradient aortic stenosis (AS) in routine clinical cardiology practice have not been well characterized. Methods and Results Data were derived from the National Echocardiography Database of Australia. Of 192 060 adults (aged 62.

Association of Global Coagulation Profiles With Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Atherosclerosis: A Sex Disaggregated Analysis From the BioHEART-CT Study.

Background Although the association between dysregulated coagulation and atherosclerosis is well recognized, individual assays have been of minimal value in understanding disease susceptibility. Here we investigated the association of global coagulation profiles with coronary artery disease with consideration of sex differences. Methods and Results The study included patients from the BioHEART-CT (The BioHEART Study: Assessing Patients With Suspected Cardiovascular Disease for New Disease Markers and Risk Factors) biobank who had computed tomography coronary angiograms scored for coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and Gensini score.

Long-Term Exposure to Air Pollution, Road Traffic Noise, and Heart Failure Incidence: The Danish Nurse Cohort.

Background We examined the association of long-term exposure to air pollution and road traffic noise with incident heart failure (HF). Methods And Results Using data on female nurses from the Danish Nurse Cohort (aged >44 years), we investigated associations between 3-year mean exposures to air pollution and road traffic noise and incident HF using Cox regression models, adjusting for relevant confounders. Incidence of HF was defined as the first hospital contact (inpatient, outpatient, or emergency) between cohort baseline (1993 or 1999) and December 31, 2014, based on the Danish National Patient Register.

Collagen-Targeted Peptides for Molecular Imaging of Diffuse Cardiac Fibrosis.

Background Cardiac fibrosis is the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix in the heart, triggered by a cardiac insult, aging, genetics, or environmental factors. Molecular imaging of the cardiac extracellular matrix with targeted probes could improve diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. However, although this technology has been used to demonstrate focal scarring arising from myocardial infarction, its capacity to demonstrate extracellular matrix expansion and diffuse cardiac fibrosis has not been assessed.

Pressure injuries and skin tone diversity in undergraduate nurse education: Qualitative perspectives from a mixed methods study.

Aims: To, firstly, explore student and academic nurse perceptions of classroom content about the assessment and identification of pressure injuries across skin tone diversity and, secondly, to describe the impact of classroom content on student nurse understanding of pressure injury in people with dark skin tones.

Design: Qualitative case study employing focus groups and semi-structured interviews.

Methods: Five higher education institutions in the United Kingdom were purposively chosen.

Sex Differences in Prehospital Delays in Patients With ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background Women with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction experience delays in reperfusion compared with men with little data on each time component from symptom onset to reperfusion. This study analyzed sex discrepancies in patient delays, prehospital system delays, and hospital delays. Methods and Results Consecutive patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction treated with percutaneous coronary intervention across 30 hospitals in the Victorian Cardiac Outcomes Registry (2013-2018) were analyzed.

Screening for Atrial Fibrillation in American Indian Adults in a Tribal Primary Care Clinic.

Background American Indian adults have a higher risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) compared with other racial groups. We implemented opportunistic screening to detect silent AF in American Indian adults attending a tribal health system using a mobile, single-lead ECG device. Methods and Results American Indian patients aged ≥50 years followed in a tribal primary care clinic with no history of AF underwent a 30-second ECG.

Development of an international template to support patient submissions in Health Technology Assessments.

Objectives: To develop an international template to support patient submissions in Health Technology Assessments (HTAs). This was to be based on the experience and feedback from the implementation and use of the Scottish Medicines Consortium's (SMC) Summary Information for Patient Groups (SIP).

Methods: To gather feedback on the SMC experience, web-based surveys were conducted with pharmaceutical companies and patient groups familiar with the SMC SIP.

Authors, peer reviewers, and readers: What is expected from each player in collaborative publishing?

Scholarly publishing is in a crisis, with the many stakeholders complaining about different aspects of the system. Authors want fast publication times, high visibility and publications in high-impact journals. Readers want freely accessible, high-quality articles.

Colchicine Inhibits Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background Release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with periprocedural myocardial infarction, as a result of microvascular obstruction via pro-inflammatory and prothrombotic pathways. Colchicine is a well-established anti-inflammatory agent with growing evidence to support use in patients with coronary disease. However, its effects on post-PCI NET formation in ACS have not been explored.

Findings from a novel scintigraphic gastroesophageal reflux study in asymptomatic volunteers.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common and growing problem in most western countries. It may present with the typical symptoms of heartburn and regurgitation or with the effects of extra-esophageal disease. We have developed and validated a scintigraphic test that evaluates reflux at both sites in patients at high risk of laryngopharyngeal reflux and lung aspiration.

Atrial Fibrillation Screen, Management, and Guideline-Recommended Therapy in the Rural Primary Care Setting: A Cross-Sectional Study and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of eHealth Tools to Support All Stages of Screening.

BACKGROUND Internationally, most atrial fibrillation (AF) management guidelines recommend opportunistic screening for AF in people ≥65 years of age and oral anticoagulant treatment for those at high stroke risk (CHA₂DS₂-VA≥2). However, gaps remain in screening and treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS General practitioners/nurses at practices in rural Australia (n=8) screened eligible patients (≥65 years of age without AF) using a smartphone ECG during practice visits.

The City Under COVID-19: Podcasting As Digital Methodology.

This critical commentary reflects on a rapidly mobilised international podcast project, in which 25 urban scholars from around the world provided audio recordings about their cities during COVID-19. New digital tools are increasing the speeds, formats and breadth of the research and communication mediums available to researchers. Voice recorders on mobile phones and digital audio editing on laptops allows researchers to collaborate in new ways, and this podcast project pushed at the boundaries of what a research method and community might be.

Duration of Inducible Ventricular Tachycardia Early After ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Its Impact on Mortality and Ventricular Tachycardia Recurrence.

Background The clinical significance of the duration of inducible ventricular tachycardia (VT) at electrophysiology study (EPS) in patients soon after ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction and its predictive utility for VT recurrence are not known. Methods and Results Consecutive ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction patients with day 3 to 5 left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40% underwent EPS. A positive EPS was defined as sustained monomorphic VT with cycle length ≥200 ms.