Pulmonary Embolism in Patients Admitted With Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: Prevalence, Predictors, and Associated In-Hospital Adverse Events.

Introduction Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is defined as an idiopathic left ventricular failure with reduced ejection fraction (EF <45%) that affects women in the last month of pregnancy or in the months after giving birth. The pathophysiology remains elusive, resulting in complications with varied severity; one of the most concerning complications is thromboembolism, specifically pulmonary embolism (PE). The purpose of this study was to characterize and evaluate the real-world prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of PE in PPCM. Methods The data were derived from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from January 2016 to December 2019. The primary outcomes assessed were baseline and hospital admission characteristics and comorbidities for patients with PPCM with or without PE. Outcomes for PPCM patients with PE and predictors of mortality for PPCM were also analyzed. Results PE developed in 105 of 4,582 patients with PPCM (2.3%). Patients with PPCM and PE had longer hospital stays (10.86 days ± 1.4 vs. 5.73 ± 0.2 days, p = 0.001) and total charges ($169,487 ± $39,628 vs. $86,116 ± $3,700, p = 0.001). Patients with PE had a higher burden of coagulopathy (13.3% vs. 3.0%, p = 0.01), intracardiac thrombus (6.7% vs. 1.6%, p = 0.01), and iron deficiency anemia (21.0% vs. 12.6%, p = 0.01). Patients without PE were found to have a higher burden of preeclampsia (14.7% vs. 1.9%, p = 0.01) and obstructive sleep apnea (5.4% vs. 1.0%, p = 0.045). Predictors of mortality in patients with PPCM included cardiogenic shock (aOR 13.42, 95% CI 7.50-24.03, p = 0.05), PE (aOR 6.60, 95% CI 2.506-17.39, p = 0.05), non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI; aOR 3.57, 95% CI 1.35-9.44, p = 0.05), chronic kidney disease (aOR 3.23, 95% CI 1.68-6.22, p = 0.05), and atrial fibrillation (aOR 2.57; 95% CI 1.25-5.30, p = 0.05). Conclusion Although an uncommon complication, PE in PPCM demonstrates an association with higher mortality and financial burden. Along with PE, we found predictors of mortality in PPCM to include atrial fibrillation, NSTEMI, chronic kidney disease, and cardiogenic shock.

Evaluating ChatGPT Responses on Atrial Fibrillation for Patient Education.

Background ChatGPT is a language model that has gained widespread popularity for its fine-tuned conversational abilities. However, a known drawback to the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot is its tendency to confidently present users with inaccurate information. We evaluated the quality of ChatGPT responses to questions pertaining to atrial fibrillation for patient education. Our analysis included the accuracy and estimated grade level of answers and whether references were provided for the answers. Methodology ChatGPT was prompted four times and 16 frequently asked questions on atrial fibrillation from the American Heart Association were asked. Prompts included Form 1 (no prompt), Form 2 (patient-friendly prompt), Form 3 (physician-level prompt), and Form 4 (prompting for statistics/references). Responses were scored as incorrect, partially correct, or correct with references (perfect). Flesch-Kincaid grade-level unique words and response lengths were recorded for answers. Proportions of the responses at differing scores were compared using the chi-square analysis. The relationship between form and grade level was assessed using the analysis of variance. Results Across all forms, scoring frequencies were one (1.6%) incorrect, five (7.8%) partially correct, 55 (85.9%) correct, and three (4.7%) perfect. Proportions of responses that were at least correct did not differ by form (p = 0.350), but perfect responses did (p = 0.001). Form 2 answers had a lower mean grade level (12.80 ± 3.38) than Forms 1 (14.23 ± 2.34), 3 (16.73 ± 2.65), and 4 (14.85 ± 2.76) (p < 0.05). Across all forms, references were provided in only three (4.7%) answers. Notably, when additionally prompted for sources or references, ChatGPT still only provided sources on three responses out of 16 (18.8%). Conclusions ChatGPT holds significant potential for enhancing patient education through accurate, adaptive responses. Its ability to alter response complexity based on user input, combined with high accuracy rates, supports its use as an informational resource in healthcare settings. Future advancements and continuous monitoring of AI capabilities will be crucial in maximizing the benefits while mitigating the risks associated with AI-driven patient education.

Normative Values of Echocardiographic Chamber Size and Function in Older Healthy Adults: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Echocardiographic (2-dimensional echocardiography) thresholds indicating disease or impaired functional status compared with normal physiological aging in individuals aged ≥65 years are not clearly defined. In the present study, we sought to establish standard values for 2-dimensional echocardiography parameters related to chamber size and function in older adults without cardiopulmonary or cardiometabolic conditions. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study of 3032 individuals who underwent 2-dimensional echocardiography at exam 6 in the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis), 608 participants fulfilled our inclusion criteria of healthy aging, with normative values defined as the mean ± 1.96 standard deviation and compared across sex and race and ethnicity. Functional status measures included NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), 6-minute walk distance, and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire. Prognostic performance using MESA cutoffs was compared with established guideline cutoffs using time-to-event analysis. RESULTS: The normative aging cohort (69.5±7.0 years, 46.2% male, 47.5% White) had lower NT-proBNP, higher 6-minute walk distance, and higher (better) Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire summary values. Women had significantly smaller chamber sizes and better biventricular systolic function. White participants had the largest chamber dimensions, whereas Chinese participants had the smallest, even after adjustment for body size. Current guidelines identified 81.6% of healthy older adults in MESA as having cardiac abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: Among a large, diverse group of healthy older adults, we found significant differences in cardiac structure and function by sex and race/ethnicity, which may signal sex-specific cardiac remodeling with advancing age. It is crucial for existing guidelines to consider the observed and clinically significant differences in cardiac structure and function associated with healthy aging. Our study highlights that existing guidelines, which grade abnormalities in echocardiographic cardiac chamber size and function based on younger individuals, may not adequately address the anticipated changes associated with normal aging.

Unlocking Health Literacy: The Ultimate Guide to Hypertension Education From ChatGPT Versus Google Gemini.

Background Google Gemini (Google, Mountain View, CA) represents the latest advances in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) and has garnered attention due to its capabilities similar to the increasingly popular ChatGPT (OpenAI, San Francisco, CA). Accurate dissemination of information on common conditions such as hypertension is critical for patient comprehension and management. Despite the ubiquity of AI, comparisons between ChatGPT and Gemini remain unexplored. Methods ChatGPT and Gemini were asked 52 questions derived from the American College of Cardiology's (ACC) frequently asked questions on hypertension, following a specified prompt. Prompts included: no prompting (Form 1), patient-friendly prompting (Form 2), physician-level prompting (Form 3), and prompting for statistics/references (Form 4). Responses were scored as incorrect, partially correct, or correct. Flesch-Kincaid (FK) grade level and word count were recorded. Results Across all forms, scoring frequencies were as follows: 23 (5.5%) incorrect, 162 (38.9%) partially correct, and 231 (55.5%) correct. ChatGPT showed higher rates of partially correct answers than Gemini (p = 0.0346). Physician-level prompts resulted in a higher word count across both platforms (p < 0.001). ChatGPT showed a higher FK grade level (p = 0.033) in physician-friendly prompting. Gemini exhibited a significantly higher mean word count (p < 0.001); however, ChatGPT had a higher FK grade level across all forms (p > 0.001). Conclusion To our knowledge, this study is the first to compare cardiology-related responses from ChatGPT and Gemini, two of the most popular AI chatbots. The grade level for most responses was collegiate level, which was above average for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommendations, but on par with most online medical information. Both chatbots responded with a high degree of accuracy, with inaccuracies being rare. Therefore, it is reasonable that cardiologists suggest either chatbot as a source of supplementary education.

Reference Values for Indexed Echocardiographic Chamber Sizes in Older Adults: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Normalization of echocardiographic chamber measurements for body surface area may result in misclassification of individuals with obesity or sarcopenia. Normalization for alternative measures of body size may be preferable, but there remains a dearth of information on their normative values and association with cardiovascular function metrics. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 3032 individuals underwent comprehensive 2-dimensional echocardiography at Exam 6 in MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis). In the subgroup of 608 individuals free of cardiopulmonary disease (69.5±7.0 years, 46% male, 48% White, 17% Chinese, 15% Black, 21% Hispanic), normative values were derived for left and right cardiac chamber measurements across a variety of ratiometric (body surface area, body mass index, height) and allometric (height1.6, height2.7) scaling parameters. Normative upper and lower reference values were provided for each scaling parameter stratified across age groups, sex, and race or ethnicity. Among scaling parameters, body surface area and height were associated with the least variability across race and ethnicity categories and height2.7 was associated with the least variability across sex categories. CONCLUSIONS: In this diverse cohort of community-dwelling older adults, we provide normative values for common echocardiographic parameters across a variety of indexation methods.

Plasma proteomic signature of human longevity.

The identification of protein targets that exhibit anti-aging clinical potential could inform interventions to lengthen the human health span. Most previous proteomics research has been focused on chronological age instead of longevity. We leveraged two large population-based prospective cohorts with long follow-ups to evaluate the proteomic signature of longevity defined by survival to 90 years of age. Plasma proteomics was measured using a SOMAscan assay in 3067 participants from the Cardiovascular Health Study (discovery cohort) and 4690 participants from the Age Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study (replication cohort). Logistic regression identified 211 significant proteins in the CHS cohort using a Bonferroni-adjusted threshold, of which 168 were available in the replication cohort and 105 were replicated (corrected p value <0.05). The most significant proteins were GDF-15 and N-terminal pro-BNP in both cohorts. A parsimonious protein-based prediction model was built using 33 proteins selected by LASSO with 10-fold cross-validation and validated using 27 available proteins in the validation cohort. This protein model outperformed a basic model using traditional factors (demographics, height, weight, and smoking) by improving the AUC from 0.658 to 0.748 in the discovery cohort and from 0.755 to 0.802 in the validation cohort. We also found that the associations of 169 out of 211 proteins were partially mediated by physical and/or cognitive function. These findings could contribute to the identification of biomarkers and pathways of aging and potential therapeutic targets to delay aging and age-related diseases.

Normative Values of Echocardiographic Chamber Size and Function in Older Healthy Adults: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background: Echocardiographic (2DE) thresholds indicating disease or impaired functional status compared to normal physiologic aging in individuals ≥ 65 years are not clearly defined. In the present study, we sought to establish standard values for 2DE parameters related to chamber size and function in older adults without cardiopulmonary or cardiometabolic conditions. Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 3032 individuals who underwent 2DE at Exam 6 in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), 608 participants fulfilled our inclusion criteria, with normative values defined as the mean value ± 1.96 standard deviations and compared across sex and race/ethnicity. Functional status measures included NT-proBNP, 6-minute walk distance [6MWD], and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire [KCCQ]. Prognostic performance using MESA cutoffs was compared to established guideline cutoffs using time-to-event analysis. Results: Participants meeting our inclusion criteria (69.5 ± 7.0 years, 46.2% male, 47.5% White) had lower NT-proBNP, higher 6MWD, and higher (better) KCCQ summary values. Women had significantly smaller chamber sizes and better biventricular systolic function. White participants had the largest chamber dimensions, while Chinese participants had the smallest, even after adjustment for body size. Current guidelines identified 81.6% of healthy older adults in MESA as having cardiac abnormalities. Conclusions: Among a large, diverse group of healthy older adults, we found significant differences in cardiac structure and function across sexes and races/ethnicities, which may signal sex-specific cardiac remodeling with advancing age. It is crucial for existing guidelines to consider the observed and clinically significant differences in cardiac structure and function associated with healthy aging. Our study highlights that existing guidelines, which grade abnormalities in echocardiographic cardiac chamber size and function based on younger individuals, may not adequately address the anticipated changes associated with normal aging.

Relation of Cigarette Smoking and Heart Failure in Adults ≥65 Years of Age (From the Cardiovascular Health Study).

Cigarette smoking is associated with adverse cardiac outcomes, including incident heart failure (HF). However, key components of potential pathways from smoking to HF have not been evaluated in older adults. In a community-based study, we studied cross-sectional associations of smoking with blood and imaging biomarkers reflecting mechanisms of cardiac disease. Serial nested, multivariable Cox models were used to determine associations of smoking with HF, and to assess the influence of biochemical and functional (cardiac strain) phenotypes on these associations. Compared with never smokers, smokers had higher levels of inflammation (C-reactive protein and interleukin-6), cardiomyocyte injury (cardiac troponin T [hscTnT]), myocardial "stress"/fibrosis (soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 [sST2], galectin 3), and worse left ventricle systolic and diastolic function. In models adjusting for age, gender, and race (DEMO) and for clinical factors potentially in the causal pathway (CLIN), smoking exposures were associated with C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, sST2, hscTnT, and with N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic protein (in Whites). In DEMO adjusted models, the cumulative burden of smoking was associated with worse left ventricle systolic strain. Current smoking and former smoking were associated with HF in DEMO models (hazard ratio 1.41, 95% confidence interval 1.22 to 1.64 and hazard ratio 1.14, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.25, respectively), and with current smoking after CLIN adjustment. Adjustment for time-varying myocardial infarction, inflammation, cardiac strain, hscTnT, sST2, and galectin 3 did not materially alter the associations. Smoking was associated with HF with preserved and decreased ejection fraction. In conclusion, in older adults, smoking is associated with multiple blood and imaging biomarker measures of pathophysiology previously linked to HF, and to incident HF even after adjustment for clinical intermediates.

Cardiac mechanics and incident ischemic stroke: the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Recent evidence indicates that our understanding of the relationship between cardiac function and ischemic stroke remains incomplete. The Cardiovascular Health Study enrolled community-dwelling adults ≥ 65 years old. We included participants with speckle-tracking data from digitized baseline study echocardiograms. Exposures were left atrial reservoir strain (primary), left ventricular longitudinal strain, left ventricular early diastolic strain rate, septal e' velocity, and lateral e' velocity. The primary outcome was incident ischemic stroke. Cox proportional hazards models were adjusted for demographics, image quality, and risk factors including left ventricular ejection fraction and incident atrial fibrillation. Among 4,000 participants in our analysis, lower (worse) left atrial reservoir strain was associated with incident ischemic stroke (HR per SD absolute decrease, 1.14; 95% CI 1.04-25). All secondary exposure variables were significantly associated with the outcome. Left atrial reservoir strain was associated with cardioembolic stroke (HR per SD absolute decrease, 1.42; 95% CI 1.21-1.67) and cardioembolic stroke related to incident atrial fibrillation (HR per SD absolute decrease, 1.60; 1.32-1.95). Myocardial dysfunction that can ultimately lead to stroke may be identifiable at an early stage. This highlights opportunities to identify cerebrovascular risk earlier and improve stroke prevention via therapies for early myocardial dysfunction.

Incidence, Determinants and Mortality of Heart Failure Associated With Medical-Surgical Procedures in Patients ≥ 65 Years of Age (from the Cardiovascular Health Study).

Heart failure (HF) and myocardial infarction are serious complications of major noncardiac surgery in older adults. Many factors can contribute to the development of HF during the postoperative period. The incidence of, and risk factors for, procedure-associated heart failure (PHF) occurring at the time of, or shortly after, medical procedures in a population-based sample ≥ 65 years of age have not been fully characterized, particularly in comparison with HF not proximate to medical procedures. This analysis comprises 5,121 men and women free of HF at baseline from the Cardiovascular Health Study who were followed up for 12.0 years (median). HF events were documented by self-report at semi-annual contacts and confirmed by a formal adjudication committee using a review of the participants' medical records and standardized criteria for HF. Incident HF events were additionally adjudicated as either being related or unrelated to a medical procedure (PHF and non-PHF, respectively). We estimated cause-specific hazards ratios for the association of covariates with PHF and non-PHF. There were 1,728 incident HF events in the primary analysis: 168 (10%) classified as PHF, 1,526 (88%) as non-PHF, and 34 unclassified (2%). For those 1,045 participants in whom LV ejection fraction was known at the time of the HF event, it was ≥45% in 89 of 118 participants (75%) with PHF, compared to 517 of 927 participants (55%) with non-PHF (p < 0.001). Increased age, male gender, diabetes, and angina at baseline were associated with both PHF and non-PHF (range of hazard ratios (HR): 1.04-2.05]. Being Black was inversely associated with PHF [HR: 0.46, 95% confidence interval: 0.25-0.86]. Participants with increased age, without baseline angina, and with baseline LVEF<55% were at a significantly lower risk for PHF compared to non-PHF. Among those with PHF, surgical procedures-including cardiac, orthopedic, gastrointestinal, vascular, and urologic-comprised 83.3%, while percutaneous procedures comprised 8.9% (including 6.5% represented by cardiac catheterizations and pacemaker placements). Another group composed of a variety of procedures commonly requiring large fluid volume administration comprised 7.7%. There was a lower all-cause 30-day mortality in the PHF versus the non-PHF group (2.2% vs 5.7%), with a nonsignificant odds ratio of 0.39 in a minimally adjusted model. When individuals with prior myocardial infarction (MI) were excluded in a sensitivity analysis, the proportion of incident HF with concurrent MI was greater for PHF (32.9%) than for non-PHF (19.8%). In conclusion, PHF in older adults is a common entity with relatively low 30-day mortality. Baseline angina, lower age, and LVEF ≥ 55% were associated with a higher risk of PHF compared to non-PHF. Being Black was associated with a lower risk of PHF and PHF as a proportion of HF was lower in Black than in non-Black participants. Compared to non-PHF, PHF more frequently presented with concurrent MI and with preserved LV ejection fraction.

Association Between Myocardial Strain and Frailty in CHS.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial strain, measured by speckle-tracking echocardiography, is a novel measure of subclinical cardiovascular disease and may reflect myocardial aging. We evaluated the association between myocardial strain and frailty-a clinical syndrome of lack of physiological reserve. METHODS: Frailty was defined in participants of the CHS (Cardiovascular Health Study) as having ≥3 of the following clinical criteria: weakness, slowness, weight loss, exhaustion, and inactivity. Using speckle-tracking echocardiography data, we examined the cross-sectional (n=3206) and longitudinal (n=1431) associations with frailty among participants who had at least 1 measure of myocardial strain, left ventricular longitudinal strain (LVLS), left ventricular early diastolic strain rate and left atrial reservoir strain, and no history of cardiovascular disease or heart failure at the time of echocardiography. RESULTS: In cross-sectional analyses, lower (worse) LVLS was associated with prevalent frailty; this association was robust to adjustment for left ventricular ejection fraction (adjusted odds ratio, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.07-1.61] per 1-SD lower strain; P=0.007) and left ventricular stroke volume (adjusted OR, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.08-1.61] per 1-SD lower strain; P=0.007). In longitudinal analyses, adjusted associations of LVLS and left ventricular early diastolic strain with incident frailty were 1.35 ([95% CI, 0.96-1.89] P=0.086) and 1.58 ([95% CI, 1.11-2.27] P=0.013, respectively). Participants who were frail and had the worst LVLS had a 2.2-fold increased risk of death (hazard ratio, 2.20 [95% CI, 1.81-2.66]; P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In community-dwelling older adults without prevalent cardiovascular disease, worse LVLS by speckle-tracking echocardiography, reflective of subclinical myocardial dysfunction, was associated with frailty. Frailty and LVLS have an additive effect on mortality risk.

Level and Change in N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and Kidney Function and Survival to Age 90.

BACKGROUND: Many traditional cardiovascular risk factors do not predict survival to very old age. Studies have shown associations of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) with cardiovascular disease and mortality in older populations. This study aimed to evaluate the associations of the level and change in eGFR and NT-pro-BNP with longevity to age 90 years. METHOD: The population included participants (n = 3,645) in the Cardiovascular Health Study, aged between 67 and 75 at baseline. The main exposures were eGFR, calculated with the Berlin Initiative Study (BIS) 2 equation, and NT-pro-BNP, and the main outcome was survival to age 90. Mixed models were used to estimate level and change of the main exposures. RESULTS: There was an association between baseline level and change of both eGFR and NT-pro-BNP and survival to 90, and this association persisted after adjustment for covariates. Each 10 mL/min/1.73 m2 higher eGFR level was associated with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.23 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.34) of survival to 90, and a 0.5 mL/min/1.73 m2 slower decline in eGFR was associated with an OR of 1.51 (95% CI: 1.31, 1.74). A twofold higher level of NT-pro-BNP level had an adjusted OR of 0.67 (95% CI: 0.61, 0.73), and a 1.05-fold increase per year in NT-pro-BNP had an OR of 0.53 (95% CI: 0.43, 0.65) for survival to age 90. CONCLUSION: eGFR and NT-pro-BNP appear to be important risk factors for longevity to age 90.

Sex-Specific Associations of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Biomarkers With Incident Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: Whether cardiovascular (CV) disease risk factors and biomarkers associate differentially with heart failure (HF) risk in men and women is unclear. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate sex-specific associations of CV risk factors and biomarkers with incident HF. METHODS: The analysis was performed using data from 4 community-based cohorts with 12.5 years of follow-up. Participants (recruited between 1989 and 2002) were free of HF at baseline. Biomarker measurements included natriuretic peptides, cardiac troponins, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, D-dimer, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, sST2, galectin-3, cystatin-C, and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio. RESULTS: Among 22,756 participants (mean age 60 ± 13 years, 53% women), HF occurred in 2,095 participants (47% women). Age, smoking, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, body mass index, atrial fibrillation, myocardial infarction, left ventricular hypertrophy, and left bundle branch block were strongly associated with HF in both sexes (p < 0.001), and the combined clinical model had good discrimination in men (C-statistic = 0.80) and in women (C-statistic = 0.83). The majority of biomarkers were strongly and similarly associated with HF in both sexes. The clinical model improved modestly after adding natriuretic peptides in men (ΔC-statistic = 0.006; likelihood ratio chi-square = 146; p < 0.001), and after adding cardiac troponins in women (ΔC-statistic = 0.003; likelihood ratio chi-square = 73; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CV risk factors are strongly and similarly associated with incident HF in both sexes, highlighting the similar importance of risk factor control in reducing HF risk in the community. There are subtle sex-related differences in the predictive value of individual biomarkers, but the overall improvement in HF risk estimation when included in a clinical HF risk prediction model is limited in both sexes.

Brachial Flow-mediated Dilation and Risk of Dementia: The Cardiovascular Health Study.

INTRODUCTION: Brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is a physiologic measure of endothelial function. We determined the prospective association of brachial FMD with incident dementia among older adults. METHODS: We included 2777 Cardiovascular Health Study participants who underwent brachial FMD measurement. Incident dementia was ascertained by medication use, International Classification of Diseases-9 codes, requirement for a proxy, and death certificates and calibrated to gold-standard assessments performed in a subset of the cohort. RESULTS: Mean participant age at time of brachial FMD measurement was 77.9 years. We identified 1650 incident dementia cases (median follow-up=10.5 y). After adjusting for age, race, sex, education, clinic site, and baseline arterial diameter, risk of dementia for participants in the highest quartile of percent brachial FMD did not differ from those in lowest quartile (hazard ratio=0.89, 95% confidence interval: 0.77, 1.03). CONCLUSIONS: Brachial FMD, measured late in life, is not associated with an increased risk of incident dementia.

Pre-diabetes, diabetes and predictors of incident angina among older women and men in the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Diabetes mellitus and angina pectoris are important conditions in older persons. The utility of pre-diabetes mellitus, diabetes mellitus and other risk factors as predictors of incident angina pectoris among older adults has not been characterized. We examined incident angina pectoris rates by sex and diabetes mellitus status in 4511 adults aged ⩾65 years without coronary heart disease at baseline from the Cardiovascular Health Study. Cox regression examined predictors of incident angina pectoris, including pre-diabetes mellitus or diabetes mellitus adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and other risk factors, over 12.2 ± 6.9 years of follow-up. Overall, 39.1% of participants had pre-diabetes mellitus, 14.0% had diabetes mellitus and 532 (11.8%) had incident angina pectoris. Incident angina pectoris rates per 1000 person-years in those with neither condition, pre-diabetes mellitus, and diabetes mellitus were 7.9, 9.0 and 12.3 in women and 10.3, 11.2 and 14.5 in men, respectively. Pre-diabetes mellitus and diabetes mellitus were not independently associated with incident AP; however, key predictors of AP were male sex, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive medication and difficulty performing at least one instrumental activity of daily living (all p < 0.05 to p < 0.01). In our cohort of older adult participants, while the incidence of AP is greater in those with diabetes mellitus, neither diabetes mellitus nor pre-diabetes mellitus independently predicted incident angina pectoris.

Pulsed Doppler Echocardiography: An Historical Perspective.

Over the past six decades, echocardiography has evolved into an important technique for not only imaging cardiac structures, but also, by employing the Doppler equation, for assessing cardiac blood flow and tissue velocities. This review focuses on pulsed Doppler echocardiography: its principles, early development, and clinical applications. Important clinical applications include: (1) measurement of flow velocities, stroke volumes, and regurgitant and shunt volumes; (2) assessment of time intervals, e.g., pulmonary artery acceleration time as a measure of pulmonary artery pressure and resistance or the timing of mitral regurgitation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; (3) detection of turbulent flow in regurgitation, stenoses, and shunts, enhanced by the implementation of color Doppler; and (4) evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function in conjunction with pulsed tissue Doppler and deformation (strain) measurements.