[Myocardial scar area predicts major adverse cardiovascular events after coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy].

Objective: To investigate the value of myocardium scar area in predicting adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). Methods: The first part of this study was a retrospective study. Patients diagnosed with ICM and undergoing CABG surgery at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2017 to December 2022 were enrolled as the discovery cohort. All patients underwent cardiac magnetic resonance-late gadolinium enhancement (CMR-LGE) before surgery. According to the occurrence of postoperative MACEs, the patients were divided into MACEs group and MACEs-free group. Preoperative clinical and imaging data, intraoperative and postoperative data were collected and compared between the two groups. The primary endpoint was postoperative MACEs. Univariate and multifactor regression analyses were used to analyze the risk factors for MACEs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate the predictive efficacy and optimal cut-off value of myocardial scar area for endpoint events. The second part of this study was a prospective study. Patients with ICM who received CABG at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2023 to June 2023 were enrolled as a validation cohort, and were divided into MACEs group and MACEs-free group according to whether MACEs occurred after surgery. Preoperative clinical and imaging data, intraoperative and postoperative data were collected and compared between the two groups. Verify the reliability of the cut-off value obtained by ROC curve in the validation cohort. Results: A total of 120 patients with ICM (30 patients in MACEs group and 90 patients in MACEs-free group), aged (61.6±8.7) years, including 93 males, were included in the discovery cohort. A total of 22 ICM patients (5 patients in MACEs group and 17 patients in MACEs-free group), aged (59.5±8.2) years, including 18 males, were included in the validation cohort. Multivariate Cox regression showed that myocardial scar area (HR=1.258, 95%CI 1.096-1.444, P=0.001) was an independent risk factor for the primary endpoint event. The area under ROC curve of myocardial scar area for predicting postoperative MACEs was 0.90 (95%CI 0.83-0.95), and myocardial scar area≥36.0% was the optimal cut-off value for predicting postoperative MACEs, and its sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 96.7%, 72.2% and 78.3%, respectively. In the validation cohort, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of myocardial scar area in predicting postoperative MACEs in patients with ICM after CABG were 80.0%, 82.4% and 81.8%, respectively. Conclusion: Myocardial scar area is an independent risk factor for MACEs after CABG in patients with ICM, and myocardial scar area≥36.0% is the optimal cut-off value for predicting MACEs after CABG. Myocardial scar area can help to identify patients at high risk of surgery and provide a basis for risk stratification of patients.

REVIVED BCIS-2: update and key learnings.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review summarises the shifting paradigms in the treatment of ischemic left ventricular dysfunction, spotlighting the revascularization for ischemic ventricular dysfunction-British cardiovascular intervention society-2 (REVIVED-BCIS2) trial results and its impact on key therapeutic goals: survival, left ventricular function, arrhythmia prevention, quality of life and viability testing. RECENT FINDINGS: The REVIVED-BCIS2 trial, and its subsequent sub studies highlighted that (PCI) does not provide additional benefits to optimal medical therapy in terms of improving survival, left ventricular (LV) function, arrhythmic risk or quality of life. Additionally, viability testing did not differentiate patients who could benefit from PCI, although scar burden was found to be a significant predictor of outcome in these patients. SUMMARY: The outcomes of REVIVED have challenged multiple existing beliefs in the field of ischaemic left ventricular dysfunction management, emphasising the importance of investigating evidence free areas in our practice. Future work, including the STICH3 international consortium of trials, aims to answer some of the remaining unanswered questions.

Bayesian Modeling and Estimation of Spatial Risk for Hospitalization and Mortality from Ischemic Heart Disease in Paraná, Brazil.

Objective: Despite significant advancements in understanding risk factors and treatment strategies, ischemic heart disease (IHD) remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide, particularly within specific regions in Brazil, where the disease is a burden. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the risk of hospitalization and mortality from IHD in the state of Paraná (Brazil), using spatial analysis to identify areas with higher risk based on socioeconomic, demographic and health variables. Methods: This is an ecological study based on secondary and retrospective IHD hospitalization and mortality data obtained from the Brazilian Hospitalization and Mortality Information Systems during the 2010-2021 period. Data were analyzed for 399 municipalities and 22 health regions in the state of Paraná. To assess the spatial patterns of the disease and identify relative risk (RR) areas, we constructed a risk model by Bayesian inference using the R-INLA and SpatialEpi packages in R software. Results: A total of 333,229 hospitalizations and 73,221 deaths occurred in the analyzed period, and elevated RR of hospitalization (RR = 27.412, CI 21.801; 34.466) and mortality (RR = 15.673, CI 2.148; 114.319) from IHD occurred in small-sized municipalities. In addition, medium-sized municipalities also presented elevated RR of hospitalization (RR = 6.533, CI 1.748; 2.006) and mortality (RR = 6.092, CI 1.451; 2.163) from IHD. Hospitalization and mortality rates were higher in white men aged 40-59 years. A negative association was found between Municipal Performance Index (IPDM) and IHD hospitalization and mortality. Conclusion: Areas with increased risk of hospitalization and mortality from IHD were found in small and medium-sized municipalities in the state of Paraná, Brazil. These results suggest a deficit in health care attention for IHD cases in these areas, potentially due to a low distribution of health care resources.

In a Canine Model of Septic Shock, Cardiomyopathy Occurs Independent of Catecholamine Surges and Cardiac Microvascular Ischemia.

BACKGROUND: High levels of catecholamines are cardiotoxic and associated with stress-induced cardiomyopathies. Using a septic shock model that reproduces the reversible cardiomyopathy seen over 10 days associated with human septic shock, we investigated the effects of catecholamines on microcirculatory perfusion and cardiac dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Purpose-bred beagles received intrabronchial Staphylococcus aureus (n=30) or saline (n=6). The septic animals were than randomized to epinephrine (1 µg/kg per minute, n=15) or saline (n=15) infusions from 4 to 44 hours. Serial cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, catecholamine levels, and troponins were collected over 92 hours. Serial adenosine-stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed on septic animals randomized to receive saline (n=8 out of 15) or epinephrine (n=8 out of 15). High-dose sedation was given to suppress endogenous catecholamine release. Despite catecholamine levels largely remaining within the normal range throughout, by 48 hours, septic animals receiving saline versus nonseptic animals still developed significant worsening of left ventricular ejection fraction, circumferential strain, and ventricular-aortic coupling. In septic animals that received epinephrine versus saline infusions, plasma epinephrine levels increased 800-fold, but epinephrine produced no significant further worsening of left ventricular ejection fraction, circumferential strain, or ventricular-aortic coupling. Septic animals receiving saline had a significant increase in microcirculatory reserve without troponin elevations. Septic animals receiving epinephrine had decreased edema, blunted microcirculatory perfusion, and elevated troponin levels that persisted for hours after the epinephrine infusion stopped. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac dysfunction during sepsis is not primarily due to elevated endogenous or exogenous catecholamines nor due to decreased microvascular perfusion-induced ischemia. However, epinephrine itself has potentially harmful long-lasting ischemic effects during sepsis including impaired cardiac microvascular perfusion that persists after stopping the infusion.

[Compatibility mechanism of Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills for treatment of myocardial ischemia based on UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS and network pharmacology].

Clinical efficacy and mechanism of Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills(QSYQ) have been well researched, but the compatibility mechanism underlying its therapeutic effect still requires further analysis. This study aims to explore the compatibility mechanism of QSYQ in treating myocardial ischemia. UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS technique was used to obtain the absorbed blood components of QSYQ. Target proteins of the absorbed components were collected and screened using TCMSP, TCMIP, and SwissTargetPrediction databases. Disease proteins related to myocardial ischemia were obtained through GeneCards, OMIM, and DisGeNET databases. Core targets and core components were obtained using online plotting software Venny 2.1.0, STRING, and Cytoscape 3.9.1 software. David database was used for GO functional annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment of core targets, obtaining the main pathways of QSYQ in treating myocardial ischemia and drawing visualized network diagrams. The compatibility mechanism was analyzed based on "component-target", "drug-pathway", and "PI3K-AKT" characteristic pathways, and molecular docking was used for validation. This study obtained 42 absorbed blood components of QSYQ, 556 component targets, 1 980 disease targets, 69 core targets, and 15 core components. QSYQ can exert therapeutic effects on myocardial ischemia by regulating proteins such as MAPK1, RELA, SRC, JUN, and STAT3, acting on signaling pathways such as HIF-1, PI3K-AKT, Toll-like, MAPK, VEGF, etc. The interaction network diagrams of "component-target" and "drug-pathway" preliminarily elucidated the synergy among the four drugs in this prescription at the level of targets and pathways. The PI3K-AKT characteristic pathway indicated that the sovereign drug Huangqi(Astragali Radix) and minister drug Danshen(Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) could regulate most targets in this pathway, while the assistant drug Sanqi(Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma) cooperated with Huangqi and Danshen on IL6 and AKT proteins, and the envoy drug Jiangxiang(Dalbergiae Odoriferae Lignum) acted on AKT and RXRA proteins, with all drugs acting synergistically on proteins such as AKT, RXRA, NFKB to regulate cell survival and promote angiogenesis. Molecular docking indicated that hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions might be the main forms of action, also validating the distribution of binding energy of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. This study analyzed the compatibility connotation of QSYQ from multiple dimensions including drugs, components, targets, and pathways, providing reference basis for the study of the mechanism of action and compatibility rules of QSYQ.

[Anti-myocardial ischemic injury effects and mechanisms of cryptotanshinone in regulating macrophage polarisation through Dectin-1 signalling pathway].

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential mechanism by which cryptotanshinone(CTS) may exert its anti-myo-cardial ischemic effect through the regulation of macrophage polarization via the dendritic cell-associated C-type lectin 1(Dectin-1) signaling pathway. Male C57BL/6 mice, aged six weeks, were utilized to establish myocardial ischemia models and were subsequently divided into five groups: sham, model, CTS low-dose(21 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)), CTS high-dose(84 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)), and dapagliflozin(0.14 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)). The cardiac function, serum enzyme levels, Dectin-1 expression, macrophage polarization, and neutrophil infiltration in the myocardial infarction area were assessed in each group. An in vitro model of M1-type macrophages was constructed using lipopolysaccharide/interfe-ron-γ(LPS/IFN-γ) stimulated RAW264.7 cells to investigate the impact of CTS on macrophage polarization and to examine alterations in key proteins within the Dectin-1 signaling pathway. In the CTS group, compared to the model group mice, there was a significant improvement in the cardiac function and myocardial injury, along with a notable increase in the ratio of M2/M1-type macrophages in the myocardial infarcted area and a decrease in neutrophil infiltration. Additionally, Dectin-1 exhibited low expression. The results of in vitro experiments demonstrated that CTS can decrease the expression of M1-type marker genes and increase the expression of M2-type marker genes. Besides, it can decrease the levels of Dectin-1 and the phosphorylation of its associated proteins, including spleen tyrosine kinase(Syk), protein kinase B(Akt), nuclear factor-kappaB p65(NF-κB p65), and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases(ERK1/2). Additionally, CTS was found to enhance the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-6(STAT6). The above results suggest that CTS exerts its anti-myocardial ischemic injury effect by regulating macrophage polarization through the Dectin-1 signaling pathway.

Myocardial ischemia caused by the synergistic effect of myocardial bridge and moderate stenosis: case report.

BACKGROUND: Clinical events such as angina pectoris, acute coronary syndrome, and sudden death caused by myocardial bridge (MB) have attracted increasing attention. It is still a challenge to diagnose whether MB can cause the symptoms of patients with MB. For most MB patients, medication remains the primary treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: This article reports a case of chest pain in a patient with MB in the middle segment of the left anterior descending artery (LADm) with moderate stenosis in the proximal segment (LADp). Through functional assessment, we found that neither MB nor fixed stenosis had sufficient effect on coronary blood flow to cause myocardial ischemia, but their synergistic effect resulted in myocardial ischemia. Finally, a stent was implanted in LADp and good clinical results were achieved. CONCLUSIONS: For symptomatic patients with MB combined with fixed stenosis, functional evaluation may be necessary, which has significant guiding significance for treatment strategy selection. For asymptomatic patients, early detection of myocardial ischemia may also improve the prognosis of patients.

Impact of dietary risk on global ischemic heart disease: findings from 1990-2019.

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a condition in which the heart is starved of oxygen. Knowing the dietary risk factors implementing appropriate nutritional interventions in this regard seems essential. Therefore, the present study was carried out to determine the epidemiological features of IHD affected by dietary risks. This study used data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. In this study, we collected information on death, years lived with disability (YLD), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of IHD affected by dietary risks in one hundred thousand people with 95% confidence based on the direct Age Standard Rate (ASR). We applied these data based on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In 2019, the number of IHD deaths, YLDs, and DALYs attributable to dietary risks was 62.43 million (95% UI [50.97-73.63] per 100,000 population), 36.88 (95% UI [23.87-53.32] per 100,000 population), and 1271.32 (95% UI [1061.29-1473.75] per 100,000 population), respectively. We found that the lowest DALYs of IHD affected by dietary risks by ASR are for high SDI countries. Most dietary risk factors related to IHD in countries with high and high middle SDI were related to a diet high in red and processed meat, sodium, and low in legumes, but in countries with low and low middle SDI, it was related to a diet low in fiber, fruit, nuts and seeds, PUFA, seafood W3 fatty acids, vegetables and whole grain. Considering that the dietary risk factors related to IHD are different based on SDI, it is necessary to consider nutritional interventions according to SDI.

The association between anthropometric indices and ischemic heart disease: a large-scale cross-sectional study on the Iranian population.

This study aimed to evaluate the superiority of anthropometric indices compared to others for predicting ischemic heart disease (IHD) or cardiometabolic risk factors. This study was a cross-sectional analysis of the Pars Cohort Study data. In total, 9229 Valashahr inhabitants aged 40-75 were included in the analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analyses was used to compare the predictive accuracy of four anthropometric measures, including body mass index, waist to height ratio (WHtR), waist to hip ratio (WHR), and waist circumference (WC). IHD prevalence was 10.4% in our sample. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome was 12.7%, 29.2%, 58.4%, and 22.3%, respectively. All anthropometric indices had poor to good accuracy in predicting IHD risk factors, with AUCs ranging between 0.580 and 0.818. WHR was the most accurate measure for predicting IHD in both genders. All indexes had a better accuracy for predicting DM, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in males than in females. To conclude, anthropometric measures, especially WC and WHtR, are recommended for predicting metabolic syndrome in primary prevention settings. These simple indices could help physicians find those who need further evaluation for MetS.

Clinical characteristics and prognostic importance of anticoagulant use in ischemic left ventricular aneurysm: a retrospective cohort study.

There is insufficient data on systemic embolic events (SSEs) in patients with ischemic left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) concerning the impact of anticoagulation therapy. In this retrospective cohort study with 1043 patients with ischemic LVA, SSEs occurred in 7.2% over 2.4 years. After adjusting for relevant factors, the use of anticoagulants was independently associated with a lower incidence of SSE (3.1% vs. 9.0%, P < 0.001; subdistribution hazard ratios (SHR) 0.21, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.10-0.44, P < 0.001), with no significant difference in net adverse clinical events (NACEs) (10.6% vs. 13.3%, P = 0.225). Specifically, anticoagulation in patients with apical segment akinesis significantly reduced SSEs (3.9% vs. 13.6%, P = 0.002) and NACE rates (7.8% vs. 19.4%, P = 0.002). Major bleeding rates did not significantly differ between groups (5.6% vs. 3.5%, P = 0.111). These findings highlight the SSE risk in ischemic LVA and suggest potential benefits of anticoagulation, particularly in those with apical segment akinesis. These findings need to be validated in independent datasets.

Anomalous Right Coronary Artery From Pulmonary Artery Presenting as Inferior Wall Ischemia: A Case Report.

We illustrate the case of a 62-year-old man with a symptomatic anomalous right coronary artery from pulmonary artery (ARCAPA). Our patient had presented with dyspnea on exertion with electrocardiogram showing pronounced inferior Q waves and marked inferolateral ST-T wave changes. The patient had a nuclear stress test which showed inferior wall ischemia. Subsequently, the patient underwent coronary angiography which showed an ARCAPA. The patient underwent surgical repair with reimplantation of the right coronary artery to the ascending aorta which was tolerated well. Our case illustrates ARCAPA presenting late in adulthood with ischemic symptoms that was treated with corrective surgery.

Expression of Osteopontin and Gremlin 1 Proteins in Cardiomyocytes in Ischemic Heart Failure.

A relevant role of osteopontin (OPN) and gremlin 1 (Grem1) in regulating cardiac tissue remodeling and formation of heart failure (HF) are documented, with the changes of OPN and Grem1 levels in blood plasma due to acute ischemia, ischemic heart disease-induced advanced HF or dilatative cardiomyopathy being the primary focus in most of these studies. However, knowledge on the early OPN and Grem1 proteins expression changes within cardiomyocytes during remodeling due to chronic ischemia remains insufficient. The aim of this study was to determine the OPN and Grem1 proteins expression changes in human cardiomyocytes at different stages of ischemic HF. A semi-quantitative immunohistochemical analysis was performed in 105 myocardial tissue samples obtained from the left cardiac ventricles. Increased OPN immunostaining intensity was already detected in the stage A HF group, compared to the control group (p < 0.001), and continued to increase in the stage B HF (p < 0.001), achieving the peak of immunostaining in the stages C/D HF group (p < 0.001). Similar data of Grem1 immunostaining intensity changes in cardiomyocytes were documented. Significantly positive correlations were detected between OPN, Grem1 expression in cardiomyocytes and their diameter as well as the length, in addition to positive correlation between OPN and Grem1 expression changes within cardiomyocytes. These novel findings suggest that OPN and Grem1 contribute significantly to reorganization of cellular geometry from the earliest stage of cardiomyocyte remodeling, providing new insights into the ischemic HF pathogenesis.

Possibilities of Azilsartan Medoxomil for Preparation for Planned Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of azilsartan medoxomil for preoperative preparation and improving the long-term prognosis of elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD), arterial hypertension (AH), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study sample included patients with type 2 DM referred for elective PCI who had poor blood pressure (BP) control according to 24-hour BP monitoring (24-BPM) (mean daily systolic BP ≥130 mmHg, mean daily diastolic BP ≥80 mmHg). The data were collected from 2018 through 2020. A total of 75 patients was included and distributed by simple randomization into two groups: group 1 (main, n=37) received azilsartan medoxomil as an antihypertensive drug at a dose of 40 mg/day (previously prescribed angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) were discontinued); group 2 (control, n=38) continued on their previous antihypertensive therapy. The follow-up period was 6 months. During each of 5 consecutive follow-up visits, the patient was examined, 24-BPM was recorded, and urinary markers of renal dysfunction (glomerular filtration rate, GFR; neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, NGAL; urine albumin-creatinine ratio, UACR; kidney injury molecule, KIM-1; and interleukin-18, IL-18) were measured. RESULTS: During the azilsartan treatment, GFR decreased by 7.4%, while in the control group, it decreased by 18.9% (p<0.001). For 6 months of follow-up, no changes in the NGAL concentration were found in the main group, while the NGAL concentration in the control group increased by 12.9%. With azilsartan, there was a decrease in the urinary concentration of IL-18 (16.9%), while in patients of the control group, IL-18 increased (7.14%). Proteinuria progressed in both groups, which was expectable given the presence of DM; however, in patients receiving azilsartan, the UACR value increased by 37.5%, while in patients of the control group, it increased by 96.15%. These differences were statistically significant. No statistically significant differences were found in the concentrations of cystatin C and KIM-1. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated two important facts: the possibility for diagnosing contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) using new, more sensitive markers of kidney damage, which is important for assessing the effectiveness of prevention, and the possibility of using ARBs, in particular azilsartan, for the prevention of CI-AKI in patients with IHD in combination with AH and DM.

Objective Ischemia, Subjective Angina, and Psychological Distress in Angina With No Obstructive Coronary Disease.

BACKGROUND: Angina with no obstructive coronary disease (ANOCA) and ischemia with no obstructive coronary disease, prevalent yet underrecognized conditions, mostly affect women. Previous studies rarely distinguished between them. We aimed to compare the prevalence of objective ischemia through various examinations in women with ANOCA and assess the impact of objective and subjective ischemia on their mental health. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 84 eligible women with ANOCA and 42 controls underwent mental stress, pharmacological stress, exercise stress, and Holter testing. Objective evidence of myocardial ischemia was assessed by positron emission tomography-computed tomography and ECG, and subjective symptoms were graded using the Canadian Cardiovascular Society scale (CCS). Psychological assessments were conducted using 6 scales. Among 84 women with ANOCA, 37 (44%) received a diagnosis of ischemia with no obstructive coronary disease following mental stress testing, 20 (28.6%) through pharmacological stress testing, 14 (21.2%) via exercise stress testing, and 24 (32.9%) from Holter. Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia was more prevalent (P<0.05). Among 54 patients with ANOCA who completed all tests, 30% showed no ischemia, and only 1 (1.9%) showed ischemia in all tests. In addition, patients with ANOCA had higher psychological scores than controls (P<0.01). No significant differences was observed in psychological scores between ANOCA with positive and negative ischemia test results (P>0.05). However, ANOCA with milder angina (CCS I) exhibited higher scores across the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version and a higher prevalence of Type D personality traits (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ANOCA, the positive rate of myocardial ischemia exhibits variability among several noninvasive tests. A worsened psychological state is more closely linked to milder angina symptoms than to ischemia performance, highlighting the importance of focusing on symptom management in their psychological care. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03982901.

Using machine learning to predict acute myocardial infarction and ischemic heart disease in primary care cardiovascular patients.

BACKGROUND: Early recognition, which preferably happens in primary care, is the most important tool to combat cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aims to predict acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and ischemic heart disease (IHD) using Machine Learning (ML) in primary care cardiovascular patients. We compare the ML-models' performance with that of the common SMART algorithm and discuss clinical implications. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patient-level medical record data (n = 13,218) collected between 2011-2021 from 90 GP-practices were used to construct two random forest models (one for AMI and one for IHD) as well as a linear model based on the SMART risk prediction algorithm as a suitable comparator. The data contained patient-level predictors, including demographics, procedures, medications, biometrics, and diagnosis. Temporal cross-validation was used to assess performance. Furthermore, predictors that contributed most to the ML-models' accuracy were identified. The ML-model predicting AMI had an accuracy of 0.97, a sensitivity of 0.67, a specificity of 1.00 and a precision of 0.99. The AUC was 0.96 and the Brier score was 0.03. The IHD-model had similar performance. In both ML-models anticoagulants/antiplatelet use, systolic blood pressure, mean blood glucose, and eGFR contributed most to model accuracy. For both outcomes, the SMART algorithm was substantially outperformed by ML on all metrics. CONCLUSION: Our findings underline the potential of using ML for CVD prediction purposes in primary care, although the interpretation of predictors can be difficult. Clinicians, patients, and researchers might benefit from transitioning to using ML-models in support of individualized predictions by primary care physicians and subsequent (secondary) prevention.

The benefits of GLP-1 drugs beyond obesity.

Glucagon-like peptide-1-based medicines have weight loss-independent actions.

Cardio-cerebrovascular adverse outcomes in patients with influenza with and without preexisting cardiovascular disease: Oral antiviral agents impact.

This study aimed to compare the 2-year cardio-cerebrovascular adverse outcomes of patients with influenza with and without preexisting cardiovascular disease (preCVD) treated with oral antiviral agents in the outpatient clinic. Oral antiviral agents are routinely prescribed to treat influenza infection with a positive rapid-antigen test in the outpatient clinic; however, influenza-associated cardio-cerebrovascular outcomes have not yet been characterized in patients with preCVD treated with oral antiviral agents. Data between 2006 and 2016 were extracted from the National Health Database of South Korea. A total of 865,522 patients with influenza treated with oral antiviral agents were selected in South Korea and classified as preexisting ischemic heart disease (IHD), heart failure (HF), or atrial fibrillation (AF), and 2-year cardio-cerebrovascular outcomes were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazard regression model. Among the participants, 96,433 had preCVD (11.1%; mean age, 46 years) including IHD (86.4%), HF (23.1%), and AF (12.5%). The incidence of new-onset IHD, AF, HF, and death was similar between patients with influenza with and without preCVD. The incidences of IHD and stroke were 0.489 and 0.047 per 100-person year in the preCVD group, respectively. The incidence of cardiovascular mortality was 0.489 per 100-person year in the preCVD group, and the hazard ratio for cardiovascular mortality in the preCVD group was not significantly different from that in patients without preCVD. Based on the national health data, 2-year cardio-cerebrovascular adverse outcomes were not significantly different between patients with and without preCVD treated with oral antiviral agents.

Current indications and surgical strategies for myocardial revascularization in patients with left ventricular dysfunction: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) accounts for more than 60% of congestive heart failure cases and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Myocardial revascularization in patients with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35% aims to improve survival and quality of life and reduce complications associated with heart failure and coronary artery disease. The majority of randomized clinical trials have consistently excluded those patients, resulting in evidence primarily derived from observational studies. MAIN BODY: We performed a scoping review using the Arksey and O'Malley methodology in five stages: 1) formulating the research question; 2) locating relevant studies; 3) choosing studies; 4) organizing and extracting data; and 5) compiling, summarizing, and presenting the findings. This literature review covers primary studies and systematic reviews focusing on surgical revascularization strategies in adult patients with ischemic left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 35% or lower. Through an extensive search of Medline and the Cochrane Library, a systematic review was conducted to address three questions regarding myocardial revascularization in these patients. These questions outline the current knowledge on this topic, current surgical strategies (off-pump vs. on-pump), and graft options (including hybrid techniques) utilized for revascularization. Three independent reviewers (MAE, DP, and AM) applied the inclusion criteria to all the included studies, obtaining the full texts of the most relevant studies. The reviewers subsequently assessed these articles to make the final decision on their inclusion in the review. Out of the initial 385 references, 156 were chosen for a detailed review. After examining the full articles were examined, 134 were found suitable for scoping review. CONCLUSION: The literature notes the scarcity of surgical revascularization in LVD patients in randomized studies, with observational data supporting coronary revascularization's benefits. ONCABG is recommended for multivessel disease in LVD with LVEF < 35%, while OPCAB is proposed for older, high-risk patients. Strategies like internal thoracic artery skeletonization harvesting and postoperative glycemic control mitigate risks with BITA in uncontrolled diabetes. Total arterial revascularization maximizes long-term survival, and hybrid revascularization offers advantages like shorter hospital stays and reduced costs for significant LAD lesions.

Ischemic heart disease and stroke in male couriers: a cohort study using the national health insurance data and national employment insurance data.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke among male couriers in Korea by linking the data from the National Health Insurance (NHI) and National Employee Insurance (NEI) databases. Methods: As of 2015, the NHI and NEI databases were linked using individual IDs. A cohort of male couriers, aged between 20 and 64 years, (N = 5,012) was constructed using the Korean Employment Insurance Occupational Classification (KECO-2007). For comparison, a cohort of male total wage workers (N = 5,429,176) and a cohort of office workers (N = 632,848) within the same age group were also constructed. The follow-up was conducted until 31 December 2020 to confirm the occurrence of IHD and stroke. The diagnoses were defined using the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) codes. The criteria included medical services for more than 1 day of hospitalization or more than 2 outpatient visits. The age-standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was calculated to evaluate the risk of occurrence. The hazard ratio (HR) was calculated using the Cox model after adjusting for age, alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity, income level, and employment duration as confounding variables. Results: The SIR of IHD for couriers was 1.54 (95% CI 1.31-1.78), while for office workers, it was 1.08 (95% CI 1.06-1.10), compared to male total wage workers. The SIR for stroke was higher for couriers at 1.84 (95% CI 1.40-2.28) and lower for office workers at 0.86, compared to male total wage workers. Couriers had a higher SIR for stroke at 1.84 (95% CI 1.40-2.28) and lower for office workers at 0.86 (0.83-0.89). Compared to total wage workers, couriers had a significantly higher adjusted HR for IHD at 1.60 (95% CI 1.37-1.87) and a higher HR for stroke at 1.39 (95% CI 1.07-1.79). Compared to office workers, couriers had a significantly higher HR for IHD at 1.34 (95% CI 1.13-1.59) as well as for for stroke at 1.43 (95% CI 1.08-1.88). Conclusion: The incidence of IHD and stroke was higher among male couriers compared to male office workers and total wage workers, highlighting the need for implementing public health interventions to prevent IHD and stroke among couriers.