Sleep-disordered breathing and heart failure: a vicious cycle of cardiovascular risk.

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) represents an important cardiovascular risk factor that is still often underestimated and not always optimally treated. Such breathing disorders can induce several harmful effects on the heart, also favoring the development of arrhythmias, ischemic heart disease, and left ventricular remodeling. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) is more frequent in heart failure patients than in the general population, promoting the worsening of left ventricular dysfunction. Both sleep apnea and heart failure have common clinical manifestations but also similar neurohormonal characteristics, both contributing to the development and progression of heart failure and resulting in increased mortality. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying left ventricular dysfunction associated with SDB will be analyzed, and the potential therapeutic effects of gliflozins on OSA in heart failure patients will be discussed.

An unusual cause of iron deficiency anemia in a patient with severe aortic stenosis and heart failure.

There has been an exponential increase in incidence of severe aortic stenosis partially due to the lengthening of average lifespan. Among the most disabling symptoms of aortic stenosis are chest pain, fatigue, and dyspnea up to heart failure and pulmonary edema. In some cases, to worsen this symptomatology, there are coagulation disorders linked to an alteration of functional von Willebrand factor, responsible for progressive anemia. In elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis, the simultaneous presence of an angiodysplasia of the colon can favor blood dripping, which may cause iron deficiency anemia. The coexistence of colonic angiodysplasia and acquired von Willebrand disease in patients with aortic stenosis was identified as Heyde's syndrome. In the long term, Heyde's syndrome can contribute to worsen the clinical manifestations of severe aortic stenosis leading to heart failure. Here, we describe the case of a patient suffering of severe calcific aortic stenosis who developed Heyde's syndrome achieving a condition of heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction. Learning objectives: Severe aortic stenosis can alter the conformation of the circulating von Willebrand glycoprotein, causing an alteration of the hemostatic balance. When angiodysplasia of the colon coexists with aortic stenosis, a gastrointestinal blood drip can occur inducing an iron deficiency anemia that worsens the symptoms of aortic valvulopathy. This condition often remains undiagnosed. We discuss the pathophysiologic and hemodynamic mechanisms responsible for acquired von Willebrand syndrome in patients with severe aortic stenosis focusing on the clinical elements useful to raise the diagnostic suspicion and analyzing different alternative tools to recognize it promptly.

An unexpected cause of chest pain, dyspnea and palpitations in a young patient during a post-COVID syndrome.

A 31-year-old male presented with sudden onset of chest pain and dyspnea after a COVID-19 infection. Initially labeled as a myopericarditis related to COVID-19, because of the young age and low risk profile, after a multiparametric evaluation was possible to diagnose and treat an unstable lesion on an intermediate branch of left coronary.

[Endocarditis complicated by anterior myocardial infarction: a case report. What the guidelines do not say]. / Endocardite infettiva complicata da infarto anteriore: un caso clinico. Quello che le linee guida non dicono.

Acute myocardial infarction is an uncommon complication of infective endocarditis, burdened by high mortality and often underdiagnosed. Due to its reduced frequency, current guidelines do not always highlight this condition or provide clear indications regarding treatment. We present a case of acute coronary syndrome induced by the occlusion of the anterior descending artery, due to a septic embolus and treated by aspiration of the embolic material. The clinical-instrumental aspects necessary to raise the suspicion of endocarditis and make the diagnosis are then examined. Subsequently, all the possible therapeutic strategies and any complications of the traditional treatment of acute coronary syndromes during infectious valve disease are analyzed. Since clinical presentation may be extremely variable, the establishment of a multidisciplinary team would allow, in these cases, a more appropriate and complete diagnostic and therapeutic management.

Left atrial invasion of a lung cancer: a case report.

Lung cancer is the leading neoplastic form worldwide for both incidence and mortality and represents the largest contributor to new cancer diagnosis. Cardiac extensions of a pulmonary neoplasm are rare and dramatically under-diagnosed because of the extreme variability of clinical presentation and frequently are expression of an advanced-stage primary lung cancer. The invasion often happens through pulmonary veins in absence of a clear respiratory impairment. Symptoms related to the cardiac involvement as the first presentation of a malignant pulmonary neoplasm are very uncommon and related with poor outcome. Here we present a case of invasion of the left atrium of a pulmonary neoplasm with initial cardiac manifestations and a laboratory finding of hypercalcemia.

Could Low Doses Acetylsalicylic Acid Prevent Thrombotic Complications in COVID-19 Patients?

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) can induce inflammatory and thrombotic complications of pulmonary district (interstitial pneumonia), sometimes evolving toward acute respiratory failure. In adults, Acetylsalicylic Acid (ASA) is widely employed at low doses for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Apart their anti-thrombotic effect, low ASA doses also exert an anti-inflammatory action. So, when these are assumed for CVD prevention, could prevent both inflammatory reaction and pro-coagulant tendency of Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) infection. In addition, some patients receiving ASA are simultaneously treated with Statins, to correct dyslipidemia. But, for their pleiotropic effects, Statins can also be useful to antagonize pulmonary thrombo-inflammation induced by COVID-19. Thus ASA, with or without Statins, employed for CVD prevention, could be useful to avoid or minimize inflammatory reaction and thrombotic complications of COVID-19. But, further studies performed in a wide range are requested to validate this hypothesis.

The role of Ivabradine in Diastolic Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction. A Doppler-Echocardiographic study.

BACKGROUND: Ivabradine (IVA) is effective in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) or systolic heart failure in sinus rhythm. Its action consists in reducing heart rate (HR) and improving the time of left ventricular (LV) diastolic filling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of IVA added to conventional therapy on patients with diastolic heart failure (DHF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). METHODS: We evaluated 25 patients with DHF in the New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II-III and sinus rhythm. In these, IVA per os (5 mg/twice a day) was added to the conventional medical therapy and given for 12 weeks. Immediately before the beginning of IVA therapy and 3 months later, patients underwent echocardiographic evaluation by two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). The patterns of diastolic mitral inflow and pulmonary venous flow were recorded using 2D echocardiography, while the diastolic phase of mitral flow was recorded by TDI, from the lateral mitral annulus. RESULTS: Three months after the addition of IVA to conventional treatment, HR significantly decreased in comparison to the baseline values. On the contrary, the echocardiographic indexes of LV diastolic dysfunction improved. CONCLUSIONS: These results testify that the addition of IVA to conventional therapy in patients with HFpEF can improve LV diastolic function evaluated by 2D and tissue Doppler-echocardiographic patterns. These Doppler-echocardiographic results match with the clinical improvement of patients evaluated.

Left Ventricular Postinfarction Pseudoaneurysm: Diagnostic Advantages of Three-Dimensional Echocardiography.

We present a case of posterior left ventricular pseudoaneurysm, a rare but potentially lethal complication of inferior acute myocardial infarction. The clinical findings and the customary, noninvasive diagnostic methods used are illustrated. Particularly, the most evident display obtained by the employment of three-dimensional echocardiography in comparison to those supplied by two-dimensional ultrasonic method was illustrated.

Ranolazine and Ivabradine: two different modalities to act against ischemic heart disease.

Among the innovative drugs recently introduced for the management of chronic stable angina, Ranolazine and ivabradine represent two most true innovations. In fact, even if both drugs act by reducing myocardial work and thus oxygen consumption, this happens by a peculiar mechanism unlike that of conventional antischemic drugs. Ranolazine mediates its antianginal effects by the inhibition of cardiac late sodium current. This improves myocardial relaxation favoring myocardial perfusion. Ivabradine is a selective If channel blocker and acts by reducing firing rate of pacemaker cells in the sinoatrial node, without affecting the duration of action potential. The reduction of heart rate causes a reduction of left ventricular end diastolic pressure and increases the time useful to coronary flow by a prolongation of the diastole. A body of evidence found that two drugs are useful in ischemic patients whether at rest or during exercise. In addition, they can be used in monotherapy or in association with other conventional anti-ischemic drugs. The two medications could be used with advantage also in microvascular angina when standard therapy is ineffective. Thus, the two drugs represent an adjunctive and powerful therapeutic modality for the treatment of chronic stable angina, especially when conventional antianginal drugs were insufficient or inadequate.

Two-dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography and Three-dimensional Echocardiography Characterization of Left Atrial Giant Myxoma.

Myxomas are the most common cancerous nonneoplasms among the rare heart's tumors. Usually, they are located in the left atrium (LA). They are more frequent in women than in men and ranged in age from 30 to 50 years. Rarely, myxoma is completely asymptomatic and in that case represents a fortuitous discovery. However, usually, it is characterized by several symptoms as fatigue, dyspnea, chest pain, dizziness, cough, and sometimes, by sudden death. We refer on a case of LA myxoma found in a woman without symptoms but having a systolic precordial murmur. Two-dimensional echocardiography (2-DE) shown an unknown giant LA myxoma, almost completely occupying the atrial cavity. 2-D left atrial longitudinal speckle tracking echocardiography first allowed to note the changes in the percentage of "reservoir," "conduit," and "booster pump" phases of the left atrial function respect to normal subjects, revealing LA dysfunction. Three-dimensional echocardiography (3-DE) shown left atrial mass and its attachment to the atrial septum better than 2-DE. Furthermore, 3-DE allowed to define the shape of LA myxoma and its 3-D, irregular contour.

The role of echocardiography in the non-invasive diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis.

INTRODUCTION: The diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is usually performed by endomyocardial biopsy; however, possible sampling errors and procedural risks such as cardiac tamponade, malignant arrhythmias and bleeding risk, limit its use. Therefore, a non-invasive diagnostic method appears to be necessary. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Echocardiography plays an important role in this need. Conventional two-dimensional echocardiography appears able to detect some specific and distinguishing signs of cardiac amyloid infiltration. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Of these, thickened right and left ventricular (LV) myocardium, normal or small LV cavity size in contrast to enlarged biatrial cavities, diffuse hyper-refractile 'granular sparkling' appearance and 'mismatch' ECG/ECHO are the most specific findings. The magnitude of cyclic variation recorded with integrated backscatter reflects structural changes in the myocardium. In patients with CA, this magnitude is reduced because myocardial amyloid infiltration is characterized by a reduction of number of "contractile" fibers. Other informations concerning LV dysfunction CA-related can be obtained by Tei index. Finally, new echocardiographic imaging modalities, such as tissue Doppler, Doppler-based strain, speckle tracking imaging and three-dimensional echocardiography, can provide some findings regarding the preclinical stages of LV dysfunction when other echocardiographic measurements are showing normal; however, these are unable to provide a non-invasive diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis.

Left Atrial Longitudinal Speckle Tracking Echocardiography in Healthy Aging Heart.

BACKGROUND: Left atrial volume (LAV) and function are connected to the left ventricular (LV) haemodynamic patterns. To define the changes of LAV and functions to counterbalance age-related LV diastolic impairment, this study was undertaken. METHODS: 2D-Left Atrial Speckle Tracking Echocardiography (2D-LASTE) was used to define both LAV and functions in an aged healthy population (group II) respect to adult healthy controls (group I). RESULTS: Results showed an increasing of left atrial volume indices (LAVI) (maximum, minimum, pre-a) in old subjects in comparison with those obtained in adult healthy controls. On the contrary, LAVI passive emptying unchanged and LAVI passive fraction reduced with advanced age. Finally, LAVI active emptying increased with advancing age to compensate the age-dependent left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. The values of global systolic strain (S); systolic strain rate (SrS); early diastolic strain rate (SrE), and late diastolic strain rate (SrA) were also calculated. With reference to the function, our study confirmed that LA conduit function deteriorates with age while booster pump increases respect to adult controls and reservoir phase is maintained. CONCLUSIONS: The echocardiographic findings obtained with conventional and tissue Doppler confirmed the connection between LA functions and volumes and age-related LV dysfunction. Conclusively, 2D-LASTE appears to be a reliable tool to evaluate the role of LA to compensate the derangement of left ventricle happening with ageing.

Role of ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).

Cardiac hypertrophy is a key compensatory mechanism acting in response to pressure or volume overload, involving some alterations in signaling transduction pathways and transcription factors-regulation. These changes result in enhanced proteins' synthesis leading to Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH). It is known that the main function of Ubiquitin-Proteasome System (UPS) is to prevent accumulation of damaged, misfolded and mutant proteins by proteolysis. But emerging evidences suggest that UPS also attends to the cells' growth, favoring proteins' synthesis, subsequently evolving in LVH. The role of the proteasome in to favor cellular hypertrophy consists in upregulation of the catalytic proteasome subunit, with prevalence of proteins-synthesis on proteins degradation. It is also evident that UPS inhibition may prevent cells' growth opposing to the hypertrophy. In fact in several experimental models, UPS inhibition demonstrated to be able to prevent or reverse cardiac hypertrophy induced by abdominal aortic banding (AAB). That can happen with several proteasome inhibitors acting by multifactorial mechanisms. These evidences induce to hypothesize that, in the future, in patients with the increased volume overload by systemic hypertension, some proteasome-inhibitors could be used to antagonize or prevent LVH without reducing peripheral high blood pressure levels too.

Three-Dimensional Trans-Thoracic Echocardiography of Esophageal Achalasia: Description of a Case.

Esophageal achalasia is a motility disorder characterized by impaired relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter and dilatation of the distal two-thirds of the esophagus. This condition may be a non-frequent reason of extrinsic compression of left atrium. In turn, this can be a cause of some hemodynamic changes such as chest discomfort, dyspnea or reduced exercise tolerance, systemic hypotension and tachycardia. We describe a case of a patient with esophagus achalasia compressing the left atrium and inducing hemodynamic compromise. The diagnostic methods, as chest X-ray, computed tomography (CT), manometry, and 2D-Trans-Thoracic Echocardiography (TTE) demonstrated the esophagus dilation, the impaired relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, and its compression on the left atrium. Three-D Trans-Thoracic Echocardiography (3D-TTE) was firstly performed also. This last examination pointed out better than 2D-TTE the extrinsic compression of the left atrium due to the esophagus dilatation. Therefore, 3D-TTE is a true improvement for the echocardiographic diagnosis of the left atrial compression induced by esophageal achalasia.

Silymarin in non alcoholic fatty liver disease.

AIM: This study was undertaken to evaluate the hepatic effects of silybum marianum on non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: In 72 patients affected by NAFLD, main metabolic, hepatic and anti-inflammatory parameters were assayed after 3 mo of a restricted diet and before silymarin treatment (twice a day orally). The brightness of liver echography texture (hepatorenal ratio brightness) was also defined at same time. These evaluations were repeated after 6 mo of treatment. RESULTS: Serum levels of some metabolic and anti-inflammatory data nonsignificantly lowered after 6 mo of silymarin. On the contrary, Steato test, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase were significantly (P < 0.001) reduced. Instead, the AST/ALT ratio unchanged. Finally, the hepatorenal brightness ratio, as an index of hepatic steatosis, significantly (P < 0.05) dropped. CONCLUSION: The obtained results indicate that silymarin appears to be effective to reduce the biochemical, inflammatory and ultrasonic indices of hepatic steatosis. Some parameters indicative of early stage of atherosclerosis were also lowered.

Lowering homocysteine levels with folic acid and B-vitamins do not reduce early atherosclerosis, but could interfere with cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease.

Inheired or acquired hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is associated with several impairments, as certain tumors, deep venous thrombosis, tube neural defects, osteoporosis, early atherosclerosis and vascular acute events (IMA, stroke, PVD), mild cognitive impairments till Alzheimer's disease (AD). But, vascular and neuronal derangements are the most frequent HHcy-manifestations. As far as early atherosclerosis, some clinical trials demonstrated that folates and B6-12 vitamins supplementation is unable to reduce atherosclerotic lesions and cardiovascular events, even if it lowers HHcy levels. Thus, for atherosclerosis and its acute events (IMA, stroke, PVD) HHcy acts as a powerful biomarker rather than a risk factor. For that, the supplementation with folates and B vitamins to lower atherosclerotic lesions-events in hyperhomocysteinemic patients is not recommended. On the contrary, several clinical investigations demonstrated that folates and vitamins administration is able to reduce Hcy serum levels and antagonize some mechanisms favouring neurodegenerative impairments, as mild cognitive impairment, AD and dementia. Thus, contrarily to the atherosclerotic manifestations in hyperhomocysteinemic patients, preventive treatment with folates and B6-12 vitamins reduces Hcy concentration and could prevent or delay cognitive decline and AD.

Lowering homocysteine levels may prevent cardiovascular impairments? Possible therapeutic behaviors.

Homocysteine (Hcy) is metabolized through two pathways, requiring folates and B6-12 vitamins as cofactors. Increased Hcy concentration is responsible for early atherosclerosis with possible acute cardiovascular events. Ample evidence has demonstrated that Hcy lowering with folic acid and B vitamin supplementation, even if reduces Hcy serum levels, is unable to lower cardiovascular risk. On the contrary, omega-3 fatty acids and some nutraceuticals, such as N-acetyl cysteine, taurine, or S-adenosyl-methionine, reduce both Hcy serum concentration and cardiovascular risk. Instead, antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin and clopidogrel or ticlopidine and statins only antagonize vascular derangements. Finally, metformin, some lipid-lowering drugs, and some diuretics should be avoided because they can increase Hcy levels.