The Role of Biomarkers in Predicting Cognitive Impairment in Elderly Patients with Heart Failure.

OBJECTIVE: This study explores the impact of sST2, Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15), and clinical factors on cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). METHODS: A cohort of 101 chronic stable HFrEF patients aged over 65 years old participated in the study. Cognitive functions were assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Levels of sST2, GDF-15, and N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were also measured. RESULTS: Notably higher levels of NT-proBNP and GDF-15 were observed in the group with cognitive dysfunction, whereas sST2 levels were similar between the groups. The cognitive dysfunction group consisted of older patients. A higher proportion of patients with normal cognitive function had received influenza vaccinations. Furthermore, GDF-15 levels inversely correlated with MMSE score. Right ventricular diameter was negatively correlated, while hemoglobin levels were positively correlated with both MoCA and MMSE scores. Logistic regression analysis identified increased GDF-15 levels, older age, and advanced New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes as predictors of higher cognitive dysfunction risk, whereas influenza vaccination was linked to a reduced risk of cognitive dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients with heart failure may be influenced by factors such as age, right ventricular enlargement, anemia, NYHA functional class, and levels of GDF-15 and NT-proBNP.

Deciphering mortality risk of diabetes medications in heart failure patients with diabetes mellitus under triple guideline-directed medical therapy.

BACKGROUND: Scientific evidence regarding the impact of different combinations of diabetes medications in heart failure patients with diabetes mellitus (HFwDM) remains limited. AIM: We aimed to investigate the effect of monotherapy and combination therapy for DM on all-cause mortality in HFwDM under triple guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT). METHOD: This nationwide retrospective cohort study included adult HFwDM under triple GDMT between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2022.We collected the data from the National Electronic Database of the Turkish Ministry of Health.We created various combination including different diabetes medications based on the current guidelines for DM.The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. RESULTS: A total of 321,525 HFwDM under triple GDMT (female:49%, median age:68[61-75] years) were included. The highest rate of prescribed combination therapy was metformin and sulfonylureas (n = 55,266). In Cox regression analysis, insülin monotherapy had the highest risk for all-cause mortality (HR:2.25, 95CI%:2.06 - 2.45), whereas combination therapy including metformin, SGLT2i, and sulfonylureas provided the most beneficial effect on survival (HR:0.29, 95CI%:0.22-0.39) when compared to patients not receiving diabetes medication. Among patients taking diabetes medications, the inclusion of SGLT2i demonstrated a survival benefit (p < 0.05), despite concurrent use of volume-retaining medications such as insulin and thiazolidinediones. Conversely, combinations of diabetes medications without SGLT2i did not demonstrate any survival benefit compared to patients not taking diabetes medication (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study underscored the use of SGLT2i as monotherapy or as a part of combination diabetes medications to improve survival among HFwDM, while also highlighting that combinations lacking SGLT2i did not confer any survival benefit.

Navigating Heart Failure: Unveiling Sex Disparities in Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy Combinations.

Major heart failure (HF) trials remain insufficient in terms of assessing the differences in clinical characteristics, biomarkers, treatment efficacy, and safety because of the under-representation of women. The study aimed to present sex-related disparities in HF management, including differences in demographics, co-morbidities, cardiac biomarkers, prescribed medications, and treatment outcomes. The study utilized anonymized data from the Turkish Ministry of Health's National Electronic Database between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2022. The cohort analysis included 2,501,231 adult patients with HF. Specific therapeutic combinations were analyzed using a Cox regression model to obtain relative risk reduction for all-cause death. The primary end point was all-cause mortality. In the cohort, 48.7% (n = 1,218,911) were male, whereas 51.3% (n = 1,282,320) were female. Female patients exhibited a higher median age (71 vs 68 years) and manifested higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, anemia, atrial fibrillation, anxiety, and ischemic stroke. Male patients demonstrated higher rates of previous myocardial infarction, dyslipidemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic kidney disease. Higher concentrations of natriuretic peptides were observed in female patients. Renin-angiotensin aldosterone inhibitor, ß blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i), and ivabradine were more commonly prescribed in male patients, whereas loop diuretics, digoxin, and ferric carboxymaltose were more frequent in female patients. Male patients had higher rates of cardiac resynchronization therapy and implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation rates. All-cause mortality and hospitalization rates were higher in male patients. Compared with monotherapy, all combinations, including SGLT2i, showed a beneficial effect on all-cause mortality in both female and male patients with HF. In hospitalized patients with HF, the addition of digoxin to renin-angiotensin aldosterone inhibitor, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and ß blockers was superior to monotherapy regarding all-cause mortality in female patients with HF compared with male patients with HF. In conclusion, this study highlights that sex-specific responses to HF medication combinations compared with monotherapy and differences in co-morbidities underscore the importance of tailored management strategies. Digoxin showed a contrasting effect on all-cause mortality between both sexes after hospitalization, whereas SGLT2i exhibited a consistent beneficial effect in both sexes when added to all combinations.

Patient Perception, Knowledge and Adaptation in The Management of Heart Failure: A Multicenter, Cross-Sectional, Observational, Questionnaire-Based Study: ADAPTATION HF.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to reveal the perception levels of heart failure (HF) patients about the disease, their adaptation to the disease process, their compliance with the treatment, and their knowledge and thoughts about the disease from the patient's perspective. METHOD: Patients with a diagnosis of HF for at least 6 months who applied to the cardiology clinics of 10 different centers were included in this cross-sectional, multicenter and questionnaire-based study. A questionnaire consisting of sections that included demographic information, evaluation of the patient's symptoms, knowledge and experience of clinical follow-up, knowledge of HF, compliance and awareness of treatment was applied to the patients. RESULTS: 504 patients with a mean age of 59.8 ± 14.9 years (M/F: 360/144, 71.4%/28.6%) were included in the study. 61.2% of the patients stated that they knew about HF disease before. Most of the patients knew that the complaints of shortness of breath, fatigue and palpitation could develop due to HF (95.4%; 92.7%; 89.7%, respectively). The patients reported that they were mostly worried about not being able to provide their own self-care without the support of another person (67.5%). While the majority of patients (37.6%) thought that the worst disease was to have a cerebrovascular disease; only 10.9% stated that HF was the worst disease. While 98.8% of the patients stated that they used HF drugs regularly, a relatively large part of the patients did not know that the drugs were effective on kidney functions (68.5%) and blood pressure (76.9%). In the daily practice of the patients, the rate of weight follow-up was 35.5%, the rate of blood pressure monitoring was 26.9%, and the rate of patients who exercised was 27%. Among the patients, 73.3% said that they pay attention to the amount of salt they take with diet, and 33.5% have a completely salt.free diet. There was no difference between the groups with low and high knowledge scores in terms of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (P > 0.005). The knowledge level score was significantly higher in patients with previous myocardial infarction (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Most of the HF patients participating in the study are aware of the signs and symptoms of HF, follow the recommendations of their physicians, and use drugs regularly. These patients should have more information about blood pressure monitoring, weight monitoring, diet and sodium restriction, exercise, which are included in the non-pharmacological part of treatment management.

Exploring Regional Disparities in Heart Failure Epidemiology and Outcomes: A Comprehensive Study Across Geographical Regions in Türkiye.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a common condition that affects 1-3% of the general population. Its prevalence exhibits notable international and intranational disparities, partly explained by socioeconomic status, religion, ethnic diversity, and geographic factors. A comprehensive understanding of the epidemiological symptoms of HF in different regions of Türkiye has yet to be revealed. Aims: To examine epidemiological data from 2016 to 2022, focusing on crucial patient characteristics and geographical regions, to determine the incidence and prevalence of HF in Türkiye across seven diverse geographical regions. Study Design: A nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study. Methods: The comprehensive National Electronic Database of the Turkish Ministry of Health was used in this study to obtain data that covers the whole Turkish population from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2022. The International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) codes were used to identify adults with HF (n = 2,701,099) and associated comorbidities. Türkiye is divided into seven geographically distinct regions. Epidemiological characteristics and survival data of these regions were analyzed separately. All-cause mortality was set as the primary outcome. Results: In , the total estimated prevalence of adult patients with HF is 2.939%, ranging from 2.442% in Southeastern Anatolia to 4.382% in the Black Sea Region. Except for the Eastern Anatolia Region, the three most often reported comorbidities were hypertension, dyslipidemia, and anxiety disorders. The rates of prescribing guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for HF and other medications varied significantly. GDMT prescription rates were lowest in the Eastern Anatolia Region (82.6% for beta-blockers, 48.7% for RASi, 31.8% for mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and 9.4% for SGLT2i). The Mediterranean and Aegean regions had the highest median N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels of 1,990,0 pg/ml (518.0-6,636,0) and 1,441,0 pg/ml (363.0-5,000,0), respectively. From 2016 to 2022, 915,897 (33.9%) of 2,701,099 patients died. The Eastern Anatolia Region had the lowest all-cause mortality rate of 26.5%, whereas the Black Sea Region had the highest all-cause mortality rate of 35.3%. Conclusion: Our real-world analysis revealed geographic disparities in HF characteristics, such as decreased mortality in socioeconomically challenged regions. Higher stress susceptibility in developed regions may increase the likelihood of adverse outcomes.

Evaluation of placenta in patients with gestational diabetes using shear wave elastography and superb microvascular imaging.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common disease, and the placenta shows various functional and morphological changes in these patients. Superb microvascular imaging (SMI) and shear wave elastography (SWE) are innovative ultrasound (US) methods that provide detailed information about tissue vascularization and elasticity. PURPOSE: To evaluate placental changes in patients with GDM with SMI and SWE methods. MATERIAL AND METHODS: For this case-control study, 20 healthy and 20 women with GDM were included. Women at >21 weeks of pregnancy were evaluated with SMI and SWE by two independent radiologists. Mean SMI values and mean SWE values from three different region of interest-based measurements were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: We identified that the mean SMI and SWE value ​​of the GDM group was found to be significantly higher than that of the control group (P = 0.002, P = 0.001 respectively). Using a receiver operating characteristic curve, the cutoff value of the SMI ratio, which maximizes the prediction of the presence of GDM, was 0.1234279750 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.625-0.920), the SWE cut-off value was 15.5 kPa (95% CI = 0.794-0.989). CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated that evaluation with SMI and SWE might allow quantitative assessment of the morphological changes of placentas in women with GDM. We believe that the use of innovative methods such as SMI and SWE in addition to conventional US examinations in daily practice and studies will provide significant clinical benefits to patient management.

The Role of Superb Microvascular Imaging and Shear Wave Elastography in the Prediction of Hemorrhage Complications After Renal Parenchyma Biopsy.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of the renal parenchyma elasticity with the shear wave elastography (SWE) and microvascularization with the superb microvascular imaging (SMI) technique before kidney biopsy and to predict the complication of hemorrhage before kidney biopsy. METHODS: A total of 75 patients were included in the prospective study. Before the biopsy, vascularity features of the kidney parenchyma in the area to be biopsied were assessed by SMI and parenchymal stiffness by SWE and were examined by 2 independent radiologists. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was found in the SMI and SWE values between the groups with and without hematoma and hematuria when compared with the Student t test and Mann-Whitney U test ( P < 0.05). The SWE hardness cutoff value, which maximizes the prediction of the development of hematuria, was found to be 18.40 kPa, and the sensitivity and specificity values were 84.4% and 62.8%, respectively. In SMI vascularity index values, the cutoff value was found to be 0.247410800 kPa, and sensitivity and specificity values were 81.3% and 83.7%, respectively. The cutoff value of the SMI vascularity index values that maximized the prediction of hematoma development was 0.297009650, and the sensitivity and specificity values were 87% and 87%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that evaluating and standardizing the microvascularization and elasticity of the kidney parenchyma before a percutaneous kidney biopsy will be potentially useful as a guiding method in the prediction of postbiopsy hemorrhage development.

Trends in heart failure between 2016 and 2022 in Türkiye (TRends-HF): a nationwide retrospective cohort study of 85 million individuals across entire population of all ages.

Background: Data on the burden of heart failure (HF) outside western countries are limited, but available data suggest it may present differently in other countries. The aim of this study was to examine the incidence, prevalence, and survival rates of HF in Türkiye, with a specific focus on how these rates vary according to age, sex, comorbidities, and socioeconomic status (SES). Methods: We harnessed the extensive National Electronic Database of the Turkish Ministry of Health, covering Turkey's entire population from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2022, to identify 2,722,151 cases of HF and their associated comorbidities using ICD-10 codes. Analyzing the primary endpoint of all-cause mortality, our study utilized anonymized data to examine patient demographics, comorbidities, socioeconomic status, and survival patterns, employing statistical techniques to delve into relationships and trends. The data were segmented by gender, socioeconomic status, and age, involving cross-tabulations and statistical metrics to explore connections, odds ratios, and survival rates. Findings: The estimated prevalence of HF was 2.114% in Türkiye at the end of 2022, with an annual incidence ranging between 3.00 and 6.06 per 1000 person years. Females were older than males (69.8 ± 13.9 years vs. 66.8 ± 13.9 years, respectively). The most common comorbidities were congenital heart diseases and anemia under the age of 20, and hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the adult population. Only 23.6% (643,159/2,722,151) of patients were treated with any triple guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) and 3.6% (96,751/2,722,151) of patients were on quadruple GDMT. The survival rates for patients with HF at 1, 5, and 7 years were 83.3% (95% CI: 83.2-83.3), 61.5% (95% CI: 61.4-61.6), and 57.7% (95% CI: 57.6-57.8) among females, and 82.1% (95% CI: 82.0-82.2), 58.2% (95% CI: 58.1-58.3), and 54.2% (95% CI: 54.0-54.3) among males. Despite a tendency for an increase from the highest to the lowest SES, the prevalence of HF and mortality were paradoxically lowest in the lowest SES region. Interpretation: The prevalence, incidence, and survival rates of HF in Türkiye were comparable to western countries, despite the notable difference of HF onset occurring 8-10 years earlier in the Turkish population. Drug usage statistics indicate there is a need for effective strategies to improve treatment with GDMT. Funding: None.

The diagnostic value of chest X-ray scanning by the help of Artificial Intelligence in Heart Failure (ART-IN-HF).

BACKGROUND: Typical signs of heart failure (HF), like increased cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) and pleural effusion, can be seen on X-ray. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help in the early and quicker diagnosis of HF. OBJECTIVES: The study's goal was to demonstrate that the AI interpretation of chest X-rays can assist the clinician in diagnosing HF. METHODS: Patients older than 45 years were included in the study. The study analyzed 10 100 deidentified outpatient chest X-rays by AI algorithm. The AI-generated report was later verified by an independent radiologist. Patients with CTR > 0.5 and pleural effusion were marked as potential HF. Flagged patients underwent confirmatory tests, and those labeled as negative also underwent further investigations to rule out HF. RESULTS: Out of 10 100, the AI algorithm detected 183 (1.8%) patients with increased CTR and pleural effusion on chest X-rays. One hundred and six out of 183 underwent diagnostic tests. Eighty-two (77%) out of 106 were diagnosed with HF according to current guidelines. From the remaining 9917 patients, 106 patients were randomly selected. Nine (8%) out of them were diagnosed with HF. The positive predictive value of AI for diagnosing HF is 77%, and the negative predictive value is 91%. More than half (54.9%) of newly diagnosed patients had HF with preserved ejection fraction. CONCLUSION: HF is a risky condition with nonspecific symptoms that are difficult to diagnose, especially in the early stages. Using AI assistance for X-ray interpretation can be helpful for early diagnosis of HF especially HF with preserved ejection fraction.

Frailty and outcomes in heart failure patients from high-, middle-, and low-income countries.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There is little information on the incremental prognostic importance of frailty beyond conventional prognostic variables in heart failure (HF) populations from different country income levels. METHODS: A total of 3429 adults with HF (age 61 ± 14 years, 33% women) from 27 high-, middle- and low-income countries were prospectively studied. Baseline frailty was evaluated by the Fried index, incorporating handgrip strength, gait speed, physical activity, unintended weight loss, and self-reported exhaustion. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 39 ± 14% and 26% had New York Heart Association Class III/IV symptoms. Participants were followed for a median (25th to 75th percentile) of 3.1 (2.0-4.3) years. Cox proportional hazard models for death and HF hospitalization adjusted for country income level; age; sex; education; HF aetiology; left ventricular ejection fraction; diabetes; tobacco and alcohol use; New York Heart Association functional class; HF medication use; blood pressure; and haemoglobin, sodium, and creatinine concentrations were performed. The incremental discriminatory value of frailty over and above the MAGGIC risk score was evaluated by the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: At baseline, 18% of participants were robust, 61% pre-frail, and 21% frail. During follow-up, 565 (16%) participants died and 471 (14%) were hospitalized for HF. Respective adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for death among the pre-frail and frail were 1.59 (1.12-2.26) and 2.92 (1.99-4.27). Respective adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for HF hospitalization were 1.32 (0.93-1.87) and 1.97 (1.33-2.91). Findings were consistent among different country income levels and by most subgroups. Adding frailty to the MAGGIC risk score improved the discrimination of future death and HF hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Frailty confers substantial incremental prognostic information to prognostic variables for predicting death and HF hospitalization. The relationship between frailty and these outcomes is consistent across countries at all income levels.

Imaging in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Multimodality Imaging Point of View.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is an important global health problem. Despite increased prevalence due to improved diagnostic options, limited improvement has been achieved in cardiac outcomes. HFpEF is an extremely complex syndrome and multimodality imaging is important for diagnosis, identifying its different phenotypes and determining prognosis. Evaluation of left ventricular filling pressures using echocardiographic diastolic function parameters is the first step of imaging in clinical practice. The role of echocardiography is becoming more popular and with the recent developments in deformation imaging, cardiac MRI is extremely important as it can provide tissue characterisation, identify fibrosis and optimal volume measurements of cardiac chambers. Nuclear imaging methods can also be used in the diagnosis of specific diseases, such as cardiac amyloidosis.

Evaluation of celiac artery and common hepatic artery variations by CT-angiography and new classification model.

PURPOSE: Knowledge of anatomical variations is important in all interventional procedures. This study aims to evaluate the variations and prevalence of celiac trunk (CeT) and its branches. METHODS: The computerized tomography-angiography (CT-A) findings of 941 adult patients were evaluated retrospectively. Variations of the CeT and common hepatic artery (CHA) were evaluated according to the number of branches and their origin. Findings were compared with classical classification methods. A new classification model has been defined. RESULTS: Normal (complete) trifurcation was detected in 856 (90.9%) of them, where left gastric artery (LGA), splenic artery (SpA) and CHA branches were derived from the CeT. Among 856 complete trifurcation cases, 773 (90.3%) had non-classical trifurcation patterns. The rate of classic trifurcation was 8.8%, while non-classic trifurcation was 82.1% in all cases. In one case (0.1%), LGA and left hepatic artery together and right hepatic artery and SpA together appeared as a double bifurcation. Complete celiacomesenteric trunk was observed only in 4 (0.42%) cases. In seven cases (0.7%), LGA, SpA and CHA were coming out of abdominal aorta (AAo) independently. CHA normal anatomy (Michels Type I) was detected in 618 (65.5%) patients. We found that 49 (5.2%) of our cases were ambiguous according to the Michels Classification. We have described five different variations of hepatic arteries directly arising from the AAo. CONCLUSION: Preoperative recognition of anatomical variations of CeT, superior mesenteric artery and CHA is of primary importance in both surgical and radiological procedures. With careful evaluation of CT-angiographies, it is possible to detect rare variations.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease: Where Do We Stand?

Obstructive sleep apnea is common in adults with cardiovascular disease. Accumulating evidence suggests an association between obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease independent of the traditionally recognized cardiovascular disease risk factors. Observational studies indicate that obstructive sleep apnea is a risk factor for development of cardiovascular disease and that alleviation of obstructive events with positive airway pressure may improve cardiovascular disease outcomes. However, recent randomized controlled trials have not supported the beneficial effect of positive airway pressure in cardiac populations with concomitant obstructive sleep apnea. Some evidence suggests that the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and traditionally recognized cardiovascular disease risk factors is bidirectional, suggesting that patients with cardiovascular disease may also develop obstructive sleep apnea and that efficient treatment of cardiovascular disease may improve obstructive sleep apnea. Recent data also indicate that the apnea-hypopnea index, which is commonly used as a diagnostic measure of obstructive sleep apnea severity, has limited value as a prognostic measure for cardiovascular disease outcomes. Novel markers of obstructive sleep apnea-associated hypoxic burden and cardiac autonomic response seem to be strong predictors of adverse cardiovascular disease outcomes and response to treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. This narrative review and position paper from the Turkish Collaboration of Sleep Apnea Cardiovascular Trialists aims to update the current evidence about the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease and, consequently, raise awareness for health professionals who deal with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases to improve the ability to direct resources at patients most likely to benefit from treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and optimize treatment of the coexisting cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, the Turkish Collaboration of Sleep Apnea Cardiovascular Trialists aims to contribute to strengthening the efforts of the International Collaboration of Sleep Apnea Cardiovascular Trialists in this context.

The Frequency of Fabry Disease in Patients with Cardiac Hypertrophy of Various Phenotypes Including Prominent Papillary Muscle: The TUCARFAB Study in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to identify the frequency of Fabry disease in patients with cardiac hypertrophy of unknown etiology and to evaluate demographic and clinical characteristics, enzyme activity levels, and genetic mutations at the time of diagnosis. METHODS: This national, multicenter, cross-sectional, single-arm, observational registry study was conducted in adult patients with a clinical echocardiographic diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy and/or the presence of prominent papillary muscle. In both genders, genetic analysis was performed by DNA Sanger sequence analysis. RESULTS: A total of 406 patients with left ventricular hypertrophy of unknown origin were included. Of the patients, 19.5% had decreased enzyme activity (≤2.5 nmol/mL/h). Although genetic analysis revealed GLA (galactosidase alpha) gene mutation in only 2  patients (0.5%), these patients were considered to have probable but not 'definite Fabry disease' due to normal lyso Gb3 levels and gene mutations categorized as variants of unknown significance. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of Fabry disease varies according to the characteristics of the population screened and the definition of the disease used in these trials. From cardiology perspective, left ventricular hypertrophy is the major reason to consider screening for Fabry disease. Enzyme testing, genetic analysis, substrate analysis, histopathological examination, and family screening should be performed, when necessary, for a definite diagnosis of Fabry disease. The results of this study underline the importance of the comprehensive use of these diagnostic tools to reach a definite diagnosis. The diagnosis and management of Fabry disease should not be based solely on the results of the screening tests.

Effect of renal function on the prognostic importance of chloride in patients with heart failure.

Hypochloremia has recently gained interest as a potential marker of outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). The exact pathophysiologic mechanism linking hypochloremia to HF is unclear but is thought to be mediated by chloride-sensitive proteins and channels located in kidneys. This analysis aimed to understand whether renal dysfunction (RD) affects the association of hypochloremia with mortality in patients with HF. Using data from a nationwide registry, 438 cases with complete data on serum chloride concentration and 1-year survival were included in the analysis. Patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of <60 mL/min/m2 at baseline were accepted as having RD. Hypochloremia was defined as a chloride concentration <96 mEq/L at baseline. For HF patients without RD at baseline, patients with hypochloremia had a significantly higher 1-year all-cause mortality than those without hypochloremia (41.6% vs 13.0%, log-rank p < 0.001) and the association remained significant after multivariate adjustment (odds ratio (OR): 2.55, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25-5.21). The evidence supporting the association was very strong in this subgroup (Bayesian Factor (BF)10: 48.25, log OR: 1.56, 95% CI: 0.69-2.43). For patients with RD at baseline, there was no statistically significant difference for 1-year mortality for patients with or without hypochloremia (36.3% vs 29.7, log-rank p = 0.35) and there was no evidence to support an association between hypochloremia and mortality (BF10: 1.18, log OR :0.66, 95% CI: -0.02 to 1.35). In patients with HF, the association between low chloride concentration and mortality is limited to those without RD at baseline.

Isolated Liver Metastasis Detected by 68 Ga-PSMA PET/CT in Newly Diagnosed Prostate Cancer.

ABSTRACT: Lymph nodes, bones, and liver are the most typical metastatic sites for prostate cancer. However, isolated liver metastasis from prostate cancer is extremely rare. Here, we report a 75-year-old man with newly diagnosed prostate adenocarcinoma, with isolated liver metastasis detected by 68 Ga-PSMA ( 68 Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen) PET/CT. There was no sign of regional or distant metastases elsewhere. This case highlights the value of 68 Ga-PSMA PET/CT in detecting a very uncommon solitary liver metastasis from prostate cancer.

A Novel Indicator of Myocardial Injury after Acute Myocardial Infarction: 'DPP-3'.

BACKGROUND: Dipeptidyl peptidase 3 (DPP-3) is an intracellular enzyme that causes hemodynamic instability and cardiac depression in several cases such as cardiogenic shock, sepsis and burns where DPP-3 is released into the blood due to cell death. Data on the effect of higher DPP-3 levels on acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients are currently lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of DPP-3 levels on ACS patients. METHODS: In this prospective study, we included ACS patients including STEMI and non-STEMI groups and a control group to compare various demographic, echocardiographic and laboratory parameters including DPP-3. DPP-3 levels were measured at 24th, 48th, and 72nd h from the onset of symptoms in ACS patients and then compared with left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) for the assessment of left ventricle systolic function. RESULTS: A total of 70 ACS patients (age 62.5 ± 11 years, 68.6% male) were recruited and 48 normal individuals were included as control group (age 61.1 ± 10 years, 66.7% male). It has been demonstrated that DPP-3 levels are significantly higher in the ACS group than the control group like troponin I levels. DPP-3 levels were found to be one of the independent predictors of LVEF similar to NT-proBNP and troponin I. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that DPP-3 could be an important indicator of myocardial depression predicting left ventricle systolic function in ACS.