Antithrombotic Usage, Including Three-Year Outcomes With Dabigatran and Vitamin K Antagonists for Atrial Fibrillation, in Eastern Europe: A Descriptive Analysis From Phase 3 of the GLORIA-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation (GLORIA-AF) is a prospective registry of outcomes from patients with newly diagnosed AF at risk of stroke. In the propensity score (PS)-matched global population of phase 3 GLORIA-AF, at 3 years, dabigatran-treated patients experienced reduced risk for major bleeding, and similar risk for stroke and myocardial infarction, compared with vitamin K antagonist (VKA)-treated patients. STUDY QUESTION: Do patients in Eastern Europe benefit from treatment with dabigatran versus VKA? STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive analysis, without PS matching. To contextualize the Eastern Europe results of GLORIA-AF phase 3, we also descriptively analyzed the global population without PS matching. Consecutive patients with newly diagnosed AF and CHA2DS2-VASc-score ≥1 were enrolled until December 2016 in 38 countries (9 in Eastern Europe). MEASURES AND OUTCOMES: Three-year outcomes with dabigatran and VKA. RESULTS: In Eastern Europe, 1341 patients were eligible (6% of patients globally), and incidence rates (per 100 patient-years) for the following outcomes were numerically lower with dabigatran (N = 498) versus VKA (N = 466): major bleeding (0.26 vs. 0.90), all-cause death (2.04 vs. 3.50), and a composite of stroke, systemic embolism, myocardial infarction, life-threatening bleeding, and vascular death (1.37 vs. 1.92); stroke was comparable (0.51 vs. 0.50). All incidence rates were numerically lower in Eastern Europe versus the global population for both treatments. Chronic concomitant use of high bleeding risk medications (eg, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories) was lower in Eastern Europe (dabigatran 3.8%, VKA 9.3%) than globally (dabigatran 14.8%, VKA 20.6%) and persistence with dabigatran was higher in Eastern Europe (76%) than globally (64%). CONCLUSIONS: Dabigatran was associated with numerically reduced major bleeding, all-cause death, and cardiovascular (CV) composite, with comparable risk of stroke versus VKA, in Eastern Europe. Limitations of this descriptive analysis include few CV events (n = 11 for stroke, in the dabigatran and VKA groups combined) and a lack of statistical analysis and PS matching, which precludes definitive conclusions; however, the CV outcomes in Eastern Europe were consistent with the beneficial impact of dabigatran versus VKA in the statistically analyzed global population with PS matching.

Patiromer for the management of hyperkalemia in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: the DIAMOND trial.

AIMS: To investigate the impact of patiromer on the serum potassium level and its ability to enable specified target doses of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor (RAASi) use in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 1642 patients with HFrEF and current or a history of RAASi-related hyperkalemia were screened and 1195 were enrolled in the run-in phase with patiromer and optimization of the RAASi therapy [≥50% recommended dose of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker/angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor, and 50 mg of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) spironolactone or eplerenone]. Specified target doses of the RAASi therapy were achieved in 878 (84.6%) patients; 439 were randomized to patiromer and 439 to placebo. All patients, physicians, and outcome assessors were blinded to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was between-group difference in the adjusted mean change in serum potassium. Five hierarchical secondary endpoints were assessed. At the end of treatment, the median (interquartile range) duration of follow-up was 27 (13-43) weeks, the adjusted mean change in potassium was +0.03 mmol/l in the patiromer group and +0.13 mmol/l in the placebo group [difference in the adjusted mean change between patiromer and placebo: -0.10 mmol/l (95% confidence interval, CI -0.13, 0.07); P < 0.001]. Risk of hyperkalemia >5.5 mmol/l [hazard ratio (HR) 0.63; 95% CI 0.45, 0.87; P = 0.006), reduction of MRA dose (HR 0.62; 95% CI 0.45, 0.87; P = 0.006), and total adjusted hyperkalemia events/100 person-years (77.7 vs. 118.2; HR 0.66; 95% CI 0.53, 0.81; P < 0.001) were lower with patiromer. Hyperkalemia-related morbidity-adjusted events (win ratio 1.53, P < 0.001) and total RAASi use score (win ratio 1.25, P = 0.048) favored the patiromer arm. Adverse events were similar between groups. CONCLUSION: Concurrent use of patiromer and high-dose MRAs reduces the risk of recurrent hyperkalemia (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03888066).

Tissue and Circulating MicroRNAs 378 and 142 as Biomarkers of Obesity and Its Treatment Response.

Promising approaches to the treatment of obesity include increasing energy expenditure and slowing down fibrogenesis of adipose tissue. The neurotransmitter reuptake inhibitor sibutramine affects appetite and activates lipolysis in a catecholaminergic way. MicroRNAs (miRs) are considered as biomarkers of molecular genetic mechanisms underlying various processes. The profile of a number of miRs is altered in obesity, both in the circulation and in adipose tissue. The aim of this study was to assess the expression levels of miRs (hsa-miR-378a-3p, hsa-miR-142-3p) by real-time polymerase chain reaction in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and in plasma in patients with different degrees and duration of obesity and during sibutramine therapy. This study included 51 obese patients and 10 healthy subjects with normal weight who formed a control group. The study found that, before treatment, obese patients had no significant difference in the expression level of miR-378 in SAT and plasma compared to the control group, while the expression of miR-142 was significantly decreased in SAT and increased in plasma. A significant elevation in miR-378 expression level was noted in patients with first-degree obesity and duration of less than 10 years, and the decline in miR-142 increased with the duration of obesity. These data indicate a maximal increase in the expression of the adipogenesis inducer miR-378 in the early stages of obesity, a progressive decrease in the expression of the fibrogenesis inhibitor miR-142 in SAT with growth of duration of obesity and the likely presence of antifibrogenic effects of sibutramine realized through miR-142 activation.

Cytokine Storm Signature in Patients with Moderate and Severe COVID-19.

Hypercytokinemia, found in SARS-CoV-2 infection, contributes to multiple organ dysfunctions with acute respiratory distress syndrome, shock etc. The aim of this study was to describe cytokine storm signatures in patients with acute COVID-19 and to investigate their influence on severity of the infection. Plasma levels of 47 cytokines were investigated in 73 patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 (41 and 32, respectively) and 11 healthy donors (HD). The most elevated levels comparing patients and the HD were observed for seven pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-15, IL-18, IL-27, IFNγ, TNFα), three chemokines (GROα, IP-10, MIG), two anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1RA, IL-10), and two growth factors (G-CSF, M-CSF). The patients with severe disease had significantly higher levels of FGF-2/FGF-basic, IL-1ß, and IL-7 compared to the HD. The two groups of patients differed from each other only based on the levels of EGF, eotaxin, and IL-12 p40. Pneumonia lung injury, characterized by computer tomography, positively correlated with levels of EGF, IP-10, MCP-3 levels and negatively with IL-12 p40. Pro-inflammatory factors including IL-6, TNFα, and IP-10 negatively correlated with the frequency of the circulating T-helper17-like cells (Th17-like) and follicular Th cells that are crucial to develop SARS-CoV-2-specific plasma cells and memory B cells. Obtained data on the cytokine levels illustrate their influence on progression and severity of COVID-19.

Galectin-3, N-terminal Propeptides of Type I and III Procollagen in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Metabolic Syndrome.

The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of galectin-3, PINP and PIIINP in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS) and atrial fibrillation (AF) with an assessment of the relationship with severity of left atrium fibrosis. A total of 480 subjects were included in the case-control study: MS patients (n = 337), 176 of whom had AF, 72 patients with AF without MS and 71 healthy subjects. Galectin-3, PINP and PIIINP blood concentrations and metabolic parameters were compared with the severity of left atrium fibrosis, measured by CARTO3. Galectin-3 in AF and MS patients is higher than in MS without AF and in healthy subjects (10.3 (4.8-15.4), 5.1 (4.3-8.8), 3.2 (2.4-4.2) ng/mL, p < 0.0001). Galectin-3 serum concentration in AF patients with MS is higher than in patients without MS: 10.3 (4.8-15.4), 6.8 (5.2-8.1) ng/mL, p = 0.0001. PINP and PIIINP concentration were higher in patients with AF and MS than in MS without AF: 3499.1 (2299.2-4567.3), 2130.9 (1425.3-2861.8) pg/mL, p < 0.0001, 94.9 (64.8-123.5), 57.6 (40.5-86.9) ng/mL, p < 0.0001. Galectin-3 correlates with PINP (r = 0.496, p < 0.001) and PIIINP concentration (r = 0.451, p < 0.0001). The correlation between galectin-3, PINP and the severity of left atrium fibrosis was found (r = 0.410, p < 0.001; r = 0.623, p < 0.001). Galectin-3 higher than 12.6 ng/mL increased the risk of AF more than five-fold. High galectin-3, PINP and PIIINP concentrations were associated with heart remodeling in MS patients and increased the risk of AF.

Authorship: from credit to accountability. Reflections from the Editors' Network.

The Editors' Network of the European Society of Cardiology provides a dynamic forum for editorial discussions and endorses the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) to improve the scientific quality of biomedical journals. Authorship confers credit and important academic rewards. Recently, however, the ICMJE emphasized that authorship also requires responsibility and accountability. These issues are now covered by the new (fourth) criterion for authorship. Authors should agree to be accountable and ensure that questions regarding the accuracy and integrity of the entire work will be appropriately addressed. This review discusses the implications of this paradigm shift on authorship requirements with the aim of increasing awareness on good scientific and editorial practices.

2018 Practice Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension of the European Society of Cardiology and the European Society of Hypertension.

These practice guidelines on the management of arterial hypertension are a concise summary of the more extensive ones prepared by the Task Force jointly appointed by the European Society of Hypertension and the European Society of Cardiology. These guidelines have been prepared on the basis of the best available evidence on all issues deserving recommendations; their role must be educational and not prescriptive or coercive for the management of individual subjects who may differ widely in their personal, medical and cultural characteristics. The members of the Task Force have participated independently in the preparation of these guidelines, drawing on their academic and clinical experience and by objective examination and interpretation of all available literature. A disclosure of their potential conflict of interest is reported on the websites of the ESH and the ESC.

Gendered Innovations in the Study of Cardiovascular Diseases.

The chapter summarizes modern knowledge on gender aspects of major cardiovascular diseases starting from basic research. It covers arterial hypertension along with treatment aspects in males and females, as well as menopausal replacement therapy and testosterone use. Authors analyze both literature and original data on obesity and metabolic syndrome, coronary artery disease, arrhythmias including gender aspects of sudden cardiac death, cardiomyopathies, and diseases of aorta and aortic valve. A significant part deals with cardiac imaging and sex differences.

EURObservational Research Programme: the Chronic Ischaemic Cardiovascular Disease Registry: Pilot phase (CICD-PILOT).

AIMS: Chronic ischaemic cardiovascular disease (CICD) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The primary objective of the CICD-Pilot registry was to describe the clinical characteristics and management modalities across Europe in a broad spectrum of patients with CICD. METHODS AND RESULTS: The CICD-Pilot registry is an international prospective observational longitudinal registry, conducted in 100 centres from 10 countries selected to reflect the diversity of health systems and care attitudes across Europe. From April 2013 to December 2014, 2420 consecutive CICD patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (n = 755) and chronic stable coronary artery disease (n = 1464), of whom 933 (63.7%) were planned for elective coronary intervention, or with peripheral artery disease (PAD) (n = 201), were enrolled (30.5% female patients). Mean age was 66.6 ± 10.9 years. The following risk factors were reported: smoking 54.6%, diabetes mellitus 29.2%, hypertension 82.6%, and hypercholesterolaemia 74.1%. Assessment of cardiac function was made in 69.5% and an exercise stress test in 21.2% during/within 1 year preceding admission. New stress imaging modalities were applied in a minority of patients. A marked increase was observed at discharge in the rate of prescription of angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (82.8%), beta-blockers (80.2%), statins (92.7%), aspirin (90.3%), and clopidogrel (66.8%). Marked differences in clinical profile and treatment modalities were observed across the four cohorts. CONCLUSION: The CICD-Pilot registry suggests that implementation of guideline-recommended therapies has improved since the previous surveys but that important heterogeneity exists in the clinical profile and treatment modalities in the different cohorts of patients enrolled with a broad spectrum of CICDs.

Data Sharing: A New Editorial Initiative of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Implications for the Editors' Network.

The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) provides recommendations to improve the editorial standards and scientific quality of biomedical journals. These recommendations range from uniform technical requirements to more complex and elusive editorial issues including ethical aspects of the scientific process. Recently, registration of clinical trials, conflicts of interest disclosure, and new criteria for authorship- emphasizing the importance of responsibility and accountability-, have been proposed. Last year, a new editorial initiative to foster sharing of clinical trial data was launched. This review discusses this novel initiative with the aim of increasing awareness among readers, investigators, authors and editors belonging to the Editors' Network of the European Society of Cardiology.

Residual macrovascular risk in 2013: what have we learned?

Cardiovascular disease poses a major challenge for the 21st century, exacerbated by the pandemics of obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. While best standards of care, including high-dose statins, can ameliorate the risk of vascular complications, patients remain at high risk of cardiovascular events. The Residual Risk Reduction Initiative (R3i) has previously highlighted atherogenic dyslipidaemia, defined as the imbalance between proatherogenic triglyceride-rich apolipoprotein B-containing-lipoproteins and antiatherogenic apolipoprotein A-I-lipoproteins (as in high-density lipoprotein, HDL), as an important modifiable contributor to lipid-related residual cardiovascular risk, especially in insulin-resistant conditions. As part of its mission to improve awareness and clinical management of atherogenic dyslipidaemia, the R3i has identified three key priorities for action: i) to improve recognition of atherogenic dyslipidaemia in patients at high cardiometabolic risk with or without diabetes; ii) to improve implementation and adherence to guideline-based therapies; and iii) to improve therapeutic strategies for managing atherogenic dyslipidaemia. The R3i believes that monitoring of non-HDL cholesterol provides a simple, practical tool for treatment decisions regarding the management of lipid-related residual cardiovascular risk. Addition of a fibrate, niacin (North and South America), omega-3 fatty acids or ezetimibe are all options for combination with a statin to further reduce non-HDL cholesterol, although lacking in hard evidence for cardiovascular outcome benefits. Several emerging treatments may offer promise. These include the next generation peroxisome proliferator-activated receptorα agonists, cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitors and monoclonal antibody therapy targeting proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9. However, long-term outcomes and safety data are clearly needed. In conclusion, the R3i believes that ongoing trials with these novel treatments may help to define the optimal management of atherogenic dyslipidaemia to reduce the clinical and socioeconomic burden of residual cardiovascular risk.

Recent advances on CAR-T signaling pave the way for prolonged persistence and new modalities in clinic.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has revolutionized the treatment of hematological malignancies. The importance of the receptor costimulatory domain for long-term CAR-T cell engraftment and therapeutic efficacy was demonstrated with second-generation CAR-T cells. Fifth generation CAR-T cells are currently in preclinical trials. At the same time, the processes that orchestrate the activation and differentiation of CAR-T cells into a specific phenotype that predisposes them to long-term persistence are not fully understood. This review highlights ongoing research aimed at elucidating the role of CAR domains and T-cell signaling molecules involved in these processes.

Vitamin D Metabolism Parameters and Cytokine Profile in COVID-19 Patients with Bolus Cholecalciferol Supplementation.

Recent studies have demonstrated the relationship between vitamin D deficiency, infection severity and mortality from COVID-19. This study aimed to analyze the vitamin D metabolites and cytokine expression levels of COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized with bolus cholecalciferol supplementation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study represents the next stage of the open-label randomized pilot conducted by the Almazov National Medical Research Centre. A total of 44 hospitalized patients, comparable in demographic, clinical, laboratory and instrumental baseline characteristics, with moderate/severe COVID-19 were included. All patients had similar doses of concomitant corticosteroid therapy. Twenty-two patients received 50,000 IU cholecalciferol on the first and eighth days of hospitalization. The serum 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2D and 28 plasma cytokines were estimated for each group initially and on the ninth day of hospitalization. RESULTS: Initially, there were no differences in the 1,25(OH)2D and cytokine levels in patients with vitamin D deficiency and normal 25(OH)D. Bolus cholecalciferol therapy at a total dose of 100,000 IU led to an increase in 25(OH)D levels in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, while the levels of the active metabolite (1,25(OH)2D) did not show significant differences between the groups or in its increased level over time, regardless of cholecalciferol supplementation. Furthermore, cholecalciferol supplementation at a total dose of 100,000 IU did not affect the majority of the cytokines estimated on the ninth day of hospitalization, except for the pro-inflammatory marker IL-1b, the concentration of which was lower in the group of patients without vitamin D supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: The 25(OH)D level was positively associated with an anti-inflammatory immune response, but cholecalciferol supplementation at a total dose of 100,000 IU did not affect the active-form vitamin D or cytokine expression levels. This fact may be explained by the impact of corticosteroid therapy, and it requires further investigation in a post-COVID-19 context.

Analysis of Prevalence and Clinical Features of Aortic Stenosis in Patients with and without Bicuspid Aortic Valve Using Machine Learning Methods.

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most commonly diagnosed valvular heart disease, and its prevalence increases with the aging of the general population. However, AS is often diagnosed at a severe stage, necessitating surgical treatment, due to its long asymptomatic period. The objective of this study was to analyze the frequency of AS in a population of cardiovascular patients using echocardiography (ECHO) and to identify clinical factors and features associated with these patient groups. We utilized machine learning methods to analyze 84,851 echocardiograms performed between 2010 and 2018 at the National Medical Research Center named after V.A. Almazov. The primary indications for ECHO were coronary artery disease (CAD) and hypertension (HP), accounting for 33.5% and 14.2% of the cases, respectively. The frequency of AS was found to be 13.26% among the patients (n = 11,252). Within our study, 1544 patients had a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), while 83,316 patients had a tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). BAV patients were observed to be younger compared to TAV patients. AS was more prevalent in the BAV group (59%) compared to the TAV group (12%), with a p-value of <0.0001. By employing a machine learning algorithm, we randomly identified significant features present in AS patients, including age, hypertension (HP), aortic regurgitation (AR), ascending aortic dilatation (AscAD), and BAV. These findings could serve as additional indications for earlier observation and more frequent ECHO in specific patient groups for the earlier detection of developing AS.

Transgenerational and intergenerational effects of early childhood famine exposure in the cohort of offspring of Leningrad Siege survivors.

Famine exposure during early life development can affect disease risk in late-life period, yet, transmission of phenotypic features from famine-exposed individuals to the next generations has not been well characterized. The purpose of our case-control study was to investigate the association of parental starvation in the perinatal period and the period of early childhood with the phenotypic features observed in two generations of descendants of Leningrad siege survivors. We examined 54 children and 30 grandchildren of 58 besieged Leningrad residents who suffered from starvation in early childhood and prenatal age during the Second World War. Controls from the population-based national epidemiological ESSE-RF study (n = 175) were matched on sex, age and body mass index (BMI). Phenotypes of controls and descendants (both generations, children and grandchildren separately) were compared, taking into account multiple testing. Comparison of two generations descendants with corresponding control groups revealed significantly higher creatinine and lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR), both in meta-analysis and in independent analyses. The mean values of GFR for all groups were within the normal range (GFR less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was recorded in 2 controls and no one in DLSS). Additionally, independent of the creatinine level, differences in the eating pattern were detected: insufficient fish and excessive red meat consumption were significantly more frequent in the children of the Leningrad siege survivors compared with controls. Blood pressure, blood lipids and glucose did not differ between the groups. Parental famine exposure in early childhood may contribute to a decrease in kidney filtration capacity and altered eating pattern in the offspring of famine-exposed individuals.