Cardiac troponins and coronary artery calcium score: a systematic review.

An early diagnosis of atherosclerosis, particularly in subclinical status, can play a remarkable role in reducing mortality and morbidity. Because of coronary artery calcification (CAC) nature in radiation exposure, finding biomarkers associated with CAC could be useful in identifying individuals at high risk of CAC score. In this review, we focused on the association of cardiac troponins (hs-cTns) and CAC to achieve insight into the pathophysiology of CAC. In October 2022, we systematically searched Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Embase databases to find human observational studies which have investigated the association of CAC with cardiac troponins. To appraise the included articles, we used the Newcastle Ottawa scale (NOS). Out of 520 records, 10 eligible studies were included. Based on findings from longitudinal studies and cross-sectional analyses, troponin T and I were correlated with occurrence of CAC and its severity. Two of the most important risk factors that affect the correlation between hs-cTns serum levels and CAC were age and gender. The elevation of cardiac troponins may affect the progression of CAC and future cardiovascular diseases. Verifying the association between cardiac troponins and CAC may lead to identify individuals exposed to enhanced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) complications and could establish innovative targets for pharmacological therapy.

Prognostic role of osteoprotegerin and risk of coronary artery calcification: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a predictor of atherosclerosis. However, the association of osteoprotegerin (OPG) with CAC is still controversial. Methods: Prospective cohort studies that provided odds ratios with 95% CIs were included from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus through July 2022. Results: Out of 14 studies included in the systematic review, three studies with 7642 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratio indicated a significant association between higher OPG levels and accelerated risk of CAC (1.15; 95% CI: 1.03-1.30; p < 0.001) with relatively no heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 0%; p = 0.43). Conclusion: The results indicated that increased concentrations of OPG are positively associated with a 15% elevated odds of CAC after adjustment of major covariates.

This meta-analysis included published data on the relationship between levels of osteoprotegerin, an important molecule in the bone production process, and the risk of accumulation of calcium deposits in the vessels supplying blood to the heart. Since these calcium deposits are an early sign of heart disease and subsequently heart attacks, understanding the mechanisms and finding ways to treat patients earlier can be of great importance. This study found that the higher the osteoprotegerin level a patient has, the higher the patient's chance of having calcium deposits in his or her heart vessels.