Angina After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Patient and Procedural Predictors.

BACKGROUND: Twenty percent to 40% of patients are affected by angina after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which is associated with anxiety, depression, impaired physical function, and reduced quality of life. Understanding patient and procedural factors associated with post-PCI angina may inform alternative approaches to treatment. METHODS: Two hundred thirty patients undergoing PCI completed the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ-7) and European quality of life-5 dimension-5 level (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaires at baseline and 3 months post-PCI. Patients received blinded intracoronary physiology assessments before and after stenting. A post hoc analysis was performed to compare clinical and procedural characteristics among patients with and without post-PCI angina (defined by follow-up SAQ-angina frequency score <100). RESULTS: Eighty-eight of 230 patients (38.3%) reported angina 3 months post-PCI and had a higher incidence of active smoking, atrial fibrillation, and history of previous myocardial infarction or PCI. Compared with patients with no angina at follow-up, they had lower baseline SAQ summary scores (69.48±24.12 versus 50.20±22.59, P<0.001) and EQ-5D-5L health index scores (0.84±0.15 versus 0.69±0.22, P<0.001). Pre-PCI fractional flow reserve (FFR) was lower among patients who had no post-PCI angina (0.56±0.15 versus 0.62±0.13, P=0.003). Percentage change in FFR after PCI had a moderate correlation with angina frequency score at follow-up (r=0.36, P<0.0001). Patients with post-PCI angina had less improvement in FFR (43.1±33.5% versus 67.0±50.7%, P<0.001). There were no between-group differences in post-PCI FFR, coronary flow reserve, or corrected index of microcirculatory resistance. Patients with post-PCI angina had lower SAQ-summary scores (64.01±22 versus 95.16±8.72, P≤0.001) and EQ-5D-5L index scores (0.69±0.26 versus 0.91±0.17, P≤0.001) at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Larger improvements in FFR following PCI were associated with less angina and better quality of life at follow-up. In patients with stable symptoms, intracoronary physiology assessment can inform expectations of angina relief and quality of life improvement after stenting and thereby help to determine the appropriateness of PCI. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov; Unique identifier: NCT03259815.

Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients with Diabetes in French Guiana: Epidemiology and Relation with Microvascular and Macrovascular Complications.

Vitamin D (VD) insufficiency is common among patients with diabetes in French Guiana. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of VD deficiency in the different type of diabetes encountered and to analyze the relationship between VD deficiency and diabetes complications. METHODS: An observational study was conducted between May 2019 and May 2020 in French Guiana, based on data from the CODIAM study (Diabetes Cohort in French Amazonia), describing the characteristics of patients with diabetes mellitus. Among 600 patients enrolled with diabetes, 361 had an available VD assay. RESULTS: The mean 25(OH)VD (hydroxycalciferol) level was 27.9 ng/mL. The level of VD was inversely proportional to the HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) level. Patients with angina pectoris had a greater proportion of deficiencies VD < 20 ng/mL than those without angina. By contrast, patients with retinopathy had higher vitamin D concentrations than those without retinopathy. There was no association between vitamin D and arteriopathy, stroke, nephropathy and polyneuropathy. VD deficiency was more frequent in women, and in patients with a high school education. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of VD deficiency was high in patients with diabetes in French Guiana, emphasizing the importance of VD supplementation.

Chelation therapy for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND: Chelation therapy is promoted and practiced around the world as a form of alternative medicine in the treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. It has been suggested as a safe, relatively inexpensive, non-surgical method of restoring blood flow in atherosclerotic vessels. However, there is currently limited high-quality, adequately-powered research informing evidence-based medicine on the topic, specifically regarding clinical outcomes. Due to this limited evidence, the benefit of chelation therapy remains controversial at present. This is an update of a review first published in 2002. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) chelation therapy versus placebo or no treatment on clinical outcomes among people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. SEARCH METHODS: For this update, the Cochrane Vascular Information Specialist searched the Cochrane Vascular Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and ClinicalTrials.gov trials register to 6 August 2019. We searched the bibliographies of the studies retrieved by the literature searches for further trials. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included studies if they were randomised controlled trials of EDTA chelation therapy versus placebo or no treatment in participants with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The main outcome measures we considered include all-cause or cause-specific mortality, non-fatal cardiovascular events, direct or indirect measurement of disease severity, and subjective measures of improvement or adverse events. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed trial quality using standard Cochrane procedures. A third author considered any unresolved issues, and we discussed any discrepancies until a consensus was reached. We contacted study authors for additional information. MAIN RESULTS: We included five studies with a total of 1993 randomised participants. Three studies enrolled participants with peripheral vascular disease and two studies included participants with coronary artery disease, one of which specifically recruited people who had had a myocardial infarction. The number of participants in each study varied widely (from 10 to 1708 participants), but all studies compared EDTA chelation to a placebo. Risk of bias for the included studies was generally moderate to low, but one study had high risk of bias because the study investigators broke their randomisation code halfway through the study and rolled the placebo participants over to active treatment. Certainty of the evidence, as assessed by GRADE, was generally low to very low, which was mostly due to a paucity of data in each outcome's meta-analysis. This limited our ability to draw any strong conclusions. We also had concerns about one study's risk of bias regarding blinding and outcome assessment that may have biased the results. Two studies with coronary artery disease participants reported no evidence of a difference in all-cause mortality between chelation therapy and placebo (risk ratio (RR) 0.97, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.28; 1792 participants; low-certainty). One study with coronary artery disease participants reported no evidence of a difference in coronary heart disease deaths between chelation therapy and placebo (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.48; 1708 participants; very low-certainty). Two studies with coronary artery disease participants reported no evidence of a difference in myocardial infarction (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.14; 1792 participants; moderate-certainty), angina (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.55 to 1.67; 1792 participants; very low-certainty), and coronary revascularisation (RR 0.46, 95% CI 0.07 to 3.25; 1792 participants). Two studies (one with coronary artery disease participants and one with peripheral vascular disease participants) reported no evidence of a difference in stroke (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.40 to 1.92; 1867 participants; low-certainty). Ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI; also known as ankle brachial index) was measured in three studies, all including participants with peripheral vascular disease; two studies found no evidence of a difference in the treatment groups after three months after treatment (mean difference (MD) 0.02, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.06; 181 participants; low-certainty). A third study reported an improvement in ABPI in the EDTA chelation group, but this study was at high risk of bias. Meta-analysis of maximum and pain-free walking distances three months after treatment included participants with peripheral vascular disease and showed no evidence of a difference between the treatment groups (MD -31.46, 95% CI -87.63 to 24.71; 165 participants; 2 studies; low-certainty). Quality of life outcomes were reported by two studies that included participants with coronary artery disease, but we were unable to pool the data due to different methods of reporting and varied criteria. However, there did not appear to be any major differences between the treatment groups. None of the included studies reported on vascular deaths. Overall, there was no evidence of major or minor adverse events associated with EDTA chelation treatment. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is currently insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of chelation therapy in improving clinical outcomes of people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. More high-quality, randomised controlled trials are needed that assess the effects of chelation therapy on longevity and quality of life among people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Trends of hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive cardiovascular conditions in the municipality of Senador Canedo, Goiás, Brazil, 2001-2016. / Tendências das internações por condições cardiovasculares sensíveis à atenção primária à saúde no município de Senador Canedo, Goiás, 2001-2016.

OBJECTIVE: to analyze trends of hospitalization for ambulatory care-sensitive cardiovascular conditions (ACSCC). METHODS: this was an ecological study of time series of rates of hospitalization for ACSCC in the municipality of Senador Canedo, GO, Brazil, 2001-2016; we used data from the Hospital Information System and population estimates provided by the Inter-Agency Health Information Network (RIPSA) and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE); the Prais-Winsten method was used to analyze trends. RESULTS: we used data on 3,244 hospitalizations for ACSCC; there was decreasing trend in the rate of hospitalizations for ACSCC (annual increase rate [AIR] = -8.14 - 95%CI -11.78;-4.35) and in the heart failure rate (AIR = -12.07 - 95%CI -14.75;-9.30); hospitalization rate time trends for hypertension, angina and cerebrovascular diseases were stationary. CONCLUSION: rates of hospitalization for ACSCC and heart failure decreased, however rates for hypertension, angina and cerebrovascular diseases remained constant.

Tendências das internações por condições cardiovasculares sensíveis à atenção primária à saúde no município de Senador Canedo, Goiás, 2001-2016 / Tendencias de las internaciones por condiciones cardiovasculares sensibles a la atención primaria de salud en el municipio de Senador Canedo, Goiás, Brasil, 2001-2016 / Trends of hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive cardiovascular conditions in the municipality of Senador Canedo, Goiás, Brazil, 2001-2016

Objetivo: analisar a tendência das taxas de internação por condições cardiovasculares sensíveis à atenção primária à saúde (CCSAP). Métodos: estudo ecológico das séries temporais das taxas de internação por CCSAP pelo Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) no município de Senador Canedo, GO, em 2001-2016; utilizaram-se dados do Sistema de Informações Hospitalares e estimativas populacionais da Rede Interagencial de Informações para a Saúde (RIPSA) e da Fundação IBGE; utilizou-se o método de Prais-Winsten para análise de tendência. Resultados: utilizaram-se dados de 3.244 internações por CCSAP; verificou-se tendência temporal decrescente para a taxa de internações por CCSAP (taxa de incremento anual [TIA] = -8,14 - IC95% -11,78;-4,35) e a taxa de insuficiência cardíaca (TIA = -12,07 - IC95% -14,75;-9,30); as tendências temporais das taxas de internações por hipertensão, angina e doenças cerebrovasculares foram estacionárias. Conclusão: as taxas de internação por CCSAP e insuficiência cardíaca diminuíram; entretanto as taxas por hipertensão, angina e doenças cerebrovasculares permaneceram constantes.

Objetivo: analizar la tendencia de las tasas de internación por condiciones cardiovasculares sensibles a la atención primaria de salud (CCSAP). Métodos: estudio ecológico de las series temporales de tasas de internación por CCSAP en el Sistema Único de Salud (SUS) en el municipio de Senador Canedo, GO, Brasil, en 2001-2016; se utilizaron datos del Sistema de Informaciones Hospitalarias y estimativas de población de la Red Interagencial de Informaciones para Salud (RIPSA) y de la Fundación IBGE; se utilizó el método de Prais-Winsten para el análisis de tendencia. Resultados: se utilizaron datos de 3.244 internaciones por CCSAP; hubo una tendencia temporal decreciente para la tasa de internaciones por CCSAP (tasa de incremento anual [TIA] = -8,14 - IC95% -11,78;-4,35) y de insuficiencia cardíaca (TIA = -12,07 - IC95% -14,75;-9,30); las tendencias temporales de las tasas de internaciones para hipertensión, angina y enfermedades cerebrovasculares (EC) fueron estacionarias. Conclusión: las tasas de internación por CCSAP e insuficiencia cardíaca disminuyeron; sin embargo, las tasas por hipertensión, angina y enfermedades cerebrovasculares permanecieron constantes.

Objective: to analyze trends of hospitalization for ambulatory care-sensitive cardiovascular conditions (ACSCC). Methods: this was an ecological study of time series of rates of hospitalization for ACSCC in the municipality of Senador Canedo, GO, Brazil, 2001-2016; we used data from the Hospital Information System and population estimates provided by the Inter-Agency Health Information Network (RIPSA) and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE); the Prais-Winsten method was used to analyze trends. Results: we used data on 3,244 hospitalizations for ACSCC; there was decreasing trend in the rate of hospitalizations for ACSCC (annual increase rate [AIR] = -8.14 - 95%CI -11.78;-4.35) and in the heart failure rate (AIR = -12.07 - 95%CI -14.75;-9.30); hospitalization rate time trends for hypertension, angina and cerebrovascular diseases were stationary. Conclusion: rates of hospitalization for ACSCC and heart failure decreased, however rates for hypertension, angina and cerebrovascular diseases remained constant.

Do police officers and firefighters have a higher risk of disease than other public officers? A 13-year nationwide cohort study in South Korea.

OBJECTIVES: The work of public officers involves repeated and long-term exposure to heavy workloads, high job strain and workplace violence, all of which negatively impact physical and mental health. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the incidences of diseases among different categories of public officers in Korea, in order to further understand the health risks associated with these occupations. DESIGN: A cohort study using the National Health Insurance data. PARTICIPANTS: We collated claims data between 2002 and 2014 for 860 221 public officers. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Age-standardised rates were calculated using the direct standardisation method, and HRs were calculated using the Cox proportional hazard regression models. RESULTS: Overall, we found that police officers and firefighters had a higher incidence of a range of diseases when compared with national and regional government officers (NRG). The most prominent HRs were observed among police officers for angina pectoris (HR: 1.52, 95% CI 1.49 to 1.54), acute myocardial infarction (HR: 1.84, 95% CI 1.77 to 1.92) and cerebrovascular disease (HR: 1.36, 95% CI 1.31 to 1.40). Firefighters were more susceptible to physical ailments and were at a significantly higher risk for traumatic stress disorders (HR: 1.40, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.56) than NRGs. CONCLUSION: Compared withNRGs, police officers had higher HRs for all measured diseases, except for traumatic stress disorders. While firefighters had higher HRs for almost all diseases examined, public education officers had a higher HR for traumatic stress disorders, when compared with NRGs.

Morbidity and Health Risk Factors Among New Mexico Miners: A Comparison Across Mining Sectors.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines differences in chronic health outcomes between coal, uranium, metal, and nonmetal miners. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study using data from a health screening program for current and former New Mexico miners, log-binomial logistic regression models were used to estimate relative risks of respiratory and heart disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, and back pain associated with mining in each sector as compared with coal, adjusting for other relevant risk factors. RESULTS: Differential risks in angina, pulmonary symptoms, asthma, cancer, osteoarthritis, and back pain between mining sectors were found. CONCLUSIONS: New Mexico miners experience different chronic health challenges across sectors. These results demonstrate the importance of using comparable data to understand how health risks differ across mining sectors. Further investigation among a broader geographic population of miners will help identify the health priorities and needs in each sector.

Effect of Monthly High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation on Cardiovascular Disease in the Vitamin D Assessment Study : A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Cohort studies have reported increased incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among individuals with low vitamin D status. To date, randomized clinical trials of vitamin D supplementation have not found an effect, possibly because of using too low a dose of vitamin D. Objective: To examine whether monthly high-dose vitamin D supplementation prevents CVD in the general population. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Vitamin D Assessment Study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that recruited participants mostly from family practices in Auckland, New Zealand, from April 5, 2011, through November 6, 2012, with follow-up until July 2015. Participants were community-resident adults aged 50 to 84 years. Of 47 905 adults invited from family practices and 163 from community groups, 5110 participants were randomized to receive vitamin D3 (n = 2558) or placebo (n = 2552). Two participants retracted consent, and all others (n = 5108) were included in the primary analysis. Interventions: Oral vitamin D3 in an initial dose of 200 000 IU, followed a month later by monthly doses of 100 000 IU, or placebo for a median of 3.3 years (range, 2.5-4.2 years). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the number of participants with incident CVD and death, including a prespecified subgroup analysis in participants with vitamin D deficiency (baseline deseasonalized 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels <20 ng/mL). Secondary outcomes were myocardial infarction, angina, heart failure, hypertension, arrhythmias, arteriosclerosis, stroke, and venous thrombosis. Results: Of the 5108 participants included in the analysis, the mean (SD) age was 65.9 (8.3) years, 2969 (58.1%) were male, and 4253 (83.3%) were of European or other ethnicity, with the remainder being Polynesian or South Asian. Mean (SD) baseline deseasonalized 25(OH)D concentration was 26.5 (9.0) ng/mL, with 1270 participants (24.9%) being vitamin D deficient. In a random sample of 438 participants, the mean follow-up 25(OH)D level was greater than 20 ng/mL higher in the vitamin D group than in the placebo group. The primary outcome of CVD occurred in 303 participants (11.8%) in the vitamin D group and 293 participants (11.5%) in the placebo group, yielding an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.02 (95% CI, 0.87-1.20). Similar results were seen for participants with baseline vitamin D deficiency and for secondary outcomes. Conclusions and Relevance: Monthly high-dose vitamin D supplementation does not prevent CVD. This result does not support the use of monthly vitamin D supplementation for this purpose. The effects of daily or weekly dosing require further study. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: ACTRN12611000402943.

Use of Chronic Oral Anticoagulation and Associated Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Contemporary rates of oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy and associated outcomes among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have been poorly described. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using data from an integrated health care system from 2009 to 2014, we identified patients on OACs within 30 days of PCI. Outcomes included in-hospital bleeding and mortality. Of 9566 PCIs, 837 patients (8.8%) were on OACs, and of these, 7.9% used non-vitamin K antagonist agents. OAC use remained stable during the study (8.1% in 2009, 9.0% in 2014; P=0.11), whereas use of non-vitamin K antagonist agents in those on OACs increased (0% in 2009, 16% in 2014; P<0.01). Following PCI, OAC-treated patients had higher crude rates of major bleeding (11% versus 6.5%; P<0.01), access-site bleeding (2.3% versus 1.3%; P=0.017), and non-access-site bleeding (8.2% versus 5.2%; P<0.01) but similar crude rates of in-hospital stent thrombosis (0.4% versus 0.3%; P=0.85), myocardial infarction (2.5% versus 3.0%; P=0.40), and stroke (0.48% versus 0.52%; P=0.88). In addition, prior to adjustment, OAC-treated patients had longer hospitalizations (3.9±5.5 versus 2.8±4.6 days; P<0.01), more transfusions (7.2% versus 4.2%; P<0.01), and higher 90-day readmission rates (22.1% versus 13.1%; P<0.01). In adjusted models, OAC use was associated with increased risks of in-hospital bleeding (odds ratio 1.50; P<0.01), 90-day readmission (odds ratio 1.40; P<0.01), and long-term mortality (hazard ratio 1.36; P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Chronic OAC therapy is frequent among contemporary patients undergoing PCI. After adjustment for potential confounders, OAC-treated patients experienced greater in-hospital bleeding, more readmissions, and decreased long-term survival following PCI. Efforts are needed to reduce the occurrence of adverse events in this population.

The association between blood lipid and phlegm turbidity syndrome of angina pectoris: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: A series of case-control studies have been conducted to investigate the association between blood lipid and phlegm turbidity syndrome of angina pectoris, but produced inconsistent results. OBJECTIVE: We performed a meta-analysis to determine the association between blood lipid and phlegm turbidity syndrome of angina pectoris more precisely. METHODS: Manual screening as well as screening of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Journal full-text database (VIP), Wanfang database (WF), ScienceDirect, Pubmed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase were carried out for relevant literature. The formula was translated to calculate the pooled mean value and standard deviation value. The "Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale: Case-Control Studies" (NOS) was taken to assess the quality of the included studies. The Revman 5.2.6 software provided by "The Cochrane Collaboration" was used to analyze the collected data. The subgroup analysis was established according to the sample size proportion between the test group and the control group. Sensitivity analysis was constructed by using two different effect models. Besides, a funnel plot was created to analyze potential publication bias. RESULTS: No statistically meaningful difference existed between the test group and control group of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in non-Qi and yin deficiency syndrome (QYDS) and non-Yang deficiency syndrome (YDS) subgroup, whereas the two biotic indicators in the test group were higher than the non-phlegm syndrome group in other subgroups. Triglyceride (TG) in phlegm syndrome group showed superior to non-phlegm syndrome group in the rest subgroups except for the non-CCS (Cold coagulating syndrome)-non-YDS subgroup. High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels of the phlegm group were lower than that of the non-phlegm group in all subgroups. CONCLUSION: When comparing with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes of asthenia nature, such as YDS, QYDS, and heart qi deficiency syndrome), the levels of TG, TC, and LDL-C were higher in phlegm turbidity syndrome. However, for sthenia syndromes such as Qi stagnation syndrome (QSS), heart blood stasis syndrome (HBSS), and CCS, there was no obvious difference. Furthermore, HDL-C levels in the phlegm turbidity group were lower than those of the non-phlegm group. Nevertheless, these results should be confirmed with further studies.

Dietary fat composition and cardiac events in patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate associations of dietary fat composition with the development of cardiac events in patients with type 2 diabetes, without ischemic heart disease who were followed for at least 12 months. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study the usual diet of patients was retrospectively assessed by a 3-day weighed diet record (WDR). Compliance with the WDR technique was assessed by comparing protein intake estimated from 3-day WDR and 24-h urinary nitrogen output. The following were considered cardiac events: myocardial infarction, myocardial revascularization procedures, congestive heart failure, new-onset angina pectoris, and sudden death. RESULTS: A total of 227 patients with type 2 diabetes (aged 59 ± 10 years; 46.0% male), were followed during 4.6 years. In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, the intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids had a protective effect for cardiac events (HR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.11-0.89; P = 0.03) adjusted for age, gender, duration of diabetes, smoking, compliance with WDR, using hypolipidemic agents, and the presence of hypertension and diabetic nephropathy. When the fat intake was divided into quartiles, the highest intake of α-linolenic acid (>1.25% of energy) was negatively associated with cardiac events (HR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.39-0.85; P = 0.006), adjusted for the same covariates.. CONCLUSION: In patients with type 2 diabetes without ischemic heart disease, a high intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially alpha linolenic acid, was protective for the development of cardiac events..

Association of air pollution and use of glyceryl trinitrate against angina pectoris: a population-based case-crossover study.

BACKGROUND: Ambient air pollution has been associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In Reykjavik, Iceland, air pollutant concentrations exceed official health limits several times every year. The aim was to study the association of concentrations of NO2, O3, PM10, and H2S in the Reykjavik capital area with the dispensing of anti-angina pectoris medication, glyceryl trinitrate to the inhabitants. METHODS: Data on daily dispensing of glyceryl trinitrate, were retrieved from the Icelandic Medicines Registry. Data on hourly concentrations of NO2, O3, PM10, and H2S were obtained from the Environment Agency of Iceland. A case-crossover design was used, based on the dispensing of glyceryl trinitrate to 5,246 individuals (≥18 years) between 2005 and 2009. RESULTS: For every 10 µg/m3 increase of NO2 and O3 3-day mean concentrations, the odds ratio (OR) for daily dispensing of glyceryl trinitrates was 1.136 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.069-1.207) and 1.094 (95% CI 1.029-1.163) at lag 0, and OR was 1.096 (95% CI 1.029-1.168) and 1.094 (95% CI 1.028-1.166) at lag 1, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that NO2 and O3 ambient air concentrations may adversely affect cardiovascular health, as measured by the dispensing of glyceryl trinitrates for angina pectoris. Further, the findings suggest that data on the dispensing of medication may be a valuable health indicator when studying the effect of air pollution on cardiovascular morbidity.

Consumption of fried foods and risk of coronary heart disease: Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between consumption of fried foods and risk of coronary heart disease. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. PARTICIPANTS: 40 757 adults aged 29-69 and free of coronary heart disease at baseline (1992-6), followed up until 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Coronary heart disease events and vital status identified by record linkage with hospital discharge registers, population based registers of myocardial infarction, and mortality registers. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 11 years, 606 coronary heart disease events and 1135 deaths from all causes occurred. Compared with being in the first (lowest) quarter of fried food consumption, the multivariate hazard ratio of coronary heart disease in the second quarter was 1.15 (95% confidence interval 0.91 to 1.45), in the third quarter was 1.07 (0.83 to 1.38), and in the fourth quarter was 1.08 (0.82 to 1.43; P for trend 0.74). The results did not vary between those who used olive oil for frying and those who used sunflower oil. Likewise, no association was observed between fried food consumption and all cause mortality: multivariate hazard ratio for the highest versus the lowest quarter of fried food consumption was 0.93 (95% confidence interval 0.77 to 1.14; P for trend 0.98). CONCLUSION: In Spain, a Mediterranean country where olive or sunflower oil is used for frying, the consumption of fried foods was not associated with coronary heart disease or with all cause mortality.

Is danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) dripping pill more effective than isosorbide dinitrate in treating angina pectoris? A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Danshen dripping pill (DSP) is a popular Chinese medicinal product and often compared with isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) in treating coronary heart disease angina pectoris. Over 100 randomized controlled trials (RCT) have been published in Chinese language but have not been evaluated according to the PRISMA systematic review standard. This study aims to provide a comprehensive and PRISMA-compliant systematic review with sensitivity and subgroup analyses. METHODS: RCTs published between 1994 and 2009 on DSP versus ISDN in treating angina pectoris for 4 or more weeks were retrieved from major databases, including PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang Data. Meta-analysis was performed on the overall effects on symptomatic and electrocardiography (ECG) improvements. Sensitivity analysis was conducted on the study quality of RCTs based on a refined Jadad scale and different efficacy definitions. RESULTS: Sixty RCTs with 6931 participants were included. Summary odds ratios for comparing DSP and ISDN were 2.49 (95% CI 2.03-3.05) by symptoms (n=60) and 2.14 (95% CI 1.82-2.52) by ECG (n=53) according to the basic efficacy definitions and were 1.67 (95% CI 1.45-1.91) by symptoms (n=56) and 1.75 (95% CI 1.51-2.04) by ECG (n=45) according to the stringent efficacy criteria. CONCLUSION: The 60 eligible RCTs indicate that DSP is apparently more effective than ISDN in treating angina pectoris. However, further RCTs of larger scale, multi-centre/country, longer follow-up periods, and higher quality are still required to verify the efficacy of DSP over all anti-anginal therapies.

Ratio of serum n-3 to n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and the incidence of major adverse cardiac events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and serum polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) parameters has not been well documented in patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The aim of the present study was to investigate this relationship. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 284 consecutive patients who underwent elective PCI were enrolled and stratified according to median serum levels of n-6 PUFAs (arachidonic acid [AA]), n-3 PUFAs (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]), and serum EPA/AA and DHA/AA ratios. The relationship between these PUFA parameters and the incidence of MACE including cardiac death, acute coronary syndrome, PCI for de novo lesions, and coronary artery bypass grafting, was analyzed. Multivariate analysis showed that among the PUFA parameters, only a high serum EPA/AA ratio was significantly associated with a low incidence of MACE in all the models tested (model A, without adjusted variables: hazard ratio [HR], 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27-0.99, P = 0.048; model B, adjusted for age and diabetes: HR, 0.51; 95%CI: 0.26-0.98, P = 0.043; model C, adjusted for age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: HR, 0.49; 95%CI: 0.25-0.94, P = 0.033). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of MACE in patients who have undergone PCI is significantly associated with serum EPA/AA ratio.

Multimorbidity, the predominant predictor of quality-of-life, following successful spinal cord stimulation for angina pectoris.

BACKGROUND: Patients suffering from severe chronic angina pectoris (AP) that has become therapeutically refractory to medication and revascularization can be adequately treated with spinal cord stimulation (SCS). However, following SCS implantation for angina, not all patients show a consistent improvement in quality of life (QoL). Therefore, we sought to study the association of baseline characteristics and chronic multimorbidities on QoL following SCS implantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients treated with SCS for refractory AP (rAP) were registered in a local data base. Patients who had discontinued SCS therapy were excluded from further analysis. Baseline characteristics, such as exercise limiting morbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], rheumatic disease, diabetes mellitus [DM], obesity expressed as body mass index [BMI]>25) and demographic data, were retrieved from the data base. QoL was studied using the Seattle Angina Questionnaire and the RAND-36 questionnaire. RESULTS: During a 21-year registration period (1986-2008), we enlisted 127 patients with SCS for rAP in our data base. Eighty-two, of whom 59 died, had discontinued SCS and were lost to follow-up. Out of the remaining 45 patients, 33 returned their questionnaires (73.3%). At SCS implantation, 72.7% of the patients were male, mean age 58±8.5 years. Twenty-four patients were in class III-IV angina and nine in class II-III NYHA. After a follow-up of 6.4±4.1 years, men had better physical capacity and experienced less impairment in QoL resulting from physical or emotional restrictions (all p<0.05) compared with women. Patients without COPD reported a better general health compared with those with rAP and COPD (p<0.05). The association of DM on QoL was borderline significant. Patients with lower BMI scored better on emotional well-being and perception of disease than those with a higher BMI (p<0.05 and p<0.05, respectively). None of the patients reported other morbidities limiting their exercise. CONCLUSIONS: Men showed a larger improvement in QoL following SCS implantation, compared with women. As SCS improves rAP, other chronic morbidities such as COPD, DM, and BMI may become the limiting factors for exercise and subsequently adversely affect QoL following implantation of an SCS system. As a consequence of the present relatively small single-center study, we recommend studies regarding rAP and SCS to also address the effect of comorbidities on outcomes.

A multi-center randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of Xiongshao Capsule in preventing restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention: a subgroup analysis of senile patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of Xiongshao Capsule (XS), consisting of Chuangxiongol and paeoniflorin, in preventing restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in senile coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. METHODS: A multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. A total of 335 CHD patients were randomly assigned to treatment with oral administration of XS, or a placebo for 6 months after successful PCI. A clinical follow-up was performed at 1, 3 and 6 months after PCI and an angiographic follow-up was scheduled at 6 months. The primary endpoint was angiographic restenosis defined as a luminal stenosis ≥ 50% in follow-up. The secondary endpoints were combined incidence of death, target lesion nonfatal myocardial infarction, repeat target-vessel angioplasty, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). The follow-up for the above clinical endpoint events was continued to 1 year after PCI. RESULTS: The subgroup analysis of 152 senile patients (68 cases angiographic follow-up) showed that the restenosis rates tended to reduce in the XS group as compared with that in the placebo group (24.32% vs. 38.71%, P > 0.05), and the minimum lumen diameter (MLD) significantly increased in the follow-up (2.15 ± 0.84 for XS vs. 1.73 ± 0.91 for placebo, P < 0.05). The incidence of recurrent angina at 3 and 6 months after PCI was also significantly reduced in the XS group (4.11% and 12.33%) as compared with those in the placebo group (17.72% and 43.04%), but there was no significant difference in the combined incidence of clinical outcomes (6.85% in the XS group vs. 11.39% in the placebo group, P > 0.05). No significant adverse reactions occurred within the 6-month follow-up period in the XS group. CONCLUSION: Administration of XS in addition to standardized Western medication for 6 months is demonstrated to be safe and effective in reducing post-PCI recurrent angina and inhibiting luminal restenosis after PCI in senile CHD patients.

The ACTION study: nifedipine in patients with symptomatic stable angina and hypertension.

Coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease continue to be the leading causes of illness and death in adults from developed countries. High blood pressure is the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factor and, in clinical practice, coronary disease and hypertension often occur concurrently. Calcium antagonists are used in the treatment of hypertension and angina. In the mid-1990s there was considerable debate concerning the safety of calcium antagonists in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. A Coronary Disease Trial Investigating Outcome with Nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system (ACTION) study was designed as a consequence of this discussion on calcium antagonists to investigate the effects of the long-acting calcium antagonist nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system on clinical outcomes in patients with stable, symptomatic coronary disease (52% of whom were hypertensive). The aim of this review is to provide an update on the status of the reported ACTION study results from different studies and subgroups.