The cardiovascular implication of single nucleotide polymorphisms of chromosome 9p21 locus among Arab population.

BACKGROUND: Based on several reports including genome-wide association studies, genetic variability has been linked with higher (nearly half) susceptibility toward coronary artery disease (CAD). We aimed to evaluate the association of chromosome 9p21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): rs2383207, rs10757278, and rs10757274 with the risk and severity of CAD among Arab population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective observational case-control study was conducted between 2011 and 2012, in which 236 patients with CAD were recruited from the Heart Hospital in Qatar. Patients were categorized according to their coronary angiographic findings. Also, 152 healthy volunteers were studied to determine if SNPs are associated with risk of CAD. All subjects were genotyped for SNPs (rs2383207, rs2383206, rs10757274 and rs10757278) using allele-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Patients with CAD had a mean age of 57 ± 10; of them 77% were males, 54% diabetics, and 25% had family history of CAD. All SNPs were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium except rs2383206, with call rate >97%. After adjusting for age, sex and body mass index, the carriers of GG genotype for rs2383207 have increased the risk of having CAD with odds ratio (OR) of 1.52 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-2.961, P = 0.046). Also, rs2383207 contributed to CAD severity with adjusted OR 1.80 (95% CI = 1.04-3.12, P = 0.035) based on the dominant genetic model. The other SNPs (rs10757274 and rs10757278) showed no significant association with the risk of CAD or its severity. CONCLUSION: Among Arab population in Qatar, only G allele of rs2483207 SNP is significantly associated with risk of CAD and its severity.

Atrial fibrillation in Middle Eastern Arab and South Asian patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction: experience from a 20-year registry in qatar (1991-2010).

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that there are ethnic variations in atrial fibrillation (AF) susceptibility and incidence following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and predictors of AF in the setting of AMI in Middle Eastern Arab and South Asian patients and its impact on in-hospital morbidity and mortality. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of a prospective registry of all patients hospitalized with AMI in the state of Qatar from 1991 through 2010 was made. Clinical characteristics and outcomes of AMI patients with and without AF were compared. Sub-analysis according to ethnicity was also performed. RESULTS: During the 20-year period; a total of 12,881 patients were hospitalized with AMI. Of these 5028 were Arabs and 5985 were South Asians. A total of 227 had AF during hospitalization with an overall incidence of 1.8% (156 Arabs; incidence 3.1% and 48 South Asians; incidence 0.8%). The mean age of AF patients was 65 years (Arabs 69, South Asians 54). Patients with AF were significantly older and had more cardiovascular co-morbidities than patients without AF, and were more likely to have non-ST elevation AMI on presentation. Patients with AF had significantly higher in-hospital mortality rate (20.3% versus 7.1%; P=0.001) and stroke rates (1.8% versus 0.3%; P=0.001) when compared to patients without AF. Age was the only independent predictor of AF development in patients with AMI in our study. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reports variability in the prevalence of AF among AMI patients according to ethnicity using a 20-year registry from a Middle Eastern country. Advancing age was the major independent predictor of AF in our AMI patients. Further prospective studies are required evaluating optimal therapeutic approaches for these high-risk patients in order to reduce the high mortality observed.

Polyvascular disease in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome: its predictors and outcomes.

We evaluated prevalence and clinical outcome of polyvascular disease (PolyVD) in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Data for 7689 consecutive ACS patients were collected from the 2nd Gulf Registry of Acute Coronary Events between October 2008 and June 2009. Patients were divided into 2 groups (ACS with versus without PolyVD). All-cause mortality was assessed at 1 and 12 months. Patients with PolyVD were older and more likely to have cardiovascular risk factors. On presentation, those patients were more likely to have atypical angina, high resting heart rate, high Killip class, and GRACE risk scoring. They were less likely to receive evidence-based therapies. Diabetes mellitus, renal failure, and hypertension were independent predictors for presence of PolyVD. PolyVD was associated with worse in-hospital outcomes (except for major bleedings) and all-cause mortality even after adjusting for baseline covariates. Great efforts should be directed toward primary and secondary preventive measures.

Impact of diabetic status on the hyperglycemia-induced adverse risk of short term outcomes in hospitalized patients with acute coronary syndromes in the Middle East: findings from the Gulf registry of Acute Coronary Events (Gulf RACE).

BACKGROUND: While glucose levels on admission are clearly a much stronger predictor of short term adverse outcomes than diabetes status, there is a paucity of data on how diabetes status impacts the hyperglycemia-induced increased risk. METHODS: 2786 patients admitted to the hospital with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and diabetic level hyperglycemia (random >11.1 mmol/L or fasting >7 mmol/L) were identified from a Gulf registry of ACS. We divided the cohort into two groups. Those who were previously known to have diabetes mellitus were identified as the known diabetes group, and the non-diabetic group included those without a previous diabetes diagnosis. We used logistic regression models to assess the effect of glycemic status on hospital mortality and other patient outcomes including heart failure, stroke, recurrent ischemia, cardiogenic shock, major bleeding, and ventilation. RESULTS: About two-thirds of the hyperglycemics on admission had been diagnosed previously with diabetes. After adjusting for age, in-hospital mortality was significantly higher in the non-diabetic group (OR: 2.36; 95% CI 1.54-3.61) compared to the diabetic group. As for the other outcomes, known diabetes patients had significantly lower incidences of heart failure, cardiogenic shock, and ventilation compared to non-diabetic patients. CONCLUSION: The effects of hyperglycemia are mitigated by the presence of the chronic diabetic state, and thus, hyperglycemia has a worse effect in those not known to have chronic diabetes. These findings are important and call for further investigation.

Bleeding complications with acute coronary syndrome in six Middle Eastern countries.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the prevalence and prognostic implications of major bleeding complications among patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the Middle East. We describe the prevalence and outcome of ACS in Middle Eastern patients with and without major bleeding complications. METHODS: The Gulf Registry of Acute Coronary Events (Gulf RACE) is a prospective, multinational registry conducted for 6 months in 2007 for patients hospitalized with the final diagnosis of ACS in 65 centres in six adjacent Middle Eastern countries. There were no exclusion criteria. A total of 8166 patients were stratified according to the development of major bleeding complications during the index admission. RESULTS: Compared to patients without bleeding complications, patients with major bleeding (68 patients, 0.83%) were significantly older, and had ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to sex, other cardiovascular risk factors, or use of antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapy. Patients with bleeding complications had worse in-hospital outcomes including death, congestive heart failure, cardiogenic shock, recurrent myocardial infarction, and stroke. After adjusting for baseline characteristics, major bleeding was independently associated with a more than 5-fold increase in in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 5.2, 95% confidence interval 2.8-10.1, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Similar to Western studies, bleeding in the setting of ACS is a powerful and independent predictor of poor in-hospital outcomes in patients admitted with ACS in the Middle East.

COVID -19 Complicated By Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Myocarditis, and Pulmonary Embolism. a Case Report.

A 49-year-old female Qatari woman, with no past medical history, presented at a hospital complaining of a history of cough and shortness of breath. The patient tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome (ARDS) and COVID-19. Subsequently, her course of treatment was complicated by severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary embolism and severe myocarditis requiring treatment with venous-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to complete recovery.

Age-Related Sex Differences in Clinical Presentation, Management, and Outcomes in ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Pooled Analysis of 15 532 Patients From 7 Arabian Gulf Registries.

Background No studies from the Arabian Gulf region have taken age into account when examining sex differences in ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) presentation and outcomes. We examined the relationship between sex differences and presenting characteristics, revascularization procedures, and in-hospital mortality after accounting for age in patients hospitalized with STEMI in the Arabian Gulf region from 2005 to 2017. Methods and Results This study was a pooled analysis of 31 620 patients with a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome enrolled in 7 Arabian Gulf registries. Of these, 15 532 patients aged ≥18 years were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of STEMI. A multiple variable regression model was used to assess sex differences in revascularization, in-hospital mortality, and 1-year mortality. Odds ratios and 95% CIs were calculated. Women were, on average, 8.5 years older than men (mean age: 61.7 versus 53.2 years; absolute standard mean difference: 68.9%). The age-stratified analysis showed that younger women (aged <65 years) with STEMI were more likely to seek acute medical care and were less likely to receive thrombolytic therapies or primary percutaneous coronary intervention and guideline-recommended pharmacotherapy than men. Women had higher crude in-hospital mortality than men, driven mainly by younger age (46-55 years, odds ratio: 2.60 [95% CI, 1.80-3.7]; P<0.001; 56-65 years, odds ratio: 2.32 [95% CI, 1.75-3.08]; P<0.001; and 66-75 years, odds ratio: 1.79 [95% CI, 1.33-2.41]; P<0.001). Younger women had higher adjusted in-hospital and 1-year mortality rates than younger men (P<0.001). Conclusions Younger women (aged ≤65 years) with STEMI were less likely to receive guideline-recommended pharmacotherapy and revascularization than younger men during hospitalization and had higher in-hospital and 1-year mortality rates.

Vascular reactivity to mental stress is associated with poor cardiovascular disease outcomes in females following acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to test the hypothesis that peripheral endothelial dysfunction induced by mental stress may predict cardiovascular events after acute coronary syndrome beyond traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors. METHODS: This was a prospective study in which 417 patients who had acute coronary syndrome were enrolled in two sites at the US and Qatar. Cardiovascular disease risk factors such as past medical history, blood pressure, heart rate, peripheral endothelial dysfunction, and response to three different mental stress examinations (Stroop Color Word, Arithmetic, and Spiral Omnibus) as assessed by ratio of reactive hyperemia tonometry (EndoPAT) with stress over EndoPAT at rest were obtained at baseline. Major adverse cardiac events were then recorded at 1 year after the index event. RESULTS: There were no differences in baseline peripheral endothelial dysfunction or vascular response to mental stress between the US vs. Qatar patients. Women were more likely to experience major adverse cardiac events in the year following acute coronary syndrome (relative risk 2.42, 95% confidence interval 1.53-3.84, P = 0.044), and had a significantly lower mental stress ratio compared to women who did not (1.0 ± 0.17 vs. 1.20 ± 0.17, P = 0.04). In multivariate analyses stratified by sex, baseline peripheral endothelial dysfunction (EndoPAT < 1.7) (χ = 8.0, P = 0.005) and mental stress ratio (χ = 7.7, P = 0.006), were independently predictive of major adverse cardiac events in women, but not men. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrates that in women both baseline endothelial function and vascular function in response to mental stress ratio are predictive of worse cardiovascular disease outcomes 1 year after acute coronary syndrome. The study may suggest an important mechanism for adverse clinical outcomes in women following acute coronary syndrome.

Utility of shock index in 24,636 patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Shock index is a bedside reflection of integrated response of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. We aimed to evaluate the utility of shock index (heart rate/systolic blood pressure) in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: We analyzed pooled data from seven Arabian Gulf registries; these ACS registries were carried out in seven countries (Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen) between 2005 and 2017. A standard uniform coding strategy was used to recode each database using each registry protocol and clinical research form. Patients were categorized into two groups based on their initial shock index (low vs. high shock index). Optimal shock index cutoff was determined according to the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Primary outcome was hospital mortality. RESULTS: A total of 24,636 ACS patients met the inclusion criteria with a mean age 57±13 years. Based on ROC analysis, the optimal shock index was 0.80 (83.5% had shock index <0.80 and 16.5% had shock index ≥0.80). In patients with high shock index, 55% had ST-elevation myocardial infarction and 45% had non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Patients with high shock index were more likely to have diabetes mellitus, late presentation, door to electrocardiogram >10 min, symptom to Emergency Department > 3 h, anterior myocardial infarction, impaired left ventricular function, no reperfusion post-therapy, recurrent ischemia/myocardial infarction, tachyarrhythmia and stroke. However, high shock index was associated significantly with less chest pain, less thrombolytic therapy and less primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Shock index correlated significantly with pulse pressure (r= -0.52), mean arterial pressure (r= -0.48), Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events score (r =0.41) and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction simple risk index (r= -0.59). Shock index ≥0.80 predicted mortality in ACS with 49% sensitivity, 85% specificity, 97.6% negative predictive value and 0.6 negative likelihood ratio. Multivariate regression analysis showed that shock index was an independent predictor for in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.40, p<0.001), heart failure (aOR 1.67, p<0.001) and cardiogenic shock (aOR 3.70, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although shock index is the least accurate of the ones tested, its simplicity may argue in favor of its use for early risk stratification in patients with ACS. The utility of shock index is equally good for ST-elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome. High shock index identifies patients at increased risk of in-hospital mortality and urges physicians in the Emergency Department to use aggressive management.

Medical therapy for rheumatic heart disease: is it time to be proactive rather than reactive?

Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) is well known to be an active inflammatory process which develops progressive calcification and leaflet thickening over time. The potential for statin therapy in slowing the progression of valvular heart disease is still controversial. Retrospective studies have shown that medical therapy is beneficial for patients with calcific aortic stenosis and recently for rheumatic valve disease. However, the prospective randomized clinical trials have been negative to date. This article discusses the epidemiologic risk factors, basic science, retrospective and prospective studies in valvular heart disease and a future clinical trial to target RHD with statin therapy to slow the progression of this disease. Recent epidemiological studies have revealed the risk factors associated with valvular disease include male gender, smoking, hypertension and elevated serum cholesterol and are similar to the risk factors for vascular atherosclerosis. An increasing number of models of experimental hypercholesterolemia demonstrate features of atherosclerosis in the aortic valve (AV), which are similar to the early stages of vascular atherosclerotic lesions. Calcification, the end stage process of the disease, must be understood as a prognostic indicator in the modification of this cellular process before it is too late. This is important in calcific aortic stenosis as well as in rheumatic valve disease. There are a growing number of studies that describe similar pathophysiologic molecular markers in the development of rheumatic valve disease as in calcific aortic stenosis. In summary, these findings suggest that medical therapies may have a potential role in patients in the early stages of this disease process to slow the progression of RHD affecting the valves. This review will summarize the potential for statin therapy for this patient population.

Nonspecific Chest Pain and 30-Day Unplanned Readmissions in the United States (From the Nationwide Readmission Database).

Chest pain is a common reason for admission to hospital and little is known regarding 30-day unplanned readmissions after an admission with a primary discharge diagnosis of nonspecific chest pain. We analyzed patients with a primary diagnosis of nonspecific chest pain in the Nationwide Readmission Database who were admitted in 2010 to 2014. Rates, causes, and predictors of 30-day unplanned readmissions were determined. A total of 1,842,270 patients had a diagnosis of nonspecific chest pain. The 30-day unplanned readmission rate was 8.6%. From 2010 to 2014, there was an increase in 30-day unplanned readmissions from 8.1% to 9.5%. The majority of 30-day unplanned readmissions were for noncardiac reasons (73.4%). The 3 most prevalent noncardiac causes for readmissions were neuropsychiatric (10.9%), gastrointestinal (10.5%), and infections (9.9%), while the 3 most prevalent cardiac causes were coronary artery disease including angina (8.4%), arrhythmias (6.6%), and heart failure 5.5%. The strongest predictors of readmission were alcohol misuse ([OR] odds ratio 1.74 95% [CI] confidence interval 1.66-1.81), renal failure (OR 1.82 95%CI 1.76-1.87), cancer (OR 2.40 95%CI 2.27-2.53), discharge to a nursing home (OR 2.26 95%CI 2.18-2.34), and discharge against medical advice (OR 1.94 95%CI 1.86-2.02). The rate of 30-day unplanned readmission was 6.1% among those who received any test compared to 9.3% in those who did not receive any test. Rates of early unplanned readmissions occur following 1 in 12 admissions for nonspecific chest pain with noncardiac causes being the most common reason. Patients who receive a cardiovascular investigation appear to have fewer unplanned readmissions.

Whole-methylome analysis of circulating monocytes in acute diabetic Charcot foot reveals differentially methylated genes involved in the formation of osteoclasts.

AIM: To assess whether DNA methylation of monocytes play a role in the development of acute diabetic Charcot foot (CF). PATIENTS & METHODS: We studied the whole methylome (WM) of circulating monocytes in 18 patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and acute CF, 18 T2D patients with equivalent neuropathy and 18 T2D patients without neuropathy, using the enhanced reduced representation bisulfite sequencing technique. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: WM analysis demonstrated that CF monocytes are differentially methylated compared with non-CF monocytes, in both CpG-site and gene-mapped analysis approaches. Among the methylated genes, several are involved in the migration process during monocyte differentiation into osteoclasts or are indirectly involved through the regulation of inflammatory pathways. Finally, we demonstrated an association between methylation and gene expression in cis- and trans-association.

Impact of Clopidogrel on Mortality in Patients With Acute Heart Failure Stratified by Coronary Artery Disease: Findings From the Arabian Gulf Acute Heart Failure Registry (Gulf CARE).

We evaluated the impact of clopidogrel use on 3- and 12-months all-cause mortality in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) stratified by coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients admitted to 47 hospitals in 7 Middle Eastern countries with AHF from February to November 2012. Clopidogrel use was associated with significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality at 3 months (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.42-0.87; P = .007) and 12 months (aOR, 0.61; 95% CI: 0.47-0.79; P < .001). When the analysis was stratified by CAD, the clopidogrel group in those with AHF and CAD was also associated with significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality at 3 months (aOR, 0.56; 95% CI: 0.38-0.83; P = .003) and 12 months (aOR, 0.58; 95% CI: 0.44-0.77; P < .001). However, in AHF patients without CAD, clopidogrel use was not associated with any survival advantages, neither at 3 months (aOR, 0.99; 95% CI: 0.32-3.11; P = .987) nor at 12 months (aOR, 0.80; 95% CI: 0.37-1.72; P = .566). Clopidogrel use was associated with short- and long-term all-cause mortality in patients with AHF and CAD. In AHF patients without CAD, clopidogrel use did not offer any survival advantage.

Endothelial dysfunction in diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, even in the presence of intensive glycemic control. Substantial clinical and experimental evidence suggest that both diabetes and insulin resistance cause a combination of endothelial dysfunctions, which may diminish the anti-atherogenic role of the vascular endothelium. Both insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction appear to precede the development of overt hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, in patients with diabetes or insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction may be a critical early target for preventing atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Microalbuminuria is now considered to be an atherosclerotic risk factor and predicts future cardiovascular disease risk in diabetic patients, in elderly patients, as well as in the general population. It has been implicated as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and premature cardiovascular mortality for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as for patients with essential hypertension. A complete biochemical understanding of the mechanisms by which hyperglycemia causes vascular functional and structural changes associated with the diabetic milieu still eludes us. In recent years, the numerous biochemical and metabolic pathways postulated to have a causal role in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular disease have been distilled into several unifying hypotheses. The role of chronic hyperglycemia in the development of diabetic microvascular complications and in neuropathy has been clearly established. However, the biochemical or cellular links between elevated blood glucose levels, and the vascular lesions remain incompletely understood. A number of trials have demonstrated that statins therapy as well as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors is associated with improvements in endothelial function in diabetes. Although antioxidants provide short-term improvement of endothelial function in humans, all studies of the effectiveness of preventive antioxidant therapy have been disappointing. Control of hyperglycemia thus remains the best way to improve endothelial function and to prevent atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular complications of diabetes. In the present review we provide the up to date details on this subject.

Subclinical atherosclerosis detected by coronary computed tomographic angiography in Qatar: a comparison between Qataris and south Asian migrants.

PURPOSE: There are limited data regarding subclinical atherosclerosis in Middle Eastern countries. We aimed to describe and compare coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) findings in Qatari native and South Asian migrants at increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: We performed CCTA in 251 consecutive volunteers (126 South Asian, 125 Qatari, mean age 50.0 ± 7.3 years, 27.1% female) at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Given differences in baseline risk factors, we employed propensity score matching to create a cohort of 162 subjects for comparative analyses. We compared CAD severity, extent, plaque morphology, adverse plaque characteristics, and quantitative measures of atherosclerotic burden in both subgroups. RESULTS: After matching, no CAD was seen in 58.0% of South Asians and 49.4% of Qataris (p = 0.3), while obstructive CAD (≥50% luminal stenosis) was present in 40.7% of South Asians and 49.4% of Qataris (p = 0.3). There was a high prevalence of adverse plaque characteristics in both ethnicities, particularly positive remodeling. South Asians had significantly smaller vessel and lumen volumes, but the percent aggregate plaque volumes were not significantly different (2.9 ± 6.3% vs. 3.8 ± 8.0%, p = 0.4). CONCLUSIONS: In this first study of CCTA findings performed in a Middle Eastern country, we observed a high prevalence of obstructive CAD in a middle-aged cohort. There were no significant differences in CCTA findings between Qataris and South Asians after adjustment for clinical risk factors. Future studies are needed to identify patterns of coronary atherosclerosis by CCTA in non-European populations where cardiovascular disease is increasingly prevalent.

Non-withdrawal of beta blockers in acute decompensated chronic and de novo heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in a prospective multicentre study of patients with acute heart failure in the Middle East.

OBJECTIVES: Beta blockers reduce mortality in heart failure (HF). However, it is not clear whether they should be temporarily withdrawn during acute HF. DESIGN: Analysis of prospectively collected data. SETTING: The Gulf aCute heArt failuRe rEgistry is a prospective multicentre study of patients hospitalised with acute HF in seven Middle Eastern countries. PARTICIPANTS: 5005 patients with acute HF. OUTCOME MEASURES: We studied the effect of beta blockers non-withdrawal on intrahospital, 3-month and 12-month mortality and rehospitalisation for HF in patients with acute decompensated chronic heart failure (ADCHF) and acute de novo heart failure (ADNHF) and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40%. RESULTS: 44.1% of patients were already on beta blockers on inclusion. Among those, 57.8% had an LVEF <40%. Further, 79.9% were diagnosed with ADCHF and 20.4% with ADNHF. Mean age was 61 (SD 13.9) in the ADCHF group and 59.8 (SD 13.8) in the ADNHF group. Intrahospital mortality was lower in patients whose beta blocker therapy was not withdrawn in both the ADCHF and ADNHF groups. This protective effect persisted after multivariate analysis (OR 0.05, 95% CI 0.022 to 0.112; OR 0.018, 95% CI 0.003 to 0.122, respectively, p<0.001 for both) and propensity score matching even after correcting for variables that remained significant in the new model (OR 0.084, 95% CI 0.015 to 0.468, p=0.005; OR 0.047, 95% CI 0.013 to 0.169, p<0.001, respectively). At 3 months, mortality was still lower only in patients with ADCHF in whom beta blockers were maintained during initial hospitalisation. However, the benefit was lost after correcting for confounding factors. Interestingly, rehospitalisation for HF and length of hospital stay were unaffected by beta blockers discontinuation in all patients. CONCLUSION: In summary, non-withdrawal of beta blockers in acute decompensated chronic and de novo heart failure with reduced ejection fraction is associated with lower intrahospital mortality but does not influence 3-month and 12-month mortality, rehospitalisation for heart failure,and the length of hospital stay. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01467973; Post-results.

Hope for primary cardiovascular prevention with the HOPE (Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation)-3 trial findings.

The HOPE-3 investigators enrolled 12,705 intermediate-risk participants in 21 countries in a 2-by-2 factorial trial. Subjects were randomized to receive a fixed dose of rosuvastatin or placebo, candesartan plus hydrochlorothiazide daily or placebo, and a third group received combination of antihypertensive and statins versus double placebo. The median follow-up was 5.6 years. The combination of antihypertensive and statin therapy was associated with a significantly lower rate of cardiovascular events than dual placebo. Statin therapy alone was also associated with improved outcome, while antihypertensive therapy had no added benefit compared to placebo.

Acute myocarditis and pulmonary edema due to scorpion sting.

Objective: To present a case of a serious manifestation of scorpion sting, which was not reported before in Qatar, review the literature, and compare with previously reported similar cases. Case presentation and intervention: A young male patient was admitted to CCU with a clinical picture of acute toxic myocarditis and cardiogenic shock with abnormal ECG and elevated cardiac markers after a scorpion sting to his right big toe. Thorough investigations, including echocardiography, cardiac MRI and right heart catheterization, supported the diagnosis. Coronary angiography was normal. Patient was managed conservatively with supportive measures, mechanical ventilation, IV fluids, inotropic agents, steroids, antibiotics and Prazocin. Over 9 days of hospital course, patient gradually improved, was successfully extubated, and was discharged in a stable condition. Conclusion: Toxic myocarditis (with myocardial damage), pulmonary edema and cardiogenic shock are reported manifestations of scorpion venom intoxication.

Is there a role for genetic risk assessment in the treatment of dyslipidemia in primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease?

Genetic variants have been associated with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Mega et al studied the association of a genetic risk score based on 27 genetic variants with incidents of recurrent CHD, adjusting for traditional risk factors using data from a community based study and 4 randomized controlled trials of both primary and secondary prevention with statin therapy. When individuals were divided into low, intermediate and high genetic risk categories, a significant gradient in risk of incident and recurrent CHD was shown.

Validation of the Canada Acute Coronary Syndrome Risk Score for Hospital Mortality in the Gulf Registry of Acute Coronary Events-2.

BACKGROUND: Several risk scores have been developed for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients, but their use is limited by their complexity. The new Canada Acute Coronary Syndrome (C-ACS) risk score is a simple risk-assessment tool for ACS patients. This study assessed the performance of the C-ACS risk score in predicting hospital mortality in a contemporary Middle Eastern ACS cohort. HYPOTHESIS: The C-ACS score accurately predicts hospital mortality in ACS patients. METHODS: The baseline risk of 7929 patients from 6 Arab countries who were enrolled in the Gulf RACE-2 registry was assessed using the C-ACS risk score. The score ranged from 0 to 4, with 1 point assigned for the presence of each of the following variables: age ≥75 years, Killip class >1, systolic blood pressure <100 mm Hg, and heart rate >100 bpm. The discriminative ability and calibration of the score were assessed using C statistics and goodness-of-fit tests, respectively. RESULTS: The C-ACS score demonstrated good predictive values for hospital mortality in all ACS patients with a C statistic of 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.74-0.80) and in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome patients (C statistic: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.73-0.79; and C statistic: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.75-0.84, respectively). The discriminative ability of the score was moderate regardless of age category, nationality, and diabetic status. Overall, calibration was optimal in all subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: The new C-ACS score performed well in predicting hospital mortality in a contemporary ACS population outside North America.