Successful management of coronary complications during percutaneous intervention: A case report.

This case report delineates the complex management of a 65-year-old female with established diabetes, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease, who presented with refractory angina despite comprehensive medical management. Coronary angiography identified significant pathology in the right coronary artery alongside a previously placed, functioning stent in the left anterior descending artery. The intervention was complicated by the occurrence of a type B coronary artery dissection and a type III coronary perforation during an attempt to extract a stent. Immediate remedial measures, including balloon inflation and the placement of drug-eluting stents, were undertaken. The patient underwent a transient episode of collapse, from which she was successfully resuscitated. The concluding angiographic assessment confirmed the effective dilation of the lesion with no remaining dissection or perforation. This case accentuates the infrequent yet critical complications that can arise during percutaneous coronary intervention.

Treating Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension With Sotatercept: A Meta-Analysis.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) results from proliferative remodeling and narrowing of the pulmonary vasculature. Sotatercept is a first-in-class fusion protein that has recently garnered attention for showing improvements in patients with PAH. This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assesses the overall efficacy of Sotatercept in treating PAH. PubMed, Google Scholar, and Clinicaltrials.gov were searched using relevant keywords and MeSH terms. Studies were included if RCTs compared Sotatercept with placebo in patients with PAH. Our comprehensive literature search yielded 3,127 results, of which two RCTs with 429 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The patients were on background therapy for PAH. Results of the meta-analysis show that when compared with placebo, Sotatercept improved the six-minute walk distance (mean difference [MD] 34.99; 95% confidence interval [CI] 19.02-50.95; P < 0.0001), the World Health Organization (WHO) functional class (odds ratio [OR] 2.50; 95% CI 1.50-4.15; P = 0.0004), and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR, MD -253.90; 95% CI -356.05 to -151.75; P < 0.00001). However, reduction in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP, MD -1563.14; 95% CI -3271.93 to 145.65; P = 0.07) was not statistically significant in the Sotatercept group versus placebo. In conclusion, Sotatercept improves the six-minute walk distance, WHO functional class, and PVR in patients with PAH receiving background therapy. However, the effect on NT-proBNP levels was not statistically significant. More research is needed to assess the clinical relevance of these findings.

Rethinking HDL-C: An In-Depth Narrative Review of Its Role in Cardiovascular Health.

The interplay between HDL-C and LDL levels are closely intertwined with the cardiovascular system. High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C) is a well-known biomarker traditionally being interpreted as higher the HDL-C levels, minimal the risk of adverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes. However, recent research has unveiled a more complex relationship between HDL-C levels and cardiovascular outcomes, including genetic influences and potential risks associated with extremely high HDL-C levels. Intriguingly, extremely high HDL-C levels have been linked to unexpected cardiovascular risks. Up To date research suggests that individuals with genetically linked ultra-high HDL-C levels may depict an increased susceptibility to CVD, challenging the conventional realm that higher HDL-C is always beneficial. The mechanisms underlying this mystery are not fully understood but may involve HDL particle functionality and composition. In a nutshell, the relationship between HDL-C levels and cardiovascular outcomes is multifactorial. While low HDL-C remains a recognized risk factor for CVD, the genetic determinants of HDL-C levels add complexity to this association. Furthermore, extremely high HDL-C levels may not exhibit the expected protective benefits and may even pose unprecedented cardiovascular risks. A comprehensive understanding of these dynamics is essential for advancing our knowledge of CVD risk assessment and developing targeted therapeutic interventions. Further studies are needed to unravel the intricacies of HDL-C's role in cardiovascular health and disease.

Association between e-cigarette use and myocardial infarction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The popularity of e-cigarettes has risen dramatically over the last few years, particularly among the younger population. Although the use of combustible cigarettes has established evidence to be associated with the development of several adverse cardiopulmonary diseases, the investigations regarding the prospective long-term effects of e-cigarette use on the cardiovascular system have just begun. We set to investigate if there is an association between the history of MI and e-cigarette use among smokers and non-smokers? METHODS: The current review aims to assess the association of myocardial infarction with e-cigarette consumption. PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were queried up to October 2022 to identify articles assessing the incidence of myocardial infarction among e-cigarette users. Data were meta-analyzed using a random-effects model to derive odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Nine studies involving 984,764 patients were included. The mean age of e-cigarette smokers was less than the controls, and female participants dominated the sample size. E-cigarette users were associated with increased odds of MI than non-users [OR = 1.44; 95% CI (1.22, 1.74); P < 0.0001]. Dual users were also associated with increased odds of MI with large effect when compared to non-users [OR = 4.04; 95% CI (3.40, 4.81); P < 0.00001]. CONCLUSIONS: Dual use is associated with an increased risk of MI than e-cigarette use only. Similarly, dual and solely e-cigarette consumption patterns of nicotine delivery are at a higher risk of MI than non-smokers.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Bempedoic Acid in High Cardiovascular Risk Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Bempedoic acid (BA) is the new addition to lipid-lowering medications. This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assess the clinical efficacy and safety of BA in high cardiovascular (CV) risk patients along with its effects on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol. PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for RCTs comparing BA with placebo, reporting CV outcomes. Seven RCTs with a total of 17,816 patients were selected for the analysis. Results showed that BA significantly reduced the risk of MACE (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.80-0.94; P = 0.007), nonfatal myocardial infarction (RR 0.73; 95% CI 0.62-0.85; P < 0.0001), hospitalization for unstable angina (RR 0.69; 95%CI 0.54-0.88; P = 0.003), coronary and noncoronary revascularization (RR 0.82; 95%CI 0.73-0.92; P = 0.0007) and (RR 0.41; 95%CI 0.18-0.96; P = 0.04), respectively. However, BA increased the risk of gout (RR 1.55; 95% CI 1.26-1.90; P < 0.0001), hyperuricemia (RR 1.94; 95% CI 1.73-2.18; P < 0.00001) and worsening renal function (RR 1.34; 95%CI 1.21-1.48; P < 0.00001). BA also reduced LDL-C (MD -22.38%; 95% CI -25.94 to - 18.82; P < 0.00001) and total cholesterol (MD -13.86%; 95% CI -15.82 to -11.91; P < 0.0000) compared with placebo. Bempedoic acid is an addition to the arsenal of lipid-lowering drugs used in patients that are statin intolerant or need additional lipid-lowering therapy.

Monkeypox Virus and Other Emerging Outbreaks: An Overview and Future Perspective.

Monkeypox (MPX) is a zoonotic disease caused by the MPX virus from the poxviridae family of orthopoxviruses. Typically, endemic in central and west Africa, it has now become a matter of concern since cases have been reported in non-endemic countries around mid-June 2022, especially in the European region, with the transmission not related to travel. The diagnosis is made by PCR testing of the skin lesions. Even though treatment is symptomatic, antiretrovirals, such as tecovirimat, are used in severe cases. Vaccination with second and third generation vaccines is approved for prophylaxis in high risk individuals. Unfortunately, these options of treatment and prevention are only available in high income countries at the moment. This review, through a thorough literature search of articles from 2017 onward, focuses on epidemiology, clinical manifestations, challenges, treatment, prevention and control of MPX virus and how they can be corelated with other viral outbreaks including COVID-19, Acute Hepatitis of unknown origin, Measles and Dengue, to better predict and therefore prevent its transmission. The previous COVID-19 pandemic increased the disease burden on healthcare infrastructure of low-middle income countries, therefore, this recent MPX outbreak calls for a joint effort from healthcare authorities, political figures, and NGOs to combat the disease and prevent its further spread not only in high income but also in middle- and low-income countries.