Effects of Bilberry and Oat intake on lipids, inflammation and exercise capacity after Acute Myocardial Infarction (BIOAMI): study protocol for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Bilberries from Sweden, rich in polyphenols, have shown cholesterol-lowering effects in small studies, and the cholesterol-lowering properties of oats, with abundant beta-glucans and potentially bioactive phytochemicals, are well established. Both may provide cardiometabolic benefits following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but large studies of adequate statistical power and appropriate duration are needed to confirm clinically relevant treatment effects. No previous study has evaluated the potential additive or synergistic effects of bilberry combined with oats on cardiometabolic risk factors. Our primary objective is to assess cardioprotective effects of diet supplementation with dried bilberry or with bioprocessed oat bran, with a secondary explorative objective of assessing their combination, compared with a neutral isocaloric reference supplement, initiated within 5 days following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for AMI. METHODS: The effects of Bilberry and Oat intake on lipids, inflammation and exercise capacity after Acute Myocardial Infarction (BIOAMI) trial is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 900 patients will be randomized post-PCI to one of four dietary intervention arms. After randomization, subjects will receive beverages with bilberry powder (active), beverages with high-fiber bioprocessed oat bran (active), beverages with bilberry and oats combined (active), or reference beverages containing no active bilberry or active oats, for consumption twice daily during a 3-month intervention. The primary endpoint is the difference in LDL cholesterol change between the intervention groups after 3 months. The major secondary endpoint is exercise capacity at 3 months. Other secondary endpoints include plasma concentrations of biochemical markers of inflammation, metabolomics, and gut microbiota composition after 3 months. DISCUSSION: Controlling hyperlipidemia and inflammation is critical to preventing new cardiovascular events, but novel pharmacological treatments for these conditions are expensive and associated with negative side effects. If bilberry and/or oat, in addition to standard medical therapy, can lower LDL cholesterol and inflammation more than standard therapy alone, this could be a cost-effective and safe dietary strategy for secondary prevention after AMI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03620266 . Registered on August 8, 2018.

Risk factors for subarachnoid haemorrhage: a nationwide cohort of 950 000 adults.

BACKGROUND: Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a devastating disease, with high mortality rate and substantial disability among survivors. Its causes are poorly understood. We aimed to investigate risk factors for SAH using a novel nationwide cohort consortium. METHODS: We obtained individual participant data of 949 683 persons (330 334 women) between 25 and 90 years old, with no history of SAH at baseline, from 21 population-based cohorts. Outcomes were obtained from the Swedish Patient and Causes of Death Registries. RESULTS: During 13 704 959 person-years of follow-up, 2659 cases of first-ever fatal or non-fatal SAH occurred, with an age-standardized incidence rate of 9.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) (7.4-10.6)/100 000 person-years] in men and 13.8 [(11.4-16.2)/100 000 person-years] in women. The incidence rate increased exponentially with higher age. In multivariable-adjusted Poisson models, marked sex interactions for current smoking and body mass index (BMI) were observed. Current smoking conferred a rate ratio (RR) of 2.24 (95% CI 1.95-2.57) in women and 1.62 (1.47-1.79) in men. One standard deviation higher BMI was associated with an RR of 0.86 (0.81-0.92) in women and 1.02 (0.96-1.08) in men. Higher blood pressure and lower education level were also associated with higher risk of SAH. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of SAH is 45% higher in women than in men, with substantial sex differences in risk factor strengths. In particular, a markedly stronger adverse effect of smoking in women may motivate targeted public health initiatives.

[Brugada syndrome--a rare cause of syncope and sudden death]. / Brugadas syndrom - sällsynt orsak till synkope och plötslig död.

Brugada syndrome is a rare hereditary condition comprising electrocardiographic findings and an increased risk of sudden death due to ventricular fibrillation. The transmission is autosomal dominant with incomplete penetrance, mainly affecting males. The clinical manifestations include syncope, sudden cardiac death, nocturnal agonal breathing, documented ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation, and inducibility of arrhythmias during electrophysiologial study. The ECG should typically have an appearance of a right bundle branch block with a coved ST-segment elevation ≥ 2 mm, followed by a negative T-wave, in at least one right-sided lead (V1-V2). Two cases of Brugada syndrome are hereby presented, both of whom received the definitive treatment - ICD.

Sialic acid and incidence of hospitalization for diabetes and its complications during 40-years of follow-up in a large cohort: the Värmland survey.

AIM: To examine the association of sialic acid (SA) with first recorded diabetes mellitus-related hospitalization. METHODS: From a population-based study in Värmland, Sweden, between 1962 and 1965, 87,035 men and women were selected and followed for first recorded diabetes-related hospitalization until 2005. The association of SA was calculated and stratified for gender by Cox's proportional hazards models. Adjustments were made for conventional risk factors and socioeconomic status. Association analyses were made for comparisons between SA-levels above and below median. RESULTS: The mean age was 47.2 (SD 13.0) years and the total numbers of incident diabetes-related hospitalizations in men and women were 3445 and 3273, respectively. Hazard ratios per one standard deviation of SA were 1.12 (95% CI: 1.08-1.17, p<0.0001) in men and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.13-1.22, p<0.0001) in women. Interaction analyses indicated a relatively higher SA-associated risk in women than in men with above median SA levels. CONCLUSIONS: In this large population-based cohort followed for more than 40 years, elevated SA, as a marker of systemic inflammation, was independently associated with risk of diabetes and diabetes-related hospitalizations.

Blood pressure and pulse wave velocity as metrics for evaluating pathologic ageing of the cardiovascular system.

The influence of chronological ageing on the components of the cardiovascular system is of fundamental importance for understanding how hemodynamics change and the cardiovascular risk increases with age, the most important risk marker. An increase in peripheral vascular resistance associated with increased stiffness of central elastic arteries represents hallmarks of this ageing effect on the vasculature, referred to as early vascular ageing (EVA). In clinical practice, it translates into increased brachial and central systolic blood pressure and corresponding pulse pressure in subjects above 50 years of age, as well as increased carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (c-f PWV)--a marker of arterial stiffness. A c-f PWV value ≥ 10 m/s is threshold for increased risk according. Improved lifestyle and control of risk factors via appropriate drug therapy are of importance in providing vascular protection related to EVA. One target group might be members of risk families including subjects with early onset cardiovascular disease.

Combined effects of brachial pulse pressure and sialic acid for risk of cardiovascular events during 40 years of follow-up in 37,843 individuals.

OBJECTIVE: Pulse pressure (PP) is a risk marker for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in individuals 50 years and older. Inflammation is suggested to influence atherosclerosis, but could also increase PP. We aimed to examine the combined effects of PP and the inflammatory marker sialic acid, and their independent roles on CVD risk. METHODS: From a population-based study in Sweden between 1962 and 1965, 18,429 men and 19,414 women at the age of 50 or older were selected and followed for first CVD event until 2005. We investigated the biological interactions between sialic acid and PP. The associations of PP and sialic acid with risk of CVD were calculated by using Cox proportional hazards model. Adjustments were made for conventional risk factors, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: The mean age was 59.5 (SD 6.5) years and the number of incident CVD events in men and women were 3641 and 3227, respectively. No biological interaction was seen between PP and sialic acid. In men, the adjusted hazard ratio for PP was 0.92 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88-0.96, P < 0.0001) for 1 SD of PP, and 1.09 (95% CI 1.05-1.13, P < 0.0001) for 1 SD of sialic acid. In women, the corresponding figures were 1.02 (95% CI 0.97-1.07, P = 0.48) and 1.09 (95% CI 1.05-1.13, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Sialic acid but not PP was an independent risk factor for CVD. The risk induced by PP is highly affected by MAP. This suggests that both estimated arterial stiffness and inflammation contribute through different pathways to risk of CVD.

Smoking as a modifier of the systolic blood pressure-induced risk of cardiovascular events and mortality: a population-based prospective study of middle-aged men.

OBJECTIVE: To examine to what degree smoking habits modulate the relationship between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and risk for cardiovascular morbidity (first event) and mortality in middle-aged men. DESIGN AND METHODS: In all, 22 444 middle-aged men were recruited from a population-based screening study (mean attendance rate 71%). Risk factor intervention was offered to about 20% of participants. Subjects were followed in local and national registers for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality during more than 17 years of follow-up. Life-style variables were investigated at baseline, including smoking habits. Event rates were calculated in relation to quintiles (Q1-Q5) of baseline SBP in untreated subjects, subdivided into categories of smoking habits, but also for 915 previously known, treated hypertensive (tHT) patients at baseline. RESULTS: We found an increasing incidence of first cardiovascular event (CE) with increasing SBP levels, ranging from 63.5 CE/10 000 person-years (Q1) to 62.3, 70.5, 82.3 and 115.1 CE/10 000 person-years (Q2-Q5). The corresponding figure in tHTs was 153 CE/10 000 person-years. If further subdivided into smokers/ex-smokers/non-smokers, the relative risks (RR) of smokers were 1.9 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5-2.4], 2.1 (1.8-2.5), 2.3 (1.8-2.9), 1.8 (1.5-2.1), and 1.7 (1.5-2.0) compared to present non-smokers, in relation to SBP (Q1-Q5). In tHTs the RR was 1.4 (1.1-1.8). Cardiovascular mortality rates differed in relation to SBP and smoking habits, from 40.3 (present non-smokers) and 70.7 (smokers) deaths/10 000 person-years in Q1, to 54.2 and 134.0 deaths/10 000 person-years in Q5. In tHTs the corresponding figures were 81.6 and 149.4 deaths/10 000 person-years, respectively. No difference in risk was found for never-smokers compared to ex-smokers in relation to SBP. The risk in moderate/heavy smokers ( 10 cigarettes/day) compared to other smokers (