Relationship Between Neck Circumference and Epicardial Fat Thickness in a Healthy Male Population / Relação Entre Circunferência do Pescoço e Espessura da Gordura Epicárdica em Uma População de Homens Saudáveis

Abstract Background: Epicardial fat is an upper body visceral fat depot that may play a significant role in the development of adverse metabolic and cardiovascular risk profiles. There is a significant direct relationship between the amount of epicardial fat and general body adiposity (body mass index, BMI), but data regarding subcutaneous adiposity is limited. Objective: We conducted a study to determine the association between neck circumference and epicardial fat thickness in healthy young male individuals, and assess their individual correlations with general body adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors. Methods: One hundred consecutive male patients aged 18 years or older with no known major medical conditions were included in the study. All participants underwent detailed physical examination including measurement of blood pressure, weight, height, waist/hip ratio, and neck circumference. Blood was collected to determine fasting glucose and lipid parameters. A standard echocardiographic examination was performed with additional epicardial fat thickness determination. Results: Among 100 study participants, neck circumference correlated significantly with weight, waist circumference, BMI, blood glucose, serum total cholesterol, low-density (LDL)-cholesterol, and triglycerides levels. No significant correlation was found between neck circumference and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels. Neck circumference correlated moderately and positively with echocardiographic epicardial fat thickness. Conclusion: Among patients with low cardiometabolic risk, increased neck circumference was associated with increased epicardial fat thickness.

Resumo Fundamentos: A gordura epicárdica é um depósito de gordura visceral na parte superior do organismo que pode desempenhar um papel importante no desenvolvimento de perfis cardiovasculares e metabólicos adversos. Há uma relação direta significativa entre a quantidade de gordura epicárdica e a adiposidade corporal geral (índice de massa corporal, IMC), mas dados sobre a adiposidade subcutânea são limitados. Objetivos: Realizamos um estudo para determinar a associação entre a circunferência do pescoço e a espessura da gordura epicárdica em jovens saudáveis do sexo masculino, além de avaliar as suas correlações individuais com a adiposidade corporal geral e fatores de risco cardiometabólicos. Métodos: Cem pacientes consecutivos do sexo masculino com idade igual ou superior a 18 anos e sem nenhuma condição médica importante e conhecida foram incluídos no estudo. Todos os participantes foram submetidos a um exame físico detalhado que incluiu medida da pressão arterial, peso, altura, razão cintura/quadril e circunferência do pescoço. Sangue foi coletado para determinação da glicemia de jejum e parâmetros lipídicos. Um exame ecocardiográfico padrão foi realizado com determinação adicional da espessura da gordura epicárdica. Resultados: Entre os 100 participantes do estudo, a circunferência do pescoço mostrou correlação significativa com o peso, circunferência de cintura, IMC, glicemia e níveis séricos de colesterol total, lipoproteína de baixa densidade (LDL-colesterol) e triglicerídeos. Não foi observada correlação significativa entre a circunferência do pescoço e níveis de colesterol de alta densidade (HDL-colesterol). A circunferência do pescoço correlacionou moderadamente e positivamente com a espessura da gordura epicárdica à ecocardiografia. Conclusão: Entre pacientes com baixo risco cardiometabólico, o aumento da circunferência do pescoço foi associado a um aumento da espessura da gordura epicárdica.

Relationship Between Neck Circumference and Epicardial Fat Thickness in a Healthy Male Population.

BACKGROUND:: Epicardial fat is an upper body visceral fat depot that may play a significant role in the development of adverse metabolic and cardiovascular risk profiles. There is a significant direct relationship between the amount of epicardial fat and general body adiposity (body mass index, BMI), but data regarding subcutaneous adiposity is limited. OBJECTIVE:: We conducted a study to determine the association between neck circumference and epicardial fat thickness in healthy young male individuals, and assess their individual correlations with general body adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors. METHODS:: One hundred consecutive male patients aged 18 years or older with no known major medical conditions were included in the study. All participants underwent detailed physical examination including measurement of blood pressure, weight, height, waist/hip ratio, and neck circumference. Blood was collected to determine fasting glucose and lipid parameters. A standard echocardiographic examination was performed with additional epicardial fat thickness determination. RESULTS:: Among 100 study participants, neck circumference correlated significantly with weight, waist circumference, BMI, blood glucose, serum total cholesterol, low-density (LDL)-cholesterol, and triglycerides levels. No significant correlation was found between neck circumference and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels. Neck circumference correlated moderately and positively with echocardiographic epicardial fat thickness. CONCLUSION:: Among patients with low cardiometabolic risk, increased neck circumference was associated with increased epicardial fat thickness. FUNDAMENTOS:: A gordura epicárdica é um depósito de gordura visceral na parte superior do organismo que pode desempenhar um papel importante no desenvolvimento de perfis cardiovasculares e metabólicos adversos. Há uma relação direta significativa entre a quantidade de gordura epicárdica e a adiposidade corporal geral (índice de massa corporal, IMC), mas dados sobre a adiposidade subcutânea são limitados. OBJETIVOS:: Realizamos um estudo para determinar a associação entre a circunferência do pescoço e a espessura da gordura epicárdica em jovens saudáveis do sexo masculino, além de avaliar as suas correlações individuais com a adiposidade corporal geral e fatores de risco cardiometabólicos. MÉTODOS:: Cem pacientes consecutivos do sexo masculino com idade igual ou superior a 18 anos e sem nenhuma condição médica importante e conhecida foram incluídos no estudo. Todos os participantes foram submetidos a um exame físico detalhado que incluiu medida da pressão arterial, peso, altura, razão cintura/quadril e circunferência do pescoço. Sangue foi coletado para determinação da glicemia de jejum e parâmetros lipídicos. Um exame ecocardiográfico padrão foi realizado com determinação adicional da espessura da gordura epicárdica. RESULTADOS:: Entre os 100 participantes do estudo, a circunferência do pescoço mostrou correlação significativa com o peso, circunferência de cintura, IMC, glicemia e níveis séricos de colesterol total, lipoproteína de baixa densidade (LDL-colesterol) e triglicerídeos. Não foi observada correlação significativa entre a circunferência do pescoço e níveis de colesterol de alta densidade (HDL-colesterol). A circunferência do pescoço correlacionou moderadamente e positivamente com a espessura da gordura epicárdica à ecocardiografia. CONCLUSÃO:: Entre pacientes com baixo risco cardiometabólico, o aumento da circunferência do pescoço foi associado a um aumento da espessura da gordura epicárdica.

Arterial stiffness and endothelial inflammation in prediabetes and newly diagnosed diabetes patients.

OBJECTIVE: There is a growing body of data supporting the association between diabetes and microcirculatory disfunction. We aimed to study e-selectin levels, and their associations with serum markers of inflammation and arterial stiffness in prediabetes and newly diagnosed diabetes patients in this study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Sixty patients (25 females) with a newly established elevated fasting serum glucose [20 impaired fasting glucose (IFG), 20 impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), 20 newly diagnosed diabetes (T2DM)] and 17 healthy controls (13 females) were included in the study. Serum e-selectin and hs-CRP levels, and arterial stiffness parameters of the patients were studied. RESULTS: Fasting serum glucose was the most important predictor of serum e-selectin levels. Pulse wave velocity and central aortic pressures were significantly higher in IFG, IGT and T2DM groups, compared to controls (p = 0.001, < 0.001, 0.013 and 0.015, 0.002, 0.009, respectively). The mean arterial pressure did not show any significant association with serum e-selectin and hs-CRP levels (ß coefficient: 0.092, p = 0.358; and ß coefficient: 0.189, p = 0.362, respectively). CONCLUSION: Prediabetes patients have increasing e-selectin levels through the diagnosis of T2DM. E-selectin is associated with serum glucose levels. Prediabetic and newly diagnosed diabetics have higher arterial stiffness measurements. Serum e-selectin may be a good marker of endothelial inflammation and dysfunction increasing in parallel with serum glucose levels, predicting future cardiovascular events.

Ivabradine Improves Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy / Ivabradina Melhora a Variabilidade da Frequência Cardíaca em Pacientes com Cardiomiopatia Dilatada Não Isquêmica

Background: Ivabradine is a novel specific heart rate (HR)-lowering agent that improves event-free survival in patients with heart failure (HF). Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effect of ivabradine on time domain indices of heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with HF. Methods: Forty-eight patients with compensated HF of nonischemic origin were included. Ivabradine treatment was initiated according to the latest HF guidelines. For HRV analysis, 24-h Holter recording was obtained from each patient before and after 8 weeks of treatment with ivabradine. Results: The mean RR interval, standard deviation of all normal to normal RR intervals (SDNN), the standard deviation of 5-min mean RR intervals (SDANN), the mean of the standard deviation of all normal-to-normal RR intervals for all 5-min segments (SDNN index), the percentage of successive normal RR intervals exceeding 50 ms (pNN50), and the square root of the mean of the squares of the differences between successive normal to normal RR intervals (RMSSD) were low at baseline before treatment with ivabradine. After 8 weeks of treatment with ivabradine, the mean HR (83.6 ± 8.0 and 64.6 ± 5.8, p < 0.0001), mean RR interval (713 ± 74 and 943 ± 101 ms, p < 0.0001), SDNN (56.2 ± 15.7 and 87.9 ± 19.4 ms, p < 0.0001), SDANN (49.5 ± 14.7 and 76.4 ± 19.5 ms, p < 0.0001), SDNN index (24.7 ± 8.8 and 38.3 ± 13.1 ms, p < 0.0001), pNN50 (2.4 ± 1.6 and 3.2 ± 2.2 %, p < 0.0001), and RMSSD (13.5 ± 4.6 and 17.8 ± 5.4 ms, p < 0.0001) substantially improved, which sustained during both when awake and while asleep. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that treatment with ivabradine improves HRV in nonischemic patients with HF. .

Fundamento: A ivabradina é um novo agente redutor específico da frequência cardíaca (FC) que melhora a sobrevida livre de eventos de pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca (IC). Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito da ivabradina nos índices temporais da variabilidade da frequência cardíaca (VFC) em pacientes com IC. Métodos: Quarenta e oito pacientes com IC compensada de etiologia não-isquêmica foram incluídos no estudo. O tratamento com ivabradina foi iniciado de acordo com as recomendações mais recentes para a IC. O Holter de 24 horas foi utilizado para analisar os índices da VFC em cada paciente antes e após 8 semanas de tratamento com ivabradina. Resultados: Todos os índices da VFC, o intervalo RR médio, o desvio padrão de todos os intervalos RR normais (DPNN), o desvio padrão de intervalos RR médios de 5 minutos (DPNNM), a média do desvio padrão de todos os intervalos RR normais para todos os segmentos de 5 minutos (índice DPNN), porcentagem de intervalos RR normais sucessivos superiores a 50 milissegundos (pNN50), e a raiz quadrada da média dos quadrados das diferenças entre intervalos RR sucessivos (RMQQD) apresentaram redução no ínicio do estudo, antes do tratamento com ivabradina. Após 8 semanas de tratamento com ivabradina, as médias das FC (83,6 ± 8,0 e 64,6 ± 5,8, p < 0,0001) e todos os índices da VFC, médias dos intervalos RR (713 ± 74 e 943 ± 101 ms, p < 0,0001), DPNN (56,2 ± 15,7 e 87,9 ± 19,4 ms, p < 0,0001), DPNNM (49,5 ± 14,7 e 76,4 ± 19,5 ms, p < 0,0001), índice DPNN (24,7 ± 8,8 e 38,3 ± 13,1 ms, p < 0,0001), pNN50 (2,4 ± 1,6 e 3,2 ± 2,2%, p < 0,0001) e RMQQD (13,5 ± 4,6 e 17,8 ± 5,4 ms , p < 0,0001), foram substancialmente melhorados, e permaneceram nestas ...

Ivabradine improves heart rate variability in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Ivabradine is a novel specific heart rate (HR)-lowering agent that improves event-free survival in patients with heart failure (HF). OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the effect of ivabradine on time domain indices of heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with HF. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with compensated HF of nonischemic origin were included. Ivabradine treatment was initiated according to the latest HF guidelines. For HRV analysis, 24-h Holter recording was obtained from each patient before and after 8 weeks of treatment with ivabradine. RESULTS: The mean RR interval, standard deviation of all normal to normal RR intervals (SDNN), the standard deviation of 5-min mean RR intervals (SDANN), the mean of the standard deviation of all normal-to-normal RR intervals for all 5-min segments (SDNN index), the percentage of successive normal RR intervals exceeding 50 ms (pNN50), and the square root of the mean of the squares of the differences between successive normal to normal RR intervals (RMSSD) were low at baseline before treatment with ivabradine. After 8 weeks of treatment with ivabradine, the mean HR (83.6 ± 8.0 and 64.6 ± 5.8, p < 0.0001), mean RR interval (713 ± 74 and 943 ± 101 ms, p < 0.0001), SDNN (56.2 ± 15.7 and 87.9 ± 19.4 ms, p < 0.0001), SDANN (49.5 ± 14.7 and 76.4 ± 19.5 ms, p < 0.0001), SDNN index (24.7 ± 8.8 and 38.3 ± 13.1 ms, p < 0.0001), pNN50 (2.4 ± 1.6 and 3.2 ± 2.2 %, p < 0.0001), and RMSSD (13.5 ± 4.6 and 17.8 ± 5.4 ms, p < 0.0001) substantially improved, which sustained during both when awake and while asleep. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that treatment with ivabradine improves HRV in nonischemic patients with HF.