The Effect of 4-Month Treatment with Glycocalyx Dietary Supplement on Endothelial Glycocalyx Integrity and Vascular Function in Patients with Psoriasis.

Psoriasis predisposes to cardiovascular dysfunction. We investigated whether glycocalyx dietary supplement (GDS), which contains glycosaminoglycans and fucoidan, improves endothelial glycocalyx and arterial stiffness in psoriatic patients. Fifty participants with psoriasis under biological agents were randomly assigned to GDS (n = 25) or placebo (n = 25) for 4 months. We measured at baseline and at follow-up: (a) perfused boundary region (PBR) of the sublingual microvessels (range 4 to 25 µm), a marker of endothelium glycocalyx integrity; (b) carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV-Complior SP-ALAM) and augmentation index (AIx), markers of arterial stiffness and (c) psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score. Both groups displayed a similar decrease in PASI at four months (p < 0.05), and no significant differences were found between groups (p > 0.05). Compared to the placebo, participants in the GDS showed a greater percentage reduction in PBR4-25 µm (-9.95% vs. -0.87%), PBR 4-9 µm (-6.50% vs. -0.82%), PBR10-19 µm (-5.12% vs. -1.60%), PBR 20-25 µm (-14.9% vs. -0.31%), PWV (-15.27% vs. -4.04%) and AIx (-35.57% vs. -21.85%) (p < 0.05). In the GDS group, the percentage reduction in PBR 4-25 µm was associated with the corresponding decrease in PWV (r = 0.411, p = 0.015) and AΙx (r = 0.481, p = 0.010) at follow-up. Four-month treatment with GDS improves glycocalyx integrity and arterial stiffness in patients with psoriasis. Clinical trial Identifier: NCT05184699.

Association of aortic stiffness early post myocardial infarction with left ventricular remodelling.

BACKGROUND: Adverse left ventricular (LV) remodelling after myocardial infarction is associated with heart failure. We investigated whether aortic stiffness during acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction is associated with LV remodelling at long-term follow-up. METHODS: In 109 patients within 48 h of myocardial infarction post-primary percutaneous coronary intervention and after 2 years, we measured: (a) carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), (b) LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) and left atrial strain using speckle-tracking echocardiography, (c) PWV/GLS ratio as a surrogate marker of ventricular-arterial interaction, and (d) LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes. A > 15% decrease from the baseline in LV end-systolic volume at 2-year follow-up was considered as a criterion of reverse LV remodelling. RESULTS: Compared with baseline, all patients had reduced PWV, LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes while PWV/GLS, GLS and reservoir left atrial strain were improved (p < .05) after 2 years. Baseline values of PWV, GLS, PWV/GLS ratio and reservoir left atrial strain were associated with percentage change of LV end-systolic volume at 2 years (p < .05). Multivariable analysis revealed that lower baseline values of PWV and a less impaired GLS and PWV/GLS were independently associated with reverse LV remodelling at 2 years with a C-statistic of .748, .711 and .787, respectively. CONCLUSION: Aortic stiffness early post-infarction determines LV remodelling after 2 years of the ischemic event despite post successful revascularization. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov. Unique identifier: NCT03984123, 30/04/2020.