Effective Differences between 2D and 3D Planned Brachytherapy in Lung Cancer: An Institutional Retrospective Study.

Background and Objectives: Advanced lung cancer is usually manifested by endoluminal tumor propagation, resulting in central airway obstruction. The objective of this study is to compare the high dose rate brachytherapy treatment outcomes in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) depending on the treatment planning pattern-two-dimension (2D) or three-dimension (3D) treatment planning. Materials and Methods: The study was retrospective and two groups of patients were compared in it (a group of 101 patients who underwent 2D planned high-dose-rate endobronchial brachytherapy (HDR-EBBT) in 2017/18 and a group of 83 patients who underwent 3D planned HDR-EBBT between January 2021 and June 2023). Results: In the group of 3D planned brachytherapy patients, there was a significant improvement in terms of loss of symptoms of bronchial obstruction (p = 0.038), but no improvement in terms of ECOG PS (European Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status) of the patient (p = 0.847) and loss of lung atelectasis (if there was any at the beginning of the disease) (p = 0.781). Two-year overall survival and time-to-progression periods were similar for both groups of patients (p = 0.110 and 0.154). Fewer treatment complications were observed, and 91.4% were in 3D planned brachytherapy (BT) patients. Conclusions: Three-dimensionally planned HDR-EBBT is a suggestive, effective palliative method for the disobstruction of large airways caused by endobronchial lung tumor growth. Independent or more often combined with other types of specific oncological treatment, it certainly leads to the loss of symptoms caused by bronchial obstruction and the improvement of the quality of life of patients with advanced NSCLC. Complications of the procedure with 3D planning are less compared to 2D planned HDR-EBBT.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Risk: The Role of Dyslipidemia, Inflammation, and Obesity.

Introduction: The present study aimed to establish the role of lipid abnormalities and inflammatory markers for developing cardiovascular risk, as well as to address the importance of obesity as a common comorbidity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: The study was conducted as a prospective cohort study including 120 patients with newly diagnosed OSA between 2019 and 2020, at University Clinical Hospital Center "Bezanijska kosa", Belgrade, Serbia. The diagnosis was established by polysomnography. In all patients, sociodemographic data, respiratory, lipid, and inflammatory parameters were collected and complete echocardiographic study and 24-h blood pressure monitoring were performed. Results: The mean patient age was 55.7 ± 13.8 years. Study population was mostly male (70.0%) and obese (56.7%). At least 30 apneas or hypopneas per hour were present in 39.0% of patients. A strong positive correlation was found between OSA severity and BMI (r = 0.562, p < 0.001), both associated with lipid, inflammatory and respiratory parameters, and cardiovascular profile of patients with OSA (p < 0.05 for all). Echocardiographic study and 24-h blood pressure monitoring parameters were in turn correlated with lipid and inflammatory markers (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusion: The results of this study support the important role of dyslipidemia and inflammation, as well as coexistence of obesity in the pathogenesis of numerous conditions linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with OSA.

International consensus statement on challenges for women in cardiovascular practice and research in the COVID-19 era.

The challenges to academic and professional development and career advancement of women in cardiology (WIC), imposed by the pandemic, not only impinge the female cardiologists' "leaky pipeline" but also make the "leakiness" more obvious. This consensus document aims to highlight the pandemic challenges WIC face, raise awareness of the gender equity gap, and propose mitigating actionable solutions derived from the data and experiences of an international group of female cardiovascular clinicians and researchers. This changing landscape has led to the need for highly specialized cardiologists who may have additional training in critical care, imaging, advanced heart failure, or interventional cardiology. Although women account for most medical school graduates, the number of WIC, particularly in mentioned sub-specialties, remains low. Moreover, women have been more affected by systemic issues within these challenging work environments, limiting their professional progression, career advancement, and economic potential. Therefore, it is imperative that tangible action points be noted and undertaken to ensure the representation of women in leadership, advocacy, and decision-making, and increase diversity in academia. Strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of the pandemic need to be taken during this COVID-19 pandemic to ensure WIC have a place in the field of Cardiology.

Efficacy and Safety of Ticagrelor Monotherapy in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Meta-Analysis.

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and subsequent P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy, particularly ticagrelor, is an emerging treatment strategy in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This meta-analysis was designed to investigate whether short-term DAPT followed by ticagrelor monotherapy is associated with a favorable outcome as compared with standard DAPT (1-3 months of DAPT was termed "short-term" DAPT, 6-12 months DAPT was termed "standard" DAPT). The primary outcome was the composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) comprising myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death. Secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality and net adverse clinical events (NACE; myocardial infarction, stroke, all-cause death, stent thrombosis, and major bleeding). The primary safety outcome was major bleeding. Three studies comprising 26,143 patients were included. The risk of MACE was similar between the two treatment groups (risk ratio (RR) 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.72-1.02, P = 0.08, I2  = 22%). Short-term DAPT followed by ticagrelor monotherapy resulted in a 20% relative risk reduction of all-cause mortality (RR 0.80, 95% CI, 0.65-0.98, P = 0.03, I2  = 0%) and an 18% relative risk reduction of NACE (RR 0.82, 95% CI, 0.71-0.94, P = 0.005, I2  = 33%) as compared with standard DAPT. Short-term DAPT followed by ticagrelor monotherapy significantly decreased the risk of major bleeding (RR 0.67, 95% CI, 0.49-0.92, P = 0.01, I2  = 65%). In patients with acute coronary syndrome, short-term DAPT followed by ticagrelor monotherapy resulted in an unchanged ischemic risk but a significantly lower bleeding risk compared with standard DAPT. Short-term DAPT followed by ticagrelor monotherapy compared with standard DAPT resulted in a favorable safety and efficacy profile. Direct comparisons of aspirin vs. ticagrelor monotherapy following PCI are needed.

Working Agenda for Black Mothers: A Position Paper From the Association of Black Cardiologists on Solutions to Improving Black Maternal Health.

Following decades of decline, maternal mortality began to rise in the United States around 1990-a significant departure from the world's other affluent countries. By 2018, the same could be seen with the maternal mortality rate in the United States at 17.4 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births. When factoring in race/ethnicity, this number was more than double among non-Hispanic Black women who experienced 37.1 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births. More than half of these deaths and near deaths were from preventable causes, with cardiovascular disease being the leading one. In an effort to amplify the magnitude of this epidemic in the United States that disproportionately plagues Black women, on June 13, 2020, the Association of Black Cardiologists hosted the Black Maternal Heart Health Roundtable-a collaborative task force to tackle the maternal health crisis in the Black community. The roundtable brought together diverse stakeholders and champions of maternal health equity to discuss how innovative ideas, solutions and opportunities could be implemented, while exploring additional ways attendees could address maternal health concerns within the health care system. The discussions were intended to lead the charge in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality through advocacy, education, research, and collaborative efforts. The goal of this roundtable was to identify current barriers at the community, patient, and clinician level and expand on the efforts required to coordinate an effective approach to reducing these statistics in the highest risk populations. Collectively, preventable maternal mortality can result from or reflect violations of a variety of human rights-the right to life, the right to freedom from discrimination, and the right to the highest attainable standard of health. This is the first comprehensive statement on this important topic. This position paper will generate further research in disparities of care and promote the interest of others to pursue strategies to mitigate maternal mortality.

Why We Need Specialised Centres for Women's Hearts: Changing the Face of Cardiovascular Care for Women.

Although cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in women globally, cardiovascular care for women remains suboptimal, with poorer outcomes than for men. During the past two decades, there has been an incremental increase in research and publications on CVD in women, addressing sex-specific risk factors, symptoms, pathophysiology, treatment, prevention and identification of inequities in care. Nonetheless, once women have manifested CVD, they continue to have increasingly worse outcomes than men. An approach to addressing these global disparities has been the worldwide establishment of specialised centres providing cardiovascular care for women. These women's heart centres (WHCs) allow a comprehensive approach to the cardiovascular care of women across the lifespan. The purpose of this article is to define the need for and role of these specialised centres by outlining sex-specific gaps in CVD care, and to provide guidance on components within WHCs that may be considered when establishing such programmes.

Noninvasive assessment of myocardial bridging by coronary flow velocity reserve with transthoracic Doppler echocardiography: vasodilator vs. inotropic stimulation.

BACKGROUND: To consider hemodynamic assessment of myocardial bridging (MB) adequate, it is believed that inotropic stimulation with dobutamine should be estimated because its dynamic nature depends on the degree of extravascular coronary compression. This study evaluated comparative assessment of hemodynamic relevance of MB using coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) measurements by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) with vasodilatative and inotropic challenges. METHODS: This prospective study included forty-four patients with angiographic evidence of isolated MB of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and systolic compression of ≥50% diameter stenosis. All patients were evaluated by exercise stress-echocardiography (ExSE) test for signs of myocardial ischemia, and CFVR of the distal segment of LAD during iv.infusion of adenosine (ADO:140µg/kg/min) and iv.infusion of dobutamine (DOB:10-40µg/kg/min), separately. RESULTS: Exercise-SE was positive for myocardial ischemia in 8/44 (18%) of patients. CFVR during ADO was significantly higher than CFVR during peak DOB (2.85±0.68 vs. 2.44±0.48, p=0.002). CFVR during peak DOB was significantly lower in SE-positive group in comparison to SE-negative group (2.01±0.16 vs. 2.54±0.47, p<0.001), but not for ADO (2.47±0.51 vs. 2.89±0.70, p=0.168), respectively. Multivariable logistic analysis showed that CFVR peak DOB was the most significant predictor of functional significant MB (OR 0.011, 95%CI: 0.001-0.507, p=0.021). Receiver-operating characteristic curves have shown that TTDE-CFVR obtained by high-dose of dobutamine infusion is better than those by adenosine regarding to functional status of MB (AUC 0.861, p=0.004; AUC 0.674, p=0.179, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Non-invasive CFVR measurement by TTDE during inotropic stimulation, in comparison to vasodilation, provides more reliable functional evaluation of MB.

In-hospital outcomes and long-term mortality according to sex and management strategy in acute myocardial infarction. Insights from the French ST-elevation and non-ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction (FAST-MI) 2005 Registry.

BACKGROUND: The early mortality of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has dramatically decreased in the recent past. Whether the previously reported sex disparities in use of invasive strategies (IS) persist and translate into differences in outcomes deserves to be examined. METHODS: We used the data from a nationwide French prospective multicentre registry from 3,670 AMI patients (1155 women (31.5%), 2515 men (68.5%)) recruited in 223 centres in 2005 and followed-up for 5 years. We examined in-hospital outcomes and 5-year mortality in patients categorized according to sex and use of IS (i.e. coronary angiography during the hospitalisation with a view to revascularisation). RESULTS: IS was less frequently used in women than in men (adjusted OR=0.66; 95% CI: 0.52-0.85), regardless of the type of AMI, age group or risk category, while use of recommended medications was similar at 48 hours and discharge. In-hospital mortality did not differ according to sex, whatever the age group and use of an IS. At 5 years, overall and post-discharge mortality were similar in men and women. However, IS was associated with lower 5-year mortality in women (HR=0.66; 95% CI: 0.51-0.86) as in men (HR=0.48; 95% CI: 0.38-0.60) and there was no sex-strategy interaction. CONCLUSIONS: Invasive strategy remains less frequently used in women than in men, yet is associated with improved five-year survival irrespective of sex. Whether reducing the sex gap in its use would translate into a higher survival in women remains an open question. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT 00673036.

Risk factors clustering within the metabolic syndrome: a pattern or by chance?

INTRODUCTION: An accumulation of various cardiovascular risk factors has been noted to occur within the clinical diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. However, it remains unclear whether specific risk factors aggregate following a predefined pattern or whether this happens by chance. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 1715 adults, 37% males and 63% females, aged 34-80 years, who were consecutively recruited from cardiology and endocrinology outpatient clinics, and from internal medicine specialists in the primary healthcare physician office setting in Serbia, on a one-third basis. According to the AHA/NHLBI criteria, the actual prevalence of a combination of 3 or more of the following risk factors was determined: abnormal waist circumference, hypertension, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and abnormal fasting glucose. In addition, the prevalence of a corresponding combination of 3 factors was predicted from the prevalence of each factor in a given population, assuming that their combination occurred as the result of chance. RESULTS: The most frequent risk factor was hypertension (87%), followed by waist circumference (60%), dyslipidemia (55%), and abnormal fasting glucose level (50%). Metabolic syndrome was identified in 1135 participants (66.2%). The actual prevalence of the combination of increased waist circumference, elevated blood sugar and hypertension was found to be 5 times more frequent than would be expected to occur by chance (10% actual vs. 2% predicted; p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: A predefined aggregation pattern of risk factors within the metabolic syndrome was found for abdominal obesity, abnormal fasting glucose and hypertension. These risk factors do cluster more frequently than coincidental phenomena in the subjects of the given population, implying common underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.

Epidemiology of typical coronary heart disease versus heart disease of uncertain etiology (atypical) fatalities and their relationships with classic coronary risk factors.

OBJECTIVES: The relationships were explored of some cardiovascular risk factors to typical (TYP) and atypical (ATYP) fatal coronary events (CHD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirteen cohorts of 40-59 year-old men of the Seven Countries Study were followed-up for 40 years (N = 9704 heart disease free subjects). Fatal TYP-CHD were classified when manifested as myocardial infarction, other acute coronary syndromes, angina pectoris and sudden death; and as ATYP-CHD when manifested only as heart failure or arrhythmia in the absence of other clear etiologies. Death rates were computed for single countries separately for TYP and ATYP and for different lengths of follow-up. Cox models included: age, smoking habits, systolic blood pressure (SBP), serum cholesterol (CHOL), forced expiratory volume in ¾ sec (FEV) and diabetes. RESULTS: TYP-CHD was more common in North American and Northern European countries, while ATYP-CHD were more common in Southern and Eastern Europe. Age at death was 5 years greater for ATYP-CHD than for TYP-CHD. Cox models in the pool of 13 cohorts showed that coefficient for age was significantly larger for ATYP-CHD (hazard ratio, HR: 2.36; confidence intervals CI: 2.18 - 2.26) versus TYP-CHD (HR 1.50, CI 1.43-1.58) while coefficients for CHOL was larger and significant for TYP-CHD (HR 1.29, CI 1.22-1.35) but not for ATYP-CHD (HR 0.93, CI 0.85-1.03). SBP, smoking habits, FEV and diabetes all predicted both conditions almost equally. CONCLUSION: The different relationships of CHOL and age with the two types of fatal CHD suggest that the two groups of manifestations may belong to different diseases.

Right ventricular myxoma - a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Myxomas arising from the right ventricle are extremely rare. CASE REPORT: We presented a 71-year-old patient with worsening symptoms of the exertional dyspnea and atypical chest pains lasting 6 months. A transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiogram revealed a large, 2.6 x 2.2 cm, ovoid, well-circumscribed, echogenic mass in the right ventricle outflow tract attached by small pedicle, partly obstructing the right ventricular outflow tract and protruding through the pulmonic valve during systole. The tumor was completely removed with the stalk and 5 mm of the surrounding tissue. The histopathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of myxoma. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates the usefulness of echocardiography both in diagnosis of patients with atypical symptoms without family history and associated syndromes (like Carney's complex), and in surgical approach planning. It also stresses the importance of surgical excision of tumor as soon as possible following the diagnosis to prevent the complications such are: valvular obstruction, pulmonary embolization and syncopes.

A 30-year-single-center experience in atrial myxomas: from presentation to treatment and prognosis.

BACKGROUND: The symptoms of myxoma are atypical, vary greatly, and may mimic numerous conditions. Our aim was to investigate the correlation of localization, size, and consistency of myxoma with its treatment and prognosis. METHODS: Over a span of 30 years, 74 consecutive patients (24 men, mean age 46.7 years) were surgically treated for echocardiography-diagnosed myxomas at our center. RESULTS: Left atrial myxomas were more frequent (89.19%), with the racemous form being predominantly left-sided and having no difference in tumor size regardless of localization. Three patients were asymptomatic; and those who were symptomatic, symptoms appeared 2 to 36 months (mean 13.60 ± 7.52) before diagnosis. Nonspecific symptoms and signs were present in 91.98% of patients, whereas specific symptoms and signs were present in 74.32%. More often, patients with myxomas >5 cm in diameter were symptomatic. Embolic events occurred in 15 patients (9 cerebral, 4 pulmonary, 2 peripheral), more frequently in right atrial myxomas of >5 cm diameter. All patients were surgically treated on diagnoses, with no intraoperative mortality or recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms in our cardiac myxoma patients were more pronounced when the myxomas were left-sided, racemous, and over 5 cm in diameter. Even in asymptomatic patients, a high index of suspicion assured timely diagnosis and management.

[Atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass surgery: possibilities of prevention].

Atrial fibrillation occurs as a frequent complication after cardiac interventions. It can be found in 5% of all surgical patients, and it is far more common in cardiac (10% - 65% of patients) than in non-cardiac procedures. In a number of patients it remains asymptomatic, but may be accompanied by very severe symptoms of hypotension, heart failure, syncope, systemic or pulmonary embolism, perioperative myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular insult and increased operative mortality. Patients whose postoperative course is complicated by atrial fibrillation require longer hospitalization. Possible predisposing factors of this arrhythmia are numerous and are associated with surgery, extensive coronary heart disease and revascularization, and preoperative diseases. According to the recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology orally applied beta-blocker, amiodarone and sotalol can be used for prophylaxis of atrial fibrillation. Following the recommendations, treatment of postoperative atrial fibrillation should include beta-blockers, amiodarone, and in patients with heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction, digoxin. Due to the increased risk of stroke, an anticoagulant protection is necessary. Many studies have been conducted with results supporting the prophylactic use of amiodarone and beta-blockers, while the treatment with new agents such as magnesium, statins, omega-3 fatty acids and inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is still being investigated.

Isolated negative T waves as independent predictors of short-term and long-term coronary heart disease mortality in men free of manifest heart disease in the Seven Countries Study.

Isolated T-wave findings are generally considered of little importance in clinical electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation, although a few studies have associated them with excess mortality risk. We used Cox regression models to evaluate coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality risk for isolated inverted T waves in 8713 men in the Seven Countries Study with no manifest cardiac diseases at baseline. The study population was stratified into 3 mutually exclusive groups: (1) isolated inverted T waves in the absence of other codable ECG findings according to the Minnesota Code; (2) other ECG findings with or without negative T waves; and (3) no codable ECG findings, used as the reference group. Mortality follow-up of the entire cohort was performed at 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 years. The prevalence of isolated negative T waves at baseline was low, 1.6%, in these men from working populations. The hazard ratio (HR) for CHD mortality risk after 5 years in the isolated T-wave inversion group was more than 3 times greater than that in the reference group after adjusting for age, body mass index, cigarette smoking, systolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol and cohort (HR 3.68, 95% confidence interval [1.44-9.37]). Hazard ratio declined gradually with the length of follow-up but was still at 50% excess risk at 40-year follow-up (HR 1.51, 95% confidence interval [1.12-2.05]). T waves in the isolated T-wave inversion group were "flat" or less negative than 1mm (-100 µV) in the majority (86%) of inverted T waves. We conclude that inverted T waves with even a minor degree of negativity as an isolated ECG finding in men with no evidence of heart disease predict an excess short-term and long-term risk of CHD death.

Mitral valve endocarditis during brucellosis relapse.

INTRODUCTION: Endocarditis is the most common cardiovascular manifestation of brucellosis with high mortality rate. Brucella is less accesable to antibiotic (but not for all) and relapse can occur after a various period of clinical latency. CASE REPORT: A 55-year-old farmer was diagnozed with acute systemic Brucella infection in May 2008 and treated with antibiotic therapy in regional hospital for two months and for three months after discharge. He began to feel myalgia, arthralgia, malaise, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and lost weight eight months after initial symptoms occured. Because symptoms progressed he was admitted to our hospital in February 2009. Based on a combination of epidemiological, clinical data (on admission he was catchetic, adynamic, dyspneic, hypotensive 80/50 mmHg, fever up to 39.5 degrees C), positive serological Wright test for brucellosis (1 : 5,120), and echocardiographic examination findings, the diagnosis of very severe relapse of brucellosis with mitral valve endocarditis, complicated with perforation of anterior mitral leaflet, severe mitral regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension was established. He was treated with a combined triple antibiotic therapy (vancomycin, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin, and swiched to regimen with doxycycline, gentamicin and imipenem, replacing gentamicin by rifampicin) for 4 weeks and for the next 2 weeks was receiving trimetoprime/sulfamethoxazole and rifampicin. The patients' condition was improved and he was operated. The diagnosis of infective endocarditis was confirmed intraoperatively. Mitral valve replacement was performed, and combined triple antibiotic treatment (amikacin + ciprofloxacin + cefazolin, for 2 weeks and cephazolin + doxycycline + rifampicin, for 2 weeks) was continued, following with two antibiotics (doxycycline + rifampicin) for 5 months. The patient completely recovered without any signs of infection 30 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION: A combined antibiotic therapy and surgery reduce complications and mortality associated with Brucella endocarditis and improve quality of patients' life.

[Evaluation of neurophysiological parameters and good metabolic control in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus].

INTRODUCTION: Numerous authors have indicated the beneficial effect of glycoregulation on micro- and macro-angiopathic complications. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine whether intensive treatment with maintaining blood glucose concentrations close to normal range could improve electrophysiological parameters. METHODS: The study involved 81 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus type 1 randomly assigned to intensive insulin therapy. The patients were followed for a period of 3 months by metabolic and electrophysiological control. The metabolic control included daily measurement of concentration of blood glucose and HbA1c and lipid status, while the neurophysiological control included nerve conduction velocity (NCV) of median, peroneal, tibial and sural nerve and latency of F wave. RESULTS: In the beginning of our study blood glucose was 9.10 +/- 3.69 mmol/l and HbA1c 8.12 +/- 1.20%. After 3 months of administered intensive insulin therapy, blood glucose was 7.88 +/- 2.79 mmol/l and HbA1c 6.63 +/- 1.33. After 3 months NCV improved in the tibial, median and sural nerve (p < 0.05) and latency of F wave. CONCLUSION: We found a significant association between the metabolic control and NCV findings which suggests that good metabolic control influences the improvement of neurophysiological parameters in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.