Heart and Vessels最新文献

MicroRNA(miR)-143 and miR-145 are mainly expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells. However, the relationship between plasma miR-143 or miR-145 levels and the left ventricular (LV) function in patients with heart diseases remains unclear. Blood samples were taken from the antecubital vein in patients with heart diseases (n = 52), such as coronary artery disease, old myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, and valvular heart disease, and controls without heart diseases (n = 22). We measured plasma miR-143 and -145 levels by quantitative RT-PCR using TaqMan MicroRNA Assays and THUNDERBIRD Probe qPCR Mix. Plasma BNP levels were also measured. Echocardiography was performed to measure the LV ejection fraction (LVEF) and LV dilation. Plasma miR-143 and miR-145 levels were significantly higher in patients with heart diseases than in controls, respectively. Plasma miR-143 and miR-145 levels were significantly higher in patients with LVEF < 50% than in those with LVEF ≧ 50%, respectively. Plasma miR-143 and miR-145 levels were inversely correlated with LVEF, respectively. Plasma miR-143 and miR-145 levels were positively correlated with LV end-systolic dimension, respectively. Plasma miR-143 and -145 levels were positively correlated with plasma BNP levels, respectively. Plasma BNP levels were inversely correlated with LVEF. Plasma miR-143 and miR-145 levels are elevated in patients with LV dysfunction and may counteract LV dysfunction.

Degradation of vascular extracellular matrix is important in atherosclerosis. Cysteine protease legumain is upregulated in atherosclerotic plaques. We recently reported that plasma legumain levels are high in patients with complex coronary lesions. This study investigated the association between legumain levels and cardiovascular events in 372 patients undergoing coronary angiography. Patients with acute coronary syndrome were excluded. Of the 372 patients, 225 had coronary artery disease (CAD). During a mean follow-up of 7.0 ± 4.3 years, cardiovascular events occured in 62 patients. Compared with 310 patients without events, 62 with events tended to have higher prevalence of complex lesions (15% vs. 10%). Notably, patients with events had higher legumain levels (median 5.51 vs. 4.90 ng/mL, P < 0.01) than those without events. A Kaplan-Meier analysis showed lower event-free survival in patients with legumain > 5.0 ng/mL than in those with ≤ 5.0 ng/mL (P < 0.01). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, legumain level was an independent predictor of cardiovascular events. The hazard ratio for legumain > 5.0 ng/mL for cardiovascular events was 2.18 (95%CI = 1.27-3.77, P < 0.01). Only among 225 patients with CAD, patients with events had higher legumain levels (5.49 vs. 4.73 ng/mL) than without events (P < 0.02). Legumain level was also a predictor of cardiovascular events in patients with CAD. Thus, high plasma legumain levels were associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events in patients undergoing coronary angiography and those with stable CAD.

In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after pulmonary vein (PV) isolation, noninvasive markers predicting PV reconnection or PV reconnection sites have not been fully elucidated. This study investigated the relationship between the P-wave terminal force in lead V1 (PTFV1) and the PV reconnection or reconnection site in patients with AF recurrence. We retrospectively studied consecutive patients who underwent second AF ablation between April 1, 2018, and June 1, 2023. PTFV1 was investigated before the first AF ablation (pre-ablation PTFV1) and before the second AF ablation (post-ablation PTFV1). In addition, we examined the ratio of the post-ablation to pre-ablation PTFV1 (PTFV1 ratio). These values were compared between patients with and without PV reconnection, with and without left PV (LPV) reconnection, and with and without right PV (RPV) reconnection. The analysis included 56 patients. PTFV1 was reduced because of the first AF ablation. In addition, the values were more decreased in patients without PV reconnection than with PV reconnection. The PTFV1 ratio was significantly smaller in the patients without LPV reconnection than with LPV reconnection; no significant difference was observed between the patients with and without RPV reconnection. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that a PTFV1 ratio > 0.69 predicted LPV reconnection with 70.0% sensitivity and 66.7% specificity. In conclusion, the PTFV1 ratio may be a noninvasive marker predicting LPV reconnection in patients with AF recurrence.

Excessive apoptosis and its insufficient clearance is characteristic of atherosclerotic plaques. Fortilin has potent antiapoptotic property and is abundantly expressed in atherosclerotic plaques. Fortilin-deficient mice had less atherosclerosis with more macrophage apoptosis. Recently, we reported that plasma fortilin levels were high in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, its prognostic value has not been elucidated. We investigated plasma fortilin levels and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in 404 patients (mean age 68 ± 12 years; 276 males) undergoing coronary angiography for suspected CAD. MACE was defined as cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, unstable angina, heart failure, stroke, or coronary revascularization. Of the 404 patients, 218 (54%) had CAD. Plasma fortilin levels were higher in patients with CAD than without CAD (median 74.9 vs. 70.9 pg/mL, p < 0.05). During a mean follow-up of 5.7 ± 4.2 years, MACE was observed in 59 (15%) patients. Notably, patients with MACE had higher fortilin levels (median 83.0 vs. 71.4 pg/mL) and more often had fortilin level > 80.0 pg/mL (54% vs. 36%) than those without MACE (p < 0.025). A Kaplan-Meier analysis showed lower event-free survival in patients with fortilin > 80.0 pg/mL than in those with ≤ 80.0 pg/mL (p < 0.001). In multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, fortilin level (> 80.0 pg/mL) was an independent predictor of MACE (hazard ratio: 2.29, 95%CI: 1.36-3.85, p < 0.002). Among the 218 patients with CAD, fortilin level was also a significant predictor of MACE (hazard ratio: 2.48; 95%CI: 1.34-4.61, p < 0.005). Thus, high plasma fortilin levels were found to be associated with cardiovascular events in patients with CAD as well as those undergoing coronary angiography.

Perme intensive care unit (ICU) mobility score is a comprehensive mobility assessment tool; however, its usefulness and validity for patients after cardiovascular surgery remain unclear. We investigated the association between the Perme Score and clinical outcomes after cardiovascular surgery. We retrospectively enrolled 249 consecutive patients admitted to the ICU after cardiac and/or major vascular surgery. The Perme Score contains categories on mental status, potential mobility barriers, muscle strength and mobility level and was assessed within 2 days after surgery. The outcomes of physical recovery were the number of days until 100-m ambulation achievement and 6-min walk distance (6MWD) at hospital discharge. The endpoint was a composite outcome of all-cause mortality and/or all-cause unplanned readmission. We analyzed the associations of the Perme Score with physical recovery and the incidence of clinical events. After adjusting for clinical confounding factors, a higher Perme Score was an independent factor of earlier achievement of 100-m ambulation (hazard ratio: 1.039, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.012-1.066) and higher 6MWD (β: 0.293, P = .001). During the median follow-up period of 1.1 years, we observed an incidence rate of 19.4/100 person-years. In the multivariate Poisson regression analysis, a higher Perme Score was significantly and independently associated with lower rates of all-cause death/readmission (incident rate ratio: 0.961, 95% CI: 0.930-0.992). The Perme Score within 2 days after cardiovascular surgery was associated with physical recovery during hospitalization and clinical events after discharge. Thus, it may be useful for predicting clinical outcomes.

Existing studies evaluating the comparison of clinical outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for severe calcified coronary lesions are limited, and the clinical outcomes of PCI for different morphologies of calcified lesions are controversial. Overall, consecutive 576 lesions with severe calcification that were treated with PCI from 2010 to 2021 at Nagoya Heart Center were investigated. All lesions were assessed using invasive coronary angiogram (CAG) or computed tomography-CAG at 12 months after DES implantation. We divided the patients into three groups based on the results of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging (concentric calcified lesion [CC] n = 273, eccentric calcified lesion [EC] n = 217, calcified nodule [CN] n = 86). The clinical and angiographic outcomes of each group were investigated retrospectively to compare the prognosis between the three groups and identify predictive factors for the device-oriented composite end points (DoCE). There were no differences in patient characteristics among the three groups, except that there were significantly more patients on dialysis in the CN group. The incidence of DoCE was significantly higher in the CN group than in the other groups (CC; 18.3% vs. EC; 23.5% vs. CN; 36.0%; Log-Rank test; p = 0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that the independent predictors of DoCE were CN, insulin use, hemodialysis, right coronary artery lesions, and calcium cracks. The incidence of DoCE was significantly higher in the CN group. Calcium cracks are crucial for improving outcomes in severely calcified lesions, being key predictors of DoCE.

There is a paucity of data on acute radial artery (RA) injuries using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients undergoing coronary intervention via distal transradial coronary access (dTRA). To evaluate the incidence of acute RA injury following dTRA for coronary intervention using OCT. We retrospectively analyzed 200 consecutive patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who underwent coronary intervention guided by OCT and RA-OCT after dTRA at our center between June 2021 and November 2022. Total length of RA was divided into three segments based on the sheath location during dTRA: no sheath protection portion (proximal RA segment) and sheath protection portion (divided into mid- and distal segments). Acute RA injuries, including tears, dissections, perforations, thrombi, and spasms, were analyzed. Radial artery occlusion (RAO) was assessed using ultrasonography 24 h after dTRA. Acute RA injury was observed in 45.5% of patients after dTRA. The incidence of tear, dissection, perforation, thrombi, and spasm in all the patients was 11.5%, 16.5%, 1.5%, 17.5%, and 17.5%, respectively. In segment-level analysis, dissection and spasm were significantly more frequent in the proximal segment, followed by the mid and distal segments (11.0% vs. 5.5% vs. 4.5%, P = 0.015; 13.0% vs. 4.0% vs. 4.5%, P = 0.002). The rate of RAO at 24-h follow-up was 3.0%. Acute RA injuries were observed in nearly half of the patients using OCT via dTRA; dissection and spasm occurred more frequently in the proximal segment. Hydrophilic-coated sheaths have the potential advantage of preventing radial artery spasm and dissection.

In drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty for femoropopliteal lesions, there are adverse effects of drug embolization on downstream non-target organs following the slow-flow phenomenon. We devised a novel method, known as VaSodilator injection via the Over-the-wire lumen during DCB dilatation to Prevent the slow-flow phenomenon in treatment of femoropopliteal lesions (V.S.O.P.), and evaluated its efficacy and safety. This single-center, retrospective, observational study analyzed 196 femoropopliteal lesions treated with IN.PACT Admiral between April 2018 and July 2023. The IN.PACT Admiral is a DCB consisting of a 0.035-inch over-the-wire (OTW) lumen balloon coated with high-dose paclitaxel. Regarding the V.S.O.P. method, we injected vasodilators through the OTW lumen during DCB dilation of the lesions. The cohort was classified into two groups according to the use of the V.S.O.P. method (V.S.O.P. group: n = 53; non-V.S.O.P. group: n = 143). The V.S.O.P. group had lower rates of hemodialysis (21% vs. 43%, p = 0.01) and higher rates of critical limb-threatening ischemia (56% vs. 23%, p < 0.01) and severe calcification lesions (Peripheral Arterial Calcium Scoring Systems score 3/4) (53% vs. 34%, p = 0.01) than the non-V.S.O.P. group. The occurrence of the slow-flow phenomenon was significantly lower in the V.S.O.P. group than in the non-V.S.O.P. group. The V.S.O.P. method could be an effective method for preventing the slow-flow phenomenon after DCB angioplasty for femoropopliteal lesions.

Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) is an effective noninvasive modality for evaluating coronary artery disease (CAD), with high accuracy. However, data on the prognostic value of DSE in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are limited. This study aims to assess the prognostic significance of DSE in patients with CKD and known or suspected CAD. We included consecutive patients with CKD stage 3 or higher and known or suspected CAD who underwent clinically indicated DSE between 2007 and 2017. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality at 5 years. Univariable and multivariable analyses were conducted to identify predictors of all-cause mortality, with a p value < 0.05 considered statistically significant. A total of 274 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 64.0 ± 13.1 years, with 54% being male and 13.1% having known CAD. Among the patients, 64.6% had advanced CKD (≥ stage 4). Abnormal DSE was observed in 62 patients (22.6%). During a follow-up period of 7.0 ± 3.5 years, 78 patients (28.5%) died. The mortality rate was significantly higher in patients with abnormal DSE compared to those with normal DSE (48.4% vs. 22.6%, p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis identified age (hazard ratio [HR] 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.008-1.05, p = 0.005), New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class (HR 1.60, 95% CI 1.05-2.43, p = 0.03), and chronotropic index < 0.73 (HR 2.61, 95% CI 1.60-4.25, p < 0.001) as independent predictors of mortality. Conversely, a normal DSE result was found to be a protective factor (HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.30-0.81, p = 0.005). In conclusion, DSE demonstrated significant prognostic value in patients with CKD and known or suspected CAD. Age, NYHA functional class, and a chronotropic index < 0.73 were identified as independent predictors of all-cause mortality.