ARYA Atherosclerosis最新文献

Background: A structural heart disease or functional electrical abnormalities can cause an electrical storm.

Case presentation: We present a young boy with an electrical storm who had no cardiac risk factors and a positive family history of sudden cardiac death. The stepwise diagnostic approach was ineffective in determining previously known causes as the origin of the electrical storm. However, whole-exome sequencing (with Next Generation Illumina Sequencing) revealed a mutation in the GJB2 (NM_004004:exon2:c.G71A:p.W24X) gene.

Conclusion: A mutation in the GJB2 gene, which forms the connexin 26 protein, a crucial component of the myocytes' intercalated disc of gap junction complex between the myocytes, results in an abnormal electrical cell-by-cell conductance, and, eventually, ventricular storm. General anesthesia was used to control the storm, and intracardiac pacing was fruitful in ceasing the subsequent VT storms.

Background: The present study was conducted to investigate the scientific contributions of Iranians in the field of cardiovascular research, as indexed in the Scopus database, using bibliometric and altmetric methods.

Methods: This applied study was conducted with a scientometric approach, utilizing bibliometric and altmetric indicators. The research population consisted of the scientific works of Iranian researchers in the field of cardiovascular diseases, indexed in the Scopus database over a period of 47 years. For bibliometric analysis and the generation of co-citation, co-occurrence, and co-authorship maps, the authors employed VOS Viewer software and the bibliometrix package in the R programming language. In the final stage, articles mentioned on social media were analyzed and evaluated using an altmetric approach.

Results: The results indicated that the commencement point for the publication of documents was 1975, and there has been a steep increase in recent years. Moreover, the documents were primarily research articles out of 6853 retrieved documents, and a limited number of documents were single-authored. Other findings also revealed the co-authorship map of authors and the co-occurrence of words, highly cited authors and institutions, and highly frequent keywords, signifying the scientific collaboration of Iranian researchers with the United States and England. Altmetric analysis also demonstrated that 43.41% of documents were shared at least once on social media and had an Altmetric Attention score. Furthermore, the analysis of altmetric indices showed that Mendeley, Twitter, and News had the highest share of document mentions on social media, respectively.

Conclusion: The findings of the study can offer valuable information to researchers, managers, and policy makers to become aware of the current state of research in the field of cardiovascular diseases and implement the necessary policies to inform society and enhance public health status.

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the gold standard approach to ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Fibrinolysis followed by PCI has been recommended. The current study aims to investigate the no-reflow phenomenon incidence in patients undergoing post-thrombolytic therapy PCI.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 patients with STEMI who primarily received fibrinolytic therapy followed by early (3-24 hours) (n=231) or delayed (> 24 hours) (n=19) PCI. They were also subcategorized into four intervals: <6 hours (n=98), 6-12 hours (n=93), 12-24 hours (n=38), and ≥24 hours (n=21). The demographic and medical data of the patients were retrieved. The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction score (TIMI) was assessed at baseline and at the end of PCI. A TIMI score other than 3 was defined as no-reflow.

Results: The incidence of the no-reflow phenomenon was not associated with any of the underlying demographic and medical characteristics of the patients (P-value>0.05). Despite the significantly higher rate of improvement in TIMI grading among those undergoing early PCI (P-value=0.04), as well as within less than 6 hours after thrombolytic therapy (P-value=0.031), the rate of the no-reflow phenomenon did not differ between the groups, neither by sorting them as early versus delayed (P-value=0.518) nor by categorizing them into four intervals (P-value=0.367).

Conclusion: Based on the findings of the current study, early PCI after fibrinolysis led to significantly improved TIMI flow. However, the incidence of no-reflow did not differ between the groups with early versus delayed post-fibrinolysis PCI.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is considered the leading cause of cardiac-related morbidity and mortality during pregnancy. Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) presents diagnostic challenges, often mirroring dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The aim of the study is to evaluate echocardiographic features, including global and segmental longitudinal strain values, in pregnant women with a history of newly diagnosed left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Methods: This cross-sectional study, conducted in two referral cardio-obstetric clinics in Isfahan, Iran, enrolled pregnant women with newly diagnosed LV systolic dysfunction in the third trimester of pregnancy. A multidisciplinary pregnancy heart team assessed the patients. Reevaluation of patients and advanced echocardiographic investigation, including speckle tracking echocardiography (STE), were performed at least six months after delivery.

Results: The study included 26 pregnant women. Baseline characteristics revealed varying NYHA functional classes and etiologies, including DCM or non-dilated LV cardiomyopathy and PPCM. Undiagnosed DCM with exacerbation during pregnancy or non-dilated LV cardiomyopathy were the most probable causes for LV systolic dysfunction (65.4%). In five cases, peripartum cardiomyopathy was more relevant. The mean global longitudinal strain (GLS) was -16.94% and -13.95% in PPCM and DCM, respectively. Significantly different regional longitudinal strain numbers among different LV segments in PPCM were observed (P=.042), whereas the segmental strain in DCM patients did not differ.

Conclusion: When LVSD is discovered late in pregnancy, it is not easy for the authors to differentiate between peripartum cardiomyopathy and other cardiomyopathies. Advanced echocardiographic techniques, particularly GLS analysis, may be valuable in differentiating between these conditions.

Background: Balloon Pulmonary Valvuloplasty (BPV) is a procedure for Pulmonary Stenosis (PS) treatment. In this study, right ventricle (RV) performance was determined through 2D-Speckle Tracking Echocardiography (2D-STE).

Methods: The study involved 25 diagnosed children with PS undergoing BPV and 25 normal children. They were examined using 2D-STE and Linear Mixed Model (LMM) approach was used to determine changes in Pulmonary Valve Peak Gradient (PVPG), Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion (TAPSE), strain and Strain Rate (SR) for RV, and Ejection Fraction for Left Ventricle (LVEF).

Results: Notable differences were found between two groups in TAPSE (P=0.001), global strain (P=0.001), apical septal strain (P=0.024), middle septal strain (P=0.001), basal septal strain (P=0.001), apical lateral SR (P=0.001), middle lateral SR (P=0.007), basal lateral SR (P=0.001), and apical septal SR (P=0.001). Post-BPV, there was an increase in LVEF (P=0.001) and TAPSE (P=0.001) but PVPG decreased (P=0.001). Following BPV, an increase was observed in apical lateral strain (P=0.004), middle septal strain (P=0.001), apical septal strain (P=0.003), middle septal strain (P=0.001), basal septal strain (P=0.048), apical septal SR (P=0.025), and middle septal SR (P=0.023). Gender was remarkably correlated with mean changes in basal lateral strain (P=0.019), middle septal strain (P=0.037), and middle septal SR (P=0.020). Age of PS children was related to mean change in basal septal strain (P=0.031) and basal septal SR (P=0.018).

Conclusion: Strain and SR in RV improved post-BPV in children with PS. The gender and age of the children revealed remarkable effects on RV strain and SR changes after BPV.

Background: Myocardial Infarction (MI) refers to the destruction and death of cells in the myocardium of the heart. Its prevalence increases with age due to changes in the cardiovascular system. The aim of the present study was to combine, summarize, standardize, resolve inconsistencies in the results of studies, and investigate the impact of potential factors on the prevalence rate of MI in the elderly through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted from 1987 to March 2022. All relevant published studies were searched in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science (WoS) databases, and Google Scholar search engine using related MeSH/Emtree and Free Text words. The heterogeneity among studies was quantified using the I² index.

Results: In the initial search, 35453 studies were identified. After eliminating irrelevant studies, finally, 29 articles with a sample size of 3279136 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. After combining the results of the studies included in the meta-analysis, the total prevalence of MI in the elderly was estimated to be 17.6% (95% CI: 12.8 - 23.7%), 16.1% (95% CI: 11.0 - 22.8%) in males, and 12.5% (95% CI: 9.2 - 16.8%) in females. The prevalence of MI increased with the year of publication and the mean age of the elderly (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: The results showed that due to the high prevalence of myocardial infarction (MI) in the elderly, it should be addressed within healthcare systems and policy makers should pay more attention to prevention of MI. However, considering the inclusion of heterogeneous studies, the pooled estimation should be interpreted with caution.

Background: The present study evaluated the effects of aerobic training with variable intensities on apoptotic indices of cardiac tissue in fatty diabetic rats.

Methods: Twenty-four male Wistar rats were randomly divided into non-diabetic (ND, n=8), trained diabetic (TD, n=8), and control diabetic (CD, n=8) groups. Following a high-fat dietary regimen, type 2 diabetes was induced by streptozotocin, with blood glucose levels above 300 mg/dL considered indicative of diabetes. The TD group underwent aerobic exercise five times a week for six weeks. Subsequently, measurements were taken for left ventricular end-diastolic (LVEDV) and end-systolic volumes (LVESV), ejection fraction (EF%), catalase, caspase-9, P53, glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR.

Results: Aerobic training led to a significant decrease in blood glucose levels (P < 0.01), caspase-9 (P < 0.05), HOMA-IR (P < 0.05), and P53 expression (P < 0.001) compared with the CD group. LVEDV and LVESV decreased significantly (P < 0.05 for both), while LVEF increased significantly (P < 0.05). Catalase activation showed an insignificant increase in the TD group pre- to post-training compared to CD.

Conclusion: Incremental aerobic exercise training (6 weeks) may exert a cardioprotective effect in diabetic rats by reducing apoptosis and oxidative stress indices, while simultaneously increasing aerobic fitness and reducing body weight.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) augments the risk of stroke by 4-5 times. Vitamin D is pivotal in numerous metabolic pathways. A handful of studies have explored the correlation between vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and AF outcomes. Hence, the authors sought to assess the relationship between VDD and AF outcomes.

Methods: From December 2021 to February 2023, 190 patients with AF were incorporated into the authors' study. Given the seasonal fluctuation of vitamin D levels, these levels were examined from the start of December until the end of March.

Results: The final analysis comprised 190 patients (55.8% male) with an average age of 46.22±15.03. Vitamin D deficiency, insufficiency, and sufficiency were noted in 77 (40.5%), 46 (24.2%), and 67 (35.3%) patients, respectively. Fatigue and syncope were significantly more prevalent in the VDD group than in other groups. Three-vessel disease was more frequent in the VDD group (p-value=0.04). Mortality was more prevalent in patients with VDD (6.31%) compared to the VDI (2.10%) and VDS (0.05%) groups (p = 0.03). Successful cardioversion was significantly more prevalent in the VDS group (p = 0.03).

Conclusion: A sufficient level of vitamin D was linked with a better response to cardioversion. However, low vitamin D levels are correlated with higher mortality in AF patients.

Background: The National Persian Registry of Cardiovascular Disease (N-PROVE) has been established to provide a comprehensive database of cardiovascular diseases in the Iranian community for further investigations and to develop national guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). As with most clinical registries, a quality control audit is necessary to ensure a comprehensive and accurate registry; the current study aims to assess the validity and quality of the N-PROVE/Angiography/Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) registry.

Methods: The current cross-sectional quality assessment study serves as an example of data quality assessment in N-PROVE on a sample of patients registered in the N-PROVE/Angiography/PCI registry since 2020. Accordingly, data of 194 patients, including comorbidities, angiography, and angioplasty characteristics, were collected from the N-PROVE/Angiography/PCI registry as the main database and reevaluated by a panel consisting of a cardiologist and two coronary intervention fellowships as a test database.

Results: The quality control of the population-based healthcare database, the N-PROVE/PCI, revealed that the average error rate in terms of comorbidities, angiography characteristics, angioplasty characteristics, and in total were 3.8%, 2.3%, 3%, and 3.03%, respectively.

Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, the N-PROVE/PCI registry had an average error of less than 4% in the assessed dimensions, including comorbidities, angiography, and angioplasty characteristics. Therefore, this registry appears valid and may be used for contemporary epidemiological studies.

Background: The current systematic review and pooled analysis were conducted to answer several questions using findings from case reports and case series as follows: (1) Demographic characteristics; (2) clinical findings; (3) management approach; and (4) prognosis of individuals diagnosed with intramyocardial dissecting hematoma.

Methods: Electronic databases, including PubMed (Medline), Scopus, and Web of Science, were systematically searched from the earliest available date up to February 2023 using selected keywords. All analyses were performed using SPSS software version 27 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA), and a P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: A total of 77 patients diagnosed with Intramyocardial dissecting hematoma (IDH) comprised the study population, with a mean (standard deviation) age of 58.72 (13.99) years, of which 22.1% were women. Patients of higher age experienced a higher risk for mortality compared to younger subjects (OR=1.05, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.10; P=0.014). In addition, the implementation of angiography (OR=0.25, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.71; P=0.010) and cardiac magnetic resonance (OR=0.19, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.60; P=0.004) in the context of diagnosis reduced the risk of death compared to those who did not receive these interventions. Similarly, the diagnosis of pericardial effusion significantly increased the risk of mortality compared to those without pericardial effusion (OR=3.92, 95% CI: 1.27, 12.07; P=0.017).

Conclusion: The authors found that older patients experience a poor prognosis compared to younger ones. In addition, the utilization of angiography and cardiac magnetic resonance improves the prognosis of individuals. Likewise, the diagnosis of pericardial effusion in patients with IDH increases the odds of mortality.