Natriuretic peptides

Effects of angiotensin receptor/neprilysin inhibitors (ARNI) on ventricular remodeling in patients with heart failure, especially heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), are better than those of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI). Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by mitral regurgitation exacerbates ventricular remodeling and increases the risk of heart failure. There is limited evidence on the effects of early administration of ARNI in patients with AMI complicated by mitral regurgitation...

Calorie restriction is a nutritional intervention that reproducibly protects against the maladaptive consequences of cardiovascular diseases. Pathological cardiac hypertrophy leads to cellular growth, dysfunction (with mitochondrial dysregulation), and oxidative stress. The mechanisms behind the cardiovascular protective effects of calorie restriction are still under investigation. In this study, we show that this dietetic intervention prevents cardiac protein elevation, avoids fetal gene reprogramming (atrial natriuretic peptide), and blocks the increase in heart weight per tibia length index (HW/TL) seen in isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy...

AIMS: This study aimed to examine the diagnostic pathways and outcomes of patients with heart failure (HF), stratified by left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), and to highlight deficiencies in real-world HF diagnosis and management. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in Salford, United Kingdom, utilizing linked primary and secondary care data for HF patients diagnosed between January 2010 and November 2019. We evaluated characteristics, diagnostic patterns, healthcare resource utilization, and outcomes...

BACKGROUND: Modifiable cardiovascular risk factors are high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and hypercholesterolemia. AIM: To investigate the impact of sodium-glucose 2 co-transporter inhibitors (SGLT-2i) on modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in Romanian patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHOD: A retrospective study was conducted on 200 Romanian patients with T2DM who were being treated with SGLT-2i, either Dapagliflozin or Empagliflozin...

The myocardium is a highly oxidative tissue in which mitochondria are essential to supply the energy required to maintain pump function. When pathological hypertrophy develops, energy consumption augments and jeopardizes mitochondrial capacity. We explored the cardiac consequences of chronic swimming training, focusing on the mitochondrial network, in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Male adult SHR were randomized to sedentary or trained (T: 8-week swimming protocol). Blood pressure and echocardiograms were recorded, and hearts were removed at the end of the training period to perform molecular, imaging, or isolated mitochondria studies...

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of 130 children with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in Yunnan province after the relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions, and analyze the risk factors for mortality. Methods: This study is a retrospective case summary that analyzed the demographic data, underlying diseases, clinical diagnoses, disease outcomes, and laboratory results of 130 children with severe COVID-19 infections admitted to nine top-tier hospitals in Yunnan Province from December 2022 to March 2023...

INTRODUCTION: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease and powerful predictor for new-onset heart failure (HF). AREAS COVERED: We focus on the relevant literature covering evidence of risk stratification based on imaging predictors and circulating biomarkers to optimize approaches to preventing HF in DM patients. EXPERT OPINION: Multiple diagnostic algorithms based on echocardiographic parameters of cardiac remodeling including global longitudinal strain/strain rate are likely to be promising approach to justify individuals at higher risk of incident HF...

BACKGROUND: Atrial Fibrillation (AF), a prevalent arrhythmic condition, is intricately associated with atrial fibrosis, a major pathological contributor. Central to the development of atrial fibrosis is myocardial inflammation. This study focuses on Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) and its role in mitigating atrial fibrosis, aiming to elucidate the specific mechanisms by which ANP exerts its effects, with an emphasis on fibroblast dynamics. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study involved forty Sprague-Dawley rats, divided into four groups: control, Angiotensin II (Ang II), Ang II + ANP, and ANP only...

This study systematically evaluated the efficacy and safety of different Chinese patent medicines combined with conventional western medicine in the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction(HFpEF) and ranked for the drug selection. Randomized controlled trial(RCT) on Chinese patent medicines in treatment of HFpEF were obtained from the CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, Web of Science, and other databases from the inception to October 9, 2022. The included RCT was quantitatively analyzed using gemtc and rjags packages of R software for the network Meta-analysis...

This study aims to explore the mechanism of Linggui Zhugan Decoction(LGZGD) in inhibiting Angiotensin Ⅱ(AngⅡ)-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy by regulating sigma-1 receptor(Sig1R). The model of H9c2 cardiomyocyte hypertrophy induced by AngⅡ in vitro was established by preparing LGZGD-containing serum and blank serum. H9c2 cells were divided into normal group, AngⅡ model group, 20% normal rat serum group(20% NSC), and 20% LGZGD-containing serum group. After the cells were incubated with AngⅡ(1 μmol·L~(-1)) or AngⅡ with serum for 72 h, the surface area of cardiomyocytes was detected by phalloidine staining, and the activities of Na~+-K~+-ATPase and Ca~(2+)-Mg~(2+)-ATPase were detected by micromethod...

Travel to space has overcome unprecedent technological challenges and this has resulted in transfer of these technological results on Earth to better our lives. Health technology, medical devices, and research advancements in human biology are the first beneficiaries of this transfer. The real breakthrough came with the International Space Station, which endorsed multidisciplinary international scientific collaborations and boosted the research on pathophysiological adaptation of astronauts to life on space...

BACKGROUND: Spinal anesthesia is used for femoral trochanteric fracture surgery, but frequently induces hypotension and the causative factors remain unclear. We examined background factors for the use of an intraoperative vasopressor in elderly patients receiving spinal anesthesia for femoral trochanteric fracture surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 203 patients >75 years (mean age, 87.9 years) with femoral trochanteric fractures who underwent short nail fixation under orthopedically managed spinal anesthesia at our hospital between April 2020 and July 2023...

OBJECTIVE: Vericiguat is a new medication to demonstrate clinical efficacy in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) after worsening heart failure (WHF) events, but its cost-utility was unknown. We aimed to assess the cost-utility of combining the application of vericiguat with standard treatment in HFrEF patients who had WHF events. METHODS: A multistate Markov model was implemented to mimic the economic results of HFrEF patients who had WHF events in China after receiving vericiguat or placebo...

BACKGROUND: Connective tissue disease (CTD) is the second most common cause of the pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Currently, clinical data concerning CTD-PAH is scarce. Our study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of macitentan in the treatment of CTD-PAH. METHODS: In this retrospective study, patients diagnosed with CTD-PAH at The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from April 2020 to November 2021 were included. Of the patients, 9 were switched to macitentan monotherapy whereas 23 received initial combination therapy...

INTRODUCTION: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), characterized by thromboembolic changes affecting the pulmonary bed, leads to ventricular function deterioration and premature death. The introduction of balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) has significantly improved the prognosis of CTEPH patients. AIM: The authors of this article decided to summarize the experience of the BPA program, conducted between 2014 and 2022, at the reference center. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Among 111 CTEPH patients, 55 were included in the analysis...

AIMS: LCZ696 (sacubitril/valsartan) exerts cardioprotective effects. Recent studies have suggested that it improves the endothelial function; however, the underlying mechanisms have not been thoroughly investigated. We investigated whether LCZ696 ameliorates diabetes-induced endothelial dysfunction. METHODS: Diabetes was induced using streptozotocin in 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice. Diabetic mice were randomly assigned to receive LCZ696 (100 mg/kg/day), valsartan (50 mg/kg/day), or a vehicle for three weeks...

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic atypical (non-cavotricupid isthmus [CTI]-dependent) atrial flutter (IAAFL) may be seen in patients without structural heart disease and without previous cardiac surgery or ablation. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine the patient characteristics, electrophysiological and electroanatomic properties, and clinical outcomes after ablation in patients with IAAFL. METHODS: We retrospectively compared IAAFL patients to CTI-dependent AFL (C-AFL) patients undergoing catheter ablation...

BACKGROUND: Prognosis of individuals with and without an established heart failure (HF) diagnosis and similarly elevated N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels is not well known. METHODS: CANVAS (Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study) trial participants were stratified according to baseline NT-proBNP quartiles and history of HF at baseline. Adjusted event rates per 1000 patient-years follow-up for hospitalizations for HF (HHF), cardiovascular mortality, and kidney events were assessed, and hazard ratios (HR) were calculated using Cox proportional hazard models...

BACKGROUND: Exercise intolerance is a common symptom associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, echocardiographic markers that can predict impaired exercise capacity are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between echocardiographic parameters and exercise capacity assessed via cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in patients with AF. METHODS: This single-center prospective study enrolled patients with AF who underwent echocardiography and CPET to evaluate exercise capacity at a tertiary center for AF management from 2020 to 2022...

Background : Lifestyles influence atrial fibrillation (AF) risk. Determining the effect of lifestyle interventions on blood concentrations of biomarkers of AF-related pathways could help understand AF pathophysiology and contribute to AF prevention. Methods : We studied 532 participants enrolled in the PREDIMED-Plus trial, a Spanish randomized trial conducted in adults (55-75 years) with metabolic syndrome and body mass index between 27-40 kg/m2 . Eligible participants were randomized 1:1 to an intensive lifestyle intervention, emphasizing physical activity, weight loss, and adherence to an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet or to a control group...