Treatment strategies for carotid stenosis in patients at increased risk for surgery

The purpose of carotid revascularization is stroke prevention. The merits of carotid revascularization as well as the type of revascularization are dependent on the “natural risk” and the “revascularization risk.” In general, the natural risk of stroke in any patient with carotid stenosis (CS) is dependent on the symptomatic status of the patient and CS severity. Contemporary choices for carotid revascularization include carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS). Anatomical (hostile neck situations, severe bilateral CS, CEA restenosis) and clinical (severe cardiopulmonary diseases, prior cranial nerve injury) factors may increase the risk of CEA. Likewise, anatomical (complex aortic arch and brachiocephalic arterial anatomy, presence of thrombus, and heavy calcification) and clinical (need for heart surgery within 30 days) factors may increase the risk of CAS. Other factors such as the presence of symptomatic CS (transient ischemic attack or stroke within 6 months), decreased cerebral reserve, chronic kidney disease, and age older than 75 years may increase the risk of CEA and CAS. In general, symptomatic patients with severe CS exceed revascularization risk. In contrast, asymptomatic patients who are high risk for CEA should be considered for CAS because the natural risk of stroke should undergo careful assessment of baseline cognitive function, aortic arch and carotid artery anatomy, and likelihood of survival for 3 years. Patients who have normal cognitive function, favorable anatomy, and high likelihood of survival more than 3 years should be considered for CAS, whereas patients with multiple unfavorable features may be treated with optimal medical therapy, without revascularization.     

Parkinson's disease (PD) in the elderly: an example of geriatric syndrome (GS)?

PD is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder that affects as many as 1-2% of persons aged 60 years and older. In the latest decade, the approach to PD was dramatically changed. In fact, although for many years PD has been considered only “a disease that affects walking”, with a key role of the neurotransmitter dopamine, recently the neurological approach has been substantially modified. The approach for this disease is not only a neurological issue. Given the complexity of its clinical aspects, such as depression, anxiety, dementia, sleep disorder, pneumonia dysfagia-related and malnutrition, a multidisciplinary evaluation and not just a neurological evaluation is needed. We suggest a n multidisciplinary approach for this old actor, underlying a subtle link between neurophatological stages of the disease (Braak's classification) and clinical aspects (Braak's stages 1 and 2 associated with the premotor phase; Braak's stages 3-4 associated with the motor symptoms and Braak's stages 5-6 associated with cognitive impairment). In addition, we emphasize the usefulness of geriatric evaluation for the identification of frail “in situ”, frail, and disable status for improving care and treatment in this multifaceted disease.     

Cerebral microbleed detection and mapping: Principles,methodological aspects and rationale in vascular dementia

Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) have emerged as an important new imaging manifestation of sporadic cerebral small vessel diseases – mainly hypertensive arteriopathy and cerebral amyloid angiopathy – which are highly prevalent in the elderly and have a critical role in vascular cognitive impairment and dementia. With the development of MRI techniques that are exquisitely sensitive to the products of bleeding, including T2*-weighted gradient-recalled echo (T2*-GRE) and susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), CMBs have been detected in ever-increasing numbers of patients, including those with vascular cognitive impairment and dementia, as well as in population-based samples of healthy elderly people. Our increased ability to image CMBs and hence to see the development and progression of cerebral small vessel disease raises many clinical and pathophysiological questions about the mechanisms, diagnosis and monitoring of cognitive impairment. In order to tackle these questions, it is important to be able to reliably detect, define and map CMBs in the brains of elderly people. In this review, we consider radiological detection methods, criteria for defining CMBs (including a practical approach to the identification of CMB “mimics”), and the use of standardised rating scales. We also briefly discuss the potential for automatically detecting and quantitatively mapping CMBs in future.     

Cardiovascular health status in Chinese adults in urban areas: Analysis of the Chinese Health Examination Database 2010

Background

The American Heart Association (AHA) recently developed definitions of cardiovascular health for adults and children based on 7 cardiovascular disease risk factors or health behaviors. We applied this new construct to examine the cardiovascular health status in adult Chinese urban residents.

Methods

Data of 1,012,418 subjects aged 20–65 years (55% were men; mean age, 42.4 years) who received health examination at 58 health examination centers across China was analyzed. The AHA ideal health behaviors index and ideal health factor index were evaluated among the subjects.

Results

Only 0.6% of male and 2.6% of female subjects met all 7 health components, and only 39.1% of the subjects met 5 or more components of ideal cardiovascular health. The prevalence of “ideal”, “intermediate” and “poor” cardiovascular health was 1.5%, 33.9% and 64.6%, respectively.

Conclusion

About two-thirds of the adult Chinese urban population has “poor” cardiovascular health. Comprehensive individual and population-based interventions must be developed to improve cardiovascular health status in China.     

Preclinical vascular alterations in obese adolescents detected by Laser-Doppler Flowmetry technique

Background and aimsChildhood obesity promotes adverse changes in cardiovascular structure and function. This study evaluated whether alterations in skin microcirculation were already present in obese adolescents in a pre-clinical phase of cardiovascular disease.Methods and resultsAfter an overnight fasting 22 obese adolescents and 24 normal-weight controls of similar age and gender distribution underwent clinical and blood examination and assessment of microvascular function by using two non-invasive techniques such as Peripheral Artery Tonometry (PAT) and Laser-Doppler Flowmetry (LDF).As compared to normal weight subjects, obese children had higher blood pressure, were significantly more hyper-insulinemic and insulin resistant, showing significantly higher plasma total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and alanine aminotransferase (ALT).LDF showed lower pre- and post-occlusion forearm skin perfusion (perfusion units/second (PU/sec); median [IQR]) in obese than in normal weight subjects (pre-occlusion: 1633.8 [1023.5] vs. 2281.1 [1344.2]; p = 0.015. Post-occlusion: 4811.3 [4068.9] vs. 7072.8 [7298.8]; p = 0.021), while PAT revealed similar values of reactive hyperemia index (RHI).In entire population, fat mass % (FM%) was an independent determinant of both pre-and post-occlusion skin perfusion. Finally, being obese was associated with a higher risk to have a reduction of both pre- and post-occlusion skin perfusion (OR = 5,82 and 9,27, respectively).ConclusionLDF showed very early, pre-clinical, vascular involvement in obese adolescents, characterized by impaired skin microcirculation, possibly reflecting a more diffuse microvascular dysfunction to other body tissues. Whether changing life style and improving weight may reverse such pre-clinical alterations remains to be established.     

Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Disease: Tracing the Steps From Framingham

Around one-quarter of the world’s adult population are defined as “hypertensive” however a much greater proportion are at risk of blood pressure-related disease because of the nature of the association between blood pressure and cardiovascular risk. The Framingham Study, together with other landmark observational studies, has been instrumental in elucidating this relationship. As early as the 1960s, Framingham showed that the association between blood pressure and cardiovascular risk was continuous and linear and was consistent across different age groups and for a range of major cardiovascular events. As the first major observational study to include substantial numbers of women, it was also able to debunk the myth that women “could tolerate blood pressure well”. In more recent decades, Framingham has been central to the development of the notion of absolute risk and the importance of blood pressure alongside other risk factors. Much of our current understanding of the role blood pressure in cardiovascular disease can be attributed to decades of high quality research from Framingham.     

Takotsubo Syndrome (Stress Cardiomyopathy): An Intriguing Clinical Condition in Search of Its Identity

Takotsubo syndrome is a relatively frequent clinical entity presenting typically as an acute coronary syndrome in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease and characterized angiographically by transient left ventricular systolic dysfunction, sparing the basal segments of the left ventricle (“apical ballooning”). Takotsubo syndrome characteristically affects peri- or postmenopausal women, albeit recent series show that men also are at risk. Takotsubo syndrome is characteristically triggered by severe emotional or physical stress, which suggests a pathogenic role for increased sympathetic activity leading to myocardial perfusion abnormalities and ventricular dysfunction. The reasons why severe emotional and physical stress result in the development of takotsubo syndrome in certain individuals but not others is still a matter of speculation, but strongly suggests the existence of predisposing factors/mechanisms in certain subjects. The present article reviews the different factors that can play a role in the development of takotsubo syndrome in different patients. We propose that triggers (ie, emotional stressors, physical stressors, iatrogenic stressors, and neurologic triggers), pathogenic mechanisms (ie, increased catecholamine levels, coronary vasomotor abnormalities leading to myocardial ischemia), and predisposing factors (ie, cardiovascular risk factors, endothelial dysfunction, comorbidities) all interact in a complex fashion and possibly differently in different patients to cause takotsubo syndrome. Identifying these factors may help in preventing and managing the condition more effectively.     

慢性阻塞性肺疾病伴认知功能障碍患者血清lipocalin-2表达及意义

目的分析血清脂质运载蛋白-2(lipocalin-2)在慢性阻塞性肺疾病(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD)稳定期伴认知障碍患者血清中的表达变化及其意义。 方法依据蒙特利尔认知评估量表(Montreal cognitive assessment, MoCA)评分,MoCA分值<26分者为认知受损,将43例COPD稳定期的患者分为认知障碍组23例及认知正常组20例,并选取20例健康体检者做对照组;采用酶联免疫吸附实验(ELISA)分别检测患者外周静脉血清脂质运载蛋白-2(lipocalin-2)水平;分析血清脂质运载蛋白-2与认知功能的相关性,根据血清lipocalin-2水平预测认知障碍的受试者工作特征(ROC)曲线。 结果与健康对照组相比(60.37±10.77)μg/ml,COPD稳定期伴认知障碍患者血清lipocalin-2水平(82.76±12.90)μg/ml显著增加(P<0.05);与COPD稳定期认知正常组(69.70±11.51)μg/ml相比,认知功能障碍组血清lipocalin-2水平显著升高,差别有统计学意义(P<0.05)。Pearson相关分析结果显示血清lipocalin-2水平与MoCA评分呈负相关(r＝-0.749,P<0.001);血清lipocalin-2水平预测COPD稳定期患者认知功能障碍的ROC曲线下面积分别为0.804(95%CI 0.664~0.945,P<0.001)。 结论血清lipocalin-2表达水平与COPD稳定期患者认知功能障碍密切相关。血清lipocalin-2水平检测可能成为COPD患者出现认知功能障碍的一个重要诊断指标。     

Heart involvement in rheumatoid arthritis: Multimodality imaging and the emerging role of cardiac magnetic resonance

Objectives

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) exhibit a high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD in RA can present in many guises, commonly detected at a subclinical level only.

Methods

Modern imaging modalities that allow the noninvasive assessment of myocardial performance and are able to identify cardiac abnormalities in early asymptomatic stages may be useful tools in terms of screening, diagnostic evaluation, and risk stratification in RA.

Results

The currently used imaging techniques are echocardiography, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Between them, echocardiography provides information about cardiac function, valves, and perfusion; SPECT provides information about myocardial perfusion and carries a high amount of radiation; and CMR—the most promising imaging modality—evaluates myocardial function, inflammation, microvascular dysfunction, valvular disease, perfusion, and presence of scar. Depending on availability, expertise, and clinical queries, “right technique should be applied for the right patient at the right time.”

Conclusions

In this review, we present a short overview of CVD in RA focusing on the clinical implication of multimodality imaging and mainly on the evolving role of CMR in identifying high-risk patients who could benefit from prevention strategies and early specific treatment targeting the heart. Advantages and disadvantages of each imaging technique in the evaluation of RA are discussed.     

Arterial damage and cognitive decline in chronic kidney disease patients

In the general population aortic stiffening, assessed by carotid femoral pulse wave velocity (cf‐PWV), is associated with cognitive dysfunction (CO/DY). Data in chronic kidney disease (CKD) are limited. This study tests the hypothesis that large artery stiffness and microvascular damage in CKD patients are related to the damage of brain microcirculation reflected by impaired cognitive function. A cross‐sectional study enrolled 151 patients (mean age 58.4 years; 64.5% males; 44 patients with CKD stage 1; 47 with stage 2; 25 with stage 3; and 35 with stage 4). Cognitive impairment, assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Clock – drawing test (Clock‐test), and the Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL), was considered as primary outcome. We measured systolic and pulse pressures at the brachial and aortic sites and cf‐PWV. Our patients revealed a significant linear deterioration in all the domains of cognitive function according to CKD stages. High values of cf‐PWV (P = 0.029) and aortic pulse pressure (aPP) (P < 0.026) were independent determinants of cognitive decline assessed by the MMSE. The present trial supports the hypothesis of an interaction between the kidney, large artery damage, central pressure pulsatility, and the injury of brain microcirculation. In clinical practice, cf‐PWV and aPP measurements may help to predict cognitive decline. Whether the reduction in aortic stiffness following an aggressive treatment translates into improved cognitive outcomes remains to be determined.     

Impact of Lifelong Exercise “Dose” on Left Ventricular Compliance and Distensibility

Background

Sedentary aging has deleterious effects on the cardiovascular system, including decreased left ventricular compliance and distensibility (LVCD). Conversely, Masters level athletes, who train intensively throughout adulthood, retain youthful LVCD.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that preservation of LVCD may be possible with moderate lifelong exercise training.

Methods

Healthy seniors (n = 102) were recruited from predefined populations, screened for lifelong patterns of exercise training, and stratified into 4 groups: “sedentary” (<2 sessions/week); “casual” (2 to 3 sessions/week); “committed” (4 to 5 sessions/week); and “competitive” Masters level athletes (6 to 7 sessions/week). Right heart catheterization and echocardiography were performed while preload was manipulated using lower body negative pressure and rapid saline infusion to define LV pressure–volume relationships and Frank-Starling curves.

Results

Peak oxygen uptake and LV mass increased with escalating doses of lifelong exercise, with little change in systolic function. At baseline, LV distensibility was greater in committed (21%) and competitive (36%) exercisers than in sedentary subjects. Group LV stiffness constants (sedentary: 0.062 ± 0.039; casual: 0.079 ± 0.052; committed: 0.055 ± 0.033; and competitive: 0.035 ± 0.033) revealed: 1) increased stiffness in sedentary subjects compared to competitive athletes, whereas lifelong casual exercise had no effect; and 2) greater compliance in committed exercisers than in sedentary or casual exercisers.

Conclusions

Low doses of casual, lifelong exercise do not prevent the decreased compliance and distensibility observed with healthy, sedentary aging. In contrast, 4 to 5 exercise sessions/week throughout adulthood prevent most of these age-related changes. As LV stiffening has been implicated in the pathophysiology of many cardiovascular conditions affecting the elderly, this “dose” of exercise training may have important implications for prevention of cardiovascular disease.     

Clampless off-pump surgery reduces stroke in patients with left main disease

Background

Surgical revascularization is the most appropriate therapy for patients with significant left main coronary-artery disease (LMD). An incidence of perioperative stroke remains an issue when compared to the early outcomes to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study evaluates the safety and impact of standardized “clampless” OPCAB techniques, composed of either complete in situ grafting or “clampless” device enabled techniques for stroke reduction in patients undergoing surgical revascularization for LMD.

Methods

Between 1999 and 2009, 1031 patients with LMD underwent myocardial-revascularization at our institution. Of these, 507 patients underwent “clampless” OPCAB and 524 patients underwent conventional on-pump CABG (ONCABG). Data-collection was performed prospectively and a propensity-adjusted regression-analysis was applied to balance patient characteristics. LMD was defined as a stenosis > 50% and endpoints were mortality, stroke, a cardiac-composite (including death, stroke and myocardial-infarction); a non-cardiac composite and complete-revascularization.

Results

In OPCAB patients, the cardiac composite (3.0% vs. 7.8%; propensity-adjusted (PA)OR = 0.27; CI95% 0.12–0.65; p = 0.003) as well as the occurrence of stroke (0.4% vs. 2.9%; PAOR = 0.04; CI95% 0.003–0.48; p = 0.012) were significantly lower while the mortality-rate was well comparable between groups (1.8% vs. 2.5%; PAOR = 0.44; CI95% 0.11–1.71; p = 0.24). The non-cardiac composite was also significantly decreased after OPCAB (8.9% vs. 19.7%; PAOR = 0.55; CI95% 0.34–0.89; p = 0.014) and complete revascularization was achieved for similar proportions in both groups (95.1% vs. 93.7%; p = 0.35).

Conclusions

This study shows the superiority of OPCAB for patients with LMD with regards to risk-adjusted outcomes other than mortality. A “clampless OPCAB strategy”, effectively reduces stroke yielding similar early outcomes as PCI.     

Blood Pressure Variability: A Novel and Important Risk Factor

Blood pressure is a continuous, not a static, variable. Individuals exhibiting similar clinic or home blood pressure can differ considerably with respect to their average day and nighttime values, beat-by-beat blood pressure variation during wakefulness and sleep, responses to mental and physical stimuli, and intersession and seasonal variation. There now is evidence that several such representations of blood pressure variability, if augmented, increase cardiovascular risk independent of the average of conventionally acquired blood pressure readings. As well, recent retrospective analyses of published trial data have concluded that antihypertensive drug classes differ in their effects on intersession blood pressure variability and associated risk of stroke. If the goal of the hypertension community is to optimize personalized cardiovascular risk assessment and to attenuate fully such risk, future efforts should be directed at determining which representation of blood pressure variability estimates individual cardiovascular risk best, establishing “normal” and “high- risk” variability distributions, testing the hypothesis that attenuating such variability specifically through drug or device therapy reduces cardiovascular risk more than blood pressure reduction per se, and integrating such data into clinical practice.     

Benefits of obstructive sleep apnoea treatment in coronary artery disease: a long-term follow-up study.

AIM: The aim of this long-term prospective study was to evaluate the effect of treating obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) on the rate of cardiovascular events in coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively studied 54 patients (mean age 57.3 +/- 10.1 years) with both CAD (> or = 70% coronary artery stenosis) and OSA (apnoea-hypopnoea index > or = 15). In 25 patients, OSA was treated with continuous positive airway pressure (n=21) or upper airway surgery (n=4); the remaining 29 patients declined treatment for their OSA. The median follow-up was 86.5 +/- 39 months. The two groups were similar at baseline in age, body mass index, smoking history, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes mellitus, number of diseased vessels, left ventricular ejection fraction, and CAD therapy. Treatment of risk factors other than OSA was similar in the two groups. The endpoint (a composite of cardiovascular death, acute coronary syndrome, hospitalisation for heart failure, or need for coronary revascularisation) was reached in 6 (6/25, 24%) and 17 (17/29, 58%) patients with and without OSA treatment, respectively (P<0.01). OSA treatment significantly reduced the risk of occurrence of the composite endpoint (hazard ratio 0.24; 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.62; p<0.01) and of each of its components. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that the treatment of OSA in CAD patients is associated with a decrease in the occurrence of new cardiovascular events, and an increase in the time to such events.     

心血管疾病中认知衰弱的研究进展

认知衰弱是无痴呆的患者同时存在衰弱和轻度认知障碍的状态。认知衰弱直接影响心血管疾病患者的健康,增加失能、降低生活质量。现对老年心血管疾病患者认知衰弱的概念、评估、流行病学、预后、机制和干预措施进行综述。     

老年心脑血管疾病患者的认知功能随访与脑血流灌注改变

目的 本研究通过随访了解老年缺血性心脑血管疾病患者认知功能改变及其与脑血流灌注关系，同时观察心脑血管疾病患者临床事件和预后情况。方法 选取因冠心病和／或缺血性脑血管疾病住院治疗的老年人37例，进行认知功能测试，并作SPECT检查明确脑血流灌注情况，12～18个月后随访认知功能和严重心脑血管不良事件。结果 随访前后中国成人智力量表（CISA）测验中B因素、D因素、言语商、拼图、词义分辨、找错和背数成绩的降低（P〈0．05）；简易精神状态量表（MMSE）、临床记忆量表测试成绩无统计学意义；认知功能下降者的左脑血流灌注较差（P〈0．05）；各组都有心脑血管不良事件发生，冠心病合并脑血管病组死亡率升高（21．43％，P〈0．05）。结论 老年缺血性心脑血管疾病患者的认知功能随增龄呈下降趋势，有关言语和抽象思维方面的认知功能更易下降；认知功能下降者的左脑血流灌注较差。     

Risk of developing cognitive impairment on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review

Background:The increasing number of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) incidence has led to a great negative impact on older people''s lives. This chronic disease was a critical and independent risk factor for cognitive function impairment in the elderly with mild cognitive impairment as a frequent feature. This systematic review aimed to examine the risk of developing cognitive impairment in COPD.Methods:A structured search of the literature was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses statement guideline, with a pre-determined search strategy starting from study identification, title and abstract screening, eligibility assessment, and inclusion of relevant study. The search was conducted in PubMed and MEDLINE via EBSCOhost, with restriction to human studies. The studies from inception until January 12, 2021.Results:Five original articles were included. Most studies found that patients with COPD had a higher chance of developing cognitive impairment, especially when patients were followed up for more than 5 years. We discovered that the risk of cognitive impairment seemed to be correlated with the length of time spent following the participants, with the highest risk of cognitive impairment being identified in those who had the longest observation period. It is critical to conduct cognitive screening from the time a diagnosis of COPD is obtained and on a continuing basis in order to recognize and treat these individuals appropriately.Conclusion:There is a potential association between COPD and mild cognitive impairment. We encourage more studies to be done with higher sensitivity and specificity cognitive screening tools in the future to build better evidence and qualify to be analyzed quantitatively with meta-analysis.     

A rare case of lack of correlation of carotid atherosclerosis and coronary atherosclerosis

Signs of plaque inflammation in carotid arteries may serve as a window to the entire cardiovascular system, to identify “vulnerable” patients. Moreover, flow-mediated vasodilation in the brachial artery and intima media thickness (IMT) in the carotid artery could represent a surrogate diagnostic method for assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) severity. Renal function is an important predictor of the presence and severity of angiographic CAD in patients without severe renal impairment with incremental value over traditional risk factors for CAD and IMT. It has also been reported ,that renal dysfunction may exert differential effects on the development of coronary and peripheral atherosclerosis. An accumulating burden of hypertension, diabetes, and smoking is important in the progression of atherosclerosis from the coronary to the carotid circulation. We present an unusual case of lack of correlation of carotid atherosclerosis and coronary atherosclerosis.     

Distinct Associations Between Postdischarge Cognitive Change Patterns and 1-year Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure

BackgroundThe patterns of patients’ cognitive function after hospital discharge for heart failure (HF), their prognostic implication and the predictors for new-onset cognitive impairment remain unknown.Methods and ResultsWe included 2307 patients (64 ± 14 years, 36.4% female sex) hospitalized for HF from a cohort who completed cognitive testing before discharge and after 1 month. Among 1658 patients with normal cognition before discharge, 229 (13.8%) and 1429 (86.2%) had new-onset cognitive impairment and normal cognition at 1 month, respectively. Of the 649 with cognitive impairment, 315 (48.5%) and 334 (51.5%) had transient and persistent cognitive impairment, respectively. Multivariable analyses showed that, compared with normal cognition, patients with new-onset cognitive impairment had an increased risk of cardiovascular death or HF rehospitalization (hazard ratio 1.35, 95% confidence interval 1.07–1.70); patients with persistent cognitive impairment showed an increased risk, but it was not statistically significant (hazard ratio 1.17, 95% confidence interval 0.95–1.44); patients with transient cognitive impairment had a similar risk (hazard ratio 0.91, 95% confidence interval 0.73–1.13). Older age, females, lower education level, prior atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, lower health status, and lower Mini-Cog score before discharge predicted new-onset cognitive impairment.ConclusionsAcute HF substantially affects short-term cognition. Patients who have developed new-onset cognitive impairment have an increased risk of adverse outcomes. Monitoring cognition is necessary, particularly in high-risk patients.