Increased carotid atherosclerosis in andropausal middle-aged men

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the association between carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), serum sex hormone levels, and andropausal symptoms in middle-aged men. BACKGROUND: Male sex hormones may play a dual role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in men by carrying both proatherogenic and atheroprotective effects. METHODS: We studied 239 40- to 70-year-old men (mean +/- SD: 57 +/- 8 years) who participated in the Turku Aging Male Study and underwent serum lipid and sex hormone measurements. Ninety-nine men (age 58 +/- 7 years) were considered andropausal (i.e., serum testosterone <9.8 nmol/l or luteinizing hormone [LH] >6.0 U/l and testosterone in the normal range), and in both situations, they had subjective symptoms of andropause (a high symptom score in questionnaire). Three were excluded because of diabetes. The rest of the men (age 57 +/- 8 years) served as controls. Carotid IMT was determined using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound, and serum testosterone, estradiol (E2), LH, and sex hormone-binding globulin were measured using standard immunoassays. RESULTS: Andropausal men had a higher maximal IMT compared with controls in the common carotid (1.08 +/- 0.34 vs. 1.00 +/- 0.23, p < 0.05) and in the carotid bulb (1.44 +/- 0.48 vs. 1.27 +/- 0.35, p = 0.003). Common carotid IMT correlated inversely with serum testosterone (p = 0.003) and directly with LH (p = 0.006) in multivariate models adjusted for age, total cholesterol, body mass index, blood pressure, and smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Middle-aged men with symptoms of andropause, together with absolute or compensated (as reflected by high normal to elevated LH) testosterone deficiency, show increased carotid IMT. These data suggest that normal testosterone levels may offer protection against the development of atherosclerosis in middle-aged men.     

The effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy on left ventricular function, myocardial energetics, and metabolic reserve in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure

OBJECTIVES: The effects of long-term cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) on left ventricular (LV) energetics and metabolic reserve were evaluated. BACKGROUND: Cardiac resynchronization therapy is a new therapy for patients with drug-refractory severe heart failure (HF). METHODS: Ten patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy who had undergone implantation of biventricular pacemaker 8 +/- 5 months earlier were studied during two conditions: CRT switched on, and after CRT was switched off for 24 h. Left ventricular function was measured using echocardiography and oxidative metabolism using [(11)C]acetate positron emission tomography. Both measurements were performed at rest and during dobutamine-induced stress (5 microg/kg/min). Basal- and adenosine-stimulated (140 microg/kg/min) myocardial blood flow were quantitated using [(15)O]water. RESULTS: During CRT off, LV stroke volume was significantly reduced at rest (72 +/- 18 ml vs. 63 +/- 15 ml, p < 0.05), but LV oxidative metabolism (K(mono)) remained unchanged (0.046 +/- 0.008 vs. 0.054 +/- 0.016 min(-1)) leading to a significant deterioration of myocardial efficiency of forward work (from 48.2 +/- 16.7 to 36.6 +/- 11.7 mm Hg.l/g, p < 0.05). During dobutamine-induced stress, stroke volume and K(mono) values were not different whether CRT was on or off. However, myocardial efficiency (56.1 +/- 16.1 vs. 49.8 +/- 18.0 mm Hg.ml.g(-1).min(-1), p = 0.099) and metabolic reserve, the response of K(mono) to dobutamine (0.023 +/- 0.014 vs. 0.013 +/- 0.014 min(-1), p = 0.09), tended to reduce when CRT was switched off. Cardiac resynchronization therapy had no effects on myocardial perfusion. Natriuretic peptides increased significantly during CRT-off period. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term CRT has beneficial effects on LV function and myocardial efficiency at rest in patients with HF. These effects are not associated with changes in myocardial perfusion or oxygen consumption. During dobutamine-induced stress, CRT does not affect functional parameters, but myocardial efficiency and metabolic reserve may be increased.     

Acute Kidney Injury Following Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients Without Chronic Kidney Disease

BackgroundThe data on acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients without chronic kidney disease (CKD) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are limited. The study sought to compare the incidence of AKI and its impact on 5-year mortality after TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients without CKD.MethodsThis registry included data from 6463 consecutive patients who underwent TAVR or SAVR. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m². AKI was defined according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria. For sensitivity analysis, propensity-score matching between TAVR and SAVR was performed.ResultsThe study included 4555 consecutive patients (TAVR, n = 1215 and SAVR, n = 3340) without CKD. Propensity-score matching identified 542 pairs. Patients who underwent TAVR had a significantly lower incidence of AKI in comparison to those who underwent SAVR (unmatched 4.7% vs 16.4%, P < 0.001, multivariable analysis: odds ratio, 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.20-0.41; matched 5.9% vs 19.0%, P < 0.001). Patients with AKI had significantly increased 5-year mortality compared with those without AKI (unmatched 36.0% vs 19.1%, log-rank P < 0.001; matched 36.3% vs 24.0%, log-rank P < 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratios for 5-year mortality were 1.58 (95% CI, 1.20-2.08) for AKI grade 1, 3.27 (95% CI, 2.09-5.06) for grade 2, and 4.82 (95% CI, 2.93-8.04) for grade 3.ConclusionsTAVR in patients without CKD was associated with a significantly less frequent incidence of AKI compared with SAVR. AKI significantly increased the risk of 5-year mortality after either TAVR or SAVR, and increasing severity of AKI was incrementally associated with 5-year mortality.     

Fractal correlation properties of R-R interval dynamics in asymptomatic relatives of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND AND AIM: asymptomatic relatives of patients with familial dilated cardiomyopathy who have left ventricular enlargement [LVE] are at risk for progression to dilated cardiomyopathy. A novel index of the fractal correlation properties of heart rate variability (HRV), the short-term scaling component (proportional, variant(1)) in detrended fluctuation analysis, is a promising prognostic tool in left ventricular dysfunction. The aim of this study was to compare values of proportional, variant(1) and conventional HRV indices in LVE relatives with dilated cardiomyopathy patients and normal controls. METHODS: time-domain and spectral HRV measures, and the short-term scaling component ( proportional, variant(1)) were assessed from 24-h Holter recordings from 22 LVE relatives (left ventricular end-diastolic dimension >112% predicted, normal fractional shortening), 24 dilated cardiomyopathy patients and 14 controls. RESULTS: the time domain index SDNN was lower in dilated cardiomyopathy patients [101.8(+/-44.0)] than in LVE relatives [161.7(+/-53.9)] or controls [152.9(+/-51.4)], P=0.01. Similarly, triangular index and spectral measures were reduced in dilated cardiomyopathy patients but not in LVE relatives or controls. In contrast, the short term scaling component ( proportional, variant(1)) in detrended fluctuation analysis was reduced in both dilated cardiomyopathy patients [1.06(+/-0.33)] and in LVE relatives [1.15 (+/-0.20)], compared with controls [1.32(+/-0.16)], P=0.01. Among DCM patients the short-term scaling component ( proportional, variant(1)) was significantly associated with echocardiographic deterioration during follow-up (3.7+/-2.1 year) (P=0.004). CONCLUSION: the short-term scaling component ( proportional, variant(1)) is reduced in asymptomatic relatives of dilated cardiomyopathy patients who have LVE.     

Use of hospitals at age 90. A population-based study

People live longer than ever before, and the rapidly growing population of the oldest-old are increasingly frequent users of health care services. To determine the extent and causes of hospital care in the population aged 90, we examined the hospital discharge registers for the annual cohorts of Tampere residents born in 1907-1910 at age 90. The basic population consisted of 1077 people, 20.6% of who were men and 79.4% women. Close on one-fifth or 18.7% of this group died during the year under review. During this year, 43.2% of men and 50.3% of women had been admitted to hospital. Men spent significantly fewer days in hospital than women: the mean length of stay for men was 19 days, for women 46 days. Of the 90-year olds, 6.7% were permanently staying in hospitals. The most common diagnoses at discharge were cardiovascular diseases, infections, psychiatric diseases including dementia, and trauma. Of those who had been admitted to hospital once or more within the year, 31.7% died during the follow-up time, while the figure for those not admitted was only 6.2%. People aged 90 are an important group of hospital users. In the future, hospitals need to be prepared to provide adequate care for the most common diseases affecting the growing population of the oldest-old.     

Frequency of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer

PURPOSE: Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is an autosomal dominant cancer syndrome characterized by early onset of colorectal carcinomas (CRC). Recently, two HNPCC genes have been mapped and cloned, one in the short arm of chromosome 2 and another in the short arm of chromosome 3. There has been a major controversy about the frequency of HNPCC. The few estimates available have been based on series selected by age or series representing local area. The purpose of the present study was to design a nonselected, prospective, multicenter study, taking into account the family background and other risk factors of CRC. METHODS: The proportion of HNPCC of all (N=406) CRC cases was evaluated in a prospective multicenter study. Family history and other risk factors were investigated over a 12-month period for all new CRC patients in ten hospitals. These cases constituted 23 percent of all CRCs diagnosed in Finland during the study period. RESULTS: Three (0.7 percent) cases of verified and seven (1.7 percent) cases of suspected HNPCC were identified, following the evaluation of all families with features indicative of susceptibility to cancer. The proportion of identifiable risk factors of CRC was 5.8–7.5 percent (HNPCC, 0.7-2.4 percent; previous CRC, 3.4 percent; ulcerative colitis, 1.0 percent; familial adenomatous polyposis coli, 0.7 percent). CONCLUSION. This prospective multicenter study revealed that the frequency of hereditary colorectal cancer is lower than in some previous studies, when diagnosis is based on extensive pedigree analysis. This result with recent findings of common ancestral founding mutation in Finnish HNPCC families indicates that there may be geographic differences in the occurrence of HNPCC. However, this does not change the fact that identification of HNPCC—perhaps one of the most common inherited diseases identified in humans—has become a question of vital importance now when diagnosis of the syndrome and largescale screening of gene carriers using specific tests are on the horizon.Supported by grants from the Finnish Cancer Society, the Finnish Foundation for Gastroenterological Research, the Sigrid Juselius Foundation, and the Academy of Finland, Helsinki, Finland.