Cardiac arrhythmias six months following traumatic spinal cord injury

ObjectiveTo investigate the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias at six months following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and to compare the prevalence of arrhythmias between participants with cervical and thoracic SCI.DesignA prospective observational study using continuous twenty-four-hour Holter monitoring.SettingInpatient rehabilitation unit of a university research hospital and patient home setting.ParticipantsFifty-five participants with acute traumatic SCI were prospectively included. For each participant, the SCI was characterized according to the International Standards for Neurological Classification of SCI by the neurological level and severity according to the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale.Outcome measuresComparisons between demographic characteristics and arrhythmogenic occurrences as early as possible after SCI (4 ± 2 days) followed by 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks and 6 month time points of Holter monitoring.ResultsBradycardia (heart rate [HR] <50 bpm) was present in 29% and 33% of the participants with cervical (C1–C8) and thoracic (T1–T12) SCI six months after SCI, respectively. The differences in episodes of bradycardia between the two groups were not significant (P < 0.54). The mean maximum HR increased significantly from 4 weeks to 6 months post-SCI (P < 0.001), however mean minimum and maximum HR were not significantly different between the groups at the six-month time point. There were no differences in many arrhythmias between recording periods or between groups at six months.ConclusionsAt the six-month timepoint following traumatic SCI, there were no significant differences in occurrences of arrhythmias between participants with cervical and thoracic SCI compared to the findings observed in the first month following SCI.     

白塞综合征20例临床特征及心血管影像学分析

回顾性分析2018年1月—2020年8月首都医科大学附属北京安贞医院风湿免疫科治疗的白塞综合征患者20例的临床及影像学检查资料.20例患者中,男4例,女16例,平均年龄41.2岁,平均病程17.0年.超声、CT及MR检查发现心血管系统受累13例,主要表现为主动脉瓣脱垂并重度关闭不全,主动脉瘤、主动脉假性动脉瘤、主动脉溃...     

颈动脉壁结构变化与心脑血管事件关系的研究

目的研究老年人颈动脉血管壁结构变化与心脑血管事件的关系。方法采用高分辨率彩色多普勒超声仪,对255例老年疗养干部颈动脉结构进行超声检测和临床观察,并将心脑血管疾病组患者的血管壁结构、血流动力学参数及临床检测结果与对照组作比较。结果心脑血管疾病组老人颈部血管硬化指标IMT、PI、R I以及脂质代谢指标TG、HDL等显著大于对照组(P<0.05),Vs、Vd显著低于对照组(P<0.05)。结论颈动脉超声检测对于评估和防治心脑血管疾病有重要临床价值。     

Association between microalbuminuria and cardiovascular risk factors in general population

Objective To investigate the association between microalbuminuria and cardiovascular risk factors in a general Chinese population. Methods A multi-stage cluster randomized sampling method was used to select 2400 residents (18-69 years old) in four counties in Shandong and Jiangsu provinces in October 2013 to March 2014. 24-hour MAU were measured for each subject. The prevalence of MAU in different groups was analyzed. The relationship between the aggregation of risk factors and MAU was analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between MAU and cardiovascular risk factors. Results A total of 2265 subjects were included in the analysis. The prevalence of MAU was 8.96%(203/2265, 95%CI: 7.82-10.21). The prevalence of MAU in obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, and low HDL-C group were 14.65%(63/430), 12.53%(104/830), 20.22%(36/178), 15.57%(64/411), 11.99%(53/442) respectively, which were significantly higher than the corresponding healthy population (all P＜0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and hypertriglyceridemia were risk factors for MAU. The OR(95%CI) values were 1.491(1.016-2.265), 1.660(1.190-2.314), 2.291(1.494-3.515) and 1.734(1.205-2.495) respectively. With the increase in the number of influencing factors, urinary albumin levels and the prevalence of MAU all showed an upward trend. Conclusion MAU was associated with cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and hypertriglyceridemia.     

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease Predicts Long-term Mortality and Cardiovascular Disease

Background/AimsWe investigated the effect of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) on future mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) using a prospective community-based cohort study.MethodsIndividuals from two community-based cohorts who were 40 to 70 years old were prospectively followed for 16 years. MAFLD was defined as a high fatty liver index (FLI ≥60) plus one of the following conditions overweight/obesity (body mass index ≥23 kg/m²), type 2 diabetes mellitus, or ≥2 metabolic risk abnormalities. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was defined as FLI ≥60 without any secondary cause of hepatic steatosis.ResultsAmong 8,919 subjects (age 52.2±8.9 years, 47.7% of males), 1,509 (16.9%) had MAFLD. During the median follow-up of 15.7 years, MAFLD independently predicted overall mortality after adjustment for confounders (hazard ratio [HR], 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05 to 1.69) but NAFLD did not (HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.94 to 1.53). MAFLD also predicted CVD after adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index (HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.62), which lost its statistical significance by further adjustments. Stratified analysis indicated that metabolic dysfunction contributed to mortality (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.21 to 1.89) and CVD (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.59). Among metabolic dysfunctions used for defining MAFLD, type 2 diabetes mellitus in MAFLD increased the risk of both mortality (HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.52 to 2.81) and CVD (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.85).ConclusionsMAFLD independently increased overall mortality. Heterogeneity in mortality and CVD risk of subjects with MAFLD may be determined by the accompanying metabolic dysfunctions.     

Borderline Hypertension

Borderline hypertension is a widespread condition and because of its large prevalence, it has a major impact on the cardiovascular mortality of the population. A modest elevation of blood pressure in borderline hypertension is closely associated with multiple rheologic, hemodynamic, humoral and metabolic abnormalities. Many of these abnormalities, independently of the blood pressure, increase the coronary risk in patients with borderline hypertension.

There is no sufficient evidence in the literature to propose a well structured algorithm of management and treatment of borderline hypertension.

Establishing a reliable baseline blood pressure (by ambulatory or home blood pressure monitoring) is the first step in the management of borderline hypertension. One year of intensive nonpharmacologic treatment is recommended as the first therapeutic modality. If this fails to decrease the blood pressure, pharmacologic treatment with small doses of antihypertensive medication is recommended in patients with dyslipidemia or in patients whose out of office blood pressure remains elevated.     

Hypertension,Coronary Artery and Cerebrovascular Diseases in the Population. Has Epidemiology Changed in the Last Decades?

Life expectancy has significantly increased in the last decades in many western populations, due to the fall of total and cardiovascular death rate. However, morbidity from cardiovascular diseases has decreased to a smaller extent. The overall population risk profile has improved, but it is still unsatisfactory. This is true for blood pressure control (with only 20% of hypertensive patients achieving normotension with antihypertensive drugs), hypercholesterolemia (with bordeline-high serum cholesterol levels in 50% of the population), and smoking habits. Other potential causes of the poor cardiovascular prevention are: 1) a limited knowledge of the optimal blood     

Folate,folic acid and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate are not the same thing

Abstract

1.?Folate, an essential micronutrient, is a critical cofactor in one-carbon metabolism. Mammals cannot synthesize folate and depend on supplementation to maintain normal levels. Low folate status may be caused by low dietary intake, poor absorption of ingested folate and alteration of folate metabolism due to genetic defects or drug interactions.

2.?Folate deficiency has been linked with an increased risk of neural tube defects, cardiovascular disease, cancer and cognitive dysfunction. Most countries have established recommended intakes of folate through folic acid supplements or fortified foods. External supplementation of folate may occur as folic acid, folinic acid or 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF).

3.?Naturally occurring 5-MTHF has important advantages over synthetic folic acid – it is well absorbed even when gastrointestinal pH is altered and its bioavailability is not affected by metabolic defects. Using 5-MTHF instead of folic acid reduces the potential for masking haematological symptoms of vitamin B₁₂ deficiency, reduces interactions with drugs that inhibit dihydrofolate reductase and overcomes metabolic defects caused by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphism. Use of 5-MTHF also prevents the potential negative effects of unconverted folic acid in the peripheral circulation.

4.?We review the evidence for the use of 5-MTHF in preventing folate deficiency.     

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) – intra- and inter-individual variability in chronic hemodialysis patients

Background. Dialysis patients are at high risk of cardiovascular complications. Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) as well as sRAGE (soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products) are new biomarkers related to cardiovascular disease. The aim of our study was to describe their intra- and inter-individual variability. Methods. The studied group consisted of 21 chronic hemodialysis patients. PAPP-A, sRAGE and selected routine parameters were measured monthly during a 1-year prospective study. Results. Our results show high intra-individual variability of both PAPP-A and sRAGE. Both PAPP-A and sRAGE were closely linked to serum transferrin levels. Additionally, sRAGE was significantly associated with leukocyte count and haemoglobin. Conclusion. Our study demonstrates high intra-individual variability of PAPP-A and sRAGE in stable clinical status. This finding could be helpful for further evaluation of the significance of PAPP-A and sRAGE in chronic kidney disease.