Short-term prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndromes through the evaluation of physical activity status, the adoption of Mediterranean diet and smoking habits: the Greek Acute Coronary Syndromes (GREECS) study.

PURPOSE: Our aim was to evaluate whether healthy dietary habits, physical activity and non-smoking are associated with less severe acute coronary syndromes and better short-term prognosis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: From October 2003 to September 2004, 2172 patients (1649 males), hospitalized for severe acute coronary syndromes in six major hospitals in Greece were included in the study. The severity of severe acute coronary syndromes was assessed through troponin-I and maximum creatinine kinase MB levels, while 30-day recurrent event rate (death or rehospitalization for cardiovascular disease, angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery) was used to evaluate the prognosis of the patients. A 'healthy index' that assessed adherence to the Mediterranean diet, moderate alcohol intake, physical activity and abstinence from smoking was developed (range 0-4). RESULTS: One unit increment in the healthy index was associated with -12.4+/-2.4 ng/ml decrease in troponin I levels (P=0.001) and -9.7+/-2.5 ng/ml decrease in maximum creatinine kinase MB levels (P=0.001). The in-hospital mortality rate was 3.2% in males and 5.7% in females (i.e. overall 82 deaths, P=0.009); during the first 30 days following hospitalization the event rate was 15.7% in males and 16.3% in females (P=0.001). Values of the healthy index above one (i.e. presence of two or more protective factors) seemed to be associated with 44-84% lower risk of having recurrent events (P<0.001), even after various adjustments were made. CONCLUSION: Among patients who had had severe acute coronary syndromes, a healthy lifestyle seemed to be associated with less severe cardiac events and lower risk of death or rehospitalization 30 days after the event.     

α<Subscript>2β</Subscript> adrenoreceptor 301–303 deletion polymorphism in polycystic ovary syndrome

α_2β adrenoreceptor 301–303 deletion polymorphism does not influence basal metabolic rate, insulin resistance or weight gain in Greek women with polycystic ovary syndrome.     

Association between TNF-alpha -308G>A polymorphism and the development of acute coronary syndromes in Greek subjects: the CARDIO2000-GENE Study.

PURPOSE: We investigated the association of a polymorphism within the promoter of TauNuF-alpha locus at the position -308 on the likelihood of having acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in Greek adults. METHODS: We studied demographic, lifestyle, and clinical information in 237 hospitalized patients (185 males) with a first event of an ACS and 237 matched by age and sex (controls) without any clinical evidence of coronary heart disease. Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP analysis. RESULTS: The genotype frequencies were in patients, 87% (n = 206), 12% (n = 29), and 1% (n = 2) for G/G, G/A, and A/A, and in controls, 96% (n = 227), 4% (n = 10), and 0% (n = 0) for G/G, G/A, and A/A, respectively (P = 0.04). After adjusting for age and sex, as well as various potential confounders, we observed that G/A or A/A genotypes were associated with 1.94-fold higher odds (95% CI 1.06 to 3.68) of ACS compared to G/G homozygotes. No gene to-gender or to-clinical syndrome interactions were observed. Further subgroup analysis showed that the distribution of TNF-alpha -308G>A polymorphism was associated with the presence of family history of CHD in patients, but not in controls. In particular, in G/A and A/A patients 17.2% reported family history of CHD, whereas in G/G patients, 34.5% reported family history (P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may state a hypothesis of an association between the -308G>A TNF-alpha polymorphism the development of ACS and the presence of family history of CHD, in Greece.     

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy caused by deletions in plakophilin-2 and plakoglobin (Naxos disease) in families from Greece and Cyprus: genotype-phenotype relations, diagnostic features and prognosis.

AIMS: To evaluate clinical disease expression, non-invasive diagnosis, and prognosis in families with dominant vs. recessive arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) due to mutations in related desmosomal proteins plakophilin-2 (PKP2) and plakoglobin (JUP), respectively. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-seven individuals belonging to ARVC families, four with dominant PKP2 mutations and 12 with recessive JUP mutation underwent serial non-invasive cardiac assessment. Survival and arrhythmic events were evaluated prospectively up to 21 years (median 8.5 years). Sixteen of 22 PKP2 carriers and all 26 homozygous JUP carriers fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for ARVC, the youngest by the age of 13 years. Clinical disease expression did not differ significantly between PKP2 and JUP carriers. T-wave inversion in leads V1-V3, right ventricular wall motion abnormalities, and frequent ventricular extrasystoles were the most sensitive/specific markers for identification of mutation carriers. QRS dispersion > or =40 ms was an independent predictor of syncope but not of sudden death. CONCLUSION: Mutations in PKP2 and JUP express similar cardiac phenotype. Non-invasive family screening may largely be based on T-wave inversion, right ventricular wall motion abnormalities, and frequent ventricular extrasystoles to identify mutation carriers.     

The associations between physical activity, inflammation, and coagulation markers, in people with metabolic syndrome: the ATTICA study.

OBJECTIVE: Metabolic syndrome is a condition that promotes atherosclerosis and increases the risk of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. We evaluated whether leisure time physical activity is associated with the levels of inflammatory and coagulation markers, in people with metabolic syndrome. METHODS: From May 2001 to December 2002 we randomly enrolled 1514 men and 1528 women (>18 years old), without any clinical evidence of cardiovascular disease, stratified by age-gender (census 2001). The population of the study was divided into those who fulfilled the NCEP ATP III criteria for the metabolic syndrome (n=701 or 33% men and 13% women) and the rest of the participants (n=2341). We assessed the relationship between self-reported physical activity status and inflammatory, and coagulation markers [i.e., C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid-A (SAA), interleukin (IL)-6, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, white blood cell (WBC) counts, and fibrinogen (FIB)], after taking into account the effect of several confounders. RESULTS: Of the non-metabolic syndrome group, 56% of men and 58% of women were classified as sedentary, while of the metabolic syndrome group 58% men and 72% women were sedentary. After controlling for various potential confounders we found that physically active individuals with the metabolic syndrome had 36% lower levels of CRP, 15% lower levels of WBC, 19% lower levels of SAA, 15% lower levels of TNF-alpha, 30% lower levels of IL-6 and 15% lower levels of FIB, compared to sedentary (all P<0.05). Similar results were observed in the non-metabolic syndrome group. CONCLUSIONS: The adoption of a physically active lifestyle is independently associated with lower levels of the investigated biomarkers in individuals with the metabolic syndrome. The latter may suggest a pathway for reducing cardiovascular events, even in high-risk people.     

Phenotype reveals genotype in a Greek long QT syndrome family.

We aimed to verify the long QT syndrome (LQTS) genotype in a family with strong evidence of LQTS type 1 (LQT1) on the basis of so far established genotype-phenotype correlations. Genetic testing for mutations in the KCNQ1 potassium channel gene revealed an A341V mutation in three generations of the family. Existing genotype-phenotype correlations were correctly predictive of the genotype in the case of this family, despite the fact that there are no previously reported data for the Greek LQTS genetic pool. Thus, genotype-phenotype correlations are often a helpful tool in the management of LQTS patients and their families.     

Climatological variations in daily hospital admissions for acute coronary syndromes

OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between climatologic parameters and daily admissions for non-fatal acute coronary syndromes (ACS) to emergency units of hospitals in the greater Athens area, from January 2001 to August 2002. METHODS: Daily mean, maximum and minimum temperatures, relative humidity, wind speed, barometric pressure and a thermo-hydrological index (T.H.I.) were measured at the meteorological station of the Laboratory of Climatology of the Geology Department of the University of Athens. In addition, the daily number of admissions for acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina in the five major general hospitals in the greater Athens area was recorded. Generalized additive models (GAM) were applied to regress-time-series of daily numbers of outpatients with acute cardiac events against climatological variations, after controlling for possible confounders and adjustment for over dispersion and serial correlation. RESULTS: Five thousand four hundred fifty-eight Athenians with non-fatal acute cardiac events were admitted to the selected hospitals during the period of the study, 4093 (75%) males and 1365 (25%) females. There was a negative correlation between hospital admissions and mean daily temperature (MDT) with a 1 degrees C decrease in mean air temperature yielding a 5% increase in hospital admissions (P<0.05). This association was stronger in females and the elderly (P<0.01). Relative humidity was positively correlated with hospital admissions (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Despite the relatively short study period (<2 years), these findings suggest a significant association between cold weather and increased coronary heart disease incidence, especially in the elderly and females.