IJC Heart and Vasculature最新文献

{"title":"Beyond circulating cGMP: revisiting compartmentalized signaling in HFrEF","authors":"Rene Pütz , Melissa Herwig , Simin Delalat , Innas Sultana , Ibrahim Akin , Nazha Hamdani , Ibrahim El-Battrawy","doi":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101880","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101880","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":38026,"journal":{"name":"IJC Heart and Vasculature","volume":"63 ","pages":"Article 101880"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146090740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rhythm control in persistent atrial fibrillation improves endothelial function without uniform anti-inflammatory effects: A 9-month prospective cohort study","authors":"Maximilian Seidel,&nbsp;David Bogdahn,&nbsp;Felix S. Seibert,&nbsp;Moritz Anft,&nbsp;Sarah Skrzypczyk,&nbsp;Ulrik Stervbo,&nbsp;Eva Kohut,&nbsp;Kamil Rosiewicz,&nbsp;Benjamin Sasko,&nbsp;Christian Ukena,&nbsp;Nina Babel,&nbsp;Timm H. Westhoff","doi":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101879","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101879","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with systemic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. While there is robust evidence, that inflammation contributes to AF pathogenesis, the existence of a reverse relation – whether AF contributes to inflammation − remains elusive. This study therefore evaluates the impact of rhythm control on systemic inflammation and endothelial function.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this prospective observational study, 124 patients with persistent AF undergoing successful rhythm control therapy (electrical cardioversion or catheter ablation) were followed for nine months. Various Cytokines, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and additional inflammatory biomarkers were measured at baseline, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 9 months. FMD was assessed by high-resolution brachial artery ultrasound. Patients with AF recurrence throughout the follow-up period were excluded from primary analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In patients without AF recurrence, FMD improved significantly from 6.3 % (4.6–8.3) to 7.6 % (5.1–8.8) (p &lt; 0.001). HsCRP, IL-8 and fibrinogen declined modestly (p = 0.002, p &lt; 0.001 and p &lt; 0.001, respectively), whereas IL-2, IP-10, IL-12p70, MCP-1 and TNF-α increased significantly over time (all p &lt; 0.001). Elevated pre-treatment hsCRP was weakly associated with AF recurrence (r = 0.20, p = 0.023; AUC = 0.61). IL-6 showed temporal variation but no sustained change from baseline.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Rhythm control therapy in persistent AF is associated with an improvement of endothelial function but not with a homogeneous improvement of systemic inflammatory serological profiles. Thus, the improvement in FMD appears to be mediated primarily by hemodynamic restoration rather than anti-inflammatory effects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38026,"journal":{"name":"IJC Heart and Vasculature","volume":"63 ","pages":"Article 101879"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146039967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing Physical, Pharmacological, Pacemaker, and Cardioneuroablation Therapies for Patients with Vasovagal Syncope: A systematic review and network meta-analysis","authors":"Haozhe Wang ,&nbsp;Yike Zhang ,&nbsp;Siyi Liao ,&nbsp;Hao Zhang ,&nbsp;Xinmiao Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101885","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101885","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Vasovagal syncope (VVS) represents the most frequent syncope subtype, but evidence comparing treatment strategies remains limited. This network <em>meta</em>-analysis (NMA) evaluates physical, pharmacological, pacemaker, and cardioneuroablation (CNA) therapies for VVS.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a Bayesian NMA of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. The primary outcome was spontaneous syncope recurrence, and the secondary outcome was head-up tilt test (HUTT) positivity. Network geometry and treatment rankings were evaluated using Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking values.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 49 RCTs involving 2,798 patients assigned to various treatments were included. For spontaneous syncope recurrence, CNA [OR = 0.077, 95% CrI (0.015, 0.403)], pacing [OR = 0.075, 95% CrI (0.023, 0.22)], pharmacological [OR = 0.33, 95% CrI (0.11, 0.94)], and physical [OR = 0.27, 95% CrI (0.13, 0.57)] therapies were all superior to conventional therapy. Regarding HUTT outcomes, only pharmacological [OR = 5.5, 95% CrI (2.6, 12.0)] and physical [OR = 12, 95% CrI (2.9, 50.0)] therapies showed significant differences compared with placebo. Subgroup analysis identified dual-chamber pacing with closed-loop stimulation (DDD-CLS) as the highest-ranked therapy. Midodrine was the superior pharmacological option, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors demonstrated efficacy.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This NMA supports a stratified management approach for VVS. Physical and conventional therapies should be first-line. DDD-CLS pacing shows superior efficacy for cardioinhibitory VVS, while midodrine is the preferred pharmacological option. Although CNA demonstrates promise, it is constrained by limited direct evidence and should be considered hypothesis-generating, underscoring the need for head-to-head RCTs with long-term follow-up.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38026,"journal":{"name":"IJC Heart and Vasculature","volume":"63 ","pages":"Article 101885"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146190377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Holter features to detect coronary artery spasm in ANOCA patients: A pilot study","authors":"Diantha JM Schipaanboord ,&nbsp;Caïa Crooijmans ,&nbsp;Nicole S Erler ,&nbsp;Peter David Faasse ,&nbsp;Tijn PJ Jansen ,&nbsp;Timo Nijkamp ,&nbsp;Saskia ZH Rittersma ,&nbsp;Tim P van de Hoef ,&nbsp;Pim van der Harst ,&nbsp;Aukelien C Dimitriu-Leen ,&nbsp;Peter Damman ,&nbsp;Suzette E Elias-Smale ,&nbsp;René van Es ,&nbsp;N Charlotte Onland-Moret ,&nbsp;Hester M den Ruijter ,&nbsp;on behalf of the IMPRESS consortium","doi":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101884","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101884","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Coronary artery spasm (CAS), which can be epicardial and/or microvascular, is highly prevalent in patients with angina and non-obstructive coronary artery disease (ANOCA) undergoing coronary function testing (CFT). The CFT is invasive and limits larger diagnostics studies. We studied if Holter monitoring with symptom tracking identifies Holter-based CAS features with diagnostic potential in ANOCA patients.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>42 ANOCA patients (88% female) were recruited in the UMCU-IMPRESS pilot study and wore a 12-lead Holter device for 2–7 days prior to CFT, with simultaneous symptom tracking. We compared symptoms and Holter-ECG characteristics between patients with and without CAS and calculated diagnostic measures for CAS using several thresholds for ischemia-related parameters.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>33 Patients were diagnosed with CAS (79%). These patients more often had ≥ 1 min of ST depression in total per day compared to patients without CAS (≥0.035 mV: 88% vs 44%, p = 0.013; ≥0.040 mV: 73% vs 33%, p = 0.049), but discriminative ability was limited (AUC (95% CI): 0.65 (0.48–0.68)). Furthermore, patients with CAS had periods of lower heart rates and longer PQ and QT times than patients without CAS, most evident at night and early morning.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Patients with CAS more often demonstrated at least one minute of ST depression in total per day and exhibited periods of lower heart rates and longer PQ times mainly during the night and early morning compared to patients without CAS. Although discriminative ability was limited, we show that Holter monitoring may reveal signals in CAS patients, substantiating the need of large (AI-based) studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38026,"journal":{"name":"IJC Heart and Vasculature","volume":"63 ","pages":"Article 101884"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146190376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Outcomes of durable versus biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stents in patients with coronary artery disease","authors":"Christof Skos ,&nbsp;Jovan Rogozarski ,&nbsp;Al Medina Dizdarevic ,&nbsp;Gloria M.Steiner-Gager ,&nbsp;Marek Postula ,&nbsp;Ceren Eyileten ,&nbsp;Aurel Toma ,&nbsp;Walter S. Speidl ,&nbsp;Nika Skoro-Sajer ,&nbsp;Christian Gerges ,&nbsp;Irene M. Lang ,&nbsp;Jolanta M. Siller-Matula","doi":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101882","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101882","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is among the most common cardiovascular procedures, but stents still pose risks of restenosis or thrombosis. Drug-eluting stents (DES) with polymer coatings have improved long-term outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Aim</h3><div>This study evaluated whether the latest biodegradable polymer DES (BP-DES) offer improved safety over durable polymer DES (DP-DES).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Data were collected from a single-centre registry at the Medical University of Vienna, including patients who underwent PCI between 2015 and 2020. Patients were categorized by stent type and PCI indication (All Comer, CCS-PCI, ACS-PCI). The primary endpoint comprised of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including target lesion revascularization (TLR), target vessel revascularization (TVR), stent thrombosis (ST), and all-cause death.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>2118 patients were eligible for further analysis. 1232 patients (58.2%) received a DP-DES. In the all-comer cohort, 5-year MACE rates were 12% for BP-DES vs 14.5% for DP-DES. Multivariate analysis showed no significant difference in MACE for the use of BP-DES (OR 0.941, 95% CI 0.734–1.207, p = 0.631). However, TLR rates were significantly lower in patients treated with BP-DES (3.4% vs 6.8%, OR 0.567, 95% CI 0.372–0.865, p = 0.008), mainly driven by lower rates of TLR within the ACS PCI cohort (1.5% vs 4.9%, OR 0.364, 95% CI 0.158–0.841, p = 0.018). In CCS PCI patients, MACE and TLR rates demonstrated no significant differences.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>BP-DES and DP-DES show a similar long-term safety profile regarding MACE. BP-DES demonstrate a lower risk of TLR in the all-comer cohort, driven by reduced rates in ACS-PCI patients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38026,"journal":{"name":"IJC Heart and Vasculature","volume":"63 ","pages":"Article 101882"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146190374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association between treatment-induced changes in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire and clinical outcomes in chronic heart failure: a trial-level meta-regression analysis","authors":"Hidekatsu Fukuta ,&nbsp;Toshihiko Goto","doi":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101881","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101881","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Patient-reported outcomes such as the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) are increasingly recognized for their prognostic value. While the composite endpoint of cardiovascular death and heart failure (HF) hospitalization is the standard primary outcome in contemporary HF trials, the potential for KCCQ changes to serve as an intermediate endpoint for these clinical events requires further evaluation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a trial-level meta-regression analysis of phase 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating pharmacological therapies for chronic HF that reported both changes in KCCQ and the primary composite endpoint of cardiovascular death and HF hospitalization. Weighted random-effects meta-regression models were used to assess the association between changes in KCCQ scores and treatment effects on clinical outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Twelve phase 3 RCTs were included, comprising eight enrolling patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction and four enrolling those with preserved ejection fraction. Changes in KCCQ scores were significantly associated with treatment effects on the primary composite endpoint (regression coefficient [95% CI] = −0.0611 [−0.0930, −0.0292]; p = 0.001; I² = 2.2%), cardiovascular death (−0.0676 [−0.1099, −0.0254]; p = 0.004; I² = 0%), and HF hospitalization (−0.0700 [−0.1322, −0.0775]; p = 0.031; I² = 54%).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Treatment-induced changes in KCCQ scores are significantly correlated with clinical outcomes in phase 3 HF trials. These findings support KCCQ as a promising candidate intermediate endpoint that provides supportive evidence for the clinical benefit of HF therapies. However, our results remain hypothesis-generating, and further validation using individual patient data and cross-mechanism studies is warranted before KCCQ can be formally established as a regulatory surrogate endpoint.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38026,"journal":{"name":"IJC Heart and Vasculature","volume":"63 ","pages":"Article 101881"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146090739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Staging of Fabry cardiomyopathy in clinical practice: an algorithm proposal","authors":"Inês Fortuna ,&nbsp;Janete Santos ,&nbsp;Raquel Machado ,&nbsp;André Lobo ,&nbsp;Conceição Queirós ,&nbsp;Cristina Gavina ,&nbsp;Natália António ,&nbsp;Patrícia Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Ricardo Fontes-Carvalho ,&nbsp;Sofia Correia ,&nbsp;Giuseppe Limongelli ,&nbsp;Elisabete Martins","doi":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2025.101852","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2025.101852","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Fabry disease (FD) is characterized by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and early diagnosis is essential, considering the response to enzyme replacement or chaperone therapies. Recently, a new clinical staging for Fabry cardiomyopathy suggested five stages (0A, 0B, IA, IB, II, III), where the imaging characterization of hypertrophy and fibrosis are critical key items. Our study aimed to evaluate the applicability of the recent proposal of Meucci et al. 2024 in patients with FD, considering the last imaging cardiac evaluations.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This retrospective observational study collected clinical data from patients diagnosed with FD. Staging system followed a hierarchical flowchart, staging patients based on LVEF, LGE, LV wall thickness, and other cardiac findings (symptoms, ECG/Echo/CMR abnormalities).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>We included 53 FD patients. As cardiac magnetic resonance and echocardiogram parameters are essential to complete staging, the algorithm was fully applied to 44 patients. Among these patients, the majority (29,5%) were in the non-hypertrophic stage 0. In hypertrophic stage I, 27,2% of patients were classified according to the maximum wall thickness. The hypertrophic fibrotic stage II included 29,5% of the patients. Patients in stage III (13,6%) presented diffuse myocardial fibrosis ≥ 3 LV segments and/or impaired systolic function (LVEF &lt; 50%).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The staging scheme allows us to classify different stages of FD cardiomyopathy. Most patients were in early disease stages, probably related to the diagnosis in the context of familial screening. The stepwise algorithm proposal helped apply the staging in clinical practice; however, it must be validated in more extensive and prospective studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38026,"journal":{"name":"IJC Heart and Vasculature","volume":"63 ","pages":"Article 101852"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of pullback measurement on treatment decision in significant coronary artery disease: Insights from a retrospective multicentric study","authors":"Roberto Bova ,&nbsp;Matteo Betti ,&nbsp;Samuel Heuts ,&nbsp;Pieter A. Vriesendorp ,&nbsp;Alexander J.J. Ijsselmuiden ,&nbsp;Saman Rasoul ,&nbsp;Mustafa Ilhan ,&nbsp;Jindra Vainer ,&nbsp;Ralph A.L.J. Theunissen ,&nbsp;Leo F. Veenstra ,&nbsp;Patty Winkler ,&nbsp;Mera Stein ,&nbsp;Alexander Ruiters ,&nbsp;Daniek P.J. Slegers ,&nbsp;Arnoud W.J. van ’t Hof ,&nbsp;Arpad Lux","doi":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101887","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2026.101887","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Optimal management of coronary artery disease (CAD) requires tailoring treatment strategies to lesion characteristics. Intracoronary pullback enables hemodynamic mapping of coronary lesions, potentially improving therapeutic decision-making, particularly in distinguishing focal from diffuse disease.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To evaluate how pullback measurement influences overall treatment strategy—optimal medical therapy (OMT), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)—in patients with significant CAD.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a retrospective, multicenter cohort study including 842 patients with stable angina, unstable angina, or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and functionally significant left anterior descending artery (LAD) disease. Patients were stratified into two groups: one group (PB group, n = 561) had pullback measurement, and the other (Conventional group, n = 281) not. Outcomes included treatment strategy, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and all-cause mortality at 1 year.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Pullback led to more Heart Team discussions (66.3% vs. 58.7%; p = 0.033), greater adoption of OMT (51.5% vs. 40.9%; p = 0.004), and lower PCI rates (27.1% vs. 36.3%; p = 0.007). CABG rates remained unaffected. Pullback independently increased the odds of OMT and reduced the odds of PCI (OR = 0.58, p = 0.003), while three-vessel disease strongly predicted CABG (OR = 2.51; p &lt; 0.001). At 1 year, the PB group had higher mortality (4.3% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.013), but similar MACE compared to the Conventional group. However, clinical outcomes did not differ between treatment groups.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Intracoronary pullback favours a conservative treatment strategy. MACE rates are not increased at 1 year.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38026,"journal":{"name":"IJC Heart and Vasculature","volume":"63 ","pages":"Article 101887"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146190375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oxygen therapy enhances the systemic inflammatory response in a human model of experimental inflammation","authors":"P. Tornvall ,&nbsp;P. Svensson ,&nbsp;J. Alfredsson ,&nbsp;L. Jonasson ,&nbsp;L. Nilsson ,&nbsp;R. Hofmann ,&nbsp;SK. Merid","doi":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2025.101846","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2025.101846","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Oxygen therapy does not benefit normoxemic patients with suspected myocardial infarction and may instead enhance the inflammatory response triggered by the tissue necrosis caused by the myocardial infarction. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that oxygen therapy aggravates systemic inflammation in normoxemic healthy individuals in a human model of experimental inflammation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Proteomic and gene expression data from healthy subjects vaccinated against Salmonella Typhii and exposed to oxygen therapy or ambient air were investigated. A multi-omics approach with factor analysis to identify common sources of variation in the systemic inflammatory response associated with oxygen exposure was used.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Oxygen therapy showed a statistically nominal tendency toward aggravation determined by ELISA (IL-6) and proximity extension assay (IL-8). The factor analysis revealed a pro-inflammatory feature that included increases in (CXCL 6, 10 and 11) with decreased small nucleolar RNA.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The results indicate that oxygen therapy enhances experimental systemic inflammation. The mechanism is not clear but future studies should address small nucleolar RNA.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38026,"journal":{"name":"IJC Heart and Vasculature","volume":"62 ","pages":"Article 101846"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145616294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Alcohol use disorder and use of rhythm control therapies in patients with atrial fibrillation: A nationwide cohort study","authors":"Miika Vanhanen ,&nbsp;Jussi Jaakkola ,&nbsp;Juhani K.E. Airaksinen ,&nbsp;Olli Halminen ,&nbsp;Jukka Putaala ,&nbsp;Pirjo Mustonen ,&nbsp;Jari Haukka ,&nbsp;Juha Hartikainen ,&nbsp;Alex Luojus ,&nbsp;Mikko Niemi ,&nbsp;Miika Linna ,&nbsp;Mika Lehto ,&nbsp;Konsta Teppo","doi":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2025.101854","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijcha.2025.101854","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) often receive inferior treatment for somatic comorbidities. We aimed to examine whether AUD is associated with disparities in the use of antiarrhythmic therapies (AAT) for rhythm control in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients, using a nationwide registry.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The Finnish AntiCoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation (FinACAF) registry includes all 229,565 patients with incident AF diagnosed in Finland between 2007 and 2018, identified from comprehensive national healthcare registries. The primary outcome was initiation of rhythm control therapies, including antiarrhythmic drugs, cardioversion, and catheter ablation, in patients with and without AUD.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The mean age was 72.7 years, 50 % were female and 4.7 % had AUD. Rhythm control was initiated less often in patients with AUD compared to those without (13.6 % vs. 21.8 %, p &lt; 0.001). After adjustment for comorbidities and socioeconomic status, AUD remained associated with lower use of rhythm control therapies (HR 0.65; 95 % CI 0.62–0.69). This disparity was consistent across all modalities of rhythm control (antiarrhythmic drugs, cardioversion and catheter ablation). While no significant interaction was observed with sex or age, income modified the association (p &lt; 0.001), with the lowest income tertile showing the greatest disparity (HR 0.37; 95 % CI 0.32–0.42).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>AUD is independently associated with markedly lower use of rhythm control therapies in AF patients. These disparities are most pronounced among socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to ensure equitable treatment access.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38026,"journal":{"name":"IJC Heart and Vasculature","volume":"62 ","pages":"Article 101854"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145789550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}