{"title":"Beneficial Effects of Fixed-Dose Combination of Amlodipine and Atorvastatin in Patients with Concomitant Hypertension and Hypercholesterolemia: A Multi-Institutional Cohort Study.","authors":"Chia-Pin Lin, Fu-Chih Hsiao, Chia-Tung Wu, Yu-Sheng Lin, Shao-Wei Chen, Pao-Hsien Chu","doi":"10.6515/ACS.202211_38(6).20220529A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6515/ACS.202211_38(6).20220529A","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are important risk factors for cardiovascular (CV) diseases. Although treating these factors simultaneously is recommended by current guidelines, only short-term clinical results are available.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To examine the longer-term efficacy and safety of fixed-dose combination (FDC) versus free combination of amlodipine and atorvastatin in patients with concomitant hypertension and hypercholesterolemia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Patients with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia were stratified into three groups [FDC of amlodipine 5 mg/atorvastatin 10 mg (Fixed 5/10), FDC of amlodipine 5 mg/atorvastatin 20 mg (Fixed 5/20), and free combination of amlodipine 5 mg/atorvastatin 10 mg (Free 5/10)]. After inverse probability of treatment weighting, the composite CV outcome, liver function, BP, LDL-C and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) changes were compared.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 1,788 patients were eligible for analysis, and the mean follow-up period was 1.7 year. There was no significant difference in the composite CV outcome among the three groups (Fixed 5/10 6.1%, Fixed 5/20 6.3% and Free 5/10 6.0%). The LDL-C level was significantly reduced in the Fixed 5/20 group (-35.7 mg/dL) compared to the Fixed 5/10 (-23.6 mg/dL) and Free 5/10 (-10.3 mg/dL) groups (p = 0.001 and < 0.001, respectively). The changes in HbA1c were similar among the three groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>FDC of amlodipine and atorvastatin, especially the regimen with a higher dosage of statins, significantly reduced the mid-term LDL-C level compared to a free combination in patients with concomitant hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Blood sugar level was not significantly changed by this aggressive treatment strategy.</p>","PeriodicalId":6957,"journal":{"name":"Acta Cardiologica Sinica","volume":"38 6","pages":"736-750"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9692224/pdf/acs-38-736.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40489586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Upregulation of Myocardial Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin during Development of Heart Failure Caused by Volume-Overload and the Effect in Regulating Activity of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9.","authors":"Ying-Chang Tung, Lung-Sheng Wu, Fu-Chih Hsiao, Lung-An Hsu, Yung-Hsin Yeh, Chih-Hsiang Chang, Yung-Chang Chen, Chi-Jen Chang","doi":"10.6515/ACS.202211_38(6).20220814A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6515/ACS.202211_38(6).20220814A","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In patients with heart failure (HF), circulating neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) level is increased, which is considered to be a predictor of mortality or renal outcomes. The expression of NGAL in the heart and kidney and its role in HF remain unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Aortocaval fistula was created in rats as a model of volume overload (VO)-induced HF.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>During the development of HF, NGAL expression was upregulated in the heart but not in the kidney at both transcriptional and translational levels in the compensatory and HF phases, with a similar level in both phases. Cardiomyocytes were identified as the cell type responsible for NGAL expression. Consistent with the myocardial NGAL expression pattern, the plasma NGAL level was increased in both phases, and the level was not significantly different between both phases. We demonstrated the presence of a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9/NGAL complex in cultured medium of cardiomyocytes isolated from volume-overloaded hearts by gelatin zymography. Formation of MMP-9/NGAL complex was shown to enhance the enzymatic activity of MMP-9. We found that early growth response (Egr)-1 was upregulated in the heart in both compensatory and HF phases. In neonatal cardiomyocytes, Egr-1 overexpression induced the gene expression of NGAL, which was dose-dependently suppressed by an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>During the development of HF due to VO, NGAL was upregulated in the heart but not in the kidney in both compensatory and HF phases, with a similar expression level. Myocardial NGAL upregulation enhanced MMP-9 activity through formation of the MMP-9/NGAL complex. The expression of myocardial NGAL was regulated by Egr-1.</p>","PeriodicalId":6957,"journal":{"name":"Acta Cardiologica Sinica","volume":"38 6","pages":"765-777"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9692222/pdf/acs-38-765.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40489587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Potential Biomarker of Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate Exposure during Catheterization.","authors":"Ken-Pen Weng, Wei-Hsiang Chang, Ching-Chang Lee, Kuang-Jen Chien, Kai-Sheng Hsieh, Shi-Hui Huang","doi":"10.6515/ACS.202211_38(6).20220606A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6515/ACS.202211_38(6).20220606A","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) may produce toxicity, posing a risk to human health. Medical devices composed of DEHP are frequently used in catheterization, but few studies have investigated DEHP exposure during catheterization. The aim of this prospective series was to characterize the exposure pattern of DEHP during catheterization.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We enrolled 16 patients with congenital heart disease undergoing catheterization. Collection of urine was done to measure DEHP metabolites on hospitalization, before catheterization, after catheterization, and at discharge. The following DEHP metabolites were measured: mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), mono (2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), and mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), and the ratio of MEHP to overall metabolites (MEHP%) was determined. DEHP exposure from polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-containing catheter and infusion systems were recorded in detail. Differences in DEHP levels before and after catheterization were analyzed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Urinary levels of MEHP, MEHHP, and MEOHP significantly decreased from before catheterization to after catheterization (all p < 0.01), but did not change significantly from initial hospitalization to before catheterization. Urinary MEHP% significantly decreased from initial hospitalization to before catheterization (p < 0.001), then increased after catheterization (p < 0.001), and decreased gradually at discharge (p = 0.03). Urinary MEHP% after catheterization and at discharge was significantly positively related to the duration of using PVC-containing catheter systems. There was a significant positive correlation between urinary MEHP% and the duration of using PVC-containing infusion system before catheterization, and a borderline significant correlation at both post-catheterization time slots.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results demonstrated that urinary MEHP% may be a potential biomarker of DEHP contamination from the use of PVC-containing catheters or infusion systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":6957,"journal":{"name":"Acta Cardiologica Sinica","volume":"38 6","pages":"691-699"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9692216/pdf/acs-38-691.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40515034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fulminant Myocarditis in a 76-Year-Old Lady after Spikevax Vaccination: A Case Report.","authors":"Kei-Ip Cheong, Ho-Tsung Hsin, Cheng-Hung How, Yen-Wen Wu, Kuan-Ming Chiu, Jih-Hsin Huang","doi":"10.6515/ACS.202211_38(6).20220508A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6515/ACS.202211_38(6).20220508A","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":6957,"journal":{"name":"Acta Cardiologica Sinica","volume":"38 6","pages":"788-792"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9692215/pdf/acs-38-788.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40515038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evaluation of Atrial Electromechanical Delay and Left Atrial Phasic Function in Individuals with Electrocardiographic Early Repolarization Pattern.","authors":"Murat Akcay, Ufuk Yildirim","doi":"10.6515/ACS.202211_38(6).20220813A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6515/ACS.202211_38(6).20220813A","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Atrial electromechanical delay (EMD) and left atrial (LA) phasic function have been demonstrated to be predictors for the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). In the present study, we aimed to evaluate atrial EMD and LA phasic function in individuals with electrocardiographic early repolarization pattern (ERP).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eighty consecutive individuals with ERP and 40 age- and gender-matched control subjects without ERP were compared in this cross-sectional study. Atrial electromechanical coupling (Pa') was measured from lateral mitral annulus (Pa'<sub>lateral</sub>), septal mitral annulus (Pa'<sub>septal</sub>), and lateral tricuspid annulus (Pa'<sub>tricuspid</sub>) using tissue Doppler echocardiography to calculate intra- and inter-atrial EMD. LA maximal volume, LA minimal volume, and LA volume before atrial contraction were calculated using the biplane area-length method to assess LA phasic function.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>LA diameter, LA volume index, Pa'<sub>lateral</sub>, Pa'<sub>septal</sub>, Pa'<sub>tricuspid</sub> electrical activity and intra-left atrial EMD were significantly increased in the ERP patients. Mitral lateral, septal, tricuspid lateral annular tissue Doppler s' and e' waves were significantly decreased in the ERP patients. There were no significant difference between the groups in terms of interatrial EMD, intra-right atrial EMD, LA total emptying volume and LA total emptying fraction indicating LA reservoir function, LA passive emptying volume and LA passive emptying fraction indicating LA conduit function, LA active emptying volume and LA active emptying fraction indicating LA pump function.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Left atrial EMD parameters are affected in individuals with ERP, but LA phasic functions are not affected. Further prospective studies are needed to clarify whether individuals with ERP have an increased susceptibility to AF.</p>","PeriodicalId":6957,"journal":{"name":"Acta Cardiologica Sinica","volume":"38 6","pages":"714-722"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9692218/pdf/acs-38-714.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40515039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ju-Yeh Yang, Yen-Wen Wu, Wenpo Chuang, Tzu-Chun Lin, Shu-Wen Chang, Shou-Hsia Cheng, Raymond N Kuo
{"title":"An Integrated Community-Based Blood Pressure Telemonitoring Program - A Population-Based Observational Study.","authors":"Ju-Yeh Yang, Yen-Wen Wu, Wenpo Chuang, Tzu-Chun Lin, Shu-Wen Chang, Shou-Hsia Cheng, Raymond N Kuo","doi":"10.6515/ACS.202209_38(5).20220330A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6515/ACS.202209_38(5).20220330A","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Home blood pressure telemonitoring (BPT) has been shown to improve blood pressure control. A community-based BPT program (the <i>Health</i>+ program) was launched in 2015 in an urban area around a medical center.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To examine the impact of the BPT program on the use of medical resources.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective propensity-score (PS)-matched observational cohort study using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) 2013-2016 in Taiwan. A total of 9,546 adults with a high risk of cardiovascular disease participated in the integrated BPT program, and 19,082 PS-matched controls were identified from the NHIRD. The primary and secondary outcome measures were changes in 1-year emergency department visit rate, hospitalization rate, duration of hospital stay, and healthcare costs.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The number of emergency department visits in the <i>Health</i>+ group significantly reduced (0.8 to 0.6 per year vs. 0.8 to 0.9 per year, p < 0.0001) along with a significant decrease in hospitalization rate (43.7% to 21.3% vs. 42.7% to 35.3%, p < 0.001). The duration of hospital stay was also lower in the <i>Health</i>+ group (4.3 to 3.3 days vs. 5.3 to 6.5 days, p < 0.0001). The annual healthcare costs decreased more in the <i>Health</i>+ group (USD 1642 to 1169 vs. 1466 to 1393 per year, p < 0.001), compared with the controls. Subgroup analysis of the <i>Health</i>+ group revealed that the improvements in outcomes were significantly greater among those who were younger and had fewer comorbidities, especially without diabetes or hypertension.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>A community-based integrated BPT program may improve patients' health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.</p>","PeriodicalId":6957,"journal":{"name":"Acta Cardiologica Sinica","volume":"38 5","pages":"612-622"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9479044/pdf/acs-38-612.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40383698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mustafa Dogdus, Ferhat Dindas, Yusuf Cekici, Arafat Yildirim, Mehmet Kucukosmanoglu, Nermin Yildiz Koyunsever, Ozge Ozcan Abacioglu, Salih Kilic
{"title":"Association between Circulating Omentin-1 Levels and Aortic Valve Sclerosis.","authors":"Mustafa Dogdus, Ferhat Dindas, Yusuf Cekici, Arafat Yildirim, Mehmet Kucukosmanoglu, Nermin Yildiz Koyunsever, Ozge Ozcan Abacioglu, Salih Kilic","doi":"10.6515/ACS.202209_38(5).20220314A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6515/ACS.202209_38(5).20220314A","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) is characterized by thickening of the valve leaflets accompanied by increased echogenicity and calcification without significant limitations in valve movements. Omentin-1 is a glycoprotein of the adiponectin family released from visceral adipose tissue, and it can be used as a biomarker of atherosclerosis, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. No studies have demonstrated any relationship between AVS and omentin-1 in the literature. We aimed to explore the association of serum omentin-1 levels with AVS.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eighty-six patients with AVS and 92 age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled into the study. The baseline clinical characteristics of the patients were recorded. Conventional 2-dimensional echocardiography was performed. Omentin-1 levels were measured.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean omentin-1 level was significantly lower in the AVS (+) group compared to the control group (78.16 ± 44.95 vs. 163.57 ± 59.84 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Omentin-1 [odds ratio (OR) = 3.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.88-5.39, p < 0.001,] and LDL-C (OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.33-2.16, p = 0.015) were found to be independent predictors of AVS in multivariate logistic regression analysis. An omentin-1 level of < 92.45 ng/mL had 90.5% sensitivity and 71.4% specificity for the prediction of AVS (area under curve: 0.697, p < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results indicated that a lower omentin-1 level was associated with an increased risk of AVS. We suggest that omentin-1 could be used as a treatment target as well as to predict AVS.</p>","PeriodicalId":6957,"journal":{"name":"Acta Cardiologica Sinica","volume":"38 5","pages":"584-590"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9479047/pdf/acs-38-584.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40383694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An Unusual Case of Marijuana-Induced Extensive ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Different Territories.","authors":"Chien-Lin Lee, Yi-Yao Chang, Yen-Wen Wu","doi":"10.6515/ACS.202209_38(5).20220330E","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6515/ACS.202209_38(5).20220330E","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":6957,"journal":{"name":"Acta Cardiologica Sinica","volume":"38 5","pages":"653-657"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9479053/pdf/acs-38-653.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40384727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Efficacy and Safety of High-Dose Intracoronary Adenosine Injection in Fractional Flow Reserve Assessment.","authors":"Chien-Boon Jong, Min-Tsun Liao, Tsui-Shan Lu, Shih-Wei Meng, Chun-Kai Chen, Ya-Chin Tsai, Jui-Cheng Kuo, Chih-Cheng Wu","doi":"10.6515/ACS.202209_38(5).20220309A","DOIUrl":"10.6515/ACS.202209_38(5).20220309A","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The recommended dosage of intracoronary adenosine in fractional flow reserve (FFR) assessment is controversial. High-dose adenosine may overcome the biological variability of adenosine response in hyperemia.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We aimed to test the efficacy and safety of a high-dose escalation protocol at our institute.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using the adenosine dose escalation protocol, the percentages of FFR ≤ 0.75 and 0.80 after high-dose escalation were compared with those at conventional doses. The chi-squared test was used to evaluate the accuracy of FFR values with the tested doses by comparing them with the results of a non-invasive pretest.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 87 patients (130 vessels) were included, and protocol adherence was 93.1%. High-dose intracoronary adenosine was injected in 78.5% of the vessels. The dose escalation strategy was well-tolerated without serious complications. The positive rate increased significantly after conducting the protocol compared to that with a conventional dose (28.2% vs. 23.6% with an FFR threshold of 0.75, and 48.7% vs. 42.5% with a threshold of 0.80, both p < 0.05). In the validation cohort, only FFR ≤ 0.75 was associated with the binary result of the non-invasive pretest (p < 0.01 vs. p = 0.37). The high-dose adenosine escalation strategy did not increase the accuracy of FFR (77.8% vs. 75.6% in conventional dose and high-dose adenosine, respectively).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The use of a high-dose escalation strategy increased the positive rate in FFR assessments.</p>","PeriodicalId":6957,"journal":{"name":"Acta Cardiologica Sinica","volume":"38 5","pages":"553-563"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9479048/pdf/acs-38-553.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40383693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}