CardiologyPub Date : 2025-05-28DOI: 10.1159/000545746
Javier López Pais, Victor Jimenez Ramos, María López Pais, Guillermo Gallego Latorre, Luis Manuel López Barreiro
{"title":"Dynamic Arterial Lactate Values Are Associated with 30-Day Mortality in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction and Cardiogenic Shock on Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump Circulatory Support.","authors":"Javier López Pais, Victor Jimenez Ramos, María López Pais, Guillermo Gallego Latorre, Luis Manuel López Barreiro","doi":"10.1159/000545746","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000545746","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9391,"journal":{"name":"Cardiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144172833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CardiologyPub Date : 2025-05-26DOI: 10.1159/000545905
Dapeng Wu, Chunfeng Li, Hongjie Li, Lei Yu, Wenting Lin
{"title":"Exosomal TIMP4 from Myocardial Cell Relieves Heart Failure by Influencing Th17/Treg Balance.","authors":"Dapeng Wu, Chunfeng Li, Hongjie Li, Lei Yu, Wenting Lin","doi":"10.1159/000545905","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000545905","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The progression of heart failure (HF) has been independently linked to both tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-4 (TIMP4) and the equilibrium between regulatory T (Treg) as well as T helper 17 (Th17) cells. Despite these associations, the interplay between TIMP4 and the Th17/Treg ratio remains poorly understood. Our research sought to elucidate the impact of TIMP4 on HF pathogenesis, with a particular emphasis on its influence on Th17 and Treg lymphocyte populations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Bioinformatics analysis of the GSE196656 dataset was conducted. An isoprenaline-induced Sprague-Dawley rat model of HF was used, with rats divided into groups: HF alone, HF with TIMP4 overexpression, and HF with TIMP4 knockdown. HF in primary myocardial cell cultures was induced using Angiotensin II, and extracellular vesicles were collected from the culture medium. ELISA, Western blot, TUNEL staining, qRT-PCR, and RNA extraction analyzed the impact of TIMP4 on HF. Additionally, purified naïve CD4+ T cells from rats were used in vitro to investigate TIMP4's influence on Th17 and Treg cell differentiation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Analysis of the GSE196656 dataset revealed significant upregulation of TIMP4 in HF. Myocardial exosomal TIMP4 was significantly elevated in the HF model. In the experimental rat model, TIMP4 overexpression significantly reduced plasma levels of biomarkers related to heart injury as well as inflammation, enhanced indicators of heart function and suppressed cell death in the heart muscle. Furthermore, TIMP4 overexpression decreased IL-17 levels and the Th17 cell proportion while promoting Treg cell differentiation and increasing IL-10 levels. In vitro studies demonstrated that TIMP4 effectively inhibits the differentiation of Th17 cells and promotes the growth of Treg cells. These effects were observed to vary depending on the dosage.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>TIMP4 overexpression exerts a protective effect in HF by inhibiting myocardial injury, inflammation, and apoptosis, and by regulating immune cell balance. These findings imply that targeting TIMP4 could potentially serve as a therapeutic strategy for HF, as it has the ability to regulate immune responses and minimize damage to the myocardium.</p>","PeriodicalId":9391,"journal":{"name":"Cardiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144149595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CardiologyPub Date : 2025-05-23DOI: 10.1159/000546345
Ying Wang, Min Lu
{"title":"Estimated Pulse Wave Velocity-to-Global Longitudinal Strain Ratio: A Tool for Differentiating Heart Failure Subtypes?","authors":"Ying Wang, Min Lu","doi":"10.1159/000546345","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000546345","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Ventricular-arterial coupling (VAC), which refers to harmonious interaction between the ventricles and arteries, is essential for maintenance of optimal cardiovascular function. The ratio of the pulse wave velocity (PWV) to left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) has been established as a reliable noninvasive metric for assessing VAC. This study aimed to assess VAC noninvasively in heart failure (HF) using the estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV)-to-GLS ratio, defined from speckle tracking imaging.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>According to the HF stages by the American Heart Association, 131 subjects were divided into 4 groups: group 1 (n = 36) at risk of developing HF and pre-HF (American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association stages A and B), group 2 (n = 35) having HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), group 3 (n = 35) having HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and group 4 (n = 30) as controls. To determine the ePWV/GLS ratio, the ePWV was calculated based on the previously established formula using age and mean pressure, and the GLS was derived from speckle tracking echocardiography. The study evaluated the VAC in all groups and compared with the established metrics such as arterial elasticity (Ea) and ventricular end-systolic elasticity (Ees) ratios. The correlation between the ePWV/GLS ratio and other parameters obtained by echocardiography was also assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Significant differences in the ePWV/GLS ratio were observed among the groups, and the severity of VAC impairment correlated with the HF stage. The lowest ePWV/GLS ratio was observed in the control and stage A-B group (0.530 ± 0.100 vs. 0.640 ± 0.10), followed by the HFpEF group (0.992 ± 0.215), whereas the HFrEF group had the highest ratio (1.500 ± 0.369). The ePWV/GLS ratio showed a moderate correlation with the Ea/Ees ratio (r = 0.753 95% CI, 0.665-0.821, p < 0.0001), but performed better in distinguishing HF subtypes. A threshold of 0.625 for the ePWV/GLS ratio was established by the ROC curve to detect the impaired VAC, with an AUROC of 0.923 and 95% CI of 0.876-0.969. In addition, the ePWV/GLS ratio was strongly associated with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and moderately correlated with left ventricular mass index, end-diastolic volume, left ventricular ejection fraction, age, and E/e'.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The ePWV/GLS ratio is an easily accessible parameter for evaluating VAC. It is closely related to the HF stage and can effectively differentiate between HF subtypes. Although the ratio was higher in patients with HFpEF than in healthy individuals, it was lower than in patients with HFrEF.</p>","PeriodicalId":9391,"journal":{"name":"Cardiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144141510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CardiologyPub Date : 2025-05-22DOI: 10.1159/000546344
Tonje R Johannessen, Odd Martin Vallersnes, Anne Cecilie K Larstorp, Sigrun Halvorsen, Dan Atar
{"title":"Authors' Response Letter - Expanding the Use of Point-of-Care hs-cTnI in Emergency Primary Care: Insights from the OUT-POC Pilot Study.","authors":"Tonje R Johannessen, Odd Martin Vallersnes, Anne Cecilie K Larstorp, Sigrun Halvorsen, Dan Atar","doi":"10.1159/000546344","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000546344","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9391,"journal":{"name":"Cardiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-3"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12158401/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144149594","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}
CardiologyPub Date : 2025-05-22DOI: 10.1159/000546315
Yusuf Hoşoğlu
{"title":"Expanding the Use of Point-of-Care hs-cTnI in Emergency Primary Care: Insights from the OUT-POC Pilot Study.","authors":"Yusuf Hoşoğlu","doi":"10.1159/000546315","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000546315","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9391,"journal":{"name":"Cardiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144149596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CardiologyPub Date : 2025-05-15DOI: 10.1159/000545774
María Teresa Politi
{"title":"Endomyocardial Biopsy: Evaluating the Impact of Updated Indications on Diagnostic Yield.","authors":"María Teresa Politi","doi":"10.1159/000545774","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000545774","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9391,"journal":{"name":"Cardiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-3"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144076180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mechanisms and Intervention Strategies of Trimethylamine N-Oxide in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.","authors":"Dilixiati Abudureheman, Shuake Janaerbieke, Yuhang Song, Shuo Han, Wufuer Yimaer, Huguo Wang","doi":"10.1159/000546190","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000546190","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a serious cardiovascular disease with high morbidity and mortality. The role of gut microbiota-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in AAA pathogenesis has attracted increasing attention.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>This review systematically summarizes the mechanisms by which TMAO promotes AAA development, including inflammatory activation, apoptosis induction, and extracellular matrix degradation. TMAO interacts with risk factors such as atherosclerosis and hypertension through pathways involving NF-κB, NLRP3 inflammasome, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Intervention strategies targeting dietary precursors, gut microbiota, and key enzymes are critically evaluated.</p><p><strong>Key messages: </strong>TMAO serves as both a biomarker and a therapeutic target for AAA. Future research should prioritize personalized dietary interventions and novel TMAO inhibitors to bridge translational gaps.</p>","PeriodicalId":9391,"journal":{"name":"Cardiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-20"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12180771/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143974908","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}
CardiologyPub Date : 2025-05-10DOI: 10.1159/000545875
Alin Abreu-Lomba, David Aristizábal-Colorado, Santiago Sierra-Castillo, Danilo Weir-Restrepo, Carlos Alberto Gómez-Mercado, David Alexander Vernaza Trujillo, Henry Mauricio Arenas-Quintero, Alejandro Castellanos-Pinedo, Clara I Saldarriaga-Giraldo, Alejandro Pinzón-Tovar
{"title":"Prevalence and Characteristics of Heart Disease in Patients with Acromegaly in Colombia (RAPACO HEART Study).","authors":"Alin Abreu-Lomba, David Aristizábal-Colorado, Santiago Sierra-Castillo, Danilo Weir-Restrepo, Carlos Alberto Gómez-Mercado, David Alexander Vernaza Trujillo, Henry Mauricio Arenas-Quintero, Alejandro Castellanos-Pinedo, Clara I Saldarriaga-Giraldo, Alejandro Pinzón-Tovar","doi":"10.1159/000545875","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000545875","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Acromegaly is a chronic disorder characterized by excessive secretion of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor type 1 (IGF-1), resulting in multisystem involvement. Cardiovascular complications affect up to 80% of cases and represent a major concern in advanced stages of the disease. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of acromegalic heart disease (AHD) and identify factors associated with its development in a Colombian population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective, multicenter case-control study was carried out using data from the national RAPACO registry. Patients aged 16 years or older with confirmed acromegaly and an available echocardiogram were included. AHD was defined by structural or functional cardiac abnormalities attributable to acromegaly.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 193 patients with acromegaly were analyzed; 61 (31.6%) had AHD. Compared with the non-AHD group, these patients were older, had a 4.5 cm larger abdominal perimeter, and had a median time from disease onset to diagnosis of 8 years (vs. 6 years in those without AHD). Among the 61 AHD cases, the most frequent finding was isolated left ventricular hypertrophy (n = 32, 52.4%), followed by biventricular hypertrophy (n = 12, 19.7%), valvulopathy (n = 4, 6.6%), and combined LVH with valvulopathy (n = 4, 6.6%). GH and IGF-1 levels were modestly higher in AHD patients. In multivariate analysis, hypertension (HTN) showed an odds ratio (OR) of 1.75 (95% CI: 0.67-4.65) for AHD, while carpal tunnel syndrome significantly increased the odds of AHD (OR 3.81, p = 0.01, 95% CI: 1.36-11.14).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite therapeutic advances, AHD remains common in Colombian patients with acromegaly. Notably, carpal tunnel syndrome was independently associated with AHD, alongside HTN, arrhythmias, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. These findings underscore the need for proactive cardiovascular screening and management strategies in this patient population.</p>","PeriodicalId":9391,"journal":{"name":"Cardiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143966021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CardiologyPub Date : 2025-05-08DOI: 10.1159/000546154
Kainuo Wu, Jonathan Van Name, Lei Xi
{"title":"D-Dimer as Biomarker for Prognosis of Coronary Artery Disease and Heart Failure: Reappraisal of Its Central Role.","authors":"Kainuo Wu, Jonathan Van Name, Lei Xi","doi":"10.1159/000546154","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000546154","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>D-dimer is a fibrinogen degradation product formed by the breakdown of cross-linked fibrin in a series of enzyme-mediated steps. Since the D-dimer assay allows for detection of thrombin production and endogenous fibrinolysis, it has been increasingly used in clinics as a screening test to exclude venous thromboembolism and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Additionally, D-dimer has been evaluated for determining the initiation of anticoagulation therapy in patients with selected cardiovascular disease.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>This narrative review has evaluated the updated evidence from several recent clinical studies/trials and provides a reappraisal of the utility of D-dimer assay for disease prognosis and clinical management decisions in patients with stable coronary artery disease, acute coronary syndrome, and heart failure. We further discussed several confounding factors that may affect circulating levels of D-dimer, including those observed during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong>Key messages: </strong>Better understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying D-dimer formation would improve accuracy and specificity of D-dimer as biomarker for predicting long-term outcome of the severity of coronary artery disease and heart failure.</p>","PeriodicalId":9391,"journal":{"name":"Cardiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143954586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}