Atherosclerosis
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The impact of Greece's economic crisis on healthcare is of great concern. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of economic crisis on the prevention of cerebral ischemic events. ⋯ Our study supports that at present financial crisis has not significantly affected the prevention of cerebrovascular events in the citizens of a provincial city area. Data from other regions and time-periods are needed for the final verdict.
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Multicenter Study
Association between parental history and genetic risk scores for coronary heart disease prediction: The population-based CoLaus study.
Parental history (PH) and genetic risk scores (GRSs) are separately associated with coronary heart disease (CHD), but evidence regarding their combined effects is lacking. We aimed to evaluate the joint associations and predictive ability of PH and GRSs for incident CHD. ⋯ After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, PH and a weighted, polygenic GRS were jointly associated with CHD and provided additive information for coronary events prediction.
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Vascular calcification (VC) is closely related to cardiovascular events in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Apelin has emerged as a potent regulator of cardiovascular function, but its role in VC during CKD remains unknown. We determined whether apelin plays a role in phosphate-induced mineralization of human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) and in adenine-induced CKD rats with aortic calcification. ⋯ Apelin ameliorates VC by suppressing osteoblastic differentiation of VSMCs through downregulation of Pit-1. These results suggest apelin may have potential therapeutic value for treatment of VC in CKD.
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Comparative Study
Plasma levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide are confounded by impaired kidney function and poor metabolic control.
After ingestion of phosphatidylcholine, l-carnitine or betaine, trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is formed by gut microbiota and liver enzymes. Elevated TMAO plasma levels were associated with increased cardiovascular risk and other diseases. Also betaine and choline itself were recently associated with increased cardiovascular risk. ⋯ Plasma levels of TMAO are confounded by impaired kidney function and poor metabolic control but are not associated with the history, presence or incidence of symptoms or events of coronary heart disease.
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The anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular protective effects of statin for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are not clear. We tested the hypothesis that statin use is associated with reduced mortality and morbidity in SLE patients with hyperlipidemia. ⋯ Statin therapy in SLE patients with hyperlipidemia may reduce the risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease and ESRD. The effect of statins needs to be demonstrated in large prospective studies with long-term follow-up.