European journal of clinical investigation
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Sep 2022
Mental Health Conditions and Risk of First-Ever Ischemic Stroke and Death in Patients with Incident Atrial Fibrillation: A Nationwide Cohort Study.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with mental health conditions (MHCs) have higher incidence of ischaemic stroke (IS) than patients without MHC, but whether this results from direct impact of MHCs or relates to higher prevalence of comorbidities and differences in the use of oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy is unclear. We assessed the hypothesis that MHCs independently increase the risk of IS in patients with incident AF. ⋯ In this nationwide retrospective cohort study, MHCs were not associated with the incidence of first-ever IS in patients with AF.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Sep 2022
Prgonostic implications of traditional and non-traditional cardiovascular risk factor profiles in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent disease with associated mortality risk, mediated in large part through its associated cardiovascular risk factors. Standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (SMuRFs; hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, diabetes and smoking) are established drivers of cardiovascular disease; however, the importance of non-traditional mediators of cardiovascular risk (NTRFs) such as chronic renal impairment, obstructive sleep apnoea and obesity is emerging. The differential impact of these risk factors on outcomes in patients with AF is not well studied. ⋯ The presence of both SMuRFs and NTRFs has prognostic implications in patients with non-valvular AF.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Sep 2022
KLF4 prevented angiotensin II-induced smooth muscle cell senescence by enhancing autophagic activity.
Vascular aging is an important risk factor for various cardiovascular diseases. Transcription factor krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) could regulate the phenotypic transformation of the vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) in the pathogenesis of aortic diseases. The present study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of KLF4 in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced VSMC senescence. ⋯ Our results demonstrated that overexpression of KLF4 prevented Ang II-induced VSMC senescence by promoting TERT-mediated autophagy. These findings provided novel potential targets for the prevention and therapy of vascular aging.