Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jan 2021
Randomized Controlled TrialRandomized Trial of Empagliflozin in Nondiabetic Patients With Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction.
Large clinical trials established the benefits of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors in patients with diabetes and with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The early and significant improvement in clinical outcomes is likely explained by effects beyond a reduction in hyperglycemia. ⋯ Empagliflozin administration to nondiabetic HFrEF patients significantly improves LV volumes, LV mass, LV systolic function, functional capacity, and quality of life when compared with placebo. Our observations strongly support a role for sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors in the treatment of HFrEF patients independently of their glycemic status. (Are the "Cardiac Benefits" of Empagliflozin Independent of Its Hypoglycemic Activity? [ATRU-4] [EMPA-TROPISM]; NCT03485222).
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jan 2021
ReviewPathological Evidence for SARS-CoV-2 as a Cause of Myocarditis: JACC Review Topic of the Week.
To investigate whether severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced myocarditis constitutes an important mechanism of cardiac injury, a review was conducted of the published data and the authors' experience was added from autopsy examination of 16 patients dying of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Myocarditis is an uncommon pathologic diagnosis occurring in 4.5% of highly selected cases undergoing autopsy or endomyocardial biopsy. ⋯ It should be appreciated that myocardial inflammation alone by macrophages and T cells can be seen in noninfectious deaths and COVID-19 cases, but the extent of each is different, and in neither case do such findings represent clinically relevant myocarditis. Given its extremely low frequency and unclear therapeutic implications, the authors do not advocate use of endomyocardial biopsy to diagnose myocarditis in the setting of COVID-19.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jan 2021
Diet-Derived Circulating Antioxidants and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Study.
Previously, observational studies have identified associations between higher levels of dietary-derived antioxidants and lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), whereas randomized clinical trials showed no reduction in CHD risk following antioxidant supplementation. ⋯ Evidence from our study did not support a protective effect of genetic predisposition to high dietary-derived antioxidant levels on CHD risk. Therefore, it is unlikely that taking antioxidants to increase blood antioxidants levels will have a clinical benefit for the prevention of primary CHD.