Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jul 2014
Plasminogen regulates cardiac repair after myocardial infarction through its noncanonical function in stem cell homing to the infarcted heart.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of plasminogen (Plg) in stem cell-mediated cardiac repair and regeneration after myocardial infarction (MI). ⋯ These findings have identified a novel role for Plg in stem cell-mediated cardiac repair after MI. Thus, targeting Plg may offer a new therapeutic strategy for stem cell-mediated cardiac repair after MI.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jun 2014
Multicenter StudyMetabolically-healthy obesity and coronary artery calcification.
The purpose of this study was to compare the coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores of metabolically-healthy obese (MHO) and metabolically healthy normal-weight individuals in a large sample of apparently healthy men and women. ⋯ MHO participants had a higher prevalence of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis than metabolically-healthy normal-weight participants, which supports the idea that MHO is not a harmless condition. This association, however, was mediated by metabolic risk factors at levels below those considered abnormal, which suggests that the label of metabolically healthy for obese subjects may be an artifact of the cutoff levels used in the definition of metabolic health.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyAnti-PCSK9 antibody effectively lowers cholesterol in patients with statin intolerance: the GAUSS-2 randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 clinical trial of evolocumab.
This study sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous evolocumab compared with oral ezetimibe in hypercholesterolemic patients who are unable to tolerate effective statin doses. ⋯ Robust efficacy combined with favorable tolerability makes evolocumab a promising therapy for addressing the largely unmet clinical need in high-risk patients with elevated cholesterol who are statin intolerant. (Goal Achievement After Utilizing an Anti-PCSK9 Antibody in Statin Intolerant Subjects-2; NCT01763905).
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyAnti-PCSK9 monotherapy for hypercholesterolemia: the MENDEL-2 randomized, controlled phase III clinical trial of evolocumab.
The aim of this study was to compare biweekly and monthly evolocumab with placebo and oral ezetimibe in patients with hypercholesterolemia in a phase III trial. ⋯ In the largest monotherapy trial using a PCSK9 inhibitor to date, evolocumab yielded significant LDL-C reductions compared with placebo or ezetimibe and was well tolerated in patients with hypercholesterolemia. (Monoclonal Antibody Against PCSK9 to Reduce Elevated LDL-C in Subjects Currently Not Receiving Drug Therapy for Easing Lipid Levels-2 [MENDEL-2]; NCT01763827).