Journal of internal medicine
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Data on long-term cardiovascular outcomes in primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) are scarce. ⋯ Patients with PSS had a higher associated rate of incident HF and other cardiovascular outcomes compared with the general population. In individuals with incident HF, a history of PSS was not associated with increased mortality.
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Review
Optimizing the vaginal microbiome as a potential strategy to reduce heterosexual HIV transmission.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a proinflammatory genital condition characterized by high vaginal bacterial diversity and a paucity of Lactobacillus species. BV has been linked to an elevated risk of HIV acquisition among HIV-negative women and of forward HIV transmission to male sex partners among women living with HIV (adjusted hazard ratios of 1.69 and 3.17, respectively), potentially by eliciting genital inflammation in women with BV and their male sex partners. ⋯ More recently, BV treatment strategies incorporating live biotherapeutic lactobacilli have led to sustained optimization of the vaginal microbiome and a decrease in inflammatory biomarkers previously associated with HIV susceptibility. Future studies are urgently needed to evaluate BV treatment strategies that can optimize the vaginal microbiome in the long term through colonization with H2 O2 -producing vaginal lactobacilli and to assess whether vaginal microbiota optimization is able to reduce the risk of HIV transmission.
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Elevated plasma methylmalonic acid (MMA) is reported in patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD) and is considered a marker of vitamin B12 deficiency. Moreover, MMA-dependent reactions have been linked to alterations in mitochondrial energy metabolism and oxidative stress, key features in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). ⋯ Elevated MMA was associated with an increased risk of AMI and mortality in patients with suspected or verified CHD.
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The management of patients with psychiatric disease and chest pain in the emergency department (ED) in the era of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays is unexplored. ⋯ Patients with psychiatric disease and chest pain undergo less intense investigation and are less likely to receive cardiovascular medications compared with patients without psychiatric disease, even in the presence of myocardial injury. In addition, they experience a higher risk of being diagnosed with an MI within 30 days after a visit with no MI.