Journal of internal medicine
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Epidemiological evidence suggests that infections may contribute to atherogenesis. However, with the exception of Chlamydophila pneumoniae, cultivable bacteria have not been recovered from atherosclerotic lesions. Therefore, we aimed at developing an approach to recover uncultivable bacteria from atherectomy tissues. ⋯ These results indicate that viable previously uncultivable bacterial species are present within atheromas. Our results suggest revisiting the hypothesis that infections may have a causative role in atherosclerotic inflammation and have implications for research regarding novel diagnostics and treatments for cardiovascular disease.
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The magnitude of cardiovascular risk associated with psoriasis has been debated and the prognostic impact of psoriasis following myocardial infarction (MI) is unknown. Therefore, we investigated the risk of mortality and adverse cardiovascular events in patients with psoriasis following first-time MI. ⋯ This first study of the impact of psoriasis on prognosis after first-time MI indicated a significantly impaired prognosis in patients with psoriasis. Further studies of this novel association are warranted.
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To assess the safety of long-term treatment with flecainide in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), particularly with regard to sudden cardiac death (SCD) and proarrhythmic events. ⋯ We found an increased incidence of SCD or proarrhythmic events in this real-world study of flecainide used for the treatment of AF. The findings suggest that further investigation into the safety of flecainide for the treatment of patients with AF is warranted.