American heart journal
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American heart journal · Sep 2013
Association between septal strain rate and histopathology in symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients undergoing septal myectomy.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is histopathologically characterized by myocyte hypertrophy, disarray, interstitial fibrosis, and small intramural coronary arteriole dysplasia, which contribute to disease progression. Longitudinal systolic and early diastolic strain rate (SR) measurements by speckle tracking echocardiography are sensitive markers of regional myocardial function. We sought to determine the association between septal SR and histopathologic findings in symptomatic HCM patients who underwent surgical myectomy. ⋯ In HCM patients, there is inverse association between various histopathologic findings and septal SR. Strain rate might potentially provide further insight into HCM pathophysiology.
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American heart journal · Sep 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyEvaluation of the dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α/γ agonist aleglitazar to reduce cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus: rationale and design of the AleCardio trial.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) regulate transcription of genes involved in glucose uptake, lipid metabolism, and inflammation. Aleglitazar is a potent dual PPAR agonist with insulin-sensitizing and glucose-lowering actions and favorable effects on lipid profiles and biomarkers of cardiovascular risk. The AleCardio trial examines whether the addition of aleglitazar to standard medical therapy reduces the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and recent acute coronary syndrome. ⋯ AleCardio will establish whether the PPAR-α/γ agonist aleglitazar improves cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes and high-risk coronary disease.
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American heart journal · Sep 2013
African American race but not genome-wide ancestry is negatively associated with atrial fibrillation among postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in women and is associated with higher rates of stroke and death. Rates of AF are lower in African American subjects compared with European Americans, suggesting European ancestry could contribute to AF risk. ⋯ African American race is significantly and inversely correlated with AF in postmenopausal women. The etiology of this association remains unclear and may be related to unidentified environmental differences. Larger studies are necessary to identify genetic determinants of AF in African Americans.
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American heart journal · Sep 2013
High-sensitive cardiac troponin T and its relations to cardiovascular risk factors, morbidity, and mortality in elderly men.
Cardiac troponin is emerging as risk indicator in community-dwelling populations. In this study, we investigated the associations of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) to cardiovascular (CV) disease and outcome in elderly men. ⋯ In community-dwelling men, cTnT levels are associated to CV risk factors and morbidities and predict both fatal and nonfatal CV events. The relations to outcome are mainly seen in men with prevalent CV disease indicating that the prognostic value of cTnT in subjects free from CV disease is limited.