Bmc Cardiovasc Disor
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Jul 2015
Association between elevated serum alanine aminotransferase and cardiometabolic risk factors in rural Chinese population: a cross-sectional study.
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels may be associated with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association between elevated ALT levels and cardiometabolic risk factors in a rural Chinese population. ⋯ There are significant relationships of elevated ALT levels with cardiometabolic risk factors and several sex-related differences in rural Chinese. Elevated serum ALT levels are associated with a worse cardiac risk profile.
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Jan 2015
Observational StudyChest pain in the emergency department: risk stratification with Manchester triage system and HEART score.
Fast and accurate chest pain risk stratification in the emergency department (ED) is critical. The HEART score predicts the short-term incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in this population, dividing it in three risk categories. We aimed to describe the population with chest pain, to characterize the subgroup of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and to assess the prognostic value of Manchester triage system and of HEART score. ⋯ Chest pain patients have very different levels of severity and the discriminatory power of Manchester triage system should be used in the assessment of this population. The HEART score seems to be an effective tool for risk stratification in the ED.
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Jan 2015
Clinical TrialDetection of occult paroxysmal atrial fibrilation by implantable long-term electrocardiographic monitoring in cryptogenic stroke and transient ischemic attack population: a study protocol for prospective matched cohort study.
Cardio-embolic etiology is the most frequently predicted cause of cryptogenic stroke/TIA. Detection of occult paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is crucial for selection of appropriate medication. ⋯ In our study we are focusing on a possible correlation between detection of atrial fibrillation by an implantable ECG recorder, and PITX2 and/or ZFHX3 gene mutations in cryptogenic stroke/TIA patients. A correlation could lead to implementation of this genomic approach to cryptogenic stroke/TIA diagnostics and management. The results will be published in 2018.
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Nov 2014
Comparative StudyContrasting clinical evidence for market authorisation of cardio-vascular devices in Europe and the USA: a systematic analysis of 10 devices based on Austrian pre-reimbursement assessments.
European medical device regulation is under scrutiny and will be re-regulated with stricter rules concerning requirements for clinical evidence for high-risk medical devices. It is the aim of this study to analyse the differences between Europe and USA in dealing with risks and benefits of new cardio-vascular devices. ⋯ Market authorisation based on mature clinical data deriving from larger RCTs and longer follow-ups do not only change the perspective on the risk-benefit ratio, but also secures real patient benefit and safety and assures payers of investing only in truly innovative devices.
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Oct 2014
BRG1 overexpression in smooth muscle cells promotes the development of thoracic aortic dissection.
Here we investigated Brahma-related gene 1 (BRG1) expression in aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and its role in the regulation of the pathological changes in aortic SMCs of thoracic arotic dissection (TAD). ⋯ BRG1 is significantly upregulated in the aortic SMCs of TAD, and its overexpression might promote the development of TAD by increasing MMP2 and MMP9 expression, inducing SMC apoptosis and the transition from contractile to synthetic phenotype.