Journal of the American Heart Association
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A "Christmas holiday effect" showing elevated cardiovascular mortality over the Christmas holidays (December 25 to January 7) was demonstrated previously in study from the United States. To separate the effect of seasonality from any holiday effect, a matching analysis was conducted for New Zealand, where the Christmas holiday period falls within the summer season. ⋯ Cardiac mortality is elevated during the Christmas holiday period relative to surrounding time periods. Our findings are consistent with a previously reported study conducted in the United States, suggesting that cardiac mortality does not take a "summer break."
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Loss of Caspase-Activated DNase Protects Against Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice.
Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease that is closely related to inflammation and macrophage apoptosis, which leads to secondary necrosis and proinflammatory responses in advanced lesions. Caspase-activated DNase (CAD) is a double-strand specific endonuclease that leads to the subsequent degradation of chromosome DNA during apoptosis. However, whether CAD is involved in the progression of atherosclerosis remains elusive. ⋯ In conclusion, CAD deficiency protects against atherosclerosis through inhibiting inflammation and macrophage apoptosis, which is partially through inactivation of the MEK-ERK1/2 signaling pathway. This finding provides a promising therapeutic target for treating atherosclerosis.
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Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is widely proposed for the treatment of refractory cardiac arrest. It should be associated with coronary angiography if coronary artery disease is suspected. However, the prioritization of care remains unclear in this situation. Our goal was to determine whether coronary reperfusion should be instituted as soon as possible in such situations in a pig model. ⋯ Early reperfusion improved hemodynamic status and facilitated return of spontaneous circulation in a porcine model of ischemic cardiac arrest treated by ECPR.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Development of a Smartphone-Enabled Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus Management Package to Facilitate Evidence-Based Care Delivery in Primary Healthcare Facilities in India: The mPower Heart Project.
The high burden of undetected and undertreated hypertension and diabetes mellitus is a major health challenge worldwide. The mPower Heart Project aimed to develop and test a feasible and scalable intervention for hypertension and diabetes mellitus by task-sharing with the use of a mobile phone-based clinical decision support system at Community Health Centers in Himachal Pradesh, India. ⋯ URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT01794052. Clinical Trial Registry-India: CTRI/2013/02/003412.
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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cause for hospitalization, but there are limited data regarding acute kidney injury requiring dialysis (AKI-D) in AF hospitalizations. We aimed to assess temporal trends and outcomes in AF hospitalizations complicated by AKI-D utilizing a nationally representative database. ⋯ AF hospitalizations complicated by AKI-D have quintupled over the last decade with differential increase by demographic groups. AKI-D is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Without effective AKI-D therapies, focus should be on early risk stratification and prevention to avoid this devastating complication.