Volume 03 · Issue 03 · 2023

Repeated hospitalization due to congestion is a characteristic of the whole course of heart failure. Echocardiography can be used to assess cardiac function and volume status. However, whether echocardiography can reduce the rehospitalization rate remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) use on readmission rates in hospitalized patients with heart failure.

The study was based on the Zigong heart failure database, which contained information on 2,008 adult patients with heart failure admitted to the Zigong Fourth People’s Hospital (Sichuan Province, China) from December 2016 to June 2019. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the usage of TTE on the day of hospital admission (TTE group (1,371 patients) and no TTE group (637 patients), respectively). The primary outcome was the 6-month readmission rate. The statistical approaches used included multivariate Cox regression, propensity score analysis, and an inverse probability weighting model to ensure the robustness of the findings.

A significant reduction in 6-month readmission rate was observed among the TTE group compared with the no TTE group (hazard ratio = 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.52-0.69, P < 0.001). The frequencies of intravenous nitrates, diuretics, and inotropes during hospitalization were significantly higher in the TTE group compared with those in the no TTE group (10.9% vs. 8.3%, 88.5% vs. 86.2%, and 66.9% vs. 65.6%, respectively, all P < 0.001). The proportion of patients returning to the emergency department within 6 months was significantly lower in the TTE group compared with the no TTE group (35.6% vs. 50.3%, P < 0.001).

Utilization of TEE on admission day was associated with a reduced 6-month readmission rate in hospitalized patients with heart failure.

Residual cardiovascular risk in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) still needs to be addressed in real-world practice. This study aimed to examine the clinical effectiveness of nicorandil and nitrate in addition to optimal treatment for CHD patients.

This retrospective cohort study included patients with CHD between October 2009 and March 2020 from 2 tertiary hospitals in Wuhan, China. Patients were grouped into nicorandil and nitrate groups depending on the first recorded antianginal therapy. Demographic and clinical data were collected from databases of the 2 hospitals. The primary outcome was cumulative 18-month major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE)-free survival, which was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Propensity score matching (PSM) and multivariate Cox regression were adopted to adjust for confounding factors.

A total of 14,275 patients were analyzed, including 590 and 13,685 patients in the nicorandil and nitrate groups, respectively. With a median follow-up of 0.88 (Q1, Q3: 0.21, 1.54) years, the cumulative 18-month MACE-free survival rates were comparable between the 2 groups (80.0% vs. 75.0%, adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.42-2.56, P = 0.982,7) after 1:4 PSM. The cumulative 18-month stroke-free survival rate was significantly higher in the nicorandil group compared to the nitrate group (93.0% vs. 84.0%, aHR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.34-0.92, P = 0.023,5).

This retrospective study showed that nicorandil and nitrate have similar 18-month rates of MACEs in CHD patients, but nicorandil is associated with lower incidence of stroke compared to nitrate. More studies need to be conducted to validate this association and explore the long-term benefit of nicorandil use on the occurrence of MACEs in the future.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between remnant-like particle cholesterol (RLP-C) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with different levels of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9).

From September 2007 to January 2009, 1,859 subjects in Pingguoyuan communities in Beijing were initially screened. After excluding those with bedridden status, mental illness, severe systemic diseases, and missing data, 1,680 subjects were recruited for follow up. All recruited subjects were followed up from February 2013 to September 2013 (181 subjects were lost to follow-up) and from June 2017 to September 2018 (174 subjects were lost to follow up). Finally, 1,325 subjects were included in the study. General demographic characteristics, lifestyle and behaviors, disease history and use of medication was collected. Levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fast blood glucose, RLP-C, low-density lipoprotein triglycerides and PCSK9 were measured. The levels of RLP-C (low: RLP-C ≤ 157 mg/L; high: RLP-C > 157 mg/L) and PCSK9 (low: PCSK9 ≤ 135.87 μg/L; high: PCSK9 > 135.87 μg/L) were represented using quartiles. Subjects were categorized into 4 groups according to their RLP-C and PCSK9 levels: Q4, high levels of RLP-C with high levels of PCSK9; Q3, high levels of RLP-C with low levels of PCSK9; Q2, low levels of RLP-C with high levels of PCSK9; and Q1, low levels of RLP-C with low levels of PCSK9. The association of RLP-C with MACEs in subjects with different PCSK9 levels was evaluated.

After a median follow-up of 9.5 years, 1,325 subjects were included in the study and a total of 191 MACEs had occurred. The incidence of MACEs was higher in the RLP-C > 157 mg/L group than the RLP-C ≤ 157 mg/L group (18.40% vs. 10.42%). Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis showed that increased RLP-C levels were associated with an increased risk of MACEs (hazard ratio: 1.405; 95% confidence interval: 1.005-1.964; P < 0.005). The incidence of MACEs was higher in the high RLP-C/PCSK9 group vs. the low RLP-C/PCSK9 group (20.68% vs. 8.76%). Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis showed that RLP-C was associated with an increased risk of MACEs in subjects with high PCSK9 levels independent of traditional risk factors (hazard ratio: 1.791; 95% confidence interval: 1.168-2.825; P = 0.001), but not in those with low PCSK9 levels.

RLP-C was identified as a risk factor for MACEs, particularly in subjects with high PCSK9 levels. Lowering PCSK9 levels may reduce residual risk in subjects with elevated plasma RLP-C levels.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can lead to a cytokine storm, unleashed in part by pyroptosis of virus-infected macrophages and monocytes. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has emerged as a key participant in this ominous complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). IL-6 antagonists have improved outcomes in patients with COVID-19 in some, but not all, studies. IL-6 signaling involves at least 3 distinct pathways, including classic-signaling, trans-signaling, and trans-presentation depending on the localization of IL-6 receptor and its binding partner glycoprotein gp130. IL-6 has become a therapeutic target in COVID-19, cardiovascular diseases, and other inflammatory conditions. However, the efficacy of inhibition of IL-6 signaling in metabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, may depend in part on cell type-dependent actions of IL-6 in controlling lipid metabolism, glucose uptake, and insulin sensitivity owing to complexities that remain to be elucidated. The present review sought to summarize and discuss the current understanding of how and whether targeting IL-6 signaling ameliorates outcomes following SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated clinical complications, focusing predominantly on metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality that has led to a huge public health burden. The optimal target of blood pressure (BP) to prevent cardiovascular complications remains unclear. Based on the results of the Systolic BP Intervention Trial (SPRINT) in 2015, the 2017 American College of Cardiology /American Heart Association guidelines for diagnosis and management of high BP in adults has changed the diagnostic threshold from 140/90 to 130/80 mmHg, and the target BP to 130/80 mmHg for nearly all hypertensive patients diagnosed using the new criteria. However, the findings from the SPRINT trial were to an extent contrasting with the results of previous large randomized controlled trials, namely Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) and Secondary Prevention of Small Subcortical Strokes (SPS3). Besides, the 2018 European Society of Cardiology/European Society of Hypertension guidelines and the 2018 Chinese guidelines have maintained the conventional threshold and recommended target of 140/90 mmHg for most hypertensive patients. Given the special measurement of BP in the SPRINT trial and using an automated measurement system, the intensive systolic BP target of 120 mmHg provided by the SPRINT trial was not widely adopted. Most recently, the Strategy of BP Intervention in the Elderly Hypertensive Patients (STEP) trial, with a higher systolic BP target of 110 to 130 mmHg in the intensive group, confirmed the benefit and safety of intensive BP control in patients with hypertension, in accordance with the SPRINT trial. Here, the results from randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and other observational research studies, have been reviewed to evaluate the optimal target of BP treatment and the threshold of diagnostic criteria for hypertension.

With the growing influence of slow population growth and population aging, China has established the birth policy and issued a series of documents to promote maternal and fetal health and improve the birth rate. With the increase in prevalence of birth defects, timely diagnosis and intervention in utero provide possibilities to reduce unnecessary abortions and offer better prognosis. Congenital heart disease (CHD), as one of the most common congenital birth defects, is the leading cause of mortality in patients aged <5 years, and brings a heavy burden to both the affected families and society. Fetuses with CHD are associated with an increased risk of pregnancy-related complications and premature birth, and children with CHD typically face growth and developmental problems even after the correction of malformation. Therefore, management including diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation throughout the fetal period into childhood and even adulthood is essential for children with CHD. Based on the rapid advances in intrauterine and perinatal medicine and an in-depth collaboration among obstetrics and pediatrics, a novel diagnosis and treatment system has been established for the management of CHD in the past 2 decades in Shanghai Xinhua Hospital. This Intrauterine Diagnosis and Treatment System and Comprehensive Lifecycle Health Service of Congenital Heart Disease model provides prenatal diagnosis, intrauterine intervention, delivery room service and neonatal therapies, and postintrauterine rehabilitation for children with CHD. We have developed a four-dimensional spatiotemporal image correlation echocardiography and a three-dimensional cardiac virtual endoscopy system for the intrauterine diagnosis of CHD, dramatically raising the diagnostic utility. Our innovative and independent newborn-intervention technique has effectively reduced the re-intervention rate in patients with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and critical pulmonary stenosis. In 2018, Xinhua Hospital independently performed the case of fetal aortic valvuloplasty in Asia through a multidepartment collaborative effort. All children treated in this system achieved biventricular circulation and a better long-term postoperative outcome. We also have conducted postoperative rehabilitation therapy to promote the development and health of children with CHD. The practice of Xinhua model has reduced unnecessary abortion of CHD fetuses, reduced the mortality rate associated with critical CHD, and improved the mid- and long-term prognosis in CHD, which is essential to promote the fertility level and children’s health. Furthermore, translational medicine platform and the birth cohort Early Life Plan was constructed to explore the origins of major developmental diseases and establish an early intervention model in CHD. This practice of assessment of the intrauterine system has been expanded to other congenital defects in Xinhua Hospital, and sequential treatment of more than 2,000 cases has been completed to date. Based on practice in intrauterine management of CHD and other diseases, the concept of Intrauterine Pediatrics was proposed as a first to emphasize early prevention and intervention of childhood diseases and promote a comprehensive lifecycle service for children. The development and evolution of this system requires further attention not only from researchers but also from the government and global medical communities.

Cardiac thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is most commonly found in the left atrial appendage (LAA). The incidence of LAA thrombus ranges from 1.2% to 22.6%, with the vast variation in incidence attributed to the patient’s condition. The effective rate of anticoagulation for thrombus dissolution therapy is only 50%-60%, and long-term anticoagulation treatment increases the risk of bleeding. Direct percutaneous LAA closure in AF patients with LAA thrombus in a suitable location is another alternative treatment option. LAA resection with cardiac surgery is also an effective treatment. This review presents the development of the incidence, diagnosis, and treatment of thrombus in LAA.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a degenerative disease characterized by destruction and progressive expansion of the abdominal aortic wall. An AAA is typically defined as an enlargement of the abdominal aorta with diameter ≥3 cm or ≥50% greater than the suprarenal diameter. The pathological changes associated with AAA include inflammatory cell infiltration, extracellular matrix (ECM) destruction and remodeling, and vascular smooth muscle cell loss. The matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family of proteins plays an important role in initiation and progression of AAA. Since understanding the regulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in AAA is essential for treatment of AAA, this review summarized the regulatory mechanisms of MMPs to provide a reference for exploring novel therapeutic approaches.

Here, a patient with chest pain and <50% stenosis on coronary angiography, where ATP stress myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) revealed that coronary flow reserve was reduced to 1.71 was presented. Perfusion delay occurred in the left ventricular wall of the apex of the heart before ATP stress, and the perfusion delay area was significantly reduced at peak stress. Similar to the characteristics of "reverse redistribution" of radionuclide myocardium perfusion in coronary vasospasm, the delayed perfusion area in the recovery period was larger than that detected before stress. Together with increased spectral resistance of the distal segment of left anterior descending coronary artery and chest pain, these findings indicated coronary microvascular disease with spasmodic characteristics in this patient. The perfusion characteristics on ATP stress determined by MCE and changes in coronary spectrum have value for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary microvascular disease with spasmodic characteristics.

在Chen等的病例报告中，^[1]《左心房夹层和严重二尖瓣阻塞的外科治疗》，发表于心脏病学发现，2021，1（2）：135-137，作者需要在引言部分添加以下句子：“患者已同意在杂志上发表其临床数据和图像。”