Category: News & Events

Unveiling Mysteries in Congenital Diseases: A Case Report of Williams-Beuren Syndrome

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.      Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder closely associated with cardiovascular malformations, distinctive facial features, impaired cognitive ability, abnormal growth and development, endocrine dysfunction, and other related systems.

In patients with WBS, the presence of cardiovascular malformations often necessitates genetic testing. This testing not only confirms the diagnosis but also facilitates the identification of associated syndromic features. Early and accurate diagnosis through genetic testing is instrumental for guiding further investigations, and initiating targeted therapies and support services. Such proactive management can substantially improve prognosis and quality of life for patients with WBS. Although surgery remains the most effective approach for repairing cardiovascular malformations, its implementation entails notable surgical risks.

Clinicians should prioritize the identification and diagnosis of WBS, and strive to develop an effective management model involving collaboration among hospitals, families, and society. Here, we presented a case report of a patient with WBS and congenital heart disease, to contribute to a deeper understanding of this condition.

https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/CVIA.2024.0005

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications is indexed in the EMBASE, EBSCO, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ, Index Copernicus, Research4Life and Ulrich’s web Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Zixi Zhang, Cancan Wang and Qiuzhen Lin et al. Unveiling Mysteries in Congenital Diseases: A Case Report of Williams-Beuren Syndrome. CVIA. 2024. Vol. 9(1). DOI: 10.15212/CVIA.2024.0005

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Feasibility of an Integrated Digital and Pharmacological Approach Targeting Blood Lipids in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Management

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.     Strong evidence supports the importance of lipid-lowering and exercise therapies in the long-term therapy of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Establishing efficient comprehensive intervention programs that combine pharmacological and exercise prescription is crucial to investigate with the aid of digital technologies.

A convenience sample of 25 ASCVD patients (57.8 ± 9.5 years, 76% males) was gathered. All participants were prescribed with 12-week home exercise program supervised by an app and bimonthly 75mg alirocumab subcutaneous injections. Follow up visits were scheduled at the end of 4th and 12th week.

Nineteen participants completed the program with a retention rate of 76%. Sixteen (84.2%) participants received all six doses of alirocumab. The total management time of the 12-week program added up to 65.47 minutes per patient. Satisfaction score was 4.2 ± 0.6 and the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS) overall objective quality score on the app was 3.4 ± 0.7. At the 4-week and 12-week follow-ups, LDL-C levels reduced compared to baseline (−1.5 ± 0.8 mmol/L, P < 0.001, −1.6 ± 0.8 mmol/L, P < 0.001, respectively), along with TC (−1.8 ± 1.2 mmol/L, P < 0.001, −1.6 ± 1.3 mmol/L, P < 0.001, respectively), but not TG, HDL-C, GAD-7 and PHQ-9.

The integrated pharmaceutical and digital ERx intervention program was feasible and well accepted in ASCVD patients.

https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/CVIA.2024.0002

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications is indexed in the EMBASE, EBSCO, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ, Index Copernicus, Research4Life and Ulrich’s web Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Xu Yi, Qiu Weiyu and Li Yan et al. Feasibility of an Integrated Digital and Pharmacological Approach Targeting Blood Lipids in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Management. CVIA. 2024. Vol. 9(1). DOI: 10.15212/CVIA.2024.0002

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Clinical Characteristics and Features of Idiopathic Premature Ventricular Contractions with an Enlarged Left Atrium in Patients Without Structural Heart Diseases

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal. Idiopathic premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) may cause subtle changes in left atrium (LA) structure and function. The authors of this article investigated whether serum sodium, body mass index (BMI), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and other characteristics might be associated with LA in these patients.

A total of 268 consecutive patients diagnosed with idiopathic PVCs were retrospectively analyzed. We assessed associations of enlarged LA and with the clinical features obtained from 24-hour Holter monitoring, electrocardiography and serum data in patients with PVCs.

Patients with an enlarged LA (n = 101), compared with a normal LA (n = 167), had significantly lower serum sodium (140.9 ± 3.0 mmol/L vs 141.7 ± 2.8 mmol/L; P = 0.022), higher BMI (24.5 ± 2.7 kg/m2 vs 21.7 ± 2.5 kg/m2; P < 0.001), higher NT-proBNP [99.3 (193.6) pg/mL vs 77.8 (68.8) pg/mL; P < 0.001] and lower average heart rates (73.0 ± 8.0 bpm vs 75.3 ± 7.6 bpm; P = 0.019). No significant differences were observed in P-wave dispersion, QRS duration, PVC coupling interval, pleomorphism, circadian rhythm, non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, serum potassium, serum magnesium, hypersensitive C-reactive protein, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, symptoms and PVC duration.

Beyond the burden of PVCs, attributes such as serum sodium, BMI, NT-proBNP and average heart beats may potentially correlate with LA enlargement in individuals with idiopathic PVCs.

https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/CVIA.2023.0094

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications is indexed in the EMBASE, EBSCO, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ, Index Copernicus, Research4Life and Ulrich’s web Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Xue Kuang, Yuxiang Long and Jinhang Che et al. Clinical Characteristics and Features of Idiopathic Premature Ventricular Contractions with an Enlarged Left Atrium in Patients Without Structural Heart Diseases. CVIA. 2024. Vol. 9(1). DOI: 10.15212/CVIA.2023.0094

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Effects of Scalene Muscle Stretching on Slow Vital Capacity and Chest Expansion in Patients After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: An Interventional Study

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a coronary revascularization technique associated with diminished pulmonary function. During the first week after CABG, slow vital capacity (SVC) decreases by 30%–60%. Scalene muscles affect pulmonary function because they attach to the 1st and 2nd ribs. Shorter scalene muscles can decrease inhalation volume and chest expansion. Very few studies have assessed the effects of scalene stretching on SVC and chest expansion in patients post-CABG. Therefore, this study was aimed at determining the effects of scalene muscle stretching on SVC and chest expansion in such patients.

A total of 74 patients post-CABG (phase 2) meeting the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated to two groups: an intervention group (n = 30) performing scalene muscle stretching and a control group (n = 30) performing active neck exercise. Pre & Post SVC and chest expansion were measured in all patients. A total of 14 patients were excluded. Statistical analysis was conducted in SPSS software (version 20.0).

SVC showed significant increase (P < 0.05) in the intervention group compared with the control group. Chest expansion was statistically non-significant between groups (P > 0.05).

Scalene muscle stretching improves SVC in patients post-CABG (phase 2). Hence, scalene stretching should be included in programs for improving respiratory function.

https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/CVIA.2023.0089

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications is indexed in the EMBASE, EBSCO, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ, Index Copernicus, Research4Life and Ulrich’s web Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Miral Vyas, Mihir Mehta and Falak Oza et al. Effects of Scalene Muscle Stretching on Slow Vital Capacity and Chest Expansion in Patients After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: An Interventional Study. CVIA. 2024. Vol. 9(1). DOI: 10.15212/CVIA.2023.0089

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The Development of Ventricular Assist Devices over the Past 30 Years: A Bibliometric Analysis

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.

A large gap exists between the needs of patients with end-stage heart failure and the number of gold-standard heart transplants. Over the past 30 years, a revolutionary treatment strategy using ventricular assist devices (VADs) has rapidly developed and become widely used in clinical practice. However, few analyses have assessed the application and publication trends in the VAD field.

The authors of this article used the Web of Science core collection to identify VAD research published between 1992 and 2022. Analysis and data visualization was performed with CiteSpace, Scimago Graphica, and VOSviewer.

13,274 articles published in 1129 journals were identified, describing work from 6351 institutions in 86 countries. Among them, the United States contributed the most to VAD research, and almost all the top ten authors and institutions contributing to VAD research were from the United States.

In the past 5 years, VAD research has focused on right heart failure, outcomes, effects and risk factors, societies of surgeons, and clinical guidelines. Because of the large number of patients with heart failure, it is expected that VAD development to peak in the next decade.

https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/CVIA.2023.0088

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications is indexed in the EMBASE, EBSCO, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ, Index Copernicus, Research4Life and Ulrich’s web Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Zhou Liu, Siyue Zheng and Yazhe Zhang et al. The Development of Ventricular Assist Devices over the Past 30 Years: A Bibliometric Analysis. CVIA. 2024. Vol. 9(1). DOI: 10.15212/CVIA.2023.0088

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Model for Patients with Multivessel Coronary Artery Lesions in the Highlands Region (Qinghai Province, Northwest China)

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.

The severity and prognosis of coronary artery disease are closely associated with treatment strategy choice. To achieve timely, accurate, early selection of a suitable treatment plan and assess patients’ prognosis, the authors of this article developed an effective predictive model for early identification of high-risk patients according to lesion severity.

Among the 510 patients with chest pain admitted to the Qinghai Red Cross Hospital between August 2018 and October 2019, 386 had coronary artery disease detected by coronary angiography. A total of 24 demographic characteristics and serum markers were analyzed in study participants. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was used to select variables, and multivariate logistic regression was used to build predictive models by using nominal plots. The discriminatory power of the models was evaluated with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Predictive models were calibrated with calibration plots and the Hosmer–Lemeshow test. Their clinical validity was evaluated via decision curve analysis.

Data were randomly divided (7:3) into training (358 cases) and test (152 cases) sets. The predictive model included sex, age, smoking status, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, albumin, urea nitrogen, creatinine, uric acid, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol as predictors. The AUCs for the training and test sets were 0.793 and 0.732, respectively. The predictive model showed a good fit, and decision curve analysis indicated the clinical validity of the predictive model.

An effective risk predictive model was developed with good clinical value for predicting multivessel disease. Smoking cessation, lowering creatinine, and increasing HDL cholesterol concentrations might decrease the risk of developing multivessel disease, thereby avoiding severe disease.

https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/CVIA.2023.0084

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications is indexed in the EMBASE, EBSCO, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ, Index Copernicus, Research4Life and Ulrich’s web Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Jun Li, Haixia Qin and Jiuping Zhao et al. Model for Patients with Multivessel Coronary Artery Lesions in the Highlands Region (Qinghai Province, Northwest China). CVIA. 2024. Vol. 9(1). DOI: 10.15212/CVIA.2023.0084

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Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy and Long-Term Outcomes in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly common in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and it is a strong predictor of subsequent cardiovascular events. However, whether treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can decrease this risk remains controversial.

PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were systematically searched to identify randomized clinical trials reporting cardiovascular events from database inception to February 12, 2022.

(more…)

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Age-related Pancoronary Characteristics in Patients with ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal. Age-related vulnerable characteristics of pancoronary plaques in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have not been systemically evaluated by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The authors of this article explore the discrepancies in pancoronary characteristics between younger and older patients with STEMI through OCT.

This retrospective single-center study included 588 patients who had STEMI and underwent three-vessel OCT through emergency percutaneous coronary intervention between October 2016 and September 2018. With a median age of 56 years as a cutoff, the patients were divided into a younger group (≤56 years, n = 298) and an older group (>56 years, n = 290).

A total of 795 non-culprit plaques were found in 298 of the younger patients, whereas 858 non-culprit plaques were identified in 290 of the older patients. Fewer high-risk OCT plaques (15.8% vs. 23.1%; P = 0.025), as well as other structures (cholesterol crystals, P = 0.001; microchannels, P = 0.032; calcifications, P < 0.001; spotty calcifications, P < 0.001; large calcifications, P < 0.001; and thrombi, P = 0.001) were identified in younger patients than older patients, at the patient level. In addition, pancoronary vulnerability in younger patients was independently predicted by culprit plaque rupture {CLIMA-defined high-risk plaques (odds ratio [OR]: 3.179; 95% CI: 1.501 to 6.733; P = 0.003), non-culprit rupture (OR: 3.802; 95% CI: 1.604 to 9.014; P = 0.002), non-culprit thin-cap fibroatheroma (OR: 3.536; 95% CI: 2.051 to 6.094; P < 0.001)}, hypertension (OR: 1.920; 95% CI: 1.099 to 3.355; P = 0.022), and total cholesterol (OR: 1.094; 95% CI: 1.002 to 1.195; P = 0.045). In older patients with STEMI, the predictor was male sex (OR: 3.031; 95% CI: 1.352 to 6.795; P = 0.007).

Among patients with STEMI, younger patients had limited vulnerable plaque characteristics, and pancoronary vulnerability was associated with culprit plaque rupture, hypertension, and total cholesterol. In contrast, older patients had greater pancoronary vulnerability with the single predictor of male sex, thus suggesting that traditional risk factors have limited applicability in predicting pancoronary vulnerability in older patients.

Read More: https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/CVIA.2023.0082

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications is indexed in the EMBASE, EBSCO, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ, Index Copernicus, Research4Life and Ulrich’s web Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Tianyu Wu, Jiawei Zhao and Ming Zeng et al. Age-related Pancoronary Characteristics in Patients with ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction. CVIA. 2024. Vol. 9(1). DOI: 10.15212/CVIA.2023.0082

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Relationship between Serum Selenium Levels and Hypertension: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2018

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.

This study was aimed at evaluating the association between serum selenium (Se) levels and hypertension in American adults.

Data were extracted from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2009–2018). Multivariate logistic regression and subgroup analysis were conducted to examine associations between Se and hypertension.

Patients with hypertension had higher serum Se levels than healthy participants (P = 0.01017). After adjustment for demographic and health behaviors, serum Se levels were significantly associated with systolic blood pressure in women (OR = 0.014; 95% CI: 0.001–0.027; P = 0.04174). Serum Se levels were significantly associated with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in both women and men. In subgroup analysis, serum Se levels were significantly associated with higher diastolic blood pressure (P for trend <0.001).

In summary, this analysis supports a nonlinear association between serum Se levels and the prevalence of hypertension, and higher serum Se levels were associated with higher DBP.

https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/CVIA.2023.0096

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications is indexed in the EMBASE, EBSCO, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ, Index Copernicus, Research4Life and Ulrich’s web Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Wang Lili and Guo Liwei. Relationship between Serum Selenium Levels and Hypertension: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2018. CVIA. 2024. Vol. 9(1). DOI: 10.15212/CVIA.2023.0096

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Gut Microbiota and Vascular Diseases: An Update

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.

Vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, aneurysms, and vascular calcification, are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In past decades, the gut microbiota has been found to be an indispensable population exerting effects on hosts under physiological and pathological conditions. Gut microbiota-derived metabolites, such as trimethylamine-N-oxide and short-chain fatty acids, mediate these effects by regulating vascular cells systematically. Translation of research knowledge to clinical scenarios has led to the development of new therapies including dietary interventions and metabolite inhibitors. This review describes recent advancements in understanding of the interplay between the gut microbiota and vascular dysfunction, and potential treatments for vascular diseases.

https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/CVIA.2023.0090

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications is indexed in the EMBASE, EBSCO, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ, Index Copernicus, Research4Life and Ulrich’s web Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Jiaqi Wu, Yuxuan Li and Peipei Yang et al. Gut Microbiota and Vascular Diseases: An Update. CVIA. 2024. Vol. 9(1). DOI: 10.15212/CVIA.2023.0090

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