Prognostic significance of right bundle branch block in patients with acute inferior myocardial infarction

There is little information available concerning the influence of right bundle branch block (RBBB) on the prognosis of patients with inferior myocardial infarction (MI). In this study we evaluated the influence of RBBB on the short-term prognosis of patients with inferior MI. Our study subjects were 1,265 hospitalized patients with Q wave MI. Patients were divided into 4 groups based on the presence or absence of RBBB and on the location of the infarction. RBBB was classified into 4 categories according to the timing of its appearance and its duration as new permanent, transient, old and age indeterminate. In-hospital death and pulmonary congestion were observed more frequently in patients with RBBB than in those without RBBB. Moreover, in inferior MI as in anterior MI, in-hospital death and pulmonary congestion occurred more frequently in new permanent RBBB patients than in patients with other types of RBBB. Multivariate regression analysis reveals that new permanent RBBB was a strong independent predictor for an adverse short-term prognosis in patients with inferior MI, as well as in patients with anterior MI. New permanent RBBB during inferior MI is a strong independent predictor for increased in-hospital mortality, regardless of the infarction location.</p

Increased Circulating Malondialdehyde-Modified Low-Density Lipoprotein Level Is Associated with High-Risk Plaque in Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography in Patients Receiving Statin Therapy

Objective: To evaluate the association of serum malondialdehyde low-density lipoprotein (MDA-LDL), an oxidatively modified LDL, with the prevalence of high-risk plaques (HRP) determined with coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) in statin-treated patients. Methods: This study was a single-center retrospective cohort comprising 268 patients (mean age 67 years, 58% men) with statin therapy and who underwent coronary CTA for suspected stable coronary artery disease. Patients were classified into two groups according to median MDA-LDL level or median LDL-C level. Coronary CTA-verified HRP was defined when two or more characteristics, including positive remodeling, low-density plaques, and spotty calcification, were present. Results: Patients with HRP had higher MDA-LDL (p = 0.011), but not LDL-C (p = 0.867) than those without HRP. High MDA-LDL was independently associated with HRP (odds ratio 1.883, 95% confidential interval 1.082-3.279) after adjustment for traditional risk factors. Regarding incremental value of MDA-LDL for predicting CTA-verified HRP, addition of serum MDA-LDL levels to the baseline model significantly increased global chi-square score from 26.1 to 32.8 (p = 0.010). Conclusions: A high serum MDA-LDL level is an independent predictor of CTA-verified HRP, which can lead to cardiovascular events in statin-treated patients

Association of Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease with High-Risk Plaque on Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography: A Matched Case-Control Study

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a risk factor for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and oxidative stress has been proposed as a shared pathophysiological condition. This study examined whether oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is involved in the underlying mechanism that links coronary atherosclerosis and NAFLD. This study included 631 patients who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) for suspected coronary artery disease. NAFLD was defined on CT images as a liver-to-spleen attenuation ratio of <1.0. Serum-malondialdehyde-modified LDL (MDA-LDL) and coronary CTA findings were analyzed in a propensity-score-matched cohort of patients with NAFLD (n = 150) and those without NAFLD (n = 150). This study analyzed 300 patients (median age, 65 years; 64% men). Patients with NAFLD had higher MDA-LDL levels and a greater presence of CTA-verified high-risk plaques than those without NAFLD. In the multivariate linear regression analysis, MDA-LDL was independently associated with NAFLD (beta = 11.337, p = 0.005) and high-risk plaques (beta = 12.487, p = 0.007). Increased MDA-LDL may be a mediator between NAFLD and high-risk coronary plaque on coronary CTA. Increased oxidative stress in NAFLD, as assessed using MDA-LDL, may be involved in the development of CVDs

The Association of Triglyceride to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio with High-Risk Coronary Plaque Characteristics Determined by CT Angiography and Its Risk of Coronary Heart Disease

The triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio is an independent risk index for cardiovascular events. This study aimed to evaluate the association between TG/HDL-C ratio and coronary plaque characteristics as seen on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and the corresponding increase in the likelihood of cardiovascular events. A total of 935 patients who underwent CCTA for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) were included. High-risk plaques (HRP) were defined based on three characteristics: positive remodeling, low-density plaques, and spotty calcification. Significant stenosis was defined as luminal narrowing of >70%. Patients with a higher TG/HDL-C ratio showed significantly greater prevalence of HRP and significant stenosis than patients with low TG/HDL-C ratios (p < 0.01). Multivariate logistic analysis demonstrated that the TG/HDL-C ratio was significantly associated with the presence of HRP (p < 0.01) but not with significant coronary stenosis (p = 0.24). During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, 26 cardiovascular events including cardiovascular death and acute coronary syndrome occurred. The highest TG/HDL-C tertile was associated with cardiovascular events, with the lowest TG/HDL-C tertile as the reference (hazard ratio, 3.75; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-13.50). A high TG/HDL-C ratio is associated with the presence of CCTA-verified HRP, which can lead to cardiovascular events in patients with suspected CAD

Direct Observation of Radical States and the Correlation with Performance Degradation in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes During Device Operation

Microscopic characterization of radical states in organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) during device operation is useful for elucidating the degradation mechanism because the radical formation has been considered as non‐radiative recombination centers. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy is suitable for such characterization because it can directly observe radicals in OLEDs. In this work, the detailed ESR investigation into the radical states in OLEDs during device operation is firstly reported using a typical light‐emitting Alq3‐based OLEDs. The simultaneous measurements of the ESR signal and the luminance of the same OLED are performed to study the direct correlation between the radical states and the performance degradation. These characteristics show that the luminance monotonically decreases and an ESR signal concomitantly increases as the duration of the device operation increases after operating the OLED. Using the analysis of density functional theory (DFT) calculation, the origin of the newly emerged ESR signal is ascribed to the cationic species due to decomposed Alq3 molecules. The elucidation of the radical species formed in OLEDs during device operation has been demonstrated at a molecular level for the first time. This ESR analysis would provide useful knowledge for understanding the degradation mechanism in the OLEDs at the molecular level

The number of circulating CD34-positive cells is an independent predictor of coronary artery calcification progression: Sub-analysis of a prospective multicenter study

Background: Decreases in circulating CD34-positive cells are associated with increases in cardiovascular events. We investigated the association between the number of CD34-positive cells and the progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC), a marker of atherosclerosis, in patients with hypercholesteremia under statin therapy in a sub-analysis of a multicenter study. Methods: In the principal study, patients with CAC scores of 1–999 were treated with pitavastatin. Measurement of CAC by non-enhanced computed tomography and a blood test were performed at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Patients were divided into two groups: CAC progression (change in CAC score > 0) and non-progression. The number of circulating CD34-positive cells was counted using flow cytometry. Results: A total of 156 patients (mean age 67 years, 55% men) were included in this sub-analysis. CD34 positive cell numbers at baseline as a continuous variable was inversely correlated with annual change in the log-transformed CAC score (r = –0.19, p = 0.02). When patients were divided into high and low CD34 groups based on the median value of 0.8 cells/μL, the adjusted change in CAC score in the low-CD34 group was significantly greater than that in the high-CD34 group (54.2% vs. 20.8%, respectively, p = 0.04). In multiple logistic analysis, a low CD34-positive cell number was an independent predictor of CAC progression, with an odds ratio of 2.88 (95% confidence interval 1.28–6.49, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Low numbers of CD34-positive cells are associated with CAC progression in patients with hypercholesterolemia under statin therapy. The number of CD34-positive cells may help to identify patients at increased cardiovascular risk

Association between higher pericoronary adipose tissue attenuation measured by coronary computed tomography angiography and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease A matched case-control study

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a risk factor for cardiac mortality. Pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) attenuation, expressed by the fat attenuation index on coronary computed tomography angiography, reflects pericoronary inflammation. We aimed to investigate the association between PCAT attenuation and NAFLD. This is a single-center cohort study comprising of patients who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography for suspected stable coronary artery disease between January and December 2020. Patient characteristics and coronary computed tomography angiography findings were analyzed between patients with NAFLD (n = 78) and a propensity score-matched cohort of patients without NAFLD (n = 78). PCAT attenuation was assessed in Hounsfield units (HU) of proximal 40-mm segments of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and right coronary artery. The mean PCAT attenuation in LAD and right coronary artery were significantly higher in patients with NAFLD than those without NAFLD. When patients were divided into 2 groups using the median LAD-PCAT attenuation of -72.5 HU, the high PCAT attenuation group had more males (82% vs 67%, P = .028) and NAFLD patients (63% vs 37%, P = .001) compared to the low PCAT attenuation group. No differences in age, body mass index, conventional cardiovascular risk factors, or the presence of high-risk plaque were observed between the 2 groups. In the multivariate logistic analysis, NAFLD was independently associated with high PCAT attenuation (odds ratio 2.912, 95% confidence interval 1.386 to 6.118, P = .005). NAFLD is associated with high PCAT attenuation on coronary computed tomography angiography. This finding suggests that pericoronary inflammation is involved in the increased cardiac mortality in NAFLD patients

High pericoronary adipose tissue attenuation on computed tomography angiography predicts cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: post-hoc analysis from a prospective cohort study

Background Pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) attenuation on coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) is a non-invasive biomarker for pericoronary inflammation. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of PCAT attenuation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods We included 333 T2DM patients (mean age, 66 years; male patients, 211; mean body mass index, 25 kg/m(2)) who underwent clinically indicated coronary CTA and examined their CT findings, coronary artery calcium score, pericardial fat volume, stenosis (> 50% luminal narrowing), high-risk plaque features of low-attenuation plaque and/or positive remodelling and/or spotty calcification, and PCAT attenuation. We assessed PCAT attenuation in Hounsfield units (HU) of proximal 40-mm segments of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and right coronary artery (RCA). Cardiovascular events were defined as cardiac death, hospitalisation for acute coronary syndrome, late coronary revascularisation, and hospitalisation for heart failure. Results During a median follow-up of 4.0 years, we observed 31 cardiovascular events. LAD-PCAT attenuation was significantly higher in patients with cardiovascular events than in those without (- 68.5 +/- 6.5 HU vs - 70.8 +/- 6.1 HU, p = 0.045), whereas RCA-PCAT attenuation was not (p = 0.089). High LAD-PCAT attenuation (> - 70.7 HU; median value) was significantly associated with cardiovascular events in a model that included adverse CTA findings, such as significant stenosis and/or high-risk plaque (hazard ratio; 2.69, 95% confidence interval; 1.17-0.20, p = 0.020). After adding LAD-PCAT attenuation to the adverse CTA findings, the C-statistic and global chi-square values increased significantly from 0.65 to 0.70 (p = 0.037) and 10.9-15.0 (p = 0.043), respectively. Conclusions In T2DM patients undergoing clinically indicated coronary CTA, high LAD-PCAT attenuation could significantly predict cardiovascular events. This suggests that assessing LAD-PCAT attenuation can help physicians identify high-risk T2DM patients

Efficacy and Safety of Early Intravenous Landiolol on Myocardial Salvage in Patients with ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction before Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Randomized Study

Early treatment with an oral β-blocker is recommended in patients with a ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In this multicenter study, we evaluated the effects of a continuous administration of landiolol, an ultrashort-acting β-blocker, before primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on myocardial salvage and its safety in STEMI patients. A total of 47 Japanese patients with anterior or lateral STEMI undergoing a primary PCI within 12 h of symptom onset were randomized to receive intravenous landiolol (started at 3 μg/min/kg dose and continued to a total of 50 mg; n=23) or not (control; n=24). Patients with Killip class III or more were excluded. The primary outcome was the myocardial salvage index on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed 5-7 days after the PCI. Cardiac MRI was performed in 35 patients (74%). The myocardial salvage index in the landiolol group was significantly greater than that in the control group (44.4±14.6% vs. 31.7±18.9%, respectively; p=0.04). There were no significant differences in adverse events at 24 h between the landiolol and control groups. A continuous administration of landiolol before a primary PCI may increase the degree of myocardial salvage without additional hemodynamic adverse effects within the first 24 h after STEMI

Incremental prognostic value of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease over coronary computed tomography angiography findings in patients with suspected coronary artery disease

Aims　This study aimed to investigate additional risk stratification benefits of hepatic steatosis (HS) concurrently assessed during coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) in a large patient cohort with suspected stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods and results　In this prospective study, 1148 Japanese outpatients without a history of CAD who underwent coronary CTA for suspected stable CAD (mean age 64 ± 14 years) were included. HS, defined on CT as a hepatic-to-spleen attenuation ratio of Conclusion　In patients with suspected stable CAD, concurrent evaluation of HS during coronary CTA enables more accurate detection of patients at higher risk of MACE