Osteoprotegerin and cardiovascular mortality in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes

Objective: To assess the relationship between osteoprotegerin (OPG) and cardiovascular death, and the pathobiological mechanisms contributing to the association, in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Design: Prospective observational. Setting: Biomarker substudy of MERLIN-TIMI 36, a randomised, placebo controlled trial of ranolazine in non-ST elevation (NSTE)-ACS. Patients: 4463 patients with NSTE-ACS. Interventions: Ranolazine or placebo. Main outcome measures: Incidence of cardiovascular death (CV death); additionally, heart failure (HF), cardiac arrhythmias, inhospital ischaemia, severe recurrent ischaemia or recurrent myocardial infarction (MI). Results: During a median follow-up of 341 days, 208 patients died of cardiovascular causes. The OPG baseline concentration was strongly associated with both 30 day and 1 year incidence of CV death. After adjustment for conventional risk markers, OPG concentrations (log transformed) remained a significant predictor of CV death by 30 days (HR (95% CI) 2.32 (1.30 to 4.17); p¼0.005) and by 1 year (HR 1.85 (1.33 to 2.59); p<0.001). Baseline levels of OPG were also an independent predictor of new or worsening HF at 30 days (HR 2.25 (1.38 to 3.69); p¼0.001) and 1 year (HR 1.81 (1.26 to 2.58) p¼0.001). By univariable analysis, higher OPG was associated with both early ischaemic and arrhythmic events. Although OPG levels were associated with recurrent MI within 12 months, this association was attenuated and no longer significant after multivariable adjustment. Conclusions: OPG is independently associated with 30 day and 1 year risk of cardiovascular mortality and HF development after NSTE-ACS. As no independent relationship between OPG levels and recurrent ischaemia or MI was observed, myocardial dysfunction may be a more important stimulus for OPG production than ischaemia in ACS

Cardiac troponin T levels and exercise stress testing in patients with suspected coronary artery disease: the Akershus Cardiac Examination (ACE) 1 study

Whether reversible ischaemia in patients referred for exercise stress testing and MPI (myocardial perfusion imaging) is associated with changes in circulating cTn (cardiac troponin) levels is controversial. We measured cTnT with a sensitive assay before, immediately after peak exercise and 1.5 and 4.5 h after exercise stress testing in 198 patients referred for MPI. In total, 19 patients were classified as having reversible myocardial ischaemia. cTnT levels were significantly higher in patients with reversible myocardial ischaemia on MPI at baseline, at peak exercise and after 1.5 h, but not at 4.5 h post-exercise. In patients with reversible ischaemia on MPI, cTnT levels did not change significantly after exercise stress testing [11.1 (5.2–14.9) ng/l at baseline compared with 10.5 (7.2–16.3) ng/l at 4.5 h post-exercise, P=0.27; values are medians (interquartile range)]. Conversely, cTnT levels increased significantly during testing in patients without reversible myocardial ischaemia [5.4 (3.0–9.0) ng/l at baseline compared with 7.5 (4.6–12.4) ng/l, P<0.001]. In conclusion, baseline cTnT levels are higher in patients with MPI evidence of reversible myocardial ischaemia than those without reversible ischaemia. However, although cTnT levels increase during exercise stress testing in patients without evidence of reversible ischaemia, this response appears to be blunted in patients with evidence of reversible ischaemia. Mechanisms other than reversible myocardial ischaemia may play a role for acute exercise-induced increases in circulating cTnT levels

Endoteldysfunksjon hos barn og unge

This review headlights the subject endothelial dysfunction in the paediatric population. Endothelial dysfunction is recognized as en independent risk factor of atherosclerotic disease. Even before macroscopic evidence of the disease, endothelial dysfunction may be present. It is believed that one major mechanism underlying the phenomenon of endothelial dysfunction is decreased bioavailability of endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO), due to reduced production or increased degradation. This article reviews different methods for evaluating endothelial function, which are believed to reflect the bioavailability of NO, and addresses methods particularly suitable for childhood studies. Many risk factors for atherosclerosis in adults are well established (e.g. hyperlipidemia, hypertension, cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus), and new ones are emerging. Evaluation of endothelial dysfunction in children provides a means to investigate the impact of these risk factors at an early age. This article also reviews the available literature on studies of endothelial function in children with both conventional and novel risk factors for atherosclerosis. Endothelial dysfunction may be a reversible phenomenon. Much work has been performed to evaluate potential management strategies to reduce the risk of future cardiovascular events. This article reviews interventional studies aiming to improve endothelial function in children

Cardiovascular biomarkers in pregnancy with diabetes and associations to glucose control

Abstract Aim Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in both men and women. Type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (DM1 and DM2) are well-known risk factors for CVD. In addition, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a female sex-specific risk factor for CVD. Here, we measure circulating concentrations of cardiac troponin T (cTNT), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) during pregnancy—a window of time often referred to as a cardiovascular stress test for women. Methods This study utilized data from 384 pregnant women: 64 with DM1, 16 with DM2, 35 with GDM and 269 euglycemic controls. Blood was predominantly sampled within a week before delivery. Cardiovascular biomarker concentrations were measured in serum using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Result Circulating cTnT levels were higher in women with DM1, DM2 and GDM as compared to controls, whereas NT-proBNP and GDF-15 levels were only increased in women with DM1. Glucose dysregulation, assessed by third trimester HbA1c levels, positively correlated with all three CVD biomarker levels, whereas pregestational body mass index correlated negatively with GDF-15. Conclusions Our results support the presence of myocardial affection in women with diabetic disorders during pregnancy. Although pregestational DM1 in this study was associated with the most adverse CVD biomarker profile, women with GDM displayed an adverse cTnT profile similar to what we found in women with pregestational DM2. This supports that women with GDM should be offered long-term intensified cardiovascular follow-up and lifestyle advice following delivery, similarly to the well-established CV follow-up of women with pregestational DM

Diagnostic and Prognostic Properties of Osteoprotegerin in Patients with Acute Dyspnoea: Observations from the Akershus Cardiac Examination (ACE) 2 Study

Background: Circulating osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels are increased in patients with chronic heart failure (HF). The diagnostic and prognostic merit of OPG measurement in patients admitted with acute dyspnoea is unknown. Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of measuring OPG in patients admitted to hospital with acute dyspnoea. Methods: OPG was analysed by ELISA in 308 patients admitted due to acute dyspnoea. Investigators blinded to OPG results adjudicated the diagnosis for the index hospitalization. Clinical outcomes were obtained from hospital records. Results: In total, 139 patients (45%) were hospitalized with acute HF. OPG levels on hospital admission were higher in patients with acute HF vs. no acute HF, 7.8 (5.5–10.4) vs. 5.4 (3.8–7.2) pmol/L, p<0.001. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC AUC) of OPG to discriminate between HF vs. non-HF was 0.695 [95% CI 0.636–0.754]. OPG did not provide incremental information to the ED physician’s prediction or N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide regarding the diagnosis of acute HF. OPG levels (log transformed) were associated with mortality in crude analysis (HR (95% CI) 1.87 (1.34 to 2.61), p<0.001), butthis association was attenuated and no longer significant after including established cardiac biomarkers into the model. Conclusion: In patients admitted to hospital with acute dyspnoea, OPG levels are higher in patients with acute HF than in those with dyspnoea from other causes. However, OPG does not provide incremental information beyond ED physician assessment for the diagnosis of acute HF or beyond clinical risk variables and established cardiac biomarkers concerning prognosis

High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in acute heart failure: Data from the ACE 2 study

Background To assess if cardiac troponins can improve diagnostics of acute heart failure (AHF) and provide prognostic information in patients with acute dyspnea. Methods We measured cardiac troponin T with a high-sensitivity assay (hs-cTnT) in 314 patients hospitalized with acute dyspnea. The index diagnosis was adjudicated and AHF patients were stratified into AHF with reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFrEF/HFpEF). The prognostic and diagnostic merit of hs-cTnT was compared to the merit of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). Results In the total population, median age was 73 (quartile [Q] 1–3 63–81) years and 48% were women. One-hundred-forty-three patients were categorized as AHF (46%) and these patients had higher hs-cTnT concentrations than patients with non-AHF-related dyspnea: median 38 (Q1-3 22–75) vs. 13 (4–25) ng/L; p < 0.001. hs-cTnT concentrations were similar between patients with HFrEF and HFpEF (p = 0.80), in contrast to NT-proBNP, which was higher in HFrEF (p < 0.001). C-statistics for discriminating HFpEF from non-AHF-related dyspnea was 0.80 (95% CI 0.73–0.86) for hs-cTnT, 0.79 (0.73–0.86) for NT–proBNP, and 0.83 (0.76–0.89) for hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP in combination. Elevated hs-cTnT remained associated with HFpEF in logistic regression analysis after adjusting for demographics, comorbidities and renal function. During median 27 months of follow-up, 114 (36%) patients died in the total population. Higher hs-cTnT concentrations were associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality after adjustment for clinical variables and NT-proBNP: hazard ratio 1.30 (95% CI 1.07–1.58), p = 0.009. Conclusion hs-cTnT measurements improve diagnostic accuracy for HFpEF and provide independent prognostic information in unselected patients with acute dyspnea

Baseline characteristic according to HF diagnoses.

<p>Baseline characteristic according to HF diagnoses.</p

ROC curves for the prediction of the diagnosis of acute heart failure.

<p>The AUC with 95%CI at the right bottom are for each variable separately.</p