Atherogenic index of plasma is an independent predictor of mitral annular calcification

Abstract Background In the latest reports, atherogenic indices have been related to acute coronary syndromes, stable coronary artery disease, heart failure and future cardiac events. Conventional atherosclerosis risk factors have been associated with mitral annular calcification (MAC), but data on the relationship between atherogenic indices and MAC are lacking. We aimed to investigate a possible relationship between MAC and atherogenic indices. Methods In total 741 patients (n = 427 with MAC and n = 314 without MAC) who were examined in our cardiology clinic from February 2016 to October 2021 were recruited in the study. Mitral annular calcification was diagnosed by transthoracic 2-dimensional echocardiography. The atherogenic coefficient (AC), Castelli risk index 1 (CRI-1), Castelli risk index 2 (CRI-2) and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) were calculated by utilizing standard lipid test values. Results There was no statistically significant difference in sex, age, diabetes and hypertension status between the patient and the control groups. Serum triglyceride level, AIP, Hs-CRP, smoking and BMI were independently significantly associated with MAC in multiple regression analysis (p < 0.001). Conclusion Higher AIP was related to the existence of MAC and also predict the presence of MAC independently. Studies evaluating the modification of these indices are needed

Association between red blood cell distribution width and aortic valve sclerosis

RDW is a simple and inexpensive parameter, which reflects the degree of anisocytosis. Evidence from recent studies indicates that anisocytosis is common in most of the cardiovascular diseases and is related to their prognosis. Relation between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) levels and aortic valve sclerosis (AVSc) has not been investigated so far. Our aim is to investigate the relation between RDW and AVSc. This is a single center, retrospective cohort study. A total of 250 patients, 136 patients (mean age 65.4±7.7 years) with AVSc and 114 patients (mean age 68.5±6.8 years) as control group were enrolled. The serum RDW levels of two groups were compared. RDW levels were higher and statistically significant in patients with aortic sclerosis compared to the control group [14.1 (12.4-19 .1) vs 14.0 (11.7-17.1) p=0.044]. In multivariate regression analysis, high levels of RDW were associated with aortic sclerosis (OR=1.474, p=0.005), while hs-CRP was excluded from the analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the correlation between RDW and Aortic valve sclerosis. Exploring the causes of RDW increment may contribute to our knowledge about pathogenesis of aortic sclerosis and our treatment strategies. [Med-Science 2020; 9(2.000): 485-91

Impact of Admission Blood Glucose on Coronary Collateral Flow in Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

In patients with acute myocardial infarction, glucose metabolism is altered and acute hyperglycemia on admission is common regardless of diabetes status. The development of coronary collateral is heterogeneous among individuals with coronary artery disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether glucose value on admission is associated with collateral flow in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. We retrospectively evaluated 190 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of first STEMI within 12 hours of onset of chest pain. Coronary collateral development was graded according to Rentrop classification. Rentrop 0-1 was graded as poor collateral development, and Rentrop 2-3 was graded as good collateral development. Admission glucose was measured and compared between two groups. Mean admission glucose level was 173.0 ± 80.1 mg/dl in study population. Forty-five (23.7%) patients had good collateral development, and 145 (76.3%) patients had poor collateral development. There were no statistically significant differences in demographic characteristics between two groups. Three-vessel disease was more common in patients with good collateral development (p=0.026). Mean admission glucose level was higher in patients with poor collateral than good collateral (180.6 ± 84.9 mg/dl versus 148.7 ± 56.6 mg/dl, resp., p=0.008). In univariate analysis, higher admission glucose was associated with poor collateral development, but multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a borderline result (odds ratio 0.994, 95% CI 0.989–1.000, p=0.049). Our results suggest that elevated glucose on admission may have a role in the attenuation of coronary collateral blood flow in acute myocardial infarction. Further studies are needed to validate our results