Gian Marco Rosa

Cardiovascular Safety of β3-adrenoceptor Agonists for the Treatment of Patients with Overactive Bladder Syndrome

CONTEXT Mirabegron, the first β3-adrenoceptor agonist in clinical practice, is approved for treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome symptoms. Because β3-adrenoceptors are expressed in cardiovascular (CV) tissues, there are concerns that OAB treatment with β3-adrenoceptor agonists may affect the heart and vasculature. OBJECTIVE To provide a summary of CV effects of β3-adrenoceptor agonists in clinical studies. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION A systematic literature search from inception until November 2014 was performed on studies in PubMed and Medline. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS Twenty papers, published between 1994 and 2014, were identified: mirabegron (16), solabegron (2), AK-677 (1), and BRL35135 (1). More detailed CV data from mirabegron studies were available in online regulatory documents filed with the US Food and Drug Administration and the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. CONCLUSIONS The CV safety of mirabegron appears to be acceptable at therapeutic doses and comparable with that of antimuscarinic agents, currently first-line therapy for OAB. PATIENT SUMMARY In this review we looked at the cardiovascular (CV) effects of β3-adrenoceptor agonists used for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB). The CV safety of mirabegron (the only clinically approved β3-adrenoceptor agonist) appears to be acceptable at therapeutic doses and comparable with that of antimuscarinic agents, the current first-line therapy for OAB.

Update on cardiotoxicity of anti-cancer treatments

Anti‐cancer treatments markedly improved the prognosis of patients, but unfortunately might be hampered by cardiotoxicity. Both symptomatic and asymptomatic clinical forms of heart failure have been reported, which may be reversible or irreversible. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the antineoplastic agents associated with cardiac toxicity and of the available diagnostic techniques.

Inferior vena cava parameters predict re-admission in ischaemic heart failure

The clinical history of heart failure (HF) is usually characterized by frequent hospitalizations for decompensation. Therefore, several markers of subclinical hemodynamic congestion are under investigation for predicting early rehospitalization. In this field, the potential of ultrasound inferior vena cava (IVC) assessment has been recently investigated in HF but not yet assessed in the different aetiological categories.

The vulnerable coronary plaque: update on imaging technologies

Several studies have been carried out on vulnerable plaque as the main culprit for ischaemic cardiac events. Historically, the most important diagnostic technique for studying coronary atherosclerotic disease was to determine the residual luminal diameter by angiographic measurement of the stenosis. However, it has become clear that vulnerable plaque rupture as well as thrombosis, rather than stenosis, triggers most acute ischaemic events and that the quantification of risk based merely on severity of the arterial stenosis is not sufficient. In the last decades, substantial progresses have been made on optimisation of techniques detecting the arterial wall morphology, plaque composition and inflammation. To date, the use of a single technique is not recommended to precisely identify the progression of the atherosclerotic process in human beings. In contrast, the integration of data that can be derived from multiple methods might improve our knowledge about plaque destabilisation. The aim of this narrative review is to update evidence on the accuracy of the currently available non-invasive and invasive imaging techniques in identifying components and morphologic characteristics associated with coronary plaque vulnerability.

Value of tissue Doppler imaging for risk stratification of patients with chronic systolic heart failure with or without restrictive mitral flow

AIMS The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in patients with chronic systolic heart failure (HF) with or without restrictive mitral flow (RMF). METHODS AND RESULTS Echocardiograms were obtained in 378 patients with chronic systolic HF [ejection fraction (EF) < or = 45%] in sinus rhythm. Restrictive mitral flow was defined by an E wave deceleration time (EDT) < or = 140 ms. Tissue Doppler imaging early (Em) diastolic and systolic (Sm) velocities were measured at the mitral annulus. Patients were followed-up for a median of 32 months. Endpoints were all-cause mortality and the combination of death or HF hospitalization. Mean left ventricular EF was 32 +/- 8%. Restrictive mitral flow and TDI annular velocities were all univariate predictors of the endpoints. Ejection fraction <25% was the only multivariate predictor of all-cause mortality. E wave deceleration time and Em < 8 cm/s were independently associated with the combined endpoint of death or HF hospitalization. At 48 months, survival was 61% in patients with RMF and 82% in patients with non-RMF (log-rank: 21.6; P < 0.0001). When patients were stratified according to Em at or above 8 cm/s or below 8 cm/s, those with RMF and Em < 8 cm/s exhibited the worst survival (log-rank: 27.16; P < 0.0001). Patients with Sm < or = 6 cm/s had a 58% survival rate, whereas it was 82% in patients with Sm > 6 cm/s (log-rank: 12.73; P = 0.0004). CONCLUSION Doppler annular velocities provided useful information for prognostication of patients with systolic HF. Particularly, categorization of patients according to Em velocities allowed us to further stratify patients with RMF and non-RMF.

Update on the efficacy of statin treatment in acute coronary syndromes.

The natural history of atherosclerosis might involve coronary plaque rupture/erosion, thrombus formation and vessel lumen occlusion, clinically recognized as acute coronary syndrome (ACS). International guidelines strongly recommend early statin administration in patients admitted for ACS. In addition to lowering circulating levels of low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐c), statin treatment was shown to promote plaque stabilization or regression in several ways, including reduction in necrotic lipid core, anti‐inflammatory effects and improvement in endothelial function. The aim of this review is to summarize clinical evidence on the role of statins in secondary prevention of ACS.

What happened to a thrombus during apical ballooning syndrome: a case report

a Cardiology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria, San Martino-IST, Genoa, Italy b Clinic of Cardiovascular Diseases, Internal Medicine Department, San Martino Hospital and University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy c Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Foundation for Medical researches, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland d First Medical Clinic, Laboratory of Phagocyte Physiopathology and Inflammation, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

ACE inhibitors can induce circulating antibodies directed to antigens of the superficial epidermal cells.

Drug-induced pemphigus has been reported in patients receiving angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. The aim of this work was to study a group of hypertensive patients without skin diseases treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors (I), to verify the presence of serum circulating anti-antibodies. The indirect immunofluorescence showed that 33 sera (52.38%) presented autoantibodies directed to an antigen of the cytoplasm of the superficial epidermal keratinocytes. Two of the 33 positive sera had antibodies to Dsg1 and/or 3 in ELISA. Immunoblot analyses were negative. All the 48 control sera were found to have no circulating antibodies using the three assays. Our results would confirm that ACEI drugs may trigger the production of circulating autoantibodies also in patients without clinical manifestations of pemphigus.

Perfusional and metabolic effects of nisoldipine as shown by positron emission tomography after acute myocardial infarction

After myocardial infarction, regional dysfunction can occur in viable myocardial regions because of the presence of baseline hypoperfusion. Recent evidence suggests that these areas may maintain a residual perfusion reserve. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether oral nisoldipine can increase regional myocardial blood flow (MBF) in dyssynergic but viable myocardium after myocardial infarction. Patients with isolated left anterior descending coronary stenosis were studied 1 month after the first myocardial infarction. Patients underwent [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose imaging, and MBF was measured, using positron emission tomography and [13N]ammonia, at baseline and following dobutamine administration (10 micrograms/kg/min over 5 minutes). MBF measurements were repeated 24 hours after nisoldipine (10 mg twice daily). Preliminary results suggest that necrotic areas showed the largest reduction in baseline MBF. Dyssynergic-viable regions showed a reduced resting MBF but maintained a residual perfusion reserve in response to inotropic stimulation. Thus, nisoldipine selectively improved basal perfusion in dyssynergic-viable myocardium.

Combining echo and natriuretic peptides to guide heart failure care in the outpatient setting: a position paper

Chronic heart failure (HF) is a relevant and growing public health problem. Although the prognosis has recently improved, it remains a lethal disease, with a mortality that equals or exceeds that of many malignancies. Furthermore, chronic HF is costly, representing a large and growing drain on healthcare resources.