Ramires Ja

PLASMA KINETIC BEHAVIOR IN HYPERLIPIDEMIC SUBJECTS OF A LIPIDIC MICROEMULSION THAT BINDS TO LOW DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN RECEPTORS

It was previously reported that a protein-free microemulsion (LDE) with structure roughly resembling that of the lipid portion of low density lipoprotein (LDL) was presumably taken up by LDL receptors when injected into the bloodstream. In contact with plasma, LDE acquires apolipoproteins (apo) including apo E that would be the ligand for receptor binding. Currently, apo were associated to LDE by incubation with high density lipoprotein (HDL). LDE-apo uptake by mononuclear cells showed a saturation kinetics, with an apparent Km of 13.1 ng protein/mL. LDE-apo is able to displace LDL uptake by mononuclear cells with a Ki of 11.5 ng protein/mL. LDE without apo is, however, unable to displace LDL. The uptake of 14C-HDL is not dislocated by increasing amounts of LDE-apo, indicating that HDL and LDE-apo do not bind to the same receptor sites. In human hyperlipidemias, LDE labeled with 14C-cholesteryl ester behaved kinetically as expected for native LDL. LDE plasma disappearance curve obtained from eight hypercholesterolemic patients was markedly slower than that from 10 control normolipidemic subjects [fractional clearance rate (FCR)=0.02±0.01 and 0.12±0.04 h−1, respectively; P<0.0001]. On the other hand, in four severely hypertriglyceridemic patients, LDE FCR was not significantly different from the controls (0.07±0.03 h−1). These results suggest that LDE can be a useful device to study lipoprotein metabolism.

Apolipoproteins AI, B, and E polymorphisms in severe aortic valve stenosis

Hypercholesterolemia has been related to aortic valve stenosis (AS). Polymorphisms of apolipoproteins (apo) AI, B, and E are associated with variable levels of plasma lipids, but the association between these polymorphisms and AS is unknown. In a case–control study of groups matched by age, sex, comparable body mass index, hypertension, triglycerides, high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, we analyzed the distribution of apo AI A/G mutation, apo B signal peptide insertion/deletion, apo B XbaI restriction fragment length, and apo E polymorphisms in 62 non‐diabetic patients with severe aortic valve stenosis and 62 control subjects. All patients underwent echocardiographic analysis. Univariate analysis showed a higher prevalence of the XbaI X+/X+ genotype (p=0.007) of apo B and the apo E2 allele (p=0.034) in patients with severe AS. Apo polymorphisms were not associated with lipid levels, left ventricular mass, or the aortic gradient.

Obesity, estrone, and coronary artery disease in postmenopausal women

OBJECTIVES The link between obesity and endogenous estrogen with coronary artery disease (CAD) in postmenopausal women is uncertain. In this prospective study we analyzed the association of body mass index (BMI) and blood levels of estrone in postmenopausal women with known CAD or with a high risk factor score for CAD. METHODS Participants were 251 female clinic patients aged 50-90 years who were postmenopausal and not using estrogen therapy. Clinical and behavioral characteristics and fasting blood for estrone and heart disease risk factors were collected at baseline, and again at 1 and 2 years. Women were grouped according to their BMI (kg/m2) as normal (18.5< or =BMI<25), overweight (25< or =BMI<30) or obese (BMI > or =30), and by low and high estrone levels (<15 and > or =15pg/mL, respectively). Fatal and nonfatal events were recorded for 2 years after baseline. RESULTS Women with a low estrone level were older, thinner, and had less hypertension, diabetes, and lower triglyceride and glucose levels. BMI was positively associated with estrone levels, hypertension, and diabetes and inversely associated with HDL cholesterol. There were 14 deaths, 8 attributed to CAD. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed a nonsignificant trend (p=0.074) of greater all cause mortality in women with low estrone levels (<15mL). In this model, adjusted for BMI, age [OR=1.08; p=0.03], C-reactive protein [OR=1.24; p=0.024] and hypertension [OR=6.22; p=0.003] were independent predictors of all cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS Postmenopausal women with low estrone levels (<15pg/mL) had a trend for increased mortality over the next 2 years. Larger, longer studies are needed.

B-type natriuretic peptide as a predictor of anterior wall location in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: Involvement of the left ventricular anterior wall in ST-elevation myocardial infarction has a worse prognosis compared with other regions. In non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, noninvasive methods of locating the ischemic myocardial territory have been limited. The objective of this report is therefore to determine what factors are predictive of the anterior location of the ischemic myocardial territory. METHODS: This study included 170 patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Clinical, echocardiographic, and laboratory characteristics, including B-type natriuretic peptide measured within 24 hours of hospitalization, and coronary angiographic features were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age was 64.5 ± 12.3 years, and 112 of the patients were male (66%). The median follow-up was 23 months. The territory involved, as determined from the angiogram, was divided into anterior [n = 80 (47%)] regions and inferior and lateral [n = 90 (53%)] regions. Multivariate analysis showed that B-type natriuretic peptide was the only independent predictor of an anterior wall infarct [OR = 3.70 (95% CI: 1.61 – 8.53); P = 0.002] in non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients. Multivariate analysis also showed that B-type natriuretic peptide was an independent predictor of in-hospital cardiac events during index admission [OR = 5.05 (95% CI: 1.49 – 17.12); P = 0.009] and of cardiac events occurring during follow-up [HR = 1.79 (95% CI: 1.05 – 3.04); P = 0.032]. CONCLUSIONS: B-type natriuretic peptide was the only factor independently associated with anterior wall involvement in non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and the peptide levels upon admission predicted in-hospital and subsequent cardiac events.

Revascularização do miocárdio no paciente octogenário

Five-hundred and three patients, with age equal or above 80 years, were surgically treated at the Heart Institute from January 78 to July 90. Aiming to characterize this octogenarian population submitted to myocardial revascularization, data were retrospectively pursued. This study analyzed clinical,radiological, hemodynamic, operative and postoperative factors; there was no statistical analysis of the material. Hospital mortality was 2/15 (13.33%) and in a mean follow-up of 24.7 months (5-50) five patients evoluted to death due to hemorrhagic vascular cerebral accident, urinary tract infection, mesenteric thrombosis, pulmonary infection and diabetis dysfunction, secondary to urinary tract infection. All of the survivals improved as to the sintomatology related to angina and cardiac insufficiency. Observations based on the data collected reveal that 1) there was no operative death; 2) hospital mortality was related to infectious processes; 3) in late follow-up the great majority of patients referred improvement as to the sintomatology and therefore in the quality of life, and 4) isolatedly, age did not represent a risk factor for surgical treatment.

Dura mater mitral and tricuspid bioprostheses: 30 years of follow-up

PURPOSE The dura mater bioprosthesis was developed in the Department of Cardiopneumology of the Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo Medical School in 1971. Here, we present the clinical results of the dura mater bioprosthesis over 30 years of follow-up. METHODS We studied 70 consecutive patients who underwent mitral or tricuspid valve replacement with a dura mater bioprosthesis between January 1971 and August 1972. RESULTS The early mortality was 10% (7 patients). The follow-up was 87% complete (9 patients were lost to follow-up). Two patients were alive and asymptomatic 30 years after valve replacement; 33 patients underwent reoperations due to valve dysfunction, and 19 died during the follow-up period. At 30 years, the actuarial survival was 49.2 +/- 8.6%; freedom from rupture, 27.0 +/- 10.2%; freedom from calcification, 78.8 +/- 8.6%; and freedom from reoperation, 18.8 +/- 7.5%. CONCLUSIONS The dura mater bioprosthesis played an important role in the treatment of patients with mitral and tricuspid valve disease. The low rate of thromboembolism and the long period of follow-up without evidence of valve dysfunction, which occurred for several of our patients, are important characteristics of these bioprosthesis.

Comparative Study between Perfusion Changes and Positive Findings on Coronary Flow Reserve

Background Functional assessment of coronary artery obstruction is used in cardiology practice to correlate anatomic obstructions with flow decrease. Among such assessments, the study of the coronary fractional flow reserve (FFR) has become the most widely used. Objective To evaluate the correlation between FFR and findings of ischemia obtained by noninvasive methods including stress echocardiography and nuclear medicine and the presence of critical coronary artery obstruction. Methods Retrospective study of cases treated with systematized and standardized procedures for coronary disease between March 2011 and August 2014. We included 96 patients with 107 critical coronary obstructions (> 50% in the coronary trunk and/or ≥ 70% in other segments) estimated by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and intracoronary ultrasound (ICUS). All cases presented ischemia in one of the noninvasive studies. Results All 96 patients presented ischemia (100%) in one of the functional tests. On FFR study with adenosine 140 g/kg/min, 52% of the cases had values ≤ 0.80. On correlation analysis for FFR ≤ 0.80, the evaluation of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, accuracy, and ROC curve in relation to the stenosis degree and length, and presence of ischemia, no significant values or strong correlation were observed. Conclusion Coronary FFR using a cut-off value of 0.80 showed no correlation with noninvasive ischemia tests in patients with severe coronary artery obstructions on QCA and ICUS.

Lack of association between Lewis phenotypes and ischemic heart disease

genes have been mapped to chromosome 19, where they are probably distant and without linkage to one another. These genes code for different fucosyl-transferases that determine where fucose residues are placed on the oligosaccharide epitope. Plasma oligosaccharides are passively adsorbed to the red blood cell membrane. Because some patients may be erroneous diagnosed as having phenotype Le(a-b-) from blood assays, Lewis antigens should be checked in saliva. These antigens may be present in the saliva of secretor patients (

Ventricular arrhythmias induced by programmed ventricular stimulation after uncomplicated myocardial infarction

The aim of this study was to correlate the occurrence of ventricular dys rhythmias induced by programmed ventricular stimulation and sudden cardiac death (SCD) after a first episode of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Twenty-seven consecutive male patients aged fifty-four ± six (forty-seven to seventy) years were studied prospectively. Thirty days after AMI, patients were submitted to coronary arteriography and programmed ventricular stimulation with the S2-S3-S4 protocol. Noninvasive assessments, including Holter monitor ing, ECG stress test, and radionuclide ejection fraction, were also repeated six and twelve months after AMI. Ventricular dysrhythmias were induced in all patients. According to such response, patients were divided into three groups: (1) repetitive ventricular re sponse (n = 9); (2) nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (n=8); and (3) sus tained ventricular tachycardia (n=10). All patients consistently developed complex ventricular dysrhythmias at Holter monitoring and ECG stress test. One patient from group 2 suffered SCD and another presented a syncope. Simi larly, in group 3, 2 patients suffered SCD, 1 during a documented episode of recurrent AMI. Except for 1 patient, radionuclide ejection fraction remained unchanged throughout the study in all cases. SCD was also unrelated to the presence and type of dysrhythmias at noninvasive evaluation. Therefore, the type of ventricular dysrhythmia induced by the S2-S3-S4 pro tocol has no correlation with late SCD in patients with a first AMI and pre served ejection fraction.