Coronary heart disease risk factors and outcomes in the twenty-first century: findings from the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study

Cardiovascular Risk Awareness, Exercise Practices and Metabolic Outcomes among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus in Northern Nigeria: A Cross-sectional, Multicentre Study

BACKGROUND

Physical exercise helps to mitigate cardiovascular risks in people with diabetes mellitus (DM), but there are limited data in Nigeria. This study aimed to assess cardiovascular risk awareness, exercise practices and metabolic outcomes among Nigerians with diabetes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study at five tertiary hospitals using questionnaire interviews and clinical assessments. Participants' knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors and knowledge of exercise were assessed on 12- and 5-item scores, while exercise practices were classed as adequate if performed regularly on 3 or more days weekly for a total of 150 min or more based on the American Diabetes Association recommendations. Mean body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), fasting blood glucose, serum haemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), lipid profile, urea, creatinine and uric acid were then compared among participant groups.

RESULTS

We studied 426 participants with DM, 58.7% females. The mean age was 52.9 ± 13.1 years, with males significantly older than females (54.6 ± 12.2 vs. 51.8 ± 13.5 years; 95% confidence interval: 0.27-5.28, P = 0.03). The mean age at diabetes diagnosis was 44.8 ± 11.7 years, and the median duration of diabetes was 84 months. There was low knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors and low knowledge of exercise (mean scores of 2.94 and 2.31, respectively). Forty-three per cent of participants reported adequate exercise, which was significantly associated with younger age (P = 0.007), male gender (P = 0.001) and formal education (P = 0.021). Participants with adequate exercise had lower systolic BP and serum urea compared to those with inadequate exercise, but there were no significant differences in BMI, fasting glucose, HbA1c, serum lipids, creatinine or uric acid.

CONCLUSION

Participants had low knowledge of cardiovascular risks and the appropriate exercise practices for diabetes patients. There is a need for better patient education on diabetes self-care and exercise at clinic visits.

APOL1 Risk Variants Associate With the Prevalence of Stroke in African American Current and Past Smokers

BACKGROUND

African American smokers have 2.5 times higher risk for stroke compared with nonsmokers (higher than other races). About 50% of the African American population carry 1 or 2 genetic variants (G1 and G2; rare in other races) of the apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1). Studies showed these variants may be associated with stroke. However, the role of the APOL1 risk variants in tobacco-related stroke is unknown.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In a cross-sectional study, we examined whether APOL1 risk variants modified the relationship between tobacco smoking and stroke prevalence in 513 African American adults recruited at University of California, San Francisco. Using DNA, plasma, and questionnaires we determined APOL1 variants, smoking status, and stroke prevalence. Using logistic regression models, we examined the association between smoking (ever versus never smokers) and stroke overall, and among carriers of APOL1 risk variants (1 or 2 risk alleles), and noncarriers, separately. Among participants, 41% were ever (current and past) smokers, 54% were carriers of the APOL1 risk variants, and 41 had a history of stroke. The association between smoking and stroke differed by APOL1 genotype (Pinteraction term=0.014). Among carriers, ever versus never smokers had odds ratio (OR) 2.46 (95% CI, 1.08-5.59) for stroke (P=0.034); OR 2.00 (95% CI, 0.81-4.96) among carriers of 1 risk allele, and OR 4.72 (95% CI, 0.62-36.02) for 2 risk alleles. Among noncarriers, smoking was not associated with a stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

Current and past smokers who carry APOL1 G1 and/or G2 risk variants may be more susceptible to stroke among the African American population.

Dietary modulation of advanced glycation end products metabolism on carotid intima-media thickness in type 2 diabetes patients: From the CORDIOPREV study

BACKGROUND

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are pro-oxidant and cytotoxic compounds involved in the progression of chronic diseases as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The total body burden of AGEs also depend of those consume through the diet. Our aim was to analyze whether the reduction of AGE levels, after the consumption of two-healthy diets were associated with a greater decrease of intima-media thickness of both common carotid arteries (IMT-CC) in patients with T2DM and coronary heart disease (CHD).

METHODS

540 CHD patients with T2DM, at baseline, from the CORDIOPREV study, were divided into two groups: (1) Responders, patients whose IMT-CC was reduced or not changed after dietary intervention and (2) Non-responders, patients whose IMT-CC was increased after dietary intervention. A total of 423 completed baseline and the 5-year follow-up carotid ultrasounds were analyzed in this study.

RESULTS

Our data showed that Responders, despite had a higher baseline IMT-CC and serum methylglyoxal (MG) levels than Non-responders, showed a reduction of serum levels of this glycotoxin after dietary intervention. Conversely, in patients whose IMT-CC was increased after dietary intervention (Non-responders), serum MG levels were increased. Moreover, an increase of circulating level of AGEs (and in particular, MG), after dietary intervention, could be considered a risk factor for the progression of atherosclerosis in patients with T2DM and CHD.

CONCLUSION

These results support the importance of identifying underlying mechanisms in the context of secondary prevention of CVD that would provide therapeutic targets to reduce the high risk of cardiovascular events of these patients.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00924937. Unique Identifier: NCT00924937.

Association between Depression and Clinical Outcomes following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Several studies suggested that depression was associated with poor prognosis following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in coronary heart disease (CHD), whereas other studies showed that there were no associations between depression and poor outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

Considering these problems, this meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between depression and clinical outcomes after PCI.

METHODS

Articles published before July 2021 were analyzed from the databases: PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Medline, and Google Scholar. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed to generate a pooled effect size and 95% CI with a random or fixed effects model. Q test and I2 were used to assess heterogeneities between studies.

RESULTS

The meta-analysis indicated that depression was associated with a higher risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) after PCI with a random effects model (HR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.33-2.68, I2 = 57.0%, p = 0.023). The study indicated that depression was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality after PCI with a fixed effects model (HR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.43-2.05, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.756). The study indicated no significant association between depression and risk of repeat revascularization after PCI with a random effects model (HR = 2.10, 95% CI: 0.96-4.58, I2 = 68.9%, p = 0.022).

CONCLUSION

Results indicated that depression is associated with adverse clinical outcomes in CHD patients' post-PCI. Appropriate mental health check and psychological treatment may be necessary for the prognosis of CHD patients who receive PCI.

Plasma P-selectin level is associated with severity of coronary heart disease in Chinese Han population

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the association between plasma P-selectin levels and the severity of coronary heart disease (CHD) in a Chinese Han population.

Methods

We enrolled 219 patients with CHD and 168 healthy individuals without CHD as a control group. Coronary stenosis was evaluated based on the number of diseased coronary arteries and the Gensini scoring system. P-selectin levels were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the association between CHD and plasma P-selectin level was analyzed.

Results

P-selectin levels were significantly higher in CHD patients compared with controls. Levels were highest in patients with three-vessel disease and lowest in those with one-vessel disease, with significant differences among the groups. P-selectin levels were also highest in the high-score and lowest in the low-score group according to Gensini score, with significant differences among the groups. P-selectin level was significantly positively correlated with Gensini score and C-reactive protein level. Elevated P-selectin was identified as an independent risk factor for CHD.

Conclusion

P-selectin levels were increased in Chinese Han patients with CHD. P-selectin level is an independent risk factor for CHD and may serve as a biomarker reflecting the severity of CHD in the Chinese Han population.

Short report: depression and anxiety symptoms as predictors of adverse cardiovascular events in Chinese patients after percutaneous coronary intervention

Depression and anxiety often co-occur in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study was conducted to examine the predictive value of depression, anxiety, and their combination on the prognosis of Chinese PCI patients. A multicenter prospective study was undertaken with a sample of 309 primary PCI patients. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was completed at baseline to assess anxiety and depression symptoms. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) were recorded for 12 months after PCI . Days from baseline to the first MACE was the outcome variable. MACEs occurred in 26 (8.4%) patients. After adjustments for socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, a Cox proportional hazards regression model revealed that depression (HR = 2.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.22-5.95; p =.014) and anxiety (HR = 2.56, 95% CI 1.18-5.54; p =.017) symptoms were independent predictors of MACEs. A subanalysis showed that the cumulative event-free survival curves did not differ among depressed and anxious patients and depressed but non-anxious patients (Log Rank p =.52). In conclusion, depression is associated with an increased risk for MACEs post-PCI, independent of anxiety. Although anxiety is associated with MACEs, it has no additional predictive value when co-occurring with depression.

Risk factors for 'microsize' vs. usual myocardial infarctions in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study

AIMS

A recently described phenomenon is that of myocardial infarction (MI) events that meet criteria for MI, but that have very low peak troponin elevations, so-called 'microsize MI'. These events are very common and associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality. Our aim is to compare risk factors for microsize MI vs. usual MI events.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Among 24 470 participants of the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort free of coronary heart disease at baseline, heart-related hospitalizations were expert adjudicated for MI using published guidelines. Myocardial infarctions were classified as microsize MI (peak troponin <0.5 ng/mL) or usual MI (peak troponin ≥0.5 ng/mL). Competing risk analyses assessed associations between baseline risk factors and incident microsize vs. usual MI. Between 2003 and 2013 there were 891 MIs; 279 were microsize MI and 612 were usual MI. Risk factors for both usual MI and microsize MI include age, gender, diabetes, and urinary albumin to creatinine ratio. Risk factors for only usual MI include Residence in the Stroke Belt and Buckle regions and current smoking. Black race was associated with a uniquely lower risk of usual MI.

CONCLUSION

The similarities in risk profiles suggest a possible common aetiology and should encourage clinicians to both treat reversible risk factors for microsize MI and to initiate secondary prevention strategies following these events until this emerging clinical entity is better understood. Future studies should further assess the clinical outcomes of these two entities and their effect on future management.

The outcomes of statin therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke in Taiwan: a nationwide epidemiologic study

BACKGROUND

Acute stroke is the third leading cause of death in Taiwan. Although statin therapy is widely recommended for stroke prevention, little is known about the epidemiology of statin therapy after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in Taiwan. To investigate the effects of statin therapy on recurrent stroke, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), coronary artery disease (CAD), cost of hospitalization and mortality, we conducted a nationwide population-based epidemiologic study.

METHODS

Cases of AIS were identified from the annual hospitalization discharge diagnoses of the National Health Insurance Research Database with the corresponding International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision codes from January 2001 to December 2010. We divided the AIS patients into three groups: non-statin, pre-stroke statin and post-stroke statin.

RESULTS

A total of 422 671 patients with AIS (including 365 419 cases in the non-statin group, 22 716 cases in the pre-stroke statin group and 34 536 cases in the post-stroke statin group) were identified. When compared to the non-statin group, both statin groups had a lower recurrent stroke risk [pre-stroke statin: odds ratio (OR) = 0.84; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.82-0.87; P < 0.0001; post-stroke statin: OR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.86-0.91; P < 0.0001], lower ICH risk (pre-statin: OR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.69-0.82; P < 0.0001; post-stroke statin: OR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.71-0.81; P < 0.0001), and a lower mortality rate (pre-stroke statin: OR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.53-0.59; P < 0.0001; post-stroke statin: OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.48-0.53; P < 0.0001). In terms of CAD, only the post-statin group had a lower risk (OR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.79-0.84; P < 0.0001) than the non-statin group. The post-statin group had the lowest 1-year medical costs after index discharge among the three groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Statin therapy reduced the risks of recurrent stroke, CAD, ICH and the first year mortality in patients after AIS. Treatment with statin therapy after AIS is a cost-effective strategy in Taiwan.

An Investigation of Selection Bias in Estimating Racial Disparity in Stroke Risk Factors

Selection due to survival or attrition might bias estimates of racial disparities in health, but few studies quantify the likely magnitude of such bias. In a large national cohort with moderate loss to follow-up, we contrasted racial differences in 2 stroke risk factors, incident hypertension and incident left ventricular hypertrophy, estimated by complete-case analyses, inverse probability of attrition weighting, and the survivor average causal effect. We used data on 12,497 black and 17,660 white participants enrolled in the United States (2003-2007) and collected incident risk factor data approximately 10 years after baseline. At follow-up, 21.0% of white participants and 23.0% of black participants had died; additionally 22.0% of white participants and 28.4% of black participants had withdrawn. Individual probabilities of completing the follow-up visit were estimated using baseline demographic and health characteristics. Adjusted risk ratio estimates of racial disparities from complete-case analyses in both incident hypertension (1.11, 95% confidence interval: 1.02, 1.21) and incident left ventricular hypertrophy (1.02, 95% confidence interval: 0.84, 1.24) were virtually identical to estimates from inverse probability of attrition weighting and survivor average causal effect. Despite racial differences in mortality and attrition, we found little evidence of selection bias in the estimation of racial differences for these incident risk factors.

Conditions Associated with Essential Tremor in Veterans: A Potential Role for Chronic Stress

Background

Increased depression, hearing loss, dementia, alcoholism, and mortality in essential tremor patients remain unexplained. We investigated whether conditions associated with tremor are linked to chronic stress.

Methods

The FY2013 Veterans Affairs database was queried for 38 selected dual diagnosis combinations in 5,854,223 veterans aged 21–95 years.

Results

Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression were the most common psychiatric diagnoses in tremor patients, with the odds ratio exceeding 2 in all 15-year cohorts. Depending on age, patients with essential tremor were more likely than those without to have obsessive–compulsive disorder, bipolar illness, schizophrenia, use tobacco and abuse alcohol, have hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, vitamin D deficiency, coronary and cerebrovascular diseases, congestive heart failure, stroke, asthma, hypothyroidism, irritable bowel syndrome, renal insufficiency, alcoholic liver disease, hearing loss, glaucoma, macular degeneration, migraine, epilepsy, idiopathic polyneuropathy, history of head trauma, and ‘Alzheimer’s dementia. In contrast, lung and colorectal cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, psychostimulant abuse, and rheumatoid arthritis were not more common.

Discussion

Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression, strongly associated with essential tremor, are known risk factors for poor health habits, tobacco use and alcohol abuse; collectively these are risk factors for vascular disease, with further negative health consequences for multiple organ systems. As essential tremor is associated with all these conditions, we propose that chronic stress is not only responsible for the conditions associated with tremor but in some cases itself directly and indirectly induces essential tremor, so that tremor and poor health share a common cause.

Increased Peripheral Blood Visfatin Concentrations May Be a Risk Marker of Coronary Artery Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

A comprehensive quantitative evaluation of the relationship between peripheral blood visfatin concentrations and coronary artery disease (CAD) is lacking. This study is the first attempt to quantify this relationship via a meta-analysis of published observational studies in terms of weighted mean difference (WMD). Literature retrieval, article selection, and data extraction were conducted. Heterogeneity was inspected using both subgroup and meta-regression analyses. In total, 15 articles involving 1053 CAD cases and 714 controls were included. Overall, peripheral blood visfatin concentrations were significantly higher in CAD cases than in controls (WMD: 4.72 ng/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.97-6.47; P < .001), with significant heterogeneity and publication bias. Six studies were theoretically missing based on filled funnel plot, and considering the impact of these missing studies still detected a significant overall mean difference in visfatin (WMD: 2.82 ng/mL; 95% CI: 2.22-3.58; P < .001; number of studies: 21). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses indicated age, body mass index, race, diabetes, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were identified as possible causes of heterogeneity. In conclusion, our findings suggest that increased peripheral blood visfatin concentrations may be a risk marker of CAD.

N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and microsize myocardial infarction risk in the reasons for geographic and racial differences in stroke study

Background

N-terminal pro B-type peptide (NT-proBNP) has been associated with risk of myocardial infarction (MI), but less is known about the relationship between NT-proBNP and very small non ST-elevation MI, also known as microsize MI. These events are now routinely detectable with modern troponin assays and are emerging as a large proportion of all MI. Here, we sought to compare the association of NT-proBNP with risk of incident typical MI and microsize MI in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study.

Methods

The REGARDS Study is a national cohort of 30,239 US community-dwelling black and white adults aged ≥ 45 years recruited from 2003 to 2007. Expert-adjudicated outcomes included incident typical MI (definite/probable MI with peak troponin ≥ 0.5 μg/L), incident microsize MI (definite/probable MI with peak troponin < 0.5 μg/L), and incident fatal CHD. Using a case-cohort design, we estimated the hazard ratio of the outcomes as a function of baseline NT-proBNP. Competing risk analyses tested whether the associations of NT-proBNP differed between the risk of incident microsize MI and incident typical MI as well as if the association of NT-proBNP differed between incident non-fatal microsize MI and incident non-fatal typical MI, while accounting for incident fatal coronary heart disease (CHD) as well as heart failure (HF).

Results

Over a median of 5 years of follow-up, there were 315 typical MI, 139 microsize MI, and 195 incident fatal CHD. NT-proBNP was independently and strongly associated with all CHD endpoints, with significantly greater risk observed for incident microsize MI, even after removing individuals with suspected HF prior to or coincident with their incident CHD event.

Conclusion

NT-proBNP is associated with all MIs, but is a more powerful risk factor for microsize than typical MI.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12872-018-0806-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Beneficial Pleiotropic Antidepressive Effects of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Interventions in the Metabolic Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Although the increased prevalence and severity of clinical depression and elevated cardiovascular disease risk represent 2 vexing public health issues, the growing awareness of their combined presentation compounds the challenge. The obese Zucker rat, a model of the metabolic syndrome, spontaneously develops significant depressive symptoms in parallel with the progression of the metabolic syndrome and, thus, represents a compelling model for study. The primary objective was to assess the impact on both cardiovascular outcomes, specifically vascular structure and function, and depressive symptoms in obese Zucker rats after aggressive treatment for cardiovascular disease risk factors with long-term exercise or targeted pharmacological interventions.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We chronically treated obese Zucker rats with clinically relevant interventions against cardiovascular disease risk factors to determine impacts on vascular outcomes and depressive symptom severity. While most of the interventions (chronic exercise, anti-hypertensive, the interventions (long-term exercise, antihypertensive, antidyslipidemia, and antidiabetic) were differentially effective at improving vascular outcomes, only those that also resulted in a significant improvement to oxidant stress, inflammation, arachidonic acid metabolism (prostacyclin versus thromboxane A2), and their associated sequelae were effective at also blunting depressive symptom severity. Using multivariable analyses, discrimination between the effectiveness of treatment groups to maintain behavioral outcomes appeared to be dependent on breaking the cycle of inflammation and oxidant stress, with the associated outcomes of improving endothelial metabolism and both cerebral and peripheral vascular structure and function.

CONCLUSIONS

This initial study provides a compelling framework from which to further interrogate the links between cardiovascular disease risk factors and depressive symptoms and suggests mechanistic links and potentially effective avenues for intervention.

Kidney dysfunction, systemic inflammation and mental well-being in elderly post-myocardial infarction patients

Background

The aim was to investigate whether mild kidney dysfunction and low-grade inflammation in post-myocardial infarction patients are independently associated with markers of mental well-being (i.e. depressive and apathy symptoms, and dispositional optimism).

Methods

In post-myocardial infarction patients, kidney function was assessed by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculated from the combined CKD-EPI formula based on serum levels of both creatinine and cystatine C. Systemic inflammation was assessed using high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), the 3-item apathy subscale and the 4-item optimism questionnaire (4Q) were used to measure mental well-being and were analyzed using linear multivariable regression analysis.

Results

Of the 2355 patients, mean age was 72.3 (range 63–84) years and 80.1% were men. After multivariable adjustment, a poorer kidney function was associated with more depressive symptoms (β = -0.084, p < 0.001), more apathy symptoms (β = -0.101, p < 0.001), and less dispositional optimism (β = 0.072, p = 0.002). Moreover, higher levels of hs-CRP were associated with more depressive symptoms (β = 0.051, p = 0.013), more apathy symptoms (β = 0.083, p < 0.001) and less dispositional optimism (β = -0.047 p = 0.024). Apathy showed the strongest independent relation with both low eGFR and high hs-CRP.

Conclusions

In post-myocardial infarction patients, impaired kidney function and systemic inflammation showed a stronger association with apathy than with depressive symptoms and dispositional optimism.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Parents of Food-Allergic Children

Previous studies suggest that chronic stress may induce immune system malfunction and a broad range of adverse health outcomes; however, the underlying pathways for this relationship are unclear. Our study aimed to elucidate this question by examining the relationship between parental cardiovascular risk factors including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass index (BMI), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and maternal psychological stress score (MPSS) relative to the severity of the child's food allergy (FA) and number of affected children. SBP, DBP, BMI, and WHR were measured and calculated at the time of recruitment by trained nurses. MPSS was obtained based on self-report questionnaires covering lifestyle adjustments, perceived chronic stress, and quality of life. General linear models examined whether caregiver chronic stress was associated with FA. For mothers with children under age 5 years, SBP, DBP and number of affected children had strong and graded relationships with severity of the child's FA. MPSS was also significantly and positively associated with child FA severity (P < 0.001). However, no relationships were found between FA severity, BMI, or WHR for either parent. This was also the case for paternal SBP, DBP, and number of affected children of any age. There is a strong and graded link between cardiovascular risk and perceived stress in mothers of food-allergic children under age 5. Findings may have important implications for family-centered care of FA, may generalize to caregivers of children with chronic conditions, and extend the literature on allostatic load.

Síndrome metabólica, aterosclerose e inflamação: tríade indissociável?

Resumo Observa-se, nas populações mundiais, aumento do sedentarismo e aumento do consumo de gorduras e açúcares, sendo estes vinculados normalmente aos alimentos industrializados. A consequência disso rapidamente se manifestou no aumento do sobrepeso/obesidade e na instalação de alterações fisiológicas e metabólicas, como a Síndrome Metabólica, que é representada por alterações na glicemia, nos lipídeos e na pressão arterial. Há evidências de ligação estreita entre estas alterações e os processos inflamatórios, que também podem estar associados ao estresse oxidativo. Estas condições levam à patogênese das alterações vasculares ou intensificam os processos metabólicos que acompanham a Síndrome Metabólica. O objetivo desta revisão foi comparar as inúmeras referências literárias que mostram correlação entre os componentes da Síndrome Metabólica e o aumento dos mediadores de inflamação. Para isso, utilizou-se Pubmed, Scopus, Lilacs e Scielo como base de dados, sendo que os artigos selecionados dataram principalmente dos últimos cinco anos.

Effect of sophoridine on Ca²⁺ induced Ca²⁺ release during heart failure

Sophoridine is a type of alkaloid extract derived from the Chinese herb Sophora flavescens Ait (kushen) and possess a variety of pharmacological effects including anti-inflammation, anti-anaphylaxis, anti-cancer, anti-arrhythmic and so on. However, the effect of sophoridine on heart failure has not been known yet. In this study, the effect of sophoridine on heart failure was investigated using Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat model of chronic heart failure. Morphological results showed that in medium and high dose group, myofilaments were arranged orderly and closely, intermyofibrillar lysis disappeared and mitochondria contained tightly packed cristae compared with heart failure group. We investigated the Ca(2+) induced Ca(2+) transients and assessed the expression of ryanodine receptor (RyR2) and L-type Ca(2+) channel (dihydropyridine receptor, DHPR). We found that the cytosolic Ca(2+) transients were markedly increased in amplitude in medium (deltaF/F(0)=43.33+/-1.92) and high dose groups (deltaF/F(0)=47.21+/-1.25) compared with heart failure group (deltaF/F(0)=16.7+/-1.29, P<0.01), Moreover, we demonstrated that the expression of cardiac DHPR was significantly increased in medium- and high dose-group compared with heart failure rats. Our results suggest that sophoridine could improve heart failure by ameliorating cardiac Ca(2+) induced Ca(2+) transients, and that this amelioration is associated with upregulation of DHPR.