The Universal Definition of Heart Failure, risk prediction in cardiogenic shock, artificial intelligence in cardiac allograft rejection, and the genetics of dilated cardiomyopathy

Causal Relationship Between Immune Cells/Cytokines and Dilated Cardiomyopathy

To date, whether there is any causal relationship between dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and the changes in the levels/expression of immune cells/cytokines is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the causal relationship between the levels of various types of immune cells/cytokines and DCM. Herein, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) (TSMR) using R software was conducted. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to the levels of various types of immune cells/cytokines and DCM were screened based on the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) obtained from open-source databases. The TSMR was conducted using inverse variance weighted (IVW), method, MR-Egger regression, weighted median method, and simple estimator based on mode to explore the causal association between the levels of each immune cell/cytokine and DCM. Sensitivity analysis was conducted using MR-Egger regression and a leave-one-out sensitivity test. A total of 1816 SNPs related to host immune status and DCM were identified. The IVW results showed a relationship between DCM and the circulating levels of basophils/eosinophils, total eosinophils-basophils, lymphocytes, and C-reactive protein (CRP). Increased lymphocytes levels (odds ratio (OR) = 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.84-0.97, P = 0.005) were seen as protective against DCM, whereas increased basophil (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.04-1.33, P = 0.022), eosinophil (OR = 1.1, 95% CI: 1.03-1.17, P = 0.007), eosinophil-basophil (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02-1.17, P = 0.014), and CRP (OR = 1.1, 95% CI: 1.03-1.18, P = 0.013) levels were associated with an increased risk of DCM. These analyses revealed that there may be a relationship between immune cells/select cytokine status and the onset of DCM. Future studies are required to further validate these outcomes in animal models and clinical trials.

Qili Qiangxin Capsule Combined With Sacubitril/Valsartan for HFrEF: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is a complex, chronic disease and is among the top causes of morbidity and mortality. Angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor drugs represented by sacubitril/valsartan are the key drugs for the treatment of HFrEF in western medicine, and Qili Qiangxin Capsule (QQC) is a vital drug for the treatment of HFrEF in Chinese medicine. In recent years, there have been many relevant clinical studies on the combination of the two in the treatment of HFrEF. There are no systematic reviews or meta-analyses specific to sacubitril/valsartan combined with QQC for the treatment of HFrEF, so there is an urgent need to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of these two drugs. Objective: To systematically assess the safety and effectiveness of QQC combined with sacubitril/valsartan in the treatment of HFrEF through a meta-analysis. Methods: Searching studies on the combination of QQC and sacubitril/valsartan in the treatment of HFrEF, from databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Wanfang Databases, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, prior to 31 October 2021. Two reviewers regulated research selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. Review Manager Software 5.4 was used for meta-analysis. Results: There were 26 studies with 2,427 patients included in total. The meta-analysis showed the combination therapy has significant advantages in improving the clinical efficacy, 6-MWT (RR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.11-1.26, MD = 70.65, 95% CI: 23.92-117.39), superior in ameliorating LVEF, LVEDD, LVESD, and SV (LVEF: MD = 5.41, 95% CI: 4.74-6.08; LVEDD: MD = -4.41, 95% CI: -6.19 to -2.64; LVESD: MD = -3.56, 95% CI: -4.58 to -2.54; and SV: MD = 5.04, 95% CI: 3.67-6.40), and in improving BNP, NT-proBNP, AngII, and ALD (BNP: MD = -97.55, 95% CI: -112.79 to -82.31; NT-proBNP: MD = -277.22, 95% CI: -348.44 to -206.01; AngII: MD = -11.48, 95% CI: -15.21 to -7.76; and ALD: MD = -26.03, 95% CI: -38.91 to -13.15), and all the differences have statistical advantages (p < 0.05). There are no advantages in improving CO and adverse events (MD = 0.66, 95% CI: -0.12 to 1.43 and RR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.37-1.04, respectively), and the differences have no statistical advantages. Conclusion: Compared with the control group, QQC combined with sacubitril/valsartan may be effective in the treatment of HFrEF. However, the conclusion of this study must be interpreted carefully due to the high risk and ambiguity of bias in the included trials.