Cardiac troponin I associated with the development of unrecognized myocardial infarctions detected with MRI

Elevation of cardiac biomarkers in stroke is associated with pathological findings on cardiac MRI-results of the HEart and BRain interfaces in Acute Stroke study

INTRODUCTION

Cardiac biomarkers, such as high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), are frequently elevated in ischemic stroke patients but the mechanisms underlying this elevation are insufficiently understood. We determined the presence of cardiac damage, assessed using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), in stroke patients with elevated hs-cTnT and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP).

METHODS

This is a post hoc analysis of the prospective, investigator-initiated, cross-sectional HEart and BRain interfaces in Acute Stroke (HEBRAS) study. All patients underwent the measurement of hs-cTnT and BNP as well as gadolinium-enhanced CMR in the acute phase of ischemic stroke. We performed unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models to assess the association between hs-cTnT and BNP elevation and the presence of pathological CMR findings.

RESULTS

Two hundred and thirty-three stroke patients (median age 67 years, 33% female) were included, of whom 43 (21%) had elevated hs-cTnT and 109 (47%) had elevated BNP. Hundred of the 233 (43%) patients had pathological findings on CMR had focal fibrosis as detected by late-gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in 51 (23%), left-ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in 38 (16%), reduced LVEF in 32 (14%), and left-atrial dilatation in 34 (15%). After adjustment for potential confounders, both hs-cTnT (adjOR 5.0 (95%CI 2.1-11.7), p < 0.001) and BNP (adjOR 4.1 (95%CI 2.3-7.3), p < 0.001) were significantly associated with pathological findings on CMR. Hs-cTnT was associated with LGE, LVEF, and LVH, whereas BNP was associated with left-atrial dilatation and LVEF, LVH.

CONCLUSION

Elevated cardiac biomarkers in acute stroke including CMR are strongly associated with pathological findings on CMR. In acute stroke patients, the elevation of cardiac biomarkers may identify patients who require a more thorough cardiology work-up.

High sensitivity troponins: A potential biomarkers of cardiovascular risk for primary prevention

There have been several approaches to building charts for CV risk, all of which have both strengths and limitations. Identifying early organ damage provides relevant information and should be included in risk charts, although the direct relationship with risk is imprecise, variability between operators at the time to assess, and low availability in some healthcare systems, limits its use. Biomarkers, like troponin (cTns) isoforms cTnI and cTnT, a cardiac specific myocyte injury marker, have the great advantage of being relatively reproducible, more readily accessible, and applicable to different populations. New and improved troponin assays have good analytical performance, can measure very low levels of circulating troponin, and have low intra individual variation, below 10 %. Several studies have analyzed the blood levels in healthy subjects and their predictive value for cardiovascular events in observational, prospective and post-hoc studies. All of them offered relevant information and shown that high sensitivity hs-cTnI has a place as an additional clinical marker to add to current charts, and it also reflects sex- and age-dependent differences. Although few more questions need to be answered before recommend cTnI for assessing CV risk in primary prevention, seems to be a potential strong marker to complement CV risk charts.

Clinical effects of Ganglioside and fructose-1, 6-diphosphate on neonatal heart and brain injuries after Asphyxia

Objective

To study the clinical effect of ganglioside (GM) and fructose-1, 6-diphosphate (FDP) on neonatal heart and brain injuries after asphyxia.

Methods

Ninety-one neonates with asphyxia neonatal heart and brain injuries were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group. Both groups were given symptomatic treatment as soon as possible. On this basis, the observation group was given 200 mL of 5% glucose injection and 20 mg of GM and 250 mg/kg·d FDP by intravenous infusion. The above two drugs were given once a day for 14 days. The control group was given 20 mL of 5% glucose injection, 2 mL of cerebrolysin and 250 mg/kg·d FDP by intravenous infusion, once a day for 14 days. Both groups were administered on the first day after admission, and the course of treatment was 14 days. The treatment outcomes of the two groups were compared by detecting the levels of glycogen phosphorylase isoenzyme BB (GPBB), cTn-I and CK-MB, MRI results and Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment (NBNA) scores before and after treatment.

Results

The levels of GPBB, cTn-I and CK-MB in the observation group were significantly higher than those of normal neonates. After treatment, the levels of cTn-I and CK-MB in the observation group were closer to those of normal neonates compared with the control group, with significant differences (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in the brain MRI examination between the two groups (P<0.05). The NBNA scores of the two groups were significantly different before and after treatment (P<0.05). The total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05).

Conclusion

Neonatal heart and brain injuries after asphyxia can be well treated by combining GM with FDP.

Prognostic Value of Cardiac Troponin T and Sex in Patients Undergoing Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUND

In patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention, the prognostic value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and the influence of sex remain poorly defined.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Consecutive patients with stable coronary artery disease who underwent elective percutaneous coronary intervention were included. Primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) in overall and sex-specific population and multivariable adjusted HR were calculated by using Cox proportional hazard models. In a total of 5626 patients, elevated hs-cTnT levels, more than the sex-specific 99th percentile upper reference limit of normal (URL), were observed in 2221 patients (39%) at baseline. During follow-up (median, 14.5 months; 25th-75th percentiles, 6.4-27.2 months), 265 patients died. Mortality was higher in patients with the sex-specific 99th percentile URL compared to those with normal hs-cTnT (17.3% vs 3.4%; HR=6.10; 95% CI, 4.58-8.14; P<0.001). hs-cTnT was an independent predictor of mortality in multivariable adjusted models. The C-statistic was significantly increased by adding hs-cTnT to the basic prediction model for mortality (0.793-0.815; P<0.001). There was a significant interaction between hs-cTnT and sex on mortality. Differences in all-cause mortality between patients with more than the sex-specific 99th percentile URL and those with normal hs-cTnT were numerically larger in male than female patients (male, HR=6.45; 95% CI, 4.68-8.87, P<0.001; female, HR=4.29, 95% CI, 2.36-9.03; P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention, preprocedural hs-cTnT was a strong predictor of mortality in both men and women.

Long-term prognosis of unrecognized myocardial infarction detected with cardiovascular magnetic resonance in an elderly population

BACKGROUND

Individuals with unrecognized myocardial infarctions (UMIs) detected with cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) constitute a recently defined group whose prognosis has not been fully evaluated. However, increasing evidence indicate that these individuals may be at considerable cardiovascular risk. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic impact of CMR detected UMIs for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in community living elderly individuals.

METHODS

Late gadolinium enhancement CMR was performed in 248 randomly chosen 70-year-olds. Individuals with myocardial infarction (MI) scars, with or without a hospital diagnosis of MI were classified as recognized MI (RMI) or UMI, respectively. Medical records and death certificates were scrutinized. MACE was defined as cardiac death, non-fatal MI, a new diagnosis of angina pectoris, or symptom-driven coronary artery revascularization.

RESULTS

During follow-up (mean 11 years) MACE occurred in 10 % (n = 18/182) of the individuals without MI scars, in 20 % (n = 11/55) of the individuals with UMI, and in 45 % (n = 5/11) of the individuals with RMI, with a significant difference between the UMI group and the group without MI scars (p = 0.045), and between the RMI group and the group without MI scars (p = 0.0004). Cardiac death and/or non-fatal MI occurred in 15, 5, and 3 of the individuals in the NoMI, UMI, and RMI group respectively. Hazards ratios for MACE adjusted for risk factors and sex were 2.55 (95 % CI 1.20-5.42; p = 0.015) for UMI and 3.28 (95 % CI1.16-9.22; p = 0.025) for RMI.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of a CMR detected UMI entailed a more than double risk for MACE in community living 70-year-old individuals.