Serum ferritin levels and other indicators of organic iron as risk factors / or markers in coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND: Several international studies have discussed whether serum ferritin is a risk marker in coronary heart disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the importance of serum ferritin levels and other indicators of organic iron as possible risk factors or markers in coronary artery disease. Secondly, the classical factors were studied in order to identify possible associations with organic iron markers. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a medical institution, 1263 patients underwent cinecoronary arteriography from December 1997 to May 1998. A sample of 400 patients was separated, at random, to establish a comparative clinical study between two groups: group A, comprising 200 individuals with coronary atherosclerosis and group B, comprising 200 patients without coronary atherosclerosis, as confirmed by cinecoronary teriography. From group A,182 patients (130 males) and from group B, 157 (96 females) did not show any exclusion criteria and were considered eligible. All women were in the postmenopausal period. The blood samples were collected by a biologist,between 8.30 and 9.0 a.m., after a 12-hour fast and a 36-hour non-smoking period. In order to analyze all results, univariate analysis, the logistic regression technique and the interactive forward stepwise method were used in order to optimize the model and to predict the chances of coronary atherosclerosis. The results of the logistic regression with all the variables analyzed showed that male gender, age, smoking, triglycerides/VLDL interaction, increased serum LDL-C levels and decreased serum HDL-C levels are important to predict the chances of coronary atherogenesis. CONCLUSION: Serum levels of ferritin and of other organic iron indicators--transferrin saturation, total iron-binding capacity,hemoglobin and hematocrit--were neither risk factors nor risk markers for coronary atherosclerosis. Paradoxically, serum iron levels were higher in the group without atherosclerosis. In this study, variables classically considered as risk factors were similar to those in the literature

Beta-adrenergic blocking agents in heart failure.

Cardiac dysfunction in heart failure is widely recognized as a progressive process, regardless of the clinical signs and symptoms. An increase in cardiac sympathetic drive is one of the earliest neurohormonal responses occurring in patients with heart failure and may be one of the major causes of the progressive remodeling leading to the decline in myocardial function, and responsible for the poor prognosis of patients with heart failure. Therefore, recent data provided by several appropriately designed clinical trials clearly indicate the benefits of beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents, combined with diuretics, ACE inhibitors, and digoxin in chronic heart failure class II to IV due to systolic ventricular dysfunction. The benefits are related to symptoms, functional capacity, remodeling, and improvement in left ventricular function, reduction in cardiovascular hospitalization, a decrease in the overall and sudden cardiac death rate, and are similar in patients with ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathy, independent of age, gender, or functional class. In this review we describe the cardiovascular effects of the increase in sympathetic drive, the pharmacological properties of the beta-blockers most evaluated in heart failure therapy (metoprolol, bisoprolol, and carvedilol), the major clinical trials related to these agents in heart failure, the recommendations for their appropriate use in clinical practice, the precautions to be adopted, and how to handle the more common adverse reactions.

Evaluation of the effects of a new fermented milk product (Gaio) on primary hypercholesterolemia.

OBJECTIVE: To verify the effects on the lipid profile of a product of fermented milk (Gaio) in patients with mild to moderate primary hypercholesterolemia. DESIGN: The study was prospective, randomized, double-blinded and placebo controlled, with a crossover design. SUBJECTS: Thirty-two patients (21 women and 11 men) with ages ranging between 36 and 65 years old were included in the study. All of them were on a controlled diet for at least 8 weeks. INTERVENTION: Patients began, after clinical and laboratory analysis, in a randomized and double-blind manner to take 200 g daily of Gaio or its placebo. After 8 weeks blood was collected again for lipid profile evaluation and the crossover was made. After an additional 8 weeks blood was collected for another lipid profile determination. RESULTS: All patients included completed the study. Comparisons were made between means of lipid profile constituents after the placebo and active product periods. These showed significant mean reduction of 5.3% (P = 0.004) for total cholesterol, 6.15% (P = 0.012) for LDL-cholesterol and no significant variation for HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. The majority of patients presented no variation or had a decrease in their total cholesterol level. However, during the active product period, three patients showed an increase in cholesterol level by more than 5%. CONCLUSION: The fermented milk (Gaio) produced a small but statistically significant decrease in total and LDL-cholesterol mean. However, not all subjects seem to respond to the product, and a few subjects showed a cholesterol increment. Further investigations are necessary to clarify this aspect.

[Efficacy and tolerance of the bisoprolol/hydrochlorothiazide combination in arterial hypertension]. / Eficácia e tolerabilidade da associação bisoprolol/ hidroclorotiazida na hipertensão arterial.

PURPOSE: Multicenter, open and non-controlled study to evaluated the efficacy and the tolerability of a low-dose combination of two anti-hypertensive agents: a cardioselective beta-blocker, bisoprolol (2.5 and 5.0 mg) with 6.25 mg of hydrochlorothiazide. METHODS: One hundred and six patients in the stage I and stage II of the systemic hypertension (mild to moderate) were given the bisoprolol/hydrochlorothiazide combination once daily and the diastolic and systolic blood pressures were monitored during the 8-week trial. RESULTS: The bisoprolol/hydrochlorothiazide combination reduced the initial mean values of systolic and diastolic blood pressures, respectively, from the 157.4 mmHg and 98.8 mmHg to 137.3 mmHg and 87.4 mmHg. At the end of the treatment period, 61% of the patients normalized blood pressure values (< 90 mmHg) and 22.9% of them had responded to the treatment, resulting in a total response rate (normalized + responsive) of 83.9% of cases. Adverse events were described only in 18.9% of the patients and dizziness and headache were the most common. There were no clinically significant changes on plasma levels of potassium, uric acid, glucose, or in the lipid profile. CONCLUSION: The combination of low dosages of bisoprolol and hydrochlorothiazide may be considered an effective, well tolerated and rational alternative for the initial treatment of the patients with mild to moderate hypertension.

[Impact of new knowledge about physiopathology on the treatment of myocardial ischemia]. / Impacto dos novos conhecimentos de fisiopatologia na terapêutica da isquemia miocárdica.

Unstable coronary syndromes-unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction and sudden death-share a common pathophysiology, characterized by the rupture or fissure of an atherosclerotic plaque in the ischemic event related artery. This change marks the transitions from chronic, stable to acute, unstable coronary artery disease. The events that follow plaque rupture, namely platelet adhesion and aggregation, are largely responsible for endothelial injury and the interaction of the plaque components with the blood cells. Such phenoma are not isolated or self contained, but rather dynamic and inter-related. Advances in the knowledge of unstable acute syndromes had a major impact on the therapy of these conditions, particularly on the clinical approach. Besides alleviating and preventing the onset of symptoms reducing total ischemic burden, myocardial protection and preventing or improving left ventricular dysfunction, the new management of unstable coronary syndromes highlights the use of antithrombotic drugs and measures, pharmacological or not, aimed at the protection of the endothelium, stabilization of the plaque and control or even regression of atherosclerosis. Such an approach yields significant coronary event reduction, improved quality of life and increased survival.

[Multicenter comparative study of felodipine-ER and nifedipine-OROS in the treatment of mild-to-moderate arterial hypertension]. / Estudo multicêntrico comparativo da felodipina-ER e nifedipina-OROS no tratamento da hipertensão arterial leve e moderada.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and tolerance of felodipine-ER and nifedipine OROS, both once daily, in the treatment of mild-to-moderate uncomplicated arterial hypertension (AH). METHODS: This was a multicentric, opened, randomized, paralled trial, that selected 121 patients with uncomplicated, mild to moderate essential AH (diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > or = 95 and < or = 110 mmHg; not under anti-hypertensive medication. All patients received placebo for two weeks. After that period, they would take either 5mg/day of felodipine, or 30mg/day of nifedipine OROS, both once daily, in a randomized fashion. Patients underwent laboratory tests and electrocardiogram (ECG) at the begining and at the end of the study, and heart rate and blood pressure (BP) measurements, nearly 24 hours after the last active drug dose. RESULTS: Completed the study 111 patients, 60 in the felodipine group and 51 in the nifedipine group. Compared to baseline, the average of systolic BP and DBP decreased from 162.5 +/- 14.3mmHg and from 102.2 +/- 5.1mmHg to 143.3 +/- 14.6 and 87.9 +/- 7.2mmHg, respectively, at the end of the treatment in the felodipine group; and from 160.5 +/- 16.3mmHg and 102.5 +/- 6.2mmHg to 136.1 +/- 14.2 and 86.7 +/- 7.0mmHg, respectively in nifedipine group (p < 0.0001 for all diferences). Adequate BP response to the treatment (DBP normalization or reduction > 10mmHg from baseline) occured in 47/60 (78.3%) patients in the felodipine group and in 38/51 (74.5%) in the nifedipine group (NS). Side effects, occured in approximately 15% of the cases, and were similar in both groups. These were usually moderate and transient, but were responsible for the withdrawal from the study of two cases in the felodipine group and of three cases in the nifedipine group. CONCLUSION: Felodipine-ER and nifedipine OROS, are similarly effective and generally well tolerated in patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension.

Metodologia de avaliaçäo cardiológica do atleta normal e cardiopata / Methodology for cardiac evaluation of normal athletes and with heart disease

O exame cardiológico do atleta tem, entre seus principais objetivos, a detecçäo de alguma cardiopatia desconhecida, que poderia levar a problemas futuros, com a manutençäo da prática esportiva. O cardiologista deve estar a par das alteraçöes que podem ser encontradas no "coraçäo do atleta", para identificar anormalidades da propedêutica potencialmente importantes, bem como conhecer como as alteraçöes habituais regridem quando o indivíduo abandona a atividade esportiva. Säo discutidos os exames mínis que deve ser realizados na avaliaçäo do atleta, tendo em vista a dificuldade de obtençäo das condiçöes tecnológicas ideais. Entretanto, säo abordados também exames mais sofisticados, que seräo realizados de acordo com a necessidade de cada caso.

[Brazilian study with alteplase in acute myocardial infarction--EBRALT]. / Estudo Brasileiro com alteplase no infarto agudo do miocárdio--EBRALT.

PURPOSE: Prospective evaluation of the effects of the intravenous administration of rt-PA (Alteplase) up to 6 hours after the pain onset on the patency of the AMI related artery, mortality, adverse reactions and complications. METHODS: Open, multicenter, non-comparative study involving 139 patients with diagnosis of AMI, with less than 6h of duration. The rt-PA was intravenously administered, in a dose of 100mg, as follows: 10mg in the 1st 2min, 50mg in 58min and 40mg in 120min. In addition, the patients received intravenous heparin (5000 IU at first and then, 1000 IU/hour, for 24h), aspirin (500mg in the 1st day and then, 100mg/day) and dipyridamole (75mg, three times a day), during the hospitalization period. The angiographic study was performed in 129 (93%) patients, within the 1st week of AMI. RESULTS: The age of the patients ranged from 29 to 85 (mean 56.6 +/- 10.3) years. The related artery for the AMI was patent (TIMI II and III flow) in 92/129 (71%) patients, with a mean ejection fraction of 50 +/- 14%, a value higher than that exhibited by patients with TIMI 0 and I flow (average ejection fraction = 44 +/- 14%). Reinfarction was diagnosed in 9 (6.4%) patients during the hospitalization period. During this period, there were 9 (6.4%) deaths. Minor hemorrhages were observed in 19 (12%) patients and major hemorrhages in 3 (2%) cases. No patient experienced stroke. CONCLUSION: The administration of the rt-PA therapy in the AMI was associated to a high reperfusion index of the related artery for the infarction, with improved left ventricular function and low incidence of reinfarction and in-hospital mortality, as well as, complications.