Novel biomarkers in the prognosis of patients with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.

Biomarkers have a variety of clinical applications in multiple stages of diagnosis and therapy. Troponin T and brain natriuretic peptide are the best-known in the cardiovascular field, but experimental studies have identified new biomarkers with potential clinical value. In this article, novel biomarkers of kidney injury are investigated in the context of their relationship with atherosclerotic coronary disease. This review was carried out through a search in the PubMed database using as keywords each biomarker to be studied with the descriptor (DECS/MeSH) "Myocardial Infarction", and the keywords "coronary" and "cardiovascular", using the Boolean operator "AND". After the selection, 24 articles published between 2003 and 2017 were identified for the review. Eight biomarkers were investigated: neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2), syndecan-1, interleukin-6 (IL-6), galectin-3, and the vascular cell adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. Most identified articles were experimental studies, studies on human subjects having few participants. There are several promising biomarkers in the setting of coronary disease. The main evidence available in the literature suggests that elevated NGAL levels are associated with better prognosis after cardiac arrest and with comorbid kidney injury; elevated FGF23 is associated with coronary artery disease severity; TIMP-2 protects against coronary artery disease; increased expression of syndecan-1 is observed in myocardial infarction (MI) and protects against an exacerbated inflammatory response; IL-6 is associated with atherosclerotic disease and major cardiovascular outcomes; galectin-3 correlates with adverse clinical events post-MI; and elevated ICAM-1/VCAM-1 levels are associated with risk of coronary disease. Further studies are required to better investigate the role of each of these biomarkers in both stable coronary disease and acute coronary syndrome.

Impact of lockdown on bed occupancy rate in a referral hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in northeast Brazil

Abstract Coronaviruses are known to be responsible for infections in humans since the 1960s and have accounted for epidemics in recent human history. More recently, in 2019, a disease caused by a new coronavirus appeared in China, in the province of Wuhan, with a characteristic of greater infectivity, called COVID-19, which has caused a new world pandemic. Considering the need to contain the advance in the number of cases, based on the high rate of transmissibility, several countries have adopted extreme social distancing measures, including the so-called 'lockdown'. Despite the socioeconomic side effects, the aforementioned measure reduced the progression of the pandemic in countries that adopted it. In Brazil, the state of Ceará was one of the first epicenters of the disease in the country and the state capital city of Fortaleza, on May 8, implemented the lockdown measure to contain the increase in the number of cases. It was then observed, in a tertiary hospital, which is a referral for COVID-19 cases, a decrease in the daily occupancy rate of beds reserved for the pandemic after the lockdown onset, evidencing that this measure leads to a sustainable reduction in bed occupation rates, thus preventing the collapse and overload in health services.

Impact of lockdown on bed occupancy rate in a referral hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in northeast Brazil.

Coronaviruses are known to be responsible for infections in humans since the 1960s and have accounted for epidemics in recent human history. More recently, in 2019, a disease caused by a new coronavirus appeared in China, in the province of Wuhan, with a characteristic of greater infectivity, called COVID-19, which has caused a new world pandemic. Considering the need to contain the advance in the number of cases, based on the high rate of transmissibility, several countries have adopted extreme social distancing measures, including the so-called 'lockdown'. Despite the socioeconomic side effects, the aforementioned measure reduced the progression of the pandemic in countries that adopted it. In Brazil, the state of Ceará was one of the first epicenters of the disease in the country and the state capital city of Fortaleza, on May 8, implemented the lockdown measure to contain the increase in the number of cases. It was then observed, in a tertiary hospital, which is a referral for COVID-19 cases, a decrease in the daily occupancy rate of beds reserved for the pandemic after the lockdown onset, evidencing that this measure leads to a sustainable reduction in bed occupation rates, thus preventing the collapse and overload in health services.

A Rare Case of Non-Prosthetic Aortic Valve Infectious Endocarditis Caused by Achromobacter xylosoxidans.

BACKGROUND Achromobacter xylosoxidans is a ubiquitous environmental gram-negative bacterium, very resistant to antibiotics. Endocarditis caused by these bacteria is extremely rare, with only 20 cases described in the literature to our knowledge. Mortality rates are high, and treatment usually involves a combination of antibiotics and surgery. Nosocomial infections predominate with a strong association between bacteremia and immunosuppression. CASE REPORT A 19-year-old immunocompetent male presented with endocarditis He had interatrial and interventricular communication corrected at age 11 months and aortic coarctation correction at age 10. Initial echocardiogram showed a possible interventricular patch infection, which was later ruled out. He was treated initially for endocarditis with a combination of antibiotics, but because he remained febrile after appropriate antibiotic treatment, surgery was performed. The patient had a favorable outcome after surgery and was asymptomatic on follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Endocarditis caused by A. xylosoxidans is extremely rare. To date, only 20 cases of IT have been reported in the literature, of which only two involved a native valve. Given the scarcity of cases reported, there is no consensus on the best treatment.

Endomiocardiofibrose como causa rara de insuficiência mitral: relato de caso e revisão da literatura / Endomyocardial fibrosis as a rare cause of mitral insufficiency: case study and literature review

Paciente M.B.L., feminina, 62 anos, portadora de insuficiência cardíaca prévia (etiologia indefinida), apresentou-se agudamente com dispneia aos esforços e déficit neurológico súbito. O ecocardiograma evidenciou insuficiência mitral moderada e obliteração infiltrativado ventrículo esquerdo. Realizou-se ventriculografia, confirmando aspecto sugestivo de endomiocardiofibrose. Optou-se por tratamento clínico (atual NYHA I), com boa resposta. Objetiva-se descrever caso clínico incomum e aspectos gerais desta entidade de acordo com as mais recentes atualizações.

Case study of a female patient, 62 years old, with prior heart failure (etiology not defined) presenting dyspnea acutely on exertion, and sudden neurological deficit. An echocardiogram showed moderate mitral failure and left ventricular infiltrative obliteration. Ventriculography confirmed an appearance suggestive of endomyocardial fibrosis. Medical treatment (current NYHA I) was selected, with good response. The intention is to present a clinical study of an unusual case with general aspects of this entity according to the latest updates.