Relationship Between Perivascular Adipose Tissue and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at estimating the association between perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) and some of the cardiovascular risk factors. A systematic search was conducted from January 1980 up to and including 2022 to identify studies that examined the relationship between PVAT and cardiovascular risk factors as obesity and its indices, hypertension, lipids, and glucose intolerance/diabetes. The Medline and Embase databases were searched using the PubMed and Scopus. Data were extracted from 23 studies that fit the criteria. To conduct meta-analysis, we used an approximation of equating the method of correlating assessment because different authors used either Pearson or Spearman correlation. Interrelations of PVAT and body mass index were analyzed in eight studies. Most studies revealed reliable direct correlation; the results of the meta-analysis also showed a significant (P = 0.37, P < 0.01, n = 12,346) correlation. PVAT and waist circumference were analyzed in six studies. Meta-analysis on the selected sample (n = 10,947) showed a significant (r = 0.45, P < 0.01) correlation. Relationship between PVAT and hypertension was revealed in three studies. Direct correlations were found in all studies. Meta-analysis showed the reliability of the correlation dependence (r = 0.21, P < 0.01, n = 3996). PVAT and blood glucose was evaluated in three studies (n = 3689). In each study a reliable (P < 0.05) direct correlation was obtained. Meta-analysis showed a significant correlation of weak strength (r = 0.24, P < 0.01). We demonstrated significant positive correlations of PVAT with the levels of total cholesterol (r = 0.05, P < 0.01), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = 0.13, P < 0.01), and triglycerides (r = 0.29, P < 0.01), and a negative relationship with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = -0.18, P < 0.01) in this meta-analysis. Despite some limitations, the findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis confirmed that PVAT significantly correlates with studied cardiovascular risk factors. Because PVAT presents a great interest in terms of cardiovascular remodeling and cardiovascular disease, its assessment in patients with and without cardiovascular pathology needs further research.

Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacogenetic Predictors of Major Bleeding Events in Patients with an Acute Coronary Syndrome and Atrial Fibrillation Receiving Combined Antithrombotic Therapy.

Objective: This study's objective was to evaluate the effects of pharmacokinetic and pharmacogenetic factors on major bleeding in patients with ACS and non-valvular AF receiving combined antithrombotic therapy consisting of rivaroxaban, clopidogrel, and aspirin as part of dual or triple therapy. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in two PCI centers in Moscow, the Russian Federation, from 2017 to 2018. One hundred patients with ACS and AF were enrolled. Prospective follow-ups continued for 12 months. Results: A total of 36 patients experienced bleeding events, with 10 experiencing major bleeding based on the BARC scale and 17 experiencing major bleeding based on the ISTH scale. The following predictors associated with an increased number of major bleeding events were identified: for the ISTH scale, a Css min. of rivaroxaban of >137 pg/mL (5.94 OR, (95% CI, 3.13-12.99; p < 0.004)) and carriage of the T allelic variant polymorphism ABCB1 rs4148738 (8.97 OR (95% CI, 1.48-14.49; p < 0.017)), as well as for the BARC scale (5.76 OR (95% CI, 2.36-9.87; p < 0.018)). Conclusions: Measuring residual steady-state rivaroxaban concentrations and determining the carriage of the T allelic variant polymorphism ABCB1 rs4148738 may be applicable to high-risk patients for subsequent antithrombotic therapy modification.

Gut Digestive Function and Microbiome after Correction of Experimental Dysbiosis in Rats by Indigenous Bifidobacteria.

In recent years, great interest has arisen in the use of autoprobiotics (indigenous bacteria isolated from the organism and introduced into the same organism after growing). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of indigenous bifidobacteria on intestinal microbiota and digestive enzymes in a rat model of antibiotic-associated dysbiosis. Our results showed that indigenous bifidobacteria (the Bf group) accelerate the disappearance of dyspeptic symptoms in rats and prevent an increase in chyme mass in the upper intestine compared to the group without autoprobiotics (the C1 group), but significantly increase the mass of chyme in the colon compared to the C1 group and the control group (healthy animals). In the Bf group in the gut microbiota, the content of opportunistic bacteria (Proteus spp., enteropathogenic Escherichia coli) decreased, and the content of some beneficial bacteria (Bifidobacterium spp., Dorea spp., Blautia spp., the genus Ruminococcus, Prevotella, Oscillospira) changed compared to the control group. Unlike the C1 group, in the Bf group there was no decrease in the specific activities of maltase and alkaline phosphatase in the mucosa of the upper intestine, but the specific activity of maltase was decreased in the colon chyme compared to the control and C1 groups. In the Bf group, the specific activity of aminopeptidase N was reduced in the duodenum mucosa and the colon chyme compared to the control group. We concluded that indigenous bifidobacteria can protect the microbiota and intestinal digestive enzymes in the intestine from disorders caused by dysbiosis; however, there may be impaired motor function of the colon.