The role of mitofusin 2 in regulating endothelial cell senescence: Implications for vascular aging.

Endothelial cell dysfunction contributes to age-related vascular diseases. Analyzing public databases and mouse tissues, we found decreased MFN2 expression in senescent endothelial cells and angiotensin II-treated mouse aortas. In human endothelial cells, Ang II reduced MFN2 expression while increasing senescence markers P21 and P53. siMFN2 treatment worsened Ang II-induced senescence, while MFN2 overexpression alleviated it. siMFN2 or Ang II treatment caused mitochondrial dysfunction and morphological abnormalities, including increased ROS production and reduced respiration, mitigated by ovMFN2 treatment. Further study revealed that BCL6, a negative regulator of MFN2, significantly contributes to Ang II-induced endothelial senescence. In vivo, Ang II infusion decreased MFN2 expression and increased BCL6, P21, and P53 expression in vascular endothelial cells. The shMfn2+Ang II group showed elevated senescence markers in vascular tissues. These findings highlight MFN2's regulatory role in endothelial cell senescence, emphasizing its importance in maintaining endothelial homeostasis and preventing age-related vascular diseases.

A model fusion method based DAT-DenseNet for classification and diagnosis of aortic dissection.

In this paper, we proposed a complete study method to achieve accurate aortic dissection diagnosis at the patient level. Based on the CT angiography (CTA) images, a classification model named DAT-DenseNet, which combined the deep attention Transformer module with the DenseNet architecture is proposed. In the first phase, two DAT-DenseNet are combined in parallel. It is used to accurately achieve two classification task at the CTA images. In the second stage, we propose a feature fusion module. It concatenates and fuses the image features output from the two classification models on a patient by patient basis. In the comparison experiments of classification model performance, DAT-DenseNet obtained 92.41 % accuracy at the image level, which was 2.20 % higher than the commonly used model. In the comparison experiments of model fusion method, our method obtained 90.83 % accuracy at the patient level. The experiments showed that DAT-DenseNet model exhibits high performance at the image level. Our feature fusion module achieves the mapping from two classification image features to patient outcomes. It achieves accurate patient classification. The experiments' results in the Discussion section elaborate the details of the experiment and confirmed that the results were reliable.

The combined effect of triglyceride-glucose index and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with chronic coronary syndrome: A multicenter cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) are the commonly used biomarkers for insulin resistance and systemic inflammation, respectively. We aimed to investigate the combined association of TyG and hsCRP with the major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). METHODS: A total of 9421 patients with CCS were included in this study. The primary endpoint was defined as a composite of MACE covering all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and revascularization. RESULTS: During the 2-year follow-up period, 660 (7.0%) cases of MACE were recorded. Participants were divided equally into three groups according to TyG levels. Compared with the TyG T1 group, the risk of MACE was significantly higher in the TyG T3 group. It is noteworthy that among patients in the highest tertile of TyG, hsCRP >3 mg/L was significantly associated with an increased risk of MACE, whereas the results were not significant in the medium to low TyG groups. When patients were divided into six groups according to hsCRP and TyG, the Cox regression analysis showed that patients in the TyG T3 and hsCRP >3 mg/L group had a significantly higher risk of MACE than those in the TyG T1 and hsCRP ≤3 mg/L group. However, no significant interaction was found between TyG and hsCRP on the risk of MACE. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the concurrent assessment of TyG and hsCRP may be valuable in identifying high-risk populations and guiding management strategies among CCS patients.

A nomogram prediction model for short-term aortic-related adverse events in patients with acute Stanford type B aortic intramural hematoma: development and validation.

Background: This study is to examine the factors associated with short-term aortic-related adverse events in patients with acute type B aortic intramural hematoma (IMH). Additionally, we develop a risk prediction nomogram model and evaluate its accuracy. Methods: This study included 197 patients diagnosed with acute type B IMH. The patients were divided into stable group (n = 125) and exacerbation group (n = 72) based on the occurrence of aortic-related adverse events. Logistic regression and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) method for variables based on baseline assessments with significant differences in clinical and image characteristics were employed to identify independent predictors. A nomogram risk model was constructed based on these independent predictors. The nomogram model was evaluated using various methods such as the receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration curve, decision analysis curve, and clinical impact curve. Internal validation was performed using the Bootstrap method. Results: A nomogram risk prediction model was established based on four variables: absence of diabetes, anemia, maximum descending aortic diameter (MDAD), and ulcer-like projection (ULP). The model demonstrated a discriminative ability with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.813. The calibration curve indicated a good agreement between the predicted probabilities and the actual probabilities. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test showed no significant difference (χ 2 = 7.040, P = 0.532). The decision curve analysis (DCA) was employed to further confirm the clinical effectiveness of the nomogram. Conclusion: This study introduces a nomogram prediction model that integrates four important risk factors: ULP, MDAD, anemia, and absence of diabetes. The model allows for personalized prediction of patients with type B IMH.

The residual risk of inflammation and remnant cholesterol in acute coronary syndrome patients on statin treatment undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Residual risk assessment for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients after sufficient medical management remains challenging. The usefulness of measuring high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and remnant cholesterol (RC) in assessing the level of residual inflammation risk (RIR) and residual cholesterol risk (RCR) for risk stratification in these patients needs to be evaluated. METHODS: Patients admitted for ACS on statin treatment who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between March 2016 and March 2019 were enrolled in the analysis. The included patients were stratified based on the levels of hsCRP and RC during hospitalization. The primary outcome was ischemic events at 12 months, defined as a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. The secondary outcomes included 12-month all-cause death and cardiac death. RESULTS: Among the 5778 patients, the median hsCRP concentration was 2.60 mg/L and the median RC concentration was 24.98 mg/dL. The RIR was significantly associated with ischemic events (highest hsCRP tertile vs. lowest hsCRP tertile, adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-2.30, P = 0.046), cardiac death (aHR: 1.77, 95% CI:1.02-3.07, P = 0.0418) and all-cause death (aHR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.24-3.24, P = 0.0048). The RCR was also significantly associated with these outcomes, with corresponding values for the highest tertile of RC were 1.81 (1.21-2.73, P = 0.0043), 2.76 (1.57-4.86, P = 0.0004), and 1.72 (1.09-2.73, P = 0.0208), respectively. The risks of ischemic events (aHR: 2.80, 95% CI: 1.75-4.49, P < 0.0001), cardiac death (aHR: 4.10, 95% CI: 2.18-7.70, P < 0.0001), and all-cause death (aHR: 3.00, 95% CI, 1.73-5.19, P < 0.0001) were significantly greater in patients with both RIR and RCR (highest hsCRP and RC tertile) than in patients with neither RIR nor RCR (lowest hsCRP and RC tertile). Notably, the RIR and RCR was associated with an increased risk of ischemic events especially in patients with adequate low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) control (LDL-C < 70 mg/dl) (Pinteraction=0.04). Furthermore, the RIR and RCR provide more accurate evaluations of risk in addition to the GRACE score in these patients [areas under the curve (AUC) for ischemic events: 0.64 vs. 0.66, P = 0.003]. CONCLUSION: Among ACS patients receiving contemporary statin treatment who underwent PCI, high risks of both residual inflammation and cholesterol, as assessed by hsCRP and RC, were strongly associated with increased risks of ischemic events, cardiac death, and all-cause death.

Efficacy and Safety of Ongericimab in Chinese Patients With Primary Hypercholesterolemia and Mixed Dyslipidemia.

BACKGROUND: A phase 3 trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ongericimab, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9, as an add-on treatment to optimized lipid-lowering therapy in Chinese patients with primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed dyslipidemia. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 806 patients who were receiving stable and optimized lipid-lowering therapy but did not achieve their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 2:1:2:1 ratio to receive either ongericimab 150 mg or matching placebo every 2 weeks, or ongericimab 300 mg or matching placebo every 4 weeks for 52 weeks. Efficacy and safety were evaluated in 802 patients who received at least 1 dose of ongericimab or placebo. The primary end point was the percentage change in LDL-C from baseline to week 24. Our findings demonstrated that the least-squares mean difference of percentage change in LDL-C from baseline to week 24 was -67.7% (95% CI, -72.5% to -63.0%; P<0.0001) in the ongericimab 150 mg every 2 weeks group compared with the placebo every 2 weeks group, and -61.2% (95% CI, -67.1% to -55.2%; P<0.0001) in the ongericimab 300 mg every 4 weeks group compared with the placebo every 4 weeks group. These reductions were sustained up to week 52. Furthermore, treatment with ongericimab favorably altered other lipid parameters. A similar incidence of adverse events was observed in the ongericimab and placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS: Ongericimab, as an add-on treatment to optimized lipid-lowering therapy, significantly reduced LDL-C and was well-tolerated in Chinese patients with primary hyperlipidemia and mixed dyslipidemia who did not achieve their LDL-C targets. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT04781114.

Pentamethylquercetin attenuates angiotensin II-induced abdominal aortic aneurysm formation by blocking nuclear translocation of C/EBPß at Lys253.

BACKGROUND: Pentamethylquercetin (PMQ) is a natural polymethyl flavonoid that possesses anti-apoptotic and other biological properties. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), a fatal vascular disease with a high risk of rupture, is associated with phenotypic switching and apoptosis of medial vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of PMQ on the development of AAA and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: ApoE-/- mice were continuously infused with angiotensin II (Ang II) for 4 weeks to develop the AAA model. Intragastric administration of PMQ was initiated 5 days before Ang II infusion and continued for 4 weeks. In vitro, VSMCs were cultured and pretreated with PMQ, stimulated with Ang II. Real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining were used to examine the roles and mechanisms of PMQ on the phenotypic switching and apoptosis of VSMCs. RESULTS: PMQ dose-dependently reduced the incidence of Ang II-induced AAA, aneurysm diameter enlargement, elastin degradation, VSMCs phenotypic switching and apoptosis. Furthermore, PMQ also inhibited phenotypic switching and apoptosis in Ang II-stimulated VSMCs. PMQ exerted protective effects by regulating the C/EBPß/PTEN/AKT/GSK-3ß axis. AAV-mediated overexpression of PTEN reduced the therapeutic effects of PMQ in the AAA model mice, suggesting that the effects of PMQ on Ang II-mediated AAA formation were related to the PTEN/AKT/GSK-3ß axis. PMQ inhibited VSMCs phenotypic switching and apoptosis by bounding to C/EBPß at Lys253 with hydrogen bond to regulate C/EBPß nuclear translocation and PTEN/AKT/GSK-3ß axis, thereby inhibiting Ang II-induced AAA formation. CONCLUSIONS: Pentamethylquercetin inhibits angiotensin II-induced abdominal aortic aneurysm formation by bounding to C/EBPß at Lys253. Therefore, PMQ prevents the formation of AAA and reduces the incidence of AAA.

Progression of Gastrointestinal Injury During Antiplatelet Therapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Secondary Analysis of the OPT-PEACE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Gastrointestinal injury progression induced by antiplatelet therapy in patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not been well studied. Objective: To assess the association of aspirin, clopidogrel, and their combination with gastrointestinal injury progression among patients without high bleeding risk after PCI. Design, Setting, and Participants: This secondary analysis assessed data from the Optimal Antiplatelet Therapy for Prevention of Gastrointestinal Injury Evaluated by ANKON Magnetically Controlled Capsule Endoscopy (OPT-PEACE) double-masked, placebo-controlled, multicenter randomized clinical trial. The OPT-PEACE trial was conducted at 28 centers in China, and recruitment took place from July 13, 2017, to July 13, 2019. The trial included patients with stable coronary artery disease or acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation after PCI. Statistical analysis was conducted from September 13, 2022, to January 23, 2023. Interventions: Patients underwent magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy (MCE) at baseline and after 6 months of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin (100 mg/d) plus clopidogrel (75 mg/d). Those with no evidence of gastrointestinal ulcers or bleeding (ie, the intention-to-treat [ITT] cohort) were randomized (1:1:1) to aspirin (100 mg/d) plus matching placebo (aspirin alone), clopidogrel (75 mg/d) plus matching placebo (clopidogrel alone), or DAPT for an additional 6 months. A third MCE was performed 12 months after PCI. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the rate of gastric injury progression as assessed with the results of the 3 MCEs (at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months) in the modified intention-to-treat (mITT) population. The key secondary outcome was the rate of small-intestinal injury progression. Gastric or small-intestinal injury progression was defined as a quantitative increase in erosions or ulcers between the second and third MCEs (at 6 and 12 months, respectively). Results: This study included the 394 patients in the mITT cohort. Their mean (SD) age was 56.9 (8.7) years, and most were men (296 [75.1%]). A total of 132 patients were randomized to aspirin alone, 132 to clopidogrel alone, and 130 to DAPT. Gastric injury progression occurred in 49 aspirin users (37.1%), 64 clopidogrel users (48.5%), and 69 DAPT users (53.1%) (P = .02), reflecting a lower rate of gastric injury progression among aspirin users vs DAPT users (risk ratio [RR], 0.70 [95% CI, 0.49-0.99]; P = .009). No significant difference was observed between clopidogrel alone and DAPT (48.5% vs 53.1%; P = .46) or between aspirin alone and clopidogrel alone (37.1% vs 48.5%; P = .06). A total of 51 aspirin users (38.6%), 65 clopidogrel users (49.2%), and 71 DAPT users (54.6%) (P = .03) developed progressive small-intestinal injury, reflecting a lower rate of small-intestinal injury among aspirin users vs DAPT users (RR, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.50-0.99]; P = .01). No difference was observed between patients treated with clopidogrel vs DAPT (49.2% vs 54.6%; P = .38) or with aspirin vs clopidogrel (38.6% vs 49.2%; P = .08). Conclusions and Relevance: In this secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial, ongoing use of aspirin, clopidogrel, or their combination between 6 and 12 months after PCI was associated with progressive gastric and small-intestinal injury in a substantial proportion of patients, more so with DAPT than with monotherapy. Clopidogrel was at least as likely as aspirin to induce gastrointestinal injury progression. Future research is warranted to determine what impact the findings from MCEs would have on decision-making of antiplatelet therapy. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03198741.

Prognostic significance of inflammation in patients with coronary artery disease at low residual inflammatory risk.

Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) at low residual inflammatory risk are often overlooked in research and practice. This study examined the associations between fourteen inflammatory indicators and all-cause mortality in 5,339 CAD patients with baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) <2 mg/L who received percutaneous coronary intervention and statin and aspirin therapy. The median follow-up time was 2.1 years. Neutrophil-derived systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) yielded the strongest and most robust association with all-cause mortality among all indicators. Lower hsCRP remained to be associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. A newly developed comprehensive inflammation score (CIS) showed better predictive performance than other indicators, which was validated by an independent external cohort. In conclusion, neutrophil-derived indicators, particularly SIRI, strongly predicted all-cause mortality independent of hsCRP in CAD patients at low residual inflammatory risk. CIS may help identify individuals with inflammation burdens that cannot be explained by hsCRP alone.

Rhythm of Acute Aortic Syndrome in Northeastern China.

Acute aortic syndromes (AAS) are a series of life-threatening conditions of the aorta. To improve predictability and prevention, we investigated the daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal variations in the onset of AAS in Liaoning Province, Northeast China.We collected the clinical data of 1,197 patients treated for AAS at the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command between June 2002 and June 2021. Chi-square goodness-of-fit testing was used to determine whether AAS uniformly occurred.The average age was 54.93 ± 12.32 years, and 614 patients (51.29%) aged below or equal to 55 years. Nine-hundred-and-five patients (75.61%) were male. The proportions of patients comorbid with hypertension and diabetes were 80.37% and 4.09%, respectively. The peak time of the day for the onset of AAS was between 12:00 and 17:59 (P < 0.001). Furthermore, we found that patients with hypertension had obvious circadian rhythm. AAS had a weekly distribution (P = 0.032), with Sunday and Monday being two troughs. The incidence rate of AAS was low in warmer periods, such as July and August in summer (P < 0.001). The correlation analysis revealed a negative association between the incidence of AAS and the monthly average temperature (P < 0.05).Our results revealed that AAS displayed circadian and seasonal rhythms in northeast China. AAS peaked between 12:00 and 17:59. Patients with AAS with hypertension had obvious circadian rhythm. Summer was trough season for the onset of AAS. The incidence rate of AAS was negatively correlated with the monthly average temperature.

Inverse Association of Lipoprotein(a) on Long-Term Bleeding Risk in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: Insight from a Multicenter Cohort in Asia.

BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), has been recognized as a strong risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, the relationship between Lp(a) and bleeding remains indistinct, especially in the secondary prevention population of coronary artery disease (CAD). This investigation aimed to evaluate the association of Lp(a) with long-term bleeding among patients with CAD. METHODS: Based on a prospective multicenter cohort of patients with CAD consecutively enrolled from January 2015 to May 2019 in China, the current analysis included 16,150 participants. Thus, according to Lp(a) quintiles, all subjects were divided into five groups. The primary endpoint was bleeding at 2-year follow-up, and the secondary endpoint was major bleeding at 2-year follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 2,747 (17.0%) bleeding and 525 (3.3%) major bleeding were recorded during a median follow-up of 2.0 years. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed the highest bleeding incidence in Lp(a) quintile 1, compared with patients in Lp(a) quintiles 2 to 5 (p < 0.001), while the incidence of major bleeding seemed similar between the two groups. Moreover, restricted cubic spline analysis suggested that there was an L-shaped association between Lp(a) and 2-year bleeding after adjustment for potential confounding factors, whereas there was no significant association between Lp(a) and 2-year major bleeding. CONCLUSION: There was an inverse and L-shaped association of Lp(a) with bleeding at 2-year follow-up in patients with CAD. More attention and effort should be made to increase the clinician awareness of Lp(a)'s role, as a novel marker for bleeding risk to better guide shared-decision making in clinical practice.

Analysis of Short-Term Clinical Outcomes and Influencing Factors in Patients with Acute Type B Aortic Intramural Hematoma Treated with Optimal Medical Therapy.

This study aimed to investigate the short-term predictors of aortic-related adverse events in patients with acute type B aortic intramural hematoma (IMH) initially treated with optimized medical therapy.A total of 157 patients with acute type B IMH were included in this study. These patients were divided into worsening group (n = 45) and stable group (n = 112) based on the incidence of aortic-related adverse events. The clinical data and imaging features of the two groups were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of predictors of aortic-related adverse events in type B IMH was performed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to determine the optimal cutoff value for maximum descending aorta diameter (MDAD). Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the incidence of aortic-related adverse events.Worsening and stable groups were statistically significant in diuretics, abnormal D-dimer level, observation endpoint systolic blood pressure (SBP), MDAD, aortic atherosclerosis, ulcer-like projection (ULP), and thickness of hematoma (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression showed that abnormal D-dimer level (OR = 12.464, P = 0.025), MDAD (OR = 1.113, P = 0.030), and ULP (OR = 5.849, P = 0.022) were powerful independent risk factors for predicting aortic-related adverse events in type B IMH, and observation endpoint SBP within 100-120 mmHg (OR = 0.225, P = 0.014) was a protective factor for predicting aortic-related adverse events in type B IMH. The cutoff value of MDAD was 35.2 mm.Short-term imaging is recommended for type B IMH patients with abnormal D-dimer level, MDAD > 35.2 mm, and ULP. Blood pressure should also be strictly monitored and controlled during the acute phase of IMH.

Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in Diabetic Chronic Coronary Syndrome Patients.

Limited evidence exists on the combined and mediating effects of systemic inflammation on the association between insulin resistance and cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes and chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). This secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective cohort included 4419 diabetic CCS patients. Triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were applied to evaluate insulin resistance and systemic inflammation, respectively. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac event (MACE). Associations of TyG and hsCRP with cardiovascular events were estimated using Cox regression. A mediation analysis was performed to assess whether hsCRP mediates the relationship between TyG and cardiovascular events. Within a median 2.1-year follow-up period, 405 MACEs occurred. Patients with high levels of TyG and hsCRP experienced the highest MACE risk (hazard ratio = 1.82, 95% confidence interval: 1.24-2.70, p = 0.002) compared to individuals with low levels of both markers. HsCRP significantly mediated 14.37% of the relationship between TyG and MACE (p < 0.001). In diabetic CCS patients, insulin resistance and systemic inflammation synergically increased the risk of cardiovascular events, and systemic inflammation partially mediated the association between insulin resistance and clinical outcomes. Combining TyG and hsCRP can help identify high-risk patients. Controlling inflammation in patients with insulin resistance may bring added benefits.

Rivaroxaban in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein elevation (BANBOO): study protocol for a randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a fatal disease due to the tendency to rupture. The drug treatment for small AAA without surgical indications has been controversial. Previous studies showed that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) had become a potential biomarker of the disease, and the anti-inflammatory effect of rivaroxaban for AAA had been well established. Thus, we hypothesized that rivaroxaban could control the progression of AAA in patients with hs-CRP elevation. METHODS: The study is a prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Sixty subjects are recruited from the General Hospital of Northern Theatre Command of China. Subjects are randomly assigned (1:1) to the intervention arm (rivaroxaban) or control arm (aspirin). The primary efficacy outcome is the level of serum hs-CRP at 6 months. The secondary outcomes include imaging examination (the maximal diameter of AAA, the maximal thickness of mural thrombus, and the length of aneurysm), major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE, including AAA transformation, non-fatal myocardial infarction, acute congestive heart failure, stent thrombosis, ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization, vascular amputation, stroke, cardiovascular death, and all-cause death), and other laboratory tests (troponin T, interleukin 6, D-dimer, and coagulation function). DISCUSSION: The BANBOO trial tested the effect of rivaroxaban on the progression of AAA in patients with elevated Hs-CRP for the first time. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2100051990, ClinicalTrials.gov, registered on 12 October 2021.

Comparison of population characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with type B aortic dissection or aortic intramural hematoma underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair: a propensity score-matched analysis.

BACKGROUNDS: Survival and aortic-related adverse events after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for aortic intramural hematoma (IMH) and aortic dissection (AD) are controversial. We aimed to assess the preoperative characteristics and to evaluate TEVAR outcomes of acute type B IMH and AD. METHODS: Between June 2002 and May 2021, 83 patients with acute type B IMH and 755 patients with acute type B AD underwent TEVAR at the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command. We retrospectively analyzed data from these patients, including clinical characteristics and follow-up outcomes. RESULTS: The patients with IMH were significantly older than the ones with AD (P < 0.001). Diabetes mellitus (P = 0.035) and ischemic cerebrovascular disease (P = 0.017) were more common in the IMH group than in the AD group. The results demonstrated a less long-term aortic-related death-free survival rate in the IMH group than the AD group for all the patients (P = 0.014) and the matched patients (P = 0.027). It also presents a lower long-term overall survival rate (P = 0.047) and aortic-related event-free rate (P = 0.048) in the IMH group than in the matched patients. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with AD patients, patients with IMH who underwent TEVAR had a worse long-term outcome of aortic-related survival in all and matched patients.

Stress hyperglycemia ratio and long-term prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome: A multicenter, nationwide study.

BACKGROUND: Stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR), a novel biomarker of stress hyperglycemia, was proved to be a reliable predictor of short-term adverse outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). However, its impact on long-term prognosis remained controversial. METHODS: A total of 7662 patients with ACS from a large nationwide prospective cohort between January 2015 and May 2019 were included. SHR was calculated by the following formula: SHR = admission glucose (mmol/L)/(1.59 × HbA1c [%]-2.59). The primary end point was a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) during follow-up, a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and unplanned revascularization. The second end point was the separate components of the primary end points. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 2.1 years, 779 MACE events occurred. After multivariable adjustment, ACS patients with the highest SHR tertile were significantly associated with increased long-term risks of MACE (hazard ratio [HR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24-1.88), all-cause death (HR 1.80, 95% CI 1.29-2.51) and unplanned revascularization (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.09-1.91). Although significant associations between the highest SHR tertile and risks of MACE and all-cause death were assessed in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients, the patterns of risk were different in these two groups. CONCLUSION: Elevated SHR was independently associated with a higher risk of long-term outcomes irrespective of diabetic status, suggesting that SHR was a potential biomarker for risk stratification after ACS.

Safety and Efficacy of Ticagrelor versus Clopidogrel in East Asian Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Treated with Dual Antiplatelet Therapy: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

INTRODUCTION: The treatment strategy for dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with ticagrelor has been controversial in East Asian patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Our meta-analysis aimed to demonstrate whether intensified antithrombotic regimens with ticagrelor plus aspirin have more beneficial effects and fewer adverse events compared to those of clopidogrel plus aspirin in East Asian patients with ACS undergoing PCI. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Clinical Trials, Cochrane Library, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of DAPT with ticagrelor or clopidogrel plus aspirin for secondary prevention of ACS in East Asian patients undergoing PCI. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used as the metrics of choice for assessing treatment effects. The primary endpoint was bleeding events, and the secondary endpoints were major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs, including cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction [MI], and stroke), all-cause death, and definite/probable/possible stent thrombosis. The I2 index was used to assess heterogeneity. RESULTS: Six RCTs involving a total of 2,725 patients met the inclusion criteria. The incidence of all bleeding events with ticagrelor was higher than that with clopidogrel (RR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.31-2.07), but the incidence of MACCE was not significantly different between the two groups (RR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.54-2.16). All-cause death (RR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.67-1.79), cardiovascular death (RR, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.68-2.98), nonfatal MI (RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.48-1.78), stroke (RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.40-2.50), and stent thrombosis (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.19-2.98) were not statistically different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Ticagrelor increased the risk of bleeding and did not increase treatment efficacy compared to that of clopidogrel in the East Asian population who have ACS treated with PCI.

Three-year clinical outcomes of the novel sirolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffold for the treatment of de novo coronary artery disease: A prospective patient-level pooled analysis of NeoVas trials.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of the novel NeoVas sirolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffold (BRS) for the treatment of de novo coronary artery disease. BACKGROUND: The long-term safety and efficacy of the novel NeoVas BRS are still needed to be elucidated. METHODS: A total of 1103 patients with de novo native coronary lesions for coronary stenting were enrolled. The primary endpoint of target lesion failure (TLF) was defined as a composite of cardiac death (CD), target vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI), or ischemia-driven-target lesion revascularization (ID-TLR). RESULTS: A three-year clinical follow-up period was available for 1,091 (98.9%) patients. The cumulative TLF rate was 7.2% with 0.8% for CD, 2.6% for TV-MI, and 5.1% for ID-TLR. Additionally, 128 (11.8%) patient-oriented composite endpoint and 11 definite/probable stent thromboses (1.0%) were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: The extended outcomes of the NeoVas objective performance criterion trial demonstrated a promising 3-year efficacy and safety of the NeoVas BRS in low-risk patients with low complexity in terms of lesions and comorbidities.

Efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban plus clopidogrel versus aspirin plus clopidogrel in patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease and gastrointestinal disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: study protocol for a non-inferiority randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor is recommended for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to antithrombosis, meanwhile, increasing the risks of gastrointestinal bleeding. Rivaroxaban, a novel oral anticoagulant, combined with a P2Y12 receptor inhibitor reduces adverse events in patients with CHD and atrial fibrillation who underwent PCI. The effect of rivaroxaban plus P2Y12 inhibitor on reducing bleeding events in patients with CHD and gastrointestinal disease (GID) undergoing PCI remains unclear. METHOD: The study is a prospective, single-center, randomized controlled trial. A total of 1020 patients with CHD and GID undergoing PCI will be enrolled. Patients are randomized (1:1) to receive either rivaroxaban 10 mg plus clopidogrel 75 mg daily or aspirin 100 mg plus clopidogrel 75 mg daily; both treatments will last 6 months. The primary endpoint is Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 2-5 bleeding requiring medical intervention. The secondary endpoint is a composite of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), including all-cause death, cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization, and stroke. DISCUSSION: The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban plus clopidogrel versus aspirin plus clopidogrel in patients with CHD and GID undergoing PCI. We aim to explore an optimized antithrombotic strategy, which achieves the same anti-ischemic effect as standard DAPT without increasing the risk of GIB, for patients with CHD and GID undergoing PCI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This protocol is registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry under the number ChiCTR2100044319. And this publication is based on version 1.4 of the trial protocol dated Sep 6, 2021.