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The article focuses on a study on impact of angiotensin II-receptor blockers (ARBs) on hypertension and heart failure treatment. Topics discussed include angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors' impact on renin-angiotensin system, angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptors activation by ARBs, bradykinin degradation regulated by angiotensin II and ARBs, blood pressure-lowering effect associated with ARBs and the ACE inhibitor Enalapril and angiotensin II effect blocked by the AT1 receptor.

The aim of our study is to investigate the effect of spironolactone on 30-day outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) and the association between treatment and outcomes stratified by biomarkers. We conducted a secondary analysis of the biomarker substudy of the multicenter COACH (Co-ordinating Study Evaluating Outcomes of Advising and Counseling in Heart Failure) trial involving 534 AHF patients for 30-day mortality and HF rehospitalizations. Spironolactone therapy was initiated and terminated at the discretion of the treating physician; 30-day outcomes were compared between patients who were treated with spironolactone and those who were not. Outcomes with spironolactone therapy were explored based on N-terminal proeB-type natriuretic peptide, ST2, galectin-3, and creatinine levels. Spironolactone was prescribed to 297 (55.6%) patients at discharge (158 new and 139 continued). There were 19 deaths and 30 HF rehospitalizations among 46 patients by 30 days. Patients discharged on spironolactone had significantly less 30-day event (hazard ratio 0.538, p[0.039) after adjustment for multiple risk factors. Initiation of spironolactone in patients who were not on spironolactone before admission was associated with a significant reduction in event rate (hazard ratio 0.362, p[0.027). The survival benefit of spironolactone was more prominent in patient groups with elevations of creatinine, N-terminal proeB-type natriuretic peptide, ST2, or galectin-3. In conclusion, AHF patients who received spironolactone during hospitalization had significantly fewer 30-day mortality and HF rehospitalizations, especially in high-risk patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The myocardial contractile protein myosin light chain 1 isoform (MLC-1) is released into the circulation during myocyte necrosis and could thus be a marker of low-grade myocardial damage and of poor prognosis in patients with heart failure. Two hundred eighteen patients with stable heart failure (ejection fraction [EF] <35%) and in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III to IV had MLC-1 measured at baseline and 1 month after being randomized to the direct vasodilator flosequinan or placebo. Patients were followed a mean of 302 ± 142 days. The prognostic value of an increase in MLC-1 above the 98th percentile of normal controls was compared with that of conventional prognostic variables in heart failure. MLC-1 was increased in over half of patients at baseline and 1 month, and this was associated with increased age, NYHA class IV, and renal insufficiency. By Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, patients with a baseline increase in MLC-1 had a greater mortality (26%) than those without an increase (15%) (p = 0.043). A significant interaction among MLC-1, survival, and treatment was found (p = 0.043). In the placebo group, MLC-1 was associated with increased mortality (29% vs 12%, p = 0.025), whereas there was no significant difference among patients receiving flosequinan. In a multivariate logistic regression model including age, treatment, and left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, the MLC-1 chain was most predictive of mortality (p = 0.049). Thus, circulating MLC-1 is elevated in over half of patients with stable severe heart failure, and this increase is associated with a poor prognosis. Flosequinan treatment eliminates this association, highlighting the complexity of the relation between cardiac myocyte damage, drug treatment, and mortality. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]