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Background: In the STEP-HFpEF (NCT04788511) and STEP-HFpEF DM (NCT04916470) trials, the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide improved symptoms, physical limitations, bodyweight, and exercise function in people with obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. In this prespecified pooled analysis of the STEP-HFpEF and STEP-HFpEF DM trials, we aimed to provide a more definitive assessment of the effects of semaglutide across a range of outcomes and to test whether these effects were consistent across key patient subgroups., Methods: We conducted a prespecified pooled analysis of individual patient data from STEP-HFpEF and STEP-HFpEF DM, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials at 129 clinical research sites in 18 countries. In both trials, eligible participants were aged 18 years or older, had heart failure with a left ventricular ejection fraction of at least 45%, a BMI of at least 30 kg/m 2 , New York Heart Association class II-IV symptoms, and a Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Clinical Summary Score (KCCQ-CSS; a measure of heart failure-related symptoms and physical limitations) of less than 90 points. In STEP-HFpEF, people with diabetes or glycated haemoglobin A 1c concentrations of at least 6·5% were excluded, whereas for inclusion in STEP-HFpEF DM participants had to have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at least 90 days before screening and to have an HbA 1c of 10% or lower. In both trials, participants were randomly assigned to either 2·4 mg semaglutide once weekly or matched placebo for 52 weeks. The dual primary endpoints were change from baseline to week 52 in KCCQ-CSS and bodyweight in all randomly assigned participants. Confirmatory secondary endpoints included change from baseline to week 52 in 6-min walk distance, a hierarchical composite endpoint (all-cause death, heart failure events, and differences in changes in KCCQ-CSS and 6-min walk distance); and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations. Heterogeneity in treatment effects was assessed across subgroups of interest. We assessed safety in all participants who received at least one dose of study drug., Findings: Between March 19, 2021 and March 9, 2022, 529 people were randomly assigned in STEP-HFpEF, and between June 27, 2021 and Sept 2, 2022, 616 were randomly assigned in STEP-HFpEF DM. Overall, 1145 were included in our pooled analysis, 573 in the semaglutide group and 572 in the placebo group. Improvements in KCCQ-CSS and reductions in bodyweight between baseline and week 52 were significantly greater in the semaglutide group than in the placebo group (mean between-group difference for the change from baseline to week 52 in KCCQ-CSS 7·5 points [95% CI 5·3 to 9·8]; p<0·0001; mean between-group difference in bodyweight at week 52 -8·4% [-9·2 to -7·5]; p<0·0001). For the confirmatory secondary endpoints, 6-min walk distance (mean between-group difference at week 52 17·1 metres [9·2 to 25·0]) and the hierarchical composite endpoint (win ratio 1·65 [1·42 to 1·91]) were significantly improved, and CRP concentrations (treatment ratio 0·64 [0·56 to 0·72]) were significantly reduced, in the semaglutide group compared with the placebo group (p<0·0001 for all comparisons). For the dual primary endpoints, the efficacy of semaglutide was largely consistent across multiple subgroups, including those defined by age, race, sex, BMI, systolic blood pressure, baseline CRP, and left ventricular ejection fraction. 161 serious adverse events were reported in the semaglutide group compared with 301 in the placebo group., Interpretation: In this prespecified pooled analysis of the STEP-HFpEF and STEP-HFpEF DM trials, semaglutide was superior to placebo in improving heart failure-related symptoms and physical limitations, and reducing bodyweight in participants with obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. These effects were largely consistent across patient demographic and clinical characteristics. Semaglutide was well tolerated., Funding: Novo Nordisk., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests JB is a paid consultant to Abbott, American Regent, Amgen, Applied Therapeutic, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cardiac Dimension, Cardior, CVRx, Cytokinetics, Daxor Edwards, Element Science, Innolife, Impulse Dynamics, Imbria, Inventiva, Lexicon, Lilly, LivaNova, Janssen, Medtronics, Merck, Occlutech, Owkin, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Pharmacosmos, Pharmain, Prolaio, Roche, Secretome, Sequana, SQ Innovation, Tenex, and Vifor. SJS has received research grants from AstraZeneca, Corvia, and Pfizer, and consulting fees from Abbott, Alleviant, AstraZeneca, Amgen, Aria CV, Axon Therapies, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Scientific, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cyclerion, Cytokinetics, Edwards Lifesciences, Eidos, Imara, Impulse Dynamics, Intellia, Ionis, Lilly, Merck, MyoKardia, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Prothena, ReCor, Regeneron, Rivus, Sardocor, Shifamed, Tenax, Tenaya, and Ultromics. MCP has received research funding from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Pharmacosmos, Roche, and SQ Innovations, and has served on committees or consulted for AbbVie, Akero, AnaCardio, Applied Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Biosensors, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cardiorentis, Corvia, Eli Lilly, Horizon Therapeutics, LIB Therapeutics, Moderna, New Amsterdam, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pharmacosmos, Siemens, SQ Innovations, Takeda, Teikoku, and Vifor. BAB has received research funding from AstraZeneca, Axon, GlaxoSmithKline, Medtronic, Mesoblast, Novo Nordisk, Rivus, and Tenax Therapeutics, has served as a paid consultant for Actelion, Amgen, Aria, Axon Therapies, BD, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cytokinetics, Edwards Lifesciences, Eli Lilly, Imbria, Janssen, Merck, NGM, Novo Nordisk, NXT, and VADovations, and is named inventor (US patent number 10 307 179) for the tools and approach for a minimally invasive pericardial modification procedure to treat heart failure. SZA, GKH, DVM, MNE, MLL, and SR are employees of, and shareholders in, Novo Nordisk. MJD has acted as paid consultant, advisory board member, and speaker for Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi, a paid advisory board member and speaker for AstraZeneca, a paid advisory board member for Medtronic, Pfizer, and ShouTi Pharma, and a paid speaker for Amgen, Novartis, and Sanofi, and has received grants as an investigator in support of investigator-initiated trials from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi-Aventis. DWK reports receiving honoraria as a consultant for AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Corvia Medical, Ketyo, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, and Rivus, has received grant funding from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, and Rivus, and owns stock in Gilead. SV reports speaking honoraria or consulting fees from Abbott, Amarin, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Canadian Medical and Surgical Knowledge Translation Research Group, Eli Lilly, HLS Therapeutics, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, PhaseBio, and TIMI. WA reports honoraria or consulting fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, and Novo Nordisk. FZA reports honoraria or consulting fees from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk, Occlutech, Pharmacosmos, and Vifor. VC reports speaker fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cipla, Dr Reddy's, Lupin, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Mankind, Pfizer, Sanofi, Sun Pharma, and Torrent. JAE reports research support for trial leadership from American Regent, Applied Therapeutics, Bayer, Cytokinetics, Merck, and Novo Nordisk, reports honoraria for consultancy from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, and Otsuka, and serves as an advisor to US2.ai. HI reports honoraria or consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi-Sankyo, Mochida, Novartis, and Novo Nordisk. ML reports honoraria or consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Ewopharma, Gedeon Richter, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Roche, and Servier. VM reports consulting fees from Bayer, Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Novo Nordisk and research grants from Regeneron. BM reports speaker fees or research payments from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Biotronik, Boehringer Ingelheim, CSL Behring, Daiichi-Sankyo, DUKE Clinical Institute, Medtronic, and Novartis, and institutional grants from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Biotronik, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Scientific, Bristol Myers Squibb, CSL Behring, Daiichi-Sankyo, DUKE Clinical Institute, Eli Lilly, Medtronic, Novartis, Terumo, and Vifor. JN reports honoraria or consulting fees from Alleviant, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cytokinetics, Pfizer, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Rovi, and Vifor. EP reports honoraria from Novo Nordisk. MSc reports speaker fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, and Novo Nordisk. MSe reports honoraria or consulting fees from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, and Vifor. KS received honoraria for serving as an advisory board member and consultant for Alleviant, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cytokinetics, Janssen, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, and Rivus. PvdM reports institutional payments for consultancy fees or grants from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BridgeBio, Ionis, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Pharmacosmos, Pharma Nord, and Vifor. DVL reports honoraria or consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Recardio, Sanofi, Sanova, and Vaxxinity. DW reports consultancy fees from Novo Nordisk. MNK served as a paid consultant or advisory board member for 35Pharma, Alnylam, Amgen, Applied Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cytokinetics, Dexcom, Eli Lilly, Esperion Therapeutics, Imbria Pharmaceuticals, Janssen, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Merck (Diabetes and Cardiovascular), Novo Nordisk, Pharmacosmos, Pfizer, Sanofi, scPharmaceuticals, Structure Therapeutics, Vifor, and Youngene Therapeutics, has received research grants from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Pfizer, holds stocks in Artera Health and Saghmos Therapeutics, has received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Novo Nordisk, and has received other research support from AstraZeneca. TB-G and MF report no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: For patients with heart failure, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and iron deficiency, intravenous ferric carboxymaltose administration improves quality of life and exercise capacity in the short-term and reduces hospital admissions for heart failure up to 1 year. We aimed to evaluate the longer-term effects of intravenous ferric derisomaltose on cardiovascular events in patients with heart failure., Methods: IRONMAN was a prospective, randomised, open-label, blinded-endpoint trial done at 70 hospitals in the UK. Patients aged 18 years or older with heart failure (left ventricular ejection fraction ≤45%) and transferrin saturation less than 20% or serum ferritin less than 100 μg/L were eligible. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) using a web-based system to intravenous ferric derisomaltose or usual care, stratified by recruitment context and trial site. The trial was open label, with masked adjudication of the outcomes. Intravenous ferric derisomaltose dose was determined by patient bodyweight and haemoglobin concentration. The primary outcome was recurrent hospital admissions for heart failure and cardiovascular death, assessed in all validly randomly assigned patients. Safety was assessed in all patients assigned to ferric derisomaltose who received at least one infusion and all patients assigned to usual care. A COVID-19 sensitivity analysis censoring follow-up on Sept 30, 2020, was prespecified. IRONMAN is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02642562., Findings: Between Aug 25, 2016, and Oct 15, 2021, 1869 patients were screened for eligibility, of whom 1137 were randomly assigned to receive intravenous ferric derisomaltose (n=569) or usual care (n=568). Median follow-up was 2·7 years (IQR 1·8-3·6). 336 primary endpoints (22·4 per 100 patient-years) occurred in the ferric derisomaltose group and 411 (27·5 per 100 patient-years) occurred in the usual care group (rate ratio [RR] 0·82 [95% CI 0·66 to 1·02]; p=0·070). In the COVID-19 analysis, 210 primary endpoints (22·3 per 100 patient-years) occurred in the ferric derisomaltose group compared with 280 (29·3 per 100 patient-years) in the usual care group (RR 0·76 [95% CI 0·58 to 1·00]; p=0·047). No between-group differences in deaths or hospitalisations due to infections were observed. Fewer patients in the ferric derisomaltose group had cardiac serious adverse events (200 [36%]) than in the usual care group (243 [43%]; difference -7·00% [95% CI -12·69 to -1·32]; p=0·016)., Interpretation: For a broad range of patients with heart failure, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and iron deficiency, intravenous ferric derisomaltose administration was associated with a lower risk of hospital admissions for heart failure and cardiovascular death, further supporting the benefit of iron repletion in this population., Funding: British Heart Foundation and Pharmacosmos., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests PRK reports research grants from British Heart Foundation and Pharmacosmos; consulting fees from Ackea, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pharmacosmos, Servier, and Vifor Pharma; payment for lectures from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Novartis, Pfizer, Pharmacosmos, and Vifor Pharma; support for attending meetings from Pharmacosmos; is a data safety monitoring board member for the STOP-ACE trial; and has served as Chair of the British Society for Heart Failure. JGFC reports research grants from Amgen, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, British Heart Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Myokardia, Pharmacosmos, Pharma Nord, and Vifor Pharma; payment for lectures from Abbott, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Innolife, NI Medical, Novartis, Servier, and Torrent; support for attending meetings from Boehringer Ingelheim and Pharmacosmos; is a data safety monitoring board member for Idorsia and Medtronic; has stock with Heartfelt Limited; and has been provided with equipment by Heartfelt Limited and NI Medical. MCP reports research grants from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Roche, and SQ Innovations; consulting fees from AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cardiorentis, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pharmacosmos, Siemens, and Takeda; payment for lectures from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pharmacosmos, Siemens, and Vifor Pharma; support for attending meetings from AstraZeneca; is a data safety monitoring board or advisory board member for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novo Nordisk, Pharmacosmos, Teikoku, and Vifor Pharma; and is a director of Global Clinical Trials Partners. EAT, MR, and IF report research grants from British Heart Foundation and Pharmacosmos. PAK reports research grant support from Astellas, Evotec, Pharmacosmos, Unicyte, and Vifor Pharma; consulting fees from AstraZeneca, UCB, Unicyte, and Vifor Pharma; payment for lectures from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Napp, Pfizer, Pharmacosmos, and Vifor Pharma; and support for attending meetings from Pharmacosmos and Vifor Pharma. IBS reports a research grant from British Heart Foundation. FZA reports a research grant from Medtronic; consulting fees and payment for lectures from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Medtronic, Pfizer, Pharmacosmos, Servier, and Vifor Pharma; and support for attending meetings from AstraZeneca, Medtronic, and Pharmacosmos. AA-M reports payment for lectures from AstraZeneca, Janssen, Pharmacosmos, and Takeda; is on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board for AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Pharmacosmos; and reports a grant for equipment from AstraZeneca. PWXF reports a research grant, consulting fees, and other support from Medtronic; payment for lectures from Pharmacosmos and Vifor Pharma; and is a council member of British Heart Rhythm Society charity. FJG reports a research grant from British Heart Foundation. AGJ reports payment for lectures from AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Vifor Pharma; and is the clinical lead of the Scottish Heart Failure Hub. REL reports consulting fees from Abbott. NNL reports research grants from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, British Heart Foundation, and Roche Diagnostics; consulting fees from AstraZeneca; payment for lectures from Novartis and Roche Pharma; and is on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board for Pharmacosmos. AJL reports payment for lectures from AstraZeneca; support for attending meetings from Daiichi Sankyo; is on an advisory board for Daiichi Sankyo and Vifor Pharma; and is Chair of the British Cardiovascular Society Guidelines and Practice Committee. ICM reports consulting fees from GlaxoSmithKline and Vifor Pharma. PP reports consulting fees from Pharmacosmos and Vifor Pharma; and support for attending meetings from Bristol Myers Squibb, Pharmacosmos, and Vifor Pharma. RR reports consulting fees from Pharmacosmos; payment for lectures from Pfizer; is on the data monitoring committee for the Lift study; and has a leadership role in the HFA Education Committee. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To model the cost-effectiveness of the TYRX Absorbable Antibacterial Envelope when used in patients at increased risk of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infection in the context of 3 European healthcare systems: Germany, Italy, and England., Methods: A decision tree model with a lifetime horizon was populated using data from the Worldwide Randomized Antibiotic Envelope Infection Prevention Trial, a large multicenter randomized controlled trial. Use of the antibacterial envelope adjunctive to standard of care was compared to standard of care infection prevention alone. Patients in the model were divided into subgroups based on presence of factors known to increase infection risk., Results: The antibacterial envelope had the most favorable cost-effectiveness profile when patients had previously experienced CIED infection, had a history of immunosuppressive therapy, or had a Prevention of Arrhythmia Device Infection Trial (PADIT) score indicating high risk of infection (scores ≥6) at cost-effectiveness thresholds of €50 000 in Germany (assumed in the absence of an official threshold), €40 000 in Italy, and £30 000 in England. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated that the antibacterial envelope was likely to be cost-effective in patients with other risk factors (including replacement of high power CIEDs, generator replacement with lead modification, and PADIT scores indicating intermediate risk of infection) when used with some device types and in some countries., Conclusions: The absorbable antibacterial envelope was associated with cost-effectiveness ratios below European benchmarks in selected patients at increased risk of infection, suggesting the envelope provides value for European healthcare systems by reducing CIED infections., (Copyright © 2021 ISPOR–The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study sought to further understand the mechanisms underlying effect of spironolactone and assessed its impact on multiple plasma protein biomarkers and their respective underlying biologic pathways., Background: In addition to their beneficial effects in established heart failure (HF), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists may act upstream on mechanisms, preventing incident HF. In people at risk for developing HF, the HOMAGE (Heart OMics in AGEing) trial showed that spironolactone treatment could provide antifibrotic and antiremodeling effects, potentially slowing the progression to HF., Methods: Baseline, 1-month, and 9-month (or last visit) plasma samples of HOMAGE participants were measured for protein biomarkers (n = 276) by using Olink Proseek-Multiplex cardiovascular and inflammation panels (Olink, Uppsala, Sweden). The effect of spironolactone on biomarkers was assessed by analysis of covariance and explored by knowledge-based network analysis., Results: A total of 527 participants were enrolled; 265 were randomized to spironolactone (25 to 50 mg/day) and 262 to standard care ("control"). The median (interquartile range) age was 73 years (69 to 79 years), and 26% were female. Spironolactone reduced biomarkers of collagen metabolism (e.g., COL1A1, MMP-2); brain natriuretic peptide; and biomarkers related to metabolic processes (e.g., PAPPA), inflammation, and thrombosis (e.g., IL17A, VEGF, and urokinase). Spironolactone increased biomarkers that reflect the blockade of the mineralocorticoid receptor (e.g., renin) and increased the levels of adipokines involved in the anti-inflammatory response (e.g., RARRES2) and biomarkers of hemostasis maintenance (e.g., tPA, UPAR), myelosuppressive activity (e.g., CCL16), insulin suppression (e.g., RETN), and inflammatory regulation (e.g., IL-12B)., Conclusions: Proteomic analyses suggest that spironolactone exerts pleiotropic effects including reduction in fibrosis, inflammation, thrombosis, congestion, and vascular function improvement, all of which may mediate cardiovascular protective effects, potentially slowing progression toward heart failure. (HOMAGE [Bioprofiling Response to Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists for the Prevention of Heart Failure]; NCT02556450)., Competing Interests: FUNDING SUPPORT AND AUTHOR DISCLOSURES HOMAGE was funded by a grant from the European Union 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (HEALTH-F7-305507 HOMAGE (EU FP7 305507 http://www.homage-hf.eu). Drs. Ferreira, Rossignol, Girerd, and Zannad are supported by the RHU Fight-HF, a public grant overseen by the French National Research Agency (ANR) as part of the second “Investissements d’Avenir” program (reference: ANR-15-RHUS-0004); the French PIA project “Lorraine Université d’Excellence” (reference: ANR-15-IDEX-04-LUE); Contrat de Plan Etat Lorraine IT2MP; and FEDER Lorraine. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (S-ICDs) provide effective defibrillation, while also reducing the risk of long-term lead problems. However, S-ICDs do not offer bradycardia or antitachycardia pacing and therefore use has been limited. Combined implantation of an S-ICD with a leadless pacemaker (LP) has been proposed to overcome this limitation. Although a handful of combined S-ICD/LP implantations have been reported for Nanostim (St Jude Medical, St Paul, MN) as well as Micra LP (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) systems, none have documented delivery of appropriate shock therapies for spontaneous ventricular tachycardia. We report the first case of effective defibrillation for spontaneous ventricular tachycardia in a patient with combined Micra LP and S-ICD., (Copyright © 2017 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Deepen our knowledge of the immune system alterations associated with obesity-related hypertension and demonstrate that polyunsaturated fatty acids can enhance the proliferation and their profile oxidant/antioxidant and subsequently involved in the strategy prevention and treatment in obese hypertensives., Methods: T cells are isolated from the blood of the control and obese women with hypertension the University Hospital of Tlemcen (Algeria), these cells are incubated in the presence of a synthetic mixture of PUFA to 30μM (DHA/EPA/LA) and stimulated by mitogens for 48hours. The cells are counted and used to assess intracellular oxidative status. The biochemical parameters are determined by the use of plasma., Results: In obese women with hypertension, a significant increase in plasma levels of (glucose, uric acid, creatinine, urea, total cholesterol and triglycerides) compared to controls. In addition, decreased cell proliferation, basal or stimulated by Con A was observed in obese women with hypertension compared with controls. The mixture of PUFA to 30μM reduced lymphoproliferation as well in obese women with hypertension than in controls. The rates in malondialdéhyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl lymphocytes are elevated in hypertensive obese women. PUFA supplementation to 30μM seems correct this redox status in hypertensive obese since rates in protein carbonyl, are similar to those of controls., Conclusion: The mixture of PUFA (n-3 and n-6) can modulate the activity of T lymphocyte proliferation and correct the intracellular redox status in hypertensive obese women., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Owing to expanding clinical indications, cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are being increasingly used. Despite improved surgical techniques and the use of prophylactic antimicrobial therapy, the rate of CIED-related infection is also increasing. Infection is a potentially serious complication, with clinical manifestations ranging from surgical site infection and local symptoms in the region of the generator pocket to fulminant endocarditis. The utility of radionuclide imaging as a stand-alone noninvasive diagnostic imaging test in patients with suspected endocarditis has been less frequently examined. This article summarizes the recent advances in radionuclide imaging for evaluation of patients with suspected cardiovascular infections., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The patented Optim coating was designed to prevent insulation abrasions on the Durata lead (St Jude Medical, St Paul, Minnesota) and avoid the problems that had afflicted its predecessor, the Riata silicone lead (St Jude Medical). We report a case of external insulation failure 8 months after implantation of a dual-coil Durata lead and consider the potential causes of the failure., (Copyright © 2014 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In recent years the phenomenon of reverse twiddler's syndrome has been described, characterized by pulse generator manipulation resulting in lead advancement rather than retraction. We describe what we believe to be the first reported case of both classic and reverse twiddler's syndrome occurring simultaneously in a patient with a biventricular implantable cardioverter-defibrillator., (Copyright © 2013 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Unlabelled: AIM OF THIS WORK: Aziridines have been shown to possess marked immunotropic activity. In this study, the in vitro effects of a new aziridine, 2-hydroxy-methyl-1-(N-phtaloyltryptophyl) aziridine, were determined on the proliferative responses of human lymphocytes stimulated by mitogens and on interleukin (IL-2, IL-6) secretion., Material and Methods: Peripheral blood lymphocytes were isolated using differential centrifugation on a density gradient of Ficoll-Paque. They were cultured with or without mitogens (Concanavalin A and lipopolysaccharide), and with different concentrations of the aziridine. Proliferation was monitored by direct cell counts and confirmed by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] assay. After different incubations, IL-2 and IL-6 were determined by using commercially available Elisa kits., Results: The aziridine tested significantly stimulated the resting and mitogen T and B lymphocyte proliferation at concentrations between 1 microM and 1 mM, in a dose-dependent manner. It also increased IL-2 and IL-6 secretion., Conclusion: 2-hydroxy-methyl-1-(N-phtaloyltryptophyl) aziridine displayed immunomodulatory properties and is potentially immunostimulant. It could be used to provide non-specific cell-mediated immune responses.