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Background: Persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) in Tanzania now live longer and hence are at increased risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Despite many resources committed to HIV care programs, NCD care remains inadequately integrated into these programs. This study aimed to describe risk factors and evaluate control rates of three months of NCD preventive efforts among PLHIV attending the care and treatment clinic (CTC) at Temeke Regional Referral Hospital (RRH). Methods: The study employed a mixed-method approach, including a cross-sectional study to identify hypertension risk factors and pre–post-intervention follow-ups to assess NCD control rates among PLHIV. Conducted between January and June 2020, the study included interviews, secondary data reviews, and screening for blood pressure and blood glucose levels using the World Health Organization STEPS surveillance tool. Data were analyzed using STATA, employing logistic regression to determine NCD risk factors. The intervention enrolled patients diagnosed with hypertension, increased blood glucose, or both to receive NCD preventive health education. Blood pressure and glucose levels were re-evaluated after three months using a paired t-test to assess control rates. Results: The interview was conducted with a total of 333 PLHIV, of whom 71 (21.32%) were diagnosed with hypertension and 9 (2.70%) had elevated blood glucose levels. Notably, 177 (53.15%) participants had never had their blood pressure measured before, and 37 (20.90%) of them were newly diagnosed with hypertension. The intervention cohort included 76 patients, of whom 71 had hypertension. After the intervention, 26 (36.6%) patients achieved blood pressure control. Of the nine patients with elevated blood glucose, 5 (55.5%) had normalized levels. Conclusion: Undiagnosed NCDs are highly prevalent among PLHIV attending CTC at Temeke RRH. Targeted interventions show the potential to improve NCD outcomes. Integrating NCD care into existing HIV programs could enhance the health longevity of PLHIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new therapeutic approach, known as neuromodulation therapy—which encompasses a variety of interventional techniques meant to alter the nervous system in order to achieve therapeutic effects—has emerged in recent years as a result of advancements in neuroscience. Currently used methods for neuromodulation include direct and indirect approaches, as well as invasive and non-invasive interventions. For instance, the two primary methods of stimulating the vagus nerve (VN) are invasive VN stimulation (iVNS) and transcutaneous VN stimulation (tVNS). Since the latter is non-invasive, basic, clinical, and translational studies have focused on transcutaneous auricular VN stimulation (taVNS), the primary tVNS therapy, because of its advantages over iVNS, including ease of use, greater accessibility, and a lower side effect profile. taVNS is currently used as a novel neuromodulatory application to treat cardiovascular, mental, and autoimmune diseases. Future applications of this non-invasive neuromodulation technology to conditions like atrial fibrillation (AF) or ischemic stroke are highly likely due to its advancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) are part of particulate matter (PM), which is produced from incomplete combustion of organic matter. Biomarkers mean biological indicators, molecules that indicate a normal or abnormal process in the body and may be a sign of a condition or disease. Studies show that PAHs increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases through processes such as oxidative stress, inflammation and atherosclerosis. The present study focused on the evaluation of health effects PAHs biomarkers on cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In this narrative study, data were collected from databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Web of science and Google Scholar in the period 1975–2023. After screening, duplicate and irrelevant articles were removed. Finally, 68 articles related to the effect of PAHs on CVD were included in the study. In addition to the articles found through the search in databases, another 18 articles from the references of the selected articles were included. According to the finding in during the biotransformation of PAH, a number of metabolites are made, such as phenols, diols, quinones, and epoxides. Phenolic isomers have the highest percentage and biomarkers used for their detection include 2-OHNAP used to trace naphthalene from heating processed food, 3-OHPHEN used to trace phenanthrene from diesel, 2-OHFLU used to trace fluorene and 1-OHPYR used to trace pyrene from cigarette and hookah smoke. According to the result, increasing blood pressure and heart rate and causing atherosclerosis are the main complications due to exposure to PAH metabolite on cardiovascular system. The most important agents that causes this affects including increased homocysteine, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), serum biomarkers of C-reactive protein, and triglycerides. Result this study showed that cardiovascular diseases risk is increased by exposure to PAH biomarkers from smoking, car emissions, occupational exposure, and incinerators. Therefore, strict controls should be implemented for sources of PAH production and exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death among residents in China and significantly impact patients’ quality of life. The pathogenesis of CVD is complex, with chronic low-grade inflammation as a predominant feature. The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is a key regulator of inflammatory responses and plays a crucial role in innate immune responses. Its abnormal activation leads to excessive inflammation and pyroptosis, which is closely associated with the development of atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, diabetic cardiomyopathy, and other CVDs. Recent studies suggest that exercise, as a safe and effective non-pharmacological intervention, can mitigate cardiovascular inflammation and pyroptosis by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation, thereby playing a positive role in CVD prevention and treatment. However, the theories and mechanisms of exercise-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome intervention in CVD remain underexplored. Therefore, this review summarizes the relationship between the NLRP3 inflammasome and CVD, explores the effects of different types, intensities, and durations of exercise on NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and provides a comprehensive analysis of the signaling pathways involved in exercise interventions targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome for the prevention and treatment of CVD. The aim is to provide new insights and references for exercise-based prevention and management of CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current evidence of the association between egg consumption and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is controversial. We aim to investigate the longitudinal association between egg consumption and the risk of CVD among Chinese adults. A total of 16,030 adults who attended China Health and Nutrition Survey 1991–2015 were included in this study. Egg consumption was collected with 3-day 24-h recall method supplemented by household inventory record. Cumulative mean egg intake during 1991–2011 were calculated as the habitual intake. CVD incidence was self-reported as being diagnosed by physicians following study entry. The association between egg consumption and incident CVD was examined using Cox regression. The mean age (SD) of the study population was 43.7 (14.8) years and 51% were women. During a 9.9-year (median 9.0) follow up, 663 CVD incidents were reported. The corresponding incident rate (per 1000 person-year) by egg consumption level of none, 1–20, 21–50, and 50+gram/day was 2.6, 4.8, 4.2, 5.5 (P < 0.001) with the unadjusted HR (95% CI) of 1.0, 1.42 (1.12–1.80), 1.31 (1.02–1.67), 2.01 (1.53–2.64). After adjusted for demo socioeconomic, and behaviour factors, egg consumption>50 g/day increased the CVD incident by 43% (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.02–2.00. BMI, hypertension, and diabetes mediated the association between egg consumption and CVD. Higher egg intake, as part of the modern dietary pattern high in sugars, fat, and animal-source foods, increased the risk of CVD. The effect of egg on CVD incident was partly mediated by overweight/obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. • Egg consumption is positively associated with the risk of incident cardiovascular disease. • Egg consumption is positively associated with blood lipids. • Overweight/obesity, diabetes and hypertension partly mediate the egg-CVD association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) in Tanzania now live longer and hence are at increased risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Despite many resources committed to HIV care programs, NCD care remains inadequately integrated into these programs. This study aimed to describe risk factors and evaluate control rates of three months of NCD preventive efforts among PLHIV attending the care and treatment clinic (CTC) at Temeke Regional Referral Hospital (RRH). Methods The study employed a mixed-method approach, including a cross-sectional study to identify hypertension risk factors and pre–post-intervention follow-ups to assess NCD control rates among PLHIV. Conducted between January and June 2020, the study included interviews, secondary data reviews, and screening for blood pressure and blood glucose levels using the World Health Organization STEPS surveillance tool. Data were analyzed using STATA, employing logistic regression to determine NCD risk factors. The intervention enrolled patients diagnosed with hypertension, increased blood glucose, or both to receive NCD preventive health education. Blood pressure and glucose levels were re-evaluated after three months using a paired t-test to assess control rates. Results The interview was conducted with a total of 333 PLHIV, of whom 71 (21.32%) were diagnosed with hypertension and 9 (2.70%) had elevated blood glucose levels. Notably, 177 (53.15%) participants had never had their blood pressure measured before, and 37 (20.90%) of them were newly diagnosed with hypertension. The intervention cohort included 76 patients, of whom 71 had hypertension. After the intervention, 26 (36.6%) patients achieved blood pressure control. Of the nine patients with elevated blood glucose, 5 (55.5%) had normalized levels. Conclusion Undiagnosed NCDs are highly prevalent among PLHIV attending CTC at Temeke RRH. Targeted interventions show the potential to improve NCD outcomes. Integrating NCD care into existing HIV programs could enhance the health longevity of PLHIV.

Abstract Background Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are health-threatening conditions that account for high mortality in the world. Approximately 23.6 million deaths due to CVD is expected in the year 2030 worldwide. The CVD burden is more severe in developing countries, including Tanzania. Objectives This study analyzed the spatial-temporal trends and determinants of cardiovascular diseases in Tanzania from 2010 to 2019. Methods Individual data were extracted from Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI), Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital (MZRH), Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) and Bugando hospitals and the geographical data from TMA. The model containing spatial and temporal components was analyzed using the Bayesian hierarchical method implemented using Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA). Results The results found that the incidence of CVD increased from 2010 to 2014 and decreased from 2015 to 2019. The southern highlands, lake, central and coastal zones were more likely to have CVD problems than others. It was also revealed that people aged 60–64 years OR = 1.49, females OR = 1.51, smokers OR = 1.76, alcohol drinkers OR = 1.48, and overweight OR = 1.89 were more likely to have CVD problems. Additionally, a 1oC increase in the average annual air maximum temperature was related to a 14% risk of developing CVD problems. The study revealed that the model, which included spatial and temporal random effects, was the best-predicting model. Conclusion The study shows a decreased CVD incidence rate from 2015 to 2019. The CVD incidences occurred more in Tanzania’s coastal and lake areas between 2010 and 2019. The demographic, lifestyle and geographical risk factors were significantly associated with the CVD.

Summary: Psychological distress has a demonstrable impact on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and risk factors. Transcendental Meditation (TM) has been shown to reduce stress and improve health and well‐being. The current review aimed to synthesize the evidence on the effects of TM on cardiometabolic outcomes and identify gaps for future research. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases for relevant literature. Forty‐five papers that reported studies of TM on cardiometabolic risk factors and diseases were included. Evidence shows that TM is effective in reducing blood pressure (BP). We found some evidence that TM can improve insulin resistance and may play a role in improving dyslipidemia, exercise tolerance, and myocardial blood flow, and in reducing carotid intima‐media thickness and left ventricular mass. Studies show that long‐term TM practice can reduce the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and CVD mortality. This review identified that certain studies have high participant drop‐out rates, and fewer studies targeted comprehensive cardiometabolic outcomes beyond BP with longer follow‐up periods. We found that most studies were conducted in specific populations, which may limit generalizability. In conclusion, TM has the potential to improve cardiometabolic health; however, research gaps highlight the need for larger phase III multicenter clinical trials with long‐term follow‐ups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is a major threat to public health, while cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a key predictor of chronic disease. Given this, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between estimated CRF (eCRF) and CVD in middle-aged and elderly Chinese people. The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) with 4761 individuals were included in analysis. Participants were divided into three groups according to eCRF quantile in sex subgroups. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to explore the correlation of eCRF with CVD (stroke or cardiac events). In total, 4761 participants were included in this cohort study (2500 [52.51%] women). During a 7-year follow-up from 2011 to 2018, 796 CVDs (268 Strokes and 588 cardiac events) were recorded. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, for per 1 SD increase of eCRF, the age-adjusted risk of CVD was reduced by about 18% (HR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.72–0.93) in men, and was reduced by about 29% (HR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.62–0.81) in women. Similar associations were also found between eCRF and stroke and cardiac events. Both subgroup and interaction analyses showed that the interaction of age had a statistically significant effect on CVD risk. ECRF was inversely associated with CVD risk (stroke or cardiac events) in both men and women. Remarkable sex and age differences exist in the effectiveness of increasing eCRF to reduce the risk of CVD. As a potential, efficient and cost-effective risk prediction tool, eCRF deserves further attention and wide application. • Higher eCRF was closely related to lower risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. • eCRF should be an effective target to estimate CVD risk in general population. • Sex differences need to be taken into account in actual use of CRF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The harmful substances in tobacco are widely recognized to exert a significant detrimental impact on human health, constituting one of the most substantial global public health threats to date. Tobacco usage also ranks among the principal contributors to cardiovascular ailments, with tobacco being attributed to up to 30% of cardiovascular disease-related deaths in various countries. Cardiovascular disease is influenced by many kinds of pathogenic factors, among them, tobacco usage has led to an increased year by year incidence of cardiovascular disease. Exploring the influencing factors of harmful substances in tobacco and achieving early prevention are important means to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and maintain health. This article provides a comprehensive review of the effects of smoking on health and cardiovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aimEstimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is a key indicator of kidney function and is associated with numerous health conditions. This study examines the association between eGFR and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in a representative cohort of the US adult population.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007 to 2018. The study included 31,020 participants aged 20 years and older. The eGFR estimates were calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation. CVD was defined as a self-reported physician's diagnosis of congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, or stroke. To assess the association between eGFR and CVD risk, the study employed weighted linear regression and generalized additive models.ResultsThe study revealed a significant non-linear inverse association between eGFR and CVD risk, with a threshold effect observed at 99.3 ml/min/1.73 m². Below this threshold, each 10-unit increase in eGFR was associated with a 13% decrease in the odds of CVD (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.84–0.90, P

The Beta variant Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global health emergency, leading to pulmonary lesions and aggravation with preexisting cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and risk factors. A transversal retrospective study has been conducted at the infectious diseases ward of Tlemcen University Hospital Centre (CHU). The survey was conducted on 482 patients divided into 4 groups linked to preexisting cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The data were collected from the medical records from March 2020–April 2022. The study revealed a high prevalence in patients with cardiovascular comorbidities (68%), including 37% with diabetes and 69% with hypertension. The clinical and biological evaluation of these patients found clearly worse results with a high mortality rate (34%). In the frame of the biological evaluation, we have noticed an unfavorable evolution for patients with cardiovascular disease history (+). The key parameter of the monitoring is oxygen saturation (SpO2), as the results indicated that persisting hypoxemia in hospitalized patients correlated significantly with C-reactive Protein (CRP) levels (p=0.04) and lymphocytes (p=0.009). Regarding inflammation, CRP levels were higher, exceeding 40 mg/L in subjects with a cardiovascular disease history (CDH+). Furthermore, the results: platelets (<100000/mm³ in patients with diabetes), fibrinogen (>6 g/L), and D-dimer (>1.5 µg/mL) confirmed high thrombotic risk in patients suffering from CVD regardless of diabetes. This study supports the hypothesis that cardiovascular comorbidities are contaminating and aggravating factors for the COVID-19 condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is known to cause dyslipidemia and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Fatty acid binding protein (FABP)-4 plays a significant role in various stages of T2DM and CVD. Although it has been demonstrated that genetic variations of the FABP-4 gene can affect insulin sensitivity, the results obtained so far are controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between T87C and rs8192688 polymorphisms and serum levels of FABP-4 with CVD susceptibility in T2DM patients. The study included 70 healthy controls, 70 individuals with T2DM, and 70 T2DM patients with CVD. Genomic DNA was extracted, and FABP-4 T87C and rs8192688 gene polymorphic sites were amplified using the ARMS-PCR method. Lipid profile and FABP-4 serum levels were significantly higher in T2DM patients with CVD compared to those with only T2DM (p < 0.05). Additionally, FABP-4 T87C gene polymorphism (TC genotypes) and dominant model (TT vs. TC + CC) were significantly associated with a decreased risk of both T2DM and T2DM with CVD patients (p < 0.05). Patients carrying TC + CC genotypes had significantly lower levels of triglyceride and FABP-4 compared to those carrying the TT genotype (p < 0.05). There was no significant association between FABP-4 rs8192688 polymorphism and either T2DM or CVD disease. It appears that FABP-4 T87C polymorphism decreases FABP-4 levels leading to decreased serum TG levels. Since both T2DM and CVD have inflammatory backgrounds, reducing inflammation can improve insulin sensitivity and lower TG levels in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new therapeutic approach, known as neuromodulation therapy—which encompasses a variety of interventional techniques meant to alter the nervous system in order to achieve therapeutic effects—has emerged in recent years as a result of advancements in neuroscience. Currently used methods for neuromodulation include direct and indirect approaches, as well as invasive and non-invasive interventions. For instance, the two primary methods of stimulating the vagus nerve (VN) are invasive VN stimulation (iVNS) and transcutaneous VN stimulation (tVNS). Since the latter is non-invasive, basic, clinical, and translational studies have focused on transcutaneous auricular VN stimulation (taVNS), the primary tVNS therapy, because of its advantages over iVNS, including ease of use, greater accessibility, and a lower side effect profile. taVNS is currently used as a novel neuromodulatory application to treat cardiovascular, mental, and autoimmune diseases. Future applications of this non-invasive neuromodulation technology to conditions like atrial fibrillation (AF) or ischemic stroke are highly likely due to its advancement.

An Electrocardiogram (ECG) is the first diagnostic tool a medical practitioner uses to measure the electrical and mucular fitness of an individual heart. The use of ECG is so important because heart-related diseases are silent killers. In recent times, advancement and the further development of wearable devices and ECG sensors have made it possible to continuously measure and analyze the electrocardiogram and myocardium signals of the heart. However, it requires significant training and adeptness to interpret the recorded ECG correctly and effectively. An energy-efficient wireless sensor infrastructure for improved operation of cardiovascular problems in the development economy using the concept of fog technology was presented. The ECG data was collected from Federal Medical Center Umuahia Abia State, Nigeria. Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) at first to perform preprocessing of ECG data to eliminate noise from motion artifacts, power line interference, and high frequency sources, followed by the undecimated Wavelet Transform (UWT) at first to extract relevant features, which are of high interest to a cardiologist. The proposed system classifies a recorded heartbeat into four classes, namely Normal Beat, Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC), Premature Atrial Contraction (PAC), and Myocardial Infarction. The study found that processing and analyzing health data at the fog resulted in total energy savings of 36% and 52% when compared to conventional processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces an automated method for classifying electrocardiograms (ECG) with the aim of enhancing both accuracy and speed in interpreting ECG results, thus contributing to the early detection of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The model in this study employs a deep feature extraction technique combined with Ensemble Bagged Trees (EBT) to identify Ventricular Ectopic Beats (VEB). Data is sourced from the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database, and model performance is assessed through ten-fold cross-validation. On the validation dataset, the proposed model achieves an accuracy of 98.24% and an F1 score of 97.66%. When independently tested on the MIT-BIH dataset, it demonstrates an accuracy of 98.31% and an F1 score of 89.22%. These outcomes highlight the model's ability to attain exceptional accuracy and F1 scores on both validation and testing datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is among one of the notable menaces to society worldwide. CVD causes the highest number of deaths each year making it one of the most life-threatening diseases across the globe. Most deaths from CVD are sudden therefore patients do not have a chance to get medical assistance in time. Consequently, an immense need for a smart real-time system arises that can be used to monitor heart patients' activities affecting their cardiac health. This system acts as a life-saving tool during serious health emergencies. Data analysis in real-time will proves to be a substantial enhancement in innovative healthcare practices, by which in the near future we can develop an effective, faster, and smarter diagnosis system for doctors. If we talk about real-time data monitoring possibilities, Internet of Things (IoT) empowered systems can provide one of the better solutions. IoT-enabled intelligent healthcare system include a variety of applications, such as Blood Pressure (BP) check, Heart Rate (HR) monitoring, Electrocardiography (ECG) observation, etc. This paper recommends an IoT-enabled ECG monitoring system for data generation (with the help of Node MCU ESP32 and heart rate sensor AD8232) and an intelligent hybrid classification model for data classification. The dataset used has two classes where class 1 represents healthy patients and class 2 represents cardiac ill patients. A comparison among state-of-the-art algorithms and recommended hybrid models has been carried out to establish the accurateness and suitableness of our recommended model. The recommended model attains the highest accuracy of 99.7% under different validation criteria among all the state-of-the-art algorithms, i.e. Adaboost (91.88%), Bagging (92.40%), random forest (92.48%), K-Nearest Neighbor (92.38%), and support vector machine (91.98%). The recommended hybrid model not only handles the complexities of class imbalance for electrocardiogram datasets but will also help in building intelligent and accurate IoT-enabled healthcare systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain a major global health challenge, with an escalating impact on mortality despite advancements in managing conventional risk factors. This review investigates the intricate relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) and CVD, shedding light on a novel aspect of cardiovascular health. Despite significant progress in understanding and managing traditional CVD risk factors, a substantial proportion of CVD cases lack these conventional markers. Recent research has unveiled HPV, a prevalent sexually transmitted infection, as a potential unconventional risk factor for CVD.This review delves into the underlying mechanisms linking HPV to CVD pathogenesis. HPV's influence on vascular endothelium and induction of systemic inflammation are key contributors. Additionally, HPV disrupts host lipid metabolism, further exacerbating the development of atherosclerosis. The link between HPV and CAD is not merely correlative; it encompasses a complex interplay of virological, immunological, and metabolic factors. Understanding the connection between HPV and CVD holds transformative potential. Insights from this review not only underscore the significance of considering HPV as a crucial risk factor but also advocate for targeted HPV screening and vaccination strategies to mitigate CVD risks. This multidisciplinary exploration bridges the gap between infectious diseases and cardiovascular health, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach to combating the global burden of cardiovascular disease. Further research and clinical guidelines in this realm are essential to harness the full scope of preventive and therapeutic interventions, ultimately shaping a healthier cardiovascular landscape.

Background: Multifaceted etiology of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), especially coronary heart disease, has been recognized for a long time. The Metabolic syndrome (METS) is a specific clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in the same person (abdominal obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure (BP), insulin resistance (IR), a prothrombotic and a proinflammatory state. Aims and Objectives: To evaluate the prognosis of Myocardial Infarction (STEMI & N-STEMI) in patients with Metabolic Syndrome in our tertiary care hospital. Materials And Methods: Total of 154 Patients have been reported for diagnosis in our hospital. A final diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction (MI) was made in the presence of serial increases in serum biochemical markers of cardiac necrosis, associated with typical electrocardiographic changes and/or typical symptoms as defined by the joint committee of the European society of cardiology and the American college of cardiology. A detailed case history was taken including the symptoms, history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension (HT), smoking and alcohol consumption. A careful physical examination was done with special reference to resting blood pressure (BP), waist circumference (WC), height and weight. Results and Observations: As we sampled a total of 154 Patients, 77 patients with MI and METS and 77 Patients without MI and METS into two groups 1 & 2. There were 39 (50.66%) cases of heart failure among patients of MI with METS compared to 18 (24.00%) cases of heart failure among patients of MI without METS, and the difference was statistically significant. Postoperative analgesic requirement was seen in 64 % of the patients of group 1 while it was seen in 16 % of the patients in group 2. Conclusion: The main finding of present study was that the Metabolic Syndrome was a meaningful predictor of in-hospital death in patients with STEMI. During one week of hospital stay there were significantly more deaths and heart failure among patients of MI with METS compared to patients of MI without METS (50.66% and 25.33% vs. 24% and 14.66%). Though the number of patients who developed other complications like recurrent MI, VT (Ventricular Tachycardia), VF (Ventricular Fibrillation) and Stroke were more in patients of MI with METS when compared to patients of MI without METS, The difference was not statistically significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuously prolonged cardiac hypertrophy results in maladaptive myocardial remodeling, which affects cardiac function and can eventually lead to heart failure. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including acetate, propionate, and butyrate, have been reported to be associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Gut microbiota may mediate between dietary fiber and SCFA effects on cardiac hypertrophy. The mice model of isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiac hypertrophy was constructed and verified for physiological, functional, and fibrotic alterations in this study. Both high-fiber and acetate diet improved physiological indexes, ameliorated cardiac functions, and relieved fibrotic alterations in model mice hearts; collectively, cardiac hypertrophy in mice receiving both high-fiber and acetate diet improved. Following 16s rDNA sequencing and integrative bioinformatics, analyses indicated that both high-fiber and acetate diet caused alterations in mice gut microbiota compared with the ISO group, including OTU composition and abundance. In conclusion, high-fiber and acetate diet improve the physiological status, cardiac functions, and fibrotic alterations in ISO-induced hypertrophic mice. Besides, considering the alterations in mice gut microbiota in response to single ISO, both high-fiber and acetate diet treatment, gut microbiota might mediate the favorable benefits of both high-fiber and acetate diet on cardiac hypertrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The editorial in Frontiers in Pharmacology focuses on the role of Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) and their metabolites in cardiovascular function and disease. The research topic includes articles that highlight emerging CYP pathways contributing to cardiovascular diseases and potential therapeutic approaches. The articles discuss the cardioprotective mechanisms of EETs, EDPs, and EEQs, as well as the effects of EET mimetics and sEH inhibitors on blood pressure regulation. Additionally, the research explores the potential therapeutic benefits of tetrandrine, a traditional Chinese medicine component, in treating hypertension. Overall, the articles aim to enhance our understanding of CYPs in cardiovascular health and inspire further research in this area. [Extracted from the article]

Biological derivatives and their effective influence on psychological parameters are increasingly being deciphered to better understand body-mind perspectives in health. Recent evidence suggests that the gut-brain immune axis is an attractive theragnostic target due to its innate capacity to excite the immune system by activating monocyte exosomes. These exosomes induce spontaneous alterations in the microRNAs within the brain endothelial cells, resulting in an acute inflammatory response with physiological and psychological sequelae, evidenced by anxiety and depression. Exploring the role of the stress models that influence anxiety and depression may reflect on the effect and role of exosomes, shedding light on various physiological responses that explain the contributing factors of cardiovascular disorders. The pathophysiological effects of gut-microbiome dysbiosis are further accentuated by alterations in the glucose metabolism, leading to type 2 diabetes, which is known to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disorders. Understanding the role of exosomes and their implications for cell-to-cell communication, inflammatory responses, and neuronal stress reactions can easily provide insight into the gut-brain immune axis and downstream cardiovascular sequelae.

Direct transplantation of cardiomyocytes (CMs) holds great potential to address the risk of arrhythmia and tumorigenesis associated with transplantation of pluripotent stem cell-derived CMs and the off-target issue related to in situ activation of cardiomyocyte proliferation using small molecules or genes for treating cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, there remain several challenges associated with CM transplantation, such as limited proliferation capability, poor survival caused by immunosuppression from T lymphocytes, and a lack of information about CMs after in vivo administration. In this paper, we developed dual gene-loaded near-infrared AIEgen nanoplatforms with enhanced proliferation, relieved immunosuppression, and tracking capabilities for CM transplantation. First, we encapsulated a near-infrared emitting AIEgen (AIE810) with a customized amphiphilic polymer DSPE-PEI 2000 to afford AIE810@PEI nanoparticles (NPs). Then, we loaded the NPs with microRNA-302 for activating CM proliferation and siSOCS1 for attenuating immunosuppression from T lymphocytes by facilely mixing with nanoparticles to yield final nanoplatforms (i.e., AIE810@PEI-miR302-siSOCS1 NPFs). We demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo that CMs treated with the developed NPFs show significantly enhanced viability, proliferation, and in vivo survival as indicated by the MTT assay, Ki-67 staining, and in vivo subcutaneous CM tracking, respectively. The developed AIE810@PEI-miR302-siSOCS1 NPFs would be a powerful tool in advancing CM transplantation for treating CVD and optimizing the therapeutic route by in vivo CM tracking for accelerating clinical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although evidence showed the adverse effects of air pollution on cardiovascular disease (CVDs), few studies were based on medically insured populations. We applied a generalized additive Poisson model (GAM) to estimate the short-term effects of ambient air pollution on a group of medically insured population in Wuhan, China. We extracted daily air pollution data, meteorological data, and daily hospital visits for CVDs. We found that the ambient air pollutants sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ground-level ozone (O3) particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM10), and those ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) all increased the risk of daily hospital visits for CVDs. We also found that the effect of air pollution on daily hospital visits for CVDs is greater in the cold season than in the warm season. Our findings can be used as evidence that supports the formulation of policies for air pollution and CVDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assess the effects of socioeconomic inequity on healthcare utilization among individuals with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in India using the indirect standardization method with Erreygers' corrected concentration index. We analyze both horizontal and vertical inequities and linearly decompose the respective inequities to identify the major factors driving both kinds of inequities. Our findings show that actual healthcare utilization is highly concentrated among rich CVD individuals. After controlling for the confounding effects of health needs, horizontal inequity is found to be significantly pro‐rich, and income and urban concentration are found to be the major factors driving this inequity. However, the direction and magnitude of vertical inequity vary, depending on the selection of the target group. When we use healthcare utilization of the richest 20 percent as the target, we find no significant vertical inequity among CVD individuals. However, when we take the richest 10 percent as the target, we observe a significant pro‐rich differential effect of health needs on healthcare utilization between all individuals and the target group. Decomposition reveals an inappropriate differential effect of health needs and age in driving vertical inequity. Hence, the presence of vertical inequity may trigger further pro‐rich socioeconomic inequity in healthcare utilization if not supported by any targeted healthcare coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to modern concepts, myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium, diagnosed on the basis of generally accepted histological, immunological, immunohistochemical criteria. Previously, most researchers believed that the most common cardiac extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is pericarditis. In the last decade, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart, it turned out that myocarditis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is not a rare manifestation of the disease. Recently, there is increasing evidence that inflammatory cytokines in RA can also directly cause chronic myocardial damage, further contributing to the development of chronic heart failure (CHF). In our clinical case, myocarditis developed in a patient with active refractory rheumatoid arthritis. The myocardial lesion in the patient was characterized by pronounced echocardiographic signs of restrictive cardiomyopathy, a significant decrease in the ejection fraction with the development of heart failure, various rhythm disturbances in combination with acute renal dysfunction, which led to the formation of cardiorenal syndrome (CRS). Complete regression of myocarditis and cattle occurred precisely against the background of effective treatment of refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with basic antirheumatic drugs and the successful use of biological therapy.

MiRNAs regulate both physiological and pathological heart functions. Altered expression of miRNAs is associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), making miRNAs attractive therapeutic strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases. A recent publication defined, for the first time, the term theranoMiRNA, meaning the miRNAs that may be used both for diagnosis and treatment. The use of in silico tools may be considered fundamental for these purposes, clarifying several molecular aspects, suggesting future directions for in vivo studies. This study aims to explore different bioinformatic tools in order to clarify miRNA interactions with candidate genes, demonstrating the need to use a computational approach when establishing the most probable associations between miRNAs and target genes. This study focused on the functions of miR-133a-3p, miR-21-5p, miR-499a-5p, miR-1-3p, and miR-126-3p, providing an up-to-date overview, and suggests future lines of research in the identification of theranoMiRNAs related to CVDs. Based on the results of the present study, we elucidated the molecular mechanisms that could be linked between miRNAs and CVDs, confirming that these miRNAs play an active role in the genesis and development of heart damage. Given that CVDs are the leading cause of death in the world, the identification of theranoMiRNAs is crucial, hence the need for a definition of in vivo studies in order to obtain further evidence in this challenging field of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subject: The Angiopoietin‐like 3 (ANGPTL3) gene has been reported to be associated with cardiovascular risk. This study is designed to compare the genetic variant (rs1748195) of the ANGPTL3 gene and the presence of a coronary artery occlusion of >50% in Iranian nation. Method: In this study, 184 patients underwent angiography and 317 healthy individuals were evaluated for polymorphism of rs1748195 the ANGPTL3 gene using Tetra‐ARMs PCR. Coronary patients who experience angiography were categorized into two groups: 54 patients who had an angiography indication for the first time and coronary occlusion was <50% (Angio−) and 134 patients who formerly underwent coronary stent implanting at least 1 month before with coronary occlusion of ≥50% that again have an angiography indication (Angio+). In addition, individuals with angio+ are categorized in two groups: (1) non‐in‐stent restenosis (NISR); patient with a patent stent (N = 92). (2) in‐stent restenosis (ISR); in‐stent stenosis >50% (N = 42). Result: The fundamental of characteristics of our study design population was categorized based on undergoing angiography or not. In the present study, we investigated that the CC genotype, and also the A allele corresponding to rs1748195 at the ANGPTL3 gene loci, was associated with negative angiogram and directly related to the risk of coronary occlusion >50%. In contrast, this result was not significant in genotypes of ANGPTL3 between non‐ISR and ISR groups. Conclusion: The outcomes of this study showed that rs1748195 polymorphism at the ANGPTL3 gene loci is associated with an elevated risk for the existence of a coronary occlusion of >50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Subject The Angiopoietin‐like 3 (ANGPTL3) gene has been reported to be associated with cardiovascular risk. This study is designed to compare the genetic variant (rs1748195) of the ANGPTL3 gene and the presence of a coronary artery occlusion of >50% in Iranian nation. Method In this study, 184 patients underwent angiography and 317 healthy individuals were evaluated for polymorphism of rs1748195 the ANGPTL3 gene using Tetra‐ARMs PCR. Coronary patients who experience angiography were categorized into two groups: 54 patients who had an angiography indication for the first time and coronary occlusion was 50% (N = 42). Result The fundamental of characteristics of our study design population was categorized based on undergoing angiography or not. In the present study, we investigated that the CC genotype, and also the A allele corresponding to rs1748195 at the ANGPTL3 gene loci, was associated with negative angiogram and directly related to the risk of coronary occlusion >50%. In contrast, this result was not significant in genotypes of ANGPTL3 between non‐ISR and ISR groups. Conclusion The outcomes of this study showed that rs1748195 polymorphism at the ANGPTL3 gene loci is associated with an elevated risk for the existence of a coronary occlusion of >50%.

Background and Aim: Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is a key indicator of kidney function and is associated with numerous health conditions. This study examines the association between eGFR and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in a representative cohort of the US adult population., Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007 to 2018. The study included 31,020 participants aged 20 years and older. The eGFR estimates were calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation. CVD was defined as a self-reported physician's diagnosis of congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, or stroke. To assess the association between eGFR and CVD risk, the study employed weighted linear regression and generalized additive models., Results: The study revealed a significant non-linear inverse association between eGFR and CVD risk, with a threshold effect observed at 99.3 ml/min/1.73 m². Below this threshold, each 10-unit increase in eGFR was associated with a 13% decrease in the odds of CVD (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.84-0.90, P  < 0.001). Above this threshold, no significant association was found between eGFR and CVD risk (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.90-1.20, P  = 0.60), indicating that further increases in eGFR beyond this point were not associated with additional cardiovascular benefits. Subgroup analyses revealed significant interactions for eGFR categories, anemia status, and ratio of family income to poverty (PIR)., Conclusions: This study shows that there is a non-linear relationship between eGFR and CVD risk in the US adult population. The study found evidence of a threshold effect. These findings emphasize the importance of monitoring and managing CVD risk factors in individuals with reduced kidney function, especially those with eGFR values below the identified threshold. The relationship between eGFR and CVD risk varies across different subgroups, particularly in relation to eGFR categories, anemia status, and socioeconomic factors.The results provide valuable insights for developing targeted CVD prevention and treatment strategies based on kidney function status., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 Zhou, Zhou, Shuai, Zhou and Kuang.)

Background and Aims: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and hypertension are the main causes of global death. We aimed to investigate the independent and combined effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on CVD risk among Koreans with elevated blood pressure (BP).Methods and Results: Adults aged 20-65 years with elevated BP and without pre-existing CVDs were selected from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort version 2.0. We followed up 59,391 men and 35,253 women between 2009 and 2015. The association of CVD incidence with smoking pack-years and alcohol consumption was investigated using the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model. Among women, smokers (10.1-20.0 pack-years) and alcohol drinkers (≥30.0 g/day) had higher CVD risks (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.15, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.06-1.25, HR = 1.06, 95% CI 1.00-1.12, respectively) compared to each referent group. However, men who smoked exhibited an increased CVD risk only with pack-years >20.0 (HR = 1.09, 1.03-1.14 and HR = 1.18, 1.11-1.26 for smokers with 20.1-30.0 and ≥ 30.1 pack-years, respectively) compared to nonsmokers. In the combined groups of those smoking and consuming alcohol, only nonsmoking men consuming alcohol 1.0-29.9 g/day had a lower CVD risk than did nonsmoking, nondrinking men (HR = 0.90, 0.83-0.97). Women smoking 1.0-10.0 pack-years and consuming alcohol ≥30.0 g/day had a higher CVD risk (HR = 1.25, 1.11-1.41) than nonsmoking and nondrinking women.Conclusion: Smoking and alcohol consumption, independently and jointly, were associated with CVD risk in men and women. Women had a greater CVD risk than did men among Korean adults with elevated BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trillions of commensal microorganisms comprising the gut microbiota have received growing attention owing to their impact on host physiology. Recent advances in our understandings of the host–microbiota crosstalk support a pivotal role of microbiota-derived metabolites in various physiological processes, as they serve as messengers in the complex dialogue between commensals and host immune and endocrine cells. In this review, we highlight the importance of tryptophan-derived metabolites in host physiology, and summarize the recent findings on the role of tryptophan catabolites in preserving intestinal homeostasis and fine-tuning immune and metabolic responses. Furthermore, we discuss the latest evidence on the effects of microbial tryptophan catabolites, describe their mechanisms of action, and discuss how perturbations of microbial tryptophan metabolism may affect the course of intestinal and extraintestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases, metabolic disorders, chronic kidney diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the association between whole blood iron, copper and their interaction with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Methods A cohort-based case control study was conducted. Cases were 93 males with CVD in the Kailuan cohort who participated in the follow-up in 3 hospitals in 2017-2018. During the same period, 372 males with non-CVD who were 1∶4 individual matched by age and labor type were selected as controls. The concentration of blood iron and copper was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between blood iron and copper and CVD, respectively and elastic-Net regression models to estimates interaction between the two metals and CVD. Results The whole blood iron concentration in the cases was significantly higher than the controls, while blood copper concentration was lower than the controls (both P＜0.001). After adjusting for age, smoking, drinking, overweight, hypertension, diabetes, anemia, hyperlipidemia, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein, the participants with higher iron increase 3.17 times (OR=4.17, 95% CI: 2.23-7.79, P＜0.001) risk of CVD than those with lower iron, and those with lower copper increase 3.26 times (OR=4.26, 95% CI: 1.73-10.45, P＜0.01) risk than those with the higher copper. Adaptive Elastic-net regression analysis showed that it under the simultaneous exposure of higher iron and lower copper, the risk of CVD with environment risk score ＞0.232 was 8.96 times (OR=8.96, 95% CI: 4.47-17.95, P＜0.001) than the score ≤0.232. Conclusions Higher iron and copper deficiency may be independent risk factors for CVD. Environment risk score could be a good indicator of simultaneous exposure of blood iron and copper, which should have a better predictive value of CVD.

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is not only a critical component in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), but also suggested as an important mediator for immune response and activity, such as immune cell mobilization, metabolism, biogenesis of immunoregulatory molecules, etc. The chronic duration of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been increasingly considered to be triggered by uncontrolled pathologic immune reactions from myeloid cells and lymphocytes. Considering the potential anti-inflammatory effect of the traditional antihypertensive ACE inhibitor (ACEi), we attempt to elucidate whether ACE and its catalytically relevant substances as well as signaling pathways play a role in the immunity-related pathogenesis of common CVD, such as arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis and arrythmias. ACEi was also reported to benefit the prognoses of COVID-19-positive patients with CVD, and COVID-19 disease with preexisting CVD or subsequent cardiovascular damage is featured by a significant influx of immune cells and proinflammatory molecules, suggesting that ACE may also participate in COVID-19 induced cardiovascular injury, because COVID-19 disease basically triggers an overactive pathologic immune response. Hopefully, the ACE inhibition and manipulation of those associated bioactive signals could supplement the current medicinal management of various CVD and bring greater benefit to patients' cardiovascular health. [Display omitted] • Increased ACE expression in immune cells proactively enhances immune reactions such as anti-infection and anti-tumor activity, probably via its catalytic products, metabolism reprogramming of immune cells or intracellular signaling pathways regulation. • ACE participates in the pathogenesis of various chronic CVD not only through blood pressure mediation, but also through immunomodulation. • ACE inhibitor ameliorating CVD relies on both the antihypertensive and anti-inflammatory effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heart diseases are one of the main reasons that cause human death. The early-stage detection of heart diseases can prevent irreversible heart muscle damage or heart failure. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is one of the main heart signals that can be useful in early diagnosis because of its obvious peaks and segments. This paper focuses on using a methodology depending on deep learning for the diagnosis of the electrocardiogram records into normal (N), Supraventricular arrhythmia (SV), ST-segment changes (ST), and myocardial infarction (MYC) conditions. The continuous wavelet transform (CWT) converts the ECG signals to the time-frequency domain to compute the scalogram of the ECG signals and for the conversion of ECG signal from one dimension signal to a two-dimension image. In addition to this, a pertained model using transfer learning is applied based on Resnet50. Moreover, three main classifiers are verified to estimate the accuracy of the proposed system which are based on the Softmax, Random Forest (RF), and XGBoost classifier. An experiment is applied for the diagnosis of four main kinds of ECG records. Finally, the results based on the class-oriented schema achieved an accuracy of 98.3% based on Resnet50 with the XGBoost classifier. The comparison with the related previous work presented the excellent performance of the proposed methodology as it can be applied as a clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heart failure (HF) is an intercontinental pandemic influencing in any event 26 million individuals globally and is expanding in commonness. HF healthiness consumptions are extensive and will increment significantly with a maturing populace. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major reason for all-inclusive death, taking an expected 17.9 million lives per year. CVDs are a class of issues of the heart, blood vessels and include coronary heart sickness, cerebrovascular illness, rheumatic heart malady, and various other conditions. In the medical care industry, a lot of information is as often as possible created. Nonetheless, it is frequently not utilized adequately. The information shows that the produced picture, sound, text, or record has some shrouded designs and their connections. Devices used to remove information from these data sets for clinical determination of illness or different reasons for existing are more uncommon. 4 cases out of 5 CVD dying are due to heart attacks and strokes, 33% of these losses of life happen roughly in peoples under 70 year of age. In the current work, we have tried to predict the survival chances of HF sufferers using methods such as attribute selection (scoring method) & classifiers (machine learning). The scoring methods (SM) used here are the Gini Index, Information Gain, and Gain Ratio. Correlation-based feature selection (CFS) with the best first search (BFS) strategy for best attribute selection (AS). We have used multi-kernel support vector machine (MK-SVM) classifiers such as Linear, Polynomial, radial base function (RBF), Sigmoid. The classification accuracy (CA) we received using SM is as follows: SVM (Linear with 80.3%, Polynomial with 86.6%, RBF with 83.6%, Sigmoid with 82.3%) and by using CFS-BFS method are as follows: SVM (Linear with 79.9%, Polynomial with 83.3%, RBF and Sigmoid with 83.6%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is a complex health disorder that significantly increases the risk of several chronic diseases, and it has been associated with a 5–20-year decrease in life expectancy. The prevalence of obesity is increasing steadily worldwide and Italy follows this trend with an increase of almost 30% in the adult obese population in the last 3 decades. Previous studies estimated that 2–4% of the total health expenditure in Europe is attributed to obesity and it is projected to double by 2050. Currently, there is a lack of sufficient knowledge on the burden of obesity in Italy and most relevant estimates are derived from international studies. The aim of this study is to estimate the direct and indirect costs of obesity in Italy, taking 2020 as the reference year. Methods: Based on data collected from the literature, a quantitative cost-of-illness (COI) study was performed from a societal perspective focussing on the adult obese population (Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2) in Italy. Results: The study indicated that the total costs attributable to obesity in Italy amounted to €13.34 billion in 2020 (95% credible interval: €8.99 billion < µ < €17.80 billion). Direct costs were €7.89 billion, with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) having the highest impact on costs (€6.66 billion), followed by diabetes (€0.65 billion), cancer (€0.33 billion), and bariatric surgery (€0.24 billion). Indirect costs amounted to €5.45 billion, with almost equal contribution of absenteeism (€2.62 billion) and presenteeism (€2.83 billion). Conclusions: Obesity is associated with high direct and indirect costs, and cost-effective prevention programmes are deemed fundamental to contain this public health threat in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The harmful substances in tobacco are widely recognized to exert a significant detrimental impact on human health, constituting one of the most substantial global public health threats to date. Tobacco usage also ranks among the principal contributors to cardiovascular ailments, with tobacco being attributed to up to 30% of cardiovascular disease-related deaths in various countries. Cardiovascular disease is influenced by many kinds of pathogenic factors, among them, tobacco usage has led to an increased year by year incidence of cardiovascular disease. Exploring the influencing factors of harmful substances in tobacco and achieving early prevention are important means to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and maintain health. This article provides a comprehensive review of the effects of smoking on health and cardiovascular diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.)

Heavy metals are a dangerous source of pollution due to their toxicity, permanence in the environment and chemical nature. It is well known that long-term exposure to heavy metals is related to several chronic degenerative diseases (cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms, neurodegenerative syndromes, etc.). In this work, we propose a machine learning framework to evaluate the severity of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) from Human scalp hair analysis (HSHA) tests and genetic analysis and identify a small group of these clinical features mostly associated with the CVD risk. Using a private dataset provided by the DD Clinic foundation in Caserta, Italy, we cross-validated the classification performance of a Random Forests model with 90 subjects affected by CVD. The proposed model reached an AUC of 0.78 ± 0.01 on a three class classification problem. The robustness of the predictions was assessed by comparison with different cross-validation schemes and two state-of-the-art classifiers, such as Artificial Neural Network and General Linear Model. Thus, is the first work that studies, through a machine learning approach, the tight link between CVD severity, heavy metal concentrations and SNPs. Then, the selected features appear highly correlated with the CVD phenotype, and they could represent targets for future CVD therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the frequent association between anxiety, depression and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cardiovascular inpatients are not usually screened for these psychopathological conditions. To fill this gap, especially in hospital environments, there is the need of brief screening instruments that provide reliable information in a very short time. According to this need, the aim of this study was to examine the best cut-off points of two brief and easy-to-use questionnaires in a sample of Italian cardiovascular inpatients: the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) and the 2-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2). 3500 cardiovascular inpatients were recruited and completed both the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7). PHQ-2 and GAD-2 were then obtained extracting the first two item from PHQ-9 and GAD-7. The PHQ-2 and GAD-2 psychometric properties were calculated comparing them with PHQ-9 and GAD-7, respectively. The PHQ-2 threshold of ≥ 2 and the GAD-2 threshold of ≥ 3 are the best solutions in balancing between sensitivity and specificity, also providing acceptable rates of false positives and false negatives. the PHQ-2 and GAD-2 Italian versions showed good diagnostic features for measuring depression and anxiety in CVD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]