scholarly journals Heart Failure and PAHs, OHPAHs, and Trace Elements Levels in Human Serum: Results from a Preliminary Pilot Study in Greek Population and the Possible Impact of Air Pollution

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 3207
Author(s):  
Eirini Chrysochou ◽  
Panagiotis Georgios Kanellopoulos ◽  
Konstantinos G. Koukoulakis ◽  
Aikaterini Sakellari ◽  
Sotirios Karavoltsos ◽  
...  

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been associated with environmental pollutants. The scope of this study is to assess any potential relation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), their hydroxylated derivatives, and trace elements with heart failure via their direct determination in human serum of Greek citizens residing in different areas. Therefore, we analyzed 131 samples including cases (heart failure patients) and controls (healthy donors), and the respective demographic data were collected. Significantly higher concentrations (p < 0.05) were observed in cases’ serum regarding most of the examined PAHs and their derivatives with phenanthrene, fluorene, and fluoranthene being the most abundant (median of >50 μg L−1). Among the examined trace elements, As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Pb were measured at statistically higher concentrations (p < 0.05) in cases’ samples, with only Cr being significantly higher in controls. The potential impact of environmental factors such as smoking and area of residence has been evaluated. Specific PAHs and trace elements could be possibly related with heart failure development. Atmospheric degradation and smoking habit appeared to have a significant impact on the analytes’ serum concentrations. PCA–logistic regression analysis could possibly reveal common mechanisms among the analytes enhancing the hypothesis that they may pose a significant risk for CVD development.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Timo Z. Nazari-Shafti ◽  
Zhiyi Xu ◽  
Andreas Matthäus Bader ◽  
Georg Henke ◽  
Kristin Klose ◽  
...  

Despite regulatory issues surrounding the use of animal-derived cell culture supplements, most clinical cardiac cell therapy trials using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) still rely on fetal bovine serum (FBS) for cell expansion before transplantation. We sought to investigate the effect of human serum from heart failure patients (HFS) on cord blood MSCs (CB-MSCs) during short-term culture under regular conditions and during simulated acute and chronic stress. Cell survival, proliferation, metabolic activity, and apoptosis were quantified, and gene expression profiles of selected apoptosis and cell cycle regulators were determined. Compared to FBS, HFS and serum from healthy donors (CS) showed similar effects by substantially increasing cell survival during chronic and acute stress and by increasing cell yields 5 days after acute stress. Shortly after the termination of acute stress, both HFS and CS resulted in a marked decrease in apoptotic cells. Transcriptome analysis suggested a decrease in TNF-mediated induction of caspases and decreased activation of mitochondrial apoptosis. Our data confirm that human serum from both healthy donors and heart failure patients results in increased cell yields and increased resistance to cellular stress signals. Therefore, we consider autologous serum a valid alternative to FBS in cell-based therapies addressing severe heart disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 458.2-458
Author(s):  
G. Singh ◽  
M. Sehgal ◽  
A. Mithal

Background:Heart failure (HF) is the eighth leading cause of death in the US, with a 38% increase in the number of deaths due to HF from 2011 to 2017 (1). Gout and hyperuricemia have previously been recognized as significant risk factors for heart failure (2), but there is little nationwide data on the clinical and economic consequences of these comorbidities.Objectives:To study heart failure hospitalizations in patients with gout in the United States (US) and estimate their clinical and economic impact.Methods:The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) is a stratified random sample of all US community hospitals. It is the only US national hospital database with information on all patients, regardless of payer, including persons covered by Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and the uninsured. We examined all inpatient hospitalizations in the NIS in 2017, the most recent year of available data, with a primary or secondary diagnosis of gout and heart failure. Over 69,800 ICD 10 diagnoses were collapsed into a smaller number of clinically meaningful categories, consistent with the CDC Clinical Classification Software.Results:There were 35.8 million all-cause hospitalizations in patients in the US in 2017. Of these, 351,735 hospitalizations occurred for acute and/or chronic heart failure in patients with gout. These patients had a mean age of 73.3 years (95% confidence intervals 73.1 – 73.5 years) and were more likely to be male (63.4%). The average length of hospitalization was 6.1 days (95% confidence intervals 6.0 to 6.2 days) with a case fatality rate of 3.5% (95% confidence intervals 3.4% – 3.7%). The average cost of each hospitalization was $63,992 (95% confidence intervals $61,908 - $66,075), with a total annual national cost estimate of $22.8 billion (95% confidence intervals $21.7 billion - $24.0 billion).Conclusion:While gout and hyperuricemia have long been recognized as potential risk factors for heart failure, the aging of the US population is projected to significantly increase the burden of illness and costs of care of these comorbidities (1). This calls for an increased awareness and management of serious co-morbid conditions in patients with gout.References:[1]Sidney, S., Go, A. S., Jaffe, M. G., Solomon, M. D., Ambrosy, A. P., & Rana, J. S. (2019). Association Between Aging of the US Population and Heart Disease Mortality From 2011 to 2017. JAMA Cardiology. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2019.4187[2]Krishnan E. Gout and the risk for incident heart failure and systolic dysfunction. BMJ Open 2012;2:e000282.doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000282Disclosure of Interests: :Gurkirpal Singh Grant/research support from: Horizon Therapeutics, Maanek Sehgal: None declared, Alka Mithal: None declared


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irazú Contreras-Yáñez ◽  
Pilar Lavielle ◽  
Patricia Clark ◽  
Virginia Pascual-Ramos

Abstract Background Assessing risk perception (RP) helps explain how rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients integrate their ideas concerning the disease and how this understanding affects their self-care management. Compliance with treatment impacts disease-related outcomes and could be associated with RP to variable degrees and at different levels. The primary objective was to determine a potential association between RP and compliance with therapy in RA outpatients and to identify additional factors. The secondary objective was to identify factors associated with judgment bias such as unrealistic RP. Patients and methods Between January 2018 and June 2019, 450 consecutive outpatients who received RA-related treatment were invited to a face-to-face interview to obtain socio-demographic data, RA-related information, comorbidities, and the following outcomes: adherence, persistence, and concordance with medications assessed with a questionnaire locally designed; RP with the RP questionnaire (RPQ); disease activity with the Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data-3 (RAPID-3); disability with the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI); quality of life with Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) instrument; pain and overall disease with the respective visual analogue scale (VAS); and health literacy assessed with 3 questions. Significant RP was defined according to a cut-off based on the 75th percentile value of the sample in which the RPQ was validated. Unrealistic RP was defined based on the coincidence of the presence/absence of significant RP and less/more than 7 unfavorable medical criteria. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used. Patients provided written informed consent and the study received Internal Review Board approval. Results There were 415 patients included, primarily middle-aged women with long-standing disease and moderate disease activity. Almost half of the patients were receiving corticosteroids and 15.9% intensive RA-related treatment. There were 44.1% of the patients concordant with treatment and 22.6% had significant RP. The patients’ treatment behavior was not retained in the regression analysis; meanwhile, rheumatoid nodes, surgical joint replacement, family history of RA, and higher RAPID-3 score were associated with significant RP. There were 56 patients with unrealistic RP; significant RP and more unfavorable medical criteria were associated with unrealistic RP. Conclusions Compliance with therapy was not associated with significant RP in RA outpatients.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 2235-2243 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Gamella ◽  
Susana Campuzano ◽  
Felipe Conzuelo ◽  
A. Julio Reviejo ◽  
José M. Pingarrón

1977 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Y. Marks ◽  
G. G. Welcher ◽  
R. J. Spellman

Atomic absorption spectrometry utilizing electrothermal atomization devices has proven to be the best technique available for the analysis of complex alloys for trace elements of metallurgical interest. The determination of lead, bismuth, selenium, tellurium, thallium, and tin was successfully demonstrated by direct atomization from complex, nickel-base alloy chips with commercial atomic absorption furnace equipment. The determination was carried out by first milling metal chips from the bulk sample. The sample was transferred directly to the furnace and atomized immediately with no preatomization heating cycle. A series of cast alloy standards containing the trace elements were prepared by additions to a nickel-base alloy, then subsequently analyzed by established analytical methods. Of the three commercial atomizers studied, the Perkin-Elmer model HGA 2100 proved to be the most suitable for direct determination of the trace elements of interest. The coefficient of variation of absorbance measurements varied from 7% for bismuth which is easily atomized to 25% for tin which is more difficult to atomize.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Koohi ◽  
Davood Khalili ◽  
Mohammad Ali Mansournia ◽  
Farzad Hadaegh ◽  
Hamid Soori

Abstract Background Understanding the distinct patterns (trajectories) of variation in blood lipid levels before diagnosing cardiovascular disease (CVD) might carry important implications for improving disease prevention or treatment. Methods We investigated 14,373 participants (45.5% men) aged 45–84 from two large US prospective cohort studies with a median of 23 years follow-up. First, we jointly estimated developmental trajectories of lipid indices, including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) concentrations using group-based multi-trajectory modeling. Then, the association of identified multi-trajectories with incident CVD, heart failure, and all-cause mortality were examined using Cox proportional hazard model. Results Seven distinct multi-trajectories were identified. The majority of participants (approximately 80%) exhibited decreasing LDL-C but rising TG levels and relatively stable HDL-C levels. Compared to the individuals with healthy and stable LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG levels, those in other groups were at significant risk of incident CVD after adjusting for other conventional risk factors. Individuals with the highest but decreasing LDL-C and borderline high and rising TG levels over time were at the highest risk than those in other groups with a 2.22-fold risk of CVD. Also, those with the highest and increased triglyceride levels over time, over optimal and decreasing LDL-C levels, and the lowest HDL-C profile had a nearly 1.84 times CVD risk. Even individuals in the multi-trajectory group with the highest HDL-C, optimal LDL-C, and optimal TG levels had a significant risk (HR, 1.45; 95% CI 1.02–2.08). Furthermore, only those with the highest HDL-C profile increased the risk of heart failure by 1.5-fold (95% CI 1.07–2.06). Conclusions The trajectories and risk of CVD identified in this study demonstrated that despite a decline in LDL-C over time, a significant amount of residual risk for CVD remains. These findings suggest the impact of the increasing trend of TG on CVD risk and emphasize the importance of assessing the lipid levels at each visit and undertaking potential interventions that lower triglyceride concentrations to reduce the residual risk of CVD, even among those with the optimal LDL-C level.


Author(s):  
Rory Hachamovitch ◽  
Brian Griffin ◽  
Alan Klein ◽  
Benjamin Nutter ◽  
Irene Katzan ◽  
...  

Background. Patients (pts) diagnosed with congestive heart failure (HF) have been reported to have more frequent depression and worsened health related quality of life (HRQOL). Although depression is more common in women than men in this condition, the impact of HF on depression and HRQOL in men versus women is unclear. We sought to examine the relationship between pt sex, HF diagnosis, and pt-perceived depression and HRQOL. Methods. Depression (PHQ-9) and HRQOL (EQ5D) data were collected using tablet computers from pts presenting for routine outpatient cardiovascular assessment at our institution between November, 2010 and December, 2011. Demographic, clinical, and historical data was collected as per routine. We examined the association of pt sex and clinical diagnosis of HF with instrument results after adjusting for potential confounding information using mutliple linear regression. Results. Of 3046 pts (age 61±15), 39% were female and 8.7% were diagnosed with HF. Overall, PHQ-9 was greater, and minor or major depression (PHQ-9≥10) was more frequent, in women than men (4.6±4.6 vs. 3.3±4.4; 14.0% vs. 8.9%, both p<0.05) and in HF pts than pts without HF (5.9±5.6 vs. 3.6±4.3, 22.0% versus 9.6%; both p<0.05). Similarly, HRQOL was worse in women than men (EQ-5D 0.80±0.18 vs. 0.87±0.16; p<0.01) and in HF pts than no HF (EQ-5D 0.76±0.18 vs. 0.85±0.17; p<0.01). However, the difference in PHQ-9 between pts with versus without HF was greater in men (6.23±6.06 vs. 3.02±4.06, p<0.01) than women (5.43±4.85 vs. 4.55±4.58, p=0.09). After adjusting for cardiovascular diagnoses, comorbidities, clinical and demographic data, multivariable modeling of PHQ-9 revealed a significant interaction between pt sex and HF diagnosis (p=0.001; see Figure) such that women had greater PHQ-9 scores compared to men without HF, but in the setting of HF, mens' PHQ-9 scores were greater. Modeling of EQ-5D also revealed that after risk-adjustment an interaction between HF diagnosis and sex was present with a similar pattern of findings. Conclusion. Although depression is more frequent and severe in women compared to men, and in pts with versus without HF, HF appears to impact depression severity more in men compared to women.


2021 ◽  
Vol 129 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne K Grant ◽  
Beshay N Zordoky

Hypertension is the most significant risk factor for heart failure in doxorubicin (DOX)-treated childhood cancer survivors. We previously developed a two-hit mouse model of juvenile DOX-induced latent cardiotoxicity that is exacerbated by adult-onset angiotensin II (ANGII)-induced hypertension. Nevertheless, it is still not known how juvenile exposure to DOX would predispose the heart to other cardiovascular pathologic stimuli that do not cause hypertension. The objective of this work was to compare the effects of ANGII to those of isoproterenol (ISO) in adult C57BL6/N mice pre-exposed to DOX as juveniles. Five-week-old male mice were administered a low dose of DOX (4 mg/kg/week) or saline for 3 weeks and then allowed to recover for 5 weeks. Thereafter, mice were either infused with ANGII (1.4 mg/kg/day) or injected with ISO (10 mg/kg/day) for 14 days. Juvenile exposure to DOX abrogated the hypertrophic response to both ANGII and ISO, while it failed to correct ANGII- and ISO-induced upregulation in the hypertrophic markers ANP and BNP. ANGII, but not ISO, worsened cardiac function in DOX-exposed mice as measured by echocardiography. Cardiac fibrosis was also exacerbated by ANGII, but not ISO, in DOX-exposed mice as evident by Masson’s trichrome staining and upregulation of the inflammatory and fibrotic markers, Cox-2, Col1a1, Col3a1 , and galectin-3 . In conclusion, the current work demonstrates that ANGII causes more severe deterioration in cardiac function and adverse cardiac remodeling in DOX-exposed mice when compared to ISO. The comparison between DOX/ANGII and DOX/ISO models is critical to understanding why hypertension is the most significant risk factor for heart failure in DOX-treated childhood cancer survivors and thereby devising effective therapeutic strategies against this significant clinical problem.


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