Arterial hypertension causes cardiovascular adverse events mainly through endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis, and inflammation. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a marker of subclinica...

Left ventricular thrombus (LVT) is associated with inflammatory response in survivors with anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) has been proposed as a marker of inflammation. However, there is a lack of data with respect to the role of CAR in LVT development. We investigated the relationship between CAR and LVT development in patients with anterior STEMI treated percutaneously; 955 consecutive patients were enrolled and LVT was observed in 126 (13.2%) patients. Clinical, demographic, and laboratory parameters were recorded. The CAR was significantly higher in patients with LVT (12.6 [8.6-16.1] vs 18.1 [11.5-23], P < .001). Other independent predictors for LVT development were lower ejection fraction, the presence of left ventricular apical aneurysm, proximal left anterior descending lesion location, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors treatment, >1 diseased arteries, higher total protein level, neutrophil count, and peak creatine kinase myocardial band activity. In conclusion, the CAR may be useful as a simple tool for predicting LVT development among survivors of anterior STEMI.

The aim of our study was to determine the role of serum glucose–potassium ratio in predicting inhospital mortality in coronary care unit patients.

Introduction: It is important to identify those at higher risk for ventricular arrhythmia among hypertensive patients. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) leads to electromechanical changes in the heart by endocrine and paracrine effects with cytokines and mediators. Higher amount of EAT carries the risk of QT prolongation. Therefore, we investigated the association between EAT thickness and QTc interval in patients with arterial hypertension. Methods: A total of 230 patients who previously diagnosed with arterial hypertension between February 2019 to March 2020 were included in the study. Patients with atrial fibrillation, U-wave, atrioventricular block, left anterior or posterior fascicular block, right bundle branch block, left bundle branch block, and taking QT-prolonging medication were excluded. The corrected QT (QTc) interval was calculated with Bazzet's formula following the calculated QT interval in the semi-automatic application tool. EAT was measured at the point on the free wall of the right ventricle using transthoracic echocardiography. Results: The mean age was 62.1 +/- 11.4 years and 95 (41.3%) of the patients were male. QTc was over 450 ms were considered as the prolonged interval. Both groups were similar in terms of age (p = .862), gender (p = .265) and other demographic characteristics. Left ventricle mass index (LVMI) (82.5 +/- 29.5 vs 91.9 +/- 32.6 g/1.7.m(2), p = .051) and EAT thickness (5.3 +/- 2.3 vs 6.6 +/- 2.6 mm, p = .001) were higher in the prolonged QTc group. Serum potassium (K) level was lesser in the prolonged QTc group (4.2 +/- 0.39 vs 4.1 +/- 0.4 mmol/mL, p = .005). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that EAT thickness [OR = 1.227, 95% CI: 1.081-1.393, p = .002] and serum K level [OR = 0.348, 95% CI: 0.157-0.772, p = .009] predicted the prolonged QTc interval, independently. Conclusion: EAT thickness predicted prolonged QTc interval in patients with arterial hypertension. Patients with higher amount of EAT should be followed by closely monitoring to prevent arrhythmic events that may develop in the future. In addition, medications that have a potential effect on QTc interval prolongation may be carefully used in patients with higher EAT thickness.

Background/Objectives: Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a distinct myocardial dysfunction characterized by structural and functional changes in the heart that occur in diabetic patients independently of coronary artery disease or hypertension. It is closely associated with oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and contributes to progressive cardiac damage. This study aimed to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of dapagliflozin (DAPA) and trimetazidine (TMZ) in a rat model of doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy with streptozotocin-induced diabetes, focusing on their potential mechanisms related to ER stress. Methods: A total of 48 Sprague Dawley rats aged 6–8 weeks were randomly distributed equally into six cages. The diabetes model was induced by intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin (STZ) and rats with blood glucose levels above 250 mg/dL were considered diabetic. For those rats with diabetes, cardiotoxicity was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 5 mg/kg/week doxorubicin (DOXO) for 4 weeks. After a cumulative dose of 20 mg/kg doxorubicin, a week break was given, followed by the administration of TMZ (10 mg/kg) and/or DAPA (10 mg/kg) to the treatment groups. Results: STZ administration caused diabetes and significant degeneration in cardiomyocytes. With the addition of DOXO (STZ + DOXO), cardiomyocyte degeneration became more severe. When the study groups were histopathologically evaluated based on parameters of degenerative cardiomyocytes, vascular congestion, and edema, it was shown that both TMZ and DAPA, whether applied alone or in combination, reduced damage in heart tissue. Both TMZ and DAPA reduced cardiomyocyte damage, and their combination provided the lowest level of damage through the reduced ER stress pathway by reducing GRP 78 and CHOP positivity. Conclusions: TMZ and DAPA reduce ER stress and have protective effects against diabetic-induced cardiotoxicity. Combination therapy or TMZ was found to be more effective than DAPA in alleviating ER stress. Combination therapy appears to carry potential effects for reducing cardiac cell damage in individuals with diabetes.