The American journal of cardiology
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It remains unknown whether left ventricular (LV) reverse remodeling (LVRR) after therapy with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers and β blockers is correlated with prognosis in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Forty-two patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy treated with the therapy were studied. Complete left ventricular reverse remodeling was defined as LV end-diastolic dimension ≤ 55 mm and fractional shortening ≥ 25% at the last echocardiographic assessment. ⋯ The decrease in LV end-systolic dimension from the initial value to that at 1 to 6 months was an independent determinant of future cardiac death or transplantation. In conclusion, complete LVRR is related to favorable prognosis in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. The extent of left ventricular reverse remodeling at 1 to 6 months after starting the therapy is predictive of long-term prognosis.
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Emphysema of any pathogenesis (nearly always chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) verticalizes the frontal P-wave axis >60° in adults, which, as a single criterion, has screened for obstructive pulmonary disease. In patients with emphysema, the QRS was of a significantly shorter duration than that in matched control patients. We investigated whether combining these 2 criteria would better detect or screen for emphysema. ⋯ In conclusion, a P axis >60° can be used alone with very high sensitivity and specificity to detect emphysema. The verticality of the P axis is usually immediately visible in the limb leads; therefore, this could be a rapid screening test for emphysema. The specificity was increased when combined with a shortened QRS duration, at the cost of the sensitivity.
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Decreased left ventricular (LV) longitudinal strain and increased circumferential LV strain have been demonstrated in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and normal LV ejection fraction (LVEF). Biplane myocardial mechanics normalize after aortic valve replacement (AVR). This study objective was to examine LV mechanics before and soon after AVR in patients with AS and LV systolic dysfunction. ⋯ In conclusion, compensatory mechanisms (high circumferential strain in patients with preserved LVEF and increased apical rotation in patients with mild to moderate LV dysfunction) were observed in patients with severe AS. Compensatory mechanics were lost in patients with severe LV dysfunction. AVR partly reversed these changes in patients with LV dysfunction.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of fenofibric acid plus statins on multiple lipid parameters and its safety in women with mixed dyslipidemia.
The combination of fibrate and statin therapies may be a treatment option for women with multiple lipid abnormalities. We, therefore, initiated the present safety and efficacy analysis to address the paucity of such data in women with mixed dyslipidemia. A total of 1,393 women with mixed dyslipidemia (low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol ≥ 130 mg/dl, triglycerides [TG] ≥ 150 mg/dl, high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol <50 mg/dl), who had enrolled in any 1 of 3 randomized clinical trials, were evaluated. ⋯ High-dose statins decreased the baseline LDL cholesterol 47%; however, the increase in HDL cholesterol (9%) and decrease in TG (25%) were similar to the changes observed with lower doses of statins. The safety profiles of the combinations were comparable to those of the component therapies. In conclusion, these data suggest that a combination of fenofibric acid and a statin could be considered safe and efficacious for treating women with mixed dyslipidemia.