International journal of cardiology
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Review Meta Analysis
The preventive effect of statin therapy on new-onset and recurrent atrial fibrillation in patients not undergoing invasive cardiac interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Previous meta-analyses suggest that pre-procedural use of statin therapy may reduce atrial fibrillation (AF) following invasive cardiac interventions (coronary artery by-pass grafting and percutaneous coronary intervention). However, the current evidence on the benefit of statins unrelated to invasive cardiac interventions has not been clarified systematically. ⋯ The hitherto published randomized clinical trials do not support a beneficial effect of statins on AF in patients not undergoing invasive cardiac interventions. This is in contrast to the results of observational and interventional studies.
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Evidence of a link between small rises in cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and an increased risk of thromboembolic events (TE) in atrial fibrillation (AF) is currently scarce. ⋯ cTnI seems to be associated to thromboembolic risk in patients with AF. The possible role of cTnI in the refinement of risk stratification schemes needs to be tested in further prospective studies using clinical endpoints.
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Circulating endothelial microparticles (EMPs) lead to endothelial dysfunction by increasing oxidative stress. Berberine has a beneficial effect on endothelial function, but no data are available on the EMP-mediated oxidative stress. The present study tests the hypothesis that berberine contributes to the improvement of endothelial function in humans via inhibiting EMP-mediated oxidative stress in vascular endothelium. ⋯ The present study demonstrated for the first time that EMP-induced upregulation of Nox4 expression may enhance ROS production in HUVECs. Berberine treatment contributes to the amelioration of endothelial function through a partially reducing oxidative stress of vascular endothelium induced by circulating CD31+/CD42- microparticles in humans.
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An impaired myocardial perfusion state after primary angioplasty is a strong predictor of long-term adverse outcomes in patients with STEMI. We assessed the relationship between culprit plaque characteristics and myocardial perfusion state after primary angioplasty in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). ⋯ Culprit plaque with large plaque burden and high NC volume is closely associated with poor STR after revascularization.