Coronary artery disease and heart failure:Late-breaking trials presented at American Heart Association scientific session 2023

The late-breaking science presented at the 2023 scientific session of the American Heart Association paves the way for future pragmatic trials and provides meaningful information to guide management strategies in coronary artery disease and heart failure(HF).The dapagliflozin in patient with acute myocardial infarction(DAPA-MI)trial showed that dapagliflozin use among patients with acute MI without a history of diabetes mellitus or chronic HF has better cardiometabolic outcomes compared with placebo,with no difference in cardiovascular outcomes.The MINT trial showed that in patients with acute MI and anemia(Hgb<10 g/dL),a liberal transfusion goal(Hgb≥10 g/dL)was not superior to a restrictive strategy(Hgb 7-8 g/dL)with respect to 30-day all-cause death and recurrent MI.The ORBITA-2 trial showed that among patients with stable angina and coronary stenoses causing ischemia on little or no antianginal therapy,percutaneous coronary intervention results in greater improvements in anginal frequency and exercise times compared with a sham procedure.The ARIES-HM3 trial showed that in patients with advanced HF who received a HeartMate 3 levitated left ventricular assist device and were anticoagulated with a vitamin K antagonist,placebo was noninferior to daily aspirin with respect to the composite endpoint of bleeding and thrombotic events at 1 year.The TEAMMATE trial showed that everolimus with low-dose tacrolimus is safe in children and young adults when given≥6 months after cardiac transplantation.Providing patients being treated for HF with reduced ejection fraction(HFrEF)with specific out-of-pocket(OOP)costs for multiple medication options at the time of the clinical encounter may reduce‘contingency planning’and increase the extent to which patients are taking the medications decided upon.The primary outcome,which was cost-informed decisionmaking,defined as the clinician or patient mentioning costs of HFrEF medication,occurred in 49%of encounters with the checklist only control group compared with 68%of encounters in the OOP cost group.

A Clinical Investigation on Tong Xin Luo Capsule in Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease with Silent Myocardial Ischemia

36 cases of coronary heart disease with silent myocardial ischemia (SMI) were treated sequentially with Tong Xin Luo (TXL) capsule and isosorbide dinitrate in random order. The results showed that both drugs were effective in decreasing episodes of SMI and shortening the duration of asymptomatic myocardial ischemia. TXL, however, was found with a better action and was superior to isosorbide dinitrate. It was also found that TXL could improve diastolic function of the left ventricle as well.

Comparison of Clinical Efficacy of Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel for Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease with Myocardial Ischemia

Objective.To compare clinical efficacy of ticagrelor and clopidogrel for treatment of coronary heart disease with myocardial ischemia to provide references for later phase of clinical treatment.Methods.Ninety-six coronary heart disease patients with myocardial ischemia admitted to our hospital from July 20 to July 2019 were recruited as subjects.They were randomly divided into study group and control group according to parity of case number,with 48 patients in each group.Control group was given treatment with clopidogrel,while patients in study group were given treatment with ticagrelor.Clinical efficacy was compared between the both groups.Results.Comparison showed that total effective rate of clinical treatment was higher in study group when compared to control group(P<0.05).Frequency of ST segment depression,duration of ST segment depression,systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure,heart rate and other clinical indicators in study group were superior to control group(P<0.05).Whole blood viscosity at low shear rate,whole blood viscosity at high shear rate,plasma viscosity shear rate,total cholesterol,triglyceride and other haemorheological parameters in study group were superior to control group(P<0.05).Conclusion.Application of ticagrelor has higher clinical efficacy than clopidogreal for coronary heart disease patients with myocardial ischemia.Clinical indicators and haemorheological parameters of myocardial ischemia patients were significantly improved.It should be promoted for application.

Effects of Aerobic Exercise Combined with Resistance Training on Patients with Myocardial Ischemia Caused by Coronary Heart Disease

Objective:To explore the clinical effect of long-term aerobic exercise combined with resistance training in patients with myocardial ischemia caused by coronary heart disease and its influence on cardiac function, exercise endurance and quality of life. Methods:100 patients with myocardial ischemia caused by coronary heart disease from January 2017 to January 2019 were randomly divided into control group (n = 50 cases) and observation group (n = 50 cases). The control group was given resistance training, while the observation group was combined with long-term aerobic exercise on the basis of the control group. The two groups were treated for 3 months. The cardiac function, exercise endurance and quality of life were compared between the two groups. Results:The levels of IVST (8.20+1.32) mm, LVDD (46.43+4.13) mm and LVSD (32.59+3.15) mm in the observation group were lower than those in the control group at 3 months after treatment. The level of LVEF (67.49+5.77)% in the observation group was higher than that in the control group at 3 months after treatment. The difference between the two groups was significant (P<0.05). The ET (55.42+2.9) in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). 2) The levels of ng/L and TXB2 (93.23 + 6.26) ng/L were significantly lower than those of the control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). The 6-minute walking distance (561.25 +43.64) m and the quality of life score (95.31 +6.39) in the observation group were higher than those in the control group 3 months after treatment, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusions:Long-term aerobic exercise combined with resistance training can improve cardiac function, exercise tolerance and quality of life in patients with myocardial ischemia caused by coronary heart disease, which is worthy of popularization and application.

Myocardial bridge-related coronary heart disease:Independent influencing factors and their predicting value

BACKGROUND Myocardial bridge(MB)will compress the mural coronary artery(MCA)during the systole and cause myocardial ischemia.In the diagnosis of coronary heart disease(CHD),because the structure of MB is difficult to be observed by coronary angiography(CAG),the clinical study of the influence of MB on CHD is lacking.With the advancement of computed tomography coronary angiography technology,detailed observations of the MB anatomy have realized.AIM To explore the main influencing factors of MB-related CHD and to find potential indicators for predicting MB-related CHD.METHODS A total of 1718 patients with suspected CHD due to the symptoms of myocardial ischemia were enrolled as subjects.Patients diagnosed with CHD were included in a CHD group,and patients with no significant abnormalities were included in a control group.In the CHD group,patients were divided into an MB-CHD subgroup if MB-related CHD was found.In the control group,patients were divided into a simple MB subgroup if MB was found.The patient's clinical data and MB-related indicators,including the branch of MB,MB type(superficial/deep type),MB length,MB thickness,systolic and diastolic compression of the MCA,and MCA systolic stenosis rate were recorded and compared.Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the independent influencing factors of MD-related CHD.ROC curve was used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of potential indicators for MB-related CHD.RESULTS There were 1060 cases in the CHD group and 658 cases in the control group,and there were 236 cases in the MB-CHD subgroup and 52 cases in the simple MB subgroup.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the combined MB had a significant effect on the occurrence of CHD(P<0.05).MB thickness,systolic compression,diastolic compression,and MCA systolic stenosis rate had significant effects on the occurrence of MB-related CHD(P<0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of the combination of these influencing factors for the diagnosis of MB-related CHD was 0.959,which was significantly higher than the AUCs of the four indicators separately(P<0.05).The sensitivity was 97.06%and the specificity was 87.63%.CONCLUSION MB thickness,systolic compression,diastolic compression,and MCA systolic stenosis are independent influencing factors for MB-related CHD.The combination of these factors has potential diagnostic value for MB-related CHD.

Effect of Trimetazidine Dihydrochloride Tablets adjuvant therapy on inflammatory reaction, oxidative stress, vascular endothelial function and myocardial function in patients with coronary heart disease complicated with heart failure

Objective: To investigate the effects of Trimetazidine Dihydrochloride Tablets on inflammatory reaction, oxidative stress, vascular endothelial function and myocardial function in patients with coronary heart disease complicated with heart failure. Methods: A total of 98 patients with coronary heart disease and heart failure who met the criteria of the study were selected as the subjects, based on the random data table they were divided into the control group (n=49) and observation group (n=49), the patients in the control group were treated with Metoprolol Tartrate Sustained-release Tablets treatment, and the patients in the observation group were treated with Metoprolol Tartrate Sustained-release Tablets combined with Trimetazidine Dihydrochloride Tablets, the levels of inflammatory reaction, oxidative stress, vascular endothelial function and myocardial function indexes were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Results: The difference of the CRP, TNF-α, MDA, SOD, NO, ET-1, LVEF, LVEDD and LVESD levels in the two groups before treatment were not statistically significant;Compared with the levels of the two groups before treatment, the two groups of CRP, TNF-α, MDA, ET-1, LVEDD and LVESD levels after treatment were significantly decreased, and the level of the observation group after treatment was significantly lower than those levels in the control group, the difference was statistically significant;The levels of SOD, NO and LVEF of the two groups after treatment were significantly higher than those in the same group before treatment, and the observation group levels [(88.09±7.51) U/ml, (72.58±14.64) mol/L, (48.34±5.09)% ] were significantly higher than the control group [(79.44±7.27) U/ml, (61.89±11.06) mol/L, (44.19±4.58)%], the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: Trimetazidine Dihydrochloride Tablets in the treatment of coronary heart disease with heart failure can effectively inhibit the release of inflammatory factors, improve oxidative stress state, vascular endothelial function and myocardial function, has an important clinical value.

Genotype frequency of gelatinase B C-1562 T polymorphism in coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction

Background One of the characteristics of atherosclerosis is a change in the content of extracellular matrix in the arterial wall. Gelatinase B, a member of the family of matrix metalloproteinase, can regulate extracellular matrix metabolismand play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarction (MI). Gelatinase B is polymorphic due to a C to T change at the position -1562 bp in the promoter region.Its relationship with gene product concentration in serum and its role in mediating the risk of CHD and MI in Germans is still unknown. Methods We enrolled 102 controls and 322 patients with angiographically documented CHD,including a sub-group of 173 patients with acute or chronic MI and 80 patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).All patients and controls were Germans and genotyped by polymerase chain reaction and digestion with SphI. Results We found that several classical risk factors for CHD and MI, including hypercholesterolemia and cigarette smoking,were significantly increased in CHD and MI patients compared with controls. Serum levels of gelatinase B and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 were increased in the peripheral blood of patients with acute coronary syndrome. No significant differences in genotype or allelic frequencies between CHD, MI and control subjects of either men or women were found. Our search for a possible association of the polymorphisms with CHD and MI by logistic regression analysis was also negative. The serum concentrations of gelatinase B showed no differences between genotypes. Conclusions Our data showed that gelatinase B might provide an index of plaque activity in ACS, but gelatinase B protein was not affected by genotypes. Also, the T variant of gelatinase B was not associated with CHD or MI in Germans. (J Geriatr Cardiol 2004;1(2):114-118.)

Value of serum Fractalkine and Vaspin contents for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease and the correlation with cardiac function and myocardial injury

Objective: To study the value of serum Fractalkine and Vaspin contents for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease and the correlation with cardiac function and myocardial injury. Methods: A total of 80 patients with coronary heart disease were divided into stable angina pectoris group (n=45) and unstable angina pectoris group (n=35) according to the clinical seizure characteristics and signs. 50 subjects with normal cardiac function who received physical examination in the hospital over the same period were selected as the normal control group. The serum Fractalkine and Vaspin contents, cardiac function parameter levels under ultrasonic cardiogram and serum myocardial enzyme spectrum contents of each group were detected. Pearson test was used to further assess the inner link of serum Fractalkine and Vaspin contents with disease severity in patients with coronary heart disease. Results: Serum Fractalkine contents of stable angina pectoris group and unstable angina pectoris group were higher than that of normal control group while Vaspin contents were lower than that of normal control group, and serum Fractalkine content increased while Vaspin content decreased with the aggravation of angina pectoris. Cardiac function parameters LVEDD, LVEDV, LVESD and LVESV levels of stable angina pectoris group and unstable angina pectoris group were higher than those of normal control group, serum myocardial enzyme spectrum indexes CK, CK-MB, LDH, AST and ALT contents were higher than those of normal control group, and the levels of above indexes increased with the aggravation of angina pectoris. Serum Fractalkine content in patients with coronary heart disease was positively correlated with the decrease of cardiac function and the degree of myocardial injury while Vaspin content was negatively correlated with the decrease of cardiac function and the degree of myocardial injury. Conclusion: Serum Fractalkine and Vaspin contents are abnormal in patients with coronary heart disease, and the abnormal degree is directly related to the cardiac function and myocardial injury.

Characteristic analysis of clinical coronary heart disease and coronary artery disease concerning young and middle-aged male patients

BACKGROUND Coronary heart disease(CHD)is a type of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease.In recent years,the incidence of CHD has been increasing annually,with an increasing number of young patients.Severe CHD may cause severe myocardial ischemia or myocardial necrosis,which in turn may cause myocardial infarction and related complications that seriously affect the life and health of the patient.AIM To examine the coronary arteries and clinical features of young and middle-aged male patients with CHD.METHODS From February 2019 to January 2020,110 male CHD patients admitted to our hospital were selected as research subjects and were divided into two groups by age:middle-aged group(n=55)and young group(n=55).The coronary arteries and clinical features of the patients were compared.RESULTS There were no significant differences in dyslipidemia,stroke history,high-density lipoprotein cholesterol,or triacylglycerol(P>0.05)between the two groups.In the young group,age,diabetes,hypertension,smoking history,body mass index,family history of CHD,drinking history,fibrinogen,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,total cholesterol,and single-vessel disease were higher than those in the middle-aged group.Correspondingly,serum uric acid,hyperuricemia,myocardial infarction,Gensini score>50,collateral circulation,multivessel disease,double vessel disease,involvement of the right coronary artery,and involvement of the left main coronary artery were lower in the young group than in the middle-aged group.The middle-aged group mainly suffered from a high Gensini score,implicating multiple arteries,whereas the young group was mainly affected by single-vessel disease.The between-group difference was significant(P<0.05).CONCLUSION In CHD attacks,multiple coronary arteries are implicated in middle-aged male patients and single-vessel disease in young male patients.

Quantitative assessment of myocardial blush grade in patients with coronary artery disease and in cardiac transplant recipients

Quantitative assessment of myocardial perfusion by myocardial blush grade(MBG) is an angiographic computer-assisted method to assess myocardial tissue-level reperfusion in patients with acute coronary syndromes and microvascular integrity in heart transplant recipients with suspected cardiac allograft vasculopathy. This review describes the ability of quantitative MBG as a simple, fast and cost effective modality for the prompt diagnosis of impaired microvascular integrity during routine cardiac catheterization. Herein, we summarize the existing evidence, its usefulness in the clinical routine, and compare this method to other techniques which can be used for the assessment of myocardial perfusion.

Nocturnal myocardial ischemic events and sleep-disordered breathing in patients with coronary artery disease

Objective To investigate the occurrence of nocturnal myocardial ischemia and its relationship with sleep-disordered breathing (apneas and oxygen desaturations) in patients with angina pectoris undergoing coronary angiography.Methods Eighty-two men and 14 women referred for consideration of coronary intervention were randomly selected. Observation by an overnight sleep monitor and Holter recording were performed to study sleep-disordered breathing (oxyhemoglobin desaturations≥4% and apnea-hypopneas),heart rates, and ST-segment depressions (≥ 1mm, ≥1 min).Results Nocturnal ST-segment depressions occurred in 37 % of the patients. ST-segment depression within 2 min after an apnea-hypopnea or desaturation occurred in 17% of the patients. This temporal association was seen in 21% of the patients with nocturnal ST-segment depressions, more frequently in men (P<0.05) and more frequently in those with severe disordered breathing (P<0.05).Most of these ST-segment depressions were preceded by a series of breathing events: repeated apnea-hypopneas or desaturations or both in 73% of the patients. Conclusions Episodes of nocturnal myocardial ischemia are common in patients with angina pectoris. A temporal relationship between sleep-disordered breathing and myocardial ischemia was present in some of our patients, and occurs more frequently in men and in those with severely disordered breathing. (J Geriatr Cardiol 2004;1(2):90-94.)

Effect of Different Styles of Coronary Heart Disease and Its Risk Factors on Cardiac Remodeling and Dysfunction

Objectives To evaluate the effect of different styles of coronary heart disease （CHD）, different regions of acute myocardial infarction （AMI）, its risk factors and branches of coronary stenosis on left ventricular remodeling and dysfunction by applying echocardiography. Methods 251 patients with CHD and 96 patients without CHD （NoCHD） were verified by selective coronary angiography. CHD patients were divided into stable angina pectoris （SAP） 26, unstable angina pectoris（UAP） 53, acute myocardial infarction （AMI） 140 and old myocardial infarction （OMI） 30 based on clinical situation, cTnT, cardiac enzyme and ECG. AMI patients were further divided into subgroups including acute anterior myocardial infarct （Aa,n = 53）, acute inferior myocardial infarction （Ai, n=54） and Aa＋Ai （n=33） based on ECG. Cardiac parameters： end-diastolic interventricular septum thickness（IVSd）, end-diastolic left ventricular internal diameter （LVd）, left ventricular mass （LM）, end-diastolic left ventricular volume （EDV）, end-systolic left ventricular volume （ESV） and left ventricular ejection fraction（LVEF） were measured by ACUSON 128XP/10 echocardiography. Multiples linear regression analyses were performed to test statistical associations between LVEF and the involved branches of coronary stenosis, blood pressure, lipids, glucose and etc after onset of myocardial infarction. Results EDV and ESV were increased and LVEF decreased on patients with AMI,OMI and UAP （P〈0.05-0.0001）. LM was mainly increased in patients with OMI （P〈0.01） and LVd was mainly enlarged in patients with AMI. EF was significantly decreased and EDV, ESV, LM and LVd were remarkably increased in AMI patients with Aa and Aa＋Ai. With the multiple linear regression analyses by SPSS software, we found that LVEF was negatively correlated to the involved branches of coronary stenosis as well as to systolic blood pressure after onset of myocardial infarction while there was no significant correlation between LVEF and other factors. LVEF was significantly decreased, and LVd and LM increased in AMI patients with antecedent hypertension, compared to patients without hypertension （P〈0.001）. Conclusions Effects of different styles of CHD and different regions of AMI on left ventricular remodeling and cardiac function are different. Myocardial infarction, especially Aa and Aa＋Ai, is one of the most important causes of left ventricular remodeling and cardiac dysfunction. Multiple vessel stenosis and systolic blood pressure at the onset of myocardial infarction reduce LVEF in AMI patients. Antecedent hypertension may accelerate the effect of AMI on cardiac remodeling and dysfunction. Therefore primary and secondary preventions of CHD are critical for protecting heart from remodeling and dysfunction.

Effect of Catechins on Myocardial Injury and Inflammatory Factors in Rats with Coronary Heart Disease under PI3K/Akt/eNOS Signaling Pathway

Objective:To discuss the effect of catechins on myocardial injury and inflammatory factors in rats with coronary heart disease under PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.Methods:A total of 50 healthy adult pathogen-free(SPF)-grade SD rats were divided into five groups by random number table method.Except for the blank group,the other four groups were fed with high fat to construct a rat model of coronary artery disease.After the model was successfully constructed,the blank group and the model group were given saline by gavage,the positive group was given 25 mg/kg aspirin by gavage,the low-dose group was given 20 mg/kg catechin by gavage,and the high-dose group was given 60 mg/kg catechin by gavage.The expression levels of PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway-related proteins,myocardial injury markers,myocardial infarction and myocardial inflammatory factors were observed and compared in the five groups.Results:Overall,there were significant differences in the expression levels of PI3K,p-Akt/Akt,and p-eNOS/eNOS in the five groups of rats(P<0.05);there were significant differences in the expression levels of CK-MB and c Tn I in the five groups of rats(P<0.05);there were significant differences in ischemic area,infarct area,and myocardial infarction range in the four groups of rats,except for the blank group(P<0.05);there were significant differences in the expression levels of IL-1β,IL-18,TNF-α,and ET-1 in the five groups of rats(P<0.05).Conclusion:Catechins can reduce the severity of myocardial injury,reduce the range of myocardial infarction,and reduce myocardial inflammation in rats with coronary heart disease by up-regulating expression level of PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway-related proteins.Compared with aspirin,high-dose catechins have a more prominent protective effect on the myocardium of rats with coronary heart disease.

The Effect of Sleep Deprivation on Coronary Heart Disease

Sleep deprivation(SD) has been associated with an increased morbidity and mortality of coronary heart disease(CHD). SD could induce autonomic nervous dysfunction, hypertension, arrhythmia, hormonal dysregulation, oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and metabolic disorder in CHD patients. This paper reviewed the study results of SD in clinical trials and animal experiments and concluded that SD was associated with cardiovascular risk factors, which aggravated CHD in pathogenesis and outcomes.

Assessment of stable coronary artery disease by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging: Current and emerging techniques

Coronary artery disease(CAD) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance(CMR) is established in clinical practice guidelines with a growing evidence base supporting its use to aid the diagnosis and management of patients with suspected or established CAD. CMR is a multi-parametric imaging modality that yields high spatial resolution images that can be acquired in any plane for the assessment of global and regional cardiac function, myocardial perfusion and viability, tissue characterisation and coronary artery anatomy, all within a single study protocol and without exposure to ionising radiation. Advances in technology and acquisition techniques continue to progress the utility of CMR across a wide spectrum of cardiovascular disease, and the publication of large scale clinical trials continues to strengthen the role of CMR in daily cardiology practice. This article aims to review current practice and explore the future directions of multi-parametric CMR imaging in the investigation of stable CAD.

Atypical presentation of acute and chronic coronary artery disease in diabetics

In patients with diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease is the principal cause of mortality and chest pain is the most frequent symptom in patients with stable and acute coronary artery disease. However, there is little knowledge concerning the pervasiveness of uncommon presentations in diabetics. The symptomatology of acute coronary syndrome, which comprises both pain and non-pain symptoms, may be affected by traditional risk factors such as age, gender, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Such atypical symptoms may range from silent myocardial ischemia to a wide spectrum of non-chest pain symptoms. Worldwide, few studies have highlighted this under-investigated subject, and this aspect of ischemic heart disease has also been under-evaluated in the major clinical trials. The results of these studies are highly diverse which makes definitive conclusions regarding the spectrum of atypical presentation of acute and even stable chronic coronay artery disease difficult to confirm. This may have a significant impact on the morbidity and mortality of coronary artery disease in diabetics. In this up-to-date review we will try to analyze the most recent studies on the atypical presentations in both acute and chronic ischemic heart disease which may give some emphasis to this under-investigated topic.

Myocardial bridging analysis by coronary computed tomographic angiography in a Saudi population

AIM: To assess the incidence, location, morphology and clinical association of myocardial bridging in a Saudi population using coronary computed tomographic angiography(CCTA). METHODS: A total of 350 CCTA of Saudi patients were included in this study(236 men, 114 women) with a mean age of 56.3 years. All patients were examined for appropriateness criteria of CCTA indications(typical chest pain, recent onset cardiomyopathy, left bundle branch block, etc.). The scans were retrospectively reviewed for the presence of myocardial bridging and any other pathological association. RESULTS: Myocardial bridging was found in 89 of 350(22.5%) patients. Most of the intramuscular segments were of the superficial type and found in the mid left anterior descending(LAD)(24.6%), followed by distal LAD(3.7%), diagonal branches(2%), ramus intermedius artery(1.4%) and obtuse marginal artery(0.8%). No myocardial bridging was detected in the right coronary or circumflex arteries. No significant differences were found between males and females(P = 0.14). Coronary artery atherosclerosis was found in 51 of 89(57.3%) patients with MB. Atherosclerotic plaques were not detected in the intramuscular or distal segment of bridging arteries. Dynamic compression was observed in 35(94.5%) patients with full encasement. No evidence of myocardial hypoperfusion was found in the territories supplied by the bridging arteries. CONCLUSION: CCTA is excellent in analyzing myocardial bridging in a Saudi population and the results are comparable to other populations. However, finding the real incidence may need a large multicenter study.

Frequency domain cardiography and radionuclide ventriculography for evaluation of left ventricular function in coronary artery disease

Fifty-six patients with chest pain underwent selective coronaryangiography,radionuclide ventriculography (RNV) and frequency domaincardiography (FCG) to evaluate left ventricular function in coronary artery dis-ease (CAD).The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of FCG were 87.5%,77.8%and 82.9%,respectively,which were slightly less than those of RNV (92.5%,88.9% and 90.8%,respectively).The changes of FCG scores were negatively corre-lated with changes of LVEF (r=-0.586,P【0.01),and TS (r=-0.679,P【0.01).These results indicate that FCG may be useful for the evaluation of leftventricular function in patients with CAD.

Acupuncture preconditioning protects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury mediated apoptosis through miR-214/NCX1 activation: a hypothesis

Early reperfusion of ischemic cardiac tissue is usually the best option to improve clinical outcome of angina pectoris, especially of acute myocardial infarction. However, myocardial reperfusion may cause an abnormal increase of intracellular Ca^2+-mediated cardiomyocyte death and consequent loss of cardiac function, which is referred to myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Recently, the microRNA-214 (miR-214)/Na^+/Ca^2+ exchanger (NCX) 1 co-expression is a key factor in cellular protection against myocardial apoptosis for myocardial I/R injury. Once activated, miR-214/NCX1 axis can inhibit several Ca^2+ downstream signaling effectors that mediate cell death simultaneously. Studies have shown that acupuncture preconditioning has a protective effect on myocardial I/R injury, but its mechanism deserves further research. It has been proved that acupuncture preconditioning for ischemic myocardium successfully inhibit multiple Ca2+ handling related microRNAs that mediate cell death pathways, and miR-214 is one of its targets. In terms of clinical practice, coronary heart disease (CHD) patients benefit a lot from this intervention. However, there is barely no study correlating acupuncture preconditioning to the miR-214/NCX1 co-expression in patients with CHD. This review aims to discuss whether there is some evidence to justify a recommendation of acupuncture preconditioning in CHD patients as a non-pharmacological therapeutic method to activate the miR-214/NCX1 co-expression network model.