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Background: The endothelial activation and stress index (EASIX), derived from the serum lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine, and platelet counts, is a composite biomarker for endothelial dysfunction and systemic stress. It has been developed to predict clinical outcomes in hematologic malignancies. This study aimed to investigate the EASIX’s predictive role in contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) and in-hospital mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: A total of 1552 patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI were retrospectively included. The patients were divided into two groups: CIN (+) and CIN (−). Baseline demographic, laboratory, clinic, and procedural variables were compared between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of CIN and in-hospital mortality, while receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal EASIX cut-off values. Results: CIN developed in 7.6% (n = 118) of the study population, and these patients had significantly increased EASIX scores. Those with CIN were older and exhibited higher rates of diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (all p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, age (OR 1.053), CKD (OR 1.338), reduced LVEF (OR 0.965), and EASIX (OR 2.467) independently predicted CIN. EASIX > 0.93 demonstrated strong discriminatory ability (AUC 0.785; sensitivity 72% and specificity 72%). EASIX also independently predicted in-hospital mortality (OR 3.592), with an optimal cut-off > 0.88 (AUC 0.774). Conclusions: By integrating markers of renal function, endothelial activation, and systemic stress, EASIX may serve as a useful and reliable indicator for predicting CIN development and in-hospital mortality in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI.

Background/objectiveThe aim was to evaluate the left and right ventricular functions concurrently by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients without overt cardiac disease.MethodsA total of 47 patients with SSc and 36 age- and sex-matched controls were evaluated cross-sectionally. Two-dimensional STE was used to assess the longitudinal peak systolic strains (PSS) of both ventricles including apical long-axis (APLAX), apical four-chamber (4-CH), apical two-chamber (2-CH), and global longitudinal measurements. Any association of metabolic, cardiac, and inflammatory biomarkers with PSS was investigated.ResultsThe longitudinal PSS of the left ventricle [APLAX, 4-CH, 2-CH and global] were significantly lower in SSc patients than controls (− 18.2 ± 3.2 vs − 19.8 ± 2.7% p = 0.02; − 17.8 ± 3.5 vs. − 20.3 ± 3.3% p = 0.001; − 18.6 ± 3.1 vs. − 21.8 ± 3% p < 0.001; − 17.5 ± 5.7 vs. − 20.6 ± 2.7% p = 0.003, respectively). No difference was found between the groups for right ventricular strains. The longitudinal PSS-4CH correlated positively with CRP and ESR (r = 0.349, p = 0.016; r = 0.356, p = 0.014, respectively) and negatively with serum Galectin-3 (r = − 0.362, p = 0.012). Global longitudinal PSS-left ventricle (LV) correlated positively with CRP and homocysteine (r = 0.297, p = 0.043; r = 0.313, p = 0.041, respectively) and negatively with serum Galectin-3 (r = −0.314, p = 0.041). After multivariable adjustment, CRP remained the only predictor of longitudinal PSS-4CH (95% CI 0.35, 0.70, p = 0.028) and global longitudinal PSS of left ventricle (95% CI 0.004, 0.22, p = 0.043).ConclusionsBiventricular evaluation of patients with SSc by two dimensional STE revealed reduced left ventricular longitudinal strains, despite preserved right ventricular strain, and no diastolic dysfunction. In SSc without overt cardiac disease, global cardiac assessment with 2DSTE is a promising method which seems to contribute to the detection of patients without clinical findings.Key Points• Two dimensional STE revealed reduced left ventricular longitudinal strains, despite preserved right ventricular strain in SSc patients without overt cardiac disease.• CRP was the predictor of decreased longitudinal strains.• Cardiac assessment in SSc should be made globally.

Background and Objectives. The coronary slow flow (CSF) is an angiographic finding characterized by delayed opacification of nonobstructive epicardial coronary arteries. Chronic inflammation has been suggested to be mainly responsible for the underlying mechanism of CSF. The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is a relatively novel inflammation-based biomarker, derived from counts of peripheral neutrophils, platelets, and lymphocytes, and has been shown to predict clinical outcomes in various malignancies and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between SII and CSF. Methods. A total of 197 patients (102 patients with CSF; 95 patients with normal coronary flow) were included in this retrospective study. Clinical and angiographic characteristics of patients were obtained from hospital records. Results. Patients with CSF had higher SII, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels compared with the control group. Body mass index (p=0.022, OR 1.151, 95% CI 1.121–1.299), low-density lipoprotein (p=0.018, OR 1.028, 95% CI 1.005–1.052), hsCRP (p=0.044, OR 1.161, 95% CI 1.004–1.343), and SII (p<0.001, OR 1.015, 95% CI 1.003–1.026) were independent predictors of CSF in the multivariable analysis. The optimal cutoff value of SII in predicting CSF was >877 in ROC curve analysis (p<0.001, AUC = 0.892, 95% CI 0.848–0.936). This cutoff value of SII predicted the CSF with a sensitivity of 71.5% and specificity of 92.4%. Spearman correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between the mean TFC value and PLR, NLR, hsCRP, and SII. Conclusions. SII may be used as a better indicator for the prediction of CSF than hsCRP.

Percutaneous closure of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) is an established therapeutic strategy for patients with cryptogenic stroke (CS). This study aimed to compare the procedural safety, efficacy, and short-term clinical outcomes of atrial septostomy vs. standard direct tunnel passage techniques for PFO closure. We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients who underwent PFO closure for CS at four centers between January 2010 and December 2020. Demographic characteristics, vascular risk factors, Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (RoPE) scores, PFO anatomical features, procedural details, and clinical outcomes were compared between patients treated with atrial septostomy and those undergoing direct tunnel passage. Continuous variables are presented as mean ± standard deviation or median [interquartile range], and categorical variables as counts and percentages. A total of 246 patients were included (mean age 40.5 ± 9.8 years), of whom 69.9% presented with ischemic stroke and 30.1% with transient ischemic attack (TIA). Atrial septostomy was performed in 106 patients (43.1%), while 140 patients (56.9%) underwent direct tunnel passage. Baseline clinical characteristics were comparable between groups; however, the septostomy group exhibited significantly more complex PFO anatomy, including atrial septal aneurysm (69.8% vs. 39.3%), septal hypermobility (62.3% vs. 34.3%), and spontaneous shunting at rest (85.8% vs. 50.7%; all  < 0.001). Procedure duration was similar between groups (41.1 ± 10.2 vs. 40.7 ± 13.8 min;  = 0.83), and technical success was achieved in nearly all cases. No major procedural complications occurred. Minor adverse events were infrequent and comparable (8.4% vs. 4.3%;  = 0.20). At six-month follow-up, residual shunt rates were numerically lower in the septostomy group (6.6% vs. 11.4%;  = 0.27). No TIAs were observed in the septostomy group, whereas a 3.6% incidence was noted in the direct passage group (  = 0.08). New-onset atrial arrhythmia occurred in two patients (1.9%) in the septostomy group and in none of the direct passage group (  = 0.18). Despite being applied in patients with more complex PFO anatomy, atrial septostomy demonstrated comparable procedural safety, technical success, and short-term efficacy to standard direct tunnel passage. Tunnel length emerged as an independent predictor of residual shunt, regardless of closure technique. In experienced centers, atrial septostomy appears to be a safe and practical alternative for anatomically challenging PFO closures.

Limited data exist on long-term follow-up of severe aortic stenosis (SAS) patients who have undergone transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with a new generation, balloon expandable Myval transcatheter heart valve (THV). Thus, we sought to investigate the performance and 2-year clinical outcome of the Myval THV system based on Valve Academic Research Consortium-3 (VARC-3) criteria. A multi-centre, registry-based, observational study was conducted, which included 207 consecutive degenerative SAS patients, from Turkey ( = 128), Italy ( = 58), and Greece ( = 21) (mean [standard deviation] 81 (7) years, 94 [45%] men; 73% NYHA III or IV; EuroSCORE II 5.2% [2.4%]); all patients underwent TAVI with Myval. Patients were followed up at 1 year and 2 years after implantation. Clinical and procedural outcomes were defined according to VARC-3 criteria. Technical success was observed in 204 (99%), device success was observed in 189 (91%), early safety was observed in 161 (78%), and clinical efficacy was observed in 163 (79%) patients. The 30-day death rate was 7.7%; of these, 3.4% were due to cardiovascular reasons. All-cause and cardiovascular mortality rates were 9.7% and 4.3% at 1-year follow-up, and 17.4% and 9.7% at 2-year follow-up, respectively. Incidence of ≥ moderate paravalvular leak (PVL) at 30 days, 1 year and 2 years of follow-up were 3.4%, 4.3% and 4.8%. A total of 11.1% of patients required a permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) at 30 days after implantation, while the cumulative rate of PPI at 2 years was 12.1%. In this cohort of patients with SAS, the Myval was found to be safe and effective in up to 2 years of follow-up.

The correlation between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cardiovascular disease is well established. The objective of this study was to assess the short-term associations of the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score (NFS) with various outcomes, including mortality, severe coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and the need for coronary angiography, among patients who underwent coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA). In this study, we assessed 499 patients who underwent 640-slice CCTA and evaluated their liver fibrosis using the NFS. The NFS takes into account factors such as age, body mass index, impaired fasting glycemia or diabetes mellitus, aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio, platelets, and albumin. Our primary focus was myocardial infarction, the need for coronary angiography, and death. Additionally, we examined the association between NFS and severe coronary artery disease. Patients with a higher NFS had a greater number of coronary angiography procedures and higher Agatston score ( < 0.001), with NFS and Agatston score emerging as independent predictors of severe coronary artery disease and the primary endpoint. An NFS value above -0.92 could predict the primary endpoint with 61% sensitivity and 63% specificity, while an NFS value above -0.88 could predict severe coronary artery disease with 62% sensitivity and 65% specificity. To analyze primary endpoints, the Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, with NFS groups compared using the log-rank test. During the follow-up period, patients with higher NFS were exposed to primary outcomes at an earlier period ( = 0.009). NFS is an effective predictor of major cardiovascular events such as death, myocardial infarction, severe coronary artery disease, and the need for coronary angiography. These findings underscore the importance of NFS as a valuable tool for risk assessment and early intervention in patients with suspected or confirmed coronary artery disease.

Purpose: To investigate the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and morphological features of the choroid in anisometropic amblyopia. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, 39 patients with unilateral anisometropic amblyopic patients and 33 eyes of 33 healthy control participants were involved. These participants were examined in terms of axial length (AL), spherical equivalent (SE), central macular thickness (CMT), choroidal thickness (CT), total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area (LA), stromal area (SA), LA/SA ratio, and CVI. All parameters were compared between amblyopic eyes, healthy fellow eyes, and healthy control eyes. The Shapiro-Wilk tests, Chi-square test, the paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Pearson/Spearman correlation tests were used. Results: In the hyperopic patients; SE, subfoveal CT, nasal CT, temporal CT, TCA, LA, SA, and CMT were greater in amblyopic eyes than in healthy fellow eyes and control eyes (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively), and CVI, LA/SA ratio, and AL were smaller in amblyopic eyes than in healthy fellow eyes and control eyes ([P < 0.001, P = 0.006], P < 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively). In the myopic patients, subfoveal CT, nasal CT, temporal CT, TCA, LA, SA values were statistically smaller in amblyopic eyes than in healthy eyes and control eyes ([P < 0.001, P = 0.002), [P = 0.004, P = 0.012], [P = 0.012, P = 0.032], [P < 0.001, P = 0.013], [P < 0.001, P = 0.024], and [P < 0.001, P = 0.047], respectively). The differences in the AL and choroidal parameters were due to myopia and hyperopia. Conclusion: The choroidal structural parameters of the amblyopic eyes were different from that of the healthy eyes.

This phase 3, multiregional, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study assessed the efficacy/safety profile of anacetrapib added to ongoing therapy with statin ± other lipid-modifying therapies in patients with hypercholesterolemia who were not at their low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) goal (as per the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines) and in those with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Patients on a stable dose of statin ± other lipid-modifying therapies and with LDL-C ≥70 to <115, ≥100 to <145, ≥130, or ≥160 mg/dl for very high, high, moderate, or low CHD risk or at LDL-C goal (per CHD risk category) with HDL-C ≤40 mg/dl were randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to anacetrapib 100 mg (n = 290) or placebo (n = 293) for 24 weeks, followed by a 12-week off-drug phase. The co-primary end points were % change from baseline in LDL-C and HDL-C and the safety profile of anacetrapib. Treatment with anacetrapib reduced LDL-C (BQ) by 37% (95% confidence interval −42.5, −31.0) and increased HDL-C by 118% (95% confidence interval 110.6, 125.7) relative to placebo (p <0.001 for both). Anacetrapib also reduced non-HDL-C, apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein a and increased apolipoprotein AI versus placebo (p <0.001 for all). There were no clinically meaningful differences between the anacetrapib and placebo groups in the % patients who discontinued drug due to an adverse event or in abnormalities in liver enzymes, creatine kinase, blood pressure, electrolytes, or adjudicated cardiovascular events. Treatment with anacetrapib substantially reduced LDL-C and also increased HDL-C and was well tolerated over 24 weeks in statin-treated patients with hypercholesterolemia or low HDL-C.

PurposeTo compare the ciliary muscle thickness (CMT) of the normal fellow eye to that of the amblyopic eye using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) in patients with unilateral anisometropic amblyopia.MethodsThirty patients with unilateral anisometropic amblyopia were involved. The patients were divided into two groups: 19 hyperopic and 11 myopic. Axial length (AL) was measured with optic biometry and anterior chamber depth (ACD), iris area, and CMT were measured with UBM.ResultsThe mean age was 34.10 ± 6.61 years. The mean spherical difference between two eyes was 2.59 diopter (D) in hyperopic patients and 3.77D in myopic patients. In the hyperopic patients, nasal CMT1(nCMT), temporal CMT1(tCMT), tCMT2, and tCMT3 values were statistically thinner in amblyopic eyes than healthy eyes (p = 0.036, p = 0.003, p = 0.023, p = 0.005, respectively). ACD values were statistically lower in amblyopic eyes (2.78 ± 0.26 mm) than healthy eyes (2.90 ± 0.21 mm) (p < 0.001). In the myopic patients, nCMT1, nCMT2, nCMT3, tCMT1, tCMT2, and tCMT3 values were statistically thicker in amblyopic eyes than healthy eyes (p = 0.003, p = 0.003, p = 0.005, p = 0.003, p = 0.003, p = 0.019, respectively). ACD values were statistically higher in amblyopic eyes (3.20 ± 0.30 mm) than healthy eyes (3.06 ± 0.29 mm) (p = 0.004). Also, there was no significant difference in the iris area between the amblyopic and normal eyes of the myopic and hyperopic patients (p > 0.05).ConclusionsAmblyopic eyes in patients with unilateral myopic anisometropia have thicker CMT and deeper ACD than healthy eyes. Conversely, amblyopic eyes in patients with unilateral hyperopic anisometropia have thinner CMT and shorter ACD than healthy eyes. There is a positive correlation between AL and CMT.

Background and objectives: Sjögren Syndrome (SS) is a chronic, systemic, and progressive autoimmune disease in which inflammatory processes play a role. Dry eyes or mouth are present in approximately 95–98% of patients with pSS. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between SII level and disease activity as well as dry eye involvement in patients with pSS. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional design was employed, and a total of 28 female patients who were aged 18–65 years and were diagnosed with pSS were involved. The Sjögren Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) was calculated in patients. The Schirmer test was applied to all patients. The relationship between SII level and disease activity as well as dry eye involvement in pSS patients was evaluated. Results: In our study, a strong positive correlation was found between the SII value and pSS disease activity, while a negative correlation was found between the Schirmer test, which shows dry eye findings, and eye drying time, and a positive correlation was found with the OSDI. Conclusions: this study reported a correlation between hematological parameters and the development of dry eye in pSS. NLR, PLR, and SII showed statistically significant changes in pSS patients.