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Participants without cardiovascular disease who were at increased risk were randomly assigned to receive a polypill (containing a statin and three blood-pressure–lowering drugs) or placebo and to receive aspirin or placebo. At 4.6 years, the incidence of cardiovascular events was lower among participants receiving both the polypill and aspirin than among those receiving both placebos.

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to explore the association between cardiac injury and mortality, the need for intensive care unit (ICU) care, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. We performed a comprehensive literature search from several databases. Definition of cardiac injury follows that of the included studies, which includes highly sensitive cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnl) >99th percentile.The primary outcome was mortality, and the secondary outcomes were ARDS, the need for ICU care, and severe COVID-19. ARDS and severe COVID-19 were defined per the World Health Organization (WHO) interim guidance of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) of COVID-19. There were a total of 2389 patients from 13 studies. This meta-analysis showed that cardiac injury was associated with higher mortality (RR 7.95 [5.12, 12.34], p < 0.001; I2: 65%). Cardiac injury was associated with higher need for ICU care (RR 7.94 [1.51, 41.78], p = 0.01; I2: 79%), and severe COVID-19 (RR 13.81 [5.52, 34.52], p < 0.001; I2: 0%). The cardiac injury was not significant for increased risk of ARDS (RR 2.57 [0.96, 6.85], p = 0.06; I2: 84%). The level of hs-cTnI was higher in patients with primary + secondary outcome (mean difference 10.38 pg/mL [4.44, 16.32], p = 0.002; I2: 0%). Cardiac injury is associated with mortality, need for ICU care, and severity of disease in patients with COVID-19. •Cardiac injury is associated with higher mortality in patients with COVID-19.•Cardiac injury is associated with higher need for ICU care and risk of severe COVID-19.•Level of highly-sensitive cardiac troponin I was higher in patients with secondary outcomes.

Preventive strategies integrated with digital health and artificial intelligence (AI) have significant potential to mitigate the global burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). AI-enabled clinical decision support (CDS) systems increasingly provide patient-specific insights beyond traditional risk factors. Despite these advances, their capacity to enhance clinical decision-making in resource-constrained settings remains largely unexplored. We conducted a randomized controlled study to assess the effect of AI-based CDS on 10-year ASCVD risk assessment and management in primary prevention. In a 3-way, within-subject randomized design, doctors completed 9 clinical vignettes representative of primary care presentations in a resource-constrained outpatient setting. For each vignette, participants assessed 10-year ASCVD risk and made management decisions using a conceptual prototype of AI-based CDS, automated CDS, or no decision support. The conceptual prototype represented contemporary risk calculators based on traditional machine learning models (eg, random forest, neural networks, logistic regression) that incorporate additional predictors alongside traditional risk factors. Primary outcomes were correct risk assessment and patient management (prescription of aspirin, statins, and antihypertensives; referral for advanced examinations). Decision-making time and perceptions about AI utility were also measured. In total, 102 doctors from all 7 geographical regions of Indonesia participated. Most (n=85, 83%) participants were 26-35 years of age, and 57 (56%) were male, with a median of 6 (IQR 4.75) years of clinical experience. AI-based CDS improved risk assessment by 27% (χ22 (n=102)=48.875, P<.001) when compared to unassisted risk assessment, equating to 1 additional correct risk classification for every 3.7 patients where doctors used AI (number needed to treat=3.7, 95% CI 2.9-5.2). The prescription of statins also improved by 29% (χ22 (n=102)=36.608, P<.001). In pairwise comparisons, doctors who were assisted by the AI-based CDS correctly assessed significantly more cases (z=-5.602, n=102, adjusted P<.001) and prescribed the appropriate statin more often (z=-4.936, adjusted P<.001, medium effect size r=0.35) when compared with the control. AI-assisted cases required less time (estimated marginal means 63.6 s vs 72.8 s, F2, 772.8=5.710, P=.003). However, improvements in the prescription of aspirin and antihypertensives did not reach statistical significance (P=.08 and P=.30, respectively). No improvement was observed in referral decisions. Participants generally viewed AI-based CDS positively, with 81 (79%) agreeing or strongly agreeing that they would follow its recommendations and 82 (82%) indicating they would use it if given access. They believed CDS could enhance the efficiency of risk assessment, particularly in high-volume primary care settings, while noting the need to verify AI recommendations against clinical guidelines for each patient. Improvements in risk assessment and statin prescription, coupled with reduced decision-making time, highlight the potential utility of AI in ASCVD risk assessment, particularly in resource-constrained settings where efficient use of health care resources and doctors' time is crucial. Further research is needed to ascertain whether improvements observed in this online study translate to real-world low-resource settings.

Studies suggest that diabetes-related thrombotic risk differs by sex. This raises the question of whether this sex-based disparity influences the effectiveness of antithrombotic therapy. Herein, we aimed to investigate the association between sex, diabetes mellitus, and on-clopidogrel platelet reactivity in acute ischaemic stroke patients. This cross-sectional analysis used baseline data from a single-center cohort study where we recruited 650 adults diagnosed with acute ischaemic stroke receiving a 300 mg loading dose of clopidogrel from October 2022 to April 2024. Platelet reactivity was measured using the VerifyNow P2Y12 assay. The analysis was conducted using a multivariable linear regression model with an interaction term between sex and diabetes status. The overall mean platelet reactivity unit (PRU) in our study population was 168.3 ± 61.1 and was significantly higher among diabetic patients (177 ± 60 vs. 162 ± 61, p  = 0.004). In our model, neither sex nor diabetes alone were significantly associated with PRU. However, the interaction between female sex and diabetes was associated with a significant increase in PRU by 20 units (95% CI: 3.0 to 37, p  = 0.021). Cumulatively, diabetic female patients exhibited a PRU increase of 27.3 units compared to non-diabetic male patients, highlighting a subgroup that may require further clinical assessment.

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability, with prolonged hospitalization driving up healthcare costs. This study investigated factors influencing length of stay (LOS) in ischemic stroke patients at a leading Indonesian stroke center. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 2,804 ischemic stroke patients admitted in 2020. Univariable and multivariable zero truncated negative binomial regression analyses were performed using R Statistical Software (v4.5.1) to identify factors significantly associated with LOS. The study population had a mean age of 61.3 years (SD ± 11.4), with a predominance of male patients (63.5%). The average length of LOS was 5.1 days (SD ± 3.4). Several factors were significantly associated with LOS, including ward class (hospital ward class II: 0.91 IRR, 95% CI:0.86-0.97; VIP class: 0.87 IRR, 95%CI:0.79-0.96), payment method (private/co-share: 1.13 IRR, 95%CI:1.03-1.25; out-of-pocket: 1.19 IRR, 95%CI:1.09-1.30), and stroke severity (moderate: 1.16 IRR, 95%CI:1.11-1.21; severe: 1.56 IRR, 95%CI:1.44-1.69). Additionally, elevated blood pressure (0.85 IRR, 95%CI:0.73-0.98), stage 1 hypertension (0.90 IRR, 95%CI:0.82-0.99), diabetes mellitus (1.09 IRR, 95%CI:1.04-1.15), dyslipidemia (0.95 IRR, 95%CI:0.90-0.999), all at admission, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) history (1.24 IRR, 95%CI:1.19-1.29), hospital complications (1.99 IRR, 95%CI:1.87-2.12), and therapeutic interventions (1.38 IRR, 95%CI:1.29-1.48) were also significantly linked to LOS. A subgroup analysis showed that CVD history, hospital complications, and therapeutic interventions during hospitalization were significantly linked to the LOS across all levels of stroke severity. CVD history, hospital complications, and therapeutic interventions significantly influenced LOS across stroke severities. Early intervention, complication prevention, and equitable care are essential to shorten hospitalization, reduce costs, and improve outcomes in Indonesian stroke patients.

In the PLATO trial, ticagrelor was superior to clopidogrel in reducing cardiovascular events among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) at the expense of increased nonfatal bleeding. Because Asian patients, when compared with non-Asian patients, are believed to be more susceptible to bleeding, we evaluated the effects of ticagrelor compared with clopidogrel in Asian (n=1,106) and non-Asian (n=17,515) patients with acute coronary syndrome enrolled in the PLATO study. Interaction between Asian/non-Asian and primary efficacy end point (a composite of vascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke) and net clinical benefit (composite of primary efficacy end point and coronary artery bypass graft [CABG] surgery or non–CABG-related major bleeding) were evaluated with a Cox proportional hazards model. Baseline demographics and comorbidities were different between Asians and non-Asians. The overall cardiovascular event rates were higher in Asians, but bleeding rates were similar. Despite these observed differences, the effects of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel were not significantly different between Asians and non-Asians with respect to the primary efficacy outcome (hazard ratio for Asians vs non-Asians, 0.84 [95% CI 0.61-1.17] vs 0.85 [95% CI 0.77-0.93], P=.974), net clinical benefit (0.85 [95% CI 0.65-1.11] vs 0.93 [95% CI 0.86-0.99], P=.521), or individual efficacy end points. There was no significant interaction for bleeding (PLATO major bleeding, 1.02 [95% CI 0.70-1.49] vs 1.04 [95% CI 0.95-1.14], P=.938) and other related adverse events with ticagrelor compared with clopidogrel between Asians and non-Asians. We observed consistency of effects in Asian patients receiving ticagrelor and clopidogrel in the PLATO study. The relatively modest number of Asian patients in this analysis supports further investigation of larger cohorts to confirm our observations.

Background/Objectives: Non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) refers to myocardial disease characterized by structural and functional impairment without coronary artery disease. Stem cell therapy has emerged as a potential treatment to restore heart function in NICM, but clinical results have been inconsistent. Methods: This meta-analysis comprises five randomized controlled trials with a total of 302 patients, retrieved from PubMed, ScienceDirect, the Cochrane Library, and SAGE Journals. Results: Compared with the control group, stem cell therapy group showed significant improvements in the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at the 3-month follow-up (MD = 4.55, 95% CI 2.12–6.98, p = 0.0002), a reduction in the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) at the 3-month follow-up (MD = −3.83, 95% CI −7.27 to −0.39, p = 0.03) and an improvement in the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class both at 3 months (MD = −0.58 95% CI −0.97 to −0.19, p = 0.004) and 12 months (MD = −0.49 95% CI −0.91 to −0.07, p = 0.02). Additionally, there was a significant decrease in the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) score at the 6-month follow-up (MD = −14.05, 95% CI −25.97 to −2.13, p = 0.021). However, no significant differences were observed in the left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV), 6-min walk test (6-MWT), or major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) between the two groups. Conclusions: Bone marrow-derived stem cell therapy could be a promising and safe method to improve cardiac function and quality of life in patients with NICM. Further large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to validate these findings.

Background: Because of its systemic nature, the occurrence of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries can also indicate a risk for other vascular diseases.  However, screening program targeted for all patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is highly ineffective and no studies have assessed the risk factors for developing multi-vascular diseases in general. This study constructed a predictive model and scoring system to enable targeted screening for multi-vascular diseases in CAD patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study includes patients with CAD, as diagnosed during coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention from March 2021 to December 2021. Coronary artery stenosis (CAS) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) were diagnosed using Doppler ultrasound while peripheral artery disease (PAD) was diagnosed based on ABI score. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to construct the predictive model and risk scores. Validation was conducted using ROC analysis and Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Results: Multivariate analysis showed that ages of >60 years (OR [95% CI] = 1.579 [1.153-2.164]), diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.412 [1.036-1.924]), cerebrovascular disease (OR = 3.656 [2.326-5.747]), and CAD3VD (OR = 1.960 [1.250-3.073]) increased the odds for multi-vascular disease. The model demonstrated good predictive capability (AUC = 0.659) and was well-calibrated (Hosmer-Lemeshow p = 0.379). Targeted screening for high-risk patients reduced the number needed to screen (NNS) from 6 in the general population to 3 and has a high specificity of 96.5% Conclusions: Targeted screening using clinical risk scores was able to decrease NNS with good predictive capability and high specificity

Background: Smoking is one of the top three causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Natural antioxidants including black cumin ( Nigella sativa) may inhibit the pathogenesis of initial process of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of black cumin (Nigella sativa) in preventing endothelial dysfunction mainly through macrophage M1 / M2 inflammatory response in cigarette smoked male Wistars. Methods: In total, 50 Wistar rats were randomly allocated to five experimental groups: two control groups, namely no intervention (K-) and exposure to smoke of 40 cigarettes each day (K+); and three treatment groups: rats given a dose of 0.3 g (P1), 0.6 g (P2) or 1.2 g (P3) black cumin per kilograms bodyweight/ day, respectively, and exposed to smoke of 40 cigarettes each day. After 28 days of cigarette smoke exposure, macrophage M1 / M2 ratio was evaluated by counting total M1 and M2 in ten microscope field of view. Data were analysed by Mann-Whitney test. Results: The M1 / M2 ratio on K (-) was 0.9 7 ± 0.9 8 (<1) which means M2 was dominant, while the M1 / M2 ratio on K (+) was of 4.97 ± 3.42 (> 1) which means M1 dominant. There was no significant difference in the number of M1 count in treatment groups P1, P2, P3 (p value = 0.996; 0.170; 0.884, respectively) when compared with K+. Additionally, P2 group has the lower M1 number with the highest significance value when compared to K+. The number of M1 counts on P1 did not differ significantly when compared to P2 with p = 0.121 and P3 with p = 0.936. Conclusions: In sum, ethanol extract of black cumin prevents endothelial dysfunction by inhibiting increase in macrophages M1 / M2 ratio in rats Wistar exposed to sub-chronic cigarette smoke.

Background Resistance training is commonly recommended as part of secondary prevention for post-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients in conjunction with aerobic exercise. Despite its potential benefits, there is currently a lack of studies investigating the impact of resistance training on proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9). Aim To evaluate the effect of intensive resistance training on proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9) levels among post-CABG patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Methods In this prospective, open-label, randomized trial, 87 post-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients were randomly assigned into two groups: moderate to high intensity resistance training and aerobic training ( n  = 44) or aerobic training alone ( n  = 43) for a total of 12 sessions. Changes in PCSK9 levels was determined as a primary endpoint, while secondary endpoints included changes in the six-minute walk test (6-MWT) results, aerobic capacity, WHO-5 well-being index, fasting blood glucose, and lipid profile. Both groups underwent intention-to-treat analysis. Results Following completion of cardiac rehabilitation program, the intervention group demonstrated a significant decrease in mean PCSK9 levels when compared to the control group (β = -55 ng/ml, 95% CI -6.7 to -103.3, p  = 0.026), as well as significant improvements in the 6-MWT result (β = 28.2 m, 95% CI 2.4–53.9, p  = 0.033), aerobic capacity (β = 0.9 Mets, 95% CI 0.1–1.7, p  = 0.021), and WHO-5 well-being index (β = 8.1, 95% CI 2.0–14.4, p  = 0.011) in patients who received resistance and aerobic training. No statistically significant changes were observed in fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and triglyceride levels. Conclusion Resistance training in CR significantly reduced PCSK­9 levels and increases patient’s functional capacity and quality of life. (NCT02674659 04/02/2016).