Over the last two decades coronary artery calcium (CAC) scanning has emerged as a quick, safe, and inexpensive method to detect the presence of coronary atherosclerosis. Data from multiple studies has shown that compared to individuals who do not have any coronary calcifications, those with severe calcifications (i.e., CAC score >300) have a 10-fold increase in their risk of coronary heart disease events and cardiovascular disease. Conversely, those that have a CAC of 0 have a very low event rate (~0.1%/year), with data that now extends to 15 years in some studies. Thus, the most notable implication of identifying CAC in individuals who do not have known cardiovascular disease is that it allows targeting of more aggressive therapies to those who have the highest risk of having future events. Such identification of risk is especially important for individuals who are not on any therapies for coronary heart disease, or when intensification of treatment is being considered but has an uncertain role. This review will highlight some of the recent data on CAC testing, while focusing on the implications of those findings on patient management. The evolving role of CAC in patients with diabetes will also be highlighted.
Atherosclerosis ; Calcium* ; Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Vessels* ; Humans ; Methods

We found an error in Fig. 5A in the review article.

Hyperinflammation and cytokine storm has been noted as a poor prognostic factor in patients with severe pneumonia related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In COVID-19, pathogenic myeloid cell overactivation is found to be a vital mediator of damage to tissues, hypercoagulability, and the cytokine storm. These cytokines unselectively infiltrate various tissues, such as the lungs and heart, and nervous system. This cytokine storm can hence cause multi-organ dysfunction and life-threatening complications. Mavrilimumab is a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that may be helpful in some cases with COVID-19. During an inflammation, Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) release is crucial to driving both innate and adaptive immune responses. The GM-CSF immune response is triggered when an antigen attaches to the host cell and induces the signaling pathway. Mavrilimumab antagonizes the action of GM-CSF and decreases the hyperinflammation associated with pneumonia in COVID-19, therefore strengthening the rationale that mavrilimumab when added to the standard protocol of treatment could improve the clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients, specifically those patients with pneumonia. With this review paper, we aim to demonstrate the inhibitory effect of mavrilimumab on cytokine storms in patients with COVID-19 by reviewing published clinical trials and emphasize the importance of extensive future trials.

Hyperinflammation and cytokine storm has been noted as a poor prognostic factor in patients with severe pneumonia related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In COVID-19, pathogenic myeloid cell overactivation is found to be a vital mediator of damage to tissues, hypercoagulability, and the cytokine storm. These cytokines unselectively infiltrate various tissues, such as the lungs and heart, and nervous system. This cytokine storm can hence cause multi-organ dysfunction and life-threatening complications. Mavrilimumab is a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that may be helpful in some cases with COVID-19. During an inflammation, Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) release is crucial to driving both innate and adaptive immune responses. The GM-CSF immune response is triggered when an antigen attaches to the host cell and induces the signaling pathway. Mavrilimumab antagonizes the action of GM-CSF and decreases the hyperinflammation associated with pneumonia in COVID-19, therefore strengthening the rationale that mavrilimumab when added to the standard protocol of treatment could improve the clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients, specifically those patients with pneumonia. With this review paper, we aim to demonstrate the inhibitory effect of mavrilimumab on cytokine storms in patients with COVID-19 by reviewing published clinical trials and emphasize the importance of extensive future trials.