Patients with significant cardiac sarcoidosis are at increased risk of sudden death from ventricular dysrhythmias or conduction disturbances. We report a patient in whom there was radiographic and histologic evidence of systemic sarcoidosis; though histologic confirmation of involvement of heart by sarcoidosis is lacking, the clinical manifestations, radionuclide image findings, rhythm disturbances, and the response to steroid therapy are strong evidence in favor of myocardial involvement by the granulomatous process.
Case Report ; Female ; Human ; Middle Age ; Myocardial Diseases/*drug therapy ; Prednisolone/therapeutic use ; Sarcoidosis/*drug therapy

Pyroptosis is a programmed cell death initiated by the activation of caspases, which is involved in the development and progression of several cardiovascular diseases. The gasdermins, a protein family, are key executive proteins in the development of pyroptosis, which increase cell membrane permeability, mediate the release of inflammatory factors, and aggravate the inflammatory injury. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has shown unique therapeutic advantages in cardiovascular diseases with multi-component and multi-target characteristics. Currently, the effective prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases based on the theory of pyroptosis become a new research hotspot in this field. Based on the theories of TCM and modern medicine, this study summarized the role of pyroptosis in cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, diabetic cardiomyopathy, hypertension, and myocarditis. The role of TCM, including active monomers, crude extracts, and compound preparations, in cardiovascular protection through the regulation of pyroptosis was also summarized, providing a theoretical basis for the clinical prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases by TCM.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention & control* ; Pyroptosis ; Myocardial Infarction/drug therapy*

INTRODUCTIONDyslipidaemia leads to atherosclerosis and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In clinical trials, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, or statins, have been shown to effectively reduce dyslipidaemia. Despite the availability and accessibility of statins, myocardial infarctions and cerebrovascular accidents remain among the top causes of mortality in developed countries, including Singapore. This enigma could be attributed to suboptimal adherence to statin therapy. The present literature review aimed to evaluate patients' perceptions of statin therapy.

METHODSWe searched PubMed and other databases for articles published in English from October 1991 to May 2012 containing keywords such as 'patient', 'views', 'perceptions', 'adherence', 'statin' and 'dyslipidaemia'. Of the 122 eligible studies retrieved, 58 were reviewed. The findings were categorised and framed in accordance with the Health Belief Model.

RESULTSPatients with dyslipidaemia appeared to underestimate their susceptibility to dyslipidaemia-related complications, partly due to their demographic profiles. Failure to appreciate the severity of potential complications was a major hindrance toward adherence to statin therapy. Other factors that affected a patient's adherence included lack of perceived benefits, perceived side effects, the cost of statins, poor physician-patient relationship, and overestimation of the effectiveness of diet control as a treatment modality.

CONCLUSIONExisting evidence suggests that the cause of poor adherence to statin therapy is multifactorial. The use of the Health Belief Model to present the results of our literature review provides a systematic framework that could be used to design a patient-centric approach for enhancing adherence to statin therapy.

Attitude to Health ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; drug therapy ; Diet ; Dyslipidemias ; drug therapy ; Health Education ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Medication Adherence ; Myocardial Infarction ; drug therapy ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care ; Physician-Patient Relations ; Risk Factors ; Singapore ; Stroke ; drug therapy

Human cardiomyocytes (CMs) cease to proliferate and remain terminally differentiated thereafter, when humans reach the mid-20s. Thus, any damages sustained by myocardium tissue are irreversible, and they require medical interventions to regain functionality. To date, new surgical procedures and drugs have been developed, albeit with limited success, to treat various heart diseases including myocardial infarction. Hence, there is a pressing need to develop more effective treatment methods to address the increasing mortality rate of the heart diseases. Functional CMs are not only an important in vitro cellular tool to model various types of heart diseases for drug development, but they are also a promising therapeutic agent for cell therapy. However, the limited proliferative capacity entails difficulties in acquiring functional CMs in the scale that is required for pathological studies and cell therapy development. Stem cells, human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in particular, have been considered as an unlimited cellular source for providing functional CMs for various applications. Notable progress has already been made: the first clinical trials of hPSCs derived CMs (hPSC-CMs) for treating myocardial infarction was approved in 2015, and their potential use in disease modeling and drug discovery is being fully explored. This concise review gives an account of current development of differentiation, purification and maturation techniques for hPSC-CMs, and their application in cell therapy development and pharmaceutical industries will be discussed with the latest experimental evidence.
Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy ; Drug Discovery ; Drug Industry ; Heart Diseases ; Humans* ; In Vitro Techniques ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardium ; Myocytes, Cardiac* ; Pluripotent Stem Cells* ; Stem Cells

Pheochromocytoma in pregnancy is very rare but it is associated with very high maternal and fetal mortality. Therefore, it is important to include pheochromocytoma in the differential diagnosis of hypertension associated with pregnancy. It is difficult to make a diagnosis of pheochromocytoma in pregnancy before delivery. The characteristic symptoms of pheochromocytoma could be initiated during delivery because the process of delivery, general anesthesia, fetal movement, induce acute surge of catecholamine release, which could also induce cardiomyopathy. Early diagnosis and intensive care can affect the prognosis of cardiomyopathy induced by pheochromocytoma. Proper management with alpha-blockade, beta-blockade and angiotension converting enzyme inhibitor could acutely reverse the course of cardiomyopathy.
Adrenal Gland Neoplasms/surgery ; Adrenal Gland Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Adrenal Gland Neoplasms/complications ; Adult ; Cardiovascular Agents/therapeutic use ; Disease-Free Survival ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Human ; Myocardial Diseases/ultrasonography ; Myocardial Diseases/etiology* ; Myocardial Diseases/drug therapy ; Pheochromocytoma/surgery ; Pheochromocytoma/diagnosis* ; Pheochromocytoma/complications ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular/etiology* ; Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic/surgery ; Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic/diagnosis* ; Pregnancy Outcome* ; Puerperium ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Substances: Cardiovascular Agents

Antineoplastic Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Diarrhea ; chemically induced ; Drug Delivery Systems ; methods ; Exanthema ; chemically induced ; Humans ; Leukopenia ; chemically induced ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; chemically induced ; Myocardial Infarction ; chemically induced ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Tumor Lysis Syndrome ; etiology

therapy (ADT) with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) in prostate cancer (Pca) patients is associated with cardiovascular disease in the cohort based from the entire Korean population.METHODS: Using the Korean National Health Insurance database, we conducted an observational study of 579,377 men who sought treatment for Pca between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2016. After excluding patients with previously diagnosed cardiovascular disease or who had undergone chemotherapy, we extracted the data from 2,053 patients who started GnRHa (GnRHa users) and 2,654 men who were newly diagnosed with Pca (GnRHa nonusers) between July 1, 2012, and December 31, 2012, with follow-up through December 31, 2016. The primary outcomes were cerebrovascular attack (CVA) and ischemic heart disease (IHD).RESULTS: GnRHa users were older, were more likely to reside in rural areas, had lower socioeconomic status, and had more comorbidities than nonusers (all P < 0.050). Although GnRHa users had an increased incidence of CVA and IHD (P = 0.013 and 0.048, respectively) in univariate analysis, GnRHa use was not associated with the outcomes in multivariate analysis. Furthermore, the cumulative duration of ADT was not associated with the outcomes whereas the associations between age at diagnosis with all diseases were significant.CONCLUSION: Our complete enumeration of the Korean Pca population shows that ADT is not associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease.]]>
Antineoplastic Agents ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Morinda ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Ischemia ; National Health Programs ; Observational Study ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Prostate ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Social Class

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease that manifests as joint damage or athletic disability via sustained inflammation of the synovial membrane. The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is higher in RA patients. This study aimed at evaluating the association between CVD comorbidities and RA by comparing a pharmacotherapy group with a non-pharmacotherapy group. METHODS: Patient sample data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA-NPS-2016) were used. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) using the propensity score was used to minimize the differences in patient characteristics. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk of CVD comorbidities. RESULTS: The analyses included 1,207,213 patients, of which 33,122 (2.8%) had RA. The odds ratios (OR) of CVD comorbidities were increased in RA patients; ischemic heart disease (IHD: OR 1.75; 95% CI 1.73, 1.77), cerebral infarction (CERI: OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.26, 1.30), hypertension (HTN: OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.43, 1.45), diabetes mellitus (DM: OR 2.04; 95% CI 2.03, 2.06), and dyslipidemia (DL: OR 3.49; 95% CI 3.47, 3.51). The ORs of IHD, CERI, HTN, and DM in the traditional DMARD and biologic treatment groups were decreased, compared with those in the non-pharmacotherapy group. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, CVD risk was higher in RA patients, considering age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Appropriate pharmacotherapy could decrease the risk of CVD comorbidities in RA patients.
Antirheumatic Agents ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Biological Factors ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cerebral Infarction ; Comorbidity ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Drug Therapy ; Dyslipidemias ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Inflammation ; Insurance, Health ; Joints ; Logistic Models ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Odds Ratio ; Propensity Score ; Social Class ; Sports ; Synovial Membrane

Anthracyclines have been widely used in cancer therapy because of their efficacy in the treatment of various solid tumors and hem -atologic malignancy. Cumulative dose-related cardiotoxicity was a well-known toxicity of anthracyclines. Particularly, at total doses of more than 550 mg/m2, therapy with anthracyclines could produce irreversible cardiac injury. Anthracycline-induced cardiac toxicity was usually manifested by congestive heart failure or arrhythmia. In co- ntrast, acute myocardial infarction is a rare event of anthracycline-induced heart diseases. A 31-year-old man with non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL) and single cardiac risk factor, including smoking, was presented with chest pain after receiving 2nd CEOP-BLAM chemo-therapy. An electrocardiogram revealed ST segment elevation in inferior leads consistent with acute myocardial infarction. An echocardiogram revealed an ejection fraction of 60% and severe hypokinesia in inferior and anteroseptal wall. Three days later, coronary angiography revealed 50% of luminal stenosis of right coronary artery(RCA) and near total occlusion with large thrombi in m-RCA. After balloon angioplasty and stent insertion, the patient was transferred to coronary care unit and continuous intravenous heparin infusion was started. On the 10th days, the patient was discharged in good condition. Six months later, follow-up coronary angiography showed no significant lesion in right coronary artery. In a young man with NHL, we report an acute myocardial infarction after 2nd course of CEOP-BLAM chemotherapy with a review of relevant literatures.
Adult ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; Anthracyclines ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Chest Pain ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Care Units ; Coronary Vessels ; Doxorubicin* ; Drug Therapy* ; Electrocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Failure ; Heparin ; Humans ; Hypokinesia ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin* ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Phenobarbital ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stents

Anthracyclines have been widely used in cancer therapy because of their efficacy in the treatment of various solid tumors and hem -atologic malignancy. Cumulative dose-related cardiotoxicity was a well-known toxicity of anthracyclines. Particularly, at total doses of more than 550 mg/m2, therapy with anthracyclines could produce irreversible cardiac injury. Anthracycline-induced cardiac toxicity was usually manifested by congestive heart failure or arrhythmia. In co- ntrast, acute myocardial infarction is a rare event of anthracycline-induced heart diseases. A 31-year-old man with non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL) and single cardiac risk factor, including smoking, was presented with chest pain after receiving 2nd CEOP-BLAM chemo-therapy. An electrocardiogram revealed ST segment elevation in inferior leads consistent with acute myocardial infarction. An echocardiogram revealed an ejection fraction of 60% and severe hypokinesia in inferior and anteroseptal wall. Three days later, coronary angiography revealed 50% of luminal stenosis of right coronary artery(RCA) and near total occlusion with large thrombi in m-RCA. After balloon angioplasty and stent insertion, the patient was transferred to coronary care unit and continuous intravenous heparin infusion was started. On the 10th days, the patient was discharged in good condition. Six months later, follow-up coronary angiography showed no significant lesion in right coronary artery. In a young man with NHL, we report an acute myocardial infarction after 2nd course of CEOP-BLAM chemotherapy with a review of relevant literatures.
Adult ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; Anthracyclines ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Chest Pain ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Care Units ; Coronary Vessels ; Doxorubicin* ; Drug Therapy* ; Electrocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Failure ; Heparin ; Humans ; Hypokinesia ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin* ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Phenobarbital ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stents