Objective To evaluate the efficacy of n-3 PUFAs (fish oil) for prevention of cardiovascular events. Methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched from the following electronic databases: PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library (Issue 1, 2009), CBM, and CNKI. Quality assessment and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers independently. Disagreement was resolved through discussion. All data were analyzed by using Review Manager 4.2 software. Results Five studies involving 37 689 participants met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis results showed that: 1) Compared with placebo, the incidence rates of the cardiovascular death (RR=0.91, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.98), cardiovascular events (RR=0.95, 95%CI 0.91 to 0.98), angina (RR=0.79, 95%CI 0.64 to 0.96), and myocardial infarction (RR=0.79, 95%CI 0.65 to 0.96) could be reduced by n-3 PUFAs (fish oil). 2) There were no significant differences in death from any cause, the hospitalization rates of cardiovascular disease, sudden death, and heart failure (RR=0.95, 95%CI 0.90 to 1.00; RR=0.97, 95%CI 0.93 to 1.02; RR=0.90, 95%CI 0.79 to 1.01; RR=0.98, 95%CI 0.91 to 1.06). 3) Compared with placebo, the incidence rates of the arrhythmia and stroke could be increased, but there were no significant differences (RR=1.14, 95%CI: 0.80 to 1.62; RR=1.12, 95%CI 0.97 to 1.30). Conclusion Compared with placebo, n-3 PUFAs (fish oil) has good effects on reducing the incidence rates of total cardiovascular events, cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and angina pectoris, and it has the same efficacy in death from all cause, sudden death, heart failure, and the hospitalization rates of cardiovascular disease. There are no significant differences in the increased rates of arrhythmia and stroke.
The main cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is cardiovascular disease, and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) has been found to be one of the specific risk factors in the pathogenic process in recent years. TMAO is derived from intestinal bacterial metabolism of dietary choline, carnitine and other substances and subsequently catalyzed by flavin monooxygenase enzymes in the liver. The changes of intestinal bacteria in ESRD patients have contributed to the accumulation of gut-derived uremic toxins such as TMAO, indoxyl sulfate and indole-3-acetic acid. While elevated TMAO concentration accelerates atherosclerosis through mechanisms such as inflammation, increased scavenger receptor expression, and inhibition of reverse cholesterol transport. In this review, this research introduces the biological function, metabolic processes of TMAO and mechanisms by which TMAO promotes the progression of cardiovascular disease in ESRD patients and summarizes current interventions that may be used to reverse gut microbiota disturbances, such as activated carbon, fecal microbial transplantation, dietary improvement, probiotic and probiotic introduction. It also focuses on exploring intervention targets to reduce the gut-derived uremic toxin TMAO in order to explore the possibility of more cardiovascular disease treatments for ESRD patients.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Heart sound classification plays a key role in the early detection of CVD. The difference between normal and abnormal heart sounds is not obvious. In this paper, in order to improve the accuracy of the heart sound classification model, we propose a heart sound feature extraction method based on bispectral analysis and combine it with convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify heart sounds. The model can effectively suppress Gaussian noise by using bispectral analysis and can effectively extract the features of heart sound signals without relying on the accurate segmentation of heart sound signals. At the same time, the model combines with the strong classification performance of convolutional neural network and finally achieves the accurate classification of heart sound. According to the experimental results, the proposed algorithm achieves 0.910, 0.884 and 0.940 in terms of accuracy, sensitivity and specificity under the same data and experimental conditions, respectively. Compared with other heart sound classification algorithms, the proposed algorithm shows a significant improvement and strong robustness and generalization ability, so it is expected to be applied to the auxiliary detection of congenital heart disease.
Objective To evaluate the rationality of drug treatment for cardiovascular diseases in aged people and the effects of evidence-based practice. Methods Descriptive study was conducted to compare the therapies for the patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases before and after evidence-based practice by investigating drug use during 1998-1999 (211 cases) and 2002-2003 (211 cases). Results Among antihypertensive drugs, the ACEIs and diuretics played a more important role than before. CCBs and ACEIs were still the most frequently used drugs, and drug combination was more common, comparing to that before evidence-based practice. Lipid lowering drugs and ACEIs were used more common in coronary heart disease. Quality of life of patients was more emphasized and combination use of anti-anxiety drugs was adopted. When treating heart failure, β-receptor blockers, aldadinc and ACEIs were more frequently used. Conclusions After evidence-based practice, drug use is much more based on evidence instead of experience and textbook. As a result, the rate of reaching ideal blood pressure is higher than before. The rate of rational drug use before and after evidence-based practice has increased from 42% to 78%, respectively.
Objective To measure the level of circulating endothelial progenitor cells ( EPCs) in peripheral blood of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( AECOPD) , and to explore the relationship between EPCs and severity markers of the disease and cardiovascular adverse outcome predictors.Methods Forty patients with COPD were recruited, including 27 at acute exacerbation phase and 13 with stable COPD from December 2010 to December 2011. Sixteen healthy nonsmokers were included as controls. Circulating EPCs were isolated by Ficoll density-gradient centrifugation and purified by Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting system. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein ( hsCRP) was estimated by using a latex immunoturbidimetric assay kit, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 ( MMP-9) was measured by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA) . Arterial blood gas analysis and echocardiograph were performed in the AECOPD patients. The correlations between circulating EPCs, lung function, and cardiovascular markers were investigated. Results Circulating EPCs were significantly lower in AECOPD and stable COPD patients compared with the healthy controls [ ( 5.1 ±2.6) ×103 /mL and ( 6.0 ±3.2) ×103 /mL vs. ( 9.0 ±4.3) × 103 /mL, Plt;0. 05] . EPCs had a weak correlation with hsCRP ( P = 0. 033) , but not with MMP-9. In the AECOPD patients, EPC counts were significantly inversely correlated with PASP ( pulmonary artery systolic pressure) and NT-proBNP ( amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide) levels, and positively with left ventricular ejection fraction. No correlations were found between EPCs and lung function, blood gas, hospital stays or smoking index. Conclusions Circulating EPCs were significantly lower in AECOPD patients compared with healthy controls, in which systemic inflammation might be involved. Decreased EPCs were correlated with cardiac dysfunction in patients with AECOPD, which may account for the increased cardiovascular risk in this population.
Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide. A large body of epidemiologic evidence suggests that regular physical activity (PA) and high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness can prevent the progression of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events. "Physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and cardiovascular health: a clinical practice statement of the ASPC" released in December, 2022 by the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) and provided the most up-to-date guidance on the associations and mechanisms between PA and cardiorespiratory fitness, the development of exercise prescriptions, and exercise-associated cardiovascular risk. In this article, the main content of this guideline was interpreted, aiming to develop a more scientific exercise prescription for patients with cardiovascular disease.
With the development of science and technology, artificial intelligence is gradually integrated into every aspect of daily life and the medical field is no exception. Cardiovascular diseases, as the first killer to global health, is the focus of new technologies and methods. In this study, the application of computer vision, natural language processing, robotics and machine learning in cardiovascular disease studies were reviewed and prospected, in order to promote the development for new technologies and applications in the future.
ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence of hypertension and to find the cardiovascular risk factors in the urban residents of Chengdu city. MethodsBy cluster sampling, a population of 994 inhabitants were selected from 14 urban communities in Chengdu city between February and October 2010. They were 35-70 years old and had resided in the area for over 2 years. Hypertension questionnaire was used and physical examinations were taken to investigate. The definition of hypertension was determined by the Guidelines of Hypertension Prevention and Control made by National Revision Committee in 2010. Logistic regression model was used to define the risk factors for hypertension. ResultsThe prevalence rate of hypertension was 44.87%, and the standardized prevalence rate was 39.21% (male:41.07%, female:38.20%). The difference of prevalence rate between males and females was not significant (P>0.05). The prevalence rate of hypertension increased significantly with age. By multi-factor logistic regression analysis, age (OR=1.103, P<0.001), serum uric acid (OR=1.003, P=0.001), heart rate (OR=1.014, P=0.027), and waist circumference (OR=1.624, P<0.001) were the risk factors for hypertension. ConclusionThe prevalence rate of hypertension is high in urban communities of Chengdu city, and age, serum uric acid, heart rate, and waist circumference are the risk factors for hypertension.
ObjectivesTo systematically review the safety and efficacy of aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases.MethodsPubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, CBM, WanFang Data, CNKI and VIP databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases from inception to November 2018. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies, and then, meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 13 RCTs involving 164 225 participants were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that: aspirin reduced the risk of myocardial infarction (RR=0.85, 95%CI 0.75 to 0.97, P=0.01), ischemic stroke (RR=0.86, 95%CI 0.79 to 0.95, P=0.002) and risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (RR=0.90, 95%CI 0.86 to 0.94, P<0.000 1). However, all-cause mortality (RR=0.97, 95%CI 0.93 to 1.02, P=0.22) and cardiovascular mortality (RR=0.93, 95%CI 0.85 to 1.02, P=0.11) were not reduced. Additionally, it increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke (RR=1.29, 95%CI 1.02 to 1.64, P=0.03), major bleeding (RR=1.43, 95%CI 1.31 to 1.56, P<0.000 01) and gastrointestinal bleeding (RR=1.59, 95%CI 1.33 to 1.90, P<0.000 01).ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that aspirin can reduce the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events and myocardial infarction during primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, while increase the risk of bleeding, especially gastrointestinal bleeding. Therefore, its potential benefits may be offset. Due to limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high-quality studies are required to verify the above conclusion.
With the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, the development of cardiac rehabilitation is an inevitable trend. Cardiac rehabilitation is a comprehensive and long-term plan including medical assessment, exercise prescription, correction of cardiovascular risk factors, education, counseling, and behavioral intervention. Evidence-based medical evidence confirms that cardiac rehabilitation plays an important role in the three level prevention of cardiovascular disease. In this paper, we searched the literature in recent 10 years to explain the current situation and future research direction of cardiac rehabilitation, and explore the best mode of cardiac rehabilitation.