Title: Searching the lipidome for
answers to prevent and treat non-communicable
diseases
Authors: Louise van den Berg, Corinna Walsh
From: Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Vol 30,
Issue 4 July/August 2019
Published: 2019
Pages: 191-192
Full text: Click here to order
»
Full text:
Click here to read online »
Full text: Click here to
read via Sabinet » (Login Required)
Title: Ellisras Longitudinal Study 2017: elevated serum levels of carboxymethyl-lysine, an advanced glycation end-product, are associated with higher odds of developing endothelial dysfunction in black South African patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
(ELS 29)
Authors: Motetelo Alfred Mogale, Catherine
Martha Mhlanga, Stanley Sechene Gololo, Agustine
Adu
From: Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Vol 30,
Issue 4 July/August 2019
Pages: 193-197
Full text: Click here to order
»
Full text:
Click here to read online »
Full text: Click here to
read via Sabinet » (Login Required)
DOI Number: 10.5830/CVJA-2018-060
DOI Citation Reference Link:
dx.doi.org/10.5830/CVJA-2018-060
Abstract: This case–control study investigated
the association between major types of serum
advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and
selected serum/plasma markers of endothelial
dysfunction in black patients with type 2
diabetes mellitus at Dr George Mukhari Academic
Hospital. Serum AGEs were measured using either
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or
spectrofluoremetry. Serum markers of endothelial
dysfunction were measured using either ELISA or
calometry. The correlation and associations
between major types of serum AGEs and markers of
endothelial dysfunction were investigated using
the Spearman correlation coefficient and
bivariate logistic regression analysis,
respectively. Although both serum total
immunogenic AGEs and serum carboxymethyl-lysine
(CML) were moderately and negatively associated
with endothelial dysfunction, only serum CML was
significantly associated with a higher odds for
the development of endothelial dysfunction (low
nitric oxide levels) in our diabetic subjects.
It can therefore be concluded from this study
that high serum levels of CML may predispose to
endothelial dysfunction in black South Africans
with type 2 diabetes.
Title: Performance of HAS-BLED and CRUSADE risk scores for the prediction of haemorrhagic events in patients with stable coronary artery disease
Authors: Ersin Yildirim, Okkes Uku, Mehmet Nail Bilen, Ozlem Secen
From: Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Vol 30, Issue 4 July/August 2019
Published: 2019
Pages: 198-202
Full text: Click here to order »
Full text: Click here to read online »
Full text: Click here to read via Sabinet » (Login Required)
DOI Number: 10.5830/CVJA-2019-014
DOI Citation Reference Link: dx.doi.org/10.5830/CVJA-2019-014
Abstract: We aimed to compare the power of the
HAS-BLED and CRUSADE risk scores in predicting
in-hospital bleeding events in patients with
stable coronary artery disease undergoing
elective coronary angiography. A total of 405
consecutive patients were included in the study.
The mean HAS-BLED score was significantly higher
(p < 0.001) in the in-hospital bleeding group.
In patients with a HAS-BLED score ≥ 3, the
in-hospital bleeding rate was significantly
higher than in those with a HAS-BLED score < 3
(p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic
curve analysis revealed that the HAS-BLED score
was superior in predicting in-hospital bleeding
events compared to the CRUSADE score [area under
the curve (AUC) = 0.684 vs 0.569, respectively,
p = 0.002]. Also in the percutaneous coronary
intervention subgroup, the HAS-BLED score was
superior to the CRUSADE score (AUC = 0.722 vs
0.520, respectively, p = 0.002). We showed that
the HAS-BLED and CRUDASE scores are helpful in
stable patients undergoing elective coronary
angiography. Our results suggest that as a
practical, easy-to-implement and more predictive
scoring system, the HAS-BLED score was more
useful for predicting in-hospital bleeding in
patients who did not present with acute coronary
syndrome.
Title: Atherosclerotic plaque in HIV-positive patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes
Authors: Ahmed Vachiat, Keir McCutcheon, Nqoba Tsabedze, Don Zachariah, Pravin Manga
From: Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Vol 30, Issue 4 July/August 2019
Published: 2019
Pages: 203-207
Full text: Click here to order »
Full text: Click here to read online »
Full text: Click here to read via Sabinet » (Login Required)
DOI Number: 10.5830/CVJA-2019-016
DOI Citation Reference Link: dx.doi.org/10.5830/CVJA-2019-016
Aim: This study aimed to characterise the
atherosclerotic plaque and plaque burden in
HIV-positive patients presenting with acute
coronary syndromes (ACS), using intravascular
ultrasound (IVUS) and virtual histology (VH).
Methods: This was a prospective study of 20
HIV-positive patients who presented with ACS.
IVUS and VH were used to assess plaque burden
and plaque characteristics in the culprit and
non-culprit coronary arteries.
Results: HIV-positive patients with ACS had a
mean age of 51.1 ± 8.1 years. There were 13
(65%) male patients. ST-segment elevation
myocardial infarction was the most common
presentation of ACS (75%) with the left anterior
descending artery being the most common culprit
artery (60%). In 60% of patients, the total
plaque burden was of moderate degree (40–70%
stenosis) while it was of mild degree (< 40%
stenosis) in 35%, and in 5% of patients it was
severe (> 70% stenosis). A severe degree of
total plaque burden was more commonly found in
the culprit vessel (30%) than in the non-culprit
vessels (5%). Furthermore, the plaque burden was
found to be located predominantly in the
proximal portion of the coronary arteries. The
predominant plaque morphology consisted of
fibrous plaque (55.4%) and fibro-fatty plaque
(26.6%), while necrotic core was present in
13.3%. Dense calcium was present in only 4.7% of
the cohort.
Conclusions: IVUS and VH demonstrated a high
burden of atherosclerosis in the left anterior
descending artery and proximal vasculature of
HIV-positive patients. The atherosclerotic
plaque predominantly comprised non-calcified
fibrous and fibro-fatty plaque.
Title: Natural cocoa inhibits maternal hypercholesterolaemia-induced atherogenesis in rabbit pups Authors: Richard Michael Blay, Saviour Kweku Adjenti, Kevin Kofi Adutwum-Ofosu, Bismarck Afedo Hottor, John Ahenkorah, Benjamin Arko-Boham, Frederick Kwaku Addai
From: Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Vol 30, Issue 4 July/August 2019 Published: 2019
Pages: 208-215 Full text:
Click here to order » Full text:
Click here to read online » Full text:
Click here to read via Sabinet » (Login Required) DOI Number: 10.5830/CVJA-2019-019 DOI Citation Reference Link:
dx.doi.org/10.5830/CVJA-2019-019
Abstract: Atherosclerosis begins during foetal development
and is enhanced by maternal
hypercholesterolaemia during pregnancy. This
study assessed the effect of natural cocoa on
atherosclerosis in offspring conceived in
maternal hypercholesterolaemia. Female rabbits
were fed a cholesterol-enriched diet for two
weeks and hypercholesterolaemia was confirmed,
after which they were crossed with
normocholesterolaemic males. One group of
hypercholesterolaemic mothers (HCC) received
natural cocoapowder (NCP) in their drinking
water, whereas the other group (HC) received
only water. Histological analysis of three
segments of the aorta (arch, thoracic and
abdominal) from offspring of both groups was
compared with a control group (NC). Intima–media
thickness of the aortic arch in offspring born
to hypercholesterolaemic rabbits (HC: 146 μm)
was higher compared to HCC (99 μm) and control
rabbits (58.5 μm). All the sections from the
aortic arch of the HC group had atherosclerotic
lesions while none of the sections of the aortic
arch from the NC and HCC groups had lesions
present. Inferentially, regular and voluntary
consumption of NCP during pregnancy may inhibit
aortic atherogenesis in offspring of
hypercholesterolaemic mothers.
Title: Unmasking right ventricular dysfunction in chronic rheumatic mitral regurgitation
Authors: Ruchika Meel, Ferande Peters, Elena Libhaber, Mohammed R Essop
From: Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Vol 30, Issue 4 July/August 2019
Published: 2019
Pages: 216-221
Full text: Click here to order »
Full text: Click here to read online »
Full text: Click here to read via Sabinet » (Login Required)
DOI Number: 10.5830/CVJA-2019-020
DOI Citation Reference Link: dx.doi.org/10.5830/CVJA-2019-020
Aims: Right ventricular (RV) systolic function
is an important predictor of mortality but has
been poorly studied in chronic rheumatic mitral
regurgitation (CRMR). We studied RV systolic
function using speckle-tracking echocardiography
(STE) in patients with CRMR.
Methods: Seventy-seven patients with CRMR and 40
healthy controls were enrolled in a
cross-sectional study at Chris Hani Baragwanath
Hospital between January and October 2014. RV
peak systolic strain (PSS) and left ventricular
(LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) were
measured using Philips Qlab 9 STE software.
Results: RVPSS was lower in CRMR patients
compared to the controls (–16.8 ± 4.5 vs –19.2 ±
3.4%, p = 0.003) with no difference in
conventional RV systolic function parameters (p
= 0.39). RVPSS was lower in severe CRMR compared
to moderate CRMR patients (–14.3 ± 4.23 vs –18 ±
4.18%, p < 0.0001). CRMR patients with LV
systolic dysfunction had a greater reduction in
RVPSS and LVGLS compared to those with preserved
LV systolic function (p = 0.001). LVGLS and
significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) were
independent predictors of RVPSS (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: In CRMR patients, RVPSS was a more
sensitive marker for detecting earlier RV
systolic dysfunction than traditional RV
functional parameters.
Title: The effect of perindopril on echocardiographic parameters, NYHA functional class and serum NT-proBNP values in patients with diastolic heart failure
Authors: Umit Yuksek, Levent Cerit, Nihan Kahya Eren, Oktay Ergene
From: Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Vol 30, Issue 4 July/August 2019
Published: 2019
Pages: 222-227
Full text: Click here to order »
Full text: Click here to read online »
Full text: Click here to read via Sabinet » (Login Required)
DOI Number: 10.5830/CVJA-2019-022
DOI Citation Reference Link: dx.doi.org/10.5830/CVJA-2019-022
Introduction: Growing evidence has demonstrated
that diastolic heart failure occurs in about
half of heart failure (HF) patients. We
investigated the effects of perindopril on
echocardiographic parameters, New York Heart
Association (NYHA) functional class and serum
N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide
(NT-proBNP) levels in patients with diastolic
heart failure.
Methods: In total, 108 diastolic heart failure
patients aged ≥ 50 years, who had diastolic
dysfunction with an ejection fraction ≥ 50%,
were enrolled and randomised to one of the two
study groups. Perindopril was initiated in the
study group and the control group was given
standard therapy. Echocardiographic parameters,
NT-proBNP levels and NYHA classes were recorded.
The patients were followed for 11 (three to 16)
months. Eighty-eight patients completed the
study.
Results: Although diastolic parameters were not
changed, A′ (septal) velocity (10.8 vs 9.9 cm/s)
and Sm (septal) velocity (8.5 vs 7.6 cm/s) were
significantly increased in the perindopril
compared to the control group. A significant
increase in A′ (septal) velocity (+0.61 vs –0.28
cm/s, p = 0.04) and a slight increase in Sm
(septal) velocity (+0.99 vs 0.36 cm/s, p =
0.054) were noted in the perindopril group.
Conclusions: Tissue Doppler septal late
diastolic velocities and septal systolic
myocardial velocities increased in the
perindopril group but NT-proBNP levels, and and
NYHA class was not changed in this study
population.
Title: Plasma phospholipid fatty acid patterns are associated with adiposity and the metabolic syndrome in black South Africans: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Alice Achieng Ojwang, Herculina Salome Kruger, Manja Zec, Cristian Ricci, Marlien Pieters, Iolanthé Marike Kruger, Edelweiss Wentzel-Viljoen, Cornelius Mattheus Smuts
From: Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Vol 30, Issue 4 July/August 2019
Published: 2019
Pages: 228-238
Full text: Click here to order »
Full text: Click here to read online »
Full text: Click here to read via Sabinet » (Login Required)
DOI Number: 10.5830/CVJA-2019-026
DOI Citation Reference Link: dx.doi.org/10.5830/CVJA-2019-026
Background: Diets rich in n-6 polyunsaturated
fatty acids (PUFAs) and saturated fatty acids
(SFA) have been associated with increased risk
of obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS),
but the evidence is inconsistent, whereas diets
high in n-3 long-chain (LC)-PUFAs are associated
with lower risk. There is limited information
about the association of plasma phospholipid
fatty acids (FAs) with obesity and the MetSamong
black South Africans.
Objective: To investigate the association of
dietary FAs and plasma phospholipid FA patterns,
respectively, with measures of adiposity (body
mass index, waist circumference, waist-toheight
ratio) and the MetS in black South Africans.
Methods: Factor analysis was used to identify FA
patterns from 11 dietary FAs and 26 individual
plasma phospholipid FAs. Cross-sectional
association of the identified patterns with
measures of adiposity and the MetS was
investigated. A random sample of 711 black South
African adults aged 30 to 70 years (273 men, 438
women) from the North West Province was selected
from the South African leg of the Prospective
Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study.
Sequential regression models adjusted for
confounders were applied to investigate the
association between dietary FAs and plasma
phospholipid FA
patterns with measures of adiposity and the
MetS.
Results: Two patterns were derived from dietary
FAs and six patterns from plasma phospholipid
FAs that explained the cumulative variance of 89
and 73%, respectively. The association of FA
patterns with adiposity and the MetS was weaker
for dietary FA patterns than for plasma
phospholipid FA patterns. The plasma
phospholipid FA pattern with high loadings of
saturated FAs (high-Satfat) and another with
high loadings of n-3 very-long-chain PUFAs (n-3
VLC-PUFAs) were positively associated with
measures of adiposity and the MetS, while
patterns with positive loadings of LC
mono-unsaturated fatty
acids (n-9 LC-MUFA) and a positive loading of
n-3 essential FAs (n-3 EFA) showed inverse
associations with the MetS and some measures of
adiposity.
Conclusions: The n-9 LC-MUFA and n-3 EFA
patterns seemed to provide possible protective
associations with adiposity and the MetS,
whereas the high-Satfat and n-3 VLC-PUFA
patterns were associated with adiposity and the
MetS in our study participants. The results are
reflective of the metabolic difference between
overweight and obese compared to lean
individuals.
Title: The role of echocardiography in acute viral myocarditis
Authors: Mamotabo R Matshela
From: Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Vol 30, Issue 4 July/August 2019
Published: 2019
Pages: 239-244
Full text: Click here to order »
Full text: Click here to read online »
Full text: Click here to read via Sabinet » (Login Required)
DOI Number: 10.5830/CVJA-2019-069
DOI Citation Reference Link: dx.doi.org/10.5830/CVJA-2019-069
Abstract: The diagnosis of acute viral
myocarditis can be very challenging during the
initial evaluation, warranting multiple
diagnostic tests to be performed, including a
full echocardiographic evaluation to exclude
other aetiologies that might present similarly.
Acute myocarditis may masquerade as acute
myocardial infarction in older patients or as
any form of cardiomyopathy in young patients. As
a result, all these patients need a thorough
evaluation and to be managed at a high
cardiac-care setting from the very outset. A
wide range of diagnostic tests may be warranted,
including conventional echocardiography, to
exclude other underlying cardiac diseases, to
evaluate cardiac chamber size, wall thickness,
ventricular function and the presence of
pericardial collections, and to assist in
guiding further management. Although left
ventricular dysfunction tends to be described
more often, right ventricular dysfunction has
been reported as the most likely cause of
unfavourable outcomes, compared with left
ventricular dysfunction. Therefore it is
important to thoroughly evaluate and report all
echocardiographic parameters for both ventricles
and to determine the prognosis.
Title: Case Report: Wellens’ syndrome: a life-saving diagnosis
Authors: Yan ming Chen, Kang xing Song
From: Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Vol 30, Issue 4 July/August 2019
Published: 2019
Pages: e1–e3
Full text: Click here to order »
Full text: Click here to read online »
Full text: Click here to read via Sabinet » (Login Required)
DOI Number: 10.5830/CVJA-2019-010
DOI Citation Reference Link: dx.doi.org/10.5830/CVJA-2019-010
Abstract: Wellens’ syndrome is a relatively
common clinical entity; however, it is often
missed, especially in young patients. Without
prompt diagnosis and aggressive intervention,
patients with Wellens’ syndrome may rapidly go
on to develop extensive anterior wall myocardial
infarction and possibly sudden death. In this
case report, we present a 33-year-old male
patient with atypical chest pain, and discuss
the significance of a prompt recognition of
Wellens’ syndrome.