Effect of Incretin-Based Therapies on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Aims: Hypertension and obesity frequently coexist and synergistically increase cardiovascular (CV) risk. Incretin-based therapies with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1-RAs), gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP)/GLP1-RAs, and glucagon/GIP/GLP-1RAs lead to substantial weight loss. However, their antihypertensive efficacy and safety profile have not been comprehensively quantified.

Predictive Modeling of Acute Hypertensive Disorders in a Real-World Cohort: Integrating Clinical Predictors and Data-Driven Methods.

: Acute hypertensive disorders, including hypertensive emergencies (HEs) and urgencies (HUs), are a frequent cause of emergency department (ED) visits. Early differentiation between HEs and HUs is essential, as their clinical management and prognostic implications differ substantially. : We retrospectively analyzed patients admitted to an Italian second-level ED between January and June 2022 with systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 180 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure(DBP) ≥ 110 mmHg.

White Mulberry Plant Extracts in Cardiovascular Prevention: An Update.

This review examines the principal preclinical and clinical findings assessing the effects of White Mulberry () plant extract supplementation currently available. Since it is one of the most cultivated species of mulberry tree, it has caught the eye of researchers for its rich phytochemical profile as well as multi-purpose usages. The leaves, fruits, and other parts of the White Mulberry plant take on the role of valuable sources of bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenoids, and alkaloids.

Aspirin reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes associated with COVID-19.

This study aimed to determine whether daily low-dose aspirin reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) associated with COVID-19. A longitudinal cohort of 200,000 adults followed from 2018 to 2022 was analyzed, comparing T2D incidence between aspirin users and non-users. Propensity score matching was used to balance the groups.

The COVID-19 pandemic increased the incidence of newly diagnosed cancers: evidence from a large cohort study in Southern Italy.

Background: Recent studies based on hospital and outpatient clinic databases have reported a decline in cancer diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic, an observation that has been mainly attributed to halted screenings.

Methods: We investigated the impact of COVID-19 on cancer incidence in the Campania Region (Italy) among adults followed by their primary care physicians over a 6-year period (2017-2022). Using a single-cohort design, we employed interrupted time series (ITS) analysis to compare cancer incidence rates during the 3 years preceding the pandemic (2017-2019) with those during the three pandemic years (2020-2022).

Daily low dose aspirin halves incident type 2 diabetes in elderly subjects with prediabetes: a five-year longitudinal cohort study in a real-word population.

Background: Prediabetes represents the final stage on the glycemic spectrum before the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and delaying its progression offers a unique opportunity to address the growing T2DM epidemic.

Methods: In this longitudinal cohort study, we investigated the effect of daily low-dose aspirin on the development of T2DM in individuals with prediabetes residing in Naples, Italy, who were followed by their primary care physicians between 2018 and 2022. Outcomes in the aspirin-treated group were compared with those in a control group not receiving aspirin, using data from the same database.

Statin-induced risk of diabetes does not reduce cardiovascular benefits in primary prevention: a 6-year propensity-score matched study in a large population.

Background: The long-term risk of cardiovascular (CV) events in individuals who develop new-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) after having received statin therapy in primary prevention is mostly unknown.

Methods: We designed a population-based cohort study in individuals without T2D and atherosclerotic CV disease (ASCVD), divided in two groups according to the presence or not of statin therapy. We also balanced the study groups for demographic and clinical factors using propensity score matching.

Low LDL-cholesterol drives the risk of bleeding in patients treated with aspirin: A 15-year study in a real-world large population.

We aimed to investigate the link between LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and hemorrhage risk over an extended period, both in subjects taking aspirin and in individuals not receiving any antiplatelet agent. We calculated the predicted adjusted relative hazard of bleeding by LDL-C concentration for the whole cohort and the aspirin-treated subgroup. The study included 39,784 individuals with a mean follow-up of 14.

Management of iatrogenic atrial perforation caused by pacemaker electrodes: a case report.

Background: The complications associated with cardiac device implants ranges between 5.3% and 14.3%.

Prolonged Time-to-antihypertensive Therapy Worsens Organ Damage and Blood Pressure Control in Arterial Hypertension.

Introduction: Delay in arterial hypertension (AH) diagnosis and late therapy initiation may affect progression towards hypertensive-mediated organ damage (HMOD) and blood pressure (BP) control.

Aim: We aimed to assess the impact of time-to-therapy on BP control and HMOD in patients receiving AH diagnosis.

Methods: We analysed data from the Campania Salute Network, a prospective registry of hypertensive patients (NCT02211365).

PCSK9 Inhibitors: Is the Time Ripe for the "Fast Track" Use Independently on the LDL-C Baseline Values in Acute Coronary Syndrome?

The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering decreases the risk to develop major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Therefore, the "fast track" use of PCSK9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) has been introduced in ACS patients not achieving LDL-C target (70 mg/dl) despite an ongoing lipid lowering therapy with statin at maximum tolerated dosage plus ezetimibe or stain-naïve (LDL-C > 130 mg/dl). PCSK9i "fast track" use has shown to achieve the regression of "non-culprit" atherosclerotic plaques leading to a further MACE decrease.

Serum parathormone, vitamin D and cardiovascular risk factors and markers: A pilot study.

Background And Aims: Vitamin D deficiency is a common cause of secondary hyperparathyroidism, particularly in elderly people. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations of serum vitamin D and parathormone (PTH) concentrations with blood pressure values and hypertension-mediated target organ damage (HMOD), including left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and carotid plaque (CP).

Methods And Results: We enrolled consecutive patients admitted to the Hypertension Center of Federico II University Hospital in Naples, Italy.

Application of the 2016 ASE-EACVI Criteria for the Assessment of Diastolic Function in Arterial Hypertension.

Introduction: No data are available on the diagnostic algorithms recommended by guidelines for the assessment of diastolic dysfunction (DD) in patients with arterial hypertension.

Aim: To fill this gap, we evaluated diastolic function in hypertensive patients with and without LVH matched with healthy subjects by applying 2016 American Society of Echocardiography-European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging Guidelines for the evaluation of LV diastolic function.

Methods: 717 healthy and hypertensives with normal LV ejection fraction and with and without LV hypertrophy (LVH), matched 1:1:1 from two prospective registries, represented the study population.

Persistent increase of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in COVID-19 patients: a 3-year population-based analysis.

Aims: We evaluated the incidence and relative risk of major post-acute cardiovascular consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large real-world population from a primary care database in a region at moderate cardiovascular risk followed up in the period 2020-22.

Methods And Results: This is a retrospective cohort analysis using data from a cooperative of general practitioners in Italy. Individuals aged >18 affected by COVID-19 starting from January 2020 have been followed up for 3 years.

Incidence of new-onset hypertension before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic: a 7-year longitudinal cohort study in a large population.

Background: While the augmented incidence of diabetes after COVID-19 has been widely confirmed, controversial results are available on the risk of developing hypertension during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We designed a longitudinal cohort study to analyze a closed cohort followed up over a 7-year period, i.e.

Obesity: the perfect storm for heart failure.

Obesity condition causes morphological and functional alterations involving the cardiovascular system. These can represent the substrates for different cardiovascular diseases, such as atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, sudden cardiac death, and heart failure (HF) with both preserved ejection fraction (EF) and reduced EF. Different pathogenetic mechanisms may help to explain the association between obesity and HF including left ventricular remodelling and epicardial fat accumulation, endothelial dysfunction, and coronary microvascular dysfunction.

Incidence of type 2 diabetes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Naples, Italy: a longitudinal cohort study.

Background: The association of COVID-19 with the development of new-onset diabetes has been recently investigated by several groups, yielding controversial results. Population studies currently available in the literature are mostly focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D), comparing patients with a SARS-CoV-2 positive test to individuals without COVID-19, especially in paediatric populations. In this study, we sought to determine the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Achieving a Systolic Blood Pressure Below 130 mmHg Reduces the Incidence of Cardiovascular Events in Hypertensive Patients with Echocardiographic Left Ventricular Hypertrophy.

Recent reports have evidenced an increased mortality rate in hypertensive patients with electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH) achieving systolic blood pressure (SBP) <130 mmHg. However, to the best of our knowledge, the actual effects of blood pressure reduction to the ≤130/80 mmHg target on the incidence of cardiovascular (CV) events have never been determined in hypertensive patients with a diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy based on echocardiographic criteria (Echo-LVH). To fill this long-standing knowledge gap, we harnessed a population of 9511 hypertensive patients, followed-up for 33.

The Environmental Pollution and Cardiovascular Risk: The Role of Health Surveillance and Legislative Interventions in Cardiovascular Prevention.

Environmental pollution in considered an established determinant of non-communicable illness, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Air pollution is the result of a complex combination of chemical, physical, and biological agents, and represents one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity in the world population. It is responsible for 7.

The Emerging Role of Prediabetes and Its Management: Focus on L-Arginine and a Survey in Clinical Practice.

The worldwide impressive growth of metabolic disorders observed in the last decades, especially type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity, has generated great interest in the potential benefits of early identification and management of patients at risk. In this view, prediabetes represents a high-risk condition for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases, and an ideal target to intercept patients before they develop type 2 diabetes gaining a prominent role even in international guidelines. For prediabetic individuals, lifestyle modification is the cornerstone of diabetes prevention, with evidence of about 50% relative risk reduction.