Impact of asundexian on a panel of coagulation assays.

Background: During the last few years, the small, oral, activated factor XI inhibitor, asundexian, has been investigated in different cardiovascular disorders. However, little is known about its impact on laboratory coagulation assays.

Objectives: To describe the effects of asundexian on a panel of laboratory coagulation assays.

Transcatheter mitral valve repair with MitraClip® enabling single lung transplantation: A case report.

Post-capillary hypertension resulting from mitral regurgitation is typically considered a contraindication for single lung transplantation due to heightened risks of primary graft dysfunction. This case report highlights a 66-year-old COPD patient with severe mitral regurgitation who was deemed ineligible for surgical mitral replacement. As an alternative, transcatheter mitral valve replacement was successfully performed, resulting in the normalization of pulmonary artery pressures.

Evaluating the Efficacy of a Pre-Established Lipid-Lowering Algorithm in Managing Hypercholesterolemia in Patients at Very High Cardiovascular Risk.

Background: Recent data from European studies (EUROASPIRE V, DA VINCI, SANTORINI) indicate that achieving the LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) target in patients at very high cardiovascular risk is uncommon. Additionally, using a combination therapy involving statins and ezetimibe remains infrequent.

Methods: A single-center assessment of a pre-defined lipid lowering treatment algorithm's effectiveness at achieving the LDL-C target in patients at very high cardiovascular risk one month and one year after hospitalization.

The Belgian Registry on Coronary Function Testing (BELmicro Registry): Study Population, Prevalence of Coronary Vascular Dysfunction, and Procedural Safety.

Coronary function testing (CFT) plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of coronary vascular dysfunction and providing patients with tailored therapy. The Belgian registry on CFT (BELmicro registry) is a prospective, observational, multicenter registry including 14 centers in Belgium. All patients who underwent clinically indicated CFT were included in the registry.

Impact of Pre-Transplant Left Ventricular Diastolic Pressure on Primary Graft Dysfunction after Lung Transplantation: A Narrative Review.

Lung transplantation (LT) constitutes the last therapeutic option for selected patients with end-stage respiratory disease. Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a form of severe lung injury, occurring in the first 72 h following LT and constitutes the most common cause of early death after LT. The presence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been reported to favor PGD development, with a negative impact on patients' outcomes while complicating medical management.

Emerging Trends in Left Ventricular Thrombus: A Comprehensive Review of Non-Ischemic and Ischemic Cardiopathies, Including Eosinophilic Myocarditis, Chagas Cardiomyopathy, Amyloidosis, and Innovative Anticoagulant Approaches.

This comprehensive review explores the intricate aspects of left ventricular thrombus (LVT), a potential complication in both ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. It provides a thorough understanding of left ventricular thrombus, revealing its uncommon incidence in the general population (7 cases per 10,000 patients), predominantly linked to ischemic heart diseases (ICMs) at an 80% prevalence rate. Diagnostic tools, notably transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), demonstrate varying sensitivity but remain indispensable in specific clinical contexts related to LVT as non-invasive diagnostic modalities.

Sartan-induced interstitial lung disease.

Background: Lung toxicity of angiotensin receptor blockers (sartans) have very seldom been reported in the literature despite their wide use. We here report a case of interstitial lung disease elicited by sartans, with two episodes induced by two different sartans at 10 years of interval.

Case Presentation: In 2012, eprosartan was the very likely cause of a drug induced interstitial lung disease in a 60 year old man.

Unmasking Pandemic Echoes: An In-Depth Review of Long COVID's Unabated Cardiovascular Consequences beyond 2020.

At the beginning of 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a new pandemic, leading to a worldwide health crisis and overwhelming healthcare systems due to high numbers of hospital admissions, insufficient resources, and a lack of standardized therapeutic protocols. Multiple genetic variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been detected since its first public declaration in 2020, some of them being considered variants of concern (VOCs) corresponding to several pandemic waves. Nevertheless, a growing number of COVID-19 patients are continuously discharged from hospitals, remaining symptomatic even months after their first episode of COVID-19 infection.

Magmaris Resorbable Magnesium Scaffold Versus Conventional Drug-Eluting Stent in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: 1-Year Results of a Propensity-Score-Matching Comparison.

Magmaris® (Biotronik AG, Switzerland) is the first RMS and early experience has shown promising results in stable coronary artery disease. Acute coronary syndromes have been hypothesized as a potential target group for bioresorbable scaffolds, but the efficacy and safety of RMS has not been extensively studied in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). BEST-MAG is a prospective multicenter trial designed to evaluate optical coherence tomography (OCT-)guided implantation of resorbable magnesium scaffold (RMS) in STEMI.

A Belgian consensus strategy to identify familial hypercholesterolaemia in the coronary care unit and its subsequent cascade screening and treatment: BEL-FaHST (The BELgium Familial Hypercholesterolaemia STrategy).

Background And Aims: Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant lipoprotein disorder characterized by significant elevation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and markedly increased risk of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). Because of the very high coronary artery disease risk associated with this condition, the prevalence of FH among patients admitted for CVD outmatches many times the prevalence in the general population. Awareness of this disease is crucial for recognizing FH in the aftermath of a hospitalization of a patient with CVD, and also represents a unique opportunity to identify relatives of the index patient, who are unaware they have FH.

Head-to-Head Comparison of Inflammation and Neovascularization in Human Carotid Plaques: Implications for the Imaging of Vulnerable Plaques.

Background: Inflammation and intraplaque neovascularization are acknowledged to be 2 features of plaque vulnerability, although their temporal expression and their respective value in predicting clinical events are poorly understood. To determine their respective temporal associations, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of inflammation and intraplaque neovascularization in the carotid plaque of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.

Methods And Results: Thirty patients with severe carotid stenosis underwent F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomographic imaging.

Right Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction Assessed by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Is a Strong Predictor of Cardiovascular Death After Coronary Bypass Grafting.

Background: Limited data are available regarding the prognostic value of right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction (RVSD) in patients with coronary artery disease. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of RVSD assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance on survival of patients with low left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) undergoing coronary bypass grafting (CABG).

Methods: We prospectively assessed overall and cardiovascular death of 107 consecutive patients (94 men; age, 66 ± 10 years) undergoing CABG who had a LVEF of 0.

High 18F-FDG uptake in a systemic right ventricle after atrial switch.

A 21-year-old patient with a D-transposition of the great arteries and a single coronary ostium underwent an atrial switch operation as newborn (Senning correction at 6 days of life in 1992). For an unrelated oncological evaluation, she underwent a recent F-FDG PET/CT. The myocardial uptake was clearly more intense in the morphological right ventricle, as this ventricle has become the systemic ventricle.

A randomized trial on the optimization of 18F-FDG myocardial uptake suppression: implications for vulnerable coronary plaque imaging.

Unlabelled: (18)F-FDG PET/CT can be used to detect arterial atherosclerotic plaque inflammation. However, avid myocardial glucose uptake may preclude its use for visualizing coronary plaques. Fatty acid loading or calcium channel blockers could decrease myocardial (18)F-FDG uptake, thus assisting coronary plaque inflammation identification.

Characterization of the role of the receptors PEX5 and PEX7 in the import of proteins into glycosomes of Trypanosoma brucei.

Peroxins 5 and 7 are receptors for protein import into the peroxisomal matrix. We studied the involvement of these peroxins in the biogenesis of glycosomes in the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Glycosomes are peroxisome-like organelles in which a major part of the glycolytic pathway is sequestered.