Cardiovascular Screening Rates With Establishment of Postpartum Cardiovascular Care Pathway for Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy.

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, highlighting the importance of thorough cardiovascular screening in individuals with prior HDP.

Objectives: This retrospective cohort study evaluated rates of cardiovascular screening studies (lipid panel, lipoprotein(a), apolipoprotein B, hemoglobin A1c) ordered by cardiology in the first year postpartum before and after establishment of a postpartum cardiovascular care pathway within the Inova Health System.

Methods: The study population included postpartum adults with recent pregnancies complicated by HDP seen by designated clinicians after care pathway establishment (7/1/23-3/31/24) in the cardio-obstetrics cohort (n = 113) or by cardiology before care pathway establishment (6/1/20-6/30/23) in the historical cohort (n = 179).

Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Estimates Using the New Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Events Equations: Implications for Statin Use.

Purpose Of Review: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) continues to remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Risk estimation is fundamental for primary prevention by ensuring that interventions such as lipid lowering or antihypertensive therapy are targeted towards the populations that would most benefit from their use. The Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE), developed in 2013 by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA), have been extensively applied to ASCVD risk estimation.

AHA PREVENT Equations and Lipoprotein(a) for Cardiovascular Disease Risk : Insights From MESA and the UK Biobank.

Importance: Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is independently associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk but is not included in the new American Heart Association Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Events (PREVENT) equations for CVD risk assessment.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of these equations in individuals with elevated Lp(a).

Design, Setting, And Participants: Cohort study involving 314 783 participants from the multicenter Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA, 2000-2018; n = 6670) and the population-based UK Biobank (UKB, 2006-2022; n = 308 113) without known cardiovascular disease with available Lp(a) measurements.

Association of Lipoprotein(a) with cardiovascular events among individuals with autoimmune conditions.

Background: Autoimmune conditions are associated with systemic inflammation, which elevates the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Systemic inflammation can increase plasma lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels by activating the interleukin-6 response element within the LPA gene promoter region. However, the association between elevated plasma Lp(a) and MACE risk in individuals with autoimmune conditions remains unclear.

Future of Stroke Prevention: 7 Updates in the 2024 AHA/ASA Primary Prevention of Stroke Guideline.

Approximately 9 to 10 million adults (4%) have experienced a stroke in the United States. While stroke incidence has generally declined, progress has been less pronounced among young individuals, and such trends have underlined the importance of focusing on the primary prevention of stroke. In 2024, the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association released new guidelines for the primary prevention of stroke.

Waist to hip ratio modifies the cardiovascular risk of lipoprotein (a): Insights from MESA.

Aims: To assess if adiposity measures such as waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) modify the relationship of lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).

Methods: 4652 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) were grouped as follows: Lp(a) < 50 mg/dl and WHR <90th percentile(pct) (reference); Lp(a) < 50 mg/dl and WHR ≥90th pct; Lp(a) ≥ 50 mg/dl and WHR <90th pct; and Lp(a) ≥50 mg/dl and WHR ≥90th pct. Cox proportional hazard models assessed the relationship of Lp(a) and WHR with time to ASCVD events.

Social Determinants of Health, Cardiovascular Health, and Mortality in Sexual Minority Individuals in the United States.

Background: Despite recent efforts to address health disparities regarding social determinants of health (SDOH), the intersection between SDOH and cardiovascular health (CVH) outcomes in sexual minority (SM) individuals remain largely underexplored.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate associations between SDOH profile and CVH and mortality outcomes among SM individuals in the United States.

Methods: All participants aged ≥18 years surveyed in the 2013 to 2017 National Health Interview Survey were included, except those with missing data on SM status, any CVH or SDOH domain, or any other covariate.

Etiology of orbital fractures at a level I trauma center in a large metropolitan city.

Background/purpose: Orbital fractures are a common facial fracture managed by multiple surgical specialties. Methods: A retrospective review of the electronic medical records of patients (age, 18-85 years) presenting to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation in Chicago, IL, USA with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes for facial fractures or CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes for orbital fracture repair.

Results: A review of the electronic medical records identified 504 individual incidents of orbital fractures with available imaging for review.

Statin therapy across the lifespan: evidence in major age groups.

This review provides needed perspective on statin efficacy and safety in individuals under 40, 40-75, and > 75 years of age. Starting with the 2013 ACC-AHA cholesterol guidelines extensive evidence base on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) we added references in the past 5 years that discussed statin efficacy and safety over the life span. In those under 40, statins are primarily used for treatment of severe hypercholesterolemia, often familial, and they are well tolerated.

Anti-angiogenic SPARC peptides inhibit progression of neuroblastoma tumors.

Background: New, more effective strategies are needed to treat highly aggressive neuroblastoma. Our laboratory has previously shown that full-length Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine (SPARC) and a SPARC peptide corresponding to the follistatin domain of the protein (FS-E) potently block angiogenesis and inhibit the growth of neuroblastoma tumors in preclinical models. Peptide FS-E is structurally complex and difficult to produce, limiting its potential as a therapeutic in the clinic.

Relationship of EGFR mutations, expression, amplification, and polymorphisms to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors in the NCI60 cell lines.

Purpose: The mechanism of sensitivity and resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors is incompletely understood, particularly in cancers other than non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To understand the variable response to this class of drugs, we used the NCI60 cancer cell lines. We aimed to determine if there are interactions between EGFR expression, mutations, polymorphisms, and gene amplification, and whether these factors are associated with variability in response to EGFR inhibitors.