Efficacy and Safety of Moderate-Intensity Statin and Ezetimibe Combination Therapy Versus High-Intensity Statin Monotherapy in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Statins represent the first-line therapy for cholesterol management. However, for patients prone to statin side effects, unable to tolerate higher doses, or requiring additional low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction, ezetimibe alone or in combination with statins is recommended. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of combining low- or moderate-intensity statins with ezetimibe compared to high-intensity statin monotherapy, yielding reliable evidence to guide clinical decision-making and personalize treatment strategies.

Diagnosis-to-Ablation Time to Predict the Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation Following Catheter Ablation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

A diagnosis-to-ablation time of < 1 year and < 3 years is associated with a significantly lower risk of atrial fibrillation reccurence compared to a time of > 1 year and > 3 years in atrial fibrillation patients awaiting ablation procedures.

Impact of obesity on outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation in patients with aortic stenosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of real-world data.

Most recent large-scale global analyses on transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for aortic stenosis (AS) showed favorable survival outcomes in patients with high body mass index (BMI). We performed a meta-analysis pooling all clinical studies to assess the validity of improved post-TAVI prognosis in obese patients. MEDLINE and Scopus were queried till January 2023 to identify studies comparing AS patients with BMI≥30 kg/m, and BMI 18.

Vulval Flap Reconstruction in Women With Benign, Preneoplastic and Malignant Vulval Conditions: A Prospective Study.

Objectives: To (i) evaluate the surgical morbidity, (ii) identify correlates of these and, (iii) explore whether flap reconstruction following vulvectomy improves patient symptoms and quality of life.

Design: Single arm prospective study.

Setting: Single tertiary vulval centre, UK.

Trends and disparities in the prevalence of circulatory disease risk factors among U.S. adults from the National Health Interview Survey database (2019-2022).

Introduction: Circulatory diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the United States (U.S)., making it crucial to understand trends and disparities in the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors including diabetes, obesity, smoking, and hyperlipidemia.

Efficacy of the Renal-guard system in the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy following cardiac interventions among patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN), also called as contrast associated-acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) is a common complication following cardiac procedures. KDIGO guidelines define CIN as a ≥25% increase in serum creatinine or an absolute increase of at least 0.5 mg/dl 48-72 h post-contrast administration.

Clinical and hemodynamic outcomes of self-expanding and balloon-expandable valves for valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve implantation (ViV-TAVI): An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve implantation (ViV-TAVI) has emerged as a feasible alternative to reoperative surgery in patients with degenerated surgical bio-prosthesis. However, data regarding the choice of valve type in ViV-TAVI remain inconclusive. This -analysis compares the procedural and clinical outcomes of self-expanding (SE) vs.

Clinical Outcomes of Immediate Versus Staged Revascularization of Nonculprit Arteries in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Recent guidelines for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD) recommend revascularization of non-culprit lesions following primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the optimal timing for this procedure-whether immediate or staged-remains uncertain.

Methods: A comprehensive search using PubMed (MEDLINE), Cochrane Central, and Google Scholar was conducted to identify studies comparing clinical outcomes between immediate and staged revascularization approaches in patients with MVD undergoing PCI.

Trends and regional variations in chronic ischemic heart disease and lung cancer-related mortality among American adults: Insights from retrospective CDC wonder analysis.

Introduction: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States and shares cardiovascular risk factors with chronic ischemic heart disease (CIHD). However, the cumulative mortality burden of these comorbid conditions is underexplored. This study aims to retrospectively assess mortality trends among American adults with concurrent lung cancer and CIHD.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease: A Review of the Existing Literature.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive procedure used to replace a damaged aortic valve with a prosthetic valve. TAVR has exceeded surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) due to shorter procedures and recovery times. Though initially approved for patients with aortic stenosis at a high surgical risk, TAVR's indications have now broadened to include high, intermediate, and low-risk patients.

Safety and Efficacy of Different Stent Strategies in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Network Meta-Analysis.

Background: The utility of polymer-permanent, polymer-absorbable, and polymer-free drug-eluting stents (DES) in the context of different eluting drugs in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains controversial.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of different DES strategies in post-PCI patients.

Methods: Digital databases were searched to select all randomized control trials.

Long-term outcomes following ultrathin vs thin-strut drug-eluting stents for percutaneous coronary intervention: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials.

Objectives: Current thin-strut 2 generation drug eluting stents (DES) are considered as optimal standard of care for revascularization of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Ultrathin (≤ 70 μm strut thickness) strut DES have recently been shown to reduce target lesion failure (TLF) compared to thin-strut DES. Therefore, in order to assess the validity of improved outcomes associated with ultrathin-strut DES, we conducted an updated meta-analysis that includes recently published follow-ups of previously conducted randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Continuation versus discontinuation of renin-angiotensin aldosterone system inhibitors before non-cardiac surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: A large number of patients undergoing noncardiac surgeries are on long-term use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). The current guidelines regarding the continuation or discontinuation of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAAS) inhibitors before noncardiac surgery are conflicting. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate whether continuing or withholding RAAS inhibitors before noncardiac surgery influences perioperative mortality and complications.

Outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement in cancer survivors with prior chest radiation therapy: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Clinical outcomes for TAVR in cancer survivors with prior chest radiation therapy (C-XRT) who develop symptomatic aortic-valve stenosis are not adequately assessed in major clinical trials leading to conflicting results. Hence, we conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate the, safety, efficacy, and mortality outcomes of cancer survivors with prior C-XRT undergoing TAVR. MEDLINE and Scopus were searched up to March 2024.

Incidence of Acute Kidney Injury and Associated Mortality among Individuals with Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis in Uganda.

Key Points: AKI is thought to be a rare complication in patients with tuberculosis (TB) infection and is mostly attributed to TB drugs. Our findings show AKI occurs more often than previously thought and approximately 33% of patients with drug-susceptible TB may have kidney dysfunction. According to our study findings, monitoring kidney function should be routine among patients diagnosed with TB even before treatment initiation.

Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic marker for cardiovascular outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been considered a prognostic biomarker of mortality and other major cardiac events. This study investigates NLR's efficacy in predicting in-hospital and long-term outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: Electronic databases (PUBMED, Cochrane CENTRAL, ERIC, Embase, Ovid, and Google Scholar) were searched till June 2022 to identify studies having STEMI patients who underwent PCI.

Cardiovascular outcomes of emergent vs elective transcatheter aortic valve replacement in severe aortic stenosis: regression matched meta-analysis.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been highly increased as the recommended option for patients with a high surgical risk. This study aims to commit a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the outcomes in severe aortic stenosis patients following emergency transcatheter aortic valve replacement (emergent TAVR) compared to elective TAVR or eBAV followed by elective TAVR.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, Science Direct, and Google Scholar.