Vericiguat in patients with chronic heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (VICTOR): a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised, phase 3 trial.

Background: Vericiguat is indicated to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalisation for heart failure in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) following a recent worsening event. The aim of the VICTOR trial was to assess the effect of vericiguat in patients with HFrEF without recent heart failure worsening.

Methods: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial, conducted at 482 sites across 36 countries, patients aged 18 years or older with HFrEF (left ventricular ejection fraction of ≤40%) without heart failure hospitalisation within 6 months or outpatient intravenous diuretic use within 3 months before randomisation were randomly assigned (1:1) using an intervention randomisation system with interactive response technology to oral vericiguat (target 10 mg dose) or matching placebo.

Vericiguat for patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction across the risk spectrum: an individual participant data analysis of the VICTORIA and VICTOR trials.

Background: Following completion of the VICTORIA trial, vericiguat was approved for the treatment of worsening heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and received a class IIb recommendation in European and North American guidelines. The subsequent VICTOR trial evaluated the use of vericiguat in patients with HFrEF and no recent worsening. We aimed to assess the effect of vericiguat on clinical endpoints through pooled analyses of patient-level data from the VICTORIA and VICTOR trials.

Effect of Vericiguat on Worsening Heart Failure in Compensated Outpatients with HFrEF: Insights from VICTOR.

Background: In the VICTOR trial, in a contemporary ambulatory cohort with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and no recent hospitalization, the primary outcome of hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) and cardiovascular death was not statistically significantly reduced with vericiguat. Vericiguat reduced risk of mortality but not HHF. In this ambulatory compensated cohort, time to first HHF may underestimate the overall worsening HF burden by failing to consider the high proportion of outpatient worsening HF events.

Hypertensive acute heart failure: a critical perspective on definition, epidemiology, pathophysiology, and prognosis-a narrative review: a joint session with the Romanian Society of Cardiology (part II).

Hypertensive acute heart failure (HT-AHF) has historically been recognized as a distinct clinical phenotype of AHF, characterized by acute pulmonary congestion in the context of elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP), typically > 140 mmHg. However, emerging evidence has begun to challenge the diagnostic accuracy, clinical utility, and relevance of this category. A main criticism of HT-AHF is its considerable overlap with other AHF clinical profiles, including acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and acute pulmonary oedema (APO).

Vericiguat and mortality in heart failure and reduced ejection fraction: the VICTOR trial.

Background And Aims: In the VICTOR trial (NCT05093933), vericiguat was neutral for the primary composite endpoint of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure (HF). VICTOR was powered to independently assess cardiovascular death. This study reports detailed analysis on the effects of vericiguat on mortality.

Association between bioelectrical impedance analysis parameters and muscle-related measurements obtained using a non-diagnostic ultrasound-based technique.

Background: An in-depth analysis of body composition (BC) is fundamental for the assessment of nutritional status. A multifactorial approach is important for this assessment, integrating parameters and measurements obtained through different techniques, most notably bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and ultrasound. In this study, we aimed to evaluate associations between BIA parameters and ultrasound measurements.

Sport Participation and Gender Differences in Dietary Preferences: A Cross-Sectional Study in Italian Adults.

Background: The relationship between sports participation and food preferences in adults, as well as the influence of gender, is still unclear.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between sports participation and individual food preferences and to explore potential gender differences among sports participants in a large group of Italian adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 2665 adults (aged ≥ 18 years) who lead normal lives and underwent a routine lifestyle and dietary assessment at a clinical centre specialising in nutrition, metabolic health, and lifestyle counselling in Rome.

Commercial vision sensors and AI-based pose estimation frameworks for markerless motion analysis in sports and exercises: a mini review.

Kinematic and biomechanical analysis in monitoring human movement to assess athletes' or patients' motor control behaviors. Traditional motion capture systems provide high accuracy but are expensive and complex for the public. Recent advancements in markerless systems using videos captured with commercial RGB, depth, and infrared cameras, such as Microsoft Kinect, StereoLabs ZED Camera, and Intel RealSense, enable the acquisition of high-quality videos for 2D and 3D kinematic analyses.

From Overweight to Severe Obesity: Physical Activity and Behavioural Profiles in a Large Clinical Cohort.

Behavioural heterogeneity in obesity is increasingly recognised, but how specific dietary patterns, food preferences and physical activity vary between obesity classes remains poorly characterised. We analysed behavioural, dietary, and lifestyle data from 1366 adults attending a tertiary obesity clinic in Italy. Participants were stratified into five obesity classes defined by BMI.

Current Treatment of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogeneous syndrome with increasing prevalence and substantial morbidity and mortality. Recent advances in pharmacotherapy have transformed its management. This review summarizes current evidence supporting the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, alongside selected use of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors.

Parishin C Attenuates Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in HT22 Hippocampal Neurons and BV2 Microglia Through Nrf2 Signaling Pathway.

Parishin C (PaC) is an active ingredient in Bl. that has neuroprotective effects. However, research on its role in oxidative stress and neuroinflammation is still limited.

Management of patients with heart failure at high risk of hyperkalaemia: The CARE-HK in HF registry.

Aims: Patients with heart failure (HF) at high risk for hyperkalaemia are underrepresented in prospective HF registries. The CARE-HK in HF registry sought to characterize prospectively the clinical profile, management, and outcomes for patients with HF at high risk of hyperkalaemia.

Methods And Results: CARE-HK in HF was a multinational prospective registry of outpatients with HF (regardless of left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF]) treated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker/angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ACEI/ARB/ARNI) and either receiving or potential candidate for a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA).

The multifunctional role of bovine colostrum in managing diabetes: clinical insights and potential therapeutic effects.

Diabetes mellitus is a global metabolic disorder characterised by insulin resistance or insufficient insulin production, leading to chronic hyperglycemia and severe complications. Although pharmacological treatments exist, there is a growing interest in complementary therapies to improve glycaemic control and attenuate disease progression. Bovine colostrum, a nutrient-rich secretion produced after parturition, contains bioactive compounds such as insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), lactoferrin, cytokines and immunoglobulins, which have potential therapeutic effects on diabetes.

Intravenous ferric carboxymaltose in heart failure with iron deficiency (FAIR-HF2 DZHK05 trial): Sex-specific outcomes.

Aims: Intravenous iron has emerged as a guideline-recommended therapy in patients with heart failure and iron deficiency, but the potential sex-related differences in efficacy are unknown. We aimed to assess sex-specific outcomes in the Intravenous Iron in Patients with Systolic Heart Failure and Iron Deficiency to Improve Morbidity & Mortality (FAIR-HF2-DZHK05) trial.

Methods And Results: FAIR-HF2 included 1105 heart failure patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction ≤45% and iron deficiency.

Evaluating the Risk of Hypophosphatemia with Ferric Carboxymaltose and the Recommended Approaches for Management: A Consensus Statement.

The development of hypophosphatemia has been associated with intravenous iron products, with the rate of hypophosphatemia found to be higher with ferric carboxymaltose. This consensus statement provides clinical guidance on the risk of hypophosphatemia development with ferric carboxymaltose and the approaches for management. To develop consensus recommendations regarding the clinical implications of hypophosphatemia after the administration of ferric carboxymaltose, the assessment of patient risk profile, and recommended approaches for risk reduction.

Treating osteoporosis with denosumab or bisphosphonates in the long term: facts, uncertainties and assumptions. A narrative review by the clinical action group of the European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS).

Osteoporosis is a chronic disease that requires long-term management, particularly in high-risk patients who have a substantial increase in fracture risk. Antiresorptive medications remain the most widely used treatment for osteoporosis. This review aims to evaluate the available evidence on the long-term effects of bisphosphonates and denosumab, in order to help physicians determine the most suitable long-term management regimen for their patients, while balancing efficacy, safety, and fracture risk.

Study design and rationale of the AZIMUTH trial: a smartphone, app-based, E-health-integrated model of care for heart failure patients.

Aims: Despite advancements in disease-modifying therapies, the rate of hospitalizations in patients with heart failure (HF) remains high, with an increased risk of future adverse events and healthcare costs. In this context, the AZIMUTH study aims to evaluate the large-scale applicability of a smartphone app-based model of care to improve the quality of care and clinical outcomes of HF patients.

Methods And Results: The AZIMUTH trial is a multicentre, prospective, pragmatic, interventional, single-cohort study enrolling HF patients.

Goblet cell breakdown: transcriptomics reveals Acinetobacter baumannii early and robust inflammatory response in differentiated human bronchial epithelial cells.

Background: The airway epithelium represents the first line of defense of the lungs, functioning both as a physical barrier as well as an active immune modulator. However, in the last years, pneumonia caused by the opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii have become difficult to treat due to the increase of the number of extensively drug resistant strains. In this study, we report for the first time the use of an ex vivo air-liquid interface (ALI) model of differentiated human bronchial epithelial cells to unravel the early response to A.

Post-Exercise Hypotension Induced by a Short Isometric Exercise Session Versus Combined Exercise in Hypertensive Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease: A Pilot Study.

Short sessions of isometric exercise have been shown to reduce blood pressure (BP) in normotensive and hypertensive subjects. However, there are few data in hypertensive patients with underlying ischemic heart disease (IHD). In the present study, we compared post-exercise hypotension (PEH) induced by isometric versus combined, aerobic plus dynamic resistance exercise in IHD patients.

Effect of Different Isometric Exercise Modalities on Myocardial Work in Trained Hypertensive Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease: A Randomized Pilot Study.

Isometric exercise effectively reduces blood pressure (BP) but its effects on myocardial work have been poorly studied. For the present study, we compared acute changes in myocardial work during two different isometric exercises, namely, bilateral knee extension and handgrip, in patients with hypertension and underlying ischemic heart disease (IHD). Methods: This was a randomized pilot study in which 48 stable, trained patients with hypertension and IHD were enrolled.

Oxidative Stress in Neurodegenerative Disorders: A Key Driver in Impairing Skeletal Muscle Health.

The fine regulation of antioxidant systems and intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is responsible for cellular redox balance. The main organelles responsible for ROS production are mitochondria, and they complete this process through the electron transport chain. These potentially harmful molecules are buffered by enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems.

Pose estimation for pickleball players' kinematic analysis through MediaPipe-based deep learning: A pilot study.

Pickleball has gained popularity across diverse age groups. This sport has particular balls that require different hitting styles, like hitting dinks. This study focuses on introducing pickleball players' kinematic analysis through a MediaPipe-based deep learning (DL) tool and analyzes the dominant leg's femur angle, knee angle, and wrist motion of pickleball players during the hitting dink shots, comparing pickleball players with high-level and beginner levels.

Physiological Benchmarks and Player Profiling in Elite Football: A Role-Specific Analysis Using T-Scores.

Physiological characteristics such as VO, running economy (RE), maximal aerobic speed (MAS), maximal sprinting speed (MSS), anaerobic speed reserve (ASR), and player profiling (based on MSS and MAS) have been proven to be important for training prescriptions in football. However, previous studies on player profiling have neglected the absolute values of MSS and MAS. The objectives of this study were to compare the aforementioned physiological variables among player roles, create benchmarks, and provide normative data to help coaches categorize players, ultimately proposing a new player profiling method.