Publications

Salivary adrenal biomarkers differ depending on age and sex in healthy children: preliminary data

Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)

Sodium‐glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors: An additional management option for patients with atrial fibrillation?

Asymptomatic vs. symptomatic atrial fibrillation: Clinical outcomes in heart failure patients

Risk Factors and Prognosis of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Sepsis

AF during sepsis is common and is not an innocent finding. Active monitoring should be pursued as AF has important short- and long-term prognostic implications.

Physical activity or fitness as medicine for your arteries?

Safety and effectiveness of dabigatran at 2 years: Final outcomes from Phase II of the GLORIA-AF registry program

Comparison of the HAS‐BLED versus ORBIT scores in predicting major bleeding among Asians receiving direct‐acting oral anticoagulants

Both HAS-BLED and ORBIT bleeding risk scores had moderate predictive performance in Asian NVAF patients receiving DOACs.

Similarities and differences in systemic risk factors for retinal artery occlusion and retinal vein occlusion: A nationwide case-control study

Abstract Background: To investigate the relationship between risk factors of retinal artery occlusion (RAO) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and thereby identify similarities and differences between the two types of retinal vascular occlusions. Methods: In this case-control study, 5997 RAO patients were included and matched with three RVO patients each. The RVO patients were matched on sex and age at index date. All patients, personal information, diagnoses, and prescriptions were obtained from the Danish nationwide registries. Adjusted conditional logistic regression was used to investigate the association of RAO and RVO with the included risk factors. Results: RAO was stronger associated with arterial hypertension, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, peripheral artery disease, renal disease, and stroke than RVO, with effect measures ranging from 1.13-2.08. RVO was inversely associated with atrial fibrillation, cataract, and glaucoma with effect measures of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.75-0.95), 0.83 (95% CI: 0.76-0.90) and 0.45 (95% CI: 0.40-0.52), respectively. Conclusion: Differences in the level of associations with the included risk factors suggests differences in the pathophysiologies of the two diseases. The main pathophysiology associated with RAO was atherosclerosis, whereas the main pathophysiology associated with RVO were changes in the pressure gradients of the eyes.

One‐year outcomes of rate versus rhythm control of atrial fibrillation in the Kerala‐AF Registry

In the Kerala-AF registry, 12-month outcomes did not differ between rate and rhythm control cohorts.

<i>APOE</i> and Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Markers in Patients With Intracerebral Hemorrhage

We confirmed associations between <i>APOE</i> alleles and ICH including lobar ICH. Our analysis shows selective associations between <i>APOE</i> ε2 and ε4 alleles with FLP, a CT marker of CAA. Our findings suggest that different <i>APOE</i> alleles might have diverging influences on individual neuroimaging biomarkers of CAA-associated ICH.

At the heart of the matter: how mental stress and negative emotions affect atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia, affecting 2%-3% of the world's population. Mental and emotional stress, as well as some mental health conditions (e.g., depression) have been shown to significantly impact the heart and have been suggested to act both as independent risk factors and triggers in the onset of AF. In this paper, we review the current literature to examine the role that mental and emotional stress have in the onset of AF and summarise the current knowledge on the interaction between the brain and heart, and the cortical and subcortical pathways involved in the response to stress. Review of the evidence suggests that mental and emotional stress negatively affect the cardiac system, potentially increasing the risk for developing and/or triggering AF. Further studies are required to further understand the cortical and sub-cortical structures involved in the mental stress response and how these interact with the cardiac system, which may help in defining new strategies and interventions to prevent the development of, and improve the management of AF.

Efficacy and safety of oral anticoagulants according to kidney function among patients with atrial fibrillation

Overall, we found no differences regarding the risk of stroke/TE, but apixaban was associated with a 21% lower relative risk of major bleeding compared to VKA. This risk reduction was even greater when comparing apixaban to VKA among patients with eGFR 15-30 mL/min/1.73 m2, and when comparing apixaban to dabigatran and rivaroxaban among patients with eGFR 30-49 mL/min/1.73 m2.

EFFECT OF BLOOD PRESSURE OPTIMISATION ON ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION AND HYPERTENSION

Objective: Hypertension accounts for more cases of atrial fibrillation (AF) than any other risk factors. AF and hypertension commonly co-exist and both are associated with endothelial dysfunction. FMD measurement using a high-resolution ultrasound has become a reliable and reproducible technique for assessment of endothelial dysfunction. To investigate whether optimising of blood pressure (BP) in patients with hypertension and AF leads to improvement in FMD. Design and method: In a longitudinal comparison, we recruited 30 participants with hypertension and permanent AF. Each participant had 3 serial BP readings and an echocardiogram. Their drug history was noted. High-resolution ultrasound was used to measure brachial artery diameter at rest and during reactive hyperaemia (endothelium-dependent FMD). Participant's BP medication was optimised according to their BP. Participants were then followed them up after 8 weeks for repeat FMD measurements. Data analysis was carried out using paired t-test on SPSS. Results: Following optimisation of BP medication, patients with permanent AF and hypertension were followed up after 8 weeks and FMD repeated. There was significant improvement in mean heart rate (77 ± 18 (baseline) vs 72 ± 17 (follow up), p = 0.01), systolic BP (140 mmHg [128 – 148] (baseline) vs 131 mmHg [122 – 146] (follow up), p = 0.03), diastolic BP (81 mmHg ± 13 (baseline) vs 77 mmHg ± 12 (follow up), p = 0.02) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) (100 mmHg ± 9 (baseline) vs 97 mmHg ± 13 (follow up), p = 0.01). Both groups had a similar baseline brachial artery diameter (p = 0.34). Endothelium-dependent FMD response was better following 8 weeks of BP optimisation but this was not significant (3.1%, 95% CI [2.3 – 4.8] (baseline) vs 5.2%, 95% CI [3.9 – 6.5] (follow up), p = 0.09). No variables were identified on univariate or multivariate analysis as independent predictors of FMD. Conclusions: Endothelial dysfunction can be improved following optimisation of BP medication suggesting modulation of endothelial function is possible in patients with permanent AF and hypertension. Longer-term improvement in FMD may have a prognostic implication.

AI-based multiomics profiling for personalized prediction of cardiovascular disease: A prospective UK Biobank study

Initial blood pressure and adverse cardiac events following acute ischaemic stroke: An individual patient data pooled analysis from the VISTA database

There is a U-shaped relationship between initial blood pressure at ischaemic stroke presentation and the risk of subsequent SHS.

Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source and Detection of Atrial Fibrillation on Follow-Up: How Much Causality Is There?

Representation of Chronic Kidney Disease in Randomized Controlled Trials Among Patients With Heart failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Systematic Review

Clinical Outcomes in Atrial Fibrillation Patients With a History of Cancer Treated With Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants

Thromboprophylaxis with NOACs rather than warfarin should be considered for the majority of the atrial fibrillation population with cancer.

Stroke and Thromboembolism in Warfarin-Treated Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Comparing the CHA2DS2-VASc and GARFIELD-AF Risk Scores

In a warfarin-treated trial cohort of AF patients, both CHA₂DS₂-VASc and GARFIELD-AF Stroke scores were associated with adjudicated TE events, with modest predictive capacity. The simpler CHA₂DS₂-VASc score improved discriminatory capacity compared with the more complex GARFIELD-AF score, demonstrating improved clinical usefulness and net clinical benefit.