Aims The purpose of this study was to verify the impact on the number and characteristics of coronary invasive procedures for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) of two hub centers with cardiac catheterization facilities, during the first month of lockdown following the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods Procedural data of ACS patients admitted between 10 March and 10 April 2020 were compared with those of the same period of 2019. Results We observed a 23.4% reduction in ACS admissions during 2020, with a decrease for both ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (–5.6%) and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (–34.5%), albeit not statistically significant (P = 0.2). During the first 15 days of the examined periods, the reduction in ACS admissions reached 52.5% (–25% for STEMI and –70.3% for non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, P = 0.04). Among STEMI patients, the rate of those with a time delay from symptoms onset longer than 180 min was significantly higher during the lockdown period (P = 0.01). Radiograph exposure (P = 0.01) was higher in STEMI patients treated in 2020 with a slightly higher amount of contrast medium (P = 0.1) and number of stents implanted (P = 0.1), whereas the number of treated vessels was reduced (P = 0.03). Percutaneous coronary intervention procedural success and in-hospital mortality were not different between the two groups and in STEMI patients (P NS for all). Conclusion During the early phase, the COVID-19 outbreak was associated with a lower rate of admissions for ACS, with a substantial impact on the time delay presentation of STEMI patients, but apparently without affecting the in-hospital outcomes.

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HSI and LAP differently predict the 4-year incidence of metabolic syndrome. In women, both indexes can be considered significant predictors, whereas in men only LAP can be considered predictive.

n-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are organic acids, essential for mammals, whose deficiency is associated with different diseases. The American Heart Association recommends that all adults increase food-derived n-3 PUFA intake and also suggests that patients with documented coronary heart disease consume approximately 1 g of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid per day. However, recent evidence broadens their potential application to many other health disorders directly or indirectly associated with cardiovascular disease risk such as rheumatological diseases, mood depression, chronic kidney disease, chronic inflammatory lung diseases and others. These effects seem to be largely dependent on the dosages employed and on the characteristics of the selected patients. The cardiometabolic effects of PUFAs have been largely reviewed elsewhere, so the aim of our review is to point out the potential usefulness of such drugs with pleiotropic effects in the management of the actual typical aging patient, with co-morbidities and multidrug therapies.

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It appears that the tested combined lipid-lowering nutraceutical is able to equally improve lipid metabolism in oral contraceptive induced hypercholesterolemia in women affected or not by PCOS.

SUA level is related the prevalence of both organic and rhythm ECG alterations in a wide sample of general population.

IntroductionFamilial combined hyperlipoproteinemia (FCHL) is a very common and aggressive genetic mixed hyperlipoproteinemia, with many features similar to that of the metabolic syndrome (MS). We aimed to evaluate whether the presence of the MS per se could account for a significant part of the elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk associated with FCHL.Material and methodsA retrospective cross-sectional evaluation of MS features’ influence on CVD prevalence in a large sample of adult Italian FCHL affected patients (64 familial clusters; 867 subjects) was carried out.ResultsAge is associated with early cardiovascular complications, both in men (OR 1.08, 95% CI: 1.05-1.11, p < 0.0001) and in women (OR 1.09, 95% CI: 1.04-1.13, p = 0.0001). No MS component appears to be related to cardiovascular complications in men, whilst only low plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) shows such a relation in women. Among non-MS parameters, only low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) plasma levels are significantly associated with early cardiovascular complications in male FCHL patients (LDL-C: OR 2.24, 95% CI: 1.02-4.91, p = 0.04; Lp(a): OR 4.64, 95% CI: 1.85-11.62, p = 0.001), but not in women (LDL-C: OR 1.83, 95% CI 0.53-6.34, p = 0.34; Lp(a): OR 3.65, 95% CI: 0.89-14.97, p = 0.07).ConclusionsOur data support the hypothesis that MS is not associated with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular complications in FCHL affected subjects, probably because of the strongest risk increase associated with the FCHL itself.