Physical exercise is commonly regarded as protective against cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recent studies have reported that exercise alters the gut microbiota and that modification of the gut microbiota can influence cardiac function. Here, we focused on the relationships among exercise, the gut microbiota and cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI). Four-week-old C57BL/6J mice were exercised on a treadmill for 4 weeks before undergoing left coronary artery ligation. Cardiac function was assessed using echocardiography. Gut microbiomes were evaluated post-exercise and post-MI using 16S rRNA gene sequencing on an Illumina HiSeq platform. Exercise training inhibited declines in cardiac output and stroke volume in post-MI mice. In addition, physical exercise and MI led to alterations in gut microbial composition. Exercise training increased the relative abundance of Butyricimonas and Akkermansia. Additionally, key operational taxonomic units were identified, including 24 lineages (mainly from Bacteroidetes, Barnesiella, Helicobacter, Parabacteroides, Porphyromonadaceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Ureaplasma) that were closely related to exercise and cardiac function. These results suggested that exercise training improved cardiac function to some extent in addition to altering the gut microbiota; therefore, they could provide new insights into the use of exercise training for the treatment of CVD.

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BackgroundHemoconcentration has been proposed as surrogate for changes in volume status among patients hospitalized with acute heart failure (AHF) and is associated with a favorable outcome. However, there is a dearth of research assessing the clinical outcomes of hospitalized patients with hemoconcentration, hemodilution and unchanged volume status.MethodsWe enrolled 510 consecutive patients hospitalized for AHF from April 2011 to July 2015. Hematocrit (HCT) levels were measured at admission and either at discharge or on approximately the seventh day of admission. Patients were stratified by delta HCT tertitles into hemodilution (ΔHCT ≤ − 1.6%), no change (NC, −1.6% < ΔHCT ≤1.5%) and hemoconcentration (ΔHCT >1.5%) groups. The endpoint was all-cause death, with a median follow-up duration of 18.9 months.ResultsHemoconcentration was associated with lower left ventricle ejection fraction, as compared with NC and hemodilution groups, while renal function at entry, New York Heart Association class IV, and in-hospital worsening renal function (WRF) were not significantly different across the three groups. After multivariable adjustment, hemoconcentration had a lower risk of mortality as compared with hemodilution [hazard ratio (HR) 0.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24–0.63, P < 0.001], or NC (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.33–0.88, P = 0.015], while hemodilution and NC did not have significantly differ in mortality (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.48–1.10, P = 0.130).ConclusionsIn patients hospitalized with AHF, an increased HCT during hospitalization is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality than a decreased or unchanged HCT. Furthermore, all-cause mortality does not differ significantly between patients with unchanged and decreased HCT values.

Background We aimed to explore electrophysiological characteristics of premature atrial contractions (PACs) originating from pulmonary veins (PVs) and non‐PVs and to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of catheter ablation for PACs. Hypothesis Symptomatic PACs originated from different positions and whether could be ablated. Methods Symptomatic, frequent, and drug‐refractory PAC patients were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent electrophysiological study and catheter ablation. Results A total of 81 patients were enrolled: 45 patients with PACs originating from PVs (group A), 24 patients with PACs originating from non‐PVs (group B), and 12 patients with PACs arising from both PVs and non‐PVs (group C). Twenty (44.4%) patients in group A, 6 (50.0%) patients in group C, and 3 (12.5%) patients in group B presented paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (P < 0.05). PV isolation was performed in groups A and C. Focal ablation or superior vena cava isolation was performed in groups B and C, depending on patient condition. PACs were abolished in all patients except one patient in group B. During a median follow‐up period of 21.3 ± 14.3 months, 40 (88.9%) patients in group A, 10 (83.3%) patients in group C, and 21 (87.5%) patients in group B were free of recurrence after initial ablation. Conclusions Frequent PACs originating from PVs were associated with increased incidence of atrial fibrillation compared with PACs originating from non‐PVs. Catheter ablation yields a satisfactory success rate and could be a good choice for eliminating symptomatic, frequent, and drug‐refractory PACs.

Background: Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a risk factor for cognitive impairment. Objective: We aim to explore the association between the duration of hypertension in early adulthood, with cognitive function in midlife. Furthermore, we investigate whether this asssociation is altered among participants with controlled BP. Methods: This prospective study included 2,718 adults aged 18–30 years without hypertension at baseline who participated in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Duration of hypertension was calculated based on repeat measurements of BP performed at 2, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years after baseline. Cognitive function was assessed at Year-25 using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and Stroop test. Results: After multivariable adjustment, a longer hypertension duration was associated with worse verbal memory (RAVLT, p trend = 0.002) but not with processing speed (DSST, p trend = 0.112) and executive function (Stroop test, p trend = 0.975). Among subgroups of participants with controlled (BP < 140/90 mmHg) and uncontrolled (SBP≥140 mmHg or DBP≥90 mmHg) BP at the time of cognitive assessment (i.e., Year-25 BP), longer duration of hypertension was associated with worse verbal memory. Similar results were observed in subgroups with controlled and uncontrolled average BP prior to cognitive assessment. Conclusion: Longer duration of hypertension during early adulthood is associated with worse verbal memory in midlife regardless of current or long-term BP control status. The potential risk of hypertension associated cognitive decline should not be overlooked in individuals with a long duration of hypertension, even if BP levels are controlled.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the association between triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index/homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) within young adults and congestive heart failure (CHF), and to explore whether TyG index can replace HOMA-IR as a surrogate marker for IR in predicting the risk of CHF.MethodsA total of 4,992 participants between the ages of 18 and 30 years were enrolled from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) investigation [from 1985 to 1986 (year 0)]. A Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was conducted for assessing correlations between baseline TyG index/HOMA-IR and CHF events, together with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve employed for scrutinizing TyG index/HOMA-IR and the risk of CHF.ResultsDuring the 31-year follow-up period, 64 (1.3%) of the 4,992 participants developed CHF. In multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for confounding factors for CHF, an increased risk of CHF was associated with a per-unit increase in the TyG index [hazard ratio (HR) 2.8; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.7–4.7] and HOMA-IR (HR 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1–1.3). A Kaplan–Meier curve analysis showed that participants in the TyG index and HOMA-IR index Q4 group had a higher risk of CHF than those in the Q1 group. The area under curve (AUC) for the TyG index and HOMA-IR consisted of 0.67 (95% CI, 0.6–0.742) and 0.675 (95% CI, 0.604–0.746), respectively. There were no significant differences between the TyG index and HOMA-IR for AUC (p = 0.986).ConclusionThe higher TyG index and HOMA-IR are independent risk factors for CHF. The TyG index can replace HOMA-IR in young adulthood as a surrogate marker for IR to predict the risk of CHF.

Background Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a novel marker of chronic inflammation and is considered to be a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) in Caucasians. This study investigated the role of suPAR in young Chinese patients with CAD. Methods The study involved a total of 196 consecutive young (age ≤ 55 years) patients with angiographically proven CAD and 188 age-matched non-CAD individuals as controls. Traditional risk factors were evaluated using conventional assays, and levels of suPAR were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results Levels of suPAR were significantly correlated with age (r = 0.20, P = 0.04), smoking (r = 0.33, P = 0.008), body mass index (r = 0.21, P = 0.03), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP; r = 0.31, P = 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that male sex (odds ratio (OR) = 3.12; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.18–8.25, P = 0.02), smoking (OR = 3.41, 95% CI = 1.55–7.50, P = 0.002), triglyceride (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.10–3.25, P = 0.02), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.02–0.03, P = 0.03), and suPAR (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.09–1.72, P = 0.007) were independently associated with CAD risk in young patients. Conclusions SuPAR is a novel independent risk factor for CAD in young Chinese patients. Further studies evaluating the effect of anti-inflammatory treatment on the suPAR levels and the risk of CAD are needed.

AimsThis study sought to investigate the association between blood pressure (BP) trajectories from early to middle adulthood and echocardiographic indices of structure and function in middle age. Methods and resultsThis prospective cohort study included 4717 black and white adults aged 18-30 years at baseline (1985-86) who were followed over 30 years in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. Trajectories of systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), and pulse pressure (PP) from the Year 0 examination to Year 30 examination were identified using latent mixture modelling. Echocardiographic indices of myocardial structure, systolic function, and diastolic function were assessed at the Year 30 examination. Five distinct SBP trajectory groups were identified: low-stable [1110 participants (23.5%)], moderate-stable [2188 (46.4%)], high-stable [850 (18.0%)], moderate-increasing [416 (8.8%)], and high-increasing [153 (3.2%)]. After adjustment for clinical variables, a significant decreasing trend was observed from the high-increasing and moderate-increasing groups through to the low-stable group for left ventricular (LV) mass index [mean (SE): high-increasing, 112.3 (3.4); moderate-increasing, 99.3 (2.6); high-stable, 88.9 (2.5); moderate-stable, 86.1 (2.3); low-stable, 82.1 (2.4), P trend < 0.01], as well as LV end-diastolic dimension, left atrial volume index, and E/e′, while an increasing trend was apparent for LV longitudinal strain, E/A ratio, and average e′ velocities. Results were generally consistent for trajectories of DBP and PP. Conclusions Higher BP trajectories from early to middle adulthood were associated with worse indices of myocardial modelling and LV systolic and diastolic function at middle age.