Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with an increased risk of heart failure (HF) development. Diverse microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to appear in the bloodstream following various cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to identify prognostic miRNAs associated with LV dysfunction following AMI. Patients were divided into subgroups comprising patients who developed or not LV dysfunction within six months of the infarction. miRNA profiles were determined in plasma and serum samples of the patients on the first day of AMI. Levels of 14 plasma miRNAs and 16 serum miRNAs were significantly different in samples from AMI patients who later developed LV dysfunction compared to those who did not. Two miRNAs were up-regulated in both types of material. Validation in an independent group of patients, using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) confirmed that miR-30a-5p was significantly elevated on admission in those patients who developed LV dysfunction and HF symptoms six months after AMI. A bioinformatics analysis indicated that miR-30a-5p may regulate genes involved in cardiovascular pathogenesis. This study demonstrates, for the first time, a prognostic value of circulating miR-30a-5p and its association with LV dysfunction and symptoms of HF after AMI.

the proposed concept of a lifelong calculated follow-up is a useful strategy in the risk stratification of SD. Multiple FHSD is a very ominous risk factor with strong impact, predicting frequent SD episodes in the early period of life.

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria is a rare genetic disorder resulting from mutations in the LMNA gene encoding lamin A/C. In addition to the classical phenotype usually caused by the 1824C>T mutation of LMNA, a number of atypical progeroid syndromes have been described. They have some distinct features, such as skeletal deformities or scleroderma-like skin changes. The underlying defect is usually a homozygous mutation of LMNA, or a combined defect of LMNA and another gene, for example, ZMPSTE-24. We present a 2-year-old girl born to consanguineous parents affected by progeroid syndrome with scleroderma-like skin changes. Genetic analysis revealed the homozygous LMNA mutation 1303C>T (R435C). The same heterozygous mutation was found in the patient's parents and 11 other family members. The progeroid syndrome in our patient shares the signs of two laminopathies: progeria and restrictive dermatopathy. Two other children in the family died at the age of 2 due to a disease similar to that in the proposita. On the basis of the family pedigree we presume that these children probably had the same homozygous LMNA mutation. Scleroderma-like skin changes in infants, associated with growth retardation and dysmorphic features, suggest premature aging syndrome, requiring genetic testing and counseling of asymptomatic carriers of LMNA mutations.

Aims To assess the proportion of patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) who are eligible for sacubitril/valsartan (LCZ696) based on the European Medicines Agency/Food and Drug Administration (EMA/FDA) label, the PARADIGM‐HF trial and the 2016 ESC guidelines, and the association between eligibility and outcomes. Methods and results Outpatients with HFrEF in the ESC‐EORP‐HFA Long‐Term Heart Failure (HF‐LT) Registry between March 2011 and November 2013 were considered. Criteria for LCZ696 based on EMA/FDA label, PARADIGM‐HF and ESC guidelines were applied. Of 5443 patients, 2197 and 2373 had complete information for trial and guideline eligibility assessment, and 84%, 12% and 12% met EMA/FDA label, PARADIGM‐HF and guideline criteria, respectively. Absent PARADIGM‐HF criteria were low natriuretic peptides (21%), hyperkalemia (4%), hypotension (7%) and sub‐optimal pharmacotherapy (74%); absent Guidelines criteria were LVEF>35% (23%), insufficient NP levels (30%) and sub‐optimal pharmacotherapy (82%); absent label criteria were absence of symptoms (New York Heart Association class I). When a daily requirement of ACEi/ARB ≥ 10 mg enalapril (instead of ≥ 20 mg) was used, eligibility rose from 12% to 28% based on both PARADIGM‐HF and guidelines. One‐year heart failure hospitalization was higher (12% and 17% vs. 12%) and all‐cause mortality lower (5.3% and 6.5% vs. 7.7%) in registry eligible patients compared to the enalapril arm of PARADIGM‐HF. Conclusions Among outpatients with HFrEF in the ESC‐EORP‐HFA HF‐LT Registry, 84% met label criteria, while only 12% and 28% met PARADIGM‐HF and guideline criteria for LCZ696 if requiring ≥ 20 mg and ≥ 10 mg enalapril, respectively. Registry patients eligible for LCZ696 had greater heart failure hospitalization but lower mortality rates than the PARADIGM‐HF enalapril group.

A b s t r a c t Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently coexists with heart failure (HF).Aim: To assess clinical characteristics and to identify predictors of one-year outcome of patients hospitalised for HF, depending on whether they were in sinus rhythm (SR) or had AF. Methods:The study included Polish patients hospitalised for HF, participating in the Heart Failure Pilot Survey of the European Society of Cardiology, who were followed for 12 months after discharge. Patients with paced heart rhythm were excluded from the study. The primary endpoint was all-cause death at 12 months. Results:The final analysis included 587 patients. AF occurred in 215 (36.6%) patients. Compared to patients in SR, patients with AF were older, more often had a history of previous HF hospitalisation, were characterised by a higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, higher heart rate, and lower diastolic blood pressure at hospital admission, and had higher serum creatinine and lower haemoglobin concentration at admission. In-hospital mortality was higher in AF patients compared to SR patients (5.1% vs. 2.4%, respectively), but the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.1). The primary endpoint occurred in 41 of 215 AF patients (19.1%) and in 40 of 372 SR patients (10.8%; p = 0.006). In a multivariate analysis, predictors of the primary endpoint in AF patients were: higher NYHA class at hospital admission (p = 0.02), higher admission heart rate (p = 0.04), lower admission serum sodium concentration (p = 0.0001), and higher heart rate at discharge (p = 0.01). In patients with SR, independent predictors of the primary endpoint included: older age (p = 0.007), lower serum sodium concentration at admission (p = 0.0006), and higher heart rate at discharge (p = 0.008). Conclusions:Patients with HF and concomitant AF differ significantly from HF patients in SR. In the studied group of real-world HF patients, serum sodium concentration at hospital admission and heart rate at hospital discharge were independent prognostic factors in patients with AF and in patients in SR. In contrast to SR patients, heart rate at hospital admission in AF patients was also predictive of long-term mortality.

A b s t r a c tBackground: Over the last few decades, the incidence and prevalence of chronic heart failure (HF) have been constantly increasing. Aim:To identify predictors of one-year mortality and hospital readmissions in patients discharged after hospitalisation for HF. Methods:The study included Polish patients who agreed to participate in the Heart Failure Pilot Survey of the European Society of Cardiology and were followed for 12 months. The primary endpoint was all-cause death at 12 months. The secondary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death and readmission for cardiac causes at 12 months. Results:The final analysis included 629 patients. The primary end point occurred in 68 of 629 patients (10.8%). In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of one-year mortality were: higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) class at admission (odds ratio [OR] 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-3.59; p = 0.0478), inotropic support during hospitalisation (OR 3.95; 95% CI 1.49-10.47; p = 0.0056), and lower glomerular filtration rate at discharge (OR 0.978; 95% CI 0.961-0.995; p = 0.0117). The secondary endpoint occurred in 278 of 503 patients (55.3%). In multivariate analysis, predictors of secondary endpoint were a history of previous coronary revascularisation (OR 2.403; 95% CI 1.221-4.701; p = 0.002) and inotropic support during hospitalisation (OR 2.521; 95% CI 1.062-5.651; p = 0.009). Conclusions:Patients discharged after hospitalisation for HF remained at high risk of death and hospital readmission. A previous history of coronary revascularisation, decreased renal function, and worse clinical status at admission with the need for inotropic support were predictors of one-year outcome in Polish patients hospitalised for HF.

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Compared with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HF-REF), the diagnosis of HF with preserved EF (HF-PEF) is more challenging. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of HF-PEF among patients hospitalized for HF, to evaluate the pertinence of HF-PEF diagnosis and to compare HF-PEF and HF-REF patients with respect to outcomes. The analysis included 661 Polish patients hospitalized for HF, selected from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)-HF Long-Term Registry. Patients with an EF of ≥50% were included in the HF-PEF group and patients with an EF of <50% - in the HF-REF group. The primary end point was all-cause death at 1 year. The secondary end point was a composite of all-cause death and rehospitalization for HF at 1 year. HF-PEF was present in 187 patients (28%). Of those 187 patients, mitral inflow pattern was echocardiographically assessed in 116 patients (62%) and classified as restrictive/pseudonormal in 37 patients (20%). Compared with HF-REF subjects, patients with HF-PEF were older, more often female, and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, atrial fibrillation and sleep apnea. Despite lower B-type natriuretic peptide concentrations and lower prevalence of moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation in patients with HF-PEF, congestive symptoms at admission were as severe as in patients with HF-REF. There were no significant differences in in-hospital mortality between the HF groups. One-year mortality was high in both groups (17% in HF-PEF vs 21% in HF-REF, p = 0.22). There was a trend toward a lower frequency of the secondary end point in the HF-PEF group (32% vs 40%, p = 0.07). In conclusion, in clinical practice, even easily obtainable echocardiographic indexes of diastolic dysfunction are relatively rarely acquired. One-year survival rate of patients with HF-PEF is not significantly better than that of patients with HF-REF.