To explore cardiometabolic risk profiles, the probability of sustainable control, and the effectiveness of treatment with sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in black and white adults in the United States with type 2 diabetes.Using nationally representative US electronic medical records, 72 690 white and 10 004 black adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes initiating SGLT2 inhibito...

Background Several small-scale animal studies have suggested that gut microbiota and blood pressure (BP) are linked. However, results from human studies remain scarce and conflicting. We wanted to elucidate the multivariable-adjusted association between gut metagenome and BP in a large, representative, well-phenotyped population sample. We performed a focused analysis to examine the previously ...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is more common in athletes and may be associated with adverse left atrial (LA) remodelling. We compared LA structure and function in athletes and non-athletes with and without AF.Individuals (144) were recruited from four groups (each n = 36): (i) endurance athletes with paroxysmal AF, (ii) endurance athletes without AF, (iii) non-athletes with paroxysmal AF, and (iv) n...

Observational series suggest a mortality benefit from metformin in the heart failure (HF) population. However, the benefit of metformin in HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has yet to be explored. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify whether variation in EF impacts mortality outcomes in HF patients treated with metformin.MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched up to...

MRI sensitivity for diagnosis and localization of early myocarditis is limited, although it is of central clinical interest. The aim of this project was to test a contrast agent targeting activated platelets consisting of microparticles of iron oxide (MPIO) conjugated to a single-chain antibody directed against ligand-induced binding sites (LIBS) of activated glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (= LIBS-MPIO)...

The recently discovered tigecycline-inactivating enzyme Tet(X4) can confer high-level tigecycline resistance on its hosts, which makes it a public health concern. This study focused on isolation and screening of Tet(X4)-positive Enterobacteriaceae from the gut microbiota of a cohort of healthy individuals in Singapore.MinION and Illumina sequencing was performed to obtain the complete genome se...

Sympathetic activity and insulin resistance have recently been linked with chronic tendon and musculoskeletal pain. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is linked with insulin resistance and increased sympathetic drive and was therefore an appropriate condition to study the effects of modulating sympathetic activity on Achilles tendon and musculoskeletal symptoms.A secondary analysis of a double-blinded...

To determine if Victorian State of Emergency (SOE) measures to combat COVID-19 were associated with delayed presentations or management of acute stroke and acute myocardial infarction (AMI).This was a retrospective, pre- and post-implementation study using data from an adult, tertiary cardiology and neurosciences centre with 24-h capacity for endovascular procedures. All primary presentations w...

Orthopaedic injury can lead to decreased physical activity. Valid measures for assessing physical activity are therefore needed in this population. The aim of this study was to determine the agreement and concordance between the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ) and device-measured physical activity and sitting time in orthopaedic injury patients. Adults with isola...

Women who experience vascular complications of pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia, hypertension and diabetes, are at increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Yet patients and their medical providers have low awareness of the significance of these 'non-traditional' cardiovascular risk factors. We aimed to determine the prevalence and medical provider awareness of pregnancy-related cardio...

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality in Australian women. We identified gender differences in healthy lifestyle adherence in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for CAD.Consecutive patients were prospectively recruited from three Australian institutions (2016-2017). The primary endpoint at 1 year follow-up was healthy lifestyle adherence def...

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Australia. Investment in research solutions has been demonstrated to yield health and a 9.8-fold return economic benefit. The sector, however, is severely challenged with success rates of traditional peer-reviewed funding in decline. Here, we aimed to understand the perceived challenges faced by the cardiovascular workforce in Australia pr...

Despite advances in medical and interventional management of acute myocardial infarction, treatment of the associated chest pain has remained relatively unchanged since opioids were first utilized in the 1930's. This dominance can be partially attributed to initial studies suggesting hemodynamic benefits with opioid treatment. However, delayed gastrointestinal absorption of P2Y inhibitors due t...

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is an established treatment for patients with advanced heart failure. To date, studies evaluating the impact of aerobic training in patients with LVADs have focused on moderate-intensity exercise.This pilot randomized controlled trial compared the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with those of moderate-intensity continuous tra...

To assess the effect of HIV infection and combined antiretroviral therapy (c-ART) on various proatherogenic biomarkers and lipids and to investigate their relationship with subclinical atherosclerosis in a cohort of treatment-naive HIV-infected patients.We performed a prospective, comparative, multicenter study of 2 groups of treatment-naive HIV-infected patients (group A, CD4>500 cells/μL, not...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), defined as dysfunction of the glomerular filtration apparatus, is an independent risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with CKD are at a substantially higher risk of cardiovascular mortality compared with the age- and sex-adjusted general population with normal kidney function. The risk of CAD and mortality in patients with CKD ...

Combined catheter ablation (CA) and left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) has been proposed for management of symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with high stroke and bleeding risk. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of combined CA and LAAC, compared with CA and standard oral anticoagulation (OAC) in symptomatic AF.A Markov model was developed to assess total costs, quality-adjusted...

Levels of physical activity change throughout the year. However, little is known to what extent activity levels can vary, based on accelerometer determined sedentary and physically-active time. The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine older adults' activity changes from a non-snowfall season to a subsequent snowfall season, with consideration of the co-dependence of domains of time use...