The 2nd–4th digit ratio (2D:4D) and neck circumference: implications for risk factors in coronary heart disease

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) increases the risk cardiovascular events regardless of the presence of previous cardiovascular disease. As both OSAS and coronary heart disease (CHD) have same risk factors it’s often difficult to quantify the proportion of each risk factor in developing cardiac events. The aim of this study was to evaluate the 10-year risk of developing a coronary heart disease (CHD) event or stroke in newly diagnosed OSAS patients. 65 patients diagnosed with OSAS over a period of four months in Oradea Sleep Laboratory were included. Demographic characteristics, anthropometric parameters, clinical and biochemical data, sleep disorder and daytime sleepiness assessment, results of polysomnography were collected in all patients. In 55 selected patients by age range from 34 to 74 years old, cardiovascular risk was assessed using Framingham score calculator. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS-PC version 7.5 and Stata 10.The estimated 10-years risk of a CHD event was 18.97% (± 9.67) in all cases. It was higher in men (22.17% ± 9.24) compare to women (12.39% ± 6.92) and it was not significantly different by stages of OSAS severity (20.58% ±9.41 in patients with severe OSAS versus 15.4% in mild OSAS), suggesting that apnea hypopnea index is not a major confounding factor. Desaturation of oxygen is a better outcome to define the relation between OSAS and cardiovascular diseases. OSAS and cardiovascular risk factors increased risk for future adverse cardiovascular events related to the severity of oxygen desaturation. Keywords: obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, cardiovascular events, risk factors, oxygen desaturation

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Optical coherent tomography for the diagnostic of non-obstructive coronary artery myocardial infarction

European Journal of Preventive Cardiology ◽

10.1093/eurjpc/zwab061.060 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

I Leonova ◽

S Boldueva ◽

V Feoktistova ◽

D Evdokimov

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Myocardial Infarction ◽

Coronary Heart Disease ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Coronary Artery ◽

Coronary Angiography ◽

Atherosclerotic Plaque ◽

St Elevation ◽

Spontaneous Dissection

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. The widespread use of coronary angiography (CAG) in patients with acute coronary syndrome led to the understanding that in some patients myocardial infarction (MI) occurs against angiographically unchanged or slightly modified coronary arteries (CA). In such cases, the so-called "type 2 IM" is diagnosed in some patients, however, to determine the true cause of MI, a modern method of investigation such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) is needed to visualize the intima of the CA and detect a minimal atherosclerotic process. The purpose of the study was to establish the etiology of MI without obstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA) using OCT. Materials and methods 160 conclusions of the OCT were analyzed. In 9 (6%) cases, the study was conducted in patients who underwent proven MI (mean age 43,1 ± 13,2, 8 males, 1 female) who had no hemodynamically significant CA stenosis according to CAG data. Results in 2 cases (22%) patients had ST-elevation MI, thrombotic occlusion of the CA (in one case, thrombaspiration was performed). In both patients, spontaneous dissection of the intima of the unmodified CA was detected in the OCT. The remaining 7 patients had non-ST-elevation MI, and in 2 cases, a diagnosis of type 2 MI was established: in both patients, the atherosclerotic plaque was visualized, narrowing the lumen of the CA less than 50%, in one case MI developed against a background of the hypertensive crisis, in another - against a background of spasm of CA. In the remaining 5 patients, OCT revealed subintimal atheromatous, with elements of local dissection of the intima. Thus, in 78% of patients atherosclerosis of CA of different severity (from the subintimal deposition of lipids to the development of atherosclerotic plaque, narrowing the clearance of the SC by less than 50%) was diagnosed. In the analysis of risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD), 57% of patients with atheromatous CA had more than 2 risk factors for CHD: 3 (42%) smoked, 5 (71%) - obesity, 4 (57% ) - had arterial hypertension, 3 (42%) had dyslipidemia, 1 (14%) had type 2 diabetes. In the group of patients with spontaneous intima dissection of the CA, 1 patient (woman) did not have CHD risk factors, the 2-nd suffered from obesity and hypertension. For all patients a lifestyle correction was recommended; statins, antiplatelets were prescribed, patients with spontaneous dissection of CA had the recommendation of examination in the medical-genetic center. Conclusion Based on the results of the study, in most cases, the cause of IMBOC development was an atherosclerotic lesion of the coronary arteries, which is not always visualized with standard coronary angiography. Basically, the patients were young and middle-aged. Most patients had different risk factors for coronary heart disease.

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Psychometric Properties of the Translated Tai Chi Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale for Chinese Adults with Coronary Heart Disease or Risk Factors

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18073651 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 3651

Author(s):

Ting Liu ◽

Aileen Wai Kiu Chan ◽

Ruth E. Taylor-Piliae ◽

Kai-Chow Choi ◽

Sek-Ying Chair

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Coronary Heart Disease ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Mandarin Chinese ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Tai Chi ◽

Chinese Adults ◽

Forward Translation ◽

Tai Chi Exercise

Tai Chi is an effective exercise option for individuals with coronary heart disease or its associated risk factors. An accurate and systematic assessment of a Mandarin-speaking adults’ self-efficacy in maintaining Tai Chi exercise is lacking. Mandarin Chinese has the most speakers worldwide. This study aimed to translate the Tai Chi Exercise Self-Efficacy scale and examine its psychometric properties. The 14-item Tai Chi Exercise Self-Efficacy scale was translated from English into Mandarin Chinese using a forward-translation, back-translation, committee approach, and pre-test procedure. Participants with coronary heart disease or risk factors (n = 140) enrolled in a cross-sectional study for scale validation. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit of the two-factor structure (Tai Chi exercise self-efficacy barriers and performance) to this sample. The translated scale demonstrated high internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s α value of 0.97, and good test-retest reliability, with an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.86 (p < 0.01). Participants with prior Tai Chi experience reported significantly higher scores than those without (p < 0.001), supporting known-group validity. A significant correlation was observed between the translated scale and total exercise per week (r = 0.37, p < 0.01), providing evidence of concurrent validity. The Mandarin Chinese version of the Tai Chi Exercise Self-Efficacy scale is a valid and reliable scale for Chinese adults with coronary heart disease or risk factors.

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