Dong Ryeol Ryu

Background and aim: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are routinely used in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to prevent gastrointestinal bleeding associated with dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). However, long-term PPI use has been linked to gut microbiota dysbiosis. Tegoprazan, a potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB), may exert distinct effects on the gut microbiome. This study compared the longitudinal effects of tegoprazan and pantoprazole on gut microbiota composition in patients with angina undergoing PCI. Methods: This prospective, randomized, controlled pilot study randomized 38 patients 1:1:1 to tegoprazan 50 mg once daily, pantoprazole 40 mg once daily, or no acid-suppressive therapy for 24 weeks. Five participants did not provide baseline fecal samples, and nine discontinued participation before week 24. Thus, 24 participants with paired baseline and week-24 fecal samples were included in the final analysis. Fecal samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results: No drug-related adverse events or gastrointestinal bleeding occurred in any group. Observed amplicon sequence variant (ASV) richness was significantly higher at week 24 than at baseline in the overall cohort (p = 0.003) and P-CAB group (p = 0.016), whereas the Shannon index showed no significant changes. Paired PERMANOVA with permutations restricted by patient ID revealed significant differences in Bray–Curtis beta diversity between baseline and week 24 in the P-CAB group (R² = 0.070, p = 0.031) and PPI group (R² = 0.059, p = 0.008), but not in the no acid-suppressive therapy group (R² = 0.021, p = 0.691). In the formal cross-arm analysis, the treatment group-by-visit interaction was not significant for Bray–Curtis beta diversity (R² = 0.021, pseudo-F = 0.505, p = 0.270). Although nominal within-arm taxonomic changes were observed, no treatment group-by-visit interaction survived Benjamini–Hochberg correction in ANCOM-BC2. Conclusion: Tegoprazan was well tolerated, with no drug-related adverse events or gastrointestinal bleeding during the 24-week follow-up. Both acid-suppressive treatment groups showed modest longitudinal microbiome changes. The taxon-level findings were exploratory and hypothesis-generating and should not be interpreted as definitive evidence of treatment-specific differential effects. Larger, adequately powered studies are required to confirm these observations.

Objectives: We compare the prevalence and health behavior indicators of hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, and other health behaviors between Gangwondo and the national average in South Korea using data of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2013 to 2021.Methods: KNHANES data was analyzed for adults aged 19 and older, with a focus on those aged 30+ for diabetes-related analyses. Age-standardized prevalence rates were used, with weighted integration by survey cycle to ensure reliability for smaller sample size of Gangwondo.Results: Gangwondo showed higher prevalence of hypertension (25.9%), metabolic syndrome (26.1%), and dyslipidemia (46.4%) compared to national averages. Hypertension awareness, treatment, and control rates were above the national average, though hypercholesterolemia treatment rates were lower. Diabetes prevalence (11.7%) increased steadily, with over half of diabetic patients also having hypertension or dyslipidemia.Conclusions: Gangwondo shows higher prevalence of hypertension, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, and increasing diabetes prevalence compared to national averages. While hypertension management indicators are strong, hypercholesterolemia treatment remains low. Declining smoking rates were observed, but further improvements in diet and physical activity are needed.

Background: Aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) shares risk factors with atherosclerosis. However, the relationship between AVS progression with cardiovascular (CV) risk has not been researched. This study investigates CV outcomes according to progression of AVS. Methods: This study included 2,901 patients with AVS (irregular leaflet thickening and peak aortic jet velocity < 2 m/sec) who underwent serial echocardiograms at least 1 year apart during 2011–2020. The primary outcome was defined as CV death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or revascularization. Results: During a median follow-up period of 3.9 years, 439 of 2,901 AVS patients (15.1%) progressed to mild or greater aortic stenosis. Patients with progression were older and more likely to have atrial fibrillation than those without. In a stepwise regression, age (odds ratio [OR] per 1-year increase, 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.07), peripheral artery disease (OR, 9.07; 95% CI, 3.12–26.4), and left ventricular mass index (OR per 1-g/m² increase, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00–1.02) were associated with AVS progression. Over a median of 6.3 years, the primary outcome occurred in 858 of 2,901 patients (29.6%). Patients with progression had higher frequency of CV death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or revascularization than those without progression (P < 0.0001). In Cox proportional hazards regression, AVS progression (hazard ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.10–1.61) was a significant determinant of CV mortality. Conclusions: The progression to aortic stenosis in AVS patients is an independent risk factor for CV mortality. These findings suggest that patients with AVS progression may benefit from stricter CV risk monitoring.

Background/Objectives: Self-recognition of recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI) may be essential for reducing prehospital time contrast to awareness of re-MI symptoms. However, data on the current status and clinical impact of self-recognition of re-MI are limited in the contemporary period. Thus, this study aimed to increase this body of knowledge. Methods: We enrolled 1018 patients with re-MI using data from the Korean Registry of Acute Myocardial Infarction for Regional Cardiocerebrovascular Centres. The patients were classified into self-recognised MI and unrecognised MI groups, and the differences between them were compared. Results: The rate of self-recognition among the patients with previous experience of MI was only 52.4%. Among the patients with re-MI, factors associated with self-recognition included recent first MI within 3 years, prior dyslipidaemia, two or more MI symptoms, and the male gender (p < 0.05). Factors associated with a lack of recognition were older age (≥70 years), prior stroke, and cancer history (p < 0.05). The proportion of symptoms-to-emergency room arrival time within 90 min among the patients with ST-elevation MI was significantly higher in the self-recognised group than in the unrecognised group (52.6% vs. 31.6%, p < 0.001). The self-recognised group showed a lower in-hospital mortality rate (1.5% vs. 6.2%, p < 0.001), and this benefit was maintained even after 1 year (hazard ratio: 0.53; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Only half of the patients who previously experienced a MI recognised a re-MI when it occurred. This recognition reduced prehospital delay and led to higher survival rates, which highlights the importance of patient education as well as objective monitoring devices, irrespective of individual recognition ability for immediate response.

BACKGROUND: Frailty frequently coexists with hypertension in older patients. We aimed to evaluate the association between frailty and positional change in blood pressure, especially orthostatic hypertension. METHODS: Participants were recruited from 12 University hospitals in South Korea. Using a digital device, trained research nurses measured blood pressure in the supine and standing positions. Physical frailty was evaluated using the Korean version of the FRAIL questionnaire, gait speed, and handgrip strength. Orthostatic hypertension was defined as a ≥20-mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure within 3 minutes of standing and upright systolic blood pressure of ≥140 mm Hg. RESULTS: We analyzed the data of 2065 participants who had been enrolled until December 31, 2022. The mean age was 73.2±5.6 years, and 52.0% were female. The mean blood pressure was 137.1±14.9/75.1±9.7 mm Hg. Among the participants, 1886 (91.3%) showed normal response after standing, but 94 (4.6%) had orthostatic hypertension, and 85 (4.1%) had orthostatic hypotension. Orthostatic hypertension was associated with female sex, obesity, cognitive function, physical frailty, and lower quality of life. In the multivariable analysis, body mass index and frailty status were independently associated with orthostatic hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Orthostatic hypertension is associated with physical frailty, cognitive impairment, and low quality of life in older patients with hypertension. Therefore, evaluation of orthostatic blood pressure changes to confirm orthostatic hypertension or hypotension in frail older adults will serve as an important diagnostic procedure in vulnerable patients. Further studies are required to identify the underlying mechanisms of this association.

Choi JY, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2024 Feb;39(10):e84. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e84

Background: Little research has been assessed atherosclerotic risk factors at various stages of calcific aortic valve disease. This study sought to determine risk factors of patients with aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) and mild to moderate aortic stenosis (AS).Methods: The study included 1,007 patients diagnosed with AVS or mild to moderate AS according to echocardiographic criteria. Patients were identified as a rapid progression group if the annualized difference in peak aortic jet velocity (Vmax) between two echocardiographic examinations was >0.08 m/s/yr in AVS and >0.3 m/s/yr in AS, respectively. We used multivariable logistic regression analyses to assess the factors associated with rapid disease progression or progression to severe AS.Results: Among 526 AVS patients, higher LDL-C level (odds ratio [OR] 1.22/per 25 mg/dl higher LDL-C, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05–1.43) was significantly associated with rapid disease progression. Compared to patients with LDL-C level <70 mg/dl, the adjusted OR for rapid progression were 1.32, 2.15, and 2.98 for those with LDL-C level of 70–95 mg/dl, 95–120 mg/dl, and ≥120 mg/dl, respectively. Among 481 mild to moderate AS patients, the baseline Vmax (OR 1.79/per 0.5 m/s higher Vmax, 95% CI 1.18–2.70) was associated with rapid progression. Compared to patients with Vmax 2.0–2.5 m/s, the adjusted OR for rapid progression were 2.47, 2.78, and 3.49 for those with Vmax of 2.5–3.0 m/s, 3.0–3.5 m/s, and 3.5–4.0 m/s, respectively. LDL-C and baseline Vmax values were independently associated with progression to severe AS.Conclusion: Atherosclerotic risk factors such as LDL-C were significantly associated with the rapid progression in AVS and baseline Vmax was important in the stage of mild to moderate AS.

The pressure increase per time unit (dP/dt) in aortic stenosis (AS) jet velocity is assumed to have inter-individual variability in the progressive AS stage. We sought to examine the association of aortic valve (AoV) Doppler-derived dP/dt in patients with mild to moderate AS with risk of progression to severe disease. A total of 481 patients diagnosed with mild or moderate AS [peak aortic jet velocity (Vmax) between 2 and 4 m/s] according to echocardiographic criteria were included. AoV Doppler-derived dP/dt was determined by measuring the time needed for the pressure to increase at a velocity of the AoV jet from 1 m/s to 2 m/s. During a median follow-up period of 2.7 years, 12 of 404 (3%) patients progressed from mild to severe AS and 31 of 77 (40%) patients progressed from moderate to severe AS. AoV Doppler-derived dP/dt had a good ability to predict risk of progression to severe AS (area under the curve = 0.868) and the cut-off value was 600 mmHg/s. In multivariable logistic regression, initial AoV calcium score (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18–2.73; P = 0.006) and AoV Doppler-derived dP/dt (aOR, 1.52/100 mmHg/s higher dP/dt; 95% CI, 1.10–2.05; P = 0.012) were associated with progression to severe AS. AoV Doppler-derived dP/dt above 600 mmHg/s was associated with risk of AS progression to the severe stage in patients with mild to moderate AS. This may be useful in individualized surveillance strategies for AS progression. Aortic valve Doppler-derived dP/dt above 600 mmHg/s has an ability to predict the risk of progression to severe aortic stenosis in patients with mild to moderate disease. AS, aortic stenosis; AoV, aortic valve.

Lee BK, et al. J Cardiovasc Interv. 2023 Apr;2:e20. https://doi.org/10.54912/jci.2023.0009

Background. Total ischemic time (TIT) is an important factor for predicting mortality among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the correlation between TIT and the extent of wall motion abnormality has not been well studied. Therefore, we investigated changes in the wall motion score index (WMSI) value based on TIT in STEMI patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and subsequent transthoracic echocardiography. Methods. STEMI patients who underwent primary PCI and follow-up coronary angiography were analyzed after the exclusion of cases of in-stent restenosis (ISR). WMSI values were calculated by dividing the sum of scores by the number of segments visualized. Results. A total of 189 patients underwent primary PCI for STEMI, and 151 had no ISR with a median follow-up of 12.3 months. TIT was 180 (117–369) minutes in a subset of 151 patients (mean age of 62 years; 76% male). Among patients without ISR, 109 (72%) demonstrated a decrease in the WMSI value during the follow-up period. The WMSI values of patients with TITs of 180 minutes or less were significantly decreased relative to those among patients with TITs of greater than 180 minutes ( p = 0.020 ). Among patients with TITs of 180 minutes or less, the TIT was significantly shorter among those with a reduction in the WMSI value than among those with an increase in the WMSI value (106 [81–124] vs. 133 [100–151] minutes; p = 0.018 ). TIT was an independent predictor for a reduction in the WMSI value among these patients (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.976 (0.957–0.995); p = 0.016 ). Conclusions. In the modern reperfusion era of STEMI, patients with TITs of 180 minutes or less experienced a significant degree of recovery from regional wall motion abnormalities.