OBJECTIVES Increases in red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) predict the mortality of chronic heart failure patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). It was hypothesized that RDW is independent of and possibly even superior to NT-proBNP from the aspect of long-term mortality prediction. DESIGN The blood counts and...

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to examine the association of inflammatory markers with risk of first-ever cerebrovascular events (CVEs), while simultaneously evaluating subclinical vascular disease. METHODS AND RESULTS We enrolled 464 outpatients who had vascular risk factors without any preexisting cardiovascular disease. We examined the presence of silent lacunar infarction (SLI)...

AIM Soluble cell adhesion molecules, such as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1, E-selectin, and P-selectin, have been suggested to be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk; however, the nature and magnitude of the association between VCAM-1 and CVD risk is uncertain. We aimed to assess the association of VCAM-1 with CVD risk and determine ...

Background—Impaired vasodilator function is an early manifestation of coronary artery disease and may precede angiographic stenosis. It is unknown whether noninvasive assessment of coronary vasodilator function in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease carries incremental prognostic significance. Methods and Results—A total of 2783 consecutive patients referred for rest/stress...

BACKGROUND Left ventricular pump function requires a complex interplay involving myocardial fibers orientated in the longitudinal, oblique and circumferential directions. Long axis dysfunction appears to be an early marker for a number of pathological states. We hypothesized that mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) measured during cine-cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) reflect...

OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to perform an individual patient data meta-analysis of studies using B-type natriuretic peptides (BNPs) to predict the primary composite endpoint of cardiac death and nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) within 30 days of vascular surgery and to determine: 1) the cut points for a natriuretic peptide (NP) diagnostic, optimal, and screening test; and 2) if pr...

BACKGROUND Data regarding coronary artery calcification (CAC) prognosis in diabetic individuals are limited to 5-years follow-up. We investigated the long-term risk stratification of CAC among diabetic compared with nondiabetic individuals. METHODS AND RESULTS Nine thousand seven hundred and fifteen asymptomatic individuals undergoing CAC scoring were followed for a median (interquartile rang...

BACKGROUND Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the primary cause of death in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but current equations for assessing coronary risk have low accuracy in this group. We have reported that the addition of a genetic risk score (GRS) to the Framingham risk function improved its predictive capacity in the general population. The aims of this study were to evalua...

Records of repeated examinations of blood pressure are increasingly available for primary care patients, but the use of this information in predicting incident hypertension remains unclear, because cohort studies with repeat blood pressure monitoring are rare. We compared the incremental value of using data on blood pressure history to a single measure as in the Framingham hypertension risk sco...

BACKGROUND We conducted a prospective longitudinal study to investigate the yet unknown clinical significance of myocardial fibrosis in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy without history of congestive heart failure (CHF). METHODS AND RESULTS At 3 tertiary referral centers, 228 patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy without history of CHF were studied with cardiovascular magnetic res...