Abstract Background: There have been scattered reports indicating the possibility that applied magnetic fields can lower human blood viscosity, which has been considered as encouraging for decreasing blood pressure as a result of greater fluidity. Additional motivation comes from partial studies in animals showing some response of vascular variables to magnetic fields. Recently developed FeNbB magnets enable topical application to appropriate sites of much stronger permanent magnetic fields than previously available. Objectives: To establish whether powerful magnetic fields permanently applied […]

Hypertension is a combination of genetic, environmental, and social factors, defined by blood pressure levels in which the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks. The global prevalence of hypertension is approximately 1.3 billion adults. The blood pressure control rates in developing countries in 2019 were 23% in women and 18% in men. Treatments range from lifestyle modification, medication treatment, and use of medical devices. The prevalence of resistant arterial hypertension is estimated between 12% to 15% among patients with hypertension. […]

Abstract Background Sudden cardiac death is the main lethal mechanism associated with Chagas cardiomyopathy. Studies suggest that dysautonomia may represent a relevant, intense, independent, and early phenomenon in the natural history of the disease, even when ventricular systolic function is preserved, and may also be the mechanism that triggers malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Objective To evaluate the degree of dysautonomia and its possible association with ventricular arrhythmias in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy, according to different categories of mortality risk, as defined […]

Abstract Background: The use of doxorubicin in chemotherapy has been associated with cardiotoxicity and heart failure. Physical exercise produces favorable morphofunctional adaptations in the cardiovascular system and may reverse cardiac dysfunction in patients undergoing chemotherapy. Objective: To assess the effects of physical training on myocardial structure, cardiac function, and exercise tolerance in Wistar rats initiated after the onset of cardiotoxicity-induced cardiotoxicity. Methods: This study investigated 30 adult male Wistar rats randomly divided into four groups: control (C), exercise (EX), doxorubicin […]

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a cytotoxic antineoplastic agent of the anthracycline family. It has been used as the first-line chemotherapy drug for treating various types of cancer, such as breast, lung and bladder cancer, and lymphoblastic leukemia. As any anthracycline, DOX is an effective chemotherapeutic drug. However, it holds a potentially lethal dose-dependent cardiovascular toxicity, which can manifest immediately or many years after chemotherapy, limiting its clinical application. After the discontinuation of DOX treatment, a seven-year follow-up of 1,807 patients reported […]

Abstract Background: The aging process may be associated with the accumulation of a wide variety of health damages, such as cardiovascular diseases. HF is the final common path of the majority of these diseases, and, in its refractory form, heart transplantation continues to be the best treatment choice. Objective: To describe the demographic and epidemiological profile of aging and elderly patients receiving heart transplant from 2009 to 2018. Methods: Retrospective, descriptive longitudinal study on heart transplantation in aging and elderly […]

Abstract Background: Therapeutic hypothermia is used in adults and neonates after cardiac arrest, but its efficiency in children under 18 years old is still uncertain. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and risks of therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest in children under 18 years of age through a systematic review. Methods: A systematic review was performed in January 2022 in the MEDLINE, SciELO, Cochrane, and LILACS databases. Inclusion criteria: randomized controlled trials (RCTs) performed in humans. Articles from other typologies, published […]

Abstract Background Hemodialysis (HD) patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have a particularly high risk of stroke and bleeding, but no high-quality evidence-based recommendations exist to properly manage these patients. Objectives We aim to evaluate the ischemic versus the hemorrhagic risk in a HD population with AF. Methods We selected incident patients that started hemodialysis between 2011 and 2015. All patients that had AF before HD, or developed AF during the follow-up, were included. Both CHA2DS2 -VASC and HAS-BLED scores were […]

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia worldwide, and it is a very frequent cause of increased morbidity and mortality in adults. This arrhythmia favors the formation of thrombi, which can lead to systemic embolism, such as ischemic stroke. To identify patients with thromboembolic risk, the most used score is the CHA2DS2VASC, which takes the following factors in consideration: heart failure, arterial hypertension, age, diabetes, previous stroke, vascular disease, and sex. It is worth emphasizing that this score […]

Abstract Background Frailty is a biological syndrome suggested as a better predictor of morbimortality than chronological age. Objective To assess associations between frailty and morbimortality outcomes in postoperative cardiac surgery. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted with cardiac surgery patients. Frailty and maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) were assessed before surgery. Postoperative outcomes were: extracorporeal circulation time; use of vasopressor; mean arterial pressure (MAP); red blood cell (RBC) transfusion; cardiac arrhythmia and/or heart arrest; presence of intra-aortic balloon pump; antibiotic […]

Abstract Introduction Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a genetic disease associated with frequent episodes of acute illness. Changes in the lipid profile and a chronic inflammatory process make up the molecular aspects observed in this disease. Associations between these mechanisms and clinical manifestations could thus define severity profiles and therapeutic strategies. Objectives To verify whether there is an association between lipid profile and clinical manifestations in patients with SCA and if there is a correlation between lipid profile and laboratory […]

Sickle cell disease is a hereditary, autosomal recessive pathology caused by the replacement of adenine by thymin in position 6 of the beta globin gene, producing anomalous hemoglobin (hemoglobin S- HbS). It is characterized by a chronic inflammatory state with hemolytic anemia and vaso-occlusive phenomena and occurs when the HbS gene is in homozygosis (SS) or heterozygosis, in association with other variant hemoglobins (SD, SC, SE) or thalassemia (). Sickle cell disease is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) […]

Abstract Background Children and adolescents with congenital heart disease may be more likely to develop atherogenic cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. Therefore, the early identification of risk factors and intervention in childhood may be crucial for a good quality of life and longevity. Objectives To describe the distribution of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c) levels and its association with socioeconomic, clinical and cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents with congenital heart disease. Methods Cross-sectional study with children and adolescents aged between 5 […]

Abstract Background Coronary flow and myocardial contractile performance assessed by strain magnitude increase during a dobutamine stress echocardiogram (DSE). Normal coronary flow reserve (CFR) can be attained upon completion of a DSE at age-predicted maximum heart rate (HR) (HRmax = 220 – age)] or submaximal HR [(0.85) HRmax] or before completion (early CFR). Objective To ascertain the association between delta strain and HR in patients with early normal CFR. Methods This prospective study included patients whose normal CFR was obtained […]

Abstract To review scientific evidence on the effects of a gluten-free diet on body composition and improvement of clinical and biochemical parameters of metabolic syndrome. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes – PRISMA guidelines were followed. A literature search was performed in the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Trip Database, Bireme and Scielo databases, without language restriction, until March 2021. The terms “gluten-free diet”, “obesity”, “metabolic syndrome”, and “weight loss”, and Boolean operators (AND/OR) were used. The clinical hypothesis was […]

Overall, weight gain and obesity are consequences of chronic energy imbalance, in which energy intake exceeds energy expenditure and leads to excessive energy (fat) storage. If gluten is a causative factor for weight gain, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown, and studies on non-coeliac individuals are scarce. Over recent years, gluten free diet (GFD) has become popular as books and social media have suggested that gluten consumption causes overweight and metabolic syndrome (MS) parameters. However, data supporting such statement are often […]

Introduction As the number of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reached tens of millions worldwide, the understanding of its clinical manifestations has grown. These have been described as a range of systemic repercussions resulting from an interplay between direct organ damage and exaggerated host immune response. , In a descriptive case series study of COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, 44% of patients had either elevated cardiac biomarkers or new changes in electrocardiogram (ECG) and imaging exams, and 34% of […]

Introduction Chest pain is one of the most common complaints in emergency departments, and internal medicine and cardiology clinics. Patients’ comorbidities and the clinical characterization of chest pain are cornerstones to guide symptom differentiation. Information about pain intensity, duration, localization, changes with posture/movement, and its reaction to nitroglycerin helps diagnose cardiac chest pain. Typical angina pectoris is the presence of substernal chest pain or discomfort provoked by exertion or emotional stress, and is relieved by rest and nitroglycerin. Angina pectoris […]

The case report from Castro et al., entitles Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction: A Frequent, but Neglected Cause of Chest Pain, opportunely sheds light on a highly relevant question in terms of public health, as it treats important aspects that encompass from the diagnosis to the pharmacological treatment of Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction (EIB).– EIB often leads to an isolated cough, as well as thoracic and abdominal pain, which should always be contemplated after having discarded other causes of dyspnea and exercise-induced chest pain.– It […]

Introduction Since December 2019, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused an exponential increase in acute respiratory syndrome cases and has rapidly spread to more than 210 regions, countries and territories, resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality in more than 100 countries worldwide. Over this period, several studies describing the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 have been published, allowing rapid dissemination of knowledge and helping health care professionals and policy makers to help patients with the disease. […]

In Case report “Coronary Artery Disease Associated with Coronary Anomaly and Situs Inversus Totalis in Man Submitted to Angioplasty”, with DOI number: https://doi.org/10.5935/2359-4802.20190022, published in International Journal of Cardiovascular Science, 33(2) in page 192-6. Correct the author’s name “Claudia Regina de Oliveira Catanheda” to “Claudia Regina de Oliveira Cantanheda”.   […]