Remnant lipoproteins play an important role of in-stent restenosis in type 2 diabetes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: a single-centre observational cohort study

Development and validation of a nomogram for in-stent restenosis within 2 years in patients after iliac or femoral artery stent placement

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyze the risk factors for in-stent restenosis (ISR) within 2 years after iliac or femoral artery stent placement.

METHODS

Clinical data of 237 patients diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and receiving iliac or femoral artery stent placement for the first time in the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2015 to December 2022 were analyzed. Patients were randomized into training and validation set (7:3). Logistic regression was used to perform univariate and multivariate analysis on the possible factors of ISR, identify independent risk factors, establish a risk nomogram prediction model, and internally verify the predictability and accuracy of the model.

RESULTS

Binary logistic regression analysis showed that diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hyperfibrinogenemia and below-the-knee run-offs were independent risk factors for ISR within 2 years after iliac or femoral artery stent placement in patients with PAD. Based on these factors, the risk prediction model is established. The c index of the model was 0.856. The results showed that the risk prediction model has good accuracy in predicting ISR within 2 years after iliac or femoral artery stent placement.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk prediction model based on the 4 risk factors of diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hyperfibrinogenemia and below-the-knee run-offs has good predictive performance.

Association Between Remnant Cholesterol and Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography and/or Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is an acute renal complication that can occur after the use of iodinated contrast media. Remnant cholesterol (RC) is one of the markers of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk. We evaluated the impact of RC on CIN and clinical outcomes after coronary angiography (CAG) and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Consecutive patients (n = 3332) undergoing CAG and/or PCI were assessed in this retrospective study. Patients were divided into four groups based on baseline RC levels. In the quartile analysis, RC were associated with a higher risk of CIN, especially when RC ≤0.20 or ≥0.38 mmol/L (P < .05). However, after adjustment, the association of RC with CIN was not significant. There was a significant correlation between RC and repeated revascularization in patients undergoing PCI (P < .001) and driven primarily by the highest quartile level. After adjustment, this remained statistically significant (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 4.06; 95% CI 2.10-7.87; P < .001). This is the first large study to show a possible association between RC and the risk of CIN after CAG and/or PCI; however, this finding was not further confirmed after adjustment. The complex clinical risk profile of patients, rather than RC itself, may contribute to the risk of CIN in this high-risk subgroup.

Proteomic Analysis and 2-Hydroxyisobutyrylation Profiling in Metabolic Syndrome Induced Restenosis

Restenosis is the primary complication following stenting for coronary and peripheral arterial disease (PAD), posing an ongoing clinical challenge. Metabolic syndrome (MetS), characterized by metabolic disturbances, has been identified as an independent predictor for postoperative restenosis in coronary and carotid arteries, potentially due to endothelial dysfunction and augmented oxidative stress in cells, while its specific regulatory mechanism is still largely unknown. Lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation (Khib), a recently identified post-translational modification, plays a crucial role in transcriptional regulation and cellular metabolism. However, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis of the proteome and Khib modifications within restenotic vessels in the context of MetS, as well as in the understanding of the associated pathophysiology. In this study, we observed a significant upregulation of Khib in restenotic arteries induced by MetS, confirmed by animal and cellular experiments. Further, using high-throughput liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we catalogued 15,558 Khib sites across 2,568 proteins, implicating a multitude of biological functions. Analysis revealed 2,007 Khib sites on 1,002 proteins with considerable differential modifications which are present within the cytoplasm and nucleus. Interestingly, proteins located in the mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and cell membrane also exhibit distinct expression and modification profiles to varying extents that related to vascular smooth muscle contraction, platelet activation, and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Notably, the level of COL1A1 protein detected in the PPI pathway network and the level of Khib modification are diametrically opposed, suggesting a significant role in the disease's pathogenesis. This study provides the first comprehensive proteomic and Khib modification overview of MetS-related in-stent restenosis vasculature, offering key insights to inform novel therapeutic approaches for restenosis mitigation.

Influence of remnant lipoprotein particle cholesterol on non-target lesions progression in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

Background

Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) is the primary lipid therapy target for coronary artery disease (CAD) patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, progression of coronary atherosclerosis occurs even LDL-C controlled well, some potentially important factors have been overlooked.

Objective

This study aims to elucidate the relationship between remnant lipoprotein particle cholesterol (RLP-C) and the progression of non-target lesions (NTLs) in patients with well-controlled lipid levels after PCI.

Methods

This retrospective study included 769 CAD patients who underwent PCI and followed up angiography within 6-24 months thereafter. Employing Multivariate Cox regression analysis, we assessed the correlation between RLP-C and NTLs progression. Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, we identified the optimal cutoff point for RLP-C, following which the patients were divided into two groups. Propensity score matching balanced confounding factors between groups, and Log-rank tests compared Kaplan-Meier curves for overall follow-up to assess NTLs progression.

Results

Multivariate Cox analysis revealed an independent association between RLP-C and NTLs progression when LDL-C was well-controlled. Additionally, the RLP-C level of 0.555 mmol/L was determined to be the best value for predicting NTLs progression. Following propensity score matching, Kaplan-Meier curves illustrated a significantly higher cumulative rate of NTLs progression in patients with RLP-C levels ≥0.555 mmol/L compared to the others (Log-rank P = 0.002). Elevated RLP-C levels were associated with high triglyceride concentrations, diabetes mellitus, and increased risk of revascularization.

Conclusions

This study illustrated the atherogenic impact of RLP-C in CAD patients. High RLP-C levels increased the risk of revascularization.

Monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio predicts restenosis of drug-eluting stents in patients with unstable angina pectoris

Several studies have shown that the monocyte count to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) serves as a predictive marker for in-stent restenosis (ISR) of bare-metal stents (BMSs). However, the ability of the MHR to predict ISR in patients with drug-eluting stents (DESs) remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of the MHR for ISR in patients with unstable angina pectoris who have undergone primary DES implantation. A total of 474 consecutive patients with unstable angina pectoris who underwent successful DES-based percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from 01-12-2014 to 01-12-2022 were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into the ISR group and the non-ISR group on the basis of the follow-up results of coronary angiography. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were documented. The MHR was calculated via the following formula: [Formula: see text]. Multivariate logistic regression models were developed to evaluate the predictive value of the MHR for DES-ISR. The baseline MHR was notably greater in the ISR group than in the non-ISR group (P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, the MHR emerged as an independent predictor of ISR (OR = 1.244; 95%CI 1.171-1.321). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that MHR for predicting ISR had an AUC of 0.752 (95% CI 0.708-0.796). For a MHR > 7.32, the sensitivity was estimated to be 59.8% (95% CI 47.2-66.5%) and the specificity was 81.2% (95% CI 71.2-86.4%). Including the MHR in the predictive model for ISR improved the area under the curve (0.698 vs. 0.782, P < 0.001), categorical net reclassification improvement (0.703; 95%CI 0.536-0.871), and integrated discrimination improvement (0.121; 95%CI 0.092-0.151). The MHR can be used to predict DES-ISR in patients with unstable angina pectoris, indicating that the MHR may serve as a valuable marker for risk stratification and prognosis in individuals undergoing DES implantation.

The residual risk of inflammation and remnant cholesterol in acute coronary syndrome patients on statin treatment undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

BACKGROUND

Residual risk assessment for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients after sufficient medical management remains challenging. The usefulness of measuring high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and remnant cholesterol (RC) in assessing the level of residual inflammation risk (RIR) and residual cholesterol risk (RCR) for risk stratification in these patients needs to be evaluated.

METHODS

Patients admitted for ACS on statin treatment who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between March 2016 and March 2019 were enrolled in the analysis. The included patients were stratified based on the levels of hsCRP and RC during hospitalization. The primary outcome was ischemic events at 12 months, defined as a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. The secondary outcomes included 12-month all-cause death and cardiac death.

RESULTS

Among the 5778 patients, the median hsCRP concentration was 2.60 mg/L and the median RC concentration was 24.98 mg/dL. The RIR was significantly associated with ischemic events (highest hsCRP tertile vs. lowest hsCRP tertile, adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-2.30, P = 0.046), cardiac death (aHR: 1.77, 95% CI:1.02-3.07, P = 0.0418) and all-cause death (aHR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.24-3.24, P = 0.0048). The RCR was also significantly associated with these outcomes, with corresponding values for the highest tertile of RC were 1.81 (1.21-2.73, P = 0.0043), 2.76 (1.57-4.86, P = 0.0004), and 1.72 (1.09-2.73, P = 0.0208), respectively. The risks of ischemic events (aHR: 2.80, 95% CI: 1.75-4.49, P < 0.0001), cardiac death (aHR: 4.10, 95% CI: 2.18-7.70, P < 0.0001), and all-cause death (aHR: 3.00, 95% CI, 1.73-5.19, P < 0.0001) were significantly greater in patients with both RIR and RCR (highest hsCRP and RC tertile) than in patients with neither RIR nor RCR (lowest hsCRP and RC tertile). Notably, the RIR and RCR was associated with an increased risk of ischemic events especially in patients with adequate low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) control (LDL-C < 70 mg/dl) (Pinteraction=0.04). Furthermore, the RIR and RCR provide more accurate evaluations of risk in addition to the GRACE score in these patients [areas under the curve (AUC) for ischemic events: 0.64 vs. 0.66, P = 0.003].

CONCLUSION

Among ACS patients receiving contemporary statin treatment who underwent PCI, high risks of both residual inflammation and cholesterol, as assessed by hsCRP and RC, were strongly associated with increased risks of ischemic events, cardiac death, and all-cause death.

Residual Cardiovascular Risk: Role of Remnants Cholesterol, Monocyte/HDL Ratio and Lipoprotein Ratios on Personalized Cardiovascular Prevention

Cardiovascular diseases represent the leading cause of death in the world and are subject to limitations in prevention strategies despite the use of very effective drugs. The concept of residual risk (RR) is intrinsically related to that of global risk of which it represents a very significant percentage. In the cardiovascular field, the term RR refers to the probability of incurring a major cardiovascular event, despite adequate control of the risk factors present in the individual patient. A significant portion of the RR in the cardiovascular field results from the underestimation of additional risk factors not subjected to adequate intervention such as, for example, triglyceride levels in patients treated for the presence of hypertension and/or hypercholesterolemia. The control of the RR therefore appears as an essential condition for the effective reduction of the global risk profile and is based on an integrated intervention that combines all the different prevention strategies derived from the available evidence and capable of interacting on the basis of a strengthening reciprocal between lifestyle and pharmacological and nutraceutical intervention methods.

Arterial Stiffness and Incident Diabetes

Diabetes may induce multiple organ damage; therefore, early detection of individuals at high-risk of incident diabetes is important for timely risk assessment and intervention. Arterial stiffness (AS) occurs as a result of functional and structural changes in the arterial wall. Growing body of evidence suggests that AS is a risk factor for incident diabetes. Although each study could use different indicators for AS (ex cf-PWV, baPWV, etc.), they came to similar conclusion that AS was associated with higher risk of incident diabetes. The underlying mechanisms for the relationship of AS with risk of diabetes remain to be elucidated, but there could be several potential mechanisms. Diabetes and AS are expected to share common risk factors and influence each other, but recent research showed some evidence that AS can directly increase the risk of diabetes. The link between AS and incident diabetes has important clinical implications. First, it suggests that AS might be a useful marker for identifying people at high risk for developing diabetes. Second, it suggests that reducing AS may prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. Early detection and possible slowing of the vascular stiffening process with pharmacological agents and lifestyle interventions may reduce associated risks for diabetes.

Fasting blood glucose predicts high risk of in-stent restenosis in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention: a cohort study

Objectives. Studies have shown that fasting blood glucose (FBG) is closely associated with poor prognosis in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but its association with in-stent restenosis (ISR) is still unclear. Therefore, this study was to explore the association between FBG with ISR in patients with CHD after PCI. Design. In this cohort study, we included 531 patients with CHD who underwent PCI. Logistic regression, receiver operating characteristic (ROC), subgroup analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were used to assess the association between FBG with ISR. Results. A total of 124 (23.4%) patients had ISR. Patients with higher levels of FBG had higher incidence of ISR compared to those with lower levels of FBG (p = 0.002). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, higher levels of FBG remained strongly associated with higher risk of ISR (as a categorical variable, OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.21-2.94, p = 0.005; as a continuous variable, OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.03-1.23, p = 0.011). ROC analysis also showed that FBG might be associated with the occurrence of ISR (AUC = 0.577, 95% CI: 0.52-0.64, p = 0.013). Subgroup analyses showed the association of FBG with ISR was also stable in several subgroups (< 60 years or ≥ 60 years, male, with or without smoking, without diabetes and without hypertension). And RCS analysis showed that FBG was linearly and positively associated with the risk of ISR. Conclusions. Higher levels of FBG were closely associated with higher risk of ISR in patients with CHD after PCI.

Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate ameliorates neointima by protecting endothelial progenitor cells in diabetic mice

BACKGROUND

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) transplantation is one of the effective therapies for neointima associated with endothelial injury. Diabetes impairs the function of EPCs and cumbers neointima prevention of EPC transplantation with an ambiguous mechanism. Sodium Tanshinone IIA Sulfonate (STS) is an endothelium-protective drug but whether STS protects EPCs in diabetes is still unknown.

METHODS

EPCs were treated with High Glucose (HG), STS, and Nucleotide-binding Domain-(NOD) like Receptor 3 (NLRP3), caspase-1, the Receptor of Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs) (RAGE) inhibitors, Thioredoxin-Interacting Protein (TXNIP) siRNA, and EPC proliferation, differentiation functions, and senescence were detected. The treated EPCs were transplanted into db/db mice with the wire-injured Common Carotid Artery (CCA), and the CD31 expression and neointima were detected in the CCA inner wall.

RESULTS

We found that STS inhibited HG-induced expression of NLRP3, the production of active caspase-1 (p20) and mature IL-1β, the expression of catalase (CAT) cleavage, γ-H2AX, and p21 in EPCs. STS restored the expression of Ki67, CD31 and von Willebrand Factor (vWF) in EPCs; AGEs were found in the HG-treated EPCs supernatant, and RAGE blocking inhibited the expression of TXNIP and the production of p20, which was mimicked by STS. STS recovered the expression of CD31 in the wire-injured CCA inner wall and the prevention of neointima in diabetic mice with EPCs transplantation.

CONCLUSION

STS inhibits the aggravated neointima hyperplasia by protecting the proliferation and differentiation functions of EPC and inhibiting EPC senescence in diabetic mice. The mechanism is related to the preservation of CAT activity by inhibiting the RAGE-TXNIP-NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.

Elevated Remnant Cholesterol is Associated with Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

AIMS

This study aimed to investigate the association of elevated RC levels with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients with and without diabetes.

METHODS

We analyzed data from 1716 patients with ACS undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. RC was calculated as total cholesterol minus high-density lipoprotein cholesterol minus low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. RC ＞75th percentile of the cohort (＞0.79 mmol/L) was defined as abnormally elevated RC. Cox-regression models and Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to assess the relationship between RC ＞0.79 mmol/L and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 927 days, a total of 354 patients had at least one event. In the overall population, compared with those with RC ≤ 0.79 mmol/L, patients with RC ＞0.79 mmol/L had a significantly higher risk of MACE after adjustment for potential confounders (hazard ratio: 1.572, 95% confidence interval: 1.251-1.975, P＜0.001). In addition, RC ＞0.79 mmol/L was associated with an increased risk of MACE of 66.7% (P=0.001) and 50.1% (P=0.022) in the diabetic and non-diabetic subgroups (P for interaction=0.073), respectively. The addition of RC significantly improved the predictive ability of baseline models for MACE in diabetic patients (all P＜0.05), but not in non-diabetic patients (all P＞0.05).

CONCLUSION

Abnormally elevated RC was significantly associated with worse prognosis in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients with ACS; however, the prognostic value of RC might be superior among diabetic patients.

Remnant Cholesterol and the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Among statin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), there is still a great residual cardiovascular risk. Previous studies found that the level of remnant cholesterol (RC) could predict the coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. In the present study, we enrolled 4145 patients with T2DM; 2784 (67.2%) were male and their median age was 62 years. After multivariate logistic analyses, plasma RC level was significantly and independently associated with CAD [odds ratio (OR) 13.524, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 7.058-25.912, P < .001) after adjustment for conventional risk factors, such as age, gender, hypertension, and other lipid levels. Even in the presence of high high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level, the elevated RC could still predict CAD in T2DM patients (OR 2.064, 95%CI 1.438-2.964, P < .001). Furthermore, RC had relationships with age, hypertension, and smoking status in promoting CAD progression in T2DM patients, with all p for interactive <.001. In conclusion, RC level was independently associated with CAD risk in patients with T2DM.

Atherogenic Index of Plasma and the Risk of In-Stent Restenosis in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome beyond the Traditional Risk Factors

AIM

Recently, the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) has been proposed as a novel, reliable plasma atherogenicity marker. This study aimed to investigate the association of AIP with the risk of in-stent restenosis (ISR) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

METHODS

This study retrospectively enrolled patients with ACS followed by angiography within 6 to 18 months after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a drug-eluting stent (DES). And the participants were divided into ISR or non-ISR groups based on the angiographic follow-up results. AIP was defined as the base 10 logarithm of the ratio of serum triglyceride (mmol/L) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mmol/L).

RESULTS

This study recruited 1319 patients with ACS, 199 of which had ISR. Compared with the non-ISR group, patients in the ISR group had higher level of AIP (0.199±0.290 vs 0.131±0.282, p=0.002). In the multiple logistic regression analysis, AIP was an independent risk factor for DES-ISR (OR=2.100, 95% CI 1.134 to 3.891, p=0.018). When we modulated AIP as a categorical variable, the risk of DES-ISR increased in quartile 4 compared to quartile 1 (OR=1.713, 95% CI 1.040 to 2.822, p=0.034). Furthermore, this association remains stable in various subgroups. Unexpectedly, the subgroup analysis suggested AIP and DES-ISR had a stronger positive association in individuals with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ＜1.8 mmol/L.

CONCLUSIONS

AIP and the risk of DES-ISR were positively and independently correlated in patients with ACS, especially in those with an LDL-C ＜1.8 mmol/L.

Plasma Proteome Profiling of Patients With In-stent Restenosis by Tandem Mass Tag-Based Quantitative Proteomics Approach

Background

Despite the widespread application of new drug-eluting stents, a considerable portion of patients experience in-stent restenosis (ISR). To date, the pathophysiologic mechanisms of ISR remain poorly understood.

Methods

In this study, we collected plasma samples from ISR patients (n = 29) and non-ISR patients (n = 36) after drug-eluting stent implantation, as well as from healthy controls (HCs) (n = 32). Our goal was to investigate differences in plasma protein profiles using tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling coupled with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The proteomic data were validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Bioinformatic analyses were conducted to analyze potential pathways and protein-protein interaction (PPI) involved in ISR.

Results

A total of 1,696 proteins were identified, of which 278 differed in protein abundance between non-ISR and HCs, 497 between ISR and HCs, and 387 between ISR and non-ISR, respectively. Bioinformatic analyses, including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and PPI, further demonstrated that differentially abundant proteins between ISR and non-ISR are involved in several crucial biological processes and signaling pathways, such as focal adhesion, platelet activation, Rap1 signaling, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, and cholesterol metabolism. Among the identified differentially abundant proteins in ISR, 170 were increased in abundance relative to both non-ISR patients and HCs. Some of these proteins were identified to have critical functions for atherosclerosis development and might be involved in ISR pathology. Among these proteins, 3 proteins with increased abundance including fetuin-B, apolipoprotein C-III (APOC3), and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) were confirmed by ELISA.

Conclusions

This is the first study provided a comprehensive proteomic profile to understand ISR pathology, which may help identify early diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Diabetes and restenosis

Restenosis, defined as the re-narrowing of an arterial lumen after revascularization, represents an increasingly important issue in clinical practice. Indeed, as the number of stent placements has risen to an estimate that exceeds 3 million annually worldwide, revascularization procedures have become much more common. Several investigators have demonstrated that vessels in patients with diabetes mellitus have an increased risk restenosis. Here we present a systematic overview of the effects of diabetes on in-stent restenosis. Current classification and updated epidemiology of restenosis are discussed, alongside the main mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of this event. Then, we summarize the clinical presentation of restenosis, emphasizing the importance of glycemic control in diabetic patients. Indeed, in diabetic patients who underwent revascularization procedures a proper glycemic control remains imperative.

Prognostic Role of Fasting Remnant Cholesterol with In-Stent Restenosis After Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation

Objective

In-stent restenosis (ISR) is regarded as a critical limiting factor in stenting for coronary heart disease (CHD). Recent research has shown that fasting residual cholesterol (RC) has been shown to have a substantial impact on coronary heart disease. Unfortunately, there have not been much data to bear out the relationship between RC and ISR. Then, the predictive value of RC for in-stent restenosis in patients with coronary heart disease was analyzed.

Patients and Methods

Aiming to explore the relationship between RC and ISR, we designed a retrospective study of patients with CHD after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation, combining the data from a public database and selecting the best-fitting model by comparing the optical subset with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression.

Results

Analysis of the abovementioned two models showed that the optical subset optimal subset model, which was based on RC, creatine, history of diabetes, smoking, multi-vessel lesions (2 vessels or more lesions), peripheral vascular lesions (PAD), and blood uric acid, had a better fit (AUC = 0.68), and that RC was an independent risk factor for ISR in the abovementioned two models. Notwithstanding its limitation, this study does suggest that RC has good predictive value for ISR.

Conclusion

Remnant cholesterol is an independent risk factor for in-stent restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and is a reliable predictor of ISR.

Association of Increased Remnant Cholesterol and the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease: A Retrospective Study

Background and Aims: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is the primary target of lipid-lowering therapy in coronary artery disease (CAD). But some patients with the normal levels of LDL-C still suffer from CAD progression and malignant outcomes (e.g., major adverse cardiovascular events [MACEs]), and the mechanism is unclear. The previous prospective studies demonstrated that the remnant cholesterol (RC) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) were capable to predict the risk of CAD. This study evaluated the association between RC and non-HDL-C with the risk of CAD.

Methods: In our study, 12,563 patients were enrolled. We categorized patients into four concordance/discordance groups according to the median of RC, LDL-C, and non-HDL-C. Then, we performed a propensity score matching (PSM) strategy. The unadjusted and adjusted multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between the lipid concentrations.

Results: In this study, 8,658 (68.9%) patients were male with a median age of 61 (54 and 67) years. The multivariate logistic regression showed the odds ratio (OR) of RC was 1.952 (CI = 1.276–2.988, p = 0.002). The OR of the low RC/high LDL-C group was 0.626 (CI = 0.504–0.778, p < 0.001) and the OR of the low RC/high non-HDL-C group was 0.574 (CI = 0.462–0.714, p < 0.001). The p-values for interaction between the RC and hypertension, diabetes were both < 0.001.

Conclusion: Our study showed a significant association between the RC and CAD. The level of RC was more capable to reflect the risk of CAD than LDL-C and non-HDL-C. There was an interaction relationship between RC and age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, in CAD. But we did not find whether there was a relationship between the non-HDL-C and CAD.

Atherogenic index of plasma is associated with major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background

Previous studies reported the prognostic value of the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) in the course of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Still, the predictive utility of the AIP is unknown among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods

This was a secondary analysis of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) study, which randomized 10,251 patients with long-lasting T2DM. ROC curve analysis was used to determine an optimal threshold for AIP, and the study population was divided into high and low AIP groups. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to determine the association between AIP and primary (major adverse cardiovascular events [MACEs], including nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, and/or death from cardiovascular causes) and secondary outcomes (all-cause mortality). Stratified analyses were performed to control for the confounding factors.

Results

AIP was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of T2DM (HR = 1.309; 95% CI 1.084–1.581; P = 0.005). The threshold for AIP was determined to be 0.34 in the study population. After adjustments for confounding factors, multivariable analysis showed that AIP was associated with the risk of MACEs (Model 1: HR = 1.333, 95% CI 1.205–1.474, P < 0.001; Model 2: HR = 1.171, 95% CI 1.030–1.333, P = 0.016; Model 3: HR = 1.194, 95% CI 1.049–1.360, P = 0.007), all-cause mortality (Model 1: HR = 1.184, 95% CI 1.077–1.303, P < 0.001), cardiovascular death (Model 1: HR = 1.422, 95% CI 1.201–1.683, P < 0.001; Model 3: HR = 1.264, 95% CI 1.015–1.573, P = 0.036), and nonfatal myocardial infarction (Model 1: HR = 1.447, 95% CI 1.255–1.669, P < 0.001; Model 2: HR = 1.252, 95% CI 1.045–1.499, P = 0.015; Model 3: HR = 1.284, 95% CI 1.071–1.539, P = 0.007). Subgroup stratified analyses showed that AIP might interact with sex, a classical risk factor of cardiovascular events.

Conclusions

This study showed that AIP might be a strong biomarker that could be used to predict the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with T2DM.

Trial registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00000620.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12933-021-01393-5.

The Effect of Untraditional Lipid Parameters in the Development of Coronary Artery Disease: Atherogenic Index of Plasma, Atherogenic Coefficient and Lipoprotein Combined Index

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we investigated the usability of atherogenic indices of patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) due to coronary artery disease and patients without CAD as risk factors and markers for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

METHODS

The data of 150 patients who underwent CABG, and 155 patients who underwent coronary angiography and was not diagnosed with CAD were analysed retrospectively. Demographic data and plasma lipid values were collected. The relationship between these ratios and CVD was investigated via univariate logistic regression analysis performed by creating atherogenic indices.

RESULTS

The data of 125 patients who underwent CABG between May 2018 and May 2020 (90 males, 35 females; mean age 64,94 ± 9,61), and 155 patients who had coronary angiography between the same dates and found to have no CAD (64 males, 91 females; mean age 60,12 ± 11,6) were analysed retrospectively. The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), atherogenic coefficient (AC) and lipoprotein combined index (LCI) ratios were found to be significantly higher in the CABG group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). CABG applied patients were divided into three groups according to their SYNTAX Score-I values. There was no statistical difference in the AIP (p = 0.434), AC (p = 0.715) and LCI (p = 0.891) ratios between the groups. In the ROC analysis of the CABG group, it was found that the AC value was the highest in terms of sensitivity with a value of 74.4% (AUC = 0.669, p < 0.001), and the LCI was the highest in terms of specificity with a value of 65.8% (AUC = 0.634, p < 0.001). In the univariate logistic regression analysis created, it was seen that all three indices had a significant effect in the CABG group (AIP; OR 0.493 p = 0,002, AC; OR 0.298 p < 0,001, LCI; OR 0.358 p = 0,001).

CONCLUSION

The use of atherogenic indices in daily practice can be recommended in the process of monitoring the risk of CVD in CAD patients, along with determining those patients' lipid profiles.

The Effects of Calculated Remnant-Like Particle Cholesterol on Incident Cardiovascular Disease: Insights from a General Chinese Population

Background: Growing evidence suggests that remnant cholesterol (RC) contributes to residual atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. However, the cutoff points to treat RC for reducing ASCVD are still unknown. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between RC and combined cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in a general China cohort, with 11,956 subjects aged ≥ 35 years. Methods: Baseline RC was estimated with the Friedewald formula for 8782 subjects. The outcome was the incidence of combined CVD, including fatal and nonfatal stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD). The Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) model was used to evaluate the dose–response relationship between continuous RC and the natural log of HRs. Results: After a median follow-up of 4.66 years, 431 CVD events occurred. In the Cox proportional models, participants with a high level of categorial RC had a significantly higher risk for combined CVD (HR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.07–1.74) and CHD (HR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.06–2.53), compared to those with a medium level of RC. In the stratification analyses, a high level of RC significantly increased combined CVD risk for subgroups females, age < 65 years, noncurrent smokers, noncurrent drinkers, normal weight, renal dysfunction, and no hyperuricemia. The same trends were found for CHD among subgroups males, age < 65 years, overweight, renal dysfunction, and no hyperuricemia; stroke among subgroup females. In RCS models, a significant linear association between RC and combined CVD and a nonlinear association between RC and CHD resulted. The risk of outcomes was relatively flat until 0.84 mmol/L of RC and increased rapidly afterwards, with an HR of 1.308 (1.102 to 1.553) for combined CVD and 1.411 (1.061 to 1.876) for CHD. Stratified analyses showed a significant nonlinear association between RC and CVD outcomes in the subgroup aged < 65 years or the diabetes subgroup. Conclusions: In this large-scale and long-term follow-up cohort study, participants with higher RC levels had a significantly worse prognosis, especially for the subgroup aged 35–65 years or the diabetes mellitus subgroup.

Evaluation of remnant cholesterol levels and Monocyte-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio in South Asian patients with acute coronary syndrome

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

In the present study, we aimed to compare the clinical and coronary angiography features between South Asian and Caucasian patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). In particular, we focused our analysis on the evaluation of recent cardiovascular risk markers, such as remnant cholesterol, corresponding to all plasma cholesterol minus HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), and the Monocyte-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio. We also compared values of several lipoprotein ratios and the Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, accurate predictors of coronary events and coronary artery disease.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We recruited 40 South Asian and 40 Caucasian patients admitted for ACS. Data were collected by consulting patients' medical records. We used Chi-square test and Student's t-test to analyse qualitative and quantitative variables, respectively. South Asian patients, compared to Caucasians, showed higher mean values of the parameters analysed: remnant cholesterol (32.6 ± 17 vs 26.5 ± 9.6), Monocyte-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio (26.4 ± 48.7 vs 16.5 ± 8.3), Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (124.7 ± 130.7 vs 120.5 ± 58.8). Moreover, higher mean values of several lipoprotein ratios were also found in South Asian patients compared to the control group. However, statistical significance was not reached for any of these differences observed.

CONCLUSIONS

The evaluation of the parameters analysed in this study might provide accurate information regarding the cardio-metabolic risk in South Asian patients. However, further studies with larger samples are needed to obtain more significant results.

The Atherogenic Index of Plasma: A Powerful and Reliable Predictor for Coronary Artery Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

We evaluated the predictive power of the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) for coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A total of 3278 patients who underwent coronary angiography were consecutively enrolled, including 2052 patients with CAD and 1226 patients with T2DM but without CAD. Patients in the CAD group had higher levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, AIP and a lower level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). In correlation analyses, AIP correlated positively with body mass index, log (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance), TG, remnant lipoprotein cholesterol, non-HDL-C, but negatively with age and HDL-C. Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that AIP was an independent risk factor for CAD in diabetic patients and was validated by multiple models. Furthermore, the ORs for CAD risk were raised with increasing AIP quartiles; ORs of AIP quartiles Q2-Q4 compared with Q1 were 1.56, 1.70, and 2.22, respectively (Ps < .001), which suggested AIP was the lipid parameter that most strongly associated with incident CAD. In conclusion, AIP is a powerful and reliable biomarker for predicting CAD risk beyond individual lipid profiles in patients with T2DM.

Glycemic Control Status and Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Diabetic Chronic Total Occlusion Patients: An Observational Study

Background

Whether good glycemic control can result in clinical benefits for diabetic chronic total occlusion (CTO) patients is still a matter of debate.

Methods

We studied 1029 diabetic CTO patients. Based on one-year glycosylated hemoglobin A (HbA1c) levels, we assigned the patients into 2 groups: HbA1c<7% group (n = 448) and HbA1c ≥ 7% group (n = 581). We further subdivided the patients into the successful CTO revascularization (CTO-SR) and nonsuccessful CTO revascularization (CTO-NSR) groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression before and after propensity score matching were used to compare major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and other endpoints.

Results

There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of most endpoints in the overall patients. After propensity score-matched analysis, patients with HbA1c < 7.0 tended to be superior in terms of MACE, which was mainly attributed to repeat revascularization but the other endpoints. Furthermore, the benefit of the HbA1c < 7 group was more prominent among patients with CTO-NSR in terms of MACE, repeat revascularization, and target vessel revascularization (TVR); and the improvement of the HbAc1 < 7 group was more prominent among patients without chronic heart failure (CHF) (P=0.027).

Conclusions

HbA1c < 7.0 was associated with a reduced incidence of MACE, which was mainly attributed to a reduction in repeat revascularization. Good glycemic control can improve diabetic CTO patients' clinical prognosis, especially in CTO-NSR patients.

Factors Influencing Stent Failure in Chronic Total Occlusion Coronary Intervention

Stent failure remains one of the greatest challenges for interventional cardiologists. Despite the evolution to superior second- and third-generation drug-eluting stent designs, increasing use of intracoronary imaging and the adoption of more potent antiplatelet regimens, registries continue to demonstrate a prevalence of stent failure or target lesion revascularisation of 15-20%. Predisposition to stent failure is consistent across both chronic total occlusion (CTO) and non-CTO populations and includes patient-, lesion- and procedure-related factors. However, histological and pathophysiological properties specific to CTOs, alongside complex strategies to treat these lesions, may potentially render percutaneous coronary interventions in this cohort more vulnerable to failure. Prevention requires recognition and mitigation of the precipitants of stent failure, optimisation of interventional techniques, including image-guided precision percutaneous coronary intervention, and aggressive modification of a patient's cardiovascular risk factors. Management of stent failure in the CTO population is technically challenging and itself begets recurrence. We aim to provide a comprehensive review of factors influencing stent failure in the CTO population and strategies to attenuate these.

Associations Between Bioavailable Vitamin D and Remnant Cholesterol in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction In circulation, 99% vitamin D is transported by binding to vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) and albumin. Vitamin D at free form and vitamin D binding to albumin are defined as bioavailable vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with atherogenic lipid profile and insulin resistance. Remnant cholesterol is defined as the cholesterol component of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and contributes to the atherosclerotic burden. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between bioavailable vitamin D and remnant cholesterol in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods A total of 198 T2DM patients and 208 non-diabetic subjects underwent biochemical measurements of lipid profiles, 25(OH)D, VDBP, CRP and albumin levels. Their demographic characteristics (age, sex) were questioned. Subjects with thyroid, kidney and liver dysfunction and using lipid-lowering therapy were not included in the study. The diagnosis of T2DM was made according to the American Diabetes Association ADA 2016 criteria. Classification of vitamin D levels was done according to the Endocrine Society. Bioavailable vitamin D concentrations were calculated. Results High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), 25(OH)D, free vitamin D and bioavailable vitamin D levels were significantly lower in diabetic patients than in non-diabetic patients while triglyceride, remnant cholesterol and CRP levels were found to be significantly higher. VDBP was positively correlated with CRP and remnant cholesterol in diabetic patients, but not in non-diabetic patients. Cut-off values were determined from non-diabetics as 3.56 ng/mL for bioavailable vitamin D and 26.56 mg/dL for remnant cholesterol. Logistic regression analysis in the control group showed that the odds ratio for increasing remnant cholesterol above the cut-off value was determined as 2.01 for low bioavailable vitamin D and 1.1 for elevated CRP. However, in T2DM there was no significant relationship. In all subjects, low bioavailable vitamin D increased the remnant cholesterol above the cut-off by 2.18-fold independent of the presence of T2DM. However, there was no significant risk to increase remnant cholesterol, considering a total 25(OH) D deficiency in all groups. Conclusions Low bioavailable vitamin D was found to be a risk factor for elevated remnant cholesterol. This relationship was not detected in patients with T2DM. We believe that the inflammation observed in Diabetes Mellitus may increase the concentrations of VDBP and a decrease in bioavailable vitamin D levels. Therefore, measuring VDBP and calculating the bioavailable vitamin D may provide additional information about the actual vitamin D status.

Everolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffolds and metallic stents in diabetic patients: a patient-level pooled analysis of the prospective ABSORB DM Benelux Study, TWENTE and DUTCH PEERS

Background

Several studies compared everolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffolds (EE-BRS) with everolimus-eluting stents (EES), but only few assessed these devices in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Aim

To evaluate the safety and efficacy outcomes of all-comer patients with diabetes mellitus up to 2 years after treatment with EE-BRS or EES.

Methods

We performed a post hoc pooled analysis of patient-level data in diabetic patients who were treated with EE-BRS or EES in 3 prospective clinical trials: The ABSORB DM Benelux Study (NTR5447), TWENTE (NTR1256/NCT01066650) and DUTCH PEERS (NTR2413/NCT01331707). Primary endpoint of the analysis was target lesion failure (TLF): a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction or clinically driven target lesion revascularization. Secondary endpoints included major adverse cardiac events (MACE): a composite of all-cause death, any myocardial infarction or clinically driven target vessel revascularization, as well as definite or probable device thrombosis (ST).

Results

A total of 499 diabetic patients were assessed, of whom 150 received EE-BRS and 249 received EES. Total available follow-up was 222.6 patient years (PY) in the EE-BRS and 464.9 PY in the EES group. The adverse events rates were similar in both treatment groups for TLF (7.2 vs. 5.2 events per 100 PY, p = 0.39; adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.48 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.77–2.87), p = 0.24), MACE (9.1 vs. 8.3 per 100 PY, p = 0.83; adjusted HR = 1.23 (95% CI: 0.70–2.17), p = 0.47), and ST (0.9 vs. 0.6 per 100 PY, p > 0.99).

Conclusion

In this patient-level pooled analysis of patients with diabetes mellitus from 3 clinical trials, EE-BRS showed clinical outcomes that were quite similar to EES.

Visit-to-visit HbA1c variability is associated with in-stent restenosis in patients with type 2 diabetes after percutaneous coronary intervention

Background

Patients with type 2 diabetes are under substantially higher risk of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after coronary stent implantation. We sought to investigate whether visit-to-visit HbA_1c variability is a potential predictor of ISR in diabetic patients after stent implantation.

Methods

We consecutively enrolled type 2 diabetic patients who underwent successful elective percutaneous coronary intervention and performed follow-up coronary angiography after around 12 months. The incidence of ISR and its relationship with visit-to-visit HbA_1c variability, expressed as coefficient of variation (CV), standard deviation (SD) and variability independent of the mean (VIM), were studied. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were constructed to analyze the predictive value of HbA_1c variability for ISR.

Results

From September 2014 to July 2018 in Ruijin Hospital, a total of 420 diabetic patients (688 lesions) after stent implantation were included in the final analysis. During a mean follow-up of 12.8 ± 1.3 months, the incidence of ISR was 8.6%, which was significantly increased in patients with higher CV of HbA_1c (P = 0.001). The mean diameter stenosis (DS), net luminal loss and net luminal gain were 22.9 ± 16.8%, 0.42 ± 0.88 mm and 1.66 ± 0.83 mm, respectively. Greater DS was observed in subjects with higher tertiles of CV of HbA_1c (P < 0.001), and this trend was more prominent in patients with optimal glycemic control (HbA_1c ≤ 7%) in the baseline. In multivariate analysis, HbA_1c variability was independently associated with incidence of ISR after adjustment for traditional risk factors and mean HbA_1c (HR: 3.00 [95% CI 1.14–7.92] for highest vs. lowest tertile). Inclusion of CV of HbA_1c led to a better risk stratification accuracy. Assessing HbA_1c variability by SD or VIM yielded similar findings.

Conclusions

This study suggests that visit-to-visit HbA_1c variability is an independent predictor of incidence of ISR in patients with type 2 diabetes after stent implantation.

Trial registration NCT02089360: NCT

Prognostic impact of estimated remnant-like particle cholesterol in patients with differing glycometabolic status: an observational cohort study from China

Background

It is uncertain whether estimated remnant-like particle cholesterol (RLP-C) could predict residual risk in patients with different glycometabolic status. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between estimated RLP-C and adverse prognosis in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and to identify the potential impact of glycometabolism on the predictive value of estimated RLP-C.

Methods

The study assessed 2419 participants with NSTE-ACS undergoing PCI at Beijing Anzhen Hospital from January to December 2015. Estimated RLP-C was calculated as follows: total cholesterol (TC) minus low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The adverse events included all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and ischemia-driven revascularization.

Results

Estimated RLP-C was prominently associated with adverse prognosis in the total population [hazard ratio (HR) 1.291 per 1-SD increase, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.119–1.490, P <  0.001], independent of confounding risk factors. However, subgroup analysis showed that increasing estimated RLP-C was related to a higher risk of adverse events in the diabetic population only [HR 1.385 per 1-SD increase, 95% CI 1.183–1.620, P <  0.001]. Estimated RLP-C failed to be a significant determinant of adverse prognosis in non-diabetic and pre-diabetic subgroups. The addition of estimated RLP-C to a baseline model including traditional risk factors enhanced the predictive performance both in total and diabetic populations.

Conclusions

High estimated RLP-C level is a significant predictor for recurrent adverse events in patients with diabetes and NSTE-ACS treated with PCI.

Long-term outcomes of medical therapy versus successful recanalisation for coronary chronic total occlusions in patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background

In this study, we compared the outcomes of medical therapy (MT) with successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in chronic total occlusions (CTO) patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods

A total of 2015 patients with CTOs were stratified. Diabetic patients (n = 755, 37.5%) and non-diabetic patients (n = 1260, 62.5%) were subjected to medical therapy or successful CTO-PCI. We performed a propensity score matching (PSM) to balance the baseline characteristics. A comparison of the major adverse cardiac events (MACE) was done to evaluate long-term outcomes.

Results

The median follow-up duration was 2.6 years. Through multivariate analysis, the incidence of MACE was significantly higher among diabetic patients compared to the non-diabetic patients (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09–1.61, p = 0.005). Among the diabetic group, the rate of MACE (adjusted HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.42–0.87, p = 0.006) was significantly lower in the successful CTO-PCI group than in the MT group. Besides, in the non-diabetic group, the prevalence of MACE (adjusted HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.64–1.15, p = 0.294) and cardiac death (adjusted HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.51–1.70, p = 0.825) were comparable between the two groups. Similar results as with the early detection were obtained in propensity-matched diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Notably, there was a significant interaction between diabetic or non-diabetic with the therapeutic strategy on MACE (p for interaction = 0.036).

Conclusions

For treatment of CTO, successful CTO-PCI highly reduces the risk of MACE in diabetic patients when compared with medical therapy. However, this does not apply to non-diabetic patients.

Could remnant-like particle cholesterol become a risk factor in diabetic menopausal women with coronary artery disease? A cross-sectional study of single academic center in China

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

It has been confirmed that remnant-like particle cholesterol (RLP-C) mediates the progression of coronary artery disease (CAD). Currently there is limited information on RLP-C in menopausal women. With the special status of diabetes mellitus (DM) combined with the special body changes of the menopausal women, the RLP-C is particularly important when studying the changes that occurred in response to CAD and its associated risk factors. This study discussed whether RLP-C could be an independent risk factor for menopausal women with CAD and DM.

METHODS

The cohort consisted of 4753 menopausal women who had undergone coronary angiography. Subjects were separated into CAD and non-CAD groups, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis of CAD risk factors were performed. All patients with a history of DM were divided into DM subgroups. Then, the univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis of the risk factors of CAD and the comparison among age groups in the DM subgroup were performed. After age stratification of the DM group, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the differences of various lipid indexes among age groups.

RESULTS

The multivariate logistic regression showed that RLP-C was an independent risk factor for CAD in menopausal women (OR 1.232, 95%CI 1.070-1.419). In the DM subgroup, it was also found that RLP-C was an independent risk factor for CAD (OR 1.366, 95%CI 1.043-1.791). Kruskal-Wallis test analysis found that RLP-C had no significant difference among three groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

RLP-C was proved to be an independent risk factor for menopausal women with CAD and DM.

The atherogenic index of plasma plays an important role in predicting the prognosis of type 2 diabetic subjects undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: results from an observational cohort study in China

Background

Many studies have reported the predictive value of the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) in the progression of atherosclerosis and the prognosis of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the utility of the AIP for prediction is unknown after PCI among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods

2356 patients with T2DM who underwent PCI were enrolled and followed up for 4 years. The primary outcome was major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular adverse events (MACCEs), considered to be a combination of cardiogenic death, myocardial infarction, repeated revascularization, and stroke. Secondary endpoints included all-cause mortality, target vessel revascularization (TVR), and non-target vessel revascularization (non-TVR). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression modelling found that the AIP was correlated with prognosis and verified by multiple models. According to the optimal cut-off point of the ROC curve, the population was divided into high/low-AIP groups. A total of 821 pairs were successfully matched using propensity score matching. Then, survival analysis was performed on both groups.

Results

The overall incidence of MACCEs was 20.50% during a median of 47.50 months of follow-up. The multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis before matching suggested that the AIP was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of T2DM after PCI (hazard ratio [HR] 1.528, 95% CI 1.100–2.123, P = 0.011). According to the survival analysis of the matched population, the prognosis of the high AIP group was significantly worse than that of the low AIP group (HR (95% CI) 1.614 (1.303–2.001), P < 0.001), and the difference was mainly caused by repeat revascularization. The low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) level did not affect the prognosis of patients with T2DM (P = 0.169), and the effect of the AIP on prognosis was also not affected by LDL-C level (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The AIP, a comprehensive index of lipid management in patients with T2DM, affects prognosis after PCI. The prognosis of diabetic patients with high levels of the AIP included more MACCEs and was not affected by LDL-C levels. It is recommended to monitor the AIP for lipid management in diabetic patients after PCI and ensure that the AIP is not higher than 0.318.

Trial registration This is an observational cohort study that does not involve interventions. So we didn’t register. We guarantee that the research is authentic and reliable, and hope that your journal can give us a chance.

Comparison of remnant cholesterol levels estimated by calculated and measured LDL-C levels in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease

BACKGROUND

Evidence about whether remnant cholesterol (RC), especially non-fasting RC, is a causal risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) in Chinese subjects is rare. Recently, estimated RC level (RCe) was applied in many studies with large population. We aimed to compare fasting and non-fasting RCe calculated by LDL-C level determined by different methods in Chinese subjects, and investigate their contributions to CHD.

METHODS

Levels of TC, TG and HDL-C were measured directly in 273 CHD patients (CHD group) and 136 controls (CON group) before and at 4 h after a daily breakfast. LDL-C level was measured directly or calculated by Friedewald equation at TG < 4.5 mmol/L. RC level estimated by calculated or measured LDL-C was termed as RCe1 or RCe2. Contributions of different RC levels to CHD were evaluated by multivariable logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Both RCe1 and RCe2 increased significantly at 4 h after breakfast (both p < 0.05). RCe1 was significantly higher than RCe2 in fasting or non-fasting state (p < 0.05). RCe1 was closely related to RCe2, especially in the highest quartile of RCe1 (p < 0.05). Non-fasting RCe1 or RCe2 and fasting RCe2 independently predicted CHD after adjustment for traditional risk factors (all p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Although RCe1 was significantly higher than RCe2, non-fasting RCe, no matter RCe1 or RCe2, after a daily breakfast was an independent predictor for CHD risk in Chinese subjects, indicating that the non-fasting state is critical in the development of atherosclerosis.

Inhibition of vascular neointima hyperplasia by FGF21 associated with FGFR1/Syk/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway in diabetic mice

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Neointima hyperplasia is the pathological basis of atherosclerosis and restenosis, which have been associated with diabetes mellitus (DM). Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a potential diabetic drug, however, it has not been investigated whether FGF21 prevents neointima hyperplasia in DM.

METHODS

Vascular neointima hyperplasia was induced in mice fed a high fat diet (HFD) combined with low dose streptozotocin (STZ) administration. In vitro, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were incubated with high glucose (HG, 30 mM). VSMC proliferation and migration, as well as formation of NLRP3 inflammasome, were assessed.

RESULTS

We found that FGF21 significantly inhibited neointima hyperplasia and improved endothelium-independent contraction in the wire-injured common carotid artery (CCA) of diabetic mice. In vitro, the proliferation and migration of HG-treated VSMCs were shown as remarkable increase of PCNA, cyclin D1, MMP2 and MMP9, as well as cell migration through wound healing and transwell migration assays. Such abnormal changes were dramatically reversed by FGF21, which mimicked the role of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor MCC950 and caspase-1 inhibitor WEHD. Moreover, along with more NLRP3, ASC oligomer and their colocalization, the release of active caspase-1(p20) and IL-1β was significantly inhibited by FGF21 in VSMCs exposed to HG. Furthermore, FGF21 suppressed phosphorylation of spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) via FGFR1, which regulated NLRP3 inflammasome through ASC phosphorylation and oligomerization.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated that potential protection of FGF21 on VSMCs proliferation and migration was associated with inhibition of FGFR1/Syk/NLRP3 inflammasome, resulting in the improvement of neointima hyperplasia in diabetic mice.

Remnant Lipoprotein Cholesterol Independently Associates With In-Stent Restenosis After Drug-Eluting Stenting for Coronary Artery Disease

This study evaluated the prognostic value of remnant lipoprotein cholesterol (RLP-C) as a predictor of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Consecutive patients with CAD (n = 612) who underwent both successful coronary DES implantation and follow-up angiography ranging from 6 to 24 months were enrolled. The independent predictors of ISR were explored by multivariate logistic regression analysis; 95 (15.52%) patients were identified to have ISR. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that RLP-C concentration (odds ratio [OR]: 4.245, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.493-7.229), age (OR: 1.026, 95% CI: 1.002-1.051), diabetes mellitus (DM; OR: 1.811, 95% CI: 1.134-2.892), and lesion length (OR: 1.013, 95% CI: 1.002-1.024) were associated with ISR. Via subgroup analysis, we found that RLP-C was independently associated with ISR in both CAD with DM (OR: 4.154, 95% CI: 1.895-9.104) and CAD without DM (OR: 4.455, 95% CI: 2.097-9.464) groups. In the analysis of the receiver operating characteristics curve, RLP-C level >0.515 mmol/L exhibited 77.9% sensitivity and 56.5% specificity (area under the curve: 0.705, 95% CI: 0.648-0.762) in predicting ISR. In conclusion, RLP-C is independently associated with the development of ISR in patients with CAD after DES implantation.