Cardiovascular Diseases Commons^™

Heart In Polycystic Kidney Disease Is Characterized By Cardiac Dysfunction And Structural Deformation, Farideh Amirrad

Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Background: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a hereditary disorder affecting multiple organs, including the heart. PKD patients have been associated with arrhythmogenic remodeling in some clinical evaluations. However, the structural changes in myocardium and pathway analyses on the pathology of human PKD hearts have never been studied.

Methods: Sex- and age-matched human heart tissues from non-PKD and PKD were studied and verified in a heart-specific PKD mouse model. Structural and functional abnormalities of cardiac tissues and fibrosis-associated pathways were analyzed.

Results: Human PKD myocardium were infiltrated by inflammatory cells M1 and M2. Expressions of transforming growth factor (TGF-β …

Is More, Better? Relationships Of Multiple Psychological Well-Being Facets With Cardiometabolic Disease, Anna-Josée Guimond, Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, Julia K. Boehm, Farah Qureshi, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: Cardiometabolic disease (CMD) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Assessments of psychological well-being taken at one time point are linked to reduced cardiometabolic risk, but psychological well-being may change over time and how longitudinal trajectories of psychological well-being may be related to CMD risk remains unclear. Furthermore, psychological well-being is a multidimensional construct comprised of distinct facets, but no work has examined whether sustaining high levels of multiple facets may confer additive protection. This study tested if trajectories of four psychological well-being facets would be associated with lower risk of self-reported nonfatal CMD. Method: Participants were …

Arrhythmogenic Hearts In Pkd2 Mutant Mice Are Characterized By Cardiac Fibrosis, Systolic, And Diastolic Dysfunctions, Farideh Amirrad, Rajasekharreddy Pala, Kiumars Shamloo, Brian S. Muntean, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a hereditary disorder affecting multiple organs, including the heart. PKD has been associated with many cardiac abnormalities including the arrhythmogenic remodeling in clinical evaluations. In our current study, we hypothesized that Pkd2 gene mutation results in structural and functional defects in the myocardium. The structural and functional changes of Pkd2 mutant hearts were analyzed in the myocardial-specific Pkd2 knockout (KO) mouse. We further assessed a potential role of TGF-b₁ signaling in the pathology of Pkd2-KO hearts. Hearts from age-matched 6-month-old MyH6•Pkd2^wt/wt (control or wild-type) and MyH6 …

Optimal Analytical Methods For High Accuracy Cardiac Disease Classification And Treatment Based On Ecg Data, Jianwei Zheng

Computational and Data Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

This work constitutes six projects. In the first project, a newly inaugurated research database for 12-lead electrocardiogram signals was created under the auspices of Chapman University and Shaoxing People's Hospital (Shaoxing Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine). This database aims to enable the scientific community in conducting new studies on arrhythmia and other cardiovascular conditions. In the second project, we created a new 12-lead ECG database under the auspices of Chapman University and Ningbo First Hospital of Zhejiang University that aims to provide high quality data enabling detection of the distinctions between idiopathic ventricular arrhythmia from right ventricular outflow tract …

Home Blood Pressure Monitoring To Improve Hypertension Control: A Narrative Review Of International Guideline Recommendations, John Andraos, Luma Munjy, Michael S. Kelly

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is a convenient way to assess out-of-office blood pressure control and is recommended by numerous international guidelines to aid clinicians in the diagnosis and management of essential hypertension. Although available guidelines recommend the use of HBPM in patients receiving antihypertensive medication, their specific recommendations regarding optimal monitoring schedule, duration, and clinician interpretation of home blood pressure readings may differ among guidelines. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to review available international hypertension guideline recommendations related to the use of HBPM to improve hypertension control among patients receiving antihypertensive therapy. We also briefly highlight …

Positive Psychological Well‐Being And Cardiovascular Disease: Exploring Mechanistic And Developmental Pathways, Julia K. Boehm

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Empirical research regarding the health benefits of positive psychological well‐being (e.g., positive emotions, life satisfaction, purpose in life, and optimism) has flourished in recent years, particularly with regard to cardiovascular disease. This paper reviews the state of evidence for well‐being's association with cardiovascular disease in both healthy individuals and those diagnosed with a disease. Prospective studies consistently indicate well‐being reduces cardiovascular events in healthy and, to a lesser extent, patient populations. Potential pathways that link well‐being with cardiovascular disease are discussed (including health behaviors, physiological processes, and stress buffering), although the existing evidence is mostly cross‐sectional which limits conclusions about …

Nanomaterials As Novel Cardiovascular Theranostics, Rajasekharreddy Pala, Subhaswaraj Pattnaik, Siddhardha Busi, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of conditions associated with heart and blood vessels and are considered the leading cause of death globally. Coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction represents the CVDs. Since CVDs are associated with a series of pathophysiological conditions with an alarming mortality and morbidity rate, early diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic approaches are critical for saving patients’ lives. Conventionally, diagnostic tools are employed to detect disease conditions, whereas therapeutic drug candidates are administered to mitigate diseases. However, the advent of nanotechnological platforms has revolutionized the current understanding of pathophysiology and therapeutic measures. The concept of combinatorial therapy …

Very Low Prevalence And Incidence Of Atrial Fibrillation Among Bolivian Forager-Farmers, Christopher J. Rowan, Michael A. Eskander, Edmond Seabright, Daniel Eid Rodriguez, Edhitt Cortez Linares, Raul Quispe Gutierrez, Juan Copajira Adrian, Daniel Cummings, Bret Beheim, Kirsten Tolstrup, Abinash Achrekar, Thomas Kraft, David E. Michalik, Michael I. Miyamoto, Adel H. Allam, L. Samuel Wann, Jagat Narula, Benjamin C. Trumble, Jonathan Stieglitz, Randall C. Thompson, Gregory S. Thomas, Hillard S. Kaplan, Michael D. Gurven

ESI Publications

Background: Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in post-industrialized populations. Older age, hypertension, obesity, chronic inflammation, and diabetes are significant atrial fibrillation risk factors, suggesting that modern urban environments may promote atrial fibrillation.

Objective: Here we assess atrial fibrillation prevalence and incidence among tropical horticulturalists of the Bolivian Amazon with high levels of physical activity, a lean diet, and minimal coronary atherosclerosis, but also high infectious disease burden and associated inflammation.

Methods: Between 2005–2019, 1314 Tsimane aged 40–94 years (52% female) and 534 Moseten Amerindians aged 40–89 years (50% female) underwent resting 12-lead electrocardiograms to assess atrial fibrillation prevalence. …

Pharmacist-Led Programs To Increase Statin Prescribing: A Narrative Review Of The Literature, Mary Elkomos, Raha Jahromi, Michael S. Kelly

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Statins are lipid-lowing medications shown to reduce cardiovascular events and are recommended for specific patient populations at elevated risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Despite the demonstrated efficacy of statins for reducing ASCVD risk, and guidance on which populations should receive statin therapy, a substantial portion of eligible patients are not prescribed statin therapy. Pharmacists have attempted to increase the number of eligible patients receiving appropriate statin therapy through a variety of interventions and across several clinical settings. In this article, we highlight multiple studies evaluating the effectiveness of pharmacist-led interventions to improve statin use. A total of seven studies …

Optimism And Risk Of Incident Hypertension: A Target For Primordial Prevention, Laura D. Kubzansky, Julia K. Boehm, Andrew R. Allen, Loryana L. Vie, Tiffany E. Ho, Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, Hayami K. Koga, Lawrence M. Scheier, Martin E. P. Seligman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Aims

Optimism is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk; however, few prospective studies have considered optimism in relation to hypertension risk specifically. We investigated whether optimism was associated with a lower risk of developing hypertension in U.S. service members, who are more likely to develop high blood pressure early in life. We also evaluated race/ethnicity, sex and age as potential effect modifiers of these associations.

Methods

Participants were 103 486 hypertension-free U.S. Army active-duty soldiers (mean age 28.96 years, 61.76% White, 20.04% Black, 11.01% Hispanic, 4.09% Asian, and 3.10% others). We assessed optimism, sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions, health behaviours and …

Prospects For Rnai Therapy Of Covid-19, Hasan Uludağ, Kylie Parent, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Azita Haddadi

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a fast emerging disease with deadly consequences. The pulmonary system and lungs in particular are most prone to damage caused by the SARS-CoV-2 infection, which leaves a destructive footprint in the lung tissue, making it incapable of conducting its respiratory functions and resulting in severe acute respiratory disease and loss of life. There were no drug treatments or vaccines approved for SARS-CoV-2 at the onset of pandemic, necessitating an urgent need to develop effective therapeutics. To this end, the innate RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism can be employed to develop front line therapies against …

Proteomic Identification Reveals The Role Of Ciliary Extracellular‐Like Vesicle In Cardiovascular Function, Ashraf M. Mohieldin, Rajasekharreddy Pala, Rinzhin T. Sherpa, Madhawi Alanazi, Ashwaq Alanazi, Kiumars Shamloo, Amir Ahsan, Wissam A. Aboualaiwi, James J. Moresco, John R. Yates Iii, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Primary cilia are shown to have membrane swelling, also known as ciliary bulbs. However, the role of these structures and their physiological relevance remains unknown. Here, it is reported that a ciliary bulb has extracellular vesicle (EV)‐like characteristics. The ciliary extracellular‐like vesicle (cELV) has a unique dynamic movement and can be released by mechanical fluid force. To better identify the cELV, differential multidimensional proteomic analyses are performed on the cELV. A database of 172 cELV proteins is generated, and all that examined are confirmed to be in the cELV. Repressing the expression of these proteins in vitro and in vivo …

Nanoparticle-Mediated Drug Delivery For The Treatment Of Cardiovascular Diseases, Rajasekharreddy Pala, Vt Anju, Madhu Dyavaiah, Siddhardha Busi, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the foremost causes of high morbidity and mortality globally. Preventive, diagnostic, and treatment measures available for CVDs are not very useful, which demands promising alternative methods. Nanoscience and nanotechnology open a new window in the area of CVDs with an opportunity to achieve effective treatment, better prognosis, and less adverse effects on non-target tissues. The application of nanoparticles and nanocarriers in the area of cardiology has gathered much attention due to the properties such as passive and active targeting to the cardiac tissues, improved target specificity, and sensitivity. It has reported that more than …

Ml-Medic: A Preliminary Study Of An Interactive Visual Analysis Tool Facilitating Clinical Applications Of Machine Learning For Precision Medicine, Laura Stevens, David Kao, Jennifer Hall, Carsten Görg, Kaitlyn Abdo, Erik Linstead

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Accessible interactive tools that integrate machine learning methods with clinical research and reduce the programming experience required are needed to move science forward. Here, we present Machine Learning for Medical Exploration and Data-Inspired Care (ML-MEDIC), a point-and-click, interactive tool with a visual interface for facilitating machine learning and statistical analyses in clinical research. We deployed ML-MEDIC in the American Heart Association (AHA) Precision Medicine Platform to provide secure internet access and facilitate collaboration. ML-MEDIC’s efficacy for facilitating the adoption of machine learning was evaluated through two case studies in collaboration with clinical domain experts. A domain expert review was also …

Positive Emotions And Favorable Cardiovascular Health: A 20-Year Longitudinal Study, Julia K. Boehm, Ying Chen, Farah Qureshi, Jackie Soo, Peter Umokoro, Rosalba Hernandez, Donald Lloyd-Jones, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

No studies have examined whether positive emotions lead to favorable cardiovascular health (CVH) early in the lifespan, before cardiovascular disease is diagnosed. Moreover, the direction of the association has not been thoroughly investigated. Among younger adults, we investigated whether baseline positive emotions were associated with better CVH over 20 years. We also considered whether baseline CVH was associated with subsequent positive emotions during the same period.

Participants included 4196 Black and White men and women from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study. Positive emotions and cardiovascular-related parameters were each assessed in 1990 (this study's baseline), with repeated …

A 12-Lead Ecg Database To Identify Origins Of Idiopathic Ventricular Arrhythmia Containing 334 Patients, Jianwei Zhang, Guohua Fu, Kyle Anderson, Huimin Chu, Cyril Rakovski

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Cardiac catheter ablation has shown the effectiveness of treating the idiopathic premature ventricular complex and ventricular tachycardia. As the most important prerequisite for successful therapy, criteria based on analysis of 12-lead ECGs are employed to reliably speculate the locations of idiopathic ventricular arrhythmia before a subsequent catheter ablation procedure. Among these possible locations, right ventricular outflow tract and left outflow tract are the major ones. We created a new 12-lead ECG database under the auspices of Chapman University and Ningbo First Hospital of Zhejiang University that aims to provide high quality data enabling detection of the distinctions between idiopathic ventricular …

Optimal Multi-Stage Arrhythmia Classification Approach, Jianwei Zhang, Huimin Chu, Daniele Struppa, Jianming Zhang, Sir Magdi Yacoub, Hesham El-Askary, Anthony Chang, Louis Ehwerhemuepha, Islam Abudayyeh, Alexander Barrett, Guohua Fu, Hai Yao, Dongbo Li, Hangyuan Guo, Cyril Rakovski

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Arrhythmia constitutes a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat, and an early diagnosis is essential for the timely inception of successful treatment. We have jointly optimized the entire multi-stage arrhythmia classification scheme based on 12-lead surface ECGs that attains the accuracy performance level of professional cardiologists. The new approach is comprised of a three-step noise reduction stage, a novel feature extraction method and an optimal classification model with finely tuned hyperparameters. We carried out an exhaustive study comparing thousands of competing classification algorithms that were trained on our proprietary, large and expertly labeled dataset consisting of 12-lead …

Pcsk9 Inhibitors In Secondary Prevention – An Opportunity For Personalized Therapy, Chase Board, Michael S. Kelly, Michael D. Shapiro, Dave L. Dixon

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is the primary cause of ASCVD and reducing LDL-C levels with statin therapy significantly reduces ASCVD risk; however, significant residual risk remains. Two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), alirocumab and evolocumab, that target proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin-type 9 (PCSK9), reduce LDL-C levels by up to 60% when used in combination with statins and significantly reduce the risk of recurrent ASCVD events in both stable secondary prevention and acute coronary syndrome populations. Pre-specified analyses of recent randomized controlled trials have shed light on how best to prioritize these therapies …

A 12-Lead Electrocardiogram Database For Arrhythmia Research Covering More Than 10,000 Patients, Jianwei Zhang, Jianming Zhang, Sidy Daniako, Hai Yao, Hangyuan Guo, Cyril Rakovski

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

This newly inaugurated research database for 12-lead electrocardiogram signals was created under the auspices of Chapman University and Shaoxing People’s Hospital (Shaoxing Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine) and aims to enable the scientific community in conducting new studies on arrhythmia and other cardiovascular conditions. Certain types of arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, have a pronounced negative impact on public health, quality of life, and medical expenditures. As a non-invasive test, long term ECG monitoring is a major and vital diagnostic tool for detecting these conditions. This practice, however, generates large amounts of data, the analysis of which requires considerable …

Innovation And Competition In Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products, Enrique Seoane-Vazquez, Vaishali Shukla, Rosa Rodriguez-Monguio

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), including gene therapy, cell therapy, and tissue engineering products, represent a paradigm shift in health care as they have great potential for preventing and treating many diseases (Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 2013). By way of example, only 367 (8.0%) of the 4,603 rare diseases and conditions listed by the NIH Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center had at least one FDA-approved drug therapy in early 2018. An estimated 3,038 (66.0%) of those rare diseases and conditions are congenital and genetic diseases that could potentially be treated by gene therapy. There are already ATMPs under …

The Roles Of Primary Cilia In Cardiovascular Diseases, Rajasekharreddy Pala, Maha Jamal, Qamar Alshammari, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Primary cilia are microtubule-based organelles found in most mammalian cell types. Cilia act as sensory organelles that transmit extracellular clues into intracellular signals for molecular and cellular responses. Biochemical and molecular defects in primary cilia are associated with a wide range of diseases, termed ciliopathies, with phenotypes ranging from polycystic kidney disease, liver disorders, mental retardation, and obesity to cardiovascular diseases. Primary cilia in vascular endothelia protrude into the lumen of blood vessels and function as molecular switches for calcium (Ca2+) and nitric oxide (NO) signaling. As mechanosensory organelles, endothelial cilia are involved in blood flow sensing. Dysfunction in endothelial …

Inertial Sensor-Based Variables Are Indicators Of Frailty And Adverse Post-Operative Outcomes In Cardiovascular Disease Patients, Rahul Soangra, Thurmon E. Lockhart

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients with intrinsic cardiac cause for falling have been found to be frail and submissive to morbidity and mortality as post-operative outcomes. In these older CVD patients, gait speed is conjectured by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) as an independent predictor of post-operative morbidity and mortality. However, this guideline by STS has not been studied adequately with a large sample size; rather it is based largely on expert opinions of cardiac surgeons and researchers. Although one’s gait speed is not completely associated with one’s risk of falls, gait speed is a quick robust measure to classify …

Psychological Well-Being And Restorative Biological Processes: Hdl-C In Older English Adults, Jackie Soo, Laura D. Kubzansky, Ying Chen, Emily S. Zevon, Julia K. Boehm

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Rationale

Psychological well-being is associated with better cardiovascular health, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear.

Objective

This study investigates one possible mechanism by examining psychological well-being's prospective association with lipid levels, focusing on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C).

Methods

Participants were 4757 healthy men and women ages ≥50 from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing with clinical data from three times, three to five years apart. Psychological well-being was assessed at baseline using the Control, Autonomy, Satisfaction, and Pleasure scale; HDL-C, triglycerides, and total cholesterol were assayed from blood samples. Descriptive statistics and linear mixed models were used to examine associations …

Prevalence Of Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, And Dyslipidemia In Student-Run Screening Clinics For Rural Communities In The Sierra Norte Of Puebla, Mexico, Sean Navin, Daniel M. Tomaszewski

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: The growing prevalence of hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM), and in Mexico highlights the need for preventative health care services. Rural communities worldwide lack access to such services. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of HTN, DM, and dyslipidemia in student-run screening clinics in rural communities of the Sierra Norte of Puebla, Mexico to better understand the role the clinics play for the patients served.

Methods: Data were collected from patients from rural, Mexican towns participating in free pharmacy student-run screening clinics. Patients consented to have their de-identified information pooled for re-search. Screenings …

Neighborhood Cohesion, Neighborhood Disorder, And Cardiometabolic Risk, Jennifer N. Robinette, Susan T. Charles, Tara Gruenewald

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Perceptions of neighborhood disorder (trash, vandalism) and cohesion (neighbors trust one another) are related to residents’ health. Affective and behavioral factors have been identified, but often in studies using geographically select samples. We use a nationally representative sample (n = 9032) of United States older adults from the Health and Retirement Study to examine cardiometabolic risk in relation to perceptions of neighborhood cohesion and disorder. Lower cohesion is significantly related to greater cardiometabolic risk in 2006/2008 and predicts greater risk four years later (2010/2012). The longitudinal relation is partially accounted for by anxiety and physical activity.

Structural Insights Into The Potency Of Sk Channel Positive Modulators, Young-Woo Nam, Razan Orfali, Tingting Liu, Kunqian Yu, Meng Cui, Heike Wulff, Miao Zhang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels play essential roles in the regulation of cellular excitability and have been implicated in neurological and cardiovascular diseases through both animal model studies and human genetic association studies. Over the past two decades, positive modulators of SK channels such as NS309 and 1-EBIO have been developed. Our previous structural studies have identified the binding pocket of 1-EBIO and NS309 that is located at the interface between the channel and calmodulin. In this study, we took advantage of four compounds with potencies varying over three orders of magnitude, including 1-EBIO, NS309, SKS-11 (6-bromo-5-methyl-1H-indole-2,3-dione-3-oxime) and …

Psychological Well-Being’S Link With Cardiovascular Health In Older Adults, Julia K. Boehm, Jackie Soo, Ying Chen, Emily S. Zevon, Rosalba Hernandez, Donald Lloyd-Jones, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction

Favorable cardiovascular health (FCH) is associated with healthy longevity and reduced cardiovascular mortality risk. However, limited work has investigated the distribution of FCH in older age or considered the antecedents of FCH. Based on prior work linking psychological well-being with cardiovascular endpoints, higher psychological well-being was hypothesized to be associated with increased likelihood of maintaining FCH over time.

Methods

Data were from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. The first study wave (2002–2003) included men and women aged ≥50 years. The analytic sample (N=4,925) was restricted to individuals without baseline cardiovascular disease and with clinical data from three follow-ups …

Pharmacological Approaches For The Management Of Patients With Moderately Elevated Triglycerides (150-499 Mg/Dl), Michael S. Kelly, Craig Beavers, John D. Bucheit, Evan M. Sisson, Dave L. Dixon

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Hypertriglyceridemia, defined as serum triglyceride (TG) levels > 150 mg/dL, now affects over one-quarter of the U.S. adult population and is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Available guidelines for managing hypertriglyceridemia vary with respect to triglyceride thresholds and severity of disease. Lifestyle modifications and management of secondary causes (e.g., diabetes) remain the first step in managing hypertriglyceridemia, with pharmacotherapy reserved to reduce the risk of pancreatitis and/or further reduce TG levels. Several classes of lipid-lowering agents are available with variable TG-lowering efficacy. While there is no consensus regarding the choice of initial TG-lowering pharmacotherapy, there is general …

Effects Of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors On 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, William L. Baker, Leo F. Buckley, Michael S. Kelly, John D. Bucheit, Eric D. Parod, Roy Brown, Salvatore Carbone, Antonio Abbate, Dave L. Dixon

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background-—Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a novel class of antihyperglycemic agents that improve glycemic control by increasing glycosuria. Additional benefits beyond glucose lowering include significant improvements in seated clinic blood pressure (BP), partly attributed to their diuretic-like actions. Less known are the effects of this class on 24-hour ambulatory BP, which is a better predictor of cardiovascular risk than seated clinic BP.

Methods and Results-—We performed a meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials to investigate the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on 24-hour ambulatory BP. We searched all studies published before August 17, 2016, which reported 24-hour ambulatory …

Remote Sensing Observation Of Annual Dust Cycles And Possible Causality Of Kawasaki Disease Outbreaks In Japan, Hesham El-Askary, Nick Lahaye, Erik J. Linstead, William A. Sprigg, Magdi Yacoub

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a rare vascular disease that, if left untreated, can result in irreparable cardiac damage in children. While the symptoms of KD are well-known, as are best practices for treatment, the etiology of the disease and the factors contributing to KD outbreaks remain puzzling to both medical practitioners and scientists alike. Recently, a fungus known as Candida, originating in the farmlands of China, has been blamed for outbreaks in China and Japan, with the hypothesis that it can be transported over long ranges via different wind mechanisms. This paper provides evidence to understand the transport mechanisms …