Variables affecting the quality of anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation patients newly initiating vitamin K antagonists: insights from the national and multicentre SULTAN registry

Abstract Aims Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) are effective drugs reducing the risk for stroke in atrial fibrillation (AF), but the benefits derived from such therapy depend on the international normalized ratio (INR) maintenance in a narrow therapeutic range. Here, we aimed to determine independent variables driving poor anticoagulation control [defined as a time in therapeutic range (TTR) <65%] in a ‘real world’ national cohort of AF patients. Methods and results The SULTAN registry is a multicentre, prospective study, involving patients with non-valvular AF from 72 cardiology units expert in AF in Spain. At inclusion, all patients naïve for oral anticoagulation were started with VKAs…

Global perspective of familial hypercholesterolaemia: a cross-sectional study from the EAS Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC)

Background The European Atherosclerosis Society Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) global registry provides a platform for the global surveillance of familial hypercholesterolaemia through harmonisation and pooling of multinational data. In this study, we aimed to characterise the adult population with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia and described how it is detected and managed globally. Methods Using FHSC global registry data, we did a cross-sectional assessment of adults (aged 18 years or older) with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of probable or definite heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia at the time they were entered into the registries. Dat…

Effects of a Carob-Pod-Derived Sweetener on Glucose Metabolism

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a higher incidence of cardiovascular (CV) events. The ingestion of high-glycemic index (GI) diets, specially sweetened beverage consumption, has been associated with the development of T2DM and CV disease. Objective: We investigated the effects of the intake of a sweetened beverage, obtained from natural carbohydrates containing pinitol (PEB) compared to a sucrose-enriched beverage (SEB) in the context of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and diabetes. Methods: The study was divided in three different phases: (1) a discovery phase where the plasma proteomic profile was investigated by 2-DE (two-dimensional electrophoresis) follow…

Can new generation P2Y12 inhibitors play a role in microvascular obstruction in STEMI?