Circulation August 2, 2016, Issue

Carolyn: Welcome to Circulation on the Run, your weekly podcast summary and backstage pass to the journal and its editors. I'm doctor Carolyn Lam, associate editor from the National Heart Center and Duke National University of Singapore. Joining on me in just a moment are two guests to discuss a very exciting new category of papers, known as the white paper. The topic for today is an evolution within the field of current day percutaneous coronary intervention that of the treatment of higher risk patients with an indication for revascularization. But first, here is your summary of this week's journal.

The first study is from first author doctor Jolis and corresponding author doctor Grainger, from the duke clinical research institute in Durham, North Carolina. These authors describe the American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline, STEMI Systems Accelerator. This exciting project represents the largest effort ever attempted in the United States to organize ST segment elevation myocardial infarction care across multiple regions, including 484 hospitals, 1,253 emergency medical services across sixteen regions and involving more than 23,800 patients.

Indeed, this project aims to organize coordinated regional reperfusion plans so as to increase the proportion of patients treated within guideline goals, that is a first medical contact to devise time of less than 90 minutes for STEMI patients directly presenting to PCI capable hospitals and less than 120 minutes for transferred patients.

The authors observed that during the study period of July 2012 to December 2013, there was a significant increase in the proportion of patients meeting these guideline goals, including an increase from 50% to 55% of STEMI patients directly presenting via emergency services and from 44% to 48% of those transfer patients. The authors concluded that these improvements, while modest, suggest the potential for reductions in total ischemic time and happily observe corresponding trends towards lower in-hospital mortality compared with the national data towards the end of the measurement period. Indeed, the tickle message is that the findings support continued efforts to implement regional STEMI networks.

The next study is by first author doctor Hidari and corresponding author doctor Kuang from the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. They describe the OMEGA-REMODEL randomized clinical trial. This is a multi-center, double-blinded, placebo control trial of 358 participants presenting within acute myocardial infarction who are randomized to six months of high dose omega-3 fatty acids at four grams daily versus placebo.

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess cardiac structure and tissue characteristics at baseline and following therapy with the primary study in point being a change in left ventricular systolic volume index. Indeed, the authors reported that compared to placebo, patients who received four grams daily omega-3 fatty acids experienced significant improvements in both left ventricular and systolic volume and surrogate measures of non-infarct myocardial fibrosis during the six months of treatment.

These remodeling benefits further followed a dose response relationship with the rise in the in vivo omega-3 fatty acid levels as quantified by your red blood cell index. They concluded that four grams daily of omega-3 fatty acid is a safe and effective treatment in improving cardiac remodeling in patients receiving current guideline based post-myocardial infarction therapies. Indeed, this does warrant perspective clinical studies.

The third study is by first author doctor Liu and corresponding author doctor Sia from University of Texas, Houston Medical School and Colleagues, who sought to understand the molecular basis underlying adaption to high altitude hypoxia. By conducting both human high altitude and most genetic studies, the authors identified a novel functional role of CD73-dependent elevations in extracellular adenosin signolin in response to high altitude hypoxia.

This led to sequential activation of a readthrough site AMP-activated protein kinase, which in turn resulted in increased 2,3-bisphosphoglyceric production and enhanced oxygen release capacity to peripheral tissues. Thus, reducing tissue hypoxia, inflammation and pulmonary injury. These findings have significantly added to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying adaption to hypoxia. Thereby, opened novel therapeutic possibilities for the prevention and treatment of hypoxia related conditions.

The final study is from first author doctor Yen and corresponding author doctor Chen from the National Taiwan University and Colleagues, who aimed to determine the effect of betel nut chewing and paternal smoking on the risks of early metabolic syndrome in human offspring. The author studied more than 13,000 parent-child trios identified from more tha...