(Press-News.org) OAK BROOK, Ill. – A new risk score accurately predicts and categorizes the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attack, in women. The findings were published today in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death in U.S. women. The same can be said for women in Latin America, Europe, Asia and Pacific countries. However, since men are more likely to suffer from heart conditions such as coronary artery disease, women tend to be overlooked in cardiovascular studies.
“Women are often underrepresented in research studies, and in some settings may be excluded,” said study lead author Guillermo Romero-Farina, M.D., Ph.D., cardiologist and senior researcher at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute and CIBERCV in Barcelona, Spain. “Risk stratification in women is particularly important because the clinical presentation of coronary disease in women may differ from that in men and is often atypical.”
Coronary risk stratification models are an important tool physicians use to identify which patients are most likely to experience major adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attack, stroke or even death. Establishing a Coronary Risk Score in Women (CORSWO) may aid in the prediction of major cardiovascular events.
In this retrospective study, Dr. Romero-Farina and colleagues analyzed the data of 2,226 women aged 40 to 93 years who were referred to the Nuclear Cardiology Unit at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital for risk assessment and evaluation.
All patients underwent gated SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging, which is an imaging procedure that measures left ventricular function and myocardial perfusion at the same time.
The average follow-up time occurred around was approximately four years. The maximum follow-up time was 10 years, and all follow-ups occurred in the hospital as a result of a major adverse cardiovascular event.
Using eight variables, the CORSWO calculated the risk of a cardiac event in patients and categorized them into four risk levels: low, moderate, high and very high.
“By grouping patients into different risk levels—ranging from low to very high risk—doctors can better focus resources and treatments on those who need them the most,” Dr. Romero-Farina said.
The model accurately predicted major adverse cardiovascular events in women who were categorized as high and very high risk and performed better than other risk models.
The researchers note that this novel approach of incorporating clinical, exercise and imaging-based variables is important in accurately calculating the risk of cardiac events in women.
“The study provides additional insights into identifying high risk or very high-risk women,” Dr. Romero-Farina said. “This approach helps us catch potential heart issues earlier, especially serious events like heart attacks and sudden cardiac death, which are the outcomes cardiologists are most concerned about preventing.”
###
“Prediction of Major Adverse Coronary Events Using the Coronary Risk Score in Women.” Collaborating with Dr. Romero-Farina were Santiago Aguadé-Bruix, M.D., and Ignacio Ferreira-González, M.D., Ph.D.
Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging is edited by Suhny Abbara, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (https://pubs.rsna.org/journal/cardiothoracic)
RSNA is an association of radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research, and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Illinois. (RSNA.org)
For patient-friendly information on cardiac imaging, visit RadiologyInfo.org.
END
Dr. Byungwook Hwang’s research team from the CCS Research Department at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has successfully developed a process that applies the circulating fluidized bed technology, commonly used in coal-fired power plant boilers, to recycle waste plastics and produce pyrolysis oil on a large scale.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sharp increase in household plastic waste worldwide. In response, countries around the globe are focusing on recycling technologies, such as pyrolysis, for eco-friendly waste plastic management. Recently, the Korean government announced plans to expand the ...
High-sensitivity climate models should not be excluded when predicting future regional climate impacts because the level of warming measured globally is not always the only good indicator of regional changes, a new study suggests.
Some models which scientists use to predict future changes in Earth's climate show faster global warming than others, leading to temperature projections that are considered unlikely. Some experts suggest that these more sensitive (or ‘hotter’) models should be omitted when studying future climate impacts.
New research published today (Thursday, ...
In everyday life, materials that conduct electricity well, like metals, also tend to conduct heat. For instance, a metal spoon left in a hot cup of tea will get hot, while the ceramic mug remains cool. This is because good electrical conductors are usually good heat conductors too. However, researchers at Drexel University and Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) in Belgium have discovered that MXenes, a type of material known for its excellent electrical conductivity, actually have very low ...
(CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) December 05, 2024 – Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with various subtypes affecting millions of people each year. Among these, ALK-positive lung cancer frequently strikes younger people who have never smoked, including those aged between 20 and 50. Upon diagnosis, 80% of individuals already have stage 4 metastatic cancer, spread beyond the lungs to other parts of the body. Despite initially effective ALK inhibitor treatments, the cancer recurs in most patients, and there are about 70,000 people living with ALK+ lung cancer in the ...
Extreme weather and pollution have increased the salt content in some soil, making growing conditions harsh for salt-sensitive crops like rice. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano detail a possible solution that doesn’t require genetic modification to make rice plants thrive in these conditions. In lab experiments, they determined that coating rice seedlings with magnesium-doped carbon dots — derived from durian peels — increased the seedlings’ antioxidant activity and photosynthesis, reducing the stress caused by salty soil.
To increase stress resistance in plants, the current ...
Despite the massive hype surrounding Power-to-X (PtX), most of the world's announced green hydrogen projects lack financing. The market is deemed far too risky by stakeholders. And, there are many potential pitfalls. According to the authors of a study from the University of Copenhagen, actors must be ‘compelled’ to invest in a genuinely green manner.
Green hydrogen has long been touted as the climate-friendly energy solution of the future. Indeed, there has been no shortage of hype surrounding Power-to-X – which converts green electricity into hydrogen and other molecules. In Denmark, politicians have referred to PtX as a cornerstone of ...
In the split second that is needed to view a stop sign and react to it, our brain navigates a complex process that transitions seamlessly from perception to action control. This ability to halt or inhibit actions, known as response inhibition, is fundamental to human cognition. It plays a key role in decision-making and self-control, enabling us to suppress impulsive or inappropriate behaviors. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this process is essential for grasping how we manage our thoughts and actions and for treating impulse control disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity ...
From the 1960s to the 1980s, the use of lead in fuel, paints, and pipes caused widespread contamination. It is estimated that 170 million Americans alive today were exposed to high lead levels as children, which caused significant harm, including a measurable drop in IQ scores. While we now understand the dangers of these chemicals, large sections of the population are still exposed to them. UNICEF reports that about 800 million children globally, nearly half of whom live in South Asia, are still exposed to unsafe levels of lead resulting from the hazardous ...
Control systems are ubiquitous in modern day technology. In industrial contexts, these systems ensure that relevant variables remain within a desirable range to keep processes running safely and efficiently. A vast array of control strategies exists, and it is not uncommon to combine different types of controllers to improve performance. For instance, high-level controllers based on mathematical modeling of a given process are routinely combined with low-level controllers, such as the widely used ...
The Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons (HWE) reaction is a fundamental reaction in organic chemistry, widely used to create conjugated carbonyl compounds. Conjugated carbonyl compounds are used in many industries for synthesizing perfumes, plastics, and pharmaceuticals and are also involved in biological processes. Consequently, methods for improving HWE reactions are an active area of research.
One potential application of HWE reactions is to develop (E)-isomers of conjugated carbonyl compounds that are useful for synthesizing chemicals called hynapene analogues with promising anti-cancer ...
