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. 2021 Jun 21;22(12):6630. doi: 10.3390/ijms22126630

Table 2.

General and cohort-specific exclusion criteria for the IHD-EPITRAN study. CCS, Canadian cardiovascular society (for angina pectoris grading); GFReEPI, Glomerular filtration rate estimated with CKD-EPI (Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration) equation; IHD, ischemic heart disease; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; LVH, left ventricular hypertrophy; NYHA, New York Heart Association (for heart failure grading); PCI, percutaneous coronary intervention; RR, Scipione Riva-Rocci (eponym for sphygmomanometric blood pressure gauge).

General Justification
Condition that limits life expectancy May modify blood epitranscriptomes hampering reliable biomarker identification
Active inflammatory state (i.e., gout, systemic lupus erythematosus) Cimplement, cytokines and leukocyte activation may infuence blood epitranscriptomes
Primary desease of blood or bone marrow Expectable to alter epotranscriptomic regulation precluding reliable biomarker discovery
Major congenital heart disease of atrial fibrillation To exclude the effects of remodelling in atrial appendges
Renal insufficiency (GTReEPI < 45 mL/min) To exclude the effects of altered blood solute dynamics for reliable biomarker discovery
Uncontrolled hypertension (RR > 180/100 mmHg) or diabetes (HbA1c > 60 mmol/L), insulin us diabetes Hight blood pressure and significant hyperglycemia damage endothelium and blood cells
Prior open-heart surgery (i.e., coronary artery bypass surgery) To exclude very high-morbidity IHD and support the goal to identify biomarkers for early-to-moderate IHD
Other manifestations of atherosclerosis:
a. Arteriosclerosis oblitierans/claudication
b. Earlier stroke, cerebral hemorrhage or transient ischemic attach (TIA)
c. Vascular or mixed type dementia
d. Clinically releveant carotid artery stenosis
e. Mesenteric ischemia
To exclude effects of other manifestations of atherosclerosis in blood epitranscriptomes as extensively as possible; Except for surveying vascular claudication, prospective investigations to exclude these manifestations will not be performed; Ankle-brachial index is recorded for any asymptomatic peripheral artery disease in cohort II
Transthoracic echocardiography:
a. Cardiomyopathy (Hypertrophic/Dilated)
b. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH)
c. Clear heart failure (i.e., LVEF < 25%)
d. Indication of atrial remodeling
e. Functionally significant valve defects
To exclude remodeling effects due to intrinsic myocardial pathology, significant heart failure or valve defects; LVH is considered as an exception for the cohort III (part of pathophysiology)
Study cohort I, patients with myocardial infarction revascularized with urgent PCI
Stent thrombosis, vasospastic coronary occlusion This is IHD-focused study, myocardial infartions of other than atherothrombotic etiology are excluded
MI complications (e.g., chordal rupture, aorthic disserction, acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock) To focus biomarker discovery to the IHD-induced infarction-specific epitranscriptomic alterations
Global ischemia on electrocardiogram High rish of insufficient PCI and ischemia relievement
Study cohort II, patients with stable IHD undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery
Duration of stable angina pectoris or exertional dyspneas < 1-month, crescendo angina To exclude acute and subacute IHD related alterations in blood epitranscriptomes
Complex surgeries (e.g., valve/aneurysm repair) To exclude other major cardiac remodeling effects
Study cohort III, patients with stable aortic valve stenosis undergoing valve replacement surgery
Clinically mild-to-moderate stenosis with mild symptoms (NYHA/CCA 0-I) Indicate less pronounced pathophysiology that might be reflected with blunted changes in the alterations of the blood epitranscriptomes regarding AVS
Documented IHD or complex operations As a control cohort with non-IHD cardiac pathology, any indication of IHD will lead to exclusion
Transcatheter asortic valve implantations To enable right atrial appendage sample collection
Study cohort IV, patients screened negative for IHD with coronary computed tomography
Any prior cardiovascular disease or medication currently or in history As critical non-IHD controls, the aim is to also recruit patients that represent overall “cardiovascular health”