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Mark Paul Donahue

Associate Professor of Medicine
Medicine, Cardiology
Duke Box 3298, Durham, NC 27710
Dept of Medicine, Durham, NC

Selected Publications


Depressive symptoms are associated with clinical outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Journal Article ESC Heart Fail · October 2024 AIMS: The objective of this study was to examine associations between elevated depressive symptoms and increased risk of adverse clinical events patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), as well as the potential contribution of hea ... Full text Link to item Cite

Genome-Wide Association Study of Beta-Blocker Survival Benefit in Black and White Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article Genes (Basel) · October 28, 2023 In patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), individual responses to beta-blockers vary. Candidate gene pharmacogenetic studies yielded significant but inconsistent results, and they may have missed important associations. Our obj ... Full text Link to item Cite

Incidence Rates and Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Confirmed Myocarditis or Pericarditis Following COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination: Experience of the Veterans Health Administration Through 9 October 2022

Journal Article Open Forum Infectious Diseases · July 1, 2023 Background. Although the benefits outweigh the risks, COVID-19 vaccines have been associated with an increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis. This report is based on a national US veteran population with confirmed myocarditis/pericarditis following ... Full text Cite

Polygenic Score for β-Blocker Survival Benefit in European Ancestry Patients With Reduced Ejection Fraction Heart Failure.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · December 2020 BACKGROUND: β-Blockers (BBs) are mainstay therapy for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. However, individual patient responses to BB vary, which may be partially due to genetic variation. The goal of this study was to derive and validate the fir ... Full text Link to item Cite

Management of Dyslipidemia for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction: Synopsis of the 2020 Updated U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guideline.

Journal Article Ann Intern Med · November 17, 2020 DESCRIPTION: In June 2020, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) released a joint update of their clinical practice guideline for managing dyslipidemia to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in adults. This synops ... Full text Link to item Cite

Interventions to Improve Statin Tolerance and Adherence in Patients at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease : A Systematic Review for the 2020 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense Guidelines for Management of Dyslipidemia.

Journal Article Annals of internal medicine · November 2020 BackgroundStrategies to improve patients' tolerance of and adherence to statins may enhance the effectiveness of dyslipidemia treatment in those at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).PurposeTo assess the benefits and harms of intervent ... Full text Cite

Same-day discharge among patients undergoing elective PCI: Insights from the VA CART Program.

Journal Article Am Heart J · December 2019 BACKGROUND: Available data suggest that same-day discharge (SDD) after elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is safe in select patients. Yet, little is known about contemporary adoption rates, safety, and costs in a universal health care system ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Genome-Wide Association Study of Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy in African Americans.

Journal Article J Pers Med · February 26, 2018 Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) is the most common form of non-ischemic chronic heart failure. Despite the higher prevalence of IDC in African Americans, the genetics of IDC have been relatively understudied in this ethnic group. We performed a gen ... Full text Link to item Cite

Genetic Variation in Acid Ceramidase Predicts Non-completion of an Exercise Intervention.

Journal Article Front Physiol · 2018 Genetic variation is associated with a number of lifestyle behaviours; it may be associated with adherence and individual responses to exercise training. We tested single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the acid ceramidase gene (ASAH1) for association w ... Full text Link to item Cite

Utility of Growth Differentiation Factor-15, A Marker of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation, in Chronic Heart Failure: Insights From the HF-ACTION Study.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · October 2017 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine the relationship between growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15 and clinical outcomes in ambulatory patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). BACKGROUND: The prognostic utility of GDF-15, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cause of Death and Predictors of All-Cause Mortality in Anticoagulated Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation: Data From ROCKET AF.

Journal Article J Am Heart Assoc · March 8, 2016 BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation is associated with higher mortality. Identification of causes of death and contemporary risk factors for all-cause mortality may guide interventions. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the Rivaroxaban Once Daily Oral Direct Factor Xa I ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognostic Implications of Long-Chain Acylcarnitines in Heart Failure and Reversibility With Mechanical Circulatory Support.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · January 26, 2016 BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is characterized by perturbations in energy homeostasis and metabolism. The reversibility and prognostic value of circulating markers associated with these changes remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to describe the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Guideline-based decision support has a small, non-sustained effect on transthoracic echocardiography ordering frequency.

Journal Article BMJ Qual Saf · January 2016 BACKGROUND: Guidance for appropriate utilisation of transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs) can be incorporated into ordering prompts, potentially affecting the number of requests. METHODS: We incorporated data from the 2011 Appropriate Use Criteria for Echoc ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

A Guide for a Cardiovascular Genomics Biorepository: the CATHGEN Experience.

Journal Article J Cardiovasc Transl Res · November 2015 The CATHeterization GENetics (CATHGEN) biorepository was assembled in four phases. First, project start-up began in 2000. Second, between 2001 and 2010, we collected clinical data and biological samples from 9334 individuals undergoing cardiac catheterizat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evaluation of the Incremental Prognostic Utility of Increasingly Complex Testing in Chronic Heart Failure.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · July 2015 BACKGROUND: Current heart failure (HF) risk prediction models do not consider how individual patient assessments occur in incremental steps; furthermore, each additional diagnostic evaluation may add cost, complexity, and potential morbidity. METHODS AND R ... Full text Link to item Cite

Biomarkers of myocardial stress and fibrosis as predictors of mode of death in patients with chronic heart failure.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · June 2014 OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether biomarkers of myocardial stress and fibrosis improve prediction of the mode of death in patients with chronic heart failure. BACKGROUND: The 2 most common modes of death in patients with chronic he ... Full text Link to item Cite

The effects of exercise on cardiovascular biomarkers in patients with chronic heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2014 BACKGROUND: Exercise training is recommended for chronic heart failure (HF) patients to improve functional status and reduce risk of adverse outcomes. Elevated plasma levels of amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), high-sensitivity C-re ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship between galectin-3 levels and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist use in heart failure: analysis from HF-ACTION.

Journal Article J Card Fail · January 2014 BACKGROUND: Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a marker of myocardial fibrosis, and elevated levels are associated with adverse outcomes. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) modulate cardiac fibrosis in heart failure (HF) patients and have been shown to impro ... Full text Link to item Cite

Soluble ST2 in ambulatory patients with heart failure: Association with functional capacity and long-term outcomes.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · November 2013 BACKGROUND: ST2 is involved in cardioprotective signaling in the myocardium and has been identified as a potentially promising biomarker in heart failure (HF). We evaluated ST2 levels and their association with functional capacity and long-term clinical ou ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association between adrenergic receptor genotypes and beta-blocker dose in heart failure patients: analysis from the HF-ACTION DNA substudy.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · March 2013 AIMS: Beta-blockers reduce morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure (HF) patients with reduced ejection fraction. However, there is heterogeneity in the response to these drugs, perhaps due to genetic variations in the β1-adrenergic receptor (ADRβ1 ... Full text Link to item Cite