On the prospect of serum exosomal miRNA profiling and protein biomarkers for the diagnosis of ascending aortic dilatation in patients with bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valve.

Background: To determine the impact of circulating miRNA and protein activity on the severity of ascending aortic dilatation in patients with bicuspid (BAV) and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). Methods: By reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, exosomal circulating expression levels (versus healthy aorta) of miRNAs and absolute levels of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2, -3 and -9), tissue inhibitors (TIMP-1, -2, -3 and -4), and soluble receptors for advanced glycation end products AGEs (sRAGE) were evaluated in ascending dilated aortas of 71 patients with different valve morphotype. Results: Less-dilated ascending aorta exhibited a specific miRN…

Three-dimensional parametric modeling of bicuspid aortopathy and comparison with computational flow predictions

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV)-associated ascending aneurysmal aortopathy (namely "bicuspid aortopathy") is a heterogeneous disease making surgeon predictions particularly challenging. Computational flow analysis can be used to evaluate the BAV-related hemodynamic disturbances, which likely lead to aneurysm enlargement and progression. However, the anatomic reconstruction process is time consuming so that predicting hemodynamic and structural evolution by computational modeling is unfeasible in routine clinical practice. The aim of the study was to design and develop a parametric program for three-dimensional (3D) representations of aneurysmal aorta and different BAV phenotypes starting from s…

Corrigendum to Patterns of ascending aortic dilatation and predictors of surgical replacement of the aorta: A comparison of bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valve patients over eight years of follow-up “J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2019 Oct;135:31–39. PMID: 31348923” (Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (2019) 135 (31–39), (S0022282819300495), (10.1016/j.yjmcc.2019.07.010))

The authors regret that the author name of Romano and Raffa are incorrect. The corrected author's name are Romano G and Raffa GM. The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Three-dimensional parametric modeling of bicuspid aortopathy and comparison with computational flow predictions

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV)-associated ascending aneurysmal aortopathy (namely “bicuspid aortopathy”) is a heterogeneous disease making surgeon predictions particularly challenging. Computational flow analysis can be used to evaluate the BAV-related hemodynamic disturbances, which likely lead to aneurysm enlargement and progression. However, the anatomic reconstruction process is time consuming so that predicting hemodynamic and structural evolution by computational modeling is unfeasible in routine clinical practice. The aim of the study was to design and develop a parametric program for three-dimensional (3D) representations of aneurysmal aorta and different BAV phenotypes starting fr…

Biomechanical Determinants of Right Ventricular Failure in Pulmonary Hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a disease characterized by progressive adverse remodeling of the distal pulmonary arteries, resulting in elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and load pressure on the right ventricle (RV), ultimately leading to RV failure. Invasive hemodynamic testing is the gold standard for diagnosing PH and guiding patient therapy. We hypothesized that lumped-parameter and biventricular finite-element (FE) modeling may lead to noninvasive predictions of both PH-related hemodynamic and biomechanical parameters that induce PH. We created patient-specific biventricular FE models that characterize the biomechanical response of the heart and coupled them with a lumped-paramete…

In Vivo Strain Analysis of Dilated Ascending Thoracic Aorta by ECG-Gated CT Angiographic Imaging

Accurate assessment of aortic extensibility is a requisite first step for elucidating the pathophysiology of an ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA). This study aimed to develop a framework for the in vivo evaluation of the full-field distribution of the aortic wall strain by imaging analysis of electrocardiographic- (ECG) gated thoracic data of 34 patients with ATAA. Seven healthy controls (i.e., non-aneurysmal aorta) from patients who underwent ECG-gated CT angiography for coronary artery diseases were included for comparison. To evaluate the systolic function, ECG-gated computed tomography (CT) angiography was used to generate patient-specific geometric meshes of the ascending aorta…

Statistical shape analysis of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm: Correlation between shape and biomechanical descriptors

An ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) is a heterogeneous disease showing different patterns of aortic dilatation and valve morphologies, each with distinct clinical course. This study aimed to explore the aortic morphology and the associations between shape and function in a population of ATAA, while further assessing novel risk models of aortic surgery not based on aortic size. Shape variability of n = 106 patients with ATAA and different valve morphologies (i.e., bicuspid versus tricuspid aortic valve) was estimated by statistical shape analysis (SSA) to compute a mean aortic shape and its deformation. Once the computational atlas was built, principal component analysis (PCA) allow…

Echocardiography to estimate high filling pressure in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction

Aims: Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular filling pressures is performed using a multi-parametric algorithm. Unselected sample of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients may demonstrate an indeterminate status of diastolic indices making interpretation challenging. We sought to test improvement in the diagnostic accuracy of standard and strain echocardiography of the left ventricle and left atrium (LA) to estimate a pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) > 15 mmHg in patients with HFrEF. Methods and results: Out of 82 consecutive patients, 78 patients were included in the final analysis and right heat catheterization, and echocardiogram…

The Effects of Sacubitril/Valsartan on Clinical, Biochemical and Echocardiographic Parameters in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: The “Hemodynamic Recovery”

Background: Sacubitril/valsartan has been shown to be superior to enalapril in reducing the risks of death and hospitalization for heart failure (HF). However, knowledge of the impact on cardiac performance remains limited. We sought to evaluate the effects of sacubitril/valsartan on clinical, biochemical and echocardiographic parameters in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods: Sacubitril/valsartan was administered to 205 HFrEF patients. Results: Among 230 patients (mean age 59 &plusmn

Utility of Doppler myocardial imaging, cardiac biomarkers, and clonal immunoglobulin genes to assess left ventricular performance and stratify risk following peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in patients with systemic light chain amyloidosis (Al)

Myocardial contrast echocardiography in biopsy-proven primary cardiac amyloidosis.

Abstract Cardiac vasculature is affected in 88-90% of patients with primary cardiac amyloidosis (CA). Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) relies on the ultrasound detection of microbubble contrast agents that are solely confined to the intravascular space, and are therefore useful in the evaluation of flow in the microvasculature. This is the first case report describing the use of MCE during vasodilator stress to evaluate coronary flow reserve in a patient with biopsy-proven primary CA and angiographically normal coronaries. Qualitative MCE demonstrated delayed replenishment of microbubbles during peak stress; quantitative analysis was consistent with a reduction in total myocardial…

Molecular Analysis With 16S rRNA PCR/Sanger Sequencing and Molecular Antibiogram Performed on DNA Extracted From Valve Improve Diagnosis and Targeted Therapy of Infective Endocarditis: A Prospective Study

Abstract Background Molecular analysis (MA) on heart valve (HV) improves the microbiologic diagnosis of infectious endocarditis (IE). The main drawback of MA is the lack of antimicrobial susceptibility information. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort observational study of consecutive adult patients from April 2012 to May 2021 who underwent valve surgery at our hospital. The performance of MA, blood cultures (BC) and valve cultures (VC), and the diagnostic and therapeutic impact of MA were evaluated. Molecular antibiogram results were compared to culture-based antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Results A total of 137 patients with definite IE and 52 patients with no IE were e…

Association of cardio-pulmonary stress test parameters and heart rate recovery in obese subjects with or without type II diabetes

Background and Objectives: Heart rate recovery at first (HRR-I) and second (HRR-II) minute after exercise is accurate in estimating autonomic nervous system balance, and has been related to risk of cardiovascular events. Our aim was to determine independent predictors of HRR collected during standard cardio-pulmonary stress test (CPT) in a group of overweight/obese subjects without (N=14) and with type 2 diabetes (N=19), as compared to a sample (N=15) of healthy sedentary subjects. Methods: A graded exercise test on treadmill was performed. Oxygen uptake at rest and at peak exercise (VO2max), as well as respiratory exchange ratio at peak exercise was collected. Linear and logistic regressio…

Abstract 18060: Risk Stratification Following Mitral Valve Surgery for Chronic Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation: A Very Long-term Study

Background: Very few long-term data are available on patients undergoing mitral valve surgery for chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation (CIMR). Objective:to identify determinants of survival and adverse cardiovascular events, at very long-term outcome. Methods and Results: We reviewed complete left and right ventricular echocardiographic data, six-minute walking test (6-MWT) and BNP levels at pre, peri and follow-up, on 137 consecutive patients who underwent restrictive mitral annuloplasty (RMA) or mitral valve replacement (MVR) and CABG, for CIMR. Combined adverse cardiovascular events were defined as composite of death, heart failure, angina, myocardial infarction and re-hospitalization.…

Determination of maximal fat oxidation for prescribing exercise in healthy sedentary subjects

PURPOSE: Physical activity is recommended as a component of weight management. Exercise intensity has been showed to be one of the most important factors in determining substrate utilization. Purpose of our study was to determine the level at which physical exercise elicits maximal fat oxidation. METHODS: Fifteen healthy sedentary subjects, 8 men and 7 women, mean age 53 (range 37 – 71), BMI 26,6  1,33 performed an incremental exercise test to exhaustion on treadmill, using Bruce protocol. Breath-by-breath measurements of VO2 (ml/Kg/min) were detected throughout exercise and FAT rate (mg/Kg/min) was determined using indirect calorimetry (Cosmed, Quark CPET). The data is shown as mean value…

Relation between anaerobic power and rowing ergometer performance in young rowers

Aims: Rowing performance over 2000m is dependent upon the functional capacity of both the aerobic and anaerobic energy pathways. Although several studies have indicated that maximal oxygen uptake is strongly related to rowing performance and it is the best predictor of performance in elite rowers, some evidence is that muscle power output could be an important predictor of performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between anaerobic power and rowing ergometer performance over 2000m in young rowers, and whether anaerobic power assessed could identify athletes with the best performance. Methods: We collected biometric characteristics and energy data, inclu…

IS A 3D SPECKLE TRACKING ALGORITHM SYNONYMOUS WITH BETTER ESTIMATION OF LEFT VENTRICULAR FUNCTION?

Comparison of right ventricular longitudinal strain imaging, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, and cardiac biomarkers for early diagnosis of cardiac involvement and risk stratification in primary systematic (AL) amyloidosis: a 5-year cohort study: reply.

Aims To determine the role of assessing right ventricular (RV) function, using standard echocardiography and Doppler myocardial imaging (DMI), in the early diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis and in the prediction of mortality. Methods and results Patients with primary systemic (AL) amyloidosis seen at our institution from 1 February 2004 through 31 October 2005 (N = 249) were categorized by left ventricular thickness and E′ velocity and compared with 38 age- and sex-matched controls. Standard echocardiographic and DMI examination were used to measure echocardiographic parameters of RV function: systolic tissue velocity, strain rate, and strain were determined for basal and middle RV free wall…

Cardiac sarcoidosis: Matching speckle tracking echocardiography to macroscopic Ventricular pathology (a case report)

Patterns of ascending aortic dilatation and predictors of surgical replacement of the aorta: A comparison of bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valve patients over eight years of follow-up

Abstract Background Predictors of thoracic aorta growth and early cardiac surgery in patients with bicuspid aortic valve are undefined. Our aim was to identify predictors of ascending aorta dilatation and cardiac surgery in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Methods Forty-one patients with BAV were compared with 165 patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). All patients had LV EF > 50%, normal LV dimensions, and similar degree of aortic root or ascending aorta dilatation at enrollment. Patients with more than mild aortic stenosis or regurgitation were excluded. A CT-scan was available on 76% of the population, and an echocardiogram was repeated every year for a median time of 4 ye…

Shear Stress and Aortic Strain Associations With Biomarkers of Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm

This study aims to investigate the association of wall shear stress (WSS) and aortic strain with circulating biomarkers including matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP), and exosomal level of microRNA (miRNA) in ascending aortic aneurysms of patients with bicuspid or tricuspid aortic valve.A total of 76 variables from 125 patients with ascending aortic aneurysms were collected from (1) blood plasma to measure plasma levels of miRNAs and protein activity; (2) computational flow analysis to estimate peak systolic WSS and time-average WSS (TAWSS); and (3) imaging analysis of computed tomography angiography to determine aortic wall strain. Principal compo…

Usefulness of longitudinal systolic strain and delayed enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance in depicting risk of supraventricular arrythmias in patients with acute myocarditis and preserved left ventricular function

Background: Myocarditis have variable clinical presentation, evolution and prognosis. Aim of our study was to evaluate the value of speckle tracking echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in the short-term prediction of supraventricular arrhythmias (SVA) in patients with acute myocarditis. Methods: Seventy patients (mean age 31±14 years old) with acute myocarditis and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were enrolled. Longitudinal systolic strain (LS) of the left ventricle (LV), mechanical dispersion (MD) and CMR with quantitative measurement of delayed enhancement (DE) were performed in a subset of 43 patients. Logistic regression and ROC analysis were used t…

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Usefulness of regional right ventricular and right atrial strain for prediction of early and late right ventricular failure following a left ventricular assist device implant: A machine learning approach

Background: Identifying candidates for left ventricular assist device surgery at risk of right ventricular failure remains difficult. The aim was to identify the most accurate predictors of right ventricular failure among clinical, biological, and imaging markers, assessed by agreement of different supervised machine learning algorithms. Methods: Seventy-four patients, referred to HeartWare left ventricular assist device since 2010 in two Italian centers, were recruited. Biomarkers, right ventricular standard, and strain echocardiography, as well as cath-lab measures, were compared among patients who did not develop right ventricular failure (N = 56), those with acute–right ventricular fail…

Identification of circumferential regional heterogeneity of ascending thoracic aneurysmal aorta by biaxial mechanical testing

Abstract Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) can present an asymmetrical aortic dilatation compared with patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). This pattern of aneurysm dilatation led us to hypothesize that biomechanical differences likely induced by regional heterogeneity of material properties can underlie the observed asymmetric enlargement discrepancies between BAV ATAA and TAV ATAA. This study aimed to characterize the mechanical properties and associated aortic tissue stiffness changes along the circumferential direction of aortic rings collected from surgically-repaired patients with ATAA. Biaxial material testing was performed …

Detection of Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Cardiac Amyloidosis with Strain Rate Echocardiography .

Background We examined the potential role of Doppler myocardial imaging including tissue velocity imaging, strain imaging, and strain rate imaging for detection of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in cardiac amyloidosis (CA) and determined the minimum dataset required to make the diagnosis. Methods and Results Doppler myocardial imaging was performed in 103 patients with amyloidosis (AL). Peak longitudinal systolic tissue velocity, systolic strain rate (sSR), and systolic strain (sS) were determined for 16 left ventricular segments. Radial and circumferential sSR and sS were also measured. Patients with increased left ventricular wall thickness were classified with advanced-CA, and the…

Natural history of the Sprint Fidelis lead: survival analysis from a large single-center study.

The purposes of our study were to: (1) determine lead failure rate in a large single-center cohort of Sprint Fidelis 6949 (Fidelis) leads, (2) define the risk of lead failure over time, (3) assess the impact of the Lead Integrity Alert (LIA) on lead failure presentation, and (4) identify independent predictors of Fidelis lead failure. All patients who underwent implantation of a Fidelis lead between September 2004 and July 2007 were included. Demographic, clinical, and device characteristics at the time of implant and prior to failure were collected and analyzed. A total of 971 Fidelis leads (706 men, 265 women, mean age 68.4 ± 12.8 years) were implanted. Over a mean follow-up of 46.3 month…

Shear stress alterations in the celiac trunk of patients with a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device as shown by in-silico and in-vitro flow analyses

Background The use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) to treat advanced cardiac heart failure is constantly increasing, although this device leads to high risk for gastrointestinal bleeding. Methods Using in-silico flow analysis, we quantified hemodynamic alterations due to continuous-flow LVAD (HeartWare, Inc., Framingham, MA) in the celiac trunk and major branches of the abdominal aorta, and then explored the relationship between wall shear stress (WSS) and celiac trunk orientation. To assess outflow from the aortic branch, a 3-dimensional-printed patient-specific model of the celiac trunk reconstructed from an LVAD-supported patient was used to estimate echocardiographic outflow …

Patients with bicuspid aortic valve are likely to receive an aortic valve prosthesis during prophylactic resection of their ascending aortic aneurysm.

This study aims to evaluate whether thepresence or discovery of a BAV under ATAA repair would impactthe decision-making of the surgical procedure choice.

The aging heart, myocardial fibrosis, and its relationship to circulating C-type natriuretic Peptide.

Myocardial aging is characterized by left ventricular (LV) fibrosis leading to diastolic and systolic dysfunction. Studies have established the potent antifibrotic and antiproliferative properties of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP); however, the relationship between circulating CNP, LV fibrosis, and associated changes in LV function with natural aging are undefined. Accordingly, we characterized the relationship of plasma CNP with LV fibrosis and function in 2-, 11-, and 20-month–old male Fischer rats. Further in vitro, we established the antiproliferative actions of CNP and the participation of the clearance receptor using adult human cardiac fibroblasts. Here we establish for the first t…

Independent predictors of survival in primary systemic (Al), amyloidosis, including cardiac biomarkers and left ventricular strain imaging: an observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of Doppler myocardial imaging, including myocardial velocity imaging, strain, and strain rate imaging, in patients with primary (AL) amyloidosis is uncertain. The aim of this longitudinal study was to identify independent predictors of survival, comparing clinical data, hematologic and cardiac biomarkers, and standard echocardiographic and Doppler myocardial imaging measures in a cohort of patients with AL amyloidosis. METHODS: A total of 249 consecutive patients with AL amyloidosis were prospectively enrolled. The primary end point was all-cause mortality, and during a median follow-up period of 18 months, 75 patients (30%) died. Clinical and electrocardiog…

On the role of material properties in ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms

One of the obstacles standing before the biomechanical analysis of an ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) is the difficulty in obtaining patient-specific material properties. This study aimed to evaluate differences on ATAA-related stress predictions resulting from the elastostatic analysis based on the optimization of arbitrary material properties versus the application of patient-specific material properties determined from ex-vivo biaxial testing. Specifically, the elastostatic analysis relies the on the fact that, if the aortic wall stress does not depend on material properties, the aorta has to be statistically determinate. Finite element analysis (FEA) was applied to a group of …

Computational modeling of bicuspid aortopathy: Towards personalized risk strategies.

This paper describes current advances on the application of in-silico for the understanding of bicuspid aortopathy and future perspectives of this technology on routine clinical care. This includes the impact that artificial intelligence can provide to develop computer-based clinical decision support system and that wearable sensors can offer to remotely monitor high-risk bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients. First, we discussed the benefit of computational modeling by providing tangible examples of in-silico software products based on computational fluid-dynamic (CFD) and finite-element method (FEM) that are currently transforming the way we diagnose and treat cardiovascular diseases. Then…

C4, BF, C3 Allele Distribution and Complement Activity in Healthy Aged People and Centenarians

The aim of this study was to examine the complement system and the distribution of some human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class III alleles (C4, BF) in healthy aged people (77 centenarians and 89 elderly subjects). We have also studied the alleles of C3, a complement component genetically unrelated to HLA, the immunochemical levels of C4 and C3 and serum functional hemolytic activity for classical (CH50) and alternative (AP50) complement pathway. The levels of C3 and C4 and the CH50 and AP50 were found to be within the normal range. The frequencies of C3, BF, and C4A alleles were similar in the cohorts that have been studied. For C4B null allele (C4BQ0) a trend toward an increase in the older c…

Particle image velocimetry study of the celiac trunk hemodynamic induced by continuous-flow left ventricular assist device

Abstract Whereas left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is the gold-standard therapy for patients with heart failure, gastrointestinal bleeding is one of the most common complications. LVAD implantation may remarkably impact aortic hemodynamics so that experimental and computational flow analyses can be used to study the disease mechanisms. Here we present an experimentally-calibrated computational model of the celiac trunk hemodynamic of a LVAD-supported patient who experienced bleeding after device implantation. Specifically, both particle image velocimetry (PIV) and echocardiography were used to measure and compare flow distributions in each branch of a phantom model of the patient abdomi…

Evidence of impaired left ventricular systolic function by Doppler myocardial imaging in patients with systemic amyloidosis and no evidence of cardiac involvement by standard two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography

We examined the potential role of Doppler myocardial imaging for early detection of systolic dysfunction in patients with systemic amyloidosis (AL) but without evidence of cardiac involvement by standard echocardiography. We identified 42 patients without 2-dimensional echocardiographic or Doppler evidence of cardiac involvement. These patients had normal ventricular wall thickness and normal velocity of the medial mitral annulus. Myocardial images were obtained in these patients and in 32 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Peak longitudinal systolic tissue velocity (sTVI), systolic strain rate (sSR), and systolic strain (sS) were determined for 16 left ventricular segments. Radial a…

Simulation study of transcatheter heart valve implantation in patients with stenotic bicuspid aortic valve

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) anatomy has routinely been considered an exclusion in the setting of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) because of the large dimension of the aortic annulus having a more calcified, bulky, and irregular shape. The study aims to develop a patient-specific computational framework to virtually simulate TAVI in stenotic BAV patients using the Edwards SAPIEN 3 valve (S3) and its improved version SAPIEN 3 Ultra and quantify stent frame deformity as well as the severity of paravalvular leakage (PVL). Specifically, the aortic root anatomy of n.9 BAV patients who underwent TAVI was reconstructed from pre-operative CT imaging. Crimping and deployment of S3 fram…

Anaerobic test on rowing ergometer in young rowers

PURPOSE: Performance over 2000m on a rowing ergometer is dependent upon the functional capacity of both the aerobic and anaerobic energy pathway. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between anaerobic power and indoor performance over 2000m in youth rowers. METHODS: Six youth rowers, 3 males and 3 females mean age 14 (range 13 – 15), performed, on a separate occasion, two maximal ergometer power tests, on 20” and on 60”, and a maximal 2000m ergometer time trial. All evaluations were performed on a Concept II model D air braked rowing ergometer (Concept2, Nottingham, UK). Average speed over 2000m (V) and average power over 20” (W20) and over 60” (W60) were measured. The d…

Doppler Myocardial Imaging for Early Detection of Cardiac Involvement in Patients with Systemic AL Amyloidosis.

The Influence of Immunoglobulin Light chain Variable Gene Usage on Cardiac Function, Hematological Response, and Survival in Patients with Systemic Light chain Amyloidosis (AL) after Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation.

A study on the effect of contact pressure during physical activity on photoplethysmographic heart rate measurements

Heart rate (HR) as an important physiological indicator could properly describe global subject&rsquo

1232 Acute myocarditis: prognostic role of speckle tracking echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance

Abstract Background Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium predominantly caused by infection with subsequent immunological response. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the currently best imaging modality to confirm a suspected diagnosis of myocarditis. Conventional echocardiography can detect regional or global wall motion abnormalities but it could also be negative. Speckle tracking echocardiography can help to identify subtle systolic dysfunction, in patients with myocardits and apparently negative echocardiogram. Purpose the aim of this study was to identify cardiac imaging parameters predictive of cardiovascular events in patients with acute myocarditis. Methods a pro…

A preliminary investigation of the effect of contact pressure on the accuracy of heart rate monitoring by wearable PPG wrist band

The increase of safety and health monitor of workers has become a crucial objective to prevent excessive physical workloads, injuries, accidents and errors. Heart rate (HR) is a very important physiological indicator which could properly describe the workers’ physical status. Recently, wearable photoplethysmographic (PPG) wristband trackers have been utilized to measure HR without hindering normal gesture of workers. However, the quality of PPG signals is highly affected by human physical motions, resulting in a poor reliable HR estimation. Specifically, during different activities and gestures, PPG sensor contact pressures may have an impact on the quality of the heart rate signal. To appr…

Speckle myocardial imaging modalities for early detection of myocardial impairment in isolated left ventricular non-compaction

Objective To examine the hypothesis that speckle myocardial imaging (SMI) modalities, including longitudinal, radial and circumferential systolic (s) and diastolic (d) myocardial velocity imaging, displacement (D), strain rate (SR) and strain (S), as well as left ventricular (LV) rotation/torsion are sensitive for detecting early myocardial dysfunction in isolated LV non-compaction (iLVNC). Design and results Twenty patients with iLVNC diagnosed by cardiac magnetic resonance (15) or echocardiography (5) were included. Patients were divided into two groups: ejection fraction (EF)>50% (n=10) and EF≤50% (n=10). Standard measures of systolic and diastolic function including pulsed wave tissue D…

Impact of cardiac rehabilitation exercise program on left ventricular diastolic function in coronary artery disease: a pilot study.

Abstract Diastolic dysfunction is common in coronary artery disease (CAD). Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves survival and quality of life but its effect on diastolic function is unclear. We sought to determine the impact of CR on diastolic function. We conducted a prospective study of CAD patients referred for 3-month outpatient CR, with pre-CR and post-CR echocardiograms. Twenty-five outpatients (age [mean ± SD], 66 ± 11 years; 7 [28 %] women; 22 [88 %] with recent acute coronary syndrome) were recruited upon beginning CR; one patient lacking follow-up was excluded from analysis. Before CR, patients' mean ejection fraction was 61 ± 7 %; regional wall motion score index wa…

Long-Term Structural and Functional Myocardial Adaptations in Healthy Living Kidney Donors: A Pilot Study

Background and Aims Compensatory renal hypertrophy following unilateral nephrectomy (UNX) occurs in the remaining kidney. However, the long-Term cardiac adaptive process to UNX remains poorly defined in humans. Our goal was to characterize myocardial structure and function in living kidney donors (LKDs), approximately 12 years after UNX. Methods and Results Cardiac function and structure in 15 Italian LKDs, at least 5 years after UNX (median time from donation = 8.4 years) was investigated and compared to those of age and sex matched U.S. citizens healthy controls (n = 15). Standard and speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) was performed in both LKDs and controls. Plasma angiotensin II, a…

Modeling Right Ventricle Failure After Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device: A Biventricular Finite-Element and Lumped-Parameter Analysis

The risk of right ventricle (RV) failure remains a major contraindication for continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation in patients with heart failure. It is therefore critical to identify the patients who will benefit from early intervention to avoid adverse outcomes. We sought to advance the computational modeling description of the mechanisms underlying RV failure in LVAD-supported patients. RV failure was studied by computational modeling of hemodynamic and cardiac mechanics using lumped-parameter and biventricular finite element (FE) analysis. Findings were validated by comparison of bi-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiographic strain assessment of the …

In Silico Shear and Intramural Stresses are Linked to Aortic Valve Morphology in Dilated Ascending Aorta

Objective/Background: The development of ascending aortic dilatation in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is highly variable, and this makes surgical decision strategies particularly challenging. The purpose of this study was to identify new predictors, other than the well established aortic size, that may help to stratify the risk of aortic dilatation in BAV patients.Methods: Using fluid-structure interaction analysis, both haemodynamic and structural parameters exerted on the ascending aortic wall of patients with either BAV ( n = 21) or tricuspid aortic valve (TAV; n = 13) with comparable age and aortic diameter (42.7 +/- 5.3 mm for BAV and 45.4 +/- 10.0 mm for TAV) were compared…

Human Hypertension Is Characterized by a Lack of Activation of the Antihypertensive Cardiac Hormones ANP and BNP

ObjectivesThis study sought to investigate plasma levels of circulating cardiac natriuretic peptides, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type or brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), in the general community, focusing on their relative differences in worsening human hypertension.BackgroundAlthough ANP and BNP are well-characterized regulators of blood pressure in humans, little is known at the population level about their relationship with hypertension. The authors hypothesized that hypertension is associated with a lack of activation of these hormones or their molecular precursors.MethodsThe study cohort (N = 2,082, age >45 years) was derived from a random sample from Rochester, Minnesota, …

Long-term cardiac pro-B-type natriuretic peptide gene delivery prevents the development of hypertensive heart disease in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Background— Diastolic dysfunction associated with high blood pressure (BP) leads to cardiac remodeling and fibrosis and progression to congestive heart failure. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has BP-lowering, antifibrotic, and antihypertrophic properties, which makes BNP an attractive agent for attenuating the adverse cardiac remodeling associated with hypertension. In the current study, we tested the effects of sustained cardiac proBNP gene delivery on BP, cardiac function, and remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods and Results— We used the myocardium-tropic adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) vector to achieve continuously enhanced cardiac rat proBNP expressi…

Cardiac Micro–Computed Tomography Imaging of the Aging Coronary Vasculature

Background— Alterations at the level of the coronary circulation with aging may play an important role in the evolution of age-associated changes in left ventricular (LV) fibrosis and function. However these age-associated changes in the coronary vasculature remain poorly defined primarily due to the lack of high resolution imaging technologies. The current study was designed to utilize cardiac micro–computed tomography (micro-CT) technology as a novel imaging strategy, to define the 3-dimensional coronary circulation in the young and aged heart and its relationship to LV fibrosis and function. Methods and Results— Young (2 months old; n=10) and aged (20 months old; n=10) Fischer rats unde…

Role of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Detection of Cardiac Amyloidosis

Objectives Our aim was to evaluate the role and mechanism of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in identifying cardiac amyloidosis (CA) and to investigate associations between LGE and clinical, morphologic, functional, and biochemical features. Background CA can be challenging to diagnose by echocardiography. Recent studies have demonstrated an emerging role for LGE-CMR. Methods LGE-CMR was performed in 120 patients with amyloidosis. Cardiac histology was available in 35 patients. The remaining 85 patients were divided into those with and without echocardiographic evidence of CA. Results Of the 35 patients with histologically verified CA, abnormal LGE was pre…