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Eur Heart J 2019 Mar 11. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Department of Cardiovascluar Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, Zurich CH-8091, Switzerland.

Am J Ther 2019 Mar/Apr;26(2):e294-e300

Cardiology Department, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania.

Background: Myocarditis, defined as an inflammation of the myocardium, is an important cause of dilated cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. Unfortunately, its diagnosis and etiology is often challenging in clinical practice, and thus, improving diagnosis and therapeutic approach of this cardiac pathology is a matter of great interest.

Areas Of Uncertainty: The etiology of the disease may be represented by not only infectious agents, usually with viral determination, but also autoimmune and systemic diseases or drugs. Read More

Rev Clin Esp 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Universitario Quirónsalud, Madrid, España.

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med 2018 24;5(4):000836. Epub 2018 Apr 24.

Internal Medicine Department, Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto, Portugal.

Tricuspid stenosis is an uncommon valvular abnormality commonly associated with other valvular lesions. Ebstein's anomaly is a rare congenital heart malformation characterized primarily by abnormalities of the tricuspid valve and right ventricle. Endomyocardial fibrosis is a restrictive cardiomyopathy observed in tropical and subtropical regions. Read More

Eur Heart J 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital, Kita-14, Nishi-5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2019 Feb 8. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan.

Löffler endocarditis with hypereosinophilic syndrome is rare but can cause critical ventricular obliteration by endomyocardial fibrosis. A 52-year-old woman experienced severe right heart failure with extreme shrinkage of her right ventricle, severe tricuspid regurgitation and marked right atrial enlargement. Preoperative tests showed identical pressures in the right atrium and pulmonary artery. Read More

Scand J Rheumatol 2019 Jan 22:1-2. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

a Copenhagen Lupus and Vasculitis Clinic, Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases , Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet , Copenhagen , Denmark.

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Jan 9. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Heart and Lung Transplant Unit, St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the role of T mapping in identifying cardiac allograft rejection.

Background: Endomyocardial biopsy (EMBx), the current gold standard to diagnose cardiac allograft rejection, is associated with potentially serious complications. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-based T mapping detects interstitial edema and fibrosis, which are important markers of acute and chronic rejection. Read More

Herz 2019 Feb;44(1):83-91

Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359, Hamburg, Deutschland.

Due to an increase in global mobility, international travel and migration, tropical diseases are more frequently observed in Germany. Some tropical diseases can also affect the heart, cause cardiac symptoms and may require inclusion in differential diagnostic work-ups. The most important tropical diseases with cardiac involvement are Chagas' disease and echinococcosis. Read More

Curr Hypertens Rep 2019 Jan 14;21(1). Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Department of Cardiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.

Purpose Of Review: To review recent advances in the imaging of hypertensive heart disease (HHD) with an emphasis on developments in the imaging of diffuse myocardial fibrosis using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR).

Recent Findings: HHD results from long-standing hypertension and is characterized by the development of left ventricular hypertrophy and diffuse interstitial fibrosis. Diffuse fibrosis traditionally required endomyocardial biopsy to diagnose, but recent developments using T1 mapping in CMR allow for noninvasive assessment. Read More

J Am Heart Assoc 2019 Jan;8(2):e010967

5 Department of Cardiovascular Medicine Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine Hokkaido Japan.

Background The diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis ( CS ) is challenging because endomyocardial biopsy has only a 20% to 30% sensitivity rate for diagnosis and it presents with similar clinical features of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy ( DCM ). Lymphatic vessel proliferation in pulmonary sarcoidosis has been previously demonstrated. In this study, we compared endomyocardial biopsy samples obtained from patients with CS and DCM to determine whether lymph vessel counts using D2-40 immunostaining can be utilized as a complementary tool to distinguish CS from DCM . Read More

ESC Heart Fail 2019 02 8;6(1):228-231. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Department of Cardiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.

We report the case of a 38-year-old man who presented with cardiac arrest 1 year after curative liver transplantation for Wilson's disease. Clinical work-up proofed myocardial copper and iron accumulation using mass spectrometry, which led most likely to myocardial fibrosis as visualized by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (unprecedented delayed enhancement pattern) and endomyocardial biopsy. Consequently, cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation and subsequent episodes of sustained ventricular tachycardia were considered as primary cardiac manifestation of Wilson's disease. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Jan 4;12(1). Epub 2019 Jan 4.

Cardiovascular radiology and endovascular interventions, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Endomyocardial fibrosis, though a vanishing disease from India, remains an important cause of heart failure in children, adolescents and young adults. It may be complicated with arrhythmias and thromboembolism and is an important cause of mortality and morbidity. Moreover, usual presentation of this condition is in advanced stage with poor prognosis. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2019 Apr 22;280:110-116. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology and Arrhythmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital and University, Milan, Italy.

Introduction: Myocarditis has been described in association with many systemic immune-mediated diseases (SIDs). However, the role of SIDs in influencing clinical presentation and outcome of patients with a new diagnosis of biopsy-proved myocarditis, has never been investigated so far.

Methods: We enrolled 25 consecutive cases with biopsy-proved myocarditis in the context of SIDs, and controls with isolated myocarditis, matched 1:1 by age, gender, ethnicity and clinical presentation. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2018 Nov 22;19(12). Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Cátedra de Cardiología y Medicina Vascular, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64849, Mexico.

Heart failure (HF) is a cardiovascular syndrome characterized by maladaptive changes with an underlying inflammatory mediated pathogenesis. Nevertheless, current therapy is aimed at the heart workload and neurohormonal axis; thus, prognosis remains poor. To continue improving treatment, we rely on murine models for a better understanding of HF pathophysiology. Read More

Int Heart J 2019 Jan 20;60(1):220-225. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine.

A 70-year-old man with dyspnea was admitted to our department and received standard therapy for recurrent heart failure. He was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in his thirties and received hemodialysis for 4 years before undergoing renal transplantation at age 45. Although his left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was preserved in his 50s, LVEF decreased progressively from 61% to 24%, while left ventricular diastolic dimension (LVDd) increased from 54 mm to 65 mm between 63 and 69 years of age. Read More

J Vet Med Sci 2019 Jan 21;81(1):127-133. Epub 2018 Nov 21.

Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-58 Rinku-Ourai-Kita, Izumisano-shi, Osaka 598-8531, Japan.

Fibrotic lesion is formed by myofibroblasts capable of producing collagens. The myofibroblasts are characterized by immunoexpressions of vimentin, desmin and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in varying degrees. The cellular characteristics remain investigated in myocardial fibrosis. Read More

Cardiol Clin 2019 Feb 29;37(1):73-82. Epub 2018 Oct 29.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, 100 Woods Road, Macy Pavilion Room 106, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affects 0.5% of the population. Advanced testing is considered, including cardiac catheterization, endomyocardial biopsy, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Read More

Cardiovasc Pathol 2019 Jan - Feb;38:21-24. Epub 2018 Oct 31.

Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. Electronic address:

Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is an endemic disease in tropical areas, characterized by restrictive physiology due to endocardial fibrous thickening of the ventricular chambers. We report the case of a 25-year-old man of African origin who presented with end-stage heart failure due to both diastolic and systolic dysfunction and extensive endocavitary thrombosis as proven by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance. EMF diagnosis was confirmed by endomyocardial biopsy and the patient had eventually cardiac transplantation. Read More

Int Heart J 2018 Nov 25;59(6):1303-1311. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are widely used as antidiabetic drugs. We recently reported that DPP-4 inhibition has beneficial effects on heart failure (HF) mice model. Furthermore, we confirmed that myocardial DPP-4 activity was significantly increased in HF mice compared with non-HF mice. Read More

Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 2018 Aug;11(8):e007131

Department of Internal Medicine I, Center of Cardiovascular Diseases, University Hospital, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Bayern, Germany (S.H., B.F., T.S., D.L., K.H., D.G., M.C., S.S., W.V., S.F., G.E., P.N.).

Background Long-term data on evolution and clinical impact of myocardial fibrosis in valvular heart disease are scarce. Methods and Results In this 10 years' extension of a prospective study in patients undergoing conventional aortic valve replacement because of symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis, the impact of myocardial replacement fibrosis (MRF) on long-term outcome was assessed. Endomyocardial biopsies were acquired during aortic valve replacement in 58 consecutive patients. Read More

Eur Heart J 2018 Dec;39(48):4291

Clinic for Cardiology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Koste Todorovica 8, Belgrade, Serbia.

J Arrhythm 2018 Oct 26;34(5):493-500. Epub 2018 Jun 26.

Cardiology Research Institute Tomsk National Research Medical Center Russian Academy of Science Tomsk Russia.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the widest spread forms of arrhythmia, which is associated with the increased mortality and thromboembolic complications. To date, the involvement of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and immunomediators of inflammation into the mechanisms of development and maintenance of isolated AF is not clear. Specificity of their changes with respect to the latent myocarditis at AF is not proved. Read More

Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed) 2018 Oct 11. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Servicio de Radiología, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Cantabria, Spain.

J Cardiol Cases 2018 Oct 30;18(4):132-135. Epub 2018 Jun 30.

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, Japan.

Radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) is a serious side effect of thoracic radiation therapy (RT) and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Radiation-induced cardiomyopathy (RICM) is one of the manifestations of RIHD, which represents with left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic dysfunction due to myocardial fibrosis. Although the diagnosis of RIHD is challenging and is generally an exclusion diagnosis, multimodality imaging including echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging could help the diagnosis. Read More

ESC Heart Fail 2018 12 1;5(6):1044-1051. Epub 2018 Oct 1.

Department of Cardiovascular Center, Osaka Red Cross Hospital, Osaka, Japan.

Aims: Collagen-derived peptides such as collagen I C-terminal telopeptide (CITP) and procollagen III N-terminal propeptide (PIIINP) have been conventionally used as markers of cardiac fibrosis. Collagen IV 7S domain (P4NP 7S) has been recently reported to be correlated with haemodynamics in patients with acute heart failure. We investigated whether these markers reflect cardiac remodelling and myocardial collagen expression. Read More

Adv Exp Med Biol 2018;1087:259-273

Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Fibrosis refers to a process involving the accumulation of extracellular matrix components. It could happen in chronic organ injury or during the recovery of acute organ injury. The severity of fibrosis interferes with the function of the organ involved. Read More

Heart 2018 Sep 21. Epub 2018 Sep 21.

Department of Cardiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.

CLINICAL INTRODUCTION: A 14-year-old boy presented with history of decreased appetite and bilateral swelling of feet for 6 months. He did not give any associated history of orthopnoea or paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea. He was born by a normal delivery after a non-consanguineous marriage. Read More

DNA Cell Biol 2018 Oct 18;37(10):821-830. Epub 2018 Sep 18.

1 Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University , Xi'an, Shaanxi, China .

Premenopausal women have a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease. Estrogen deficiency augments cardiac inflammation and oxidative stress and, thereby, aggravates myocardial fibrosis (MF) and diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive female rats. However, estrogen replacement therapy has no effect on myocardial infarction and cardiac fibrosis in postmenopausal women. Read More

Med Sci Monit 2018 Sep 8;24:6264-6272. Epub 2018 Sep 8.

Department of Cardiology, Yantai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yantai, Shandong, China (mainland).

BACKGROUND Myocardial fibrosis is closely related to all types of cardiovascular diseases. Hirudin is widely used in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and cancers. In this study, we examined the potential role(s) and mechanism of hirudin in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced myocardial fibrosis. Read More

Can J Cardiol 2018 Sep 5;34(9):1233.e13-1233.e15. Epub 2018 Jun 5.

Pathology Department, Hospital de Santa Cruz, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental, Lisbon, Portugal; Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Forensic Pathology, Central Branch, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses, Coimbra, Portugal.

Hypereosinophilic syndrome is characterized by an overproduction of eosinophils that infiltrate and damage multiple organs. Cardiac dysfunction occurs frequently and is a main cause of morbidity and mortality. We describe the case of a middle-aged man diagnosed with a myeloproliferative neoplasm associated with hypereosinophilia and treated with imatinib. Read More

Med Clin (Barc) 2018 Aug 23. Epub 2018 Aug 23.

Servicio de Cardiología, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña, España.

Intensive Care Med 2018 Dec 13;44(12):2294-2295. Epub 2018 Jul 13.

Médecine Intensive Réanimation, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, 06200, Nice, France.

Mol Clin Oncol 2018 Jul 21;9(1):35-39. Epub 2018 May 21.

Santa Terezinha University Hospital, Joaçaba, Santa Catarina 89600-000, Brazil.

Hypereosinophilic syndrome is a rare, chronic hematological disease characterized by a persistently elevated eosinophil count exceeding 1.5×10/l, following the exclusion of other potential etiologies. The systemic involvement of the disease causes tissue damage through eosinophil infiltration, and may affect various organs; cardiac complications are observed in 50-60% of cases, which are predominately attributed to endomyocardial fibrosis. Read More

Pediatr Res 2018 Oct 6;84(4):552-557. Epub 2018 Jul 6.

Division of Cardiology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Background: Histomorphometry of endomyocardial biopsies is one component of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) diagnosis, although there is a need for stricter diagnostic criteria for this disease in pediatrics. The clinical utility of biopsy analysis as a component of ARVC diagnosis was evaluated in pediatric patients.

Methods: Histomorphometric analysis of fibrofatty infiltrate was completed on pediatric right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy samples. Read More

Heart Fail Clin 2018 Jul;14(3):311-326

Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Federico II University of Naples, Via Bianchi, Naples 80100, Italy.

Cardiomyopathies (CM) are a heterogeneous group of muscle heart diseases, divided into 3 main categories (dilated, hypertrophic, and restrictive). In addition to these subgroups, athlete's heart and hypertensive cardiopathy are both the result of heart adaptation to increased loading conditions, making it possible to include them in the CM group. Right heart involvement is clear in some CM as arrhythmogenic CM, carcinoid syndrome, and endomyocardial fibrosis, whereas in others, like hypertrophic or dilated CM, it is known that the right heart has a prognostic impact but less clear is its pathogenic role. Read More

Pediatr Dev Pathol 2019 Jan-Feb;22(1):80-86. Epub 2018 Jun 29.

1 Harvard Medical Toxicology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

Many reports of marijuana-associated myocardial infarct (MI) are limited by incomplete evaluation of the toxicologic exposure, a lack of definitive anatomic findings, and the potential for comorbid coronary atherosclerosis inherent in an adult population. We report a 16-year-old adolescent boy who presented with chest pain after smoking marijuana and was found to have acute MI. Electrocardiogram showed diffuse ST-segment elevations. Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2017 28;28:270. Epub 2017 Nov 28.

Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Habib Thameur, Tunis.

We report the case of a 30-year old man with no previous medical history and without cardiovascular risk factors, hospitalized for NYHA Class IV dyspnoea associated with palpitations in the Department of Cardiology. Clinical examination showed signs of cardiac decompensation. The patient didn't have fever, hepatosplenomegaly and palpable lymphadenopathies. Read More

Ann Pediatr Cardiol 2018 May-Aug;11(2):207-210

Department of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is an important cause of restrictive cardiomyopathy in tropical countries. The etiopathogenesis of EMF remains obscure. The role of eosinophilia in the etiopathogenesis of EMF has been debated extensively, but remains unproven. Read More

Eur Heart J 2018 Dec;39(45):4043-4044

Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.

Med Sci Monit 2018 Jun 16;24:4121-4127. Epub 2018 Jun 16.

Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (mainland).

BACKGROUND The role of miR-181a in the development of cardiac disease and in particular, myocardial fibrosis following myocardial infarction (MI) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the role of miR-181a in myocardial fibrosis in a rat model of MI and the expression of TGF-β receptor III (TβRIII). MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into an MI model group (n=30) and a control group with (n=10). Read More

Card Fail Rev 2018 May;4(1):21-24

Centre for Experimental Medicine, Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Heart failure is a growing problem in sub-Saharan Africa. This arises as the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease rises, life expectancy increases and causes of heart failure more common in Africa, such as rheumatic heart disease and endomyocardial fibrosis, continue to be a significant issue. Lack of access to diagnostics is an issue with the expense and technical expertise required for echocardiography limiting access. Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2018;29:58. Epub 2018 Jan 22.

Cardiology Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Rabat, University Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco.

Int Heart J 2018 May 9;59(3):523-530. Epub 2018 May 9.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine.

To achieve further risk stratification in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients, we localized and quantified layer-specific LVM fibrosis on MRI in HCM patients using regional layer-specific peak longitudinal strain (PLS) and peak circumferential strain (PCS) in LV myocardium (LVM) on speckle tracking transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). A total of 18 HCM patients (14 males; 58 ± 17 years) underwent 1.5T-MRI and TTE. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2018 Jul 3;99(1):112-115. Epub 2018 May 3.

Centre for Research on Filariasis and other Tropical Diseases (CRFilMT), Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Loiasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by the filarial nematode and transmitted by the tabanid vectors from the genus . infection is associated with clinical manifestations such as pruritus, migratory transient edema, passage of adult worm in the bulbar conjunctiva, retinal damage, glomerular damage, albuminuria, pleural effusion, hydrocele, and endomyocardial fibrosis. Data reporting the occurrence of spontaneous encephalopathy associated with loiasis are very scanty. Read More

Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 2018 Oct 4;34(10):1607-1617. Epub 2018 May 4.

Department of Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine, 5758 S. Maryland Avenue, MC9067, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.

Coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a major cause of mortality in late-stage orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) patients. Recent evidence has shown that myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR) derived from vasodilator cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (vCMR) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) from transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) are useful to detect CAV. However, previous studies have not comprehensively addressed whether these parameters are confounded by allograft rejection, myocardial scar/fibrosis, or allograft dysfunction. Read More

BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2018 05 4;18(1):82. Epub 2018 May 4.

Uganda Heart Institute, Kampala, Uganda.

Background: Although rheumatic heart disease remains the leading cause of valve heart disease (VHD) in developing countries, other forms of valve disease have been over shadowed and not regarded as a public health problem. However, several facts suggest that the role of non-rheumatic VHD as a significant cardiovascular disease should be reconsidered. We aimed to assess the prevalence and characteristics of different forms of primary left sided valve diseases from a series of 15,009 echocardiographic studies. Read More

Egypt Heart J 2017 Mar 13;69(1):75-80. Epub 2016 Oct 13.

Department of Cardiology and Internal Medicine, Military Hospital of Ouakam, Dakar, Senegal.

Behçet'sdisease (BD) is a chronic, multisystem vasculitis. It is categorized under variable vessel vasculitis in the new Chapel Hill nomenclature as it involves blood vessels of any type and size. It is characterized by relapsing aphthous ulcers commonly occurring in the oral mucosa and genitalia with ocular involvement. Read More

Ann Cardiol Angeiol (Paris) 2018 Apr 27;67(2):74-81. Epub 2018 Mar 27.

Instituto do Coraçao, 1111, avenue Kenneth-Kaunda, Maputo, Mozambique.

Tropical endomyocardial fibrosis (FET) is a leading cause of heart failure and the most common restrictive cardiomyopathy worldwide. Extensive fibrosis of the ventricular endocardium causing architectural distortion, impaired filling and valvular insufficiency define the disease. Confined to peculiar and limited geographical areas, the aetiology remains blurred and it carries a grim prognosis. Read More