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Int J Cardiol 2021 Jul 31. Epub 2021 Jul 31.

Division of Cardiology and Center for Cardiovascular Diseases & Sciences, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA, USA.

Background Heart complications are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in hemochromatosis, but the liver is the main site for iron deposition in these patients. Large multicenter studies have described cardiovascular (CV) manifestations in patients with secondary hemochromatosis. However, the overall prevalence and risk of CV manifestations in patients with hemochromatosis at the population level are unknown. Read More

Cureus 2021 Jun 24;13(6):e15907. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Internal Medicine, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder occurring across all age groups, gender, and is multifactorial. The episodic decrease in airflow during sleep results in hypoxia and hypercapnia over time, resulting in morning headache, systemic and pulmonary hypertension, and polycythemia. Fragmentation of sleep at night-time cause daytime somnolence, fatigue, memory problems, and mood symptoms such as depression and anxiety. Read More

Am J Transplant 2021 Jul 31. Epub 2021 Jul 31.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Obstetrics and Feto-Maternal Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Pregnant women with influenza-A have an increased risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be used as salvage therapy, with lung transplantation as a therapeutic option. However, successful bilateral lung transplantation during pregnancy has never been reported before. Read More

Front Pediatr 2021 13;9:689190. Epub 2021 Jul 13.

Research Center of Sainte-Justine Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.

Significant resources are devoted to neonatal prolonged mechanical ventilation (NPMV), but little is known about the outcomes in those children. Our primary objective was to describe the NPMV respiratory, digestive, and neurological outcomes at 18 months corrected age. Our second objective was on the early identification of which patients, among the NPMV cohort, will need to be ventilated for ≥125 days, which corresponded to the 75th percentile in the preliminary data, and to describe that subgroup. Read More

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2021 Jul-Aug;39 Suppl 131(4):57-65. Epub 2021 Jul 28.

Division of Angiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Austria.

Objectives: Limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc) is characterised by vasculopathy contributing to vascular apoptosis, structural and functional changes. The aim of this study was to investigate parameters of endothelial dysfunction and their association to clinical events in lcSSc patients with early-stage vasculopathy.

Methods: Patients with lcSSc and early-stage vasculopathy defined as absent pre-existing pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), digital ulcers, and symptomatic cardiovascular diseases were recruited together with age-, race- and sex-matched controls with primary Raynaud's phenomenon. Read More

Am J Cardiovasc Dis 2021 15;11(3):330-347. Epub 2021 Jun 15.

Department of Cardiology, Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College Valhalla, New York, The United States.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a form of pulmonary hypertension (PH) caused by thromboembolic disease with the secondary remodeling of the pulmonary vessels. The primary treatment of CTEPH is pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE). However, some patients are not candidates for PTE because of surgically inaccessible thrombi or high operative risk and can be candidates for balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA), an emerging, lower risk treatment. Read More

Pediatrics 2021 Aug;148(2)

Sections of Rheumatology.

Primary Sjögren syndrome is an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of the salivary and lacrimal exocrine glands but can also present with systemic extraglandular manifestations, including pulmonary disease. Commonly described pulmonary manifestations of Sjögren syndrome include airway disease, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and lymphoproliferative disorders. However, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage as a sequela of Sjögren syndrome has rarely been described in the adult literature and has never been described in a child. Read More

BMJ Open 2021 07 27;11(7):e047665. Epub 2021 Jul 27.

Nepal Public Health Foundation, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence, pattern and determinants of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) multimorbidity in Nepal.

Design: Secondary analysis of the data from the NCD survey 2018, which was conducted between 2016 and 2018.

Setting: The data belong to the nationally representative survey, that selected the study samples from throughout Nepal using multistage cluster sampling. Read More

J Clin Sleep Med 2021 Jul 27. Epub 2021 Jul 27.

Laboratório do Sono, LIM 63, Pulmonary Division, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Study Objectives: To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on insomnia and other sleep disturbances in health care professionals.

Methods: A survey was distributed using social media and organizational emails to Brazilian active health care professionals during the COVID-19 outbreak. We explored potential associated factors including age, gender, occupation, workplace, work hours, income, previous infection with COVID-19, recent/current contact with COVID-19 patients, regional number of incident deaths, anxiety, and burnout. Read More

Kardiologiia 2021 Jul 1;61(6):97-104. Epub 2021 Jul 1.

National Medical Research Center for Cardiology, Moscow.

The emergence of more effective methods for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has called for more reliable methods of diagnostics, monitoring, and evaluating responses to the treatment. More reports have become available about the relevance of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for examination of patients with PAH. This review provides data on the significance of MRI for noninvasive evaluation of the heart structure and function in patients with PAH, as well as for visualization and evaluation of the remodeling of the pulmonary circulation. Read More

Arch Cardiol Mex 2021 ;91(3):388-390

Adult Valvular, Degenerative and Congenital Heart Diseases. Hospital de Cardiología, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico.

Lab Chip 2021 Jul 26. Epub 2021 Jul 26.

Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Centre de Nanosciences et Nanotechnologies C2N, UMR9001, Palaiseau 91120, France.

We have developed and tested a novel microfluidic device for blood oxygenation, which exhibits a large surface area of gas exchange and can support long-term sustainable endothelialization of blood microcapillaries, enhancing its hemocompatibility for clinical applications. The architecture of the parallel stacking of the trilayers is based on a central injection for blood and a lateral injection/output for gas which allows significant reduction in shear stress, promoting sustainable endothelialization since cells can be maintained viable for up to 2 weeks after initial seeding in the blood microchannel network. The circular design of curved blood capillaries allows covering a maximal surface area at 4 inch wafer scale, producing high oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide release in each single unit. Read More

Panminerva Med 2021 Jul 26. Epub 2021 Jul 26.

Division of Cardiology, Centro Alte Specialità e Trapianti (CAST), Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.

Background: Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) with the MitraClip device is an established treatment for mitral regurgitation (MR). More than one MitraClip may be implanted if a single one does not reduce MR adequately. We aimed at appraising the outlook of patients undergoing implantation of one, two or multiple MitraClips for TMVR. Read More

BMJ Nutr Prev Health 2021 17;4(1):285-292. Epub 2021 Jun 17.

Pneumology, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Incliva. Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.

Background: Smoking has been associated with poorer outcomes in relation to COVID-19. Smokers have higher risk of mortality and have a more severe clinical course. There is paucity of data available on this issue, and a definitive link between smoking and COVID-19 prognosis has yet to be established. Read More

Exp Ther Med 2021 Sep 30;22(3):925. Epub 2021 Jun 30.

Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 530000, P.R. China.

The present cross-sectional study investigated the clinical characteristics and survival of patients with three types of connective tissue disease associated with pulmonary hypertension (CTD-PH) diagnosed early by echocardiography. A total of 218 patients with CTD-PH were included in the present study. Patients with the three major types of CTD, namely systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc) and primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), were included. Read More

Orphanet J Rare Dis 2021 07 26;16(Suppl 2):322. Epub 2021 Jul 26.

Rheumatology Department, Hôpital Pellegrin, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a generalized disease of the connective tissue, arterioles, and microvessels, characterized by the appearance of fibrosis and vascular obliteration. There are two main phenotypical forms of SSc: a diffuse cutaneous form that extends towards the proximal region of the limbs and/or torso, and a limited cutaneous form where the cutaneous sclerosis only affects the extremities of the limbs (without passing beyond the elbows and knees). There also exists in less than 10% of cases forms that never involve the skin. Read More

Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM 2021 Jul 22:100445. Epub 2021 Jul 22.

Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ohio State University. Electronic address:

Background: Chronic comorbid conditions increase the risk of influenza-related morbidity. Whether this holds for pregnant women who are at high risk of complications from influenza remains to be determined.

Objectives: To determine whether chronic comorbid conditions are associated with an increased risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) among pregnant women with an influenza diagnosis at delivery hospitalization. Read More

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2021 Jul 21. Epub 2021 Jul 21.

Heart Group of the Eastern Shore, Fairhope, AL, USA.

Background: COVID-19 can lead to multiorgan failure. Dapagliflozin, a SGLT2 inhibitor, has significant protective benefits for the heart and kidney. We aimed to see whether this agent might provide organ protection in patients with COVID-19 by affecting processes dysregulated during acute illness. Read More

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2021 Jul 23. Epub 2021 Jul 23.

Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Objectives: Patient selection is crucial to improving the outcomes of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). However, ECPR's efficacy with older patients remains unknown.

Methods: We reviewed patients who underwent extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for refractory cardiac arrest from January 2006 to December 2018. Read More

Prenat Diagn 2021 Jul 22. Epub 2021 Jul 22.

Division of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Objective: To examine the association between prenatal stomach position (SP) grade and stomach volume (SV) and the need for pulmonary hypertension (PH) treatment after birth in prenatally diagnosed left-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), live born >34 weeks.

Methods: In retrospect, SP grade and SV were determined in fetuses with isolated left-sided CDH from 19 weeks gestational age (GA) onwards at three different time periods (≤24 weeks' GA: US1, 24-30 weeks' GA: US2; ≥30 weeks' GA: US3). Primary outcome was need for treatment of PH after birth. Read More

Angiogenesis 2021 Jul 22. Epub 2021 Jul 22.

Division of Hematology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Zero Emerson Pl Suite 118, Office 112, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a rare angiogenic disorder causing chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, epistaxis, and severe anemia. Pazopanib is an oral multi-kinase angiogenesis inhibitor with promise to treat bleeding in HHT. We analyzed outcomes of HHT patients with the most severe bleeding causing RBC transfusion dependence treated on a predefined institutional pazopanib treatment pathway (with data collected retrospectively). Read More

ERJ Open Res 2021 Jul 19;7(3). Epub 2021 Jul 19.

Dept of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Rationale: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is associated with significant perioperative morbidity and mortality. We hypothesised that pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) composite risk assessment scores could estimate perioperative risk for PH patients when adjusted for inherent procedural risk.

Methods: We identified patients in the Johns Hopkins PH Center Registry that had noncardiac surgery (including endoscopies) between September 2015 and January 2020. Read More

J Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone Syst 2021 4;2021:9939929. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

CCRF, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India.

COVID-19 is the newly born pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the recently emerged betacoronavirus that crosses the species barrier. It predominantly infects pneumocytes of the respiratory tract, but due to the presence of angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) on other cells like surface enterocytes of the upper esophagus and colon, these are also considered as the primary sites of infection. ACE2 receptor served as a cellular entry point for SARS-CoV-2. Read More

Heart 2021 Jul 20. Epub 2021 Jul 20.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of).

Objectives: We investigated haemodynamics and clinical outcomes according to type of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with constrictive pericarditis (CP).

Background: As the prevalence of CP with concomitant myocardial disease (mixed CP) grows, PH is more commonly seen in patients with CP. However, haemodynamic and outcome data according to the presence or absence of PH are limited. Read More

Pediatr Transplant 2021 Jul 18:e14086. Epub 2021 Jul 18.

Department of Cardiovascular Services, Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando, FL, USA.

Background: New drugs may further decrease the need for lung transplant (LTx) in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), but few studies highlight pediatric non-CF LTx characteristics and outcomes.

Methods: The ISHLT registry was used to report morbidity, graft failure, and survival for primary pediatric (<18 years) LTx performed 1990-2017. Recipient/donor characteristics and long-term outcomes were analyzed for CF and non-CF recipients. Read More

Thorac Cancer 2021 Jul 17. Epub 2021 Jul 17.

Department of Oncology, Linyi Cancer Hospital, Linyi, China.

Background: There is a lack of targeted therapeutic options for squamous cell lung cancer (SCC). Accelerated hypertension is an issue with many targeted therapies for lung cancer. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of anlotinib, based on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with SCC, stratified by hypertension and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score. Read More

Fertil Steril 2021 Jul 12. Epub 2021 Jul 12.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.

Objective: To develop and validate a preconception risk prediction index for severe maternal morbidity (SMM), defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as indicators of a life-threatening complication, among infertile patients.

Design: Retrospective analysis of live births and stillbirths from 2007 to 2017 among infertile women.

Setting: National commercial claims database. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2021 Jul 12. Epub 2021 Jul 12.

Division of Cardiology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and Department of Pediatrics, 4401 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA; Pediatric Institute for Heart Regeneration and Therapeutics (I-HRT), UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and Department of Pediatrics, 4401 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA; McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Patients with Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary stenosis (ToF/PS), the most common form of cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD), develop adverse right ventricular (RV) remodeling, leading to late heart failure and arrhythmia. We recently demonstrated that overactive β-adrenergic receptor signaling inhibits cardiomyocyte division in ToF/PS infants, providing a conceptual basis for the hypothesis that treatment with the β-adrenergic receptor blocker, propranolol, early in life would increase cardiomyocyte division. No data are available in ToF/PS infants on the efficacy of propranolol as a possible novel therapeutic option to increase cardiomyocyte division and potentially reduce adverse RV remodeling. Read More

Pediatr Transplant 2021 Jul 15:e14091. Epub 2021 Jul 15.

Organ Transplantation Center, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.

Aim: Mitochondrial respiratory chain disorder (MRCD) can cause acute liver failure (ALF), which may necessitate liver transplantation (LT). However, MRCD is often difficult to diagnose before LT and the indications of LT are controversial due to the likelihood of progressive neurological disease. The present study further characterized the patient population and described the outcomes. Read More

Front Cardiovasc Med 2021 28;8:702589. Epub 2021 Jun 28.

Echocardiography Laboratory, Istituto di Ricerca a Cura e Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.

Far from being historically considered a primary healthcare problem, tricuspid regurgitation (TR) has recently gained much attention from the scientific community. In fact, in the last years, robust evidence has emerged regarding the epidemiological impact of TR, whose prevalence seems to be similar to that of other valvulopathies, such as aortic stenosis, with an estimated up to 4% of people >75 years affected by at least moderate TR in the United States, and up to 23% among patients suffering from heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. This recurrent coexistence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) and TR is not surprising, considered the multiple etiologies of tricuspid valve disease. Read More