Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Emerg Med 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Background: During cardiopulmonary resuscitation, pulse checks must be rapid and accurate. Despite the importance placed on the detection of a pulse, several studies have shown that health care providers have poor accuracy for detection of central pulses by palpation. To date, the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in cardiac arrest has focused on the presence of cardiac standstill and diagnosing reversible causes of the arrest. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2019 Apr 10. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Soter Center for Women's Cardiovascular Research, Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States of America. Electronic address:

Purpose: Patients with myocardial infarction and non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) may present with or without ST-elevation (STE) on the electrocardiogram (ECG). Previous studies have shown that STE was associated with higher risk of early mortality and long-term major adverse coronary events, and that cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) can help to determine whether the cause of a MINOCA presentation is ischemic or non-ischemic. We set out to determine the relationship between STE and CMR findings in patients presenting with MINOCA. Read More

Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Apr;12(4):e007693

Department of Pediatrics, Labatt Family Heart Centre (G.E.P., L.G.-W., M.H., M.F., P.C., C.S., W.H., C.-P.S.F., C.M., L.M., R.H., M.K.F.), Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.

Background: The usefulness of echocardiographic indices, including those already used by modified Task Force Criteria (mTFC), and others such as strain imaging, to identify arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) in adolescence is not well established.

Methods: Echocardiograms from 120 adolescents investigated for ARVC (13±4 years) were retrospectively analyzed. According to the mTFC, patients were classified into definite (n=38), borderline (n=39), or possible (n=43) ARVC. Read More

Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Apr;12(4):e007805

Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, United Kingdom (J.S., G.D.S., S.K., A.F., C.P., V.B., M.J., J.P., D.S., I.V., S.P., P.D.).

Background: Left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) is associated with poor clinical outcome in childhood. Standard diagnostic criteria are still controversial, especially in young patients. Recent studies in adults demonstrated that left ventricular (LV) twist is abnormal in LVNC, but it has not been investigated in pediatric patients to date. Read More

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019 Apr;23(7):3042-3050

Department of Geriatrics, Quanzhou First Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.

Objective: To investigate the effect of interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene knockout on apoptosis of myocardial cells in mice with Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and its potential mechanism, so as to provide certain references for the clinical prevention and treatment of DCM.

Materials And Methods: A total of 40 male C57 mice were randomly divided into Sham group (n=20) and DCM group (n=20) using a random number table. Another 20 mice with IL-6 gene knockout were enrolled into DCM+IL-6 KO group (n=20). Read More

Brain Circ 2019 Jan-Mar;5(1):27-31. Epub 2019 Mar 27.

Department of Diagnostic Radiologic Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawarah, Medina, Saudi Arabia.

Objective: This study intended to assess the occurrence of early signs of middle cerebral artery (MCA) on multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in correlation with duration of the clinical features of stroke.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the electronic records of 20 patients with MCA infarction. The detected signs studied according to the onset of the clinical features of stroke to the time of CT imaging. Read More

Cureus 2019 Feb 4;11(2):e4009. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Cardiology, Washington University, Saint Louis, USA.

Metastatic disease to the heart is more often a post-mortem diagnosis due to non-specific symptoms and a low index of suspicion. Our case is a unique presentation of a rare case of cardiac metastasis from oropharyngeal cancer, which eluded echocardiographic diagnosis despite the presence of a hemorrhagic pericardial effusion. The cardiac metastasis, in fact, starts as pericardial seeding, as illustrated by the positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Read More

Front Neurosci 2019 2;13:279. Epub 2019 Apr 2.

Oulu Functional NeuroImaging Group, Research Unit of Medical Imaging, Physics and Technology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.

Low image sampling rates used in resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) may cause aliasing of the cardiorespiratory pulsations over the very low frequency (VLF) BOLD signal fluctuations which reflects to functional connectivity (FC). In this study, we examine the effect of sampling rate on currently used rs-fMRI FC metrics. Ultra-fast fMRI magnetic resonance encephalography (MREG) data, sampled with TR 0. Read More

Indian J Radiol Imaging 2019 Jan-Mar;29(1):94-97

Children's Hospital Cardiology Center, Women's and Children's Hospital, University of Missouri Health Care, Columbia, USA.

Ultrasonographic (US) guided procedures have wide range of application in the abdomen and pelvis, however their role is somewhat limited in the chest due to complete reflection of the ultrasound beam by the air in the lungs, preventing the direct imaging of the tissues deep to the air-sound interface. Most of the chest procedures, other than the exception of thoracentesis, rely on the use of CT (computed tomography) scan. The disadvantages of using CT scan is the cost, lack of portability, and most importantly the radiation involved, particularly in case of infants and children, whose tissues are more radiosensitive than the adults. Read More

Neth Heart J 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Durrer Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Netherlands Heart Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Background: Clinical research on arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is typically limited by small patient numbers, retrospective study designs, and inconsistent definitions.

Aim: To create a large national ACM patient cohort with a vast amount of uniformly collected high-quality data that is readily available for future research.

Methods: This is a multicentre, longitudinal, observational cohort study that includes (1) patients with a definite ACM diagnosis, (2) at-risk relatives of ACM patients, and (3) ACM-associated mutation carriers. Read More

Open Heart 2019 27;6(1):e000930. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

BHF Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.

The aim of this article is to review the role of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) organisations in appraising and recommending innovative cardiovascular technologies. We consider how bias impairs the quality of evidence from clinical trials involving cardiovascular healthcare technologies. Finally, we provide recommendations to HTA organisations to take account of bias when making guideline recommendations. Read More

J Cardiol Cases 2019 Apr 21;19(4):115-116. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

Department of Cardiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.

A 67-year-old man without symptoms presented with significant negative T wave on electrocardiography. No significant abnormality was detected by echocardiography. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) showed trivial hypertrophied myocardium in apex. Read More

J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2019 Apr 16;6(2). Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Division of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK.

There is increasing recognition of a specific diabetic cardiomyopathy beyond ischemic cardiomyopathy, which leads to structural and functional myocardial abnormalities. The aim of this review is to summarize the recent literature on diagnostic findings and prognostic significance of non-invasive imaging including echocardiography, nuclear imaging, computed tomography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance in diabetic cardiomyopathy. Read More

J Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Apr;27(2):73-92

Department of Radiology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Multimodality imaging is indicated for the evaluation of left ventricular (LV) myocardial diseases. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) allows morphological and functional assessment of the LV along with soft tissue characterization. Technological advances in cardiac computed tomography (CT) have led to the development of techniques for diagnostic acquisition in LV myocardial disease. Read More

Korean J Radiol 2019 May;20(5):812-822

Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic value of combining diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for differentiating between pathologic and traumatic fractures at extremities from metastasis.

Materials And Methods: Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective study and informed consent was waived. This study included 49 patients each with pathologic and traumatic fractures at extremities. Read More

ESC Heart Fail 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Aims: Left atrial (LA) remodelling is an important predictor of cardiovascular events of heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation. Data regarding diagnostic value of LA remodelling on diastolic dysfunction (DD) and preclinical HF remain largely unexplored.

Methods And Results: We assessed LA dimension (LAD) in 8368 consecutive asymptomatic Asians (mean age: 49. Read More

Curr Cardiol Rep 2019 Apr 16;21(5):41. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Heart and Vascular Institute, Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pericardial Disease, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.

Purpose Of Review: The diagnosis of pericardial syndromes, while occasionally straightforward, includes a wide range of pathologies and is often a well-recognized clinical challenge. The aim of this review is to highlight the key role of the various imaging modalities for the diagnosis and management of the spectrum of pericardial diseases.

Recent Findings: Cardiac imaging has become an integral part of the diagnostic process often beginning with echocardiography and supported by advanced imaging modalities including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positive emission tomography. Read More

Cardiovasc Diabetol 2019 Apr 16;18(1):50. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Endocrinology & Metabosim, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Diabetology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China.

Background: To investigate the effect of visit-to-visit fasting plasma glucose (FPG) variability on the left cardiac structure and function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 455 T2DM patients were included and follow-up for a median of 4.7 years. Read More

Kardiologiia 2019 Apr 13;59(3):78-96. Epub 2019 Apr 13.

City Clinical Hospital №52 Moscow.

Stress echocardiography is an established technique for the assessment of extent and severity of coronary artery disease. The combination of echocardiography with a physical, pharmacological or electrical stress allows detecting myocardial ischemia with an excellent accuracy. A transient worsening of regional function during stress is the hallmark of inducible ischemia. Read More

Eur J Heart Fail 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung (DZHK) Berlin, Department of Cardiology, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charite - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of heart muscle diseases and an important cause of heart failure (HF). Current knowledge on incidence, pathophysiology and natural history of HF in cardiomyopathies is limited, and distinct features of their therapeutic responses have not been systematically addressed. Therefore, this position paper focuses on epidemiology, pathophysiology, natural history and latest developments in treatment of HF in patients with dilated (DCM), hypertrophic (HCM) and restrictive (RCM) cardiomyopathies. Read More

Radiat Prot Dosimetry 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Medical Physics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.

The amount of interventional procedures such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), pacemaker implantation (PI) and ablations has increased within the previous decade. Simultaneously, novel fluoroscopy mainframes enable lower radiation doses for patients and operators. Therefore, there is a need to update the existing diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) and propose new ones for common or recently introduced procedures. Read More

Clin Chem 2019 Apr 15. Epub 2019 Apr 15.

Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel (CRIB) and Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland;

Background: The aim of this study was to validate the clinical performance of the Beckman Access high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) assay.

Methods: We enrolled patients presenting to the emergency department with symptoms suggestive of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Final diagnoses were centrally adjudicated by 2 independent cardiologists with all clinical information including cardiac imaging twice: first, using serial hs-cTnT (Elecsys, primary analysis), and second, using hs-cTnI (Architect, secondary analysis) measurements in addition to the clinically used hs-cTn. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Apr;98(15):e15151

Department of Cardiology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing.

Rationale: Acute myocardial infarction is a rare complication of carbon monoxide poisoning. there is often no chest pain and other typical manifestations. We report a patient with mild carbon monoxide poisoning who had acute dyspnea as the earliest symptom and was later diagnosed with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and acute left heart failure. Read More

Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Apr 14. Epub 2019 Apr 14.

Turku PET Centre, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 4-8, 20520, Turku, Finland.

Aims: To provide a pooled estimation of contemporary pre-test probabilities (PTPs) of significant coronary artery disease (CAD) across clinical patient categories, re-evaluate the utility of the application of diagnostic techniques according to such estimates, and propose a comprehensive diagnostic technique selection tool for suspected CAD.

Methods And Results: Estimates of significant CAD prevalence across sex, age, and type of chest pain categories from three large-scale studies were pooled (n = 15 815). The updated PTPs and diagnostic performance profiles of exercise electrocardiogram, invasive coronary angiography, coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), positron emission tomography (PET), stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), and SPECT were integrated to define the PTP ranges in which ruling-out CAD is possible with a post-test probability of <10% and <5%. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Apr 11. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

Chest pain in patients without obstructive coronary artery disease has been realized as a frequent problem encountered in clinical practice. Invasive flow investigations have suggested that up to two-thirds of patients with nonobstructive coronary atherosclerosis may have microvascular dysfunction (MVD). Positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging in conjunction with tracer-kinetic modeling enables the concurrent quantification of myocardial blood flow (MBF) in milliliters per minute per gram of tissue. Read More

Acta Cardiol 2019 Apr 13:1-5. Epub 2019 Apr 13.

b Department of Cardiovascular Medicine , University Hospitals Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.

Background: Embolisation and metastatic infection occur frequently in infective endocarditis (IE). We aimed to evaluate the impact of nuclear imaging on diagnosis, therapy and mortality.

Methods: All patients hospitalised for definite IE at the University Hospitals of Leuven in 2001 and in 2015 were retrospectively included. Read More

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2019 Feb 26. Epub 2019 Feb 26.

Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children and The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Electronic address:

Objective: There is considerable variability in anticoagulation use in neonates with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) and single ventricle physiology (SVP) for secondary stroke prevention and primary cardiovascular indications. Leveraging cross-center differences in anticoagulation use, we compared the risk of new postoperative brain injury in neonates with TGA and SVP treated with anticoagulation relative to untreated neonates.

Methods: Two-center observational cohort study of 118 term-born neonates with TGA (n = 83) and SVP (n = 35), undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery and pre- and postoperative brain magnetic resonance imaging. Read More

Anal Bioanal Chem 2019 Apr 12. Epub 2019 Apr 12.

Maastricht MultiModal Molecular Imaging (M4I) Institute, Division of Imaging Mass Spectrometry, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a widely established technology; however, in the cardiovascular research field, its use is still emerging. The technique has the advantage of analyzing multiple molecules without prior knowledge while maintaining the relation with tissue morphology. Particularly, MALDI-based approaches have been applied to obtain in-depth knowledge of cardiac (dys)function. Read More

Arch Cardiovasc Dis 2019 Apr 9. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

Paediatric and congenital cardiology unit, Bordeaux university hospital, 33604 Pessac, France; IHU Lyric, electrophysiology and heart modelling institute, Fondation Bordeaux université, 33600 Pessac, France.

Int J Cardiol 2019 Mar 28. Epub 2019 Mar 28.

Cardiovascular Pathology Unit, Department of Pathology, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.

Background: Although imaging techniques have demonstrated the existence of microvascular abnormalities in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a detailed histopathological assessment is lacking as well as a comparison between different phases of the disease. We aimed to compare microvasculopathy and myocardial fibrosis in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) versus end-stage (ES) HCM.

Methods: 27 myectomy specimens of HOCM patients and 30 ES-HCM explanted hearts were analyzed. Read More

Transplant Proc 2019 Apr 8;51(3):875-879. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Department of Lung Transplantation, Affiliated Wuxi People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China. Electronic address:

Objective: To investigate the risk factors for perioperative mortality in patients with severe idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (IPAH) undergoing lung transplantation (LTx).

Methods: Twenty-two IPAH patients were included in the study and were divided 2 groups: a case group with early death post LTx (n = 5, 22.7%) and the remaining 17 recipients (87. Read More

BMC Med Imaging 2019 04 12;19(1):29. Epub 2019 Apr 12.

Section of Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Frederik V's vej 11, 1 sal, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Background: Left ventricular mass (LVM) is an independent risk factor for the prediction of cardiac events. Its assessment is a clinically important diagnostic procedure in cardiology and may be performed by Computed Tomography (CT). The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between the cardiac left ventricular shell volume (LVShV) determined by postmortem Computed Tomography (PMCT) and the anatomic LVM obtained at autopsy and to calculate the myocardial tissue density. Read More

Cell Physiol Biochem 2019 ;52(5):1061-1074

Nephrology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Background/aims: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is characterized by progressive cyst formation and growth, leading to end-stage renal disease. A higher kidney volume is predictive of a more accelerated decline in renal function. This study aimed to examine the effects of caffeine, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, on the progression of cystic kidney disease in a mouse model orthologous to human disease (Pkd1:Nestin). Read More

J Nucl Cardiol 2019 Apr 11. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Emory University, Atlanta, United States of America.

Background: We evaluated the effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) on septal perfusion and thickening at 6 months post implantation assessed on Tc99m-MIBI Gated myocardial perfusion SPECT (GMPS).We also studied the association of change in septal perfusion and thickening with primary outcome defined as at least one [improvement in ≥1NYHA class, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by ≥ 5%, reduction of end-systolic volume (ESV) by ≥ 15%, and improvement ≥ 5 points in Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire (MLHFQ)].

Method: One hundred and five patients underwent clinical and GMPS evaluation before and at 6 months post CRT. Read More

Heart Vessels 2019 Apr 11. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi-Kamicho Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.

Low wall shear stress (WSS) is associated with plaque formation. However, the relationship between WSS and coronary plaque vulnerability remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the in vivo relationship between luminal WSS derived from three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) and plaque vulnerability within the coronary artery. Read More

Eur Heart J 2019 Apr 11. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Department of Cardiology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Videnska 1958/9, 140 21 Prague, Czech Republic.

Aims: Edoxaban is a direct factor Xa inhibitor approved for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF). Uninterrupted edoxaban therapy in patients undergoing AF ablation has not been tested.

Methods And Results: The ELIMINATE-AF trial, a multinational, multicentre, randomized, open-label, parallel-group study, was conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of once-daily edoxaban 60 mg (30 mg in patients indicated for dose reduction) vs. Read More

Radiol Case Rep 2019 May 25;14(5):544-547. Epub 2019 Feb 25.

Department of Cardiology, Chiba-Nishi General Hospital, 107-1 Kanegasaku, Matsudo, Chiba 270-2251, Japan.

The diagnosis of infective endocarditis is based on modified Duke's criteria, which includes clinical, biological, and echocardiographic findings. However, computed tomography (CT) has not been mentioned as a diagnostic tool in the criteria. We report a case of infective endocarditis confirmed by cardiac CT in which we could identify vegetations and perivalvular abscess not on transthoracic echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography. Read More

J Neurointerv Surg 2019 Apr 11. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Department of Diagnostic Imaging, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Background: The Society of Neurointerventional Surgery revised its operational definition of emergent large vessel occlusion (ELVO) recently to include proximal M2 segment middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusions. We sought to assess the benefit of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) over best medical care for M2 segment MCA occlusion.

Methods: Patient level data from trials in the HERMES Collaboration were included. Read More

Postgrad Med J 2019 Apr 11. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Radiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains one of the leading contributors to overall mortality and morbidity in the modern world, even with recent advances in medicine. Various complications can arise following an MI, particularly with delayed or inadequate treatment. Even though many of these complications are uncommon, they can have a significant impact on patient outcomes. Read More

J Equine Vet Sci 2018 May 12;64:17-26. Epub 2018 Feb 12.

Rutgers Equine Science Center and the Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ.

With the increase in the number of horses being used in Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) programs and with the increasing concern for animal welfare, it is important to understand the impact of such interventions on the stress level and quality of life for the horses involved. The purpose of the present pilot study was to test the hypothesis that participation in EAAT would acutely alter physiological markers of stress and well-being, including plasma cortisol, plasma oxytocin, and heart rate variability (HRV), in horses and that symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) would be reduced after five sessions of EAAT in veterans who had previously been diagnosed with PTSD. Nine healthy geldings, of various breeds, ages 10-23 years, conditioned and experienced as therapeutic riding horses, were selected to participate in the study. Read More

Gut Liver 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Department of Gastroenterology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Background/aims: : Type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) has been considered extremely rare in East Asia. This study aimed to clarify the prevalence, clinical characteristics and radiological findings of type 2 AIP highlighting patients presenting as acute pancreatitis in a single center.

Methods: : Type 2 AIP patients were classified according to International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria. Read More

NMR Biomed 2019 Apr 10:e4091. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Advanced Imaging Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered to be an important component of many metabolic diseases yet there is no reliable imaging biomarker for monitoring mitochondrial damage in vivo. A large prior literature on inter-conversion of β-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate indicates that the process is mitochondrial and that the ratio reflects a specifically mitochondrial redox state. Therefore, the conversion of [1,3- C]acetoacetate to [1,3- C]β-hydroxybutyrate is expected to be sensitive to the abnormal redox state present in dysfunctional mitochondria. Read More

Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 2019 Mar 27;89(1). Epub 2019 Mar 27.

Highly Specialized Rehabilitation Hospital in Motta Di Livenza, Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Unit.

Serum uric acid (UA) has been shown to be a predictor of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality, and it may play a role in the pathogenesis of CV disease affecting vascular structure and function. However, there is limited evidence of its specific association with carotid artery stiffness and structure. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether UA is associated with early signs of atherosclerosis, namely local carotid arterial stiffness and intima-media thickening. Read More

World J Clin Cases 2019 Mar;7(6):742-752

Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, East Carolina Heart Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, United States.

Background: Cardiac amyloidosis, a disease caused by the precipitation of amyloid proteins in the myocardial extracellular matrix has been historically difficult to diagnose due to lack of specific clinical manifestations and necessity of biopsy to demonstrate amyloid deposition. However, advances in cardiovascular imaging techniques have facilitated earlier recognition of this disease. In addition, while once thought of as incurable, treatment strategies are emerging for cardiac amyloidosis, making early diagnosis essential. Read More

Cureus 2019 Jan 29;11(1):e3979. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Internal Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, USA.

Apical variant hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (AHCM) is a known entity since its first introduction by Sakamoto and Yamaguchi. However, unlike classical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), it is less explored in terms of its associated diagnosis and long-term outcomes. Through this case presentation, we aim to have an in-depth review to help physicians identify and better understand several aspects of AHCM. Read More

Cureus 2019 Jan 29;11(1):e3978. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Cardiology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, USA.

Mesalamine is often used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Mesalamine-induced cardiotoxicity has been reported in the literature and is a rare entity. The mechanism of cardiotoxicity remains unclear, however, it is believed to be due to a humoral-mediated hypersensitivity reaction. Read More

Vet Anaesth Analg 2019 Feb 8. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services, Division of Anaesthesiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Objective: Adenosine induces vasodilatation. The aim of this study was to investigate cardiovascular effects of two adenosine constant rate infusion (CRI) doses in dogs.

Study Design: Experimental, longitudinal repeated measure design. Read More

Clin Neuropathol 2019 Apr 9. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

An elderly male was admitted to the Department of Neurology for slowly progressive dysarthria and right-sided atactic hemiparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a small contrast-enhanced focus of malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe - with the growth pattern of cerebral gliomatosis - involving the whole left cerebral hemisphere, the corpus callosum, and spreading into the right frontal hemisphere. Diagnostic biopsy was deferred until the exclusion of other possible causes of the brain lesion. Read More

Emergencias 2019 Abr;31(2):79-85

Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III, Madrid, España.

Objectives: Gastrointestinal bleeding, one of the main reasons for emergency department visits, is associated with significant mortality, complications, and high health care spending. Studies have shown the usefulness of hemodynamic monitoring by ultrasound of the inferior vena cava (IVC), imaging of systolic obstruction of the left ventricle (the kissing sign), changes in cardiac output, or surrogates for cardiac output such as the left ventricular velocity time integral before and after a passive leg raise. There is currently no evidence for applying this approach to evaluating hypovolemia due to gastrointestinal bleeding. Read More