Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Blood Purif 2018 Dec 6:1-7. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Background: The impact of hybrid therapy comprising peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis on cardiovascular events in PD patients remains unclear.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the effect of hybrid therapy on cardiovascular events.

Methods: A total of 93 PD patients undergoing hybrid therapy for ≥3 years were divided into 2 groups according to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF): lower ejection fraction (LEF [n = 29], LVEF < 60%) and normal ejection fraction (NEF [n = 64], LVEF ≥60%). Read More

Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2018 Dec 1;176:47-52. Epub 2018 Dec 1.

Department of Neurosurgery, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Objectives: Suboccipital decompressive craniectomy (SDC) is considered the best treatment option in patients with space-occupying cerebellar infarction and clinical signs of deterioration. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate long-term functional outcome in patients one year after SDC for space-occupying cerebellar infarction, and secondly, to determine factors associated with outcome.

Patients And Methods: All patients treated with SDC due to space-occupying cerebellar infarction between January 2009 and October 2015 were included in the study. Read More

J Mol Cell Cardiol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cardiovascular Research Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany; DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg, Kiel, Lübeck, Germany; Institute of Pharmacy, University of Hamburg, Bundesstr. 45, 20146 Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address:

The sympathetic nervous system is the main stimulator of cardiac function. While acute activation of the β-adrenoceptors exerts positive inotropic and lusitropic effects by increasing cAMP and Ca, chronically enhanced sympathetic tone with changed β-adrenergic signaling leads to alterations of gene expression and remodeling. The CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 1 (CRTC1) is activated by cAMP and Ca. Read More

PLoS One 2018 6;13(12):e0208321. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Cardiovascular Research Program, VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America.

Increased proinflammatory interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels are associated with acquired long QT-syndrome (LQTS) in patients with systemic inflammation, leading to higher risks for life-threatening polymorphic ventricular tachycardia such as Torsades de Pointes. However, the functional and molecular mechanisms of this association are not known. In most cases of acquired LQTS, the target ion channel is the human ether-á-go-go-related gene (hERG) encoding the rapid component of the delayed rectifier K current, IKr, which plays a critical role in cardiac repolarization. Read More

Nucl Med Commun 2019 Jan;40(1):3-7

Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton.

Aim: To compare weight, lean body mass and body surface area for calculation of standardised uptake value (SUV) in fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography, taking sex into account.

Patients And Methods: This was a retrospective study of 161 (97 men) patients. Maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax) and mean standardised uptake value (SUVmean) were obtained from a 3-cm region of interest over the right lobe of the liver and scaled to weight, scaled to lean body mass (SUL) and scaled to body surface area (SUA). Read More

Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc 2018 11 30;56(4):418-423. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Medicina, División de Estudios de Posgrado. Ciudad de México, México

Background: Pulmonary embolism is a potentially fatal heart condition that requires prompt restoration of blood flow in the pulmonary vascular bed and prevention of recurrent events. Mortality is associated to the degree of hemodynamic repercussion, complications and opportunity in the treatment.

Case Report: Male 33 years of age who began with sudden dyspnea, chest pain of moderate intensity, sweating and syncope. Read More

Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc 2018 11 30;56(4):429-433. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Hospital de Cardiología, Servicio de Anestesiología. Ciudad de México, México

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a technique indicated in cases of severe respiratory failure or in situations where pump failure or heart failure is refractory to conventional medical treatment. Our goal was to describe the results of a patient with chronic Chagas dilated cardiomyopathy treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as bridging therapy for heart transplantation.

Case Report: A 62-year old male with a history of Chagas disease and severe ventricular failure who underwent veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as bridging therapy for heart transplantation, with good clinical evolution. Read More

Cardiol Rev 2019 Jan/Feb;27(1):8-13

Division of Cardiology, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10467.

Continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) are increasingly used for the management of advanced heart failure refractory to optimal medical therapy. Despite the encouraging outcomes with CF-LVADs, gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) continues to be a rather concerning complication resulting in increased rates of readmission and increased morbidity. The exact pathophysiology of CF-LVAD-associated GIB remains poorly understood, and this lack of knowledge limits our ability to control this morbid complication. Read More

J Cardiovasc Nurs 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Dillon J. Dzikowicz, BS, RN Doctoral (PhD) Student, School of Nursing, University of Rochester, New York. Mary G. Carey, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of Rochester, New York.

Background: The spatial QRS-T angle is a measure of repolarization heterogeneity and may be a predictor of poor ventricular health. It is unknown whether a relationship exists between QRS-T angle and blood pressure (BP) during exercise.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential relationship between QRS-T angle and BP during exercise, which may be indicative of ventricular stretch. Read More

Environ Sci Technol 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

The plastic monomer bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the highest production volume chemicals in the world and is frequently detected in wildlife and humans, particularly children. BPA has been associated with numerous adverse health outcomes relating to its estrogenic and other hormonal properties, but direct causal links are unclear in humans and animal models. Here we simulated measured (1×) and predicted worst-case (10×) maximum foetal exposures for BPA, or equivalent concentrations of its metabolite MBP, using fluorescent reporter embryo-larval zebrafish capable of quantifying Estrogen Response Element (ERE) activation throughout the body. Read More

Int J Eat Disord 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.

Objective: An association between bulimia nervosa (BN) and prolonged corrected QT interval (QTc) in the electrocardiogram has been suggested, but results of previous studies are conflicting, and the risk of cardiac events in patients with BN has yet to be investigated.

Method: We estimated mean QTc interval and relative risk of borderline (QTc >440 ms) and prolonged QTc (QTc >460 ms) between adult women with BN (N = 531) and healthy controls (N = 123). In follow-up analyses, we investigated the risk of a primary endpoint (syncope, ventricular tachycardia, and cardiac arrest) and all-cause mortality in patients with BN (N = 702) compared with a population-based cohort derived from the Danish Civil Register (N = 7,020). Read More

Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

University of California Los Angeles, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.

Background: Patients with systemic right ventricles (RV) often develop progressive heart failure and may benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), however the optimal strategy for CRT has not been defined.

Methods: A retrospective review of all patients with systemic RV failure undergoing a hybrid transcatheter-surgical approach was performed. Procedural technique and outcomes are reported. Read More

Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol 2018 Nov;11(11):e006305

Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (J.D., C.B., L.S., F.L., R.J.L.).

Background: Despite safety concerns, many young patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) participate in sports. We undertook a prospective, multinational registry to determine the incidence of serious adverse events because of sports participation. The primary end points were death or resuscitated arrest during sports or injury during sports because of arrhythmia or shock. Read More

Int J Artif Organs 2018 Dec 6:391398818815492. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

1 Schüchtermann-Klinik Bad Rothenfelde, Bad Rothenfelde, Germany.

Following implantation of a left ventricular assist device, the build-up and long-term maintenance of adequate exercise capacity and functional performance become crucial. The aim of this study was to observe the development of exercise-related values at different times, as well as to detect possible influencing factors. We performed a prospective single-centre study: 10 patients (63 years, 100% male, body mass index = 27. Read More

Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Molecular & Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George's University of London.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on fetal and neonatal cardiac geometry and function around the time of birth.

Methods: A prospective study of 75 pregnant women delivering at term, comprising of 54 normal pregnancies and 21 with a diagnosis GDM. Fetal and neonatal conventional cardiac indices, spectral tissue Doppler and 2D speckle tracking imaging were performed a few days before and within hours of birth. Read More

Echocardiography 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan.

Background: Assessment of right ventricular (RV) function remains challenging because of its complex geometry. Application of speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) to the tricuspid annulus provides rapid and automated assessment of the midpoint of the tricuspid annular plane displacement (TAD). The aim of this study was to investigate the value of tissue-tracking TAD for the assessment of RV systolic dysfunction. Read More

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Dermatology, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Background: Trappin-2/pre-elafin is an endogenous inhibitor of human neutrophil elastase involved in inflammation, innate immunity and vascular remodeling, which consist of the complex pathological process of systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Objectives: To clarify the potential role of trappin-2 in SSc.

Methods: Serum trappin-2 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 51 SSc and 18 healthy subjects. Read More

Echocardiography 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Cardiac Surgery, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy.

Background: The influence of sex on regression of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LVH) after aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic stenosis (AS) remains elusive. The lack of consensus on how to correct LV mass (LVM) for body size, and different normalcy values, contribute to inconclusive results.

Methods: In 164 consecutive patients (mean age 80 ± 4 years, 59% females) with AS, we analyzed LVM (Devereux formula) before and 1 year after AVR (St. Read More

J Cell Biochem 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Pharmacy, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China.

Background: Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1), also known as metadherin, 3D3, and lysine-rich carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) coisolated, has emerged as an important oncogene that is overexpressed in a variety of cancers. Previous studies revealed that AEG-1 is also involved in multiple physiological and pathological processes, such as development, inflammation, neurodegeneration, migraine, and Huntington's disease. However, the function of AEG-1 in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) has not been reported yet. Read More

Echocardiography 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Cardiology, Trabzon Ahi Evren Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Research and Application Center, Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi (University of Health Sciences), Trabzon, Turkey.

Introduction: Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), a direct marker of atherosclerosis, has emerged as a promising means for cardiovascular risk evaluation. Presystolic wave (PSW) is commonly detected by the Doppler interrogation of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT). It is thought to be a result of a stiff left ventricle and impaired LV compliance. Read More

Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Mitsubishi Kyoto Hospital, 1 Goshomachi, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8087, Japan.

Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy in Libman-Sacks endocarditis is quite rare and the correct etiological relationship between them is unknown. Some changes may cause a secondary disorganization of the ordinary muscle structure, making a disarray pattern with irregular interwoven myocyte fibers. This case report describes one of the first cases of ventricular septal myectomy and mitral valve replacement for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and mitral valve regurgitation associated with Libman-Sacks endocarditis. Read More

Chin J Integr Med 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Collaborative Innovation Center for Rehabilitation Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of tai chi exercise on cardiac and static lung function for older community-dwelling adults at risk of ischemic stroke.

Methods: A total of 170 older community-dwelling adults (aged 55-75 years old) at risk of ischemic stroke were allocated to either tai chi training group (85 cases, five 60-min sessions of tai chi training per week for 12 weeks) or control group (85 cases, usual pbysical activity for 12 weeks) using a computer-generated randomization. The echocardiographic parameters of cardiac structure, cardiac function and static lung function were measured at baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention and additional 12-week follow-up period by a blinded professional staffmember using a color Doppler ultrasound imaging device or a cardiopulmonary function instrument. Read More

Heart Vessels 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine II, Kansai Medical University, 2-5-1, Shin-machi, Hirakata, 573-1010, Osaka, Japan.

Diastolic wall strain (DWS) was reported as a simple and feasible echocardiographic index in assessing left ventricular (LV) diastolic stiffness. We sought to evaluate whether DWS predicts age-related cardiovascular events. Patients referred for transthoracic echocardiogram, those with preserved LV ejection fraction and no clinical heart failure were studied. Read More

Clin Res Cardiol 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Electrophysiology, German Heart Center Munich, Munich, Germany.

Background: As there are limited data about the clinical practice of catheter ablation in asymptomatic children and adolescents with ventricular preexcitation on ECG, we performed the multicenter "CASPED" (Catheter ablation in ASymptomatic PEDiatric patients with Ventricular Preexcitation) study.

Methods And Results: In 182 consecutive children and adolescents aged between 8 and 18 years (mean age 12.9 ± 2. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2018 4;2018:3120480. Epub 2018 Nov 4.

Biotronik, Berlin, Germany.

Patients receiving dual-chamber implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (DR-ICD) therapy are at risk of developing atrial arrhythmia because of the increased rate of ventricular pacing and the progression of heart failure. Remote monitoring (RM) may identify the patients at highest risk of adverse events such as atrial arrhythmias. A total of 283 patients with 91,632 remote transmissions during a 15-month follow-up (FU) period enrolled in the LION registry were analysed. Read More

Cureus 2018 Sep 28;10(9):e3383. Epub 2018 Sep 28.

Neurosurgery, Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, USA.

Arachnoid cysts (ACs) are congenital, extra-axial lesions containing fluid similar to the composition of cerebrospinal fluid. Usually found incidentally, these lesions are observed with serial imaging to document their growth patterns and stability, and are then followed conservatively until clinical symptoms develop. Surgical options for symptomatic arachnoid cysts include cyst aspiration, cyst evacuation with fenestration into the subarachnoid space, and shunt procedures including cysto-peritoneal and cysto-ventricular shunts. Read More

Mol Cytogenet 2018 28;11:58. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Department of the Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Fujian Provincial Maternity and Children's Hospital, affiliated hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Key Laboratory for Prenatal Diagnosis and Birth Defect, Fuzhou, China.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), rather than traditional chromosome analysis, in prenatal diagnosis of ventricular septal defects (VSDs) for superior prenatal genetic counseling and to reveal a potential correlation between submicroscopic chromosomal aberrations and VSDs.

Results: Among the 151 VSD cases, 79 (52.3%) had isolated defects and 72 (47. Read More

Spinal Cord 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Kinesiology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, L2S 3A1, ON, Canada.

Study Design: Cohort cross-sectional study.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between cardiac vagal activity and left ventricular filling at rest and during vagal stimulation, via the cold face test (CFT), in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Setting: University-based laboratory at Brock University, St. Read More

Circ J 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine.

Background: It has been suggested that protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac), one of the downstream signaling molecules of β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR), may be an effective target for the treatment of arrhythmia. However, there have been no reports on the anti-arrhythmic effects or cardiac side-effects of Epac1 inhibitors in vivo. Methods and Results: In this study, the roles of Epac1 in the development of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias are examined. Read More

Int Heart J 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous malignancy in men and has been steadily rising in an aging society. Medical castration therapy is effective for metastatic prostate cancer, but the proarrhythmic properties have not been reported. We present a 71-year-old Japanese man with metastasis prostate cancer that, during medical castration therapy, had torsades de pointes (TdP) with a QT prolongation and ventricular fibrillation (VF). Read More

Int Heart J 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Rinku General Medical Center.

CD36 is one of the important transporters of long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) in the myocardium. We previously reported that CD36-deficient patients demonstrate a marked reduction of myocardial uptake of LCFA, while myocardial glucose uptake shows a compensatory increase, and are often accompanied by cardiomyopathy. However, the molecular mechanisms and functional role of CD36 in the myocardium remain unknown. Read More

Int Heart J 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Cardiovascular Center, Onze Lieve Vrouw Ziekenhuis.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between corin expression and circulating brain natriuretic peptide in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.Circulating levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) can be an indicator of LV dysfunction. The 32-amino-acid BNP is cleaved by corin, a cardiac serine protease, from its108-amino-acid pro-brain natriuretic peptide (proBNP) precursor. Read More

Int Heart J 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University.

Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is a group of hereditary muscular dystrophy syndrome caused by deficiency of genes encoding nuclear envelope proteins. Patients having EDMD show the triad of muscle dystrophy, joint contracture, and cardiac disease. In almost all patients, cardiac involvement is prevalent and is the most severe aspect of EDMD. Read More

Neurology 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

From the Department of Medicine (Neurology) (S.J.), Queens' University, Kingston; Departments of Medicine (Neurology) (R.R., A.P.) and Medicine (Cardiology) (A.D.J., A.W.), Toronto Western Hospital/University Health Network, and Dalla Lana School of Public Health (R.N.), University of Toronto; and Centre for Urban Health Solutions (R.N.), Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and clinical determinants of atrial cardiopathy in patients with embolic stroke of unknown source (ESUS) and compare with other established stroke etiologies.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study of 846 consecutive patients with ischemic stroke, we compared the prevalence of atrial cardiopathy (defined by p-wave terminal force in V1 >5,000 µV·ms or severe left atrial enlargement) between ESUS patients and patients with large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) and small vessel disease (SVD) strokes. Baseline characteristics were also compared between ESUS and cardioembolic (CE) patients. Read More

Syst Rev 2018 Dec 5;7(1):225. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Division of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (MI) remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide with no curative therapy available. Stem cell therapies have been gaining interest as a means to repair the cardiac tissue after MI and prevent the onset of heart failure. Many in vivo reports suggest that the use of stem cells is promising, yet clinical trials suggest that the cells fail to integrate into the native tissue, resulting in limited improvements in cardiac function and repair. Read More

J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 2018 Dec 6;20(1):79. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

UCL Centre for Cardiovascular Imaging, Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, 30 Guildford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK.

Background: Real-time cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) assessment of ventricular volumes and function enables data acquisition during free-breathing. The requirement for high spatiotemporal resolution in children necessitates the use of highly accelerated imaging techniques.

Methods: A novel real-time balanced steady state free precession (bSSFP) spiral sequence reconstructed using Compressed Sensing (CS) was prospectively validated against the breath-hold clinical standard for assessment of ventricular volumes in 60 children with congenital heart disease. Read More

Prog Transplant 2018 Dec 5:1526924818817018. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

4 Michigan Medicine Center for Circulatory Support Frankel Cardiovascular Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Background:: A mixed-method study of role stress and work intensity among nurse practitioners (NPs) in mechanical circulatory support (MCS) programs in the United States reported a qualitative data related to burnout. We empirically investigated this phenomenon by pursuing the following specific aims: (1) describe levels of personal burnout (PB), work-related (WB) burnout, and client-related burnout (CB) and quality of work life (QOWL) among MCS-NPs; (2) determine the relationship between burnout and QOWL variables; and (3) identify which type of burnout is a predictor of QOWL.

Methods:: We employed an exploratory correlational research design. Read More

Dtsch Med Wochenschr 2018 Dec 3;143(24):1765-1769. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Klinik für Kardiologie, Pneumologie und Angiologie, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf.

Surgical management of patients with aortic valve stenosis is declining and Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is becoming the treatment of choice in many patients. The ESC guideline integrated results of randomized controlled trials in patients with intermediate surgical risk for the first time. TAVI showed good and comparable results to the standard surgical approach. Read More

Cell Calcium 2018 Nov 27;77:20-28. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States.

Store operated Ca entry (SOCE) is an ancient and ubiquitous Ca signaling pathway discovered decades ago, but the function of SOCE in human physiology is only now being revealed. The relevance of this pathway to striated muscle was solidified with the description of skeletal myopathies that result from mutations in STIM1 and Orai1, the two SOCE components. Here, we consider the evidence for STIM1 and SOCE in cardiac muscle and the sinoatrial node. Read More

Hellenic J Cardiol 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Unit of Inherited Cardiovascular Diseases/Heart Center of the Young and Athletes, First Department of Cardiology, Hippokration General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; National Heart and Lung Institute Imperial College London, London, UK.

Although hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited cardiomyopathy worldwide, the criteria for its definition and most of the literature concern the left ventricle, confirming the theory that the right ventricle is the neglected one. Right ventricular (RV) involvement includes structural and functional changes with significant impact on clinical presentation and prognosis. The pattern of RV hypertrophy can be variable with possible dynamic obstruction. Read More

Indian Pacing Electrophysiol J 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Madras Medical Mission, Chennai, India. Electronic address:

Fontan surgery and its modifications have improved survival in various forms of univentricular hearts. A regular atrial rhythm with atrioventricular synchrony is one of the most important prerequisite for the long-term effective functioning of this preload dependent circulation. A significant proportion of these survivors need various forms of pacing for bradyarrhythmias, often due to sinus nodal dysfunction and sometimes due to atrioventricular nodal block. Read More

Physiol Behav 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. Electronic address:

Changes in cardiac function that occur with exercise training have been studied in detail, but those accompanying evolved increases in the duration or intensity of physical activity are poorly understood. To address this gap, we studied electrocardiograms (ECGs) of mice from an artificial selection experiment in which four replicate lines are bred for high voluntary wheel running (HR) while four non-selected lines are maintained as controls (C). ECGs were recorded using an ECGenie (Mouse Specifics, Inc. Read More

Ann Thorac Surg 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Department of Cardiac Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China. Electronic address:

Eur J Heart Fail 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Brigham and Women's Hospital Heart and Vascular Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.