D-Transposition of the Great Arteries:A New Era in Cardiology

Before the 1950s,D-transposition of the great arteries was associated with nearly 90% mortality within the first year of life.The Mustard and Senning procedures resulted in a signifi cant increase in the lifespan of these patients but with notable long-term complications,including arrhythmias,sinus node dysfunction,chronotropic incompetence,and right ventricular systolic dysfunction.The arterial switch operation(first described by Adib Jatene)initially resulted in nearly universal death.However,the use of coronary buttons for coronary artery translocation has improved operative survival dramatically.It is now considered the treatment of choice in patients amendable to the arterial switch operation.Considered an anatomic repair,resulting in concordant ventriculoarterial connections and a systemic left ventricle,the arterial switch operation reduces the incidence of ventricular dysfunction.However,it is also associated with long-term complications,including aortic root dilatation,aortic valve regurgitation,right ventricular outfl ow tract obstructions,coronary artery stenosis/compression,and branch pulmonary artery stenosis.

High adiponectin levels fail to protect against the risk of hypertension and,in women,against coronary disease:involvement in autoimmunity?

AIM:To investigate whether serum adiponectin protects against cardiometabolic risk in a population sample with prevailing metabolic syndrome.METHODS:Middle-aged adults representative of a general population with baseline circulating adiponectin measurements(n=1224)were analyzed prospectively at a mean of 3.8 years’follow-up,using continuous values or sex-specific tertiles.Total adiponectin was assayed by an ELISA kit.Type-2 diabetes was identified by criteria of the American Diabetes Association.Hypertension was defined as a blood pressure≥140 mmHg and/or≥90 mmHg and/or use of antihypertensive medication.Outcomes were predicted using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis in models that were controlled for potential confounders.RESULTS:In models of multiple linear regression,sex hormone-binding globulin,fasting insulin(inverse)and,in men,age were significant independent covariates of serum adiponectin which further tended in women to be positively associated with serum creatinine.Cox regression analyses for incident coronary heart disease(CHD),adjusted for sex,age,non-HDL cholesterol,waist circumference and C-reactive protein,revealed significant inverse association with adiponectin tertiles in men but not women(HR=0.66;95%CI:0.32-1.38 for highest tertile).Cox regression for type-2 diabetes in a similar model(wherein glucose replaced non-HDL cholesterol),adiponectin tertiles appeared to protect in each gender.HR for incident hypertension roughly displayed unity in each of the adiponectin tertiles(P-trend=0.67).CONCLUSION:High adiponectin levels failed to protect against the development of hypertension and,in women,against CHD,presumably paralleling impairment in renal function as well.Involvement of adiponectin in autoimmune complex with loss of antioxidative-antiatherogenic properties may be underlying.

Artificial intelligence in gastroenterology: A state-of-the-art review

The development of artificial intelligence(AI)has increased dramatically in the last 20 years,with clinical applications progressively being explored for most of the medical specialties.The field of gastroenterology and hepatology,substantially reliant on vast amounts of imaging studies,is not an exception.The clinical applications of AI systems in this field include the identification of premalignant or malignant lesions(e.g.,identification of dysplasia or esophageal adenocarcinoma in Barrett’s esophagus,pancreatic malignancies),detection of lesions(e.g.,polyp identification and classification,small-bowel bleeding lesion on capsule endoscopy,pancreatic cystic lesions),development of objective scoring systems for risk stratification,predicting disease prognosis or treatment response[e.g.,determining survival in patients post-resection of hepatocellular carcinoma),determining which patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)will benefit from biologic therapy],or evaluation of metrics such as bowel preparation score or quality of endoscopic examination.The objective of this comprehensive review is to analyze the available AI-related studies pertaining to the entirety of the gastrointestinal tract,including the upper,middle and lower tracts;IBD;the hepatobiliary system;and the pancreas,discussing the findings and clinical applications,as well as outlining the current limitations and future directions in this field.

Assessment and impact of diastolic function by echocardiography in elderly patients

Doppler echocardiography is the gold standard for assessment of diastolic dysfunction, which is increasingly recognised as a cause of heart failure, especially in the elderly. Using a combination of Doppler echocardiography techniques, it is possible to identify grades of dia- stolic dysftmction, estimate left ventricular filling pressures and establish the chronicity of diastolic dysfunction. These physiologi- cally-derived measures have been widely validated against invasive measurements of left heart pressures and have been shown to be prog- nostically valuable in a wide range of clinical settings. This review explores the mechanisms, and approaches to the assessment of diastolic dysfunction in the elderly. The challenge for clinicians is to identify pathophysiological changes from those associated with normal ageing. When used in combination, and taking age into account, Doppler echocardiographic parameters are helpful in the assessment of dyspnoea in older patients and provide prognostic insights.

Differential diagnosis of tachycardia with a typical left bundle branch block morphology

The evaluation of wide QRS complex tachycardias (WCT)remains a common dilemma for clinicians.Numerous algorithms exist to aid in arriving at the correct diagnosis.Unfortunately,these algorithms are difficult to remember,and overreliance on them may prevent cardiologists from understanding the mechanisms underlying these arrhythmias.One distinct subcategory of WCTs are those that present with a"typical"or"classic" left bundle branch block pattern.These tachycardias may be supraventricular or ventricular in origin and arise from functional or fixed aberrancy,bystander or participating atriofascicular pre-excitation,and bundle branch reentry.This review will describe these arrhythmias,illustrate their mechanisms,and discuss their clinical features and treatment strategies.

Efficacy and safety of alcohol septal ablation in elderly patients:one-year outcome

Objective The management of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy is not well-defined in the elderly.Medical therapy with 3-blockers and calcium-channel blockers are the mainstay therapy for symptomatic patients.Myomectomy is usually reserved for patients who fail medical therapy. Alcohol septal ablation has been recently introduced as an alternative therapy. Patients and Methods Ninety-five patients older than 65 years of age were included. All patients have completed one year of follow-up. The mean age was 72 ± 5 years, 47 patients were females, 10 patients with history of hypertension. Results The mean rise in CK post alcohol ablation was 1052 ± 430IU. The mean NYHA class decreased from 2.9 ± 0.6 to 1.2 ± 0.5 ( P ＜ 0.001 ). The exercise duration on treadmill testing increased from 328 ± 260 s to 349 ± 39 s. The mean resting left ventricular outflow tract gradient decreased from 65 ± 37 mmHg to 16 ± 29 mmHg at one year. One patient died in the hospital after coronary artery bypass grafting that was done subsequent to spiral dissection of the left anterior descending artery during ablation. Thirteen patients developed complete heart block immediately after ablation requiring pacing therapy. Conclusions Alcohol septal ablation seems to be an effective alternative therapeutic option for elderly patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. Larger studies with longer follow-up are needed.

Calcific left atrium:A rare consequence of endocarditis

Usually, cardiac calcifications are observed in aortic and mitral valves, atrio-ventricular plane, mitral annulus, coronary arteries, pericaridium(usually causing constrictive pericarditis) and cardiac masses. Calcifications of atrial walls are unusual findings that can be identified only using imaging with high spatial resolution, such as cardiac magnetic resonance and computed tomography. We report a case of a 43-year-old patient with no history of heart disease that underwent cardiac evaluation for mild dyspnoea. The echocardiogram showed a calcific aortic valve and a hyper-echogenic lesion located in atrio-ventricular plane. The patient was submitted to cardiac magnetic resonance and to computed tomography imaging to better characterize the localization of mass. The clinical features and location of calcified lesion suggest an infective aetiology causing an endocarditis involving the aortic valve, atrioventricular plane and left atrium. Although we haven't data to support a definite and clear diagnosis, the clinical features and location of the calcified lesion suggest an infective aetiology causing an endocarditis involving the aortic valve, atrio-ventricular plane and left atrium. The patient was followed for 12 mo both clinically and by electrocardiogram and echocardiography without worsening of clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic data. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography are ideal methods for identifying and following over time patients with calcific degeneration in the heart.

Application of rotational atherectomy in the drug-eluting stent era

Rotational atherectomy (RA) was introduced in the interventional arena in 1988 as a dedicated device for calcified lesions. Due to the complexity of the technique, the development of alternative methods such as the cutting balloon procedure, and the high restenosis rate of subsequent bare metal stenting in long lesions, its use had later declined. However, with the increasing use of drug-eluting stents (DES) and the aggressive treatment of longer lesions, the number of procedure performed with RA has increased significantly again in recent years. In this article, we reviewed the application of RA in DES era.

In-hospital outcome of elderly patients with acute coronary syndromes treated with platelet glycoproteinⅡb/Ⅲa blockers

Background and objective The safety of intravenous glycoproteinⅡb/Ⅲa inhibitors (GPI) in elderly patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has not yet been established. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of GPI in elderly patients with ACS. Methods Ninety consecutive patients≥70 years of age admitted to a county hospital between 1999-2004 were included. All patients had typical ACS symptoms along with high-risk markers. Results There was no difference in the TIMI risk score between patients who received GPI (n=47) and those who did not (n=43). Patients who received GPI had a lower creatinine clearance (40 cc/min vs. 47cc/min, p= 0.04). Patients who received GPI had a lower incidence of death, reinfarction or major bleeding (19% vs. 4%, p=0.03). There was no significant difference in major bleeding between the 2 groups. None of the patients in either group developed thrombocytopenia. Conclusion This retrospective small study suggests that the use of GPI in a selected group of elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome may be safe. (J Geriatr Cardiol 2005; 2(4):203-205 )

Changes of Plasma Renin Activity and Angiotensin II Level and Their Relations to Sodium in Heart Failure Patients

The levels of plasma renin activity(PRA), (?) II(ATII), serum sodiurnand urinary sodium excretion within 24 h m heart failure (?) were (?), in onder to studythe effect of sodium on the PRA and ATII levels in heart (?) patients The (?) showed thatthe PRA and ATII levels were higher left heart falure patents than those in nonnal persons andright heart failure patients, but the serum sodium and urinary sodium excretion left heart failurepatients was lower than that of normal persons and right heart failure patients that patients withleft heart failure were of high renin activity type and patients with right heart failure were of low ornormal renin activity type and that in heart failure patients the PRA and ATII level and urinary so-dium excretion were inversely conelated We suggest that it may be useful in selecting drugs forheart failure (?) when the patients are divided into subgroups by PRA and sodium index.

Radiofrequency catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia in a patient with dermatomyositis

A 51-year old male who presented at our hospital for recurrent palpitation for several months was diagnosed dermatomyositis ten years ago and had interstitial lung disease since two years ago. Recently, he was admitted for atypical hepatitis, and received maintenance treatment of oral corticosteroids.

IVUS-guided rotational atherectomy for unexpandable paclitaxel-eluting stent:A case report and review of literature

We describe a patient suffering from late stent thrombosis in a paclitaxel-eluting stent which had an underexpanded ring due to the three-hundred-sixty-degree circumferential calcified plaque. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) revealed rotational atherectomy could success-fully ablate both the metallic ring and the calcified ring. The ablated segment was scaffolded with a new paclitaxel-eluting stent, well ex-panded and documented by IVUS. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of stent ablation for an unexpanded paclitaxel-eluting stent. From the Medline index, there were only six case reports of stent ablation. We review and summarize the operation details of stent ablation from these reports.

Inflammation and vascular disease: the role of C-reactive protein

Inflammation is an important component of active atherosclerotic disease. C-reactive protein (CRP)is a non-specific inflammatory marker that is increased in inflammatory conditions. Newer more sensitive assays (high sensitivity CRP) can detect the low levels of inflammation associated with vascular disease. CRP levels can give further risk assessment to individuals beyond predictions from traditional risk factors. This measurement is most useful in helping to discriminate risk in intermediate risk patients such as metabolic syndrome patients. Exercise and weight loss have been shown to significantly lower CRP levels. Lipid lowering therapies, especially with the statin class of medications, also lower CRP levels. A reduction in inflammation may be an important component of plaque stabilization and contribute to cardiovascular risk reduction.

Obesity and the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus

The increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide has many experts concerned about the worsening health of a large proportion of the population. It is well recognized that obesity is associated with a higher mortality, an increased risk of hypertension and hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, gall bladder disease and possibly some cancers. Currently it is estimated that over two thirds of adults in the United States are overweight and nearly one third are clinically obese.1 Of special concern is the rapid increase in obesity among children. Other countries both developed and developing are experiencing similar trends.……

血管内皮生长因子对猪心肌侧枝血管生成的作用

为检测血管内皮生长因子１６５（ＶＥＧＦ１６５）能否促进冠状动脉侧枝血管形成，实验在成功制作小型猪慢性心肌缺血模型后，将以复制缺陷重组腺病毒为载体的人ＶＥＧＦ１６５互补脱氧核糖核酸［（ｃＤＮＡ）Ａｄ－ＶＥＧＦ１６５］直接注入左回旋支（ＬＣＸ）分布的缺血心肌内，以心电图门控单光子发射计算机断层摄影和离体冠状动脉造影检测冠状动脉侧枝形成、心肌灌注和功能变化。结果显示，与对照组和自身给予Ａｄ－ＶＥＧＦ１６５前比较，给予Ａｄ－ＶＥＧＦ１６５四周后心肌缺血面积（Ｐ＜０．０１）和最大缺血程度（Ｐ＜０．０１）明显减小，左心室射血分数（Ｐ＜０．０１）和ＬＣＸ区局部心室壁运动（Ｐ＜０．０５）明显改善，治疗组侧枝血管生成明显多于对照组（Ｐ＜０．０５），表明Ａｄ－ＶＥＧＦ１６５能诱导心肌侧枝血管形成并改善心肌灌注与运动功能。

右心房异常是心房扑动的病理基础——三维电—解剖标测结果

目的 :应用三维电—解剖标测技术标测典型心房扑动患者的右心房 ,并与房室结折返性心动过速患者比较 ,研究心房扑动患者右心房的解剖及电生理异常情况。方法 :2 0例心房扑动患者 [心房扑动组 ,男 16例 ,女 4例 ,平均年龄 ( 5 5 90± 10 68)岁 ]和 2 6例房室结折返性心动过速患者 [对照组 ,男 9例 ,女 17例 ,平均年龄 ( 4 7 5 0± 19 5 6)岁 ]在行射频导管消融前先用电—解剖标测进行研究 ,测量右心房容积 ,下腔静脉—三尖瓣环峡部 (CTI)的长度、宽度和右心房的单极和双极电压等 ,并对心房扑动组和对照组的各项参数进行比较。结果 :各项测量参数在心房扑动组和对照组分别为 :右心房容积 ( 14 3 2 2± 40 72 )mlvs ( 10 4 3 5± 2 1 0 6)ml;峡部长度 ( 3 9 3 1± 8 10 )mmvs ( 3 2 42± 9 77)mm ,峡部宽度 ( 3 0 5 4± 7 48)mmvs ( 2 3 15± 6 61)mm ,右心房单极电压 ( 1 96± 1 2 4)mVvs ( 1 5 3± 0 91)mV及右心房双极电压 ( 1 47± 1 47)mVvs ( 1 2 9± 1 12 )mV。以上各参数心房扑动组和对照组比较 ,P均 <0 0 5～ 0 0 1。结论 :心房扑动与房室结折返性心动过速患者相比 ,其右心房容积增大 ,CTI的长度和宽度增大 ,右心房的单极和双极电位增高。心房扑动患者的这些异常表现提示右心房增大。

Peripheral artery disease in patients with diabetes:Epidemiology,mechanisms,and outcomes

Peripheral artery disease(PAD) is the atherosclerosis of lower extremity arteries and is also associated with atherothrombosis of other vascular beds,including the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems.The presence of diabetes mellitus greatly increases therisk of PAD,as well as accelerates its course,making these patients more susceptible to ischemic events and impaired functional status compared to patients without diabetes.To minimize these cardiovascular risks it is critical to understand the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis in diabetic patients.This,in turn,can offer insights into the therapeutic avenues available for these patients.This article provides an overview of the epidemiology of PAD in diabetic patients,followed by an analysis of the mechanisms by which altered metabolism in diabetes promotes atherosclerosis and plaque instability.Outcomes of PAD in diabetic patients are also discussed,with a focus on diabetic ulcers and critical limb ischemia.

Cryoballoon ablation on an elder paroxysmal atrial fibrillation patient implanted with double chamber pacemaker: a case report

Atrial fibrillation(AF)is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia,increasing in prevalence with age.Catheter ablation is recommended to symptomatic paroxysmal AF refractory or intolerant to at least one Class I or III antiarrhythmic medication.[1]Main current catheter ablation of AF with radiofrequency can give priority to,other include freezing,ultrasonic and laser ablation etc.Recent studies provides substantial information regarding the efficacy and safety of novel cryoballoon technology in creating pulmonary vein(PV)isolation.[2,3]Processed in cyroballoon ablation,some AF patients implanted with double chamber pacemaker are difficult to puncture atrial septal,because of the atrial electrode.My case report was as follows.

Percutaneous coronary interventions in the elderly:a 10-year experience in Northern New England

Background There is a paucity of information available for clinical decision making applying to the elderly patient population. Therefore, data of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) including demographic information on the elderly patients, procedural practices, and outcomes are needed. Objectives and Methods From consecutive PCIs of participating institutions, demographics data, clinical, angiographic success and adverse clinical outcomes were collected. Standard statistical methods were used to compare crude differences in patient and procedural characteristics across age groups. Results At baseline, the prevalence of comorbid conditions ( renal failure and heart failure) increased with age. Unstable angina or a non-ST elevation MI were the most common indications for PCI across all age groups. Fewer patients ≥ 80 years old were undergoing primary PCI and older patients were somewhat less likely to receive a Ⅱb/Ⅲa receptor blocker. Slightly more patients ≥ 80 years old underwent a 2-vessel PCI ( consistent with them having more multivessel disease) and these patients were more likely to have an intervention on a Type C lesion. Compared to patients ＜ 50 years old, those aged ≥ 70 years old had a significantly increased risk of death, MI, stroke, or vascular complications at the access site. Conclusions This study suggests increasing age is associated with increasing risk for an adverse outcome following PCI. This is in part attributable to case-mix but likely, also related to the changing physiology of aging. Despite the increased risk of the procedure, the clinical success rate for PCI is quite high and makes it a reasonable alternative for the treatment of CAD in the elderly.

Inherited Cardiomyopathies:Genetics and Clinical Genetic Testing

Inherited cardiomyopathies are major causes of morbidity and mortality and include a group of cardiac disorders such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM),dilated cardiomyopathy,arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy(ARVD/C),left ventricular noncompaction(LVNC),and restrictive cardiomyopathy(RCM).These diseases have a substantial genetic component and predispose to sudden cardiac death.Since the first gene was identified as a disease-causing gene for HCM over two decades ago,more than eighty genes have been identified to be associated with inherited cardiomyopathies and genetic testing has become prevalent in making clinical diagnosis.With the advent of next-generation sequencing technology,genetic panel testing of inherited cardiomyopathies has become feasible and cost efficient.In this review,we summarize the individual cardiomyopathies with the emphasis on cardiomyopathy genetics and genetic testing.