No abstract

No abstract

In recent years, the role of left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) as the gold standard parameter for the evaluation of systolic function has been questioned, and many efforts have been concentrated in the clinical validation of new noninvasive tools for the study of myocardial contractility. Improvement in the accuracy of speckle-tracking echocardiography has resulted in a large amount of research showing the ability of two-dimensional strain to overcome EF limitations in the majority of primary and secondary heart diseases. Currently, global longitudinal strain (GLS) is considered the most accurate and sensitive parameter for the assessment of early left ventricular dysfunction. This review summarizes the advantages that this measurement can provide in several clinical settings. Moreover, the important cautions that should be considered in making the choice to use GLS also are addressed. Finally, a special focus on bull's-eye polar maps for the assessment of regional changes of longitudinal function and the usefulness of these maps in the differential diagnosis of several diseases is provided.

No abstract

Our results show a close correlation between genetic and biomolecular patterns of elastin and mechanical properties of the aorta in patients with BAV.

Background: Childhood obesity is related to a wide spectrum of cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities.Objectives: (1) To identify precocious, preclinical, cardiovascular sonographic modifications, in a cohort of overweight (OW) and obese (OB) children and adolescents compared to lean controls; (2) to investigate the association between clinical and metabolic variables and cardiovascular sonographic parameters; (3) to evaluate their relation with two different phenotypes of obesity: metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO). Materials and Methods:Fifty-nine OW and OB children and adolescents (9.8 ± 2.9 years) and 20 matched lean controls underwent anthropometric, biochemical, echocardiography assessment, and sonographic evaluation of carotid artery and ascending aorta (AA). OW and OB subjects were divided in MHO and MUO, according to the Camhi et al. definition.Results: OW and OB children showed significantly higher left ventricular (LV) dimensions and mass, carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT), carotid stiffness [β-index, pulse wave velocity (PWV)], significantly lower mitral peak early (E) and late (A) velocity ratio (E/A ratio), and significantly impaired global longitudinal strain (GLS) compared to controls. BMI SD and HOMA-IR were positively significantly related to LV dimensions, LA volume and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), and negative to E/A ratio. Waist circumference (WC) was positively correlated to LV dimensions, LA volume, CIMT, PWV, AA diameter, and EAT. Furthermore, WC was a strong predictor of LV dimensions, LA volume and strain, AA stiffness and diameter; BMI SD was significantly associated with EAT, LVM index, and E/A ratio; HOMA-IR and triglycerides were significant predictors of GLS. MUO patients showed higher BMI SD (p = 0.02), WC (p = 0.001), WHtR (p = 0.001), HOMA-IR (p = 0.004), triglycerides (p = 0.01), SBP (p = 0.001), as well as LV dimensions, EAT (p = 0.03), CIMT (p = 0.01), AA diameter (p = 0.02), β-index (p = 0.03) and PWV (p = 0.002), AA stiffness (p = 0.006), and significantly impaired GLS (p = 0.042) compared to MHO.Corica et al. Cardiovascular Sonographic Markers in Childhood ObesityConclusions: Severity of overweight, abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and MUO phenotype negatively affect cardiovascular remodeling and subclinical myocardial dysfunction in OW and OB children. MUO phenotype is likely to increase the risk of developing cardiometabolic complications since the pediatric age. Distinction between MHO and MUO phenotypes might be useful in planning a personalized follow-up approach in obese children.

Early detection of anticancer drug-induced cardiotoxicity (CTX) has been evaluated by most international scientific cardiology and oncology societies. High expectations have been placed on the use of specific biomarkers. In recent years, conventional biomarkers and molecules of more recent interest have been tested and compared in the context of anticancer drug-related CTX. Encouraging results were obtained from studies on molecules of myocardial damage, such as troponin and markers of myocardial wall stress, including circulating natriuretic peptides, as well as from the assessment of the products of inflammation or circulating levels of free radicals. However, clear guidelines on their sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy are not yet available, and many challenges, such as the optimal time of assessing, optimal schedule for evaluation, optimal cut-off point for positivity with the highest level of specificity, and optimal comparability of different assays for the measurements, remain unresolved. Given the importance of having a reliable and accurate tool for monitoring anticancer drug-induced CTX, this review will focus on the available data on the most effective and widely used biomarkers and the studies that are currently underway that aim to identify the effectiveness of new approaches in this therapeutic setting.

Coronary artery bifurcation lesions remain challenging despite significant advancements in stent technology and development of specific bifurcation stenting approaches. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is the intracoronary imaging technique with the highest resolution and can generate automatically contoured lumen areas across the variable geometry of bifurcation lesions. Knowledge of plaque severity and composition facilitates planning of the best strategy for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and stenting. In particular, the provisional stent strategy preferred in this context can be modified when there is high risk of side-branch compromise at the ostium after main vessel stenting. OCT is unique because it allows the identification of the site of guide wire crossing, an important determinant of the final result. OCT can also be used to assess the procedural success of new dedicated bifurcation stent technologies and for the evaluation at follow-up of potential predictors of stent thrombosis, including stent malapposition, stent under-expansion and stent-edge dissection. Finally, the development of 3D OCT allows a better evaluation of coronary anatomy – particularly of side branch ostium that is difficult to visualise by 2D OCT – further improving the value of this technique in guiding PCI in these patients.