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. Treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism reverses ischemia and prevents myocyte loss and progressive LV dysfunction in hamsters with dilated cardiomyopathy. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 289: H2409 -H2415, 2005. First published July 15, 2005; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00483.2005.-Growing evidence suggests that thyroid dysfunction may contribute to progression of cardiac disease to heart failure. We investigated the effects of a therapeutic dose of thyroid hormones (TH) on cardiomyopathic (CM) hamsters from 4 to 6 mo of age. CM hamsters had subclinical hypothyroidism (normal thyroxine, elevated TSH). Left ventricular (LV) function was determined by echocardiography and hemodynamics. Whole tissue pathology and isolated myocyte size and number were assessed. TH treatment prevented the decline in heart rate and rate of LV pressure increase and improved LV ejection fraction. The percentage of fibrosis/necrosis in untreated 4-mo-old CM (4CM; 15.5 Ϯ 2.2%) and 6-mo-old CM (6CM; 21.5 Ϯ 2.4%) hamsters was pronounced and was reversed in treated CM (TCM; 11.9 Ϯ 0.9%) hamsters. Total ventricular myocyte number was the same between 4-and 6-mo-old controls but was reduced by 30% in 4CM and 43% in 6CM hamsters. TH treatment completely prevented further loss of myocytes in TCM hamsters. Compared with agematched controls, resting and maximum coronary blood flow was impaired in 4CM and 6CM hamsters. Blood flow was completely normalized by TH treatment. We conclude that TH treatment of CM hamsters with subclinical hypothyroidism normalized impaired coronary blood flow, which prevented the decline in LV function and loss of myocytes. thyroid hormones; remodeling; fibrosis; blood flow THE EFFECTS OF THYROID HORMONES (TH) on the cardiovascular system have been well studied. It is clear that both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can lead to deleterious changes in cardiovascular function. Decreased TH levels have been reported in a variety of nonthyroidal illnesses (18), including congestive heart failure (12) and myocardial infarction (6). The decrease in TH levels also appears to be related to the severity of heart failure (12). This is not a minor point, because low 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T 3 ) concentrations are a strong, independent predictive marker of poor prognosis in cardiac patients and might represent a determining factor directly implicated in the evolution and prognosis of these conditions (14). Growing evidence also suggests that subclinical thyroid dysfunction might play an important role in heart failure (10, 21). This is highly relevant from a clinical standpoint because this patient group does not typically receive TH treatment.Development of heart failure is accompanied by a variety of neuroendocrine changes. Cardiac failure was shown to be associated with both a decline in circulating TH levels (11,17) and altered cardiac TH signaling, as evidenced by changes in myocardial expression of TH nuclear receptor isoforms (15,16). The observation that short-term TH administration improves cardiac performance, both in anim...

We detected a significant difference between HFrEF and HFmrEF regarding all-cause death, and non-cardiac death, while HFpEF differed significantly from HFmrEF regarding cardiac death.

HIV/AIDS (Human immunodeficiency virus/ Acquired immuno deficiency syndrome) is a growing global problem, in terms of its incidence and mortality. Patients with HIV/AIDS are living much longer with HAART (Highly active antiretroviral therapy) therapy so much so that HIV/AIDS has now become a part of the chronic disease burden, like hypertension and diabetes. Patients with HIV/AIDS and symptoms suggestive of cardiac disease represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in clinical practice; Cardiologists are more frequently encountering this problem. An algorithmic, anatomic approach to diagnosis, localizing disease to the endocardium, myocardium and pericardium can be useful. An intimate knowledge of opportunistic infections affecting the heart, effects of HAART therapy and therapy for opportunistic infections on the heart is needed to be able to formulate a differential diagnosis. Effects of HAART therapy, especially protease inhibitors on lipid and glucose metabolism, and their influence on progression to premature vascular disease require consideration. Treatment of cardiac disease, in HIV/AIDS patients can vary from non-HIV patients, based on drug interactions, differences in responsiveness, and other factors; and this area requires further research.

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Heart failure (HF) is one of the leading causes of hospitalization and readmissions. Our study aimed to examine racial disparities in heart failure patients including onset, mortality, length of stay (LOS), direct costs, and readmission rates. This is a secondary data analysis. We analyzed the risk-adjusted inpatient data of all patients admitted with HF to one health academic center. We compared five health outcomes among three racial groups (white, black, and Hispanic). There were 1006 adult patients making 1605 visits from 10/01/2011 to 09/30/2015. Most black patients were admitted in younger age than other racial groups which indicates the needs for more public health preventions. With risk adjustments, the racial differences in LOS and readmission rates remain. We stratified health outcomes by race/ethnic and type of HF. The findings suggest that further studies to uncover underlying causes of these disparities are necessary. Using risk-adjusted hospitalization data allows for comparisons of quality of care across three racial groups. The study suggests that more prevention and protection services are needed for African American patients with heart failure.

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