Transcatheter Extraction of a Migrated Left Atrial Appendage Occluder Device.

A 69-year-old man presented at 10 weeks postimplantation with a 31-mm Watchman FLX migrating into the left atrium. Due to incomplete left atrial appendage seal and embolization risk, transcatheter device extraction was performed without complications. Herein we describe the technique and procedural steps, using cardiac computed tomography and benchtop models to guide practice.

Evaluation of responses to cardiac imaging questions by the artificial intelligence large language model ChatGPT.

Purpose: To assess ChatGPT's ability as a resource for educating patients on various aspects of cardiac imaging, including diagnosis, imaging modalities, indications, interpretation of radiology reports, and management.

Methods: 30 questions were posed to ChatGPT-3.5 and ChatGPT-4 three times in three separate chat sessions.

Association of PD-L1 expression with driver gene mutations and clinicopathological characteristics in non-small cell lung cancer: A real-world study of 10 441 patients.

Background: Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression is a well-known predictive biomarker of response to immune checkpoint blockade in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, there is limited evidence of the relationship between PD-L1 expression, clinicopathological features, and their association with major driver mutations in NSCLC patients in Latin America.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients from Argentina with advanced NSCLC, and centralized evaluation of PD-L1 expression concurrently with genomic alterations in the driver genes EGFR, ALK, ROS1, BRAF, and/or KRAS G12C in FFPE tissue samples.

The Efficacy of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Meta-Analysis.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is highly prevalent in early childhood and has long-term negative effects when left untreated. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an early intervention for children aged 2- to-7-years that has extensive evidence for treating child externalizing problems by teaching parents effective strategies to manage child behavior. However, the effect of PCIT for families with children diagnosed with ADHD is not completely understood.

Tricuspid Valve Transcatheter Edge-To-Edge Repair Guidance with Transesophageal Echocardiography and Intracardiac Echocardiography.

As transcatheter tricuspid interventions have emerged, especially edge-to-edge repair, imaging has shown to be key in optimizing transcatheter outcomes. Given the location of the tricuspid valve relative to the esophagus, transesophageal echocardiography has proven difficult and utilization of three-dimensional (3D) multiplanar reconstruction has become essential. Three-dimensional intracardiac echocardiography is a useful imaging adjunct for tricuspid edge-to-edge repair.

Advancing the Management of Long COVID by Integrating into Health Informatics Domain: Current and Future Perspectives.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected millions of lives globally, with some individuals experiencing persistent symptoms even after recovering. Understanding and managing the long-term sequelae of COVID-19 is crucial for research, prevention, and control. To effectively monitor the health of those affected, maintaining up-to-date health records is essential, and digital health informatics apps for surveillance play a pivotal role.

A 49-Year-Old Woman With Exertional Dyspnea and Dizziness.

A 49-year-old woman with a history of right breast cancer status post radiation therapy presented to our ED with increasing chest pain, exertional dyspnea, fatigue, and dizziness for several weeks. She denied syncope or near-syncope, and she had no personal or family history of cardiac disease. Her outpatient medications included tamoxifen and venlafaxine.

The Dissemination of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy in West Virginia during the Opioid Epidemic and COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

The devastating impact of the opioid crisis on children and families in West Virginia was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and brought to light the critical need for greater mental health services and providers in the state. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based treatment for child externalizing symptoms that teaches parents positive and appropriate strategies to manage child behaviors. The current qualitative study details barriers and facilitators to disseminating and implementing PCIT with opioid-impacted families across West Virginia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Iatrogenic Atrial Septal Defect Closure Through the Steerable Guide Catheter: Description of Technique and Single-Center Experience.

Objectives: To introduce a novel method of direct iatrogenic atrial septal defect (iASD) closure through the MitraClip steerable guide catheter (SGC).

Background: MitraClip implantation requires transseptal puncture and the creation of an iASD. There are relatively rare instances, such as hemodynamically significant shunting or concerns for embolus, where iASD must be closed during index procedure.

Nonbacterial Thrombotic Endocarditis: Presentation, Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Management.

Initially described in 1936, non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is a rare entity involving sterile vegetations on cardiac valves. These vegetations are usually small and friable, typically associated with hypercoagulable states of malignancy and inflammatory diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus. Diagnosis remains challenging and is commonly made post-mortem although standard clinical methods such as echocardiography (transthoracic and transesophageal) and magnetic resonance imaging may yield the clinical diagnosis.

The Yin-Yang Sign of Severe Mitral Regurgitation.

In select patients with severe, eccentric mitral regurgitation, we have observed that the regurgitant jet may entrain blood along the left atrial wall to produce a Chinese yin-yang symbol on color Doppler. This clinical imaging series demonstrates this unique phenomenon in an 81-year-old woman with symptomatic, severe, functional mitral regurgitation secondary to non-ischemic cardiomyopathy who was referred for transcatheter mitral valve repair. The yin-yang symbol resolved on transthoracic echocardiography after placement of 2 MitraClip NTR devices.

MitraClip Implantation Guided by Volumetric Intracardiac Echocardiography: Technique and Feasibility in Patients Intolerant to Transesophageal Echocardiography.

Transesophageal echo (TEE) guidance is essential for successful MitraClip implantation. In patients intolerant to TEE, options are limited. Three patients, with contraindications to TEE, underwent MitraClip implantation using volumetric intracardiac echo (vICE).

A case report of an infiltrative cardiomyopathy in everyday practice: a specific cause that cannot be missed in the elderly.

Background: Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is a commonly misdiagnosed cardiac condition due to low disease awareness and perceived rarity, which frequently results in incorrect management and poor outcomes. Early and prompt diagnosis has become critical with emerging therapies that improve patient survival.

Case Summary: A 68-year-old woman presented to a tertiary care centre with acute decompensated heart failure following recurrent hospitalizations for the same issue over the past several months.

Adjunctive use of fluoroscopy during MitraClip implantation reduces procedural complexity: The parallax technique.

Background: During MitraClip implantation sub-valvular correction of trajectory and/or alignment may increase adverse clip or leaflet events. With systematic adjunctive use of fluoroscopy ("Parallax technique"), we aimed to assess parameters that minimize the need for corrective measures and help increase procedural efficiency.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 30 patients without (Fl-) and 39 patients utilizing adjunctive fluoroscopy (Fl+) during MitraClip implantation.

Recommendations for detection, prioritization, and treatment of thoracic oncology patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: the THOCOoP cooperative group.

The world currently faces a pandemic due to SARS-CoV-2. Relevant information has emerged regarding the higher risk of poor outcomes in lung cancer patients. As such, lung cancer patients must be prioritized in terms of prevention, detection and treatment.

Spatial and temporal distribution of foot and mouth disease outbreaks in Amhara region of Ethiopia in the period 1999 to 2016.

Background: Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an economically important trans-boundary viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals. It is caused by FMD virus, which belongs to the genus Aphthovirus and family Picornaviridae. FMD is a well-established endemic disease in Ethiopia since it was first detected in 1957.

Efficacy and Safety of Nivolumab in Previously Treated Patients With Non-Small-cell Lung Cancer: Real World Experience in Argentina.

Background: Nivolumab was the first anti-programmed cell death 1 drug approved in Argentina for non-small-cell lung cancer treatment in the second-line setting.

Materials And Methods: The present study was a multicenter, observational, retrospective study of patients with progression to stage IV NSCLC during platinum-based chemotherapy who had received nivolumab monotherapy in a drug-expanded access program in Argentina.

Results: The data from 109 patients were assessed retrospectively for safety and clinical outcomes.

Echocardiographic guidance for transcatheter mitral valve repair using edge-to-edge clip.

Percutaneous intervention for mitral valve disease has been established as an alternative to open surgical repair in high risk and inoperable candidates. Edge-to-edge leaflet plication with Mitraclip (Abbott, Menlo Park, CA, USA) is indicated for primary and secondary mitral valve diseases. Echocardiography provides a better understanding of mitral valve anatomy and allows us to classify and quantify mitral regurgitation.

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A previously healthy 21-year old man presented to the emergency department with sudden onset central chest pain exacerbated by breathing. A plain chest X-ray showed air within the mediastinum and pericardium confirmed by a CT scan with contrast. The patient history did not raise suspicion of any concomitant disease and the diagnosis of spontaneous pneumomediastinum with pneumopericardium was made.

Quantitative measurement of delivery and gene silencing activities of siRNA polyplexes containing pyridylthiourea-grafted polyethylenimines.

The activity of synthetic interfering nucleic acids (siRNAs) relies on the capacity of delivery systems to efficiently transport nucleic acids into the cytosol of target cells. The pyridylthiourea-grafted 25KDa polyethylenimine (πPEI) is an excellent carrier for siRNA delivery into cells and it was extensively investigated in this report. Quantification of the siRNA-mediated gene silencing efficiency indicated that the πPEI specific delivery activity at the cell level may be measured and appears relatively constant in various cell lines.