Thrombus straddling a patent foramen ovale.

We present a case of a 67-year-old male with pulmonary embolism. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) showed the presence of a mobile thrombus straddling the patent foramen ovale (PFO) and prolapsing into both atria. Treatment with heparin was started.

Correlation dynamics during a slow interaction quench in a one-dimensional Bose gas.

We investigate the response of a one-dimensional Bose gas to a slow increase of its interaction strength. We focus on the rich dynamics of equal-time single-particle correlations treating the Lieb-Liniger model within a bosonization approach and the Bose-Hubbard model using the time-dependent density-matrix renormalization group method. For short distances, correlations follow a power law with distance with an exponent given by the adiabatic approximation.

Echocardiographic correlates of acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock, and in-hospital mortality in tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine clinical and echocardiographic correlates of acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock and in-hospital mortality in a large cohort of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) patients.

Background: Despite good long-term prognosis, life-threatening complications due to hemodynamic instability can occur early in TTC patients.

Methods: The study population consisted of 227 patients (66.

Cooper pairs spintronics in triplet spin valves.

We study a spin valve with a triplet superconductor spacer intercalated between two ferromagnets with noncollinear magnetizations. We show that the magnetoresistance of the triplet spin valve depends on the relative orientations of the d vector, characterizing the superconducting order parameter, and the magnetization directions of the ferromagnetic layers. For devices characterized by a long superconductor, the effects of a polarized current sustained by Cooper pairs only are observed.

Echocardiography of the pulmonary circulation and right ventricular function: exploring the physiologic spectrum in 1,480 normal subjects.

Background: Although transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is an excellent noninvasive screening test for pulmonary hypertension, the physiologic range of Doppler echocardiography-derived pulmonary pressures remains not completely investigated. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to explore the full spectrum of pulmonary pressures and right ventricular (RV) functional indexes by TTE in healthy subjects and to investigate clinical and echocardiographic correlates.

Methods: A random sample of 1,480 healthy individuals (mean age, 36.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: an integrated multi-imaging approach.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is a distinct clinical entity characterized by the presence of transient left ventricular wall dysfunction without significant culprit obstructive coronary artery disease. Invasive coronary angiography and ventriculography are the 'gold standard' for definitive diagnosis, with an integrated multi-modality imaging approach offering advantages in various clinical scenarios. Echocardiography is a widely available, first-line, non-invasive imaging technique appropriate both in emergency setting to confirm diagnosis, assess for various potential acute complications, and in serial follow-up to track myocardial recovery.

Giant Candida mycetoma in an ascending aorta tubular graft.

We report the case of a 46-year-old male hospitalized for abdominal pain and fever with history of a David procedure followed by an aortic valve replacement due to severe aortic regurgitation. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and computed tomography showed a large mass floating in the aorta. After surgical excision of the vegetation, attached to the Dacron prosthesis, histological examination revealed Candida hyphae and spores confirming the diagnosis of a mycetoma in an ascending aorta tubular graft.

Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease: a possible association.

Background: In the medical literature, several cases of Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) with coronary artery disease (CAD) have been reported, and in clinical practice, several typical TTC cases show relevant stenoses of the coronary arteries spatially unrelated to the dysfunctional myocardium.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and outcome of patients with TTC and relevant CAD in a large multicenter database.

Methods: In 26 centers, 450 patients admitted with a diagnosis of TTC underwent coronary angiography within 48 h of hospital admission and were included prospectively in the Tako-tsubo Italian Network Registry.

Anterior mitral valve aneurysm perforation in a patient with preexisting aortic regurgitation.

We report the case of a 71-year-old man hospitalized for acute heart failure. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography showed mitral valve aneurysm (MVA) rupture and severe mitral regurgitation. No vegetations but significant aortic regurgitation were also observed.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: overview.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is a unique acute syndrome characterized by transient left ventricular systolic dysfunction in the absence of significant coronary artery disease, occurring mostly in postmenopausal women after emotional and/or physical stress. Given the nonspecific symptoms and signs, a high clinical index of suspicion is necessary to detect the disease in different clinical settings and scenarios. Noninvasive multimodality imaging may be useful to distinguish this cardiomyopathy from other acute cardiac and thoracic diseases.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: do the genetics matter?

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is an enigmatic disease with a multifactorial and still unresolved pathogenesis. Recent experimental and clinical observation has suggested a role for genetics in the pathogenesis of TTC. Ethnic as well as seasonal variation in the prevalence of TTC is well described, but it is only recently that familial cases of TTC have been reported.

Role of echocardiography in takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is characterized by transient and reversible left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction due to extended myocardial stunning. Despite a good long term prognosis, approximately one-third of patients with TTC experience life-threatening complications during the acute phase. Echocardiography is the first imaging modality for an early evaluation of LV systolic and diastolic function in patients with TTC.

Is Tako-tsubo syndrome in the postpartum period a clinical entity different from peripartum cardiomyopathy?

Aims: To conduct a systematic review of case reports about Tako-tsubo syndrome (TTS) after delivery in order to assess whether TTS in the postpartum period is a peculiar entity or only a variant form of peripartum cardiomyopathy.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature search on the occurrence of TTS after Cesarean section or spontaneous delivery using the scientific literature databases Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane library. We selected 14 case reports in English.

Kocuria kristinae endocarditis related to diabetic foot infection.

We report an unusual case of endocarditis occurring in a 74-year-old man with a history of systemic hypertension, diabetes mellitus and minor amputation for left forefoot ulcer. The patient was hospitalized for vacuum-assisted closure therapy to aid in wound healing. After the first treatment session, the patient reported abdominal pain with haematemesis and fever (40 °C).

Echocardiography in pulmonary arterial hypertension: from diagnosis to prognosis.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is most often diagnosed in its advanced stages because of the nonspecific nature of early symptoms and signs. Although clinical assessment is essential when evaluating patients with suspected pulmonary arterial hypertension, echocardiography is a key screening tool in the diagnostic algorithm. It provides an estimate of pulmonary artery pressure, either at rest or during exercise, and is useful in ruling out secondary causes of pulmonary hypertension.

The T.O.S.CA. Project: research, education and care.

Despite recent and exponential improvements in diagnostic-therapeutic pathways, an existing "GAP" has been revealed between the "real world care" and the "optimal care" of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). We present the T.O.

Analysis of beta1 and beta2-adrenergic receptors polymorphism in patients with apical ballooning cardiomyopathy.

Objective: The aim of our study was to analyse the frequency of beta1 and/or beta2 adrenergic receptor polymorphisms in patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC).

Methods And Results: beta1 and/or beta2 adrenergic receptor polymorphisms in 61 patients with TTC were compared with 109 controls. The beta1 adrenoreceptor (amino acid position 389) genotype frequencies were significantly different in the two groups; assuming a recessive model for the allelic variant coding for Arg on this position, the odds ratio was 3.

Aortic stiffness and distensibility in top-level athletes.

Background: Although cardiac adaptation to different sports has been extensively described, the potential relationship of training with aortic root (AR) elastic properties and diameters in top-level athletes remains not fully investigated. The aims of this study were to compare AR morphology and stiffness between highly trained athletes and sedentary subjects and to assess the independent determinants of AR stiffness and distensibility in athletes.

Methods: Four hundred ten elite athletes (220 endurance-trained athletes [ATE] and 190 strength-trained athletes [ATS]; 290 men; mean age, 28.