Amygdalar activity measured using FDG-PET/CT at head and neck cancer staging independently predicts survival.

Importance: The mechanisms underlying the association between chronic stress and higher mortality among individuals with cancer remain incompletely understood.

Objective: To test the hypotheses that among individuals with active head and neck cancer, that higher stress-associated neural activity (ie. metabolic amygdalar activity [AmygA]) at cancer staging associates with survival.

Electrocardiographic features of immune checkpoint inhibitor associated myocarditis.

Background: Myocarditis is a highly morbid complication of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) use that remains inadequately characterized. The QRS duration and the QTc interval are standardized electrocardiographic measures that are prolonged in other cardiac conditions; however, there are no data on their utility in ICI myocarditis.

Methods: From an international registry, ECG parameters were compared between 140 myocarditis cases and 179 controls across multiple time points (pre-ICI, on ICI prior to myocarditis, and at the time of myocarditis).

Deep convolutional neural networks to predict cardiovascular risk from computed tomography.

Coronary artery calcium is an accurate predictor of cardiovascular events. While it is visible on all computed tomography (CT) scans of the chest, this information is not routinely quantified as it requires expertise, time, and specialized equipment. Here, we show a robust and time-efficient deep learning system to automatically quantify coronary calcium on routine cardiac-gated and non-gated CT.

Global Longitudinal Strain and Cardiac Events in Patients With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Related Myocarditis.

Background: There is a need for improved methods for detection and risk stratification of myocarditis associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a sensitive marker of cardiac toxicity among patients receiving standard chemotherapy. There are no data on the use of GLS in ICI myocarditis.

Cardiovascular Events Among Adults Treated With Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cells (CAR-T).

Background: Chimeric antigen receptors redirect T cells (CAR-T) to target cancer cells. There are limited data characterizing cardiac toxicity and cardiovascular (CV) events among adults treated with CAR-T.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possible cardiac toxicities of CAR-T.

Amino-terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Among Patients Living With Both Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Heart Failure.

Background: Among persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (PHIV), incident heart failure (HF) rates are increased and outcomes are worse; however, the role of amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations among PHIV with HF has not been characterized.

Methods: Patients were derived from a registry of those hospitalized with HF at an academic center in a calender year. We compared the NT-proBNP concentrations and the changes in NT-proBNP levels between PHIV with HF and uninfected controls with HF.

Carvedilol Among Patients With Heart Failure With a Cocaine-Use Disorder.

Objectives: This study sought to assess the safety of carvedilol therapy among heart failure (HF) patients with a cocaine-use disorder (CUD).

Background: Although carvedilol therapy is recommended among certain patients with HF, the safety and efficacy of carvedilol among HF patients with a CUD is unknown.

Methods: This was a single-center study of hospitalized patients with HF.

The Role of Contrast-Enhanced Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in the Assessment of Patients with Malignant Ventricular Arrhythmias.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has gained significant traction as an imaging modality of choice in the evaluation of individuals with, or at risk for, heart failure. Ventricular arrhythmias, often malignant, may be sequelae of heart failure and arise from fibrosis. Late gadolinium enhancement evaluation by CMR has become a preferred modality to assess individuals at risk for malignant ventricular arrhythmias.

Influenza vaccination and myocarditis among patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Background: Influenza vaccination (FV) is recommended for patients with cancer. Recent data suggested that the administration of the FV was associated with an increase in immune-related adverse events (irAEs) among patients on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Myocarditis is an uncommon but serious complication of ICIs and may also result from infection with influenza.

Pretest probability for patients with suspected obstructive coronary artery disease: re-evaluating Diamond-Forrester for the contemporary era and clinical implications: insights from the PROMISE trial.

Aims: To update pretest probabilities (PTP) for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD ≥ 50%) across age, sex, and clinical symptom strata, using coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) in a large contemporary population of patients with stable chest pain referred to non-invasive testing.

Methods And Results: We included patients enrolled in the Prospective Multicenter Imaging Study for Evaluation of Chest Pain (PROMISE) trial and randomized to CTA. Exclusively level III-certified readers, blinded to demographic and clinical data, assessed the prevalence of CAD ≥ 50% in a central core lab.

Protease Inhibitors and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With HIV and Heart Failure.

Background: Incident heart failure (HF) is increased in persons with human immunodeficiency virus (PHIV). Protease inhibitors (PIs) are associated with adverse cardiac remodeling and vascular events; however, there are no data on the use of PIs in PHIV with HF.

Objectives: This study sought to compare characteristics, cardiac structure, and outcomes in PHIV with HF who were receiving PI-based versus non-PI (NPI) therapy.

CAD-RADS - a new clinical decision support tool for coronary computed tomography angiography.

Unlabelled: Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) has been established as an accurate method to non-invasively assess coronary artery disease (CAD). The proposed 'Coronary Artery Disease Reporting and Data System' (CAD-RADS) may enable standardised reporting of the broad spectrum of coronary CTA findings related to the presence, extent and composition of coronary atherosclerosis. The CAD-RADS classification is a comprehensive tool for summarising findings on a per-patient-basis dependent on the highest-grade coronary artery lesion, ranging from CAD-RADS 0 (absence of CAD) to CAD-RADS 5 (total occlusion of a coronary artery).

Evolution of coronary computed tomography radiation dose reduction at a tertiary referral center.

Purpose: We aimed to assess the temporal change in radiation doses from coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) during a 6-year period. High CCTA radiation doses have been reduced by multiple technologies that, if used appropriately, can decrease exposures significantly.

Methods: A total of 1277 examinations performed from 2005 to 2010 were included.

A computed tomography-based coronary lesion score to predict acute coronary syndrome among patients with acute chest pain and significant coronary stenosis on coronary computed tomographic angiogram.

We tested the hypothesis that morphologic lesion assessment helps detect acute coronary syndrome (ACS) during index hospitalization in patients with acute chest pain and significant stenosis on coronary computed tomographic angiogram (CTA). Patients who presented to an emergency department with chest pain but no objective signs of myocardial ischemia (nondiagnostic electrocardiogram and negative initial biomarkers) underwent CT angiography. CTA was analyzed for degree and length of stenosis, plaque area and volume, remodeling index, CT attenuation of plaque, and spotty calcium in all patients with significant stenosis (>50% in diameter) on CTA.

Prognostic value of CT angiography for major adverse cardiac events in patients with acute chest pain from the emergency department: 2-year outcomes of the ROMICAT trial.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the 2-year prognostic value of cardiac computed tomography (CT) for predicting major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute chest pain.

Background: CT has high potential for early triage of acute chest pain patients. However, there is a paucity of data regarding the prognostic value of CT in this ED cohort.

Turner syndrome with aberrant right subclavian artery and partial anomalous pulmonary venous return.

We report the case of a 6 year old girl with Turner syndrome and aberrant right subclavian artery with an incidental finding of PAPVR on contrast-enhanced, high-pitch, 128-slice, electrocardiographic-gated dual source CT. There is value of using high-pitch DSCT in pediatric patients for diagnostic images with minimal radiation exposure.

Utility of nonspecific resting electrocardiographic features for detection of coronary artery stenosis by computed tomography in acute chest pain patients: from the ROMICAT trial.

Twelve-lead surface electrocardiography (ECG) and computed tomography (CT) are used to evaluate for myocardial ischemia and coronary artery disease (CAD), respectively. We aimed to determine features on resting ECG that predict coronary artery stenosis by cardiac CT. In 309 acute chest pain patients, we compared the initial triage resting ECG to contrast-enhanced 64-slice cardiac CT angiography.

Usefulness of comprehensive cardiothoracic computed tomography in the evaluation of acute undifferentiated chest discomfort in the emergency department (CAPTURE).

Newer cardiac computed tomographic (CT) technology has permitted comprehensive cardiothoracic evaluations for coronary artery disease, pulmonary embolism, and aortic dissection within a single breath hold, independent of the heart rate. We conducted a randomized diagnostic trial to compare the efficiency of a comprehensive cardiothoracic CT examination in the evaluation of patients presenting to the emergency department with undifferentiated acute chest discomfort or dyspnea. We randomized the emergency department patients clinically scheduled to undergo a dedicated CT protocol to assess coronary artery disease, pulmonary embolism, or aortic dissection to either the planned dedicated CT protocol or a comprehensive cardiothoracic CT protocol.