A Comprehensive Review of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Applications in Pulmonary Hypertension (PH).

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a complex condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Traditional diagnostic and management approaches for PH often face limitations, leading to delays in diagnosis and potentially suboptimal treatment outcomes. Artificial intelligence (AI), encompassing machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) offers a transformative approach to PH care.

Emotions & Heart:Exploring the Impact of Negative Emotions on Cardiovascular Health.

Negative emotions can have a significant impact on individuals, which then influences their cardiovascular system. However, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical implications of this association remain inadequately defined. A narrative review of pertinent literature was conducted to examine the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and treatment related to the interplay between emotions and conditions such as takotsubo cardiomyopathy, atherosclerosis, acute plaque rupture, and cardiac arrhythmias.

Phoenix Comprehensive Assessment of Pectus Excavatum Symptoms (PCAPES).

Background: Pectus excavatum (PE) can cause cardiopulmonary compression with a wide range of symptoms and psychosocial effects. Few validated surveys assess the extensive symptomatology of the adult pectus population. A comprehensive symptom survey was developed and validated with outcomes presented.

Immunohistochemical Expression of PAX8 in Central Nervous System Hemangioblastomas: A Potential Diagnostic Pitfall for Neuropathologists.

The histologic differential diagnosis between intracranial hemangioblastoma (HB) and metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma may be challenging, especially considering that both tumors exhibit clear cell morphology and can be associated with vHL mutation and/or Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome. As the execution of immunohistochemical analyses is often mandatory, the expression of PAX8 has been traditionally considered a reliable marker of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma, being consistently negative in intracranial HB. However, as in recent years, some cases of PAX8-positive HBs have been reported in the literature; we studied the expression of this antibody on a series of 23 intracranial HB, showing that about 40% of these tumors may express PAX8 and that this immunoreactivity is often focal and weak.

Reevaluating Normal-Flow Low-Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis: Clinical Phenotypes and Outcomes in Severe Aortic Stenosis Among TAVR Patients.

Background: Aortic stenosis (AS) is a complex condition with various hemodynamic subtypes, each with distinct clinical profiles and outcomes. This study aimed to assess the characteristics and outcomes of different AS phenotypes based on flow and gradient patterns.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included 930 patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe symptomatic AS at Mayo Clinic sites from 2012-2017.

Amyloidosis and Heart Transplantation in a New Era.

Background: The prognosis in patients with advanced cardiac amyloidosis (CA) remains poor.

Objectives: We sought to describe survival post heart transplantation (HT) in amyloid compared with non-amyloid recipients, highlight waitlist times within the new allocation system across three Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) regions, and describe multiorgan transplantation (MOT) in hereditary amyloidosis.

Methods: This is a retrospective review of end-stage CA patients who underwent HT at Mayo Clinic from January 2007 to December 2020.

Controlled low-density lipoprotein cholesterol attenuates cardiovascular risk mediated by elevated lipoprotein(a) after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is an independent, causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, it is still unclear whether controlling low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to optimal levels can attenuate cardiovascular risk mediated by elevated Lp(a), especially in the setting of secondary prevention.

Methods: Adult patients with a baseline Lp(a) measurement who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and reached their LDL-C target levels (<70 mg/dl) at Mayo Clinic sites between 2006 and 2017 were included.

Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Degeneration After TAVR and SAVR: Incidence, Diagnosis, Predictors, and Management.

Bioprosthetic aortic valve degeneration (BAVD) is a significant clinical concern following both transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). The increasing use of bioprosthetic valves in aortic valve replacement in younger patients and the subsequent rise in cases of BAVD are acknowledged in this review which aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the incidence, diagnosis, predictors, and management of BAVD. Based on a thorough review of the existing literature, this article provides an updated overview of the biological mechanisms underlying valve degeneration, including calcification, structural deterioration, and inflammatory processes and addresses the various risk factors contributing to BAVD, such as patient demographics, comorbidities, and procedural variables.

Surgical treatment and outcomes of pectus arcuatum.

Objective: Pectus arcuatum is a rare variant of pectus deformities that can cause varying degrees of cardiac compression. A review of the evaluation, surgical repair, and outcomes of pectus arcuatum is presented.

Methods: A retrospective review of all patients undergoing surgical treatment of pectus arcuatum at a single institution was conducted between January 1, 2010, and May 31, 2024.

Black Widow Spider Envenomation and Cardiovascular Complications.

Envenomation (latrodectism) with black widow spider (BWS) venom can cause dysfunction in the cardiovascular system. The pathophysiology and consequences of cardiovascular effects have not been fully elucidated. This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

The Complexity of Familial Inheritance in Pectus Excavatum: A Ten-Family Exome Sequencing Analysis.

: Pectus excavatum (PEx) is considered, at least partially, a familial disorder. A variety of inheritance patterns, associations with genetic syndromes, and pathogenic variants have been reported. However, the etiology of this condition is still not completely understood, and no known genes have been identified as definitive contributors.

Left Atrial Strain: State of the Art and Clinical Implications.

The assessment of left atrial strain (LAS) has emerged as an essential component in the evaluation of cardiac function, especially in pathologies such as heart failure and atrial fibrillation. This narrative review aims to outline the available methods for assessing LAS with a major emphasis on speckle-tracking echocardiography techniques. Other imaging modalities, including cardiac magnetic resonance and cardiac computed tomography, also provide important information on LA dynamics but have disadvantages with respect to cost and availability.

Impact of moderate or severe mitral and tricuspid valves regurgitation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Background: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and mitral regurgitation (MR) are common valvular conditions encountered in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). This retrospective study investigates the impact of moderate or severe TR and MR on all-cause mortality in 1-year post-TAVR patients.

Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent TAVR at the 3 academic tertiary care centers in our health system between 2012 and 2018 were identified.

The Design of Novel 3D-Printed, Moulded, and Oral Viscous Budesonide Formulations for Paediatrics: A Comparative Evaluation of Their Mucoadhesive Properties.

Background/objectives: Paediatric eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) treatment is challenging due to the limited number of age-appropriate formulations. This study aims to develop and evaluate oral viscous suspensions and solid formulations of budesonide (BUD), focusing on their in vitro mucoadhesive properties, to enhance drug delivery and therapeutic outcomes in paediatric EoE.

Methods: This study encompasses the development of oral viscous suspensions and orodispersible solid formulations (moulded tablets and 3D-printed dosage forms) containing BUD.

Lipoprotein (a) as a Cardiovascular Risk Factor in Controversial Clinical Scenarios: A Narrative Review.

Lipoprotein (a) is a complex lipid molecule that has sparked immense interest in recent years, after studies demonstrated its significant association with several cardiovascular conditions. Lp(a) promotes cardiovascular disease through its combined proatherogenic, pro-inflammatory, and prothrombotic effects. While the measurement of Lp(a) has become widely available, effective methods to reduce its concentration are currently limited.

H3K27me3 Loss in Central Nervous System Tumors: Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Implications.

Central nervous system (CNS) tumors represent a formidable clinical challenge due to their molecular complexity and varied prognostic outcomes. This review delves into the pivotal role of the epigenetic marker H3K27me3 in the development and treatment of CNS tumors. H3K27me3, specifically the trimethylation of lysine 27 on the histone H3 protein, plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression and maintaining chromatin architecture (e.

Intra-individual Variability in Lipoprotein(a) Levels: Findings from a Large Academic Health System Population.

Aims: Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels are known to be mainly genetically determined. However, only scarce data are available on the intra-individual variability of Lp(a) levels across time.

Methods: We included adult patients (≥18 years old) who had baseline and follow-up Lp(a) measurements (between 1997 and 2024) with a minimum of one year apart.

The Role of Cardiovascular Imaging in the Diagnosis of Athlete's Heart: Navigating the Shades of Grey.

Athlete's heart (AH) represents the heart's remarkable ability to adapt structurally and functionally to prolonged and intensive athletic training. Characterized by increased left ventricular (LV) wall thickness, enlarged cardiac chambers, and augmented cardiac mass, AH typically maintains or enhances systolic and diastolic functions. Despite the positive health implications, these adaptations can obscure the difference between benign physiological changes and early manifestations of cardiac pathologies such as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM).

Cardiac decompression and right ventricular function improvement after bar removal in patients with pectus excavatum.

Pectus excavatum, the most frequent malformation of the chest wall, has been related to cardiac compression and exercise intolerance. Cardiac outcomes after minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum with retrosternal implants, particularly after removal (> 2 years postoperative) are generally unknown. We evaluated stress echocardiography outcomes before repair and after bar removal.