Prognostic value of left atrial mechanics in cardiac light-chain amyloidosis with preserved ejection fraction: a cohort study.

Background: Light-chain amyloidosis is a plasma cell disorder associated with poor outcomes, especially when the heart is involved. The characteristics of left atrial (LA) function and its prognostic implications in cardiac amyloidosis (CA) have not been fully investigated.

Methods: Between April 2014 and June 2019, 93 patients with a diagnosis of CA, normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and sinus rhythm were included.

Feasibility and effectiveness of prone position ventilation technique for postoperative acute lung injury in infants with congenital heart disease: study protocol for a prospective randomized study.

Background: Prone position ventilation is a widely used lung protection ventilation strategy. The strategy is more convenient to implement in children compared to adults. Due to the precise mechanism of improving oxygenation function, development of pediatric prone ventilation technology has been largely focused on children with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

The quest for diagnostic approaches of cardiac involvement in polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

Polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) are autoimmune diseases characterized by inflammation of skeletal muscle, primarily manifesting as chronic muscle weakness. Extramuscular organs can also be affected. Cardiac involvement is one of the visceral organ damages whose prevalence is underestimated and is a marker of poor prognosis leading to irreversible dysfunction or even death.

Usefulness of Myocardial Strain and Twist for Early Detection of Myocardial Dysfunction in Patients With Autoimmune Diseases.

Cardiac involvement in autoimmune diseases (AD) is common but underdiagnosed due to a lack of sensitive imaging methods. We aim to evaluate the characteristics of left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction in patients with AD using deformational parameters from 2-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE). We retrospectively enrolled 86 AD patients and 71 healthy controls.

Short-term and 1-year outcomes after MitraClip therapy in functional versus degenerative mitral regurgitation patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Differences in short-term and 1-year outcomes of percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral repair between patients with functional and degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR) remain unclear. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the safety and efficacy of MitraClip (MC) in patients with different MR etiologies.

Methods: This study systematically searched three common databases for studies on MC therapy until November 2017.

Left ventricular strain is associated with acute postoperative refractory hypotension in patients with constrictive pericarditis and preserved ejection fraction.

Background: Pericardiectomy is an effective treatment for constrictive pericarditis (CP). Early postoperative complications such as refractory hypotension and congestive heart failure occur in these patients and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that left ventricular (LV) myocardial strain measured by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) could identify early cardiac dysfunction and relate to acute postoperative adverse events in CP patients.

Synthesis of ordered macroporous polymers from colloidal silica templates.

Ordered macroporous polymers have been prepared by replication of colloidal crystals made from silica spheres 298 nm in diameter. The colloidal crystals were prepared on a clean indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate by sedimentation of a solution of a silica colloidal dispersed solution. The air between the silica spheres was filled by the monomer of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) that can be subsequently polymerized.