Relative importance of left atrial reservoir strain compared with components of the HFA-PEFF score: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The relative importance of left atrial reservoir strain (LASr) regarding the Heart Failure Association Pre-test assessment, Echocardiography and natriuretic peptide, Functional testing, Final etiology (HFA-PEFF) score, a diagnostic tool for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), remains unclear. We aimed to identify the relative importance of LASr compared with variables associated with HFpEF and HFA-PEFF scores.

Methods: Between August 2021 and July 2022, we obtained retrospective data from the participants visiting a single cardiovascular center with subjective symptoms of heart failure, such as dyspnea or chest discomfort.

Left Ventricular Global Longitudinal Strain as a Predictor for Left Ventricular Reverse Remodeling in Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Background: A considerable number of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) experience left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR). LV global longitudinal strain (LV GLS) offers sensitive and reproducible measurement of myocardial dysfunction. The authors sought to evaluate whether LV GLS at the time of diagnosis may predict LVRR in DCM patients with sinus rhythm and investigate its prognostic role in long-term follow-up in this population.

The prognostic value of 2D strain in assessment of the right ventricle in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Aims: Several studies have been reported using right ventricular (RV) strain as a method for evaluating RV function in patients with various cardiovascular diseases; however, the clinical relevance of RV strain in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients with sinus rhythm is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between RV strain and adverse events in DCM patients with sinus rhythm.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 143 DCM patients with sinus rhythm who had been first diagnosed, evaluated, and followed at Sanggye Paik Hospital between March 2013 and August 2017.

Phosphorylcholine-Based Zwitterionic Biocompatible Thermogel.

Zwitterionic polymers have been investigated as surface-coating materials due to their low protein adsorption properties, which reduce immunogenicity, biofouling, and bacterial adsorption of coated materials. Most zwitterionic polymers, reported so far, are based on (meth)acrylate polymers which can induce toxicity by residual monomers or amines produced by degradation. Here, we report a new zwitterionic polymer consisting of phosphorylcholine (PC) and biocompatible poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) as a new thermogelling material.

PEG-Poly(L-alanine) thermogel as a 3D scaffold of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were cultured in three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds formed by temperature-sensitive sol-to-gel transition of BMSC-suspended poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(L-alanine) (PEG-PA) aqueous solutions. A commercialized thermogelling 3D scaffold of Matrigel™ was used for the comparative study. The cells maintained their spherical shapes in the PEG-PA thermogel, whereas fibrous cell morphologies were observed in the Matrigel™.

Polypeptide thermogels as a three dimensional culture scaffold for hepatogenic differentiation of human tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cells (TMSCs) were investigated for hepatogenic differentiation in the 3D matrixes of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(l-alanine) (PEG-L-PA) thermogel. The diblock polymer formed β-sheet based fibrous nanoassemblies in water, and the aqueous polymer solution undergoes sol-to-gel transition as the temperature increases in a concentration range of 5.0-8.