Publications by authors named "Kurt Daniel"

Article Synopsis
  • Diagnosing cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is challenging because its symptoms and echocardiographic results can be similar to other conditions, like end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
  • A study compared echocardiographic strain patterns between ESRD patients without CA and CA patients to see if apical sparing strain patterns could reliably indicate CA.
  • The findings revealed no significant differences in strain patterns, with a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of only 42%, suggesting that apical-sparing strain isn't a unique indicator of CA in ESRD patients, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive diagnostic approach.
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• Watchman device buckling is a previously undescribed deployment complication. • Both 2D and 3D TEE assist in detection of buckling during and after the procedure. • Challenging LAA anatomy may play a significant role in buckling risk.

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Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. Beyond traditional CVD risk factors, novel measures reflecting additional aspects of disease pathophysiology, such as biventricular volume (BiVV), may be useful for risk stratification. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between BiVV and risk for mortality in European Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus from the Diabetes Heart Study (DHS).

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Background: Muscadine grape seeds have high concentrations of polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant and other properties that would be expected to have favorable effects on endothelial function.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of muscadine grape seed supplementation on endothelial function and cardiovascular risk factors in subjects with increased cardiovascular risk.

Design: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial, 50 adults with coronary disease or ≥1 cardiac risk factor received muscadine grape seed supplementation (1300 mg daily) and placebo for 4 weeks each, with a 4-week washout.

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Optimal therapy for diastolic heart failure (DHF), the most common form of heart failure in older persons, is unclear. To determine the effect of aldosterone antagonism in DHF, the authors conducted an open-label preliminary trial of spironolactone 25 mg/d in 11 women with DHF. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing, Doppler echocardiography, and a quality-of-life survey were administered at baseline and after 4 months.

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Background: Kidney failure (stage 5 chronic kidney disease [CKD]) is an independent risk factor for stent thrombosis (ST). Moderate (stage 3-4) CKD and proteinuria are both associated with adverse cardiovascular events, including worse outcomes after myocardial infarction (MI). Whether moderate CKD and proteinuria increase the risk of ST after MI is not known.

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Objective: Left ventricular (LV) mass is a useful independent predictor of cardiovascular events. We sought to develop a new correlate of LV mass using noncontrast-enhanced cardiac computed tomography (NCE-CCT).

Methods: We assessed 22 different ventricular measurements made with NCE-CCT in 60 participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

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Background: Genetic variants in myocardial sodium and potassium channel genes are associated with prolonged QT interval and increased risk of sudden death. It is unclear whether these genetic variants remain relevant in subjects with underlying conditions such as diabetes that are associated with prolonged QT interval.

Methods: We tested single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in five candidate genes for association with QT interval in a family-based study of subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

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Objectives: To explore mechanisms whereby hepatic steatosis may be associated with cardiovascular risk, we investigated cross-sectional relationships between hepatic steatosis, regional fat accumulation, inflammatory biomarkers, and subclinical measures of atherosclerosis in the Diabetes Heart Study.

Methods: The Diabetes Heart Study is a family study of sibling pairs concordant for type 2 diabetes. A subset of 623 randomly selected participants was evaluated for hepatic steatosis, defined as a liver:spleen attenuation ratio of <1.

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Human tissue transglutaminase (TGM2) is a calcium-dependent crosslinking enzyme involved in the posttranslational modification of intra- and extracellular proteins and implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases. To find specific inhibitors to TGM2, two structurally diverse chemical libraries (LOPAC and Prestwick) were screened. We found that ZM39923, a Janus kinase inhibitor, and its metabolite ZM449829 were the most potent inhibitors with IC(50) of 10 and 5 nM, respectively.

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Background: The mechanisms underlying the associations between QT interval duration and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remain unclear. It has been assumed that these associations are driven by abnormal myocardial repolarization. We examined the relationship between coronary artery disease, measured by coronary artery calcified plaque (CAC), and the duration of QRS, JT, and QT intervals, among predominantly type two diabetic participants.

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Objectives: Prolongation of the electrocardiographic QT interval is a risk factor for sudden cardiac death (SCD). Diabetic individuals are at increased risk for prolonged QT interval and SCD. We sought to replicate the finding that genetic variants in the nitric oxide synthase 1 adaptor protein (NOS1AP) gene are associated with QT interval duration in a type 2 diabetes-enriched sample of European ancestry.

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Most elderly patients, particularly women, who have heart failure have a normal ejection fraction. Patients who have this syndrome have severe symptoms of exercise intolerance, frequent hospitalizations, and increased mortality. The pathophysiology and treatment are not well defined.

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Most elderly patients, particularly women, who have heart failure have a normal ejection fraction. Patients who have this syndrome have severe symptoms of exercise intolerance, frequent hospitalizations, and increased mortality. The pathophysiology and treatment are not well defined.

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