Exercise physiology of the left atrium: quantity and timing of contribution to cardiac output.

Although the phases of left atrial (LA) function at rest have been studied, the physiological response of the LA to exercise is undefined. This study defines the exercise behavior of the normal left atrium by quantitating its volumetric response to graded effort. Healthy subjects ( = 131) were enrolled from the Health eHeart cohort.

Left atrial mass: relationship between gross anatomy and quantitative echocardiography.

Background: Left atrial (LA) enlargement is associated with increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Unlike the left ventricular mass, LA mass has not been described. We sought to define the anatomic mass of the LA using anatomic specimens from autopsy.

Electrophysiological and Contractile Effects of Disopyramide in Patients With Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Translational Study.

Disopyramide is effective and safe in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. However, its cellular and molecular mechanisms of action are unknown. We tested disopyramide in cardiomyocytes from the septum of surgical myectomy patients: disopyramide inhibits multiple ion channels, leading to lower Ca transients and force, and shortens action potentials, thus reducing cellular arrhythmias.

Comparison of Dietary Patterns, Perceptions of Health, and Perceived Barriers to a Heart Healthy Diet Before and After Coronary Artery Angiography.

Poor dietary patterns are associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to determine whether reported dietary patterns change after undergoing invasive coronary angiography. Participants without a history of coronary revascularization were prospectively enrolled before undergoing coronary angiography at a tertiary center between February 2015 and February 2017.

Association between diet quality and measures of body adiposity using the Rate Your Plate survey in patients presenting for coronary angiography.

Background: Diet is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease; however, dietary patterns are historically difficult to capture in the clinical setting. Healthcare providers need assessment tools that can quickly summarize dietary patterns. Research should evaluate the effectiveness of these tools, such as Rate Your Plate (RYP), in the clinical setting.

The recent national lipid association recommendations: how do they compare to other established dyslipidemia guidelines?

The National Lipid Association (NLA) recently released recommendations for the treatment of dyslipidemias. These recommendations have commonalities and differences with those of other major societies with respect to risk assessment, lifestyle therapy, targets of therapy, and the use of non-statin agents. In this review, we compare the basic elements of the guidelines from each major society to provide clinicians with a comprehensive document reviewing the key principles of each.

Cardiovascular disease knowledge and weight perception among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women.

Background: While knowledge of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has improved, it remains low among minority women, thereby contributing to disparities and posing health challenges. Moreover, substantial numbers of women do not recognize that excess weight imposes CVD risk and increases morbidity and decreases survival. In order to test the hypothesis that CVD knowledge is reduced among overweight and obese women, CVD knowledge and weight perception was compared among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white (NHW) women.

Gender differences in clinical outcomes among diabetic patients hospitalized for cardiovascular disease.

Background: The risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been shown to be greater among diabetic women than men, but gender differences in clinical outcomes among diabetic patients hospitalized with CVD are not established. We aimed to determine if hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was associated with 30-day and 1-year CVD rehospitalization and total mortality among diabetic patients hospitalized for CVD, overall and by gender.

Methods: This was a prospective analysis of diabetic patients hospitalized for CVD, enrolled in an National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute-sponsored observational clinical outcomes study (N = 902, 39% female, 53% racial/ethnic minority, mean age 67 ± 12 years).

Women at risk for cardiovascular disease lack knowledge of heart attack symptoms.

Background: It is not known whether cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk level is related to knowledge of the leading cause of death of women or heart attack symptoms.

Hypothesis: Women with higher CVD risk estimated by Framingham Risk Score (FRS) or metabolic syndrome (MS) have lower CVD knowledge.

Methods: Women visiting primary care clinics completed a standardized behavioral risk questionnaire.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder reduces automatic attention in young adults.

Previous ERP studies have provided mixed information about ADHD, especially in adults and when conscious attention to stimuli is not required. We used the auditory N1 to assess automatic attention in adults with and without ADHD. While participants watched a silent video, trains of 5 tones (400-ms onset-to-onset time) were presented with intertrain intervals (ITIs) of 1 or 5 s.

The Sensory Gating Inventory as a potential diagnostic tool for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Diagnoses of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often made rapidly in physicians' offices without thorough assessment. We examined whether adults diagnosed with ADHD would score differently from controls on a modified Sensory Gating Inventory (SGI: Hetrick et al. in Schizophr Bull 38:178-191, 2012; Kisley et al.

Relationship between cardiovascular disease knowledge and race/ethnicity, education, and weight status.

Background: Inadequate cardiovascular disease (CVD) knowledge has been cited to account for the imperfect decline in CVD among women over the last 2 decades.

Hypothesis: Due to concerns that at-risk women might not know the leading cause of death or symptoms of a heart attack, our goal was to assess the relationship between CVD knowledge race/ethnicity, education, and body mass index (BMI).

Methods: Using a structured questionnaire, CVD knowledge, socio-demographics, risk factors, and BMI were evaluated in 681 women.