Cardiac Biomarkers in Patients with Cancer: Considerations, Clinical Implications, and Future Avenues.

Purpose Of The Review: As the number of cancer survivors increases due to early screening and modern (antineoplastic) treatments, cancer treatment associated cardiotoxicity (CTAC) is becoming an increasing health burden that affects survival and quality of life among cancer survivors. Thus, clinicians need to identify adverse events early, in an effort to take suitable measures before the occurrence of permanent or irreversible cardiac dysfunction.

Recent Findings: Cardiac troponin (cTn) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) have been proven to detect subclinical cardiotoxicity during antineoplastic treatment.

A New Approach to Robust Estimation of Parametric Structures.

Most robust estimators require tuning the parameters of the algorithm for the particular application, a bottleneck for practical applications. The paper presents the multiple input structures with robust estimator (MISRE), where each structure, inlier or outlier, is processed independently. The same two constants are used to find the scale estimates over expansions for each structure.

Revisiting study design and methodology for pathogen reduced platelet transfusions: a round table discussion.

Pathogen inactivation/reduction technologies for platelet components have been developed to enhance microbial safety, and many studies have been carried out to determine whether this technique adversely affects the platelet's ability to stop or prevent bleeding. These clinical trials require inclusion of several hundred patients, are costly, and take many years to complete. To address these challenges, a meeting was organized consisting of two expert presentations followed by a roundtable discussion focused on possible new approaches to evaluate the clinical efficacy of pathogen-reduced platelets.

Comparison of drug efficacy in two animal models of type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Previous qualitative research has suggested there are only minor differences between the db/db mouse and the Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rat, both animal models of type 2 diabetes. However, it is not known whether these models are also comparable regarding drug response in quantitative terms (effect size). To investigate the extent of these differences, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of approved drugs in these models.

Automatic alignment for New Englishes: Applying state-of-the-art aligners to Trinidadian English.

While forced alignment has become an essential part of data processing in phonetic research, state-of-the-art aligners are often exclusively tailor-made for majority dialects, such as American English(es). This paper provides the first in-depth investigation into the reliability of popular pre-trained aligners in New Englishes-the nativized, postcolonial Englishes spoken world-wide. Using manually aligned data from Trinidadian English, the paper examines popular aligners [Forced Alignment and Vowel Extraction (FAVE), Munich Automatic Segmentation (MAUS), and the Montreal Forced Aligner (MFA)] and their performances in automatically segmenting Trinidadian speech.

Red-light-sensitive BODIPY photoprotecting groups for amines and their biological application in controlling heart rhythm.

Control of biological function by the use of photoremovable protecting groups (PPGs) is a gateway towards many new medical developments. Herein, we report the synthesis and application of efficient and biocompatible BODIPY-based photoprotecting groups for amines, which are cleavable with red light in the phototherapeutic window region (λ > 650 nm). We use the most promising PPG for the protection of dopamine and apply it to control the beating frequency of human cardiomyocytes.

A network analysis to identify pathophysiological pathways distinguishing ischaemic from non-ischaemic heart failure.

Aims: Heart failure (HF) is frequently caused by an ischaemic event (e.g. myocardial infarction) but might also be caused by a primary disease of the myocardium (cardiomyopathy).

Clinical importance of urinary sodium excretion in acute heart failure.

Aims: Urinary sodium assessment has recently been proposed as a target for loop diuretic therapy in acute heart failure (AHF). We aimed to investigate the time course, clinical correlates and prognostic importance of urinary sodium excretion in AHF.

Methods And Results: In a prospective cohort of 175 consecutive patients with an admission for AHF we evaluated urinary sodium excretion 6 h after initiation of loop diuretic therapy.

Heart in art: cardiovascular diseases in novels, films, and paintings.

Background: Understanding representations of disease in various art genres provides insights into how patients and health care providers view the diseases. It can also be used to enhance patient care and stimulate patient self-management.

Methods: This paper reviews how cardiovascular diseases are represented in novels, films, and paintings: myocardial infarction, aneurysm, hypertension, stroke, heart transplantation, Marfan's disease, congestive heart failure.

Distinct Pathological Pathways in Patients With Heart Failure and Diabetes.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to compare the characteristics of patients with and without diabetes and to use network analyses to compare biomarker profiles and associated pathways in patients with diabetes compared with those without diabetes, which might offer new avenues for potential therapeutic targets.

Background: Diabetes adversely affects clinical outcomes and complicates treatment in patients with heart failure (HF). A clear understanding of the pathophysiological processes associated with type 2 diabetes in HF is lacking.

Genetic risk and atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure.

Aims: To study the association between an atrial fibrillation (AF) genetic risk score with prevalent AF and all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure.

Methods And Results: An AF genetic risk score was calculated in 3759 European ancestry individuals (1783 with sinus rhythm, 1976 with AF) from the BIOlogy Study to TAilored Treatment in Chronic Heart Failure (BIOSTAT-CHF) by summing 97 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) alleles (ranging from 0-2) weighted by the natural logarithm of the relative SNP risk from the latest AF genome-wide association study. Further, we assessed AF risk variance explained by additive SNP variation, and performance of clinical or genetic risk factors, and the combination in classifying AF prevalence.

Rationale and design of the AFFIRM-AHF trial: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing the effect of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose on hospitalisations and mortality in iron-deficient patients admitted for acute heart failure.

Aims: Iron deficiency (ID) is a common co-morbidity in heart failure (HF), associated with impaired functional capacity, poor quality of life and increased morbidity and mortality. Treatment with intravenous (i.v.

Selenium and outcome in heart failure.

Aims: Severe deficiency of the essential trace element selenium can cause myocardial dysfunction although the mechanism at cellular level is uncertain. Whether, in clinical practice, moderate selenium deficiency is associated with worse symptoms and outcome in patients with heart failure is unknown.

Methods And Results: BIOSTAT-CHF is a multinational, prospective, observational cohort study that enrolled patients with worsening heart failure.

The role of cathepsin D in the pathophysiology of heart failure and its potentially beneficial properties: a translational approach.

Aims: Cathepsin D is a ubiquitous lysosomal protease that is primarily secreted due to oxidative stress. The role of circulating cathepsin D in heart failure (HF) is unknown. The aim of this study is to determine the association between circulating cathepsin D levels and clinical outcomes in patients with HF and to investigate the biological settings that induce the release of cathepsin D in HF.

The association between haemorrhage and markers of endothelial insufficiency and inflammation in patients with hypoproliferative thrombocytopenia: a cohort study.

In daily haematological practice, predicting bleeding in thrombocytopenic patients is difficult, and clinicians adhere to transfusion triggers to guide patients through the aplastic phase of chemotherapy. Platelet count is not the only determinant of bleeding and additional mechanisms for impending haemostasis are likely. Beside clot formation, platelets are essential for the maintenance of integrity of vascular beds.

Concentric vs. eccentric remodelling in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: clinical characteristics, pathophysiology and response to treatment.

Aims: Heart failure is traditionally classified by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), rather than by left ventricular (LV) geometry, with guideline-recommended therapies in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) but not heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Most patients with HFrEF have eccentric LV hypertrophy, but some have concentric LV hypertrophy. We aimed to compare clinical characteristics, biomarker patterns, and response to treatment of patients with HFrEF and eccentric vs.