Assessing microvascular dysfunction and predicting long-term prognosis in patients with cardiac amyloidosis by CMR quantitative stress perfusion.

Background: Cardiac involvement in light chain (AL) amyloidosis is the main determinant of prognosis. Amyloid can be deposited in the extracellular space and cause an increase in extracellular volume (ECV). At the same time, amyloid can also be deposited in the wall of small vessels and cause microvascular dysfunction.

Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction and Diffuse Myocardial Fibrosis in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Using Quantitative Perfusion MRI.

Background: Imaging techniques that quantitatively and automatically measure changes in the myocardial microcirculation in patients with diabetes are lacking.

Purpose: To detect diabetic myocardial microvascular complications using a novel automatic quantitative perfusion MRI technique, and to explore the relationship between myocardial microcirculation dysfunction and fibrosis.

Study Type: Prospective.

Feature-Tracking-Derived Strain Analysis for Identification of Subendocardium-Involved Late Gadolinium Enhancement in Load-Induced Left Ventricular Hypertrophy: A Multicenter Study of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Data.

Background: Subendocardium-involved late gadolinium enhancement (SILGE) is a significant predictor of poor prognosis in patients with load-induced left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).

Objectives: This multicenter study aimed to investigate whether the diagnostic performance of cardiac magnetic resonance feature-tracking (CMR-FT)-derived strain analysis for detecting subtle subendocardial injury would be influenced by its load dependence in patients with load-induced LVH.

Methods: A total of 149 patients with load-induced LVH were recruited from three centers and underwent enhanced CMR imaging.

Clinical manifestations and computed tomography angiography features of anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery syndrome.

Objectives: Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) syndrome is a rare congenital coronary artery malformation with a high rate of clinical missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. At present, there is a lack of reports on the clinical manifestations of ALCAPA and the imaging features of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA). This study aims to summarize the clinical characteristics and coronary CTA imaging features of ALCAPA to improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment.

PRRSV alters mA methylation and alternative splicing to regulate immune, extracellular matrix-associated function.

The alternative splicing and N6-methyladenosine (mA) modifications occurring during porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infections remain poorly understood. Transcriptome and MeRIP-seq analyses were performed to identify the gene expression changes, splicing and m6A modifications in the lungs of PRRSV-infected pigs. In total, 1624 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed between PRRSV-infected and uninfected pigs.

Circular RNA transcriptome across multiple tissues reveal skeletal muscle-specific circPSME4 regulating myogenesis.

There are significant differences in meat production, growth rate and other traits between Western commercial pigs and Chinese local pigs. Comparative transcriptome approaches have identified many coding and non-coding candidate genes associated various traits. However, the expression and function of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in different pig tissues are largely unknown.

Septal radioablation therapy for patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy: first-in-human study.

Aims: There is still no non-invasive septal reduction therapy for patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). This study aimed to investigate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in patients with drug-refractory symptomatic HOCM.

Methods And Results: The radiation target of ventricular septum was determined by multiple anatomical imaging.

Assessment of Myocardial Viability and Risk Stratification in Coronary Chronic Total Occlusion: A Qualitative and Quantitative Stress Cardiac MRI Study.

Background: Indicators for assessing myocardial viability and risk stratification in patients with coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) are still in the research stage.

Purpose: To use stress-MRI to assess myocardial function, blood perfusion, and viability and to explore their relationship with collateral circulation.

Study Type: Prospective.

Persistent white matter changes in recovered COVID-19 patients at the 1-year follow-up.

There is growing evidence that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 can affect the CNS. However, data on white matter and cognitive sequelae at the 1-year follow-up are lacking. Therefore, we explored these characteristics in this study.

Survivors of COVID-19 exhibit altered amplitudes of low frequency fluctuation in the brain: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study at 1-year follow-up.

Although some short-term follow-up studies have found that individuals recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhibit anxiety, depression, and altered brain microstructure, their long-term physical problems, neuropsychiatric sequelae, and changes in brain function remain unknown. This observational cohort study collected 1-year follow-up data from 22 patients who had been hospitalized with COVID-19 (8 males and 11 females, aged 54.2 ± 8.

A real-world study on diagnosis and prognosis of light-chain cardiac amyloidosis in Southern China.

Background: Light-chain cardiac amyloidosis (AL-CA) has been highly valued in developed countries, but in developing countries, the recognition and diagnosis of this condition is still limited. There are currently few reports on a large number of Chinese patients with AL-CA. The present study aimed to report real-world clinical characteristics and prognosis of AL-CA in China.

Evaluation of isolated left ventricular noncompaction using cardiac magnetic resonance tissue tracking in global, regional and layer-specific strains.

We used cardiac magnetic resonance tissue tracking (CMR-TT) to quantitatively analyze the global, regional and layer-specific strain of isolated left ventricular noncompaction (ILVNC). Combined with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), we initially explored the effect of focal myocardial fibrosis on myocardial strain. CMR was performed in 63 patients with ILVNC and 52 patients without ILVNC (i.

Motion-corrected free-breathing late gadolinium enhancement combined with a gadolinium contrast agent with a high relaxation rate: an optimized cardiovascular magnetic resonance examination protocol.

Objective: This prospective study investigated the feasibility of an optimized cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) examination protocol using the motion-corrected (MOCO), balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP), phase-sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR) sequence combined with a gadolinium contrast agent with a high relaxation rate in patients who cannot hold their breath.

Methods: Fifty-one patients with heart disease underwent CMR examinations twice and these were performed with different late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging sequences (fast low-angle shot [FLASH] sequence vs. MOCO sequence) and different gadolinium contrast agents (gadopentetate dimeglumine vs.

Cardiac metastasis of neuroendocrine tumor of the thymus diagnosed by cardiac magnetic resonance T1 mapping: a case report.

Carcinoid heart disease is a late complication of carcinoid syndrome, and imaging can help in the diagnosis of diffuse cardiac metastasis. We herein report a case of diffuse cardiac metastasis of a neuroendocrine tumor of the thymus diagnosed using different imaging modalities. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging played an important role in the diagnosis.

Sensitive marker for evaluation of hypertensive heart disease: extracellular volume and myocardial strain.

Background: Evaluation of tissue fibrosis and myocardial hypertrophy in left ventricular (LV) remodeling is the basis of post-treatment evaluation of hypertensive heart disease (HHD). Extracellular volume (ECV) and myocardial strain parameters can indirectly reflect the changes of both. Our objective was to analyze the characteristics of ECV and strain parameters in LV myocardium of HHD with varying degrees of systolic dysfunction, and to explore the changes of both after treatment for hypertension.

Hamartoma of mature cardiomyocytes in right atrium: A case report and literature review.

Rationale: Tumors in the heart are rare. Myxomas, rhabdomyomas, and fibromas are the most common benign cardiac tumors. Hamartoma of mature cardiomyocytes (HMCM) is another benign cardiac tumor, are very rare and have only been reported in a few literatures.

The Association between Diffuse Myocardial Fibrosis on Cardiac Magnetic Resonance T1 Mapping and Myocardial Dysfunction in Diabetic Rabbits.

The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between imaging surrogates for diffuse fibrosis and myocardial dysfunction. Thirty-six New Zealand white rabbits were classified into two groups: a control group (n = 18) and an alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus (DM) group (n = 18). For all rabbits, conventional ultrasonography, two-dimensional speckle tracking, and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) T1 mapping were performed; all of the rabbits were then sacrificed for Masson's staining.

Layer-specific myocardial strain analysis: investigation of regional deformation in a rabbit model of diabetes mellitus during different stages.

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to determine the characteristics of myocardial damage at different stages of diabetes mellitus (DM) using layer-specific myocardial strain.

Material And Methods: Thirty six New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into either the control group (n =18) or the DM group (induced with alloxan) (n=18). For the myocardial deformation studies echocardiography and layer-specific strain were performed at baseline and after 3, 6, and 9 months in all of the rabbits.

External Magnetic Field-Induced Targeted Delivery of Highly Sensitive Iron Oxide Nanocubes for MRI of Myocardial Infarction.

Magnetic field responsive nanocubes (MFRFs) are synthesized as nanoplatforms for external magnetic field-induced selective targeting of macrophages in the infarcted tissue and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) monitoring. MFRFs have uniform size, favorable colloidal stability, and high magnetic properties. Under the influence of external magnetic field, MFRFs perform qualitative and quantitative MRI of myocardial infarction.

Histological validation of cardiac magnetic resonance T mapping for detecting diffuse myocardial fibrosis in diabetic rabbits.

Purpose: To pathologically verify the correlation between native T mapping, postcontrast T mapping, and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) and myocardial diffuse fibrosis, as determined by collagen volume fraction (CVF).

Materials And Methods: Thirty New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into the control group (n = 6), diabetes 3 months group (n = 8), diabetes 6 months group (n = 8), and diabetes 9 months group (n = 8). All the rabbits underwent clinical 3.

Positive effect of high RKIP expression on reduced distant metastasis by chemotherapy when combined with radiotherapy in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a prospective study.

The purpose of this prospective study is to investigate the predictive and prognostic significance of the Raf kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP) in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Immunohistochemical assays were performed to detect the RKIP protein expression of samples from 212 patients with locoregionally advanced NPC. All patients were assigned randomly into the inductive chemotherapy plus radiation therapy (IC + RT) group, the concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) group, the inductive chemotherapy plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy (IC + CCRT) group, and the radiation therapy alone (RT) group.

Knockdown of miR-21 in human breast cancer cell lines inhibits proliferation, in vitro migration and in vivo tumor growth.

Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs (20 to 24 nucleotides) that post-transcriptionally modulate gene expression. A key oncomir in carcinogenesis is miR-21, which is consistently up-regulated in a wide range of cancers. However, few functional studies are available for miR-21, and few targets have been identified.

Survivin--an attractive target for RNAi in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Daudi cell line as a model.

RNA interference (RNAi) has been widely used in tumor gene therapy, antivirus and gene drug selection. Survivin gene is highly expressed in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) tissues and high malignancy Burkitt's lymphoma cell line-Daudi and it is regarded as a potential target of gene therapy for NHL. This study used a vector-based short hairpin RNA (shRNA) technique to explore the effect of RNAi-mediated survivin gene silencing on apoptosis and proliferation of Daudi cells.