Delivery of an engineered HGF fragment in an extracellular matrix-derived hydrogel prevents negative LV remodeling post-myocardial infarction.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to have anti-fibrotic, pro-angiogenic, and cardioprotective effects; however, it is highly unstable and expensive to manufacture, hindering its clinical translation. Recently, a HGF fragment (HGF-f), an alternative c-MET agonist, was engineered to possess increased stability and recombinant expression yields. In this study, we assessed the potential of HGF-f, delivered in an extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived hydrogel, as a potential treatment for myocardial infarction (MI).

Safety and efficacy of an injectable extracellular matrix hydrogel for treating myocardial infarction.

New therapies are needed to prevent heart failure after myocardial infarction (MI). As experimental treatment strategies for MI approach translation, safety and efficacy must be established in relevant animal models that mimic the clinical situation. We have developed an injectable hydrogel derived from porcine myocardial extracellular matrix as a scaffold for cardiac repair after MI.

Difference of optimal dose of contrast agent between gray-scale and power Doppler imaging in assessing graded coronary stenosis by myocardial contrast echocardiography.

Rationale And Objectives: In myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE), power Doppler imaging is more sensitive to contrast agent (microbubble) than gray-scale B-mode imaging; however, no data exist regarding the optimal contrast dose in power Doppler imaging. This study examined the optimal dose of contrast agent for power Doppler in assessing coronary stenosis.

Methods: Three grades of coronary stenosis were produced in 6 open-chest dogs.

Effect of microbubble fragility on transit rate measurement by contrast echography.

We sought to propose a simplified method to measure flow velocity based on ultrasonic microbubble destruction, and investigated the effect of microbubble shell fragility on such measurement. Acoustic density (AD) from the second harmonic short axis image of flow was obtained at variable velocities (2 to 73 mm/s) in an in vitro model during long (1000 ms) and short (33 ms) interval ultrasound (US) pulsing, allowing complete and partial microbubble replenishment between pulses, respectively. Microbubbles with shell elastic modulus of 0.

Contrast echocardiography can assess risk area and infarct size during coronary occlusion and reperfusion: experimental validation.

Objectives: We sought to validate the ability of real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) measures of opacification defect and contrast refilling parameters to estimate risk area (RA) and infarct area (IA) during coronary occlusion and reperfusion.

Background: No data exist establishing the accuracy of MCE in determining RA and IA size. We hypothesized that in the setting of coronary occlusion, MCE should identify RA as a perfusion defect early after bubble destruction, collateral flow to viable myocardium as opacification late during refilling and IA as absent opacification.

Automatic Border Detection to Assess Right Ventricular Function Following Surgical Treatment of Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension.

Automatic border detection (ABD) has been developed as a potentially useful means for evaluating ventricular function on line in an automatic fashion. Its success with tracking left ventricular function is established, but little is known about its ability to assess right ventricular (RV) function. Accordingly, 20 patients with severe pulmonary hypertension due to chronic thromboembolic disease underwent standard two-dimensional echocardiography and imaging with ABD before and after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy to correct pulmonary hypertension.