Long term outcome after mononuclear bone marrow or peripheral blood cells infusion after myocardial infarction.

Objectives: This study reports the long-term follow-up of the randomised controlled HEBE trial. The HEBE study is a multicentre trial that randomised 200 patients with large first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention to either intracoronary infusion of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) (n=69), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) (n=66) or standard therapy (n=65).

Methods: In addition to 3-5 days, and 4 months after AMI, all patients underwent cardiac MRI after 2 years.

Genetic association study of QT interval highlights role for calcium signaling pathways in myocardial repolarization.

The QT interval, an electrocardiographic measure reflecting myocardial repolarization, is a heritable trait. QT prolongation is a risk factor for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) and could indicate the presence of the potentially lethal mendelian long-QT syndrome (LQTS). Using a genome-wide association and replication study in up to 100,000 individuals, we identified 35 common variant loci associated with QT interval that collectively explain ∼8-10% of QT-interval variation and highlight the importance of calcium regulation in myocardial repolarization.

Cell therapy in reperfused acute myocardial infarction does not improve the recovery of perfusion in the infarcted myocardium: a cardiac MR imaging study.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of cell therapy on myocardial perfusion recovery after treatment of acute myocardial infarction (MI) with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Materials And Methods: In this HEBE trial substudy, which was approved by the institutional review board (trial registry number ISRCTN95796863), the authors assessed the effects of intracoronary infusion with bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BMMCs) or peripheral blood-derived mononuclear cells (PBMCs) on myocardial perfusion recovery by using cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging after revascularization. In 152 patients with acute MI treated with PCI, cardiac MR imaging was performed after obtaining informed consent-before randomization to BMMC, PBMC, or standard therapy (control group)-and repeated at 4-month follow-up.

Myocardial infarct heterogeneity assessment by late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging shows predictive value for ventricular arrhythmia development after acute myocardial infarction.

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the association between the proportions of penumbra-visualized by late gadolinium enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (LGE-CMR)-after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and the prevalence of ventricular tachycardia (VT).

Methods: One-hundred and sixty-two AMI patients, successfully, treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) underwent LGE-CMR after a median of 3 days (3-4) and 24-h Holter monitoring after 1 month. With LGE-CMR, the total amount of enhanced myocardium was quantified and divided into an infarct core (>50% of maximal signal intensity) and penumbra (25-50% of maximal signal intensity).

Pathological Q waves in myocardial infarction in patients treated by primary PCI.

Objectives: In the present study, we investigated the association of pathological Q waves with infarct size. Furthermore, we investigated whether Q-wave regression was associated with improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), infarct size, and left ventricular dimensions in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with early Q-wave formation compared with patients without or persistent pathological Q waves.

Background: The criteria for pathological Q waves after acute myocardial infarction (MI) have changed over the years.