Effect of tafamidis therapy on physical function in patients with wild-type transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis.

Background: Tafamidis is used as disease-modifying treatment for patients with wild-type transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTRwt CA). However, the effects of tafamidis on exercise tolerance are unclear.

Methods: This single-center, prospective, observational study aimed to assess the effect of tafamidis on exercise tolerance in 36 patients with ATTRwt CA.

Hemoglobin is an independent predictor of improvement exercise tolerance in male patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Exercise intolerance is a symptom of chronic heart failure (CHF). The magnitude of exercise tolerance, as measured by peak oxygen uptake (peak VO), is strongly associated with prognosis in patients with CHF. We aimed to evaluate the factors associated with improved exercise tolerance in patients with HF.

Severe Left Main Coronary Artery Stenosis and Aortic Regurgitation in a Patient Presenting with Takayasu Arteritis.

We herein report the case of a 46-year-old woman with Takayasu arteritis (TA), severe stenosis in the left main coronary artery (LMCA), and severe aortic regurgitation. Prednisolone and tacrolimus were initiated as TA treatments. Two months after initiating medical therapy, the aortic regurgitation severity improved to a moderate grade, although there was no obvious improvement in LMCA stenosis.

Elevation of end-tidal CO during exercise is attenuated in patients with cardiac amyloidosis.

Reduced exercise tolerance is one of the hallmarks of patients with cardiac amyloidosis (CA), but detailed biological responses during exercise were not investigated. The purpose of this study was to compare the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX) parameters between CA patients and propensity-matched heart failure patients. This was a single-center, retrospective, observational study of patients diagnosed with CA.

Role of plaque imaging for identification of vulnerable patients beyond the stage of myocardial ischemia.

Chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) is a progressive disease, which often first manifests as acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Imaging modalities are clinically useful in making decisions about the management of patients with CCS. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that myocardial ischemia is a surrogate marker for CCS management; however, its ability to predict cardiovascular death or nonfatal myocardial infarction is limited.

A case of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with right ventricular outflow tract and left midventricular obstruction.

Unlabelled: We describe a case of a 59-year-old woman with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who remained with right ventricular outflow tract obstruction after the pressure gradient in the left midventricle was resolved by a drug with a negative inotropic effect. The patient was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy 30 years previously and was only on low-dose beta-blocker therapy. She presented at our hospital with suspected exacerbation of heart failure because of the development and exacerbation of dyspnea and chest tightness.

Epicardial adipose tissue volume is an independent predictor of left ventricular reverse remodeling in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Background: In some patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, left ventricular (LV) contraction is improved by optimal medical therapy, leading to LV reverse remodeling (RR). Patients with heart failure with improved ejection fraction and LVRR have a good prognosis, but the factors that predict RR are not fully understood. The relationship between body composition and cardiovascular disease has been reported.

Thigh Intramuscular Fat on Prognosis of Patients With Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy.

Skeletal muscle atrophy is an independent prognostic predictor for patients with chronic heart failure, and the concept of sarcopenia is drawing attention. Furthermore, the importance of not only muscle mass but also ectopic fat has been pointed out. However, there is a lack of consensus on the implications of ectopic fat for the prognosis in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy.

Computed tomography to identify risk factors for left circumflex artery injury during mitral surgery.

Objectives: Cases in which the left circumflex coronary artery (LCX) runs close to the mitral annulus are considered high risk for LCX injury during mitral surgery. We investigated the anatomical relationship between the LCX and the mitral annulus using 3-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT).

Methods: We constructed 3D-CT images of the LCX and the mitral annulus before surgery in 122 patients with mitral regurgitation (MR).

Increased oxidative stress during exercise predicts poor prognosis in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

Aims: Oxidative stress plays an important role in the development and progression of heart failure (HF). Although exercise and oxidative stress are closely related, the effect of acute exercise on reactive oxygen species production and the fluctuation on prognosis are unclear.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 94 patients who were hospitalized for worsening HF (mean age 68.

Organizing Pneumonia as the First Presentation in a Patient with Takayasu Arteritis: A Report of Rare Complication.

A 48-year-old woman without any medical history visited an outpatient clinic with a chief complaint of cough persisting for more than 1 year and was diagnosed with organizing pneumonia. Computed tomography showed wall thickening with luminal stenosis of the main branch vessels of the aorta, and a detailed examination including fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography revealed Takayasu arteritis. There have been some reports of combined organizing pneumonia in similar vasculitis cases, but Takayasu arteritis and organizing pneumonia have not been reported to be associated.

Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor represents exercise tolerance and predicts adverse cardiac events in patients with heart failure.

Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a membrane-binding protein that is released into the blood stream by immune activation. Recent reports suggest that circulating suPAR levels are associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Exercise tolerance is an independent predictor of prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF); however, the relationship between serum suPAR level and exercise tolerance is unclear.

Right ventricular enlargement predicts responsiveness to tolvaptan in congestive heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction.

Background: Tolvaptan is a vasopressin type 2 receptor antagonist used in heart failure (HF) with refractory diuretic resistance. However, since tolvaptan is also ineffective in some HF patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), the identification of responders is important.

Methods: The study population consisted of 51 HFrEF patients who were administered tolvaptan (EF, 28 ± 7%).

Clinical significance of discrepant mid-wall late gadolinium enhancement in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

A drawback of visual assessment for late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the subjectivity and reproducibility of the results. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between left ventricular (LV) reverse remodeling in response to optimal pharmacotherapies and the definite or discrepant mid-wall LGE with visual assessment in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). A total of 65 patients who had been hospitalized with newly diagnosed DCM and had undergone CMR, were enrolled.

Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor level and exercise tolerance complement each other in predicting the prognosis of patients with heart failure.

Brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) is a myokine that plays a key role in regulating survival, growth, and maintenance of neurons. We investigated whether the serum BDNF level at discharge could predict the prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF). Furthermore, we aimed to examine the relationship between this myokine and exercise tolerance.

The Use of Electronic Medical Record Data to Analyze the Association Between Atrial Fibrillation and Birth Month.

Objectives: Cardiovascular disease is a condition of enormous public health concern. Recently, a population study newly revealed associations between cardiovascular diseases and birth month. Here, we investigated the association between atrial fibrillation in cardiovascular disease and birth month.

Effects of Night Shift Work on Nighttime Blood Pressure among Healthy Young Female Medical Workers.

Background Although night shift is an independent risk factor of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the underlying mechanisms have not been understood. Nocturnal blood pressure (BP) and increased BP variability are associated with CVD. However, little is known regarding the impact of night shift on nocturnal BP variables.

Acute ST elevation myocardial infarction in an adult patient with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery.

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery is rare but causes myocardial ischemia and sudden death. A few patients with this anomaly can survive to adulthood without sufficient collateral coronary flow or surgical intervention. We present here a case of acute inferior myocardial infarction, which may occur due to thrombotic occlusion of the right coronary artery, in a 63-year-old woman with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery, providing specific coronary angiographic findings.

Diagnostic accuracy and cost-effectiveness of a pocket-sized transthoracic echocardiographic imaging device.

Background: The recently introduced pocket-sized portable transthoracic echocardiography (pTTE) is accurate for measurement of cardiac chamber size and function as well as for assessment of valvular regurgitation. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of the pocket-sized pTTE with the standard TTE (sTTE) and assess its cost-effectiveness.

Hypothesis: The use of pocket-sized pTTE, as an initial screening tool, may be feasible, accurate and cost-effective in the diagnostic strategy of cardiac abnormalities.