Relationship between left ventricular shape and cardiovascular risk factors: comparison between the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and UK Biobank.

Background: Statistical shape atlases have been used in large-cohort studies to investigate relationships between heart shape and risk factors. The generalisability of these relationships between cohorts is unknown. The aims of this study were to compare left ventricular (LV) shapes in patients with differing cardiovascular risk factor profiles from two cohorts and to investigate whether LV shape scores generated with respect to a reference cohort can be directly used to study shape differences in another cohort.

Etiology and Phenotypes of Cardiomyopathy in Southern Africa: The IMHOTEP Multicenter Pilot Study.

Background: Cardiomyopathies are an important cause of heart failure in Africa yet there are limited data on etiology and clinical phenotypes.

Objectives: The IMHOTEP (African Cardiomyopathy and Myocarditis Registry Program) was designed to systematically collect data on individuals diagnosed with cardiomyopathy living in Africa.

Methods: In this multicenter pilot study, patients (age ≥13 years) were eligible for inclusion if they had a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy or myocarditis.

Myocardial ischaemia following COVID-19: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance study.

The pathophysiology of myocardial injury following COVID-19 remains uncertain. COVID-HEART was a prospective, multicentre study utilising cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to characterise COVID-related myocardial injury. In this pre-specified analysis, the objectives were to examine (1) the frequency of myocardial ischaemia following COVID-19, and (2) the association between ischaemia and myocardial injury.

H and P MR Spectroscopy to Assess Muscle Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Long COVID.

Background Emerging evidence suggests mitochondrial dysfunction may play a role in the fatigue experienced by individuals with post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), commonly called long COVID, which can be assessed using MR spectroscopy. Purpose To compare mitochondrial function between participants with fatigue-predominant PCC and healthy control participants using MR spectroscopy, and to investigate the relationship between MR spectroscopic parameters and fatigue using the 11-item Chalder fatigue questionnaire. Materials and Methods This prospective, observational, single-center study (June 2021 to January 2024) included participants with PCC who reported moderate to severe fatigue, with normal blood test and echocardiographic results, alongside control participants without fatigue symptoms.