Non-invasively measured myocardial torsional modulus: Comparison to invasive evaluation of diastolic function.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) diastolic function is a key determinant of cardiac output and impairments of diastolic function can lead to heart failure. Assessment of diastolic function is challenging due to several factors, including the load dependence of ventricular filling. We developed a method using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging to model the untwisting motion of the LV as a viscoelastic damped oscillator to derive myocardial torsional modulus (µ) and frictional damping characteristics, and hypothesized that the torsional modulus would correlate with invasive measures of LV stiffness.

Improved Quantification of Geosmin and 2-Methylisoborneol in Farmed Fish Using Stable Isotope Dilution Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

A requisite to improving the taste and odor attributes of farmed fish is the availability of accurate and practical analytical methods to quantify 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin (GSM). Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) enables reliable measurement of nanogram per liter quantities of MIB and GSM in water. In contrast, direct headspace (HS)-SPME of biological matrices with variable proximate compositions can increase bias and uncertainty in off-flavor determinations.

Spironolactone improves left atrial function and atrioventricular coupling in patients with resistant hypertension.

To determine the blood pressure independent effects of spironolactone on left atrial (LA) size and function in patients with resistant hypertension (RHTN). Patients with RHTN (n = 36, mean age 55 ± 7) were prospectively recruited. Spironolactone was initiated at 25 mg/day and increased to 50 mg/day after 4 weeks.

Coronary artery disease is associated with impaired atrial function regardless of left ventricular filling pressure.

Background: Left atrial (LA) strain is impaired in left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, associated with increased LV end diastolic pressure (LVEDP). In patients with preserved LV ejection fraction (LVEF), coronary artery disease (CAD) is known to impair LV diastolic function. The relationship of LVEDP with CAD and impact on LA strain is not well studied.

Stopping Feline Coronavirus Shedding Prevented Feline Infectious Peritonitis.

After an incubation period of weeks to months, up to 14% of cats infected with feline coronavirus (FCoV) develop feline infectious peritonitis (FIP): a potentially lethal pyogranulomatous perivasculitis. The aim of this study was to find out if stopping FCoV faecal shedding with antivirals prevents FIP. Guardians of cats from which FCoV had been eliminated at least 6 months earlier were contacted to find out the outcome of their cats; 27 households were identified containing 147 cats.

Adverse cardiac remodeling is absent in patients with true controlled resistant hypertension.

Resistant hypertension (RHTN), defined as blood pressure (BP) that is uncontrolled with ≥3 medications, including a long-acting thiazide diuretic, also includes a subset with BP that is controlled with ≥4 medications, so-called controlled RHTN. This resistance is attributed to intravascular volume excess. Patients with RHTN overall have a higher prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and diastolic dysfunction compared to patients with non-RHTN.

Electrocardiogram to Determine Mitral and Aortic Valve Opening and Closure.

Purpose: Knowledge of the timing of cardiac valve opening and closing is important in cardiac physiology. The relationship between valve motion and electrocardiogram (ECG) is often assumed, however is not clearly defined. Here we investigate the accuracy of cardiac valve timing estimated using only the ECG, compared to Doppler echocardiography (DE) flow imaging as the gold standard.

Cross-Serological Reaction of Glandless Cottonseed Proteins to Peanut and Tree Nut Allergic IgE.

Food allergy is a potentially life-threatening health concern caused by immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies that mistakenly recognize normally harmless food proteins as threats. Peanuts and tree nuts contain several seed storage proteins that commonly act as allergens. Glandless cottonseed, lacking the toxic compound gossypol, is a new food source.

Proteomic Analysis of Pecan () Nut Development.

Pecan () nuts are an economically valuable crop native to the United States and Mexico. A proteomic summary from two pecan cultivars at multiple time points was used to compare protein accumulation during pecan kernel development. Patterns of soluble protein accumulation were elucidated using qualitative gel-free and label-free mass-spectrometric proteomic analyses and quantitative (label-free) 2-D gel electrophoresis.

Impact of Virtual Interviewing on Geographic Placement for Cardiology Fellowship Recruitment.

Background Virtual interviewing for cardiology fellowship was instituted in the 2021 fellowship application cycle because of the COVID-19 pandemic and restricted travel. The impact on geographic patterns of fellow-training program matching is unknown. This study sought to determine if there was a difference in geographic placement of matched fellows for cardiology fellowship match after initiation of virtual interviews compared with in-person interviewing.

Targeting an Initiator Allergen Provides Durable and Expansive Protection against House Dust Mite Allergy.

Whereas treatment of allergic diseases such as asthma relies largely on the targeting of dysregulated effector pathways, the conceptually attractive alternative of preventing them by a pharmaceutical, at-source intervention has been stymied until now by uncertainties about suitable targets and the challenges facing drug design. House dust mites (HDMs) are globally significant triggers of allergy. Group 1 HDM allergens, exemplified by Der p 1, are cysteine proteases.

Diastolic function: modeling left ventricular untwisting as a damped harmonic oscillator.

We developed a method using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging to model the untwisting of the left ventricle (LV) as a damped torsional harmonic oscillator to estimate shear modulus (intrinsic myocardial stiffness) and frictional damping, then applied this method to evaluate the torsional stiffness of patients with resistant hypertension (RHTN) compared to a control group.The angular displacement of the LV during diastole was measured. Myocardial shear modulus and damping constant were determined by solving a system of equations modeling the diastolic untwisting as a damped, unforced harmonic oscillator, in 100 subjects with RHTN and 36 control subjects.

Spironolactone Reduces Aortic Stiffness in Patients With Resistant Hypertension Independent of Blood Pressure Change.

Background Aortic stiffness is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events in patients with arterial hypertension. Resistant hypertension is often linked to hyperaldosteronism and associated with adverse outcomes. Spironolactone, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, has been shown to reduce both the arterial blood pressure (BP) and aortic stiffness in resistant hypertension.

An Updated Comparison of Conventional Coronary Angiography With Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Diagnose the Origin and Proximal Course of Anomalous Coronary Arteries.

Background: Anomalous coronary arteries (ACAs) may present increased risk for adverse cardiac events. We sought to evaluate the accuracy of conventional coronary angiography (CCA), as it is currently used in clinical practice, compared with expert interpretation and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in determining the site of origin and proximal course of ACAs.

Methods: Fifty consecutive patients without concomitant congenital heart disease, who were referred for CMR to diagnose the course of an ACA, were retrospectively evaluated.

Perimyocarditis following first dose of the mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 (Moderna) vaccine in a healthy young male: a case report.

Background: Half of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines produced by either Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson and Johnson, which represents a major milestone in the ongoing pandemic.

Echocardiographic diagnosis of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction: Impact of coronary artery disease.

Background: In 2016, the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) released guidelines for identifying left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (DD), but its ability to detect early hemodynamic abnormalities is not well established, especially in the setting of subclinical coronary artery disease (CAD). We hypothesize that the accuracy of ASE categorization of early LVDD is affected by knowledge of whether CAD history is present.

Methods: We studied 34 patients (age 62 ± 7 years) with NYHA class I to II symptoms and with transthoracic echocardiography without findings suggesting myocardial disease (all with preserved LV ejection fraction), who underwent cardiac catheterization with high-fidelity LV pressure measurement.

Microbiological, Physicochemical, and Immunological Analysis of a Commercial Cashew Nut-Based Yogurt.

Nut-based milks and yogurts are gaining popularity, but may not offer the same benefits as dairy yogurts to consumers Cashew nuts often cause severe allergic reactions, and cashew nut allergens are stable to several types of processing. To compare its characteristics to dairy yogurt and characterize the effects of fermentation on the Ana o 1-3 cashew nut allergens, a commercial yogurt made from cashew nuts (Cashewgurt) was evaluated for microbiological, physiochemical, and immunological properties. Average counts for lactobacilli and were greater than 10 million colony forming units per milliliter, indicating the capacity to provide a health benefit.

Impact of the Quality of Postpartum Sleep and its Health Determinants on Human Milk Volume.

Purpose: To examine the impact of postpartum sleep disturbance on 24-hour milk volume and breastfeeding during the early postpartum period. Factors associated with postpartum sleep disturbance also were examined.

Study Design And Methods: A descriptive, correlational design was used.

A Rare Cause of Left Atrial Mass.

• LAIH may be a complication of blunt chest trauma. • Multimodality imaging with TEE and CMR can lead to the correct diagnosis. • Conservative management may be considered in hemodynamically stable patients.

Emerging role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in the management of pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a clinical condition characterised by elevation of pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) above normal range due to various aetiologies. While cardiac right-heart catheterisation (RHC) remains the gold standard and mandatory for establishing the diagnosis of PH, noninvasive imaging of the heart plays a central role in the diagnosis and management of all forms of PH. Although Doppler echocardiography (ECHO) can measure a range of haemodynamic and anatomical variables, it has limited utility for visualisation of the pulmonary artery and, oftentimes, the right ventricle.

Leucocyte count predicts cardiovascular risk in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: insights from TOPCAT Americas.

Aims: Prior evidence has implicated leucocyte expansion in several cardiovascular disorders, including heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (rEF). However, the prognostic importance of leucocyte count in HF with preserved EF (HFpEF) remains largely unexplored.

Methods And Results: The Americas cohort of the treatment of preserved cardiac function heart failure with an aldosterone antagonist (TOPCAT-Americas) was used to evaluate the association between total leucocyte count and clinical outcomes in HFpEF.

Reduced Left Atrial Emptying Fraction and Chymase Activation in Pathophysiology of Primary Mitral Regurgitation.

Increasing left atrial (LA) size predicts outcomes in patients with isolated mitral regurgitation (MR). Chymase is plentiful in the human heart and affects extracellular matrix remodeling. Chymase activation correlates to LA fibrosis, LA enlargement, and a decreased total LA emptying fraction in addition to having a potential intracellular role in mediating myofibrillar breakdown in LA myocytes.