Intermittent hypoxia by obstructive sleep apnea is significantly associated with electro-anatomical remodeling of the left atrium preceding structural remodeling in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one of the risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the mechanism underlying the atrial structural and electro-anatomical remodeling by OSA has not yet been clearly elucidated.

Methods: This study was conducted in 83 patients who had undergone catheter ablation for AF (49 with OSA and 34 Controls without OSA).

Potential of non-contrast stress T1 mapping for the assessment of myocardial injury in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Ischemia of the hypertrophied myocardium due to microvascular dysfunction is related to a worse prognosis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Stress and rest T1 mapping without contrast agents can be used to assess myocardial blood flow. Herein, we evaluated the potential of non-contrast stress T1 mapping in assessing myocardial injury in patients with HCM.

Central Systolic Blood Pressure as a Risk Factor for Accelerated Progression of Arterial Stiffness.

Aims: In the arterial tree, a pressure gradient of the systolic blood pressure (SBP) is observed from the center to the periphery, with the pressure being higher in the periphery because of pressure wave reflection. However, this gradient is attenuated, with elevation of the central SBP (cSBP), in cases with abnormal pressure wave reflection in the arterial tree. It remains unclear if increase of the cSBP might be an independent risk factor for accelerated progression of arterial stiffness.

Lifelong Heterogeneous Contribution of Cardiovascular Risk Factors to Slow and Fast Progression of Arterial Stiffness.

Background: Although some cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) are known to be associated with increased arterial stiffness, increased arterial stiffness does not mediate the cardiovascular risk associated with all CVRFs. Here, based on long-term repeated-measurement data, we examined the association of the lifelong status of each CVRF with the rate of progression of arterial stiffness.

Methods: We utilized the data from annual health checkups with the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity measurements over a 16-year period in middle-aged Japanese occupational cohort.