Aesthetic Motivation Impacts Judgments of Others' Prosociality and Mental Life.

The ability to infer others' prosocial vs. antisocial behavioral tendencies from minimal information is core to social reasoning. Aesthetic motivation (the value or appreciation of aesthetic beauty) is linked with prosocial tendencies, raising the question of whether this factor is used in interpersonal reasoning and in the attribution of mental capacities.

Bloodstream infections in prolonged use of axillary-placed, intra-aortic balloon-pump support: A single-center study.

Infections from prolonged use of axillary intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABPs) have not been well studied. Bloodstream infection (BSI) occurred in 13% of our patients; however, no difference in outcome was noted between those with BSI and those without. Further studies regarding protocol developments that minimize BSI risk are needed.

Outflow cannula alignment in continuous flow left ventricular devices is associated with stroke.

We sought to evaluate whether differences in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) canula alignment are associated with stroke. There is a paucity of clinical data on contribution of LVAD canulae alignment to strokes. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent LVAD implantation at Houston Methodist hospital from 2011 to 2016 and included those who had undergone cardiac computed tomography (CT) with contrast.

The Prognostic Value of CAC Zero Among Individuals Presenting With Chest Pain: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: There is little consensus on whether absence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) can identify patients with chest pain (CP) who can safely avoid additional downstream testing.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the utility of CAC assessment for ruling out obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) among patients with stable and acute CP, at low-to-intermediate risk of obstructive CAD undergoing coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA).

Methods: The authors searched online databases for studies published between 2005 and 2021 examining the relationship between CAC and obstructive CAD (≥50% coronary luminal narrowing) on coronary CTA among patients with stable and acute CP.

Hearing water temperature: Characterizing the development of nuanced perception of sound sources.

Without conscious thought, listeners link events in the world to sounds they hear. We study one surprising example: Adults can judge the temperature of water simply from hearing it being poured. We test the development of the ability to hear water temperature, with the goal of informing developmental theories regarding the origins and cognitive bases of nuanced sound source judgments.

Prosthetic Aortic Valve Regurgitation: The Story of a Missing Piece in the Puzzle.

A 65-year-old man presented with acute decompensated heart failure. He was found to have severe prosthetic aortic valve regurgitation caused by a fractured strut of a sutureless prosthetic aortic valve that embolized to the distal portion of the aorta. We highlight the importance of multimodality imaging in diagnosis and management.

Inflammatory Cardiomyopathies: A Need to Identify Indolent Inflammation.

We present 3 cases of inflammatory cardiomyopathies illustrating the need for a multimodality imaging and multidisciplinary approach for diagnosis and treatment. ().

Inflammatory bowel disease and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in U.S. adults-A population-level analysis in the national health interview survey.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and whether this association is modified by age or sex.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the 2015-2016 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The exposure of interest was self-reported IBD.

Echocardiographic assessment of cardiac amyloidosis.

Cardiac amyloidosis, a form of infiltrative cardiomyopathy, is associated with poor prognosis in untreated patients. Early diagnosis is important for timely initiation of effective therapies. Despite advances in diagnostic modalities, it remains a challenging diagnosis, requiring high index of clinical suspicion.

Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in a nationally representative adult population with inflammatory bowel disease without atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Background And Aims: Chronic inflammation is associated with premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). We studied the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) amongst individuals with IBD who have not developed ASCVD.

Methods: Our study population was derived from the 2015 - 2016 National Health Interview Survey.

The prognostic role of cardiac positron emission tomography imaging in patients with sarcoidosis: A systematic review.

Purpose: Sarcoidosis is a multi-systemic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) has been reported in as much as 25% of patients with systemic involvement. Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) has a high diagnostic sensitivity/specificity in the diagnosis of CS.

Diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis: a primer for non-imagers.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disorder that can potentially involve any organ. Cardiac involvement in sarcoidosis has been reported in up to 25% of patients based on autopsy and imaging studies. The gold standard for diagnosing cardiac sarcoidosis is endomyocardial biopsy demonstrating non-caseating granulomas; however, this technique lacks sensitivity due to the patchy nature of myocardial involvement.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: JACC Review Topic of the Week.

Chronic inflammatory diseases including human immunodeficiency virus infection, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus predispose to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a common chronic inflammatory condition, and the United States has the highest prevalence worldwide. IBD has so far been overlooked as a contributor to the burden of ASCVD among young and middle-age adults, but meta-analyses of cohort studies suggest that IBD is an independent risk factor for ASCVD.

Percutaneous Left Axillary Artery Placement of Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump in Advanced Heart Failure Patients.

Objectives: This study presents the largest clinical experience of percutaneously placed axillary intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) in patients with advanced heart failure.

Background: Transfemoral placement of IABP limits mobility and recuperation in patients who need prolonged support. We had previously reported a novel percutaneous method of IABP placement in the axillary artery and now present our expanded experience with this technique.

A Rare Case of Infective Endocarditis Caused by Gemella haemolysans.

Gemella haemolysans is a gram-positive coccoid, facultative anaerobe of the mucous membranes. In rare cases, it has been identified as an opportunistic pathogen in the development of endocarditis. Here, we describe a case of infective endocarditis in a patient with a bicuspid aortic valve.

Unplugging the Drain: Treatment of a Rare Late Complication of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy.

Central vein thrombosis (CVT) is a rare cause of chylothorax. We report a patient with chylothorax secondary to CVT, despite being on anticoagulation, who was successfully treated with balloon angioplasty of the occluded vein. A 65-year-old male presented with shortness of breath of one-month duration.

Innovative Modeling Techniques and 3D Printing in Patients with Left Ventricular Assist Devices: A Bridge from Bench to Clinical Practice.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) cause altered flow dynamics that may result in complications such as stroke, pump thrombosis, bleeding, or aortic regurgitation. Understanding altered flow dynamics is important in order to develop more efficient and durable pump configurations. In patients with LVAD, hemodynamic assessment is limited to imaging techniques such as echocardiography which precludes detailed assessment of fluid dynamics.

A Rare Catch in a Nonhealing Wound.

Introduction: Mycobacterium smegmatis is a common microbe found in soil, dust, and water that rarely causes infections in humans.

Case Report: A 45-year-old man with a past medical history of hypertension presented with a nonhealing surgical wound in his anterior chest wall, measuring 0.5 cm x 0.