Multimodality Evaluation of Turner Syndrome With Right Ventricular Dilation and Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return.

Turner syndrome is a rare chromosomal abnormality in women that is caused by a partial or complete loss of one X chromosome and is often associated with a spectrum of congenital cardiac abnormalities, including cardiac shunts.  A 27-year-old woman with Turner syndrome was also found to have right ventricular dilation, partial anomalous pulmonary venous return, and possible atrial septal defect. She was scheduled for elective surgical repair.

Investigation of outcomes following transcatheter edge to edge repair of the mitral valve versus medical management alone in patients with cardiogenic shock and mitral regurgitation.

Study Objective: Assessing if Transcatheter Edge to Edge Repair (TEER) with Mitraclip™ in patients with moderate to severe mitral regurgitation (MR) and cardiogenic shock (CS) improves outcomes compared to medical management alone.

Design: A single-center, retrospective study was performed in an urban tertiary referral center.

Setting: Rush University Medical Center, United States.

Association between number of vasopressors and mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Study Objective: Study the clinical outcomes associated with the number of concomitant vasopressors used in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Design: A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients admitted with COVID-19 to the intensive care unit (ICU) between March and October 2020.

Setting: Rush University Medical Center, United States.

Clinical outcomes of COVID-19 infection in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease.

Introduction: Patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease may carry a higher risk for mortality from COVID-19. This study examined the association between individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular disease admitted for COVID-19 and their clinical outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients admitted with COVID-19 to Rush University System for Health (RUSH) to identify cardiovascular risk factors associated with increased mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE; a composite of cardiovascular death, stroke, myocardial injury, and heart failure exacerbation).

Cardiovascular findings on chest computed tomography associated with COVID-19 adverse clinical outcomes.

Study Objective: Chest computed tomography (chest CT) is routinely obtained to assess disease severity in COVID-19. While pulmonary findings are well-described in COVID-19, the implications of cardiovascular findings are less well understood. We evaluated the impact of cardiovascular findings on chest CT on the adverse composite outcome (ACO) of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Endocarditis Complicated by Severe Aortic Insufficiency in a Patient with COVID-19: Diagnostic and Management Implications.

A 38-year-old man presented with cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. He was diagnosed with Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) as well as bacteremia. Imaging revealed a subaortic membrane with aortic valve endocarditis and severe aortic insufficiency.

Tropical Endomyocardial Fibrosis.

Tropical endomyocardial fibrosis is a common cause of restrictive cardiomyopathy worldwide, but is relatively rare in developed countries. We present a case of tropical endomyocardial fibrosis with right ventricular involvement initially mistaken as Ebstein's anomaly. We highlight the need for timely and accurate diagnosis to ensure appropriate management.

Sex Differences in Takotsubo Syndrome: A Narrative Review.

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), or apical ballooning syndrome, is a transient and usually reversible form of cardiac dysfunction. It has classically been described in women with cardiac susceptibility when exposed to emotional or physical stress. Various hypotheses on the pathophysiology of TTS have been suggested, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown.

Lactobacillus plantarum 299v Supplementation Improves Vascular Endothelial Function and Reduces Inflammatory Biomarkers in Men With Stable Coronary Artery Disease.

Rationale: A strong association has emerged between the gut microbiome and atherosclerotic disease. Our recent data suggest Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lp299v) supplementation reduces infarct size in male rats. Limited human data are available on the impact of Lp299v on the vasculature.

Impact of DPP-4 inhibition on acute and chronic endothelial function in humans with type 2 diabetes on background metformin therapy.

Unlabelled: Cell culture and animal work indicate that dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibition may exert cardiovascular benefits through favorable effects on the vascular endothelium. Prior human studies evaluating DPP-4 inhibition have shown conflicting results that may in part be related to heterogeneity of background anti-diabetes therapies. No study has evaluated the acute response of the vasculature to DPP-4 inhibition in humans.

Moderate Obesity and Endothelial Dysfunction in Humans: Influence of Gender and Systemic Inflammation.

Objective: To determine whether moderate obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m) is associated with impaired conduit and microvascular endothelial function, and whether men or women are more susceptible to impairment of endothelial function related to moderate obesity.

Design And Methods: 41 middle aged, non-diabetic moderately obese (BMI 34.7±4.