Accuracy of mitral annular plane systolic excursion in diagnosing anthracycline-induced subclinical cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer - a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) is used to analyze the left ventricle longitudinal function. However, the accuracy of MAPSE in diagnosing oncological populations is unclear. In this study, we aimed to assess the accuracy of MAPSE in diagnosing subclinical cardiotoxicity in women with breast cancer undergoing anthracycline treatment.

Position Statement on the Use of Myocardial Strain in Cardiology Routines by the Brazilian Society of Cardiology's Department Of Cardiovascular Imaging - 2023.

Central Illustration : Position Statement on the Use of Myocardial Strain in Cardiology Routines by the Brazilian Society of Cardiology's Department Of Cardiovascular Imaging - 2023 Proposal for including strain in the integrated diastolic function assessment algorithm, adapted from Nagueh et al.67 Am: mitral A-wave duration; Ap: reverse pulmonary A-wave duration; DD: diastolic dysfunction; LA: left atrium; LASr: LA strain reserve; LVGLS: left ventricular global longitudinal strain; TI: tricuspid insufficiency. Confirm concentric remodeling with LVGLS.

Morphological and functional cardiac alterations in children with congenital Zika syndrome and severe neurological deficits.

Introduction: Zika virus infection during pregnancy causes fetal microcephaly and brain damage. Congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) is characterized by systemic involvement with diffuse muscle impairment, a high frequency of arthrogryposis, and microphthalmia. Cardiac impairment in CZS has rarely been evaluated.

Neurovascular and hemodynamic responses to mental stress and exercise in severe COVID-19 survivors.

Previous studies show that COVID-19 survivors have elevated muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), endothelial dysfunction, and aortic stiffening. However, the neurovascular responses to mental stress and exercise are still unexplored. We hypothesized that COVID-19 survivors, compared with age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched control subjects, exhibit abnormal neurovascular responses to mental stress and physical exercise.

Sympathetic Neural Overdrive, Aortic Stiffening, Endothelial Dysfunction, and Impaired Exercise Capacity in Severe COVID-19 Survivors: A Mid-Term Study of Cardiovascular Sequelae.

Background: COVID-19 has become a dramatic health problem during this century. In addition to high mortality rate, COVID-19 survivors are at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases 1-year after infection. Explanations for these manifestations are still unclear but can involve a constellation of biological alterations.

Endomyocardial fibrosis of the right ventricle in a patient with schistosomiasis: a case report.

Background: Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is a rare and underdiagnosed cause of restrictive cardiomyopathy. Its aetiology is not yet defined and could be caused by the influence of different clinical factors that seem to combine with genetic aspects of individuals susceptible to an inflammatory process that leads to formation of fibrosis.

Case Summary: We describe a case of a 50-year-old man from the northeastern region of Brazil, where there is high prevalence of schistosomiasis.

Exercise training in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and permanent atrial fibrillation: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Heart failure (HF) associated with atrial fibrillation increases patients' physical inactivity, worsening their clinical condition and mortality. Exercise training is safe and has clear benefits in HF. However, little is known about the effects of exercise training on patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction and permanent atrial fibrillation (HFAF).

Diagnostic Accuracy of Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography for Detection of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy in Orthotopic Heart Transplant Patients.

Objective: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy is one of the leading causes of late graft failure and subsequent death in orthotopic heart transplant. Although invasive coronary angiography is the gold standard modality for detection of cardiac allograft vasculopathy, dobutamine stress echocardiography has been recently frequently used as an alternative. Our aim was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of dobutamine stress echocardiography for detection of cardiac allograft vasculopathy in transplant patients.

A machine learning framework for the evaluation of myocardial rotation in patients with noncompaction cardiomyopathy.

Aims: Noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NCC) is considered a genetic cardiomyopathy with unknown pathophysiological mechanisms. We propose to evaluate echocardiographic predictors for rigid body rotation (RBR) in NCC using a machine learning (ML) based model.

Methods And Results: Forty-nine outpatients with NCC diagnosis by echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging (21 men, 42.

Incidence and Predictors of Progression to Chagas Cardiomyopathy: Long-Term Follow-Up of -Seropositive Individuals.

Background: There are few contemporary cohorts of -seropositive individuals, and the basic clinical epidemiology of Chagas disease is poorly understood. Herein, we report the incidence of cardiomyopathy and death associated with seropositivity.

Methods: Participants were selected in blood banks at 2 Brazilian centers.

Pulmonary Hypertension in Obese Mice Is Accompanied by a Reduction in PPAR-γ Expression in Pulmonary Artery.

Obesity and insulin resistance (IR) are well-studied risk factors for systemic cardiovascular disease, but their impact on pulmonary hypertension (PH) is not well clarified. This study aims to investigate if diet-induced obesity induces PH and if peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR-γ) and/or endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress are involved in this process. Mice were maintained on a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 months, and IR and PH were confirmed.

Breast Cancer Promotes Cardiac Dysfunction Through Deregulation of Cardiomyocyte Ca-Handling Protein Expression That is Not Reversed by Exercise Training.

Background Patients treated for breast cancer have a high incidence of cardiovascular complications. In this study, we evaluated the impact of breast cancer on cardiac function and cardiomyocyte Ca-handling protein expression. We also investigated whether exercise training (ET) would prevent these potential alterations.

Reduction in Hospitalization and Increase in Mortality Due to Cardiovascular Diseases during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil.

Background: In the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and mortality from them has been recognized worldwide. In Brazil, the impact of COVID-19 on CVD must be evaluated.

Objectives: To assess the impact of the current pandemic on the numbers of hospital admissions (HA), in-hospital deaths (ID), and in-hospital fatality (IF) from CVD by use of national epidemiological data from the Brazilian Unified Public Health System.

Effects of sympathectomy on myocardium remodeling and function.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of sympathectomy on the myocardium in an experimental model.

Methods: The study evaluated three groups of male Wistar rats: control (CT; n=15), left unilateral sympathectomy (UNI; n=15), and bilateral sympathectomy (BIL; n=31). Sympathectomy was performed by injection of absolute alcohol into the space of the spinous process of the C7 vertebra.

Worsening of heart failure by coronavirus disease 2019 is associated with high mortality.

Aims: Patients with advanced heart failure (HF) with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) and concurrent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) might have a higher risk of severe events.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively studied 16 patients with advanced HFrEF who developed COVID-19 between 1 March and 29 May 2020. Follow-up lasted until 30 September.

Early changes in myocyte contractility and cardiac function in streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes in rats.

Diabetes can elicit direct deleterious effects on the myocardium, independent of coronary artery disease or hypertension. These cardiac disturbances are termed diabetic cardiomyopathy showing increased risk of heart failure with or without reduced ejection fraction. Presently, there is no specific treatment for this type of cardiomyopathy and in the case of type I diabetes, it may start in early childhood independent of glycemic control.

Biventricular imaging markers to predict outcomes in non-compaction cardiomyopathy: a machine learning study.

Aims: Left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) is a genetic heart disease, with heart failure, arrhythmias, and embolic events as main clinical manifestations. The goal of this study was to analyse a large set of echocardiographic (echo) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) parameters using machine learning (ML) techniques to find imaging predictors of clinical outcomes in a long-term follow-up of LVNC patients.

Methods And Results: Patients with echo and/or CMRI criteria of LVNC, followed from January 2011 to December 2017 in the heart failure section of a tertiary referral cardiologic hospital, were enrolled in a retrospective study.

Use of sacubitril/valsartan in non-compaction cardiomyopathy: a case report.

The use of sacubitril/valsartan significantly reduces death or hospitalization in patients with ejection fraction < 40%. There is no study evaluating this drug effects in non-compaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM) individuals. The aim of this article is to report a case of a patient with NCCM initially refractory to gold standard treatment and afterwards treated with sacubitril/valsartan and its improvements.