Prognostic Value of Speckle Tracking Echocardiography-Derived Strain in Unmasking Risk for Arrhythmias in Children with Myocarditis.

Risk assessment in pediatric myocarditis is challenging, particularly when left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is preserved. This study aimed to evaluate LV myocardial deformation using speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived longitudinal +strain (LS) and assessed its diagnostic and prognostic value in children with myocarditis. Retrospective STE-derived layer-specific LV LS analysis was performed on echocardiograms from patients within the multicenter, prospective registry for pediatric myocarditis "MYKKE".

Clinical course and follow-up of pediatric patients with COVID-19 vaccine-associated myocarditis compared to non-vaccine-associated myocarditis within the prospective multicenter registry-"MYKKE".

Background: Since the onset of widespread COVID-19 vaccination, increased incidence of COVID-19 vaccine-associated myocarditis (VA-myocarditis) has been noted, particularly in male adolescents.

Methods: Patients <18 years with suspected myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination within 21 days were enrolled in the PedMYCVAC cohort, a substudy within the prospective multicenter registry for pediatric myocarditis "MYKKE." Clinical data at initial admission, 3- and 9-months follow-up were monitored and compared to pediatric patients with confirmed non-vaccine-associated myocarditis (NVA-myocarditis) adjusting for various baseline characteristics.

TRPM4 Modulates Right Ventricular Remodeling Under Pressure Load Accompanied With Decreased Expression Level.

Background: Survival of patients with congenital heart defects including increased right ventricular pressure load (ie, tetralogy of Fallot) or pulmonary hypertension is dependent on the function of the right ventricle (RV). RV remodeling has several effects with progressive transition from compensated status to heart failure. Transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (TRPM4) forms cation channels expressed in myocardium, which was shown to modulate cardiac remodeling in the left ventricle of mice.

Historical analysis of airborne beryllium concentrations at a copper beryllium machining facility (1964-2000).

Copper beryllium alloys are the most commonly used form of beryllium; however, there have been few studies assessing occupational exposure in facilities that worked exclusively with this alloy versus those where pure metal or beryllium oxide may also have been present. In this paper, we evaluated the airborne beryllium concentrations at a machining plant using historical industrial hygiene samples collected between 1964 and 2000. With the exception of a few projects conducted in the 1960s, it is believed that >95% of the operations used copper beryllium alloy exclusively.