Tricuspid valve and right-heart chamber remodelling in elderly subjects with secondary tricuspid regurgitation.

Background: The prevalence of secondary tricuspid regurgitation (TR) increases with ageing, but the exact mechanisms and the pattern of tricuspid valve (TV) remodelling are yet to be defined. This knowledge is needed to guide patient selection for the evolving therapeutic options. We sought to explore the prevalence and predictors of secondary TR in the elderly, as well as the associated pattern of right-heart chamber and TV remodelling.

Staged Percutaneous Management of Pulmonary Atresia and Intact Interventricular Septum: Stretching the Limits.

Aims: Pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PA/IVS) can be treated by catheter-based interventions and complemented by various surgical procedures. We aim to determine a long-term treatment strategy to enable patients to be surgery free, depending solely on percutaneous interventions.

Methods And Results: We selected five patients from among a cohort of patients with PA/IVS treated at birth with radiofrequency perforation and dilatation of the pulmonary valve.

Outcome Predictors in Catheter Interventions for Severe Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstructions.

Introduction & Aim Of Work: Transcatheter treatment for critical pulmonary stenosis and membranous pulmonary atresia has become the gold standard of care in many centers. We aimed at evaluating the predictors of outcome in interventions for treatment of duct-dependent right ventricular outflow tract obstruction with intact interventricular septum.

Subjects & Methods: 68 cases with pulmonary atresia with intact interventricular septum (PA/IVS) and 50 cases with critical pulmonary stenosis (CPS), all younger than 3 months of age, were operated during the period of 10 years; excluding patients with tricuspid valve annulus Z-score smaller than -4, evidence of right ventricular-dependent coronary circulation or additional malformations.

Challenging paediatric coarctation cases treated with a hybrid approach: five-year follow up.

Two paediatric patients suffering from recurrent coarctation after native coarctation surgery were scheduled for cardiac catheterisation in a hybrid setting by the age of two and three years. Through a right anterior mini-thoracotomy, unmounted stents were successfully placed in the coarctant segment. One-year follow up did not show echocardiographic improvement but the patients were controlled on medical therapy.

Outcomes of Primary Bidirectional Glenn in Children with Single Ventricle Physiology and Increased Pulmonary Blood Flow.

Background: We reported our experience in managing patients with single ventricle (SV) physiology and increased pulmonary blood flow (PBF), aiming to assess if it is feasible to proceed with primary Bidirectional Glenn (BDG) without a prior operation to limit PBF.

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective study with 51 consecutive patients who underwent BDG operation as a primary operation or a second stage prior to the definitive Fontan operation at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between 2010 and 2018. Patients were categorized into two groups based on their PBF prior to the operation: Patients who had SV physiology and increased PBF (seven patients) vs.

Experience with balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty and predictors of outcome: a ten-year study.

Background: Balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty is the treatment of choice for patients with moderate to severe pulmonary valve stenosis.

Methods: An observational retrospective cross-sectional study including neonates, small infants, and children who underwent balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty in the period from 2007 to 2016 in the cardiac catheterisation unit of the paediatric cardiology department in Cairo University. Multivariable models were built to report the predictors of the outcome of balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty and its complications.

Stepwise Protocols for Scoring of Mitral Valve using Three-Dimensional Transthoracic Echocardiography in Mitral Stenosis.

Aim: This study aims to propose protocols that enable scoring of mitral valve (MV) in mitral stenosis using the three-dimensional (3D) scoring system.

Methods: A two-staged study was conducted. The first stage was designed to select the best 3D images of MV leaflets and chordae through analysis of 471 images.

ASD device closure in pediatrics: 3-Dimensional transthoracic echocardiography perspective.

Objective: Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography, using both reconstruction methods and RT3D, has been used as an extra helping tool in several forms of congenital heart diseases. Our aim was to understand the relation of the ASD device to all surrounding structures by 3-dimensional echocardiography (3D).

Methods: This prospective study included 37 patients diagnosed as ASD secundum by transthoracic (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) referred for transcatheter closure from October 2013 to July 2016.

Coronary-pulmonary arterial fistula in a neonate with pulmonary atresia-ventricular septal defect and single coronary artery.

In cases of pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (PA-VSD), coronary-pulmonary arterial fistula (CPAF) as the main source of pulmonary blood supply is extremely rare. These fistulae may arise from the left coronary artery, right coronary artery, or a single coronary artery. Fistulae from a single coronary artery are unusual.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of different devices used for the closure of small-to-medium-sized patent ductus arteriosus in pediatric patients.

Aims: In this study, we examined the differences in cost and effectiveness of various devices used for the closure of small to medium sized patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).

Setting And Design: We retrospectively studied 116 patients who underwent closure of small PDAs between January 2010 and January 2015.

Subjects And Methods: Three types of devices were used: the Amplatzer duct occluder (ADO) II, the cook detachable coil and the Nit Occlud coil (NOC).

Cardioprotective Effects of Wharton Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation in a Rodent Model of Myocardial Injury.

Background: Whartons jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells are a valuable alternative source that possess multipotent properties, easy to obtain and available in large scale compared to BMMSCs. We investigated the possibility of cardiac function improvement post isoproterenol induced cardiac injury in a rat model following human WJMSCs transplantation.

Materials And Methods: MSCs were extracted and cultured from cord WJ, characterized by morphology, Immunophenotyping and differentiation to osteoblast and adipocytes.

Forgotten Right Ventricle in Pediatric Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

To evaluate the right ventricular (RV) function in relation to that of the left ventricle (LV) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Echocardiographic examination was done using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) for 32 pediatric patients with DCM comparing them to another 32 normal matched controls. The global longitudinal strain (GLS) derived from 2D-STE was used to reflect the LV systolic function.

Left circumflex coronary artery to coronary sinus fistula diagnosed in infancy.

Coronary artery fistulas are rare anomalies, their incidence range from 0.1 to 0.2% of congenital heart defects.

Echocardiographic changes and growth retardation in a group of Egyptian children with rheumatic heart disease.

Background: Advances in echocardiographic studies have identified a massive burden of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) which continues to be a major health hazard in most developing countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between cardiac affection as regards the presence of single or multiple valvular lesions, and their severity and the growth parameters in a group of Egyptian children with RHD.

Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study, that was conducted on 200 children with RHD and 400 age-matched healthy.

Early Ventricular Dysfunction After Anthracycline Chemotherapy in Children.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of induction dose of anthracycline chemotherapy on the biventricular function among children with acute hematological malignancies (AHM) using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). Thirty pediatric patients with AHM and a mean age of 9.24 ± 4.

New Pediatric Version of Balloon-Assisted Technique for Atrial Septal Defect Closure Using Self-Centering Devices: Relation to Interatrial Septal Thickness.

Aim: Some difficult atrial septal defect (ASD) cases with deficient rims or large defects may require specific maneuvers to facilitate transcatheter occlusion of these defects with self-centering devices. In our center, we developed a modification of balloon-assisted technique (BAT) for difficult ASDs to assist proper positioning of the device. Our aim was to demonstrate the efficiency of ASD closure with self-centering devices in children and to present the results of the new pediatric version of BAT (PBAT) in young children and its relation to the interatrial septal thickness.

Nicorandil enhances the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell therapy in isoproterenol-induced heart failure in rats.

Stem cell transplantation has emerged as a promising technique for regenerative medicine in cardiovascular therapeutics. However, the results have been less than optimal. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether nicorandil could offer an additional benefit over bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy in isoproterenol-induced myocardial damage and its progression to heart failure in rats.

Brewer's Yeast Supplementation Enhances Immune Response of Aged Mice.

A large amount of evidence indicates that aging is associated with immune system dysfunction. Brewer's yeast, one of the most notable species of yeast in health and wellness, has been shown to stimulate the immune system and improve human life span. In the present study, brewer's yeast (5, 25 or 125 μg/mouse) was orally supplemented to aged mice each other day for 4 weeks.

The influence of physiological matrix conditions on permanent culture of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.

Cardiomyocytes (CMs) from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells mark an important achievement in the development of in vitro pharmacological, toxicological and developmental assays and in the establishment of protocols for cardiac cell replacement therapy. Using CMs generated from murine embryonic stem cells and iPS cells we found increased cell-matrix interaction and more matured embryoid body (EB) structures in iPS cell-derived EBs. However, neither suspension-culture in form of purified cardiac clusters nor adherence-culture on traditional cell culture plastic allowed for extended culture of CMs.

Gene expression profiling of endometrium versus bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells: upregulation of cytokine genes.

Postulated Stem/progenitor cells involved in endometrium regeneration are epithelial, mesenchymal, and endothelial. Bone marrow (BM) has been implicated in endometrial stem cells. We aimed at studying gene expression profiling of endometrial mesenchymal stem cells compared to BM MSCS to better understand their nature and functional phenotype.

Evidence for self-maintaining pluripotent murine stem cells in embryoid bodies.

Pluripotent stem cells have great potential for regenerative medicine; however, their clinical use is associated with a risk of tumor formation. We utilized pluripotent cells expressing green fluorescent protein and puromycin resistance under control of the Oct4 promoter to study the persistence of potential pluripotent cells under embryoid body (EB) culture conditions, which are commonly used to obtain organotypic cells. We found that i.

Comparative characteristics of endothelial-like cells derived from human adipose mesenchymal stem cells and umbilical cord blood-derived endothelial cells.

Adult peripheral blood contains a limited number of endothelial progenitor cells that can be isolated for treatment of ischemic diseases. The adipose tissue became an interesting source of stem cells for regenerative medicine. This study aimed to investigate the phenotype of cells obtained by culturing adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ad-MSCs) in the presence of endothelial growth supplements compared to endothelial cells obtained from umbilical cord blood (UCB).

Using poly-N-acetyl glucosamine gel matrix to deliver IL-12 with anti-schistosomasis vaccination.

Background: Interleukin (IL)-12 is a potential adjuvant in a variety of diseases including schistosomiasis. The clinical use of IL-12, however, is limited by the toxicity associated with its systemic administration. We have developed a novel delivery system (designated F2 gel matrix) composed of poly-N-acetyl glucosamine that has the dual properties of sustaining the release of proteins (e.

Fibroblasts facilitate the engraftment of embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes on three-dimensional collagen matrices and aggregation in hanging drops.

There is growing interest in the use of cardiomyocytes purified from embryonic stem (ES) cells for tissue engineering and cardiomyoplasty. However, most transplanted cells are lost shortly after transplantation due to the lack of integration into the host tissue and subsequent apoptosis. Here we examine whether murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) can support the integration of purified murine ES cell-derived cardiomyocytes in a 3-dimensional tissue culture model based on a freezed-dryed collagen matrix with tubular structure.