Effect of off-label targeted drugs on long-term survival in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: Insights from a national multicentre prospective registry.

Background And Objective: Off-label pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-targeted drugs are commonly prescribed for non-operated chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), but their effect on the long-term prognosis of CTEPH remains unknown. This study investigated the effect of off-label PAH-targeted drugs on the long-term survival of CTEPH patients.

Methods: CTEPH patients were enrolled from a prospective multicentre national registry.

Imaging characteristics and prognostic factors of Behcet's disease with arterial involvement: A long-term follow-up study.

Purpose: To investigate the imaging characteristics and prognostic factors for the long-term survival of Behcet's disease (BD) with arterial involvement.

Methods: In this retrospective study, BD patients with arterial involvement were identified from January 2003 to January 2020. Arterial lesions were detected by ultrasonography, traditional arteriography, and/or computed tomography angiography (CTA).

A Nomogram for Predicting 3-Year Mortality in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension due to Left Heart Failure: A Retrospective Analysis of a Prospective Registry Study.

Introduction: Pulmonary hypertension due to left heart failure (PH-LHF) is a disease with high prevalence and 3-year mortality rates. Consequently, timely identification of patients with high mortality risk is critical. This study aimed to build a nomogram for predicting 3-year mortality and screening high-risk PH-LHF patients.

Incorporation of noninvasive assessments in risk prediction for pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Risk assessment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) utilizing noninvasive prognostic variables could be more practical in real-world scenarios, especially at follow-up reevaluations. Patients who underwent comprehensive evaluations both at baseline and at follow-up visits were enrolled. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality.

A Bioinformatic Approach Based on Systems Biology to Determine the Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Recently, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has infected millions of individuals worldwide. While COVID-19 generally affects the lungs, it also damages other organs, including those of the cardiovascular system. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common genetic cardiovascular disorder.

Impact of borderline pulmonary hypertension due to left heart failure on mortality in a multicenter registry study: A 3-year survivorship analysis.

Background: Patients with left heart failure (LHF) are often associated with the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH) which leads to an increased risk of death. Recently, the diagnostic standard for PH has changed from mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) ≥25 mmHg to >20 mmHg. Nonetheless, the effect of borderline PH (mPAP: 21-24 mmHg) on the prognosis of LHF patients is unclear.

The prevalence and survival of pulmonary hypertension due to left heart failure: A retrospective analysis of a multicenter prospective cohort study.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension due to left heart failure (PH-LHF) is currently the most common form of pulmonary hypertension (PH) encountered in clinical practice. Despite significant advances that have improved our understanding of PH-LHF over the past two decades, the mortality is still high in recent decades. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and survival of patients with PH-LHF, and explored the potential risk factors which may predict the prognosis of PH-LHF.

Characteristics, goal-oriented treatments and survival of pulmonary arterial hypertension in China: Insights from a national multicentre prospective registry.

Background And Objective: Nationally representative reports on the characteristics and long-term survival of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) from developing countries are scarce. The applicability of the current main risk stratifications and the longitudinal changes in goal-oriented treatments have yet to be elucidated in real-world settings. Therefore, we aimed to provide insights into the characteristics, goal-oriented treatments and survival of PAH in China and to explore the applicability of the main risk stratifications in our independent cohort.

Pseudo P pulmonale pattern associated with severe hypokalemia.

This study presents the case of a 54-year-old man who presented with weakness in his lower extremities and tall P waves on electrocardiography (ECG). At admission, ECG revealed tall P waves (0.32 mV, lead II) at a serum potassium level of 1.

Relationship between Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Pressure Gradient and Hemoglobin in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Anemia caused by left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) has been reported, however, large clinical studies confirming this association are lacking. The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) pressure gradient and hemoglobin in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

Methods: Patient demographics, laboratory and echocardiography data from 310 patients diagnosed with HCM from our hospital who had undergone echocardiography from July 2014 to March 2019 were collected from medical records.

A 67-Year-Old Man With a Mass Shadow in His Heart Chamber During Coronary Angiography.

A 67-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to chest tightness induced by activity that had started about 2 months earlier. To clarify the causes of chest pain in this patient, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed, resulting in a diagnosis of ventricular apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with intramyocardial calcification.

De Winter syndrome and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction can evolve into one another: Report of two cases.

Background: The de Winter electrocardiography (ECG) pattern is a sign that implies proximal left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion in patients with chest pain. The previous view was that the de Winter ECG pattern is static.

Case Summary: A 65-year-old man presented with sudden chest pain at rest associated with diaphoresis for 55 min.

Utility of mean platelet volume to predict the prevalence of coronary artery disease on coronary angiography in patients with stable angina.

Background: Approximately 50% of patients with stable angina have coronary artery disease (CAD) on coronary angiography. The mean platelet volume (MPV) has been proposed as a marker that reflects platelet size and reactivity. This study investigated the predictive value of high MPV in patients with stable angina for diagnosing stable CAD.

Autophagy inhibition plays a protective role against 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-induced loss of serotonin transporters and depressive-like behaviors in rats.

The 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a popular recreational drug, which ultimately leads to serotonergic (5-HT) neurotoxicity and psychiatric disorders. Previous in vitro studies have consistently demonstrated that MDMA provokes autophagic activation, as well as damage of 5-HT axons and nerve fibers. So far, whether autophagy, a well-conserved cellular process that is critical for cell fate, also participates in MDMA-induced neurotoxicity in vivo remains elusive.

Diffuse ST segment depression and ST segment elevation in lead aVR and V1 by left circumflex artery occlusion.

The current guidelines for resting electrocardiograms of diffuse ST segment depression coupled with ST segment elevation in aVR and/or V1 that are otherwise unremarkable indicate multivessel or left main coronary artery obstruction. However, our case meets the above electrocardiogram changes, but involves left circumflex artery occlusion.

Relation of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol to Ischemic Stroke in Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation.

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) has been demonstrated as an independent risk factor of ischemic stroke, but the association of LDL-C with ischemic stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) remains uncertain. Our objective was to explore whether LDL-C could refine stroke stratification in patients with AF. A total of 424 nonvalvular patients with AF with ischemic stroke and 391 ones without ischemic stroke were enrolled.

Involvement of autophagy upregulation in 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine ('ecstasy')-induced serotonergic neurotoxicity.

It has been suggested that autophagy plays pathogenetic roles in cerebral ischemia, brain trauma, and neurodegenerative disorders. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) is an illicit drug that causes long-term serotonergic neurotoxicity in the brain. Apoptosis and necrosis have been implicated in MDMA-induced neurotoxicity, but the role of autophagy in MDMA-elicited serotonergic toxicity has not been investigated.