Evaluation of left ventricular function of pregnant women with autoimmune diseases using speckle tracking echocardiography.

Pregnancy can cause fluctuations in autoimmune diseases (AD) women, which may aggravate the cardiac damage. Maternal heart function is very important for maternal and fetal health. Therefore, early and accurate evaluation of the heart function of AD pregnant women is necessary.

Evaluation of cardiac function and systolic dyssynchrony of fetuses exposed to maternal autoimmune diseases using speckle tracking echocardiography.

Objectives: To compare cardiac function and systolic dyssynchrony of fetuses not exposed to and those exposed to maternal autoimmune antibodies using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE).

Methods: An observational study of 52 fetuses, 18 from mothers with autoimmune antibodies (anti-SSA/Ro60, anti-Ro52 or/and anti-SSB/La) and 34 from healthy mothers without antibodies, was conducted. Maternal baseline characteristics, fetoplacental Doppler parameters, and conventional echocardiographic data were prospectively collected.

A primary benign cardiac tumor misdiagnosed as cardiac metastasis in the right atrium.

We present a patient with breast cancer with multiple metastases who had an unusual cardiac mass in the right atrium. The cardiac mass was initially diagnosed as malignant metastasis by transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) but subsequently diagnosed as benign by contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). TTE is the preferred imaging method for examination of cardiac masses.

Right atrial appendage aneurysm complicated with atrial septal defect: A rare case report.

Right atrial appendage aneurysms (RAAAs) are rare heart malformations, presenting as isolated anomalies or co-existing with other structural heart diseases. We describe a rare case of RAAA complicated with an atrial septal defect (ASD). The diagnosis was established using transthoracic echocardiography and confirmed using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Right coronary artery-right ventricular fistula complicated with infective endocarditis.

Coronary artery fistula (CAF) is a congenital disease in which a communication forms between one or more coronary arteries and a cardiac chamber or great vessel. We describe an infrequent case of right coronary artery (RCA) fistula into the right ventricle (RV) complicated by infective endocarditis in a child. The patient received echocardiography and contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (MDCT).

miR-155 promotes fibroblast-like synoviocyte proliferation and inflammatory cytokine secretion in rheumatoid arthritis by targeting FOXO3a.

The present study aimed to explore the expression and effects of microRNA (miR)-155 in synovial fibroblasts of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A total of 89 synovial tissues from RA patients and 49 control synovial tissues were collected, and the levels of miR-155 were measured by reverse transcription quantitative-PCR and western blotting. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) were isolated from synovial tissues from the control group and were used to evaluate the roles of miR-155 and forkhead box protein O3a (FOXO3a).

Expression of TBX3 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Its Clinical Implication.

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy in China, and China's annual number of new cases accounts for about 45% of the world total. This research was aimed to study the expression of TBX3 protein in HCC and exploring its clinical significance. MATERIAL AND METHODS We collected tumor tissues and adjacent non-tumoral tissues of 174 patients with HCC undergoing surgical resection.

Short Chain Fatty Acid Acetate Protects against Ethanol-Induced Acute Gastric Mucosal Lesion in Mice.

Short chain fatty acids acetate and propionate have been demonstrated protective function in the intestinal mucosa. However, their impact on gastric mucosa has not yet been elucidated. The current study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of acetate and propionate against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesion and the underlying mechanism in mice.

Speckle tracking echocardiography: clinical applications in cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a proven therapy for selected patients with heart failure, it has been shown to improve symptoms and left ventricular (LV) function and prolong survival. Despite proven benefit of CRT, a significant proportion of patients fail to respond to CRT. Multiple factors contribute to the non-response such as patient selection and device implantation including LV lead placement.

Noninvasive imaging of aortic atherosclerosis by ultrasound biomicroscopy in a mouse model.

Objectives: The noninvasive and accurate evaluation of vessel characteristics in mouse models has become an intensive focus of vascular medicine. This study aimed to apply ultrasound biomicroscopy to evaluate aortic atherosclerotic progression in a low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) knockout mouse model of atherosclerosis.

Methods: Ten male LDL-R(-/-)C57BL/6 mice aged 16 and 24 weeks and 8 male wild-type C57BL/6 mice aged 16 and 24 weeks were used as experimental and control groups, respectively.