Hierarchical online contrastive anomaly detection for fetal arrhythmia diagnosis in ultrasound.

Arrhythmia is a major cardiac abnormality in fetuses. Therefore, early diagnosis of arrhythmia is clinically crucial. Pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasound is a commonly used diagnostic tool for fetal arrhythmia.

Association of non-HDL-C/apoB ratio with long-term mortality in the general population: A cohort study.

Background: In general, the identification of cholesterol-depleted lipid particles can be inferred from non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) concentration to apolipoprotein B (apoB) concentration ratio, which serves as a reliable indicator for assessing the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the ability of non-HDL-C/apoB ratio to predict the risk of long-term mortality among the general population remains uncertain. The aim of this study is to explore the association of non-HDL-C/apoB ratio with long-term all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in adults of the United States.

An intelligent quantification system for fetal heart rhythm assessment: A multicenter prospective study.

Background: The motion relationship and time intervals of the pulsed-wave Doppler (PWD) spectrum are essential for diagnosing fetal arrhythmia. However, few technologies currently are available to automatically calculate fetal cardiac time intervals (CTIs).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a fetal heart rhythm intelligent quantification system (HR-IQS) for the automatic extraction of CTIs and establish the normal reference range for fetal CTIs.

FGF21 protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting connexin 43 ubiquitination.

Background: Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) regulates glycolipid metabolism and insulin homeostasis and acts as a cardioprotective factor by protecting against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, hypertension, and vascular dysfunction. FGF21 has been reported to prevent Doxorubicin (Dox)-induced cardiotoxicity, and the related signaling pathway is worthy of further study. Connexin43 (Cx43) protein was reduced by Dox treatment, especially low phosphorylated form of Cx43.

The LDL-C/ApoB ratio predicts cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in the general population.

Background: Generally, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size can be inferred from the LDL cholesterol concentration to total apolipoprotein B concentration ratio (LDL-C/ApoB ratio, hereinafter called LAR), which is a good predictor of cardiovascular disease. However, the predictive ability of LAR for mortality risk in the general population is still unclear. This study aimed to explore the association between LAR and cardiovascular as well as all-cause mortality among American adults.

Prenatal diagnosis and mRNA profiles of fetal tetralogy of Fallot.

Tetralogy of fallot (TOF) in the fetus is a typical congential heart disease that occurs during the early embryonic period, being characterized by the abnormal development of conus arteriosus. The early diagnosis and prevention of fetal TOF is very important and there is a great need for exploring the pathogenesis of it in clinic. In this study, there were three cases being detected with TOF by fetal echocardiogram and confirmed by autopsy.

Fetal umbilical artery thrombosis: prenatal diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

Background: To analyze the ultrasound imaging and clinical characteristics of fetuses with umbilical artery thrombosis (UAT), explore the potential causes of UAT and construct a prognostic prediction model to guide clinical practice.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of fetal UAT cases examined at two academic tertiary referral care centers from 2014 to 2020. The basic information of the participants was obtained by interview during follow-up, and data on clinical treatment, delivery conditions, diagnosis and confirmation were obtained through medical records.

Remnant cholesterol is associated with cardiovascular mortality.

Background: Genetic, observational, and clinical intervention studies indicate that circulating levels of remnant cholesterol (RC) are associated with cardiovascular diseases. However, the predictive value of RC for cardiovascular mortality in the general population remains unclear.

Methods: Our study population comprised 19,650 adults in the United States from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (1999-2014).

A large-scale investigation by ultrasound of fetal hepatic venous system variants in China.

Aim: To investigate the types, associated anomalies and postnatal outcomes of fetal hepatic venous system (HVS) variants by ultrasound in China.

Material And Methods: A large-scale and prospective investigation of HVS variants for low-risk singleton pregnant women was performed in three academic tertiary referral care centers in China. Ultrasound imaging wasused for the identification and follow-up of anatomical variants.

Case Report: Candidate Genes Associated With Prenatal Ultrasound Anomalies in a Fetus With Prenatally Detected 1q23.3q31.2 Deletion.

Patients with deletions involving the long arm of chromosome 1 are rare, and the main aim of this study was to refine the genotype-phenotype correlation. In this report, a 28-year-old pregnant woman, gravida 2 para 1, at 25 weeks of gestation underwent ultrasound examination in our institute. The ultrasonographic findings of the fetus were as follows: (1) fetal growth restriction; (2) cleft lip and palate; (3) bilateral renal hypoplasia; (4) lateral ventriculomegaly; (5) single umbilical artery; (6) absent stomach; (7) coronary sinus dilatation with persistent left superior vena cava, ventricular septal defect and unroofed coronary sinus syndrome.

Modulation of SERCA2a expression and function by ultrasound-guided myocardial gene transfection.

Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca²-ATPase (SERCA2a) is important for cardiac physiological function and pathological progression. However, intravenous injection, a commonly applied approach for gene delivery in most studies investigating the expression of SERCA2a in cardiomyocytes, has not been particularly satisfactory. Therefore, in the present study, a modified method was used to transfect this gene into the heart.

Connexin 43 dephosphorylation contributes to arrhythmias and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in ischemia/reperfusion hearts.

Connexin 43 (Cx43)-associated gap junctions form electrical and mechanical conduits between adjacent ventricular cardiomyocytes, ensuring coordinate electrical excitation and synchronic contraction for each heartbeat. Cx43 dephosphorylation is a characteristic of ischemia, arrhythmia, and a failing and aging myocardium, but the exact phosphosite(s) triggering myocardial apoptosis and electrical disturbance and its underlying mechanisms are unclear. We previously found that Cx43-serine 282 phosphorylation (pS282) can regulate cardiomyocyte survival and electrical stability.

Variations in ductus arteriosus Doppler parameters in different sonographic views during the second half of gestation.

The aim of the present study was to compare the Doppler parameters of the fetal ductus arteriosus (DA) measured in the traditional longitudinal ductal arch (LDA) view and the newly introduced three vessels and trachea (3VT) plane of the fetal upper mediastinum. The peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), time-averaged maximum velocity (TAMXV) and velocity-time integral (VTI) measurements were taken for 52 fetuses with normal growth (including 29 females). The pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) were calculated.

Fetal hypoxemia causes abnormal myocardial development in a preterm ex utero fetal ovine model.

In utero hypoxia is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality and predisposes to adult cardiovascular disease. No therapies exist to correct fetal hypoxia. In a new ex utero fetal support system, we tested the hypothesis that hypoxemic support of the fetus impairs myocardial development, whereas normoxic support allows normal myocardial development.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 inhibits atherosclerosis in apoE-/- mice by ameliorating Fas-mediated apoptosis.

Background: FGF21 is a critical endogenous regulator in energy homeostasis and systemic glucose and lipid metabolism. Despite intensive study of the metabolic functions of FGF21, its important role in heart disease needs further exploration. Apoptosis induced by ox-LDL in vascular endothelial cells is an important step in the progress of atherosclerosis.

Prenatal diagnosis of fetal double aortic arch: report of a case.

Double aortic arch (DAA) is the most common congenital anomaly of the aortic arch system, in which the trachea and esophagus are completely encircled by connected segments of the aortic arch and its branches, often resulting in variable airway compression. We present a case of fetal DAA prenatally diagnosed by fetal echocardiography and clearly confirmed at autopsy. The autopsy visualization allowed for better understanding of this rare cardiac anomaly and facilitated improving the prenatal diagnostic rate.