Load Adaptability in Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Right ventricular (RV) adaptation to pressure overload is a major prognostic factor in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The objectives were first to define the relation between RV adaptation and load using allometric modeling, then to compare the prognostic value of different indices of load adaptability in PAH. Both a derivation (n = 85) and a validation cohort (n = 200) were included.

Right heart imaging in patients with heart failure: a tale of two ventricles.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose is to describe the recent advances made in imaging of the right heart, including deformation imaging, tissue, and flow characterization by MRI, and molecular imaging.

Recent Findings: Recent developments have been made in the field of deformation imaging of the right heart, which may improve risk stratification of patients with heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. In addition, more attention has been given to load adaptability metrics of the right heart; these simplified indices, however, still face challenges from a conceptual point of view.

Chronic depression symptoms and salivary NOx are associated with retinal vascular dysregulation: The SABPA study.

Background: Depression has been associated with impaired nitric oxide (NO)-mediated vasodilation and vascular dysregulation (VD). Whether depression and NO levels will disturb retinal haemodynamics is not clear.

Objectives And Methods: Associations between the retinal vasculature, diastolic ocular perfusion pressure (DOPP) as measure of hypoperfusion, NO metabolites (NOx) and depression symptoms were assessed.

The impact of an emergency department nursing intervention on continuity of care, self-care capacities and psychological symptoms: secondary outcomes of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: As yet there is no firm evidence about the types of intervention that can reduce emergency room revisits. However, the literature on emergency room revisits suggests patient difficulties with managing their health problems and treatments after discharge may play a role.

Objectives: We carried out a randomized trial of an emergency department-based nursing intervention, but results showed no reduction in revisits (primary outcome).

Cohort Profile: Sympathetic activity and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Africans (SABPA) prospective cohort study.

Adapting to an over-demanding stressful urban environment may exhaust the psychophysiological resources to cope with these demands, and lead to sympathetic nervous system dysfunction. The evidence that an urban-dwelling lifestyle may be detrimental to the cardiometabolic health of Africans motivated the design of the Sympathetic activity and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in African Prospective cohort study. We aimed to determine neural mechanistic pathways involved in emotional distress and vascular remodelling.

Post-varicella arteriopathy of childhood: natural history of vascular stenosis.

Objective: To determine the course of vascular changes in childhood post-varicella arteriopathy (PVA) and its relationship to recurrent arterial ischemic stroke or TIA (AIS/TIA).

Methods: Subjects were children with AIS/TIA occurring <1 year after varicella, ischemic localization consistent with unilateral disease affecting the supraclinoid internal carotid artery or proximal anterior or middle cerebral arteries, and no identified AIS/TIA etiology other than PVA. Charts, brain MRI, and sequential cerebral vessel imaging (selective cerebral angiography or MR angiography [SCA/MRA]) were retrospectively reviewed.

Increased anticardiolipin antibody IgG titers do not predict recurrent stroke or TIA in children.

Background: Increased anticardiolipin antibody (ACLA) immunoglobulin (Ig) G titers are commonly found in children with arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) or TIA (AIS/TIA). The associated risk of recurrent thromboembolism is unknown.

Objective: To determine the risk of recurrent thromboembolism associated with persistently increased ACLA titers of the IgG isotype in children with AIS/TIA.