Cardiac-targeted delivery of a novel Drp1 inhibitor for acute cardioprotection.

Dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) is a mitochondrial fission protein and a viable target for cardioprotection against myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury. Here, we reported a novel Drp1 inhibitor (DRP1i1), delivered using a cardiac-targeted nanoparticle drug delivery system, as a more effective approach for achieving acute cardioprotection. DRP1i1 was encapsulated in cubosome nanoparticles with conjugated cardiac-homing peptides (NanoDRP1i1) and the encapsulation efficiency was 99.

Right Ventricular Restrictive Physiology Is Associated With Right Ventricular Direct Flow From 4D Flow CMR.

Background: Right ventricular restrictive physiology (RVRP) is a common occurrence in repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF). The relationship of RVRP with biventricular blood flow components and kinetic energy (KE) from 4-dimensional (4D) flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is unclear.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of 4D flow CMR parameters with RVRP in rTOF patients.

An optimized plasmalogen modulating dietary supplement provides greater protection in a male than female mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy.

We previously reported that plasmalogens, a class of phospholipids, were decreased in a setting of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Plasmalogen levels can be modulated via a dietary supplement called alkylglycerols (AG) which has demonstrated benefits in some disease settings. However, its therapeutic potential in DCM remained unknown.

Sex-specific risk factors for new-onset heart failure: the PREVEND study at 25 years.

Background And Aims: Current estimates for the lifetime risk to develop heart failure with either a reduced (HFrEF) or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and their associated risk factors are derived from two studies from the USA. The sex-specific lifetime risk and population attributable fraction of potentially modifiable risk factors for incident HFpEF and HFrEF are described in a large European community-based cohort with 25 years of follow-up.

Methods: A total of 8558 participants from the PREVEND cohort were studied at baseline from 1997 onwards and followed until 2022 for cases of new-onset HFrEF (ejection fraction < 50%) and HFpEF (ejection fraction ≥ 50%) by assessment of hospital records.

Association of sleep quality and its change with the risk of depression in middle-aged and elderly people: A 10-year cohort study from England.

Background: Persistently poor sleep quality in young adults is linked to a higher risk of depression. However, the impact of changes in sleep quality on depression risk in middle-aged and older adults remain unclear. This study investigates the association between sleep quality, its changes, and the risk of depression in middle-aged and elderly people.

Bioluminescent Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli for whole-cell screening of antibacterial and adjuvant compounds.

Continued efforts to discover new antibacterial molecules are critical to achieve a robust pre-clinical pipeline for new antibiotics. Screening of compound or natural product extract libraries remains a widespread approach and can benefit from the development of whole cell assays that are robust, simple and versatile, and allow for high throughput testing of antibacterial activity. In this study, we created and validated two bioluminescent reporter strains for high-throughput screening, one in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and another in a hyperporinated and efflux-deficient Escherichia coli.

Cardiovascular-Liver-Metabolic Health: Recommendations in Screening, Diagnosis, and Management of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Cardiovascular Disease via Modified Delphi Approach.

There is a new awareness of the widespread nature of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its connection to cardiovascular disease (CVD). This has catalyzed collaboration between cardiologists, hepatologists, endocrinologists, and the wider multidisciplinary team to address the need for earlier identification of those with MASLD who are at increased risk for CVD. The overlap in the pathophysiologic processes and parallel prevalence of CVD, metabolic syndrome, and MASLD highlight the multisystem consequences of poor cardiovascular-liver-metabolic health.

Outcomes of permanent pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in an adult congenital heart disease population.

Background: Brady- and tachyarrhythmias commonly complicate adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). Permanent pacemakers (PPMs) or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are often utilised to prevent morbidity or mortality related to arrhythmia, but can also be associated with significant morbidity themselves.

Methods: We analysed outcomes from patients in our comprehensive ACHD database who were seen at least twice since 2000 and once since 2018.

Improved complexity stratification in congenital heart disease; the impact of including procedural data on accuracy and reliability.

Background: In order to manage a class of diseases as broad as congenital heart disease (CHD), multiple "manually generated" classification systems defining CHDs as mild, moderate and severe have been developed and used to good effect. As databases have grown, however, such "manual" complexity scoring has become infeasible. Though past attempts have been made to determine CHD complexity algorithmically using a list of diagnoses alone, missing data and lack of procedural information have been significant limitations.

The latest definition and classification of pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious potential complication of some congenital heart diseases (CHDs). PH encompasses a range of diseases which may be idiopathic or inherited, or secondary to cardiac, respiratory, systemic or thromboembolic conditions, amongst others. Our increasing understanding of the normal ranges of pulmonary haemodynamics, as well as evidence supporting the benefits of early treatment, has resulted in a number of recent revisions to the haemodynamic definition of PH.

A national Australian Congenital Heart Disease registry; methods and initial results.

Background: Although several National Data Registries for Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) exist, few are comprehensive and contemporary. A National Australian CHD Registry has been developed that aims to redress this by creating the first comprehensive data collection for CHD children and adults, initially across Australia.

Methods: We defined and collected a minimum dataset of demographics, diagnoses, and procedures from people with CHD presenting at participating quaternary CHD services Australia-wide.

Interfacial engineering for biomolecule immobilisation in microfluidic devices.

Microfluidic devices are used for various applications in biology and medicine. From on-chip modelling of human organs for drug screening and fast and straightforward point-of-care (POC) detection of diseases to sensitive biochemical analysis, these devices can be custom-engineered using low-cost techniques. The microchannel interface is essential for these applications, as it is the interface of immobilised biomolecules that promote cell capture, attachment and proliferation, sense analytes and metabolites or provide enzymatic reaction readouts.

Mortality associated with moderate and severe mitral regurgitation in 608 570 men and women undergoing echocardiography.

Background: Although the prognostic implications of severe mitral regurgitation (MR) are well recognised, they are less clear in moderate MR. We therefore explored the prognostic impact of both moderate and severe MR within the large National Echocardiography Database Australia cohort.

Methods: Echocardiography reports from 608 570 individuals were examined using natural language processing to identify MR severity and leaflet pathology.

Patient digital self-screening tool for familial hypercholesterolaemia: A pilot study.

Background And Objectives: Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a genetic condition contributing to premature cardiovascular disease. Currently, general practitioners (GPs) do not proactively screen for the condition. This study implemented and evaluated a digital FH self-screening questionnaire administered in general practice.

Coinheritance of Hypertrophic and Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Variants in a Patient With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) are phenotypically distinct inherited cardiac diseases. This case report presents a woman aged 51 years with coinheritance of pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants of the β-myosin heavy chain ( p.Glu924Lys) and plakophilin 2 ( p.

Peak Oxygen Consumption Scaled to Body Composition Is Associated With Mortality and Morbidity in People With a Fontan Circulation.

Background: Peak oxygen consumption (peak O) is traditionally scaled by body mass, but it is most appropriately scaled by fat-free mass. However, it is unknown whether peak O scaled by fat-free mass is associated with mortality and morbidity in people with a Fontan circulation. The aim of this study was to assess the associations between different expressions of peak O with mortality and morbidity in people with a Fontan circulation.

Advancing precision medicine through the integration of clinical cardiovascular genetics - An Asian perspective.

Purpose: The integration of cardiovascular genetic (CVG) testing into clinical practice is gaining recognition, but its implementation in the Asian setting has not been widely reported. We present our experience developing a clinical CVG service and analyze its impact on patient care at our center.

Methods: In 2020, the National Heart Centre Singapore collaborated with SingHealth Duke-NUS Genomic Medicine Centre, to establish a comprehensive clinical CVG service.

Chronic inflammation and vascular cell plasticity in atherosclerosis.

Vascular smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells and macrophages undergo phenotypic conversions throughout atherosclerosis progression, both as a consequence of chronic inflammation and as subsequent drivers of it. The inflammatory hypothesis of atherosclerosis has been catapulted to the forefront of cardiovascular research as clinical trials have shown that anti-inflammatory therapy reduces adverse cardiovascular events. However, no current therapies have been specifically designed to target the phenotype of plaque cells.

Automatic Matching Algorithms to Identify Eligible Participants for Stroke Trials: A Proof-of-Concept Study.

Background: Clinical trials often struggle to recruit enough participants, with only 10% of eligible patients enrolling. This is concerning for conditions like stroke, where timely decision-making is crucial. Frontline clinicians typically screen patients manually, but this approach can be overwhelming and lead to many eligible patients being overlooked.