Identification of coronaviruses in bats and rodents in northern and central Argentina.

Due to the present pandemic situation and the many animal species that are epidemiologically involved, there has been a surge of renewed interest in investigating the coronavirus (CoV) population circulating in wildlife, especially bats and rodents, which are potential reservoirs of new human pathogens. In Argentina, information about the viruses present in these mammals is very limited. To investigate the presence of coronaviruses in this country, we obtained 457 samples from hematophagous, insectivorous, and frugivorous bats and rodents from two regions of Argentina. We report here the detection of alphacoronavirus sequences in three groups of bats as well as in rodents. Phylogenetic analysis showed the closest relationships to alphacoronaviruses from Brazil.

[Retrospective analysis to evaluate efficacy and safety of stereotactic radiosurgery in Cushing's disease: 24 cases and a review]. / Estudio retrospectivo para evaluar la eficacia y la seguridad de la radiocirugía en enfermedad de Cushing: 24 casos y revisión.

BACKGROUND: In the past few years, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has been suggested as a good alternative, second line therapy for the management of patients with ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas. A retrospective study has been conducted in order to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this treatment in these patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were collected on all patients treated with SRS for an ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma between 1996 and 2008, and with at least one year of follow-up. An analysis was carried out by analysing the return to normal of the hormone levels and clinical improvement rates (including Cushing signs, arterial hypertension), as well as adverse effects, and disease relapse. A return to normal of the 24 hour urinary free cortisol (24-UFC) levels (<100 µg/day) without any ACTH-secretion suppressor drug treatment, was considered as cure or improvement. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients were treated with SRS, of which 24 were included in the analysis. They all had high 24-UFC levels before the treatment. Cure was achieved in 12 (50%) in a mean of 28 months, and in other 3 patients 24-UFC levels returned to normal with treatment with ketoconazole after the SRS. Cushing signs improved in all cases, as well as arterial hypertension in 13 out of 14 cases. There were relapses after cure consolidation. As far as adverse effects, it should be mentioned that there were 9 cases of new pituitary hormonal dysfunction (the most frequent being hypothyroidism), one radionecrosis, and one case of visual field defect impairment. Radiation-related neoplasm was not detected in any of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: SRS is an effective treatment for those patients with ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma in whom surgery has failed, or in those that are not good candidates for it. It showed good rates of hormone levels returning to normal, as well as clinical disease control and a low level of adverse effects.

Effect of Europium and Gadolinium Alloying Elements on the Tribological Response of Low Hydrogen Content Amorphous Carbon.

Dopants and alloying elements are commonly introduced in amorphous carbon (a-C) materials to tailor their mechanical and tribological properties. While most published studies have focused on doping and alloying a-C coatings with metals or metalloids, doping a-C films with rare-earth elements has only recently been explored. Notably, our understanding of the shear-induced structural changes occurring in rare-earth-element-containing a-C films is still elusive, even in the absence of any liquid lubricants. Here, the friction response of Eu- and Gd-containing a-C films with low hydrogen content deposited by HiPIMS on silicon was evaluated in open air and at room temperature. The load-dependent friction measurements indicated that the introduction of Gd ((2.3 ± 0.1) at.%) and Eu ((2.4 ± 0.1) at.%) into the a-C matrix results in a significant reduction of the shear strength of the sliding interfaces ((41 ± 2) MPa for a-C, (16 ± 1) MPa for a-C:Gd2.3 at.%, and (11 ± 2) MPa for a-C:Eu2.4 at.%). NEXAFS spectromicroscopy experiments provided evidence that no stress-assisted sp3-to-sp2 rehybridization of carbon atoms was induced by the sliding process in the near-surface region of undoped a-C, while the amount of sp2-bonded carbon progressively increased in a-C:Gd2.3 at.% and a-C:Eu2.4 at.% upon increasing the applied normal load in tribological tests. The formation of an sp2-bonded carbon-rich surface layer in a-C:Gd2.3 at.% and a-C:Eu2.4 at.% films was not only proposed to be the origin for the reduced duration of the running-in period in tribological test, but was also postulated to induce shear localization within the sp2-carbon-rich layer and transfer film formation on the countersurface, thus decreasing the interfacial shear strength. These findings open the path for the use of Gd- and Eu-containing a-C even under critical conditions for nearly hydrogen-free a-C films (i.e., humid air).

The Potential of Using Cochayuyo (Durvillaea incurvata) Extract Obtained by Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction to Fight against Aging-Related Diseases.

The world's population is in a demographical transition, with an increase in the number of older adults and prevalence of diseases related to aging. This study evaluated in vitro the potential of using Durvillaea incurvata extract (extracted using ultrasound-assisted extraction) to inhibit key enzymes associated with the development of age-related diseases. Our results show that an extract extracted via ultrasound-assisted extracted, as well as an extract conventional extracted from Durvillaea incurvata, presented antidiabetes potential by exhibiting inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase (91.8 ± 1.0% and 93.8 ± 0.3%, respectively, at 500 µg/mL) and α-amylase (42.2 ± 1.4% and 61.9 ± 0.9%, respectively, at 1500 µg/mL) enzymes related to starch digestion and postprandial glycemic response. Also, the extracts showed inhibitory activity against the enzymes acetylcholinesterase (51.5% and 50.8%, respectively, at 500 µg/mL) and butyrylcholinesterase (32.8% and 34.4%, respectively, at 0.5 mg/mL), the biomarkers associated with Alzheimer's disease, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (98.7 ± 7.4% and 93.0 ± 3.4%, respectively, at 2.0 mg/mL), which is key in the regulation of vascular tone and blood pressure and helps to prevent the development of hypertension. In conclusion, the extract of Durvillaea incurvata obtained from ultrasound-assisted extraction has the potential to prevent the development of age-related pathologies such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and hypertension.

Unraveling Brain Synchronisation Dynamics by Explainable Neural Networks using EEG Signals: Application to Dyslexia Diagnosis.

The electrical activity of the neural processes involved in cognitive functions is captured in EEG signals, allowing the exploration of the integration and coordination of neuronal oscillations across multiple spatiotemporal scales. We have proposed a novel approach that combines the transformation of EEG signal into image sequences, considering cross-frequency phase synchronisation (CFS) dynamics involved in low-level auditory processing, with the development of a two-stage deep learning model for the detection of developmental dyslexia (DD). This deep learning model exploits spatial and temporal information preserved in the image sequences to find discriminative patterns of phase synchronisation over time achieving a balanced accuracy of up to 83%. This result supports the existence of differential brain synchronisation dynamics between typical and dyslexic seven-year-old readers. Furthermore, we have obtained interpretable representations using a novel feature mask to link the most relevant regions during classification with the cognitive processes attributed to normal reading and those corresponding to compensatory mechanisms found in dyslexia.

Spectroscopic Evaluation of Surface Chemical Processes Occurring in MoS2 upon Aging.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) coatings have attracted widespread industrial interest owing to their excellent lubricating properties under vacuum and inert conditions. Unfortunately, the increase in MoS2 interfacial shear strength following prolonged exposure to ambient conditions (a process referred to as "aging") has resulted in reliability issues when MoS2 is employed as solid lubricant. While aging of MoS2 is generally attributed to physical and chemical changes caused by adsorbed water and/or oxygen, a mechanistic understanding of the relative role of these two gaseous species in the evolution of the surface chemistry of MoS2 is still elusive. Additionally, remarkably little is known about the effect of thermally- and tribologically-induced microstructural variations in MoS2 on the aging processes occurring in the near-surface region of the coating. Here, we employed three analytical techniques, namely, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), and grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), to gain insights into the aging phenomena occurring in sputtered MoS2 coatings before and after tribological testing, while also evaluating the impact of thermally-induced variations in the coating structure on aging. The outcomes of XPS analyses provide evidence that a substantial surface oxidation of MoS2 only takes place under humid conditions. Furthermore, the correlation of XPS, ToF-SIMS, and GIXRD results allowed for the development of a qualitative model for the impact of shear-induced microstructural variations in MoS2 on the transport of water in the near-surface region of this material and on the extent of surface oxidation. These results add significantly to our understanding of the aging mechanisms of MoS2 coatings used in tribological applications and their dependence on environmental conditions.

Enhancing Multimodal Patterns in Neuroimaging by Siamese Neural Networks with Self-Attention Mechanism.

The combination of different sources of information is currently one of the most relevant aspects in the diagnostic process of several diseases. In the field of neurological disorders, different imaging modalities providing structural and functional information are frequently available. Those modalities are usually analyzed separately, although a joint of the features extracted from both sources can improve the classification performance of Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) tools. Previous studies have computed independent models from each individual modality and combined them in a subsequent stage, which is not an optimum solution. In this work, we propose a method based on the principles of siamese neural networks to fuse information from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). This framework quantifies the similarities between both modalities and relates them with the diagnostic label during the training process. The resulting latent space at the output of this network is then entered into an attention module in order to evaluate the relevance of each brain region at different stages of the development of Alzheimer's disease. The excellent results obtained and the high flexibility of the method proposed allow fusing more than two modalities, leading to a scalable methodology that can be used in a wide range of contexts.

Assessing Functional Brain Network Dynamics in Dyslexia from fNIRS Data.

Developmental dyslexia is characterized by a deficit of phonological awareness whose origin is related to atypical neural processing of speech streams. This can lead to differences in the neural networks that encode audio information for dyslexics. In this work, we investigate whether such differences exist using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and complex network analysis. We have explored functional brain networks derived from low-level auditory processing of nonspeech stimuli related to speech units such as stress, syllables or phonemes of skilled and dyslexic seven-year-old readers. A complex network analysis was performed to examine the properties of functional brain networks and their temporal evolution. We characterized aspects of brain connectivity such as functional segregation, functional integration or small-worldness. These properties are used as features to extract differential patterns in controls and dyslexic subjects. The results corroborate the presence of discrepancies in the topological organizations of functional brain networks and their dynamics that differentiate between control and dyslexic subjects, reaching an Area Under ROC Curve (AUC) up to 0.89 in classification experiments.

Endometrial injury and rFSH before frozen-thawed embryo transfer: a case report.

Hormonal treatment as endometrial preparation for frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) is routinely carried out with oral, transdermal or combined estradiol supplementation; however, in some cases, there is no optimal endometrial development with this type of stimulation. In this case report, our patient failed to respond to conventional endometrial preparation techniques. For this reason, two unconventional techniques were combined to improve endometrial receptivity; endometrial injury, followed by rFSH administration. As a result of this combination, we achieved endometrium thickness, reaching 8.9 mm on day 15 of the cycle, carrying out the embryo transfer of two blastocysts on day-17 of the cycle, achieving clinical pregnancy and carrying it to completion with the birth of a baby.

Clinical characteristics of a large cohort of patients with scleritis and episcleritis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the demographic characteristics, clinical features, ocular complications, and disease associations of patients with scleritis and episcleritis; as well as to delineate the risk factors for decreased vision in patients with scleritis. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred patients with scleritis and 85 patients with episcleritis. METHODS: The electronic health records of 500 patients with scleritis and 85 patients with episcleritis seen at 2 tertiary referral centers were reviewed and their clinical features were studied. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical features (pain, scleral inflammation), ocular complications (decrease in vision, anterior uveitis, peripheral ulcerative keratitis, ocular hypertension), and disease associations. RESULTS: In a series of 585 patients, 500 patients had scleritis (85.5%) and 85 patients had episcleritis (14.2%). Ocular complications were more frequent overall in patients with scleritis versus in those with episcleritis (45.0% vs. 19.0%), including decrease in vision (15.8% vs. 2.3%), anterior uveitis (26.4% vs. 16.5%), peripheral ulcerative keratitis (7.4% vs. 0%), and ocular hypertension (14.2% vs. 3.5%; P<0.0001 for each). Disease association was observed in 35.8% of patients with scleritis versus 27.1% of episcleritis patients, including connective tissue or vasculitic diseases in 24.8% versus 15.3%, respectively. Scleritis preceded systemic disease diagnosis in 38.7% of patients. Ocular complications (90.0%) and disease association (80.0%) occurred most often in patients with necrotizing scleritis (P<0.0001 for each). Risk factors for decrease in vision in patients with scleritis included necrotizing scleritis (odds ratio [OR], 6.63; P<0.001), posterior scleritis (OR, 2.33; P = 0.042), degree of scleral inflammation of more than 2+ (range, 0-4+; OR, 3.60; P<0.001), anterior uveitis (OR, 1.78; P = 0.033), ocular hypertension (OR, 3.19; P<0.001), and associated disease (OR, 2.66; P<0.001), mainly infectious (OR, 4.44; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Scleritis is associated more often with ocular complications than episcleritis, and necrotizing scleritis is the type of scleritis most often associated with ocular complications and disease association. Risk factors for decrease in vision in patients with scleritis include necrotizing scleritis, posterior scleritis, scleral inflammation of more than 2+, anterior uveitis, ocular hypertension, and associated infectious disease. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.

Scleritis therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To delineate factors associated with a successful response to treatment in patients with various manifestations of scleritis. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 392 patients with noninfectious anterior scleritis. METHODS: We reviewed the electronic health records of 392 patients with noninfectious anterior scleritis seen at 2 tertiary referral centers and studied the factors associated with successful treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient characteristics (age, sex); ocular disease characteristics (laterality, type of scleritis, degree of scleral inflammation, ocular complications, delay in presentation, and follow-up period), systemic disease association (associated disease, potentially lethal associated disease); and anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medications were studied in patients with scleritis. Successful treatment response to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (SAIDs), immunosuppressive therapy drugs (immunomodulatory therapy [IMT]), or biologic response modifiers (BRMs) was assessed. RESULTS: Treatment of 392 patients with noninfectious anterior scleritis included NSAIDs in 144 (36.7%), SAIDs in 29 (7.4%), IMT in 149 (38.0%), BRMs in 56 (14.3%), and none (N = 14). Successful response to treatment with NSAIDs was associated with idiopathic diffuse or nodular scleritis with a low degree of scleral inflammation (≤ 2+) (odds ratio [OR] = 2.89, P < 0.001) and with idiopathic diffuse or nodular scleritis without ocular complications (OR = 3.13, P < 0.001). Successful treatment with SAIDs was associated with idiopathic diffuse or nodular scleritis with a high degree of scleral inflammation (>2+) (OR = 4.70, P = 0.001). Successful treatment with IMT was associated with diffuse or nodular scleritis with associated systemic disease (OR = 1.57, P = 0.047), mainly potentially lethal (OR = 17.41, P=0.007), and necrotizing scleritis (OR = 4.73, P = 0.026). Successful treatment with BRMs was associated with diffuse or nodular scleritis with associated systemic disease (OR = 3.15, P < 0.001). This study did not require institutional review board approval because the information does not contain any subject identifiers. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with idiopathic diffuse or nodular scleritis with a low degree of scleral inflammation or without ocular complications may respond to NSAIDs. Patients with idiopathic diffuse or nodular scleritis with a high degree of scleral inflammation may respond to SAIDs. Patients with diffuse or nodular scleritis with associated systemic disease may respond to IMT or BRMs. Patients with necrotizing scleritis may respond to IMT, mainly alkylating agents. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.

Importance of iodine in pregnancy.

Iodine is an essential constituent of thyroid hormones (TH). TH actively take part in critical periods of brain development during embryonic, fetal and postnatal stages. Therefore the absence of TH or iodine in these critical periods produces an irreversible brain damage. In fact, it is known that iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable brain damage worldwide. Because of the physiological adjustments during pregnancy iodine requirements increase significantly from 150 microg per day in non-pregnant adult women to 250 microg per day. Moreover, recent epidemiological studies around the world show that iodine intake during pregnancy is insufficient in many countries, even in developed countries like Australia, Spain and Italy. In the present work an overview of the importance of iodine nutrition during pregnancy is given.

Spinal dural closure without suture: Minimizing the risk of CSF leakage with a flat non-penetrating titanium U-clip.

BACKGROUND: The classic surgical spinal dural closure technique in surgery on intradural lesions is performed with continuous suture or loose stitches using 4-0 to 6-0 polypropylene monofilament or nylon suture. Dural closure with suture causes irritant damage to the dural/arachnoid interface. The penetrating suture causes new dural holes. Even the needle of the suture can cause harm to the patient and the surgeon. For these reasons, other non-penetrating techniques for dural closure have been sought. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review was to show the efficacy of using the titanium clip (U-clip) (Ligaclip-MCA of Ethicon Endo-Surgery, LLC, Medical GmbH, Norderstedt, Germany) with a flat internal surface in spinal neurosurgical procedures, and to evaluate the effects of its use on post-operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of a cohort of 50 consecutive patients who underwent intradural spinal surgeries for intradural spinal lesions in the neurosurgery department of our institution between 2013 and 2018. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 27 months. No patient developed a post-operative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dural-cutaneous fistula. CSF leakage was not observed in the control MRIs at 6 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: We describe, for the first time, the use of this type of U-clip with a flat inner side. The non-penetrating titanium U-clip facilitates effective and rapid dural closure at all spinal levels due to its flat internal face when closed. The U-clips did not cause significant artefacts or distortions on the magnetic resonance imaging.

Realce tardío con gadolinio en resonancia magnética cardiaca de 3 T para la evaluación de la anatomía venosa coronaria: factibilidad y hallazgos / Tridimensional late gadolinium enhancement at 3 T cardiac magnetic resonance for the evaluation of coronary venous anatomy: feasibility and findings

Objetivo:El conocimiento de la anatomía venosa coronaria (AVC) tiene importancia crítica para planificar y realizar procedimientos electrofisiológicos como la terapia de resincronización cardiaca (TRC), la terapia de ablación del ventrículo izquierdo y la aurícula derecha y el mapeo de arritmias por catéter. El objetivo es evaluar la viabilidad y las aplicaciones de la resonancia magnética (RM) cardiaca realizada en 3T para la representación no invasiva de la AVC empleando una secuencia tridimensional de realce tardío con gadolinio (RTG-3D). Metodología:Se evaluaron 138 pacientes consecutivos que se sometieron a RM cardiaca 3 T mediante una secuencia RTG-3D durante un año, entre 2016 y 2017. Se identificaron diferentes estructuras venosas coronarias, así como su relación con la fibrosis miocárdica, y otras variables clínicas relevantes. La evaluación de la calidad se realizó mediante tres grupos (óptimos, buenos, malos) de acuerdo con la evaluación visual de cada estudio individual. Se realizaron pruebas de asociación (Chi-cuadrado y Kruskall-Wallis). Resultados:El estudio incluyó 62 mujeres y 76 hombres con una edad promedio de 48 (29-61) años. La secuencia RTG-3D arrojó una calidad diagnóstica (óptima-buena) para la evaluación del AVC en el 76 % de los pacientes (p < 0,001). Se identificaron las siguientes estructuras (pacientes, %): vena interventricular anterior: 110 (79,7 %), gran vena cardiaca: 109 (79 %), vena interventricular posterior: 106 (76,8 %), vena marginal: 53 pacientes (38,4 %) y vena posterolateral: 74 (53,6 %). Se identificó fibrosis miocárdica en 42 pacientes y se registró afectación fibrótica epicárdica de al menos un trayecto en una de las venas coronarias en el 12 % de los pacientes de este subgrupo. Los periodos de adquisición más cortos (p < 0,02) y la realización del estudio bajo anestesia general (p < 0,03) dieron como resultado una calidad del estudio significativamente mejor. Conclusiones:La evaluación no invasiva de la AVC es factible con la secuencia RTG-3D obtenida en 3T RM cardiaca. Este enfoque puede ofrecer una valiosa herramienta clínica para la planificación de procedimientos electrofisiológicos.

Objetivo:El conocimiento de la anatomía venosa coronaria (AVC) tiene importancia crítica para planificar y realizar procedimientos electrofisiológicos como la terapia de resincronización cardiaca (TRC), la terapia de ablación del ventrículo izquierdo y la aurícula derecha y el mapeo de arritmias por catéter. El objetivo es evaluar la viabilidad y las aplicaciones de la resonancia magnética (RM) cardiaca realizada en 3T para la representación no invasiva de la AVC empleando una secuencia tridimensional de realce tardío con gadolinio (RTG-3D). Metodología:Se evaluaron 138 pacientes consecutivos que se sometieron a RM cardiaca 3 T mediante una secuencia RTG-3D durante un año, entre 2016 y 2017. Se identificaron diferentes estructuras venosas coronarias, así como su relación con la fibrosis miocárdica, y otras variables clínicas relevantes. La evaluación de la calidad se realizó mediante tres grupos (óptimos, buenos, malos) de acuerdo con la evaluación visual de cada estudio individual. Se realizaron pruebas de asociación (Chi-cuadrado y Kruskall-Wallis). Resultados:El estudio incluyó 62 mujeres y 76 hombres con una edad promedio de 48 (29-61) años. La secuencia RTG-3D arrojó una calidad diagnóstica (óptima-buena) para la evaluación del AVC en el 76 % de los pacientes (p < 0,001). Se identificaron las siguientes estructuras (pacientes, %): vena interventricular anterior: 110 (79,7 %), gran vena cardiaca: 109 (79 %), vena interventricular posterior: 106 (76,8 %), vena marginal: 53 pacientes (38,4 %) y vena posterolateral: 74 (53,6 %).

Scleritis associated with relapsing polychondritis.

AIMS: To evaluate ocular disease characteristics and successful therapeutic regimens in patients with scleritis associated with relapsing polychondritis (RP). To compare these features with those seen in patients with scleritis associated with other systemic immune-mediated diseases (SIMD). METHODS: Electronic health records of 13 scleritis patients associated with RP were analysed and compared with those of 113 scleritis patients associated with other SIMD seen at two tertiary referral centres. RESULTS: Scleritis in patients with RP was often bilateral (92.3%), diffuse (76.9%), recurrent (84.6%), sometimes with decreased vision (46.2%), anterior uveitis (38.5%), peripheral keratitis (15.4%) and ocular hypertension (30.8%). Patients with scleritis associated with RP more often had bilateral scleritis (p=0.001), necrotising scleritis (23.1%; p=0.02), recurrences (p=0.001) and decreased vision (three of the six with legal blindness; p=0.012), as compared with patients who had scleritis associated with other SIMD. Nine patients (69.2%) had one or more SIMD other than RP, including systemic vasculitis (4) or other autoimmune disease (8); they antedated RP by 9 years (range 2-21 years). Successful therapy included cyclophosphamide (5), methotrexate (3), azathioprine (3), mycophenolate mofetil (2), infliximab (2) and adalimumab (1). CONCLUSIONS: Scleritis may be the first manifestation whose study leads to the diagnosis of RP. Scleritis associated with RP is more often bilateral, necrotising, recurrent and associated with decrease of vision than scleritis associated with other SIMD. About 69.2% of patients will have an additional SIMD disorder. Scleritis associated with RP most often will require immunomodulatory therapy. Occasionally, scleritis with RP may appear while using antitumor necrosis factor α agents.

Resonancia magnética cardiaca: utilidad de la secuencia de realce tardío 3D (RT-3D) en electrofisiología / Cardiac magnetic resonance: usefulness of the 3D late enhancement sequence (RT-3D) in electrophysiology

Resumen La resonancia magnética cardiaca permite una evaluación integral del corazón, provee información de funcionalidad, anatómica y de caracterización tisular, y permite la valoración de la perfusión miocárdica. Entre las secuencias de caracterización tisular se encuentra el realce tardío, el cual ocurre en corazones con fibrosis, trastornos infiltrativos o procesos agudos como miocarditis o infarto agudo de miocardio. Para el área de la electrofisiología, la resonancia magnética cardiaca aporta una gran ayuda en el abordaje diagnóstico de las miocardiopatías isquémicas y no isquémicas, y apoyo para definir el pronóstico de los pacientes con miocardiopatías de acuerdo con la presencia o no de fibrosis miocárdica; además, como parámetro adicional ha demostrado utilidad para la adecuada toma de decisiones en el implante de cardiodesfibriladores en prevención primaria y el implante de terapia de resincronización cardiaca. También ha probado ser de utilidad como guía en la terapia de ablación de la aurícula y el ventrículo izquierdos, y el seguimiento posablación de venas pulmonares para detectar líneas discontinuas de ablación.

Abstract Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging allows a comprehensive evaluation of the heart, provides information on functionality, anatomy, tissue characterization and allows the evaluation of myocardial perfusion. Tissue characterization sequences include late enhancement, which occurs in hearts with fibrosis, infiltrative disorders, or in acute processes such as myocarditis or acute myocardial infarction. In the area of electrophysiology, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is of great assistance in the diagnostic approach of ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies, supports in defining the prognosis of patients with cardiomyopathies according to the presence or absence of myocardial fibrosis, and also as an additional parameter that has been shown to be useful for taking adequate decisions in the implantation of cardioverter defibrillators in primary prevention and the implantation of cardiac resynchronization therapy. It has also proven to be useful as a guide in ablation therapy for the left atrium and left ventricle and its post-ablation monitoring of pulmonary veins to detect discontinuous lines of ablation.