Left Ventricular Noncompaction in Childhood: Echocardiographic Follow-Up and Prevalence in First-Degree Relatives.

Background: Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is characterized by excessive trabeculations of the left ventricular (LV) wall. Objectives: The authors aimed to examine changes in LV function and morphology in 2 to 4-year-old children with and without LVNC at birth and to describe the prevalence of LVNC in first-degree relatives. Methods: Echocardiograms in children with and without LVNC (matched 1:4) were performed at 2 to 4 years and in first-degree relatives. LVNC was blindly assessed and defined as a ratio of non-compact to compact myocardium of ≥2 in ≥1 LV segment. Trabeculations were expressed as a percentage of the number of segments with LVNC out of the total number of segments. Results: In total, 14 (median age 3 years, 71% male) of 16 children with LVNC at birth and 56 children without (median age 4 years, 71% male), 37 first-degree relatives of children with LVNC (median age 31 years, 46% male) and 146 first-degree relatives of children without (median age 33 years, 50% male) were included. In children with LVNC, trabeculation (8% vs 13%, P = 0.81) and LV ejection fraction (50% vs 49%, P = 0.91) were unchanged from birth to follow-up but LV ejection fraction was lower compared to children without LVNC (49% vs 60%, P < 0.001). In relatives of children with LVNC, 11 of 37 (30%) fulfilled LVNC criteria compared to no relatives to children without LVNC (P < 0.001). Conclusions: At 2 to 4 years, children with LVNC diagnosed at birth had reduced systolic function compared to children without but did not have progression of LV dysfunction or extent of trabeculations. In first-degree relatives to children with LVNC, 30% fulfilled criteria.

Infective Endocarditis Antibiotic Prophylaxis: Review of the Evidence and Guidelines.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The question of antibiotic prophylaxis and its role in prevention of infective endocarditis (IE) remains controversial, with differing recommendations from international societies. The aim of this review was to compare and contrast current recommendations on antibiotic prophylaxis for IE by the American Heart Association (AHA), the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and highlight the evidence supporting these recommendations. RECENT FINDINGS: International guidelines for administration of antibiotic prophylaxis for prevention of IE are largely unchanged since 2009. Studies on the impact of the more restrictive antibiotic prophylaxis recommendations are conflicting, with several studies suggesting lack of adherence to current guidance from the ESC (2015), NICE (2016), and AHA (2021). The question of antibiotic prophylaxis in patients with IE remains controversial, with differing recommendations from international societies. Despite the change in guidelines more than 15 years ago, lack of adherence to current guidelines persists. Due to the lack of high-quality evidence and the conflicting results from observational studies along with the lack of randomized clinical trials, the question of whether to recommend antibiotic prophylaxis or not in certain patient populations remains unanswered and remains largely based on expert consensus opinion.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-induced antibodies protect against Omicron breakthrough infection.

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron quickly spread globally, also in regions with high vaccination coverage, emphasizing the importance of exploring the immunological requirements for protection against Omicron breakthrough infection. The test-negative matched case-control study (N = 964) characterized Omicron breakthrough infections in triple-vaccinated individuals from the ENFORCE cohort. Within 60 days before a PCR test spike-specific IgG levels were significantly lower in cases compared to controls (GMR [95% CI] for BA.2: 0.83 [0.73-0.95], p = 0.006). Multivariable logistic regression showed significant associations between high antibody levels and lower odds of infection (aOR [95% CI] for BA.2 spike-specific IgG: 0.65 [0.48-0.88], p = 0.006 and BA.2 ACE2-blocking antibodies: 0.46 [0.30-0.69], p = 0.0002). A sex-stratified analysis showed more pronounced associations for females than males. High levels of vaccine-induced antibodies provide partial protection against Omicron breakthrough infections. This is important knowledge to further characterize a threshold for protection against new variants and to estimate the necessity and timing of booster vaccination.

Omicron Variant-Specific Serological Imprinting Following BA.1 or BA.4/5 Bivalent Vaccination and Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Continuous evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outpaces monovalent vaccine cross-protection to new viral variants. Consequently, bivalent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines including Omicron antigens were developed. The contrasting immunogenicity of the bivalent vaccines and the impact of prior antigenic exposure on new immune imprinting remains to be clarified. METHODS: In the large prospective ENFORCE cohort, we quantified spike-specific antibodies to 5 Omicron variants (BA.1 to BA.5) before and after BA.1 or BA.4/5 bivalent booster vaccination to compare Omicron variant-specific antibody inductions. We evaluated the impact of previous infection and characterized the dominant antibody responses. RESULTS: Prior to the bivalent fourth vaccine, all participants (N = 1697) had high levels of Omicron-specific antibodies. Antibody levels were significantly higher in individuals with a previous polymerase chain reaction positive (PCR+) infection, particularly for BA.2-specific antibodies (geometric mean ratio [GMR] 6.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 6.05-7.62). Antibody levels were further significantly boosted in all individuals by receiving either of the bivalent vaccines, but greater fold inductions to all Omicron variants were observed in individuals with no prior infection. The BA.1 bivalent vaccine generated a dominant response toward BA.1 (adjusted GMR 1.31, 95% CI 1.09-1.57) and BA.3 (1.32, 1.09-1.59) antigens in individuals with no prior infection, whereas the BA.4/5 bivalent vaccine generated a dominant response toward BA.2 (0.87, 0.76-0.98), BA.4 (0.85, 0.75-0.97), and BA.5 (0.87, 0.76-0.99) antigens in individuals with a prior infection. CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination and previous infection leave a clear serological imprint that is focused on the variant-specific antigen. Importantly, both bivalent vaccines induce high levels of Omicron variant-specific antibodies, suggesting broad cross-protection of Omicron variants.

Association of Self-reported Systemic Reactions Following SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination With Immunological Response in the Danish National Cohort Study of Effectiveness and Safety of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines (ENFORCE).

Background: Side effects to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines are a key concern contributing to vaccine hesitancy, but more individuals may be encouraged if SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were known to lead to a stronger immune response. Methods: Included were adult participants from the Danish National Cohort Study of Effectiveness and Safety of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines (ENFORCE) who completed a questionnaire to assess systemic reactions following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (BTN162b2, mRNA-1273, ChAdOx1) and had SARS-CoV-2 spike immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels measured at baseline and post-vaccine. A symptom score was developed to measure severity of systemic adverse reactions (+1 for each moderate, +2 for each severe). Post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG levels were compared between participants with different scores using multivariable linear regression. Results: A total of 6528 participants were included (56.3% females; median age [interquartile range], 64 [54-75] years). After the first vaccination, no association was found between symptom score and post-vaccine dose spike IgG level (P = .575). Following the second vaccination, significantly higher spike IgG levels were observed according to higher symptom scores (P < .001); adjusted geometric mean ratios were 1.16 (95% CI, 1.04-1.30), 1.24 (95% CI, 1.09-1.41), 1.25 (95% CI, 1.06-1.46), and 1.21 (95% CI, 1.08-1.35), for scores of 2, 3, 4, and ≥5, respectively, compared with a score of 0. After adjustment for pre-vaccine dose spike IgG, this association was attenuated. Conclusions: An association was found between more severe adverse reactions and stronger antibody response after the second vaccination but not the first, likely attributed to higher levels of preexisting immunity gained from response to first vaccination. Regardless of side effects, most people experienced an effective immune response following vaccination.

Normative Echocardiographic Left Ventricular Parameters and Reference Intervals in Infants.

BACKGROUND: In pediatric echocardiography, reference intervals are required to distinguish normal variation from pathology. Left ventricular (LV) parameters are particularly important predictors of clinical outcome. However, data from healthy newborns are limited, and current reference intervals provide an inadequate approximation of normal reference ranges. OBJECTIVES: Normative reference intervals and z-scores for 2-dimensional echocardiographic measurements of LV structure and function based on a large group of healthy newborns were developed. METHODS: The study population included 13,454 healthy newborns from the Copenhagen Baby Heart Study who were born at term to healthy mothers, had an echocardiogram performed within 30 days of birth, and did not have congenital heart disease. To develop normative reference intervals, this study modeled 10 LV parameters as a function of body surface area through joint modeling of 4 statistical components. RESULTS: Infants in the study population (48.5% were female) had a median body surface area of 0.23 m2 (IQR: 0.22-0.25 m2) and median age of 12.0 days (IQR: 8.0-15.0 days) at examination. All normative reference intervals performed well in both sexes without stratification on infant sex. In contrast, creation of separate reference models for infants examined at <7 days of age and those examined at 7-30 days of age was necessary to optimize the performance of the reference intervals. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides normative reference intervals and z-scores for 10 clinical, widely used echocardiographic measures of LV structure and function based on a large cohort of newborns. These results provide highly needed reference material for clinical application by pediatric cardiologists.

Investigating Generation of Antibodies against the Lipid Nanoparticle Vector Following COVID-19 Vaccination with an mRNA Vaccine.

Despite the success of mRNA-based vaccines against infectious diseases (including COVID-19), safety concerns have been raised relating to the lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) used to deliver the mRNA cargo. Antibodies against the polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating on these non-viral vectors are present in the general population and can in some instances induce allergic reactions. Furthermore, treatment with PEGylated therapeutics may increase the plasma concentration of such anti-PEG antibodies. The widespread use of PEGylated nanoparticles for mRNA vaccines concerns researchers and clinicians about a potential rise in future cases of allergic reactions against mRNA vaccines and cross-reactions with other PEGylated therapeutics. To determine if vaccination with Comirnaty increased the plasma concentration of antibodies against LNPs, we investigated the blood plasma concentration of anti-LNP antibodies in healthy individuals before and after vaccination with the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty (BNT162b2). Blood samples were acquired from 21 healthy adults before vaccination, 3-4 weeks after the first vaccination dose but before the second dose, and 2-6 months after the second (booster) dose. The blood plasma concentration of antibodies recognizing the LNPs was analyzed using a microscopy-based assay capable of measuring antibody-binding to individual authentic LNPs. No significant increase in anti-LNP antibodies was observed after two doses of Comirnaty. The LNPs used for intramuscular delivery of mRNA in the vaccine against COVID-19, Comirnaty, do, therefore, not seem to induce the generation of anti-vector antibodies.

How nurses use National Early Warning Score and Individual Early Warning Score to support their patient risk assessment practice: A fieldwork study.

AIM: To explore and describe how the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) and Individual Early Warning Score (I-EWS) are used and how they support nurses' patient risk assessment practice. DESIGN: A qualitative observational fieldwork study drawing on ethnographical principles was performed in six hospitals in two regions of Denmark in 2019. METHODS: Data were generated from participant observations and informal interviews with 32 nurses across 15 different wards in the hospitals. A total of 180 h of participant observation was performed. The observations lasted between 1.5 and 8 h and were conducted during day or evening shifts. RESULTS: NEWS and I-EWS supported nurses' observations of patients, providing useful knowledge for planning patient care, and prompting critical thinking. However, the risk assessment task was sometimes delegated to less experienced staff members, such as nursing students and healthcare assistants. The Early Warning Score (EWS) systems were often adapted by nurses according to contextual aspects, such as the culture of the speciality in which the nurses worked and their levels of competency. In some situations, I-EWS had the effect of enhancing nurse autonomy and responsibility for decision-making in relation to patient care. CONCLUSIONS: EWS systems support nurses' patient risk assessment practice, providing useful information. I-EWS makes it easier to factor the heterogeneity of patients and the clinical situation into the risk assessments. The delegation of risk assessment to other, less experienced staff members pose a risk to patient safety, which needs to be addressed in the ongoing debate regarding the shortage of nurses. IMPACT: The findings of this study can help ward nurses, hospital managers and policymakers to develop and improve strategies for improved person-centred nursing care.

Predictive and prognostic value of different cardiac troponin assays: a nationwide register-based cohort study.

AIMS: Guidelines do not differentiate between the available assays of cardiac troponin (cTn). We compared the prognostic and predictive ability of cTn assays. METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a nationwide cohort study of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and ≥ 2 cTn measurements of one of four assays: Roche high-sensitivity cTnT (hs-cTnT), Abbott high sensitivity cTnI (hs-cTnI), Siemens Vista cTnI, and Siemens cTnI Ultra. Data were collected from Danish registries from 2009-18. Peak cTn concentration normalized to the 99th percentile was used. Outcomes were myocardial infarction (MI) during admission, one-year all-cause-, cardiovascular-, and non-cardiovascular mortality. Receiver operating characteristics and logistic regression calculating odds ratios (OR) were used. A total of 90 705 patients were included, of which 20 550 (23%) had MI. Siemens Vista cTnI was the strongest predictor of MI, Area under the curve (auc) 0.93 (95% CI 0.93-0.93). In 1 year 9012 (9.9%) of patients had died. An inverted U-shape relationship was observed between concentration of cTn and all-cause mortality. Hs-cTnT OR 21.3 (95% CI 18.4-24.8) at 2-5 times the 99th percentile and 12.1 (95% CI 10.3-14.1) for concentrations >100 times the 99th percentile. The inverted U-shape relationship was only present for non-cardiovascular mortality. The strongest predictor of cardiovascular mortality was hs-cTnT, OR 11.3 (95% CI 6.4-21.8) at 1-2 times the 99th percentile and 88.8 (95% CI 53.2-163.0) for concentrations >100 times the 99th percentile. CONCLUSION: Siemens Vista cTnI was the strongest predictor of MI and hs-cTnT was the strongest predictor of mortality. An inverted U-shape relationship was observed between cTn concentration and non-cardiovascular mortality.

Comparison of vaccine-induced antibody neutralization against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern following primary and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has, as of July 2022, infected more than 550 million people and caused over 6 million deaths across the world. COVID-19 vaccines were quickly developed to protect against severe disease, hospitalization and death. In the present study, we performed a direct comparative analysis of four COVID-19 vaccines: BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech), mRNA-1273 (Moderna), ChAdOx1 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) and Ad26.COV2.S (Johnson & Johnson/Janssen), following primary and booster vaccination. We focused on the vaccine-induced antibody-mediated immune response against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants: wildtype, B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), B.1.617.2 (Delta) and B.1.1.529 (Omicron). The analysis included the quantification of total IgG levels against SARS-CoV-2 Spike, as well as the quantification of antibody neutralization titers. Furthermore, the study assessed the high-throughput ACE2 competition assay as a surrogate for the traditional pseudovirus neutralization assay. The results demonstrated marked differences in antibody-mediated immune responses. The lowest Spike-specific IgG levels and antibody neutralization titers were induced by one dose of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine, intermediate levels by two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine, and the highest levels by two doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine or heterologous vaccination of one dose of the ChAdOx1 vaccine and a subsequent mRNA vaccine. The study also demonstrated that accumulation of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein mutations was accompanied by a marked decline in antibody neutralization capacity, especially for B.1.1.529. Administration of a booster dose was shown to significantly increase Spike-specific IgG levels and antibody neutralization titers, erasing the differences between the vaccine-induced antibody-mediated immune response between the four vaccines. The findings of this study highlight the importance of booster vaccines and the potential inclusion of future heterologous vaccination strategies for broad protection against current and emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Prevalence of Left Ventricular Noncompaction in Newborns.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is characterized by excessive trabeculations of the LV and may be associated with reduced systolic function or severe adverse outcomes. Several aspects remain to be elucidated; there is controversy to whether LVNC cardiomyopathy is a distinct cardiomyopathy caused by failure of the spongy fetal myocardium to condense during fetal development or acquired later in life as a morphological trait associated with other types of cardiomyopathy; the prevalence in unselected populations is unknown and the distinction between normal variation and pathology remains to be defined. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of LVNC and the association to LV systolic function in a large, population-based cohort of neonates. In addition, we assessed the normal ratio of noncompact to compact (NC:C) myocardium in 150 healthy neonates. METHODS: Echocardiographic data were prospectively collected in the population study Copenhagen Baby Heart Study. The ratio of NC:C was measured in 12 ventricular segments. LVNC was defined as NC:C ≥2 in at least one segment. Neonates with LVNC were matched 1:10 to controls on sex, gestational age, and weight and age at the examination day. RESULTS: In total, 25 590 neonates (52% males, median age 11 [interquartile range, 7-15] days) underwent echocardiography. Among 21 133 with satisfactory visualization of ventricular segments, we identified a prevalence of LVNC of 0.076% (95% CI, 0.047-0.123). LV ejection fraction was lower in neonates with LVNC compared with matched controls (median 49.5 versus 59.0%; P<0.0001). In neonates with otherwise healthy hearts, the median NC:C ratio ranged from 0.0 to 0.7 and the 99th percentiles from 1.0 to 1.9 for each of the 12 segments. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of LVNC based on neonatal echocardiography was 0.076%. LVNC was associated with lower LV systolic function. The findings in normal newborns support the cutoff NC:C ≥2 as an appropriate diagnostic criterion. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov; Unique identifier: NCT02753348.

Proteomic Characterization of Atherosclerotic Lesions In Situ Using Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Angioplasty Balloons-Brief Report.

BACKGROUND: Materials extracted from atherosclerotic arteries can disclose data about the molecular pathology of cardiovascular disease, but obtaining such samples is complex and requires invasive surgery. To overcome this barrier, this study investigated whether angioplasty balloons inflated during standard percutaneous coronary interventions retain proteins from treated (dilated) atherosclerotic lesions and whether proteomic analysis of this material could provide data on lesion protein profiles and distinguish between patients with stable and unstable coronary artery disease. METHODS: Patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction and stable angina pectoris were subjected to routine percutaneous coronary interventions. All angioplasty balloons inflated in a coronary artery were collected. Proteins retained on the balloons were extracted and analyzed using shotgun proteomic analysis. RESULTS: Proteomics identified and quantified 1365 unique proteins captured on percutaneous coronary intervention balloons. Control balloons inflated in the ascending aorta showed minimal nonspecific protein binding, indicating specificity to the luminal region of atherosclerotic lesions of the diseased artery wall. Clustering and principal component analyses showed that ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction and stable angina pectoris subjects could be separated by variations in protein content and abundance. We identified 206 proteins as differentially abundant between ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction and stable angina pectoris subjects. Pathway analysis indicated several enriched processes in the ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction group involved in neutrophil-mediated immunity and platelet activation. CONCLUSIONS: Disease-related proteins from coronary artery lesions adhere to angioplasty balloons and constitute a source of material for proteomic analysis. This approach can identify proteins and processes occurring in unstable coronary atherosclerotic lesions and suggest novel therapeutic approaches.

Maternal Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Cardiac Structure and Function in the Newborn.

Background: Maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs) are strongly associated with offspring congenital heart defects. Objectives: This study assessed whether infants exposed to maternal HDPs were also more likely to have subtle cardiac structural and functional abnormalities than unexposed infants. Methods: We used regression analyses to compare: 1) left ventricular parameters from conventional echocardiography performed in infants from the Copenhagen Baby Heart Study born to mothers with preeclampsia, gestational hypertension (GH), or no HDP; and 2) advanced echocardiographic parameters for 545 term infants born to mothers with preeclampsia and 545 matched infants not exposed to HDPs. Results: Compared with infants unexposed to HDPs (n = 17,384), infants exposed to preeclampsia (n = 754) had a thicker interventricular septum in end-diastole (adjusted mean difference [± SD] 0.05 [±0.02] mm; P = 0.004), thicker left ventricular posterior wall (0.04 [±0.02] mm; P = 0.009), larger left ventricular internal diameter (0.12 [±0.06] mm; P = 0.04), and larger left ventricular volume (0.21 [±0.10] mL; P = 0.03). Systolic function changes included increased fractional shortening (0.36% [±0.14%]; P = 0.01) and stroke volume (0.18 [±0.07] mL; P = 0.006), whereas diastolic function changes included lower transmitral early peak inflow velocity (-1.76 [±0.49] mL; P = 0.0003), lower mitral annulus lateral wall a' (-0.21 [±0.09] cm/s; P = 0.02), and smaller lateral E/e' (-1.06 [±0.38] cm/s; P = 0.005). Conversely, there was little evidence of any association between maternal GH (n = 469) and offspring left ventricular parameters. Conclusions: Maternal preeclampsia, but not GH, was associated with subtle newborn cardiac morphological and functional alterations, including thickening of the left ventricular myocardium and altered systolic and diastolic function.

Assessment of patients with a suspected cardioembolic ischemic stroke. A national consensus statement.

OBJECTIVES: Several cardiovascular, structural, and functional abnormalities have been considered as potential causes of cardioembolic ischemic strokes. Beyond atrial fibrillation, other sources of embolism clearly exist and may warrant urgent action, but they are only a minor part of the many stroke mechanisms and strokes that seem to be of embolic origin remain without a determined source. The associations between stroke and findings like atrial fibrillation, valve calcification, or heart failure are confounded by co-existing risk factors for atherosclerosis and vascular disease. In addition, a patent foramen ovale which is a common abnormality in the general population is mostly an innocent bystander in patients with ischemic stroke. For these reasons, experts from the national Danish societies of cardiology, neurology, stroke, and neuroradiology sought to develop a consensus document to provide national recommendations on how to manage patients with a suspected cardioembolic stroke. Design: Comprehensive literature search and analyses were done by a panel of experts and presented at a consensus meeting. Evidence supporting each subject was vetted by open discussion and statements were adjusted thereafter. Results: The most common sources of embolic stroke were identified, and the statement provides advise on how neurologist can identify cases that need referral, and what is expected by the cardiologist. Conclusions: A primary neurological and neuroradiological assessment is mandatory and neurovascular specialists should manage the initiation of secondary prophylactic treatment. If a cardioembolic stroke is suspected, a dedicated cardiologist experienced in the management of cardioembolism should provide a tailored clinical and echocardiographic assessment.

Nurses' Experiences and Perceptions of two Early Warning Score systems to Identify Patient Deterioration-A Focus Group Study.

AIMS: To explore Registered Nurses' experiences and perceptions with National Early Warning Score and Individual Early Warning Score to identify patient deterioration. DESIGN: A qualitative exploratory design. METHODS: Six focus groups were conducted at six Danish hospitals from February to June 2019. Registered Nurses from both medical, surgical and emergency departments participated. The focus groups were analysed using content analysis. RESULTS: One theme and four categories were identified. Theme: Meaningful in identifying patient deterioration but causing frustration due to lack of flexibility. Categories: (a) Inter-professional collaboration strengthened through the use of Early Warning Score systems, (b) Enhanced professional development and communication among nurses when using Early Warning Score systems, (c) Detecting patient deterioration by integrating nurses' clinical gaze with Early Warning Score systems and (d) Modification and fear of making mistakes when using Early Warning Score systems.