Current awareness and use of transthoracic echocardiography in evaluation of valvular heart disease in Kumamoto Prefecture -a report from the Kumamoto cardiovascular echocardiography standardization project.

BACKGROUND: There are few reports on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) for the evaluation of valvular heart disease in a specific area or region. METHODS AND RESULTS: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted in 2023 in Kumamoto Prefecture, where 106 hospitals provide cardiology services. Ninety-three (88%) of the hospitals completed questionnaires regarding TTE. The severity of low flow/low gradient AS was evaluated by dobutamine stress echocardiography in only 7% of hospitals and exercise stress echocardiography for asymptomatic mitral regurgitation in only 5%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that participation in remote multi-institutional echocardiographic meetings and use of the Kumamoto Prefecture echocardiographic manual were significantly associated with the use of a multi-window approach (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In Kumamoto Prefecture, echocardiographic measurements are performed according to the recommendations at a relatively low rate. Dissemination of recommendations through remote meetings and the use of the echocardiographic manual may increase the likelihood of TTE being performed according to the recommendations.

Comparing Anticoagulation Strategies for Venous Thromboembolism Associated With Active Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Current guidelines recommend several direct oral anticoagulant agents (DOACs) equally for managing cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE). Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of DOACs in patients with active cancer. Methods: Literature searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central in November 2022. Randomized controlled trials investigating anticoagulation strategies (vitamin K antagonists, parenteral anticoagulation [eg, low-molecular weight heparin], and DOACs) for VTE in patients with active cancer were identified for network meta-analysis. The outcomes included recurrent VTE, recurrent pulmonary embolism, recurrent deep venous thrombosis, major bleeding, clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding (CRNMB), and a composite outcome of major bleeding or CRNMB. Pooled HRs and 95% CIs were estimated using either the HR or relative risk provided from each study. Random-effects models were used for all the analyses. Results: Seventeen randomized controlled trials involving 6,623 patients with active cancer were included. No significant differences were found among the DOACs for efficacy outcomes (recurrent VTE, pulmonary embolism, and deep venous thrombosis). In terms of major bleeding, apixaban was similarly safe compared with dabigatran and rivaroxaban but was associated with a decreased risk compared with edoxaban (HR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.15-0.93). Regarding CRNMB, edoxaban was similarly safe compared with apixaban but was associated with a decreased risk compared with rivaroxaban (HR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.10-0.91). Compared with parenteral anticoagulation, apixaban was associated with a reduced risk for recurrent VTE (HR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.38-0.93) without increasing bleeding, edoxaban was associated with an increased risk for major bleeding or CRNMB (HR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.02-1.79), and rivaroxaban was associated with an increased risk for CRNMB (HR: 3.76; 95% CI: 1.43-9.88). Conclusions: DOACs demonstrate comparable efficacy but exhibit different safety profiles. Apixaban may confer an antithrombotic benefit without an increased risk for bleeding, distinguishing it from other contemporary anticoagulation strategies in patients with active cancer and VTE.

Downregulation of SMOC1 is associated with progression of colorectal traditional serrated adenomas.

BACKGROUND: Aberrant DNA methylation is prevalent in colorectal serrated lesions. We previously reported that the CpG island of SMOC1 is frequently methylated in traditional serrated adenomas (TSAs) and colorectal cancers (CRCs) but is rarely methylated in sessile serrated lesions (SSLs). In the present study, we aimed to further characterize the expression of SMOC1 in early colorectal lesions. METHODS: SMOC1 expression was analyzed immunohistochemically in a series of colorectal tumors (n = 199) and adjacent normal colonic tissues (n = 112). RESULTS: SMOC1 was abundantly expressed in normal colon and SSLs while it was significantly downregulated in TSAs, advanced adenomas and cancers. Mean immunohistochemistry scores were as follows: normal colon, 24.2; hyperplastic polyp (HP), 18.9; SSL, 23.8; SSL with dysplasia (SSLD)/SSL with early invasive cancer (EIC), 15.8; TSA, 5.4; TSA with high grade dysplasia (HGD)/EIC, 4.7; non-advanced adenoma, 21.4; advanced adenoma, 11.9; EIC, 10.9. Higher levels SMOC1 expression correlated positively with proximal colon locations and flat tumoral morphology, reflecting its abundant expression in SSLs. Among TSAs that contained both flat and protruding components, levels of SMOC1 expression were significantly lower in the protruding components. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that reduced expression of SMOC1 is associated with progression of TSAs and conventional adenomas and that SMOC1 expression may be a biomarker for diagnosis of serrated lesions and risk prediction in colorectal tumors.

Open-Label, Single-Center, Single-Arm Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Elobixibat for Chronic Constipation in Patients With Heart Failure.

Background: Neither the efficacy nor safety of elobixibat has been investigated in the treatment of chronic constipation in patients with heart failure (HF). Methods and Results: In this prospective, single-center, single-arm study elobixibat (10 mg/day) was administered for 12 weeks to 18 HF patients with chronic constipation defined according to the Rome IV criteria. Spontaneous bowel movement (SBM), stool consistency as measured by the Bristol Stool Form Scale, and degree of straining during defecation were recorded. In addition, biomarkers, blood pressure (BP) measured by ambulatory monitoring, and adverse events were assessed. Although there was no significant difference, the frequency of SBM increased by 2.0/week from baseline to Week 12. Both the degree of straining during defecation and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were significantly decreased at Week 12 (straining, -0.79 [95% confidence interval (CI), -1.40 to -0.17]; LDL-C, -10.4 mg/dL [95% CI, -17.9 to -2.9]). Although not significant, the difference in BP before and after defecation tended to decrease from baseline by approximately 10 mmHg at Week 12. Serious adverse events were not observed. Conclusions: Elobixibat reduced the degree of straining during defecation, and improved the lipid profile in HF patients with chronic constipation.

Efficacy and Safety of Esaxerenone in Hypertensive Patients with Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (ESES-LVH) Study: A Multicenter, Open-Label, Prospective, Interventional Study.

INTRODUCTION: In contrast to the antihypertensive effect of esaxerenone, there is little evidence of its cardioprotective effect. We investigated the efficacy and safety of esaxerenone in patients with uncontrolled hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy taking a renin-angiotensin system inhibitor (RASi) or calcium-channel blocker (CCB). METHODS: This was a multicenter, open-label, exploratory study with a 24-week treatment period. Esaxerenone was orally administered at an initial dose of 2.5 mg/day (maximum dose: 5 mg/day). The primary endpoints were the change in morning home systolic blood pressure (BP)/diastolic BP and change and percentage change in left ventricular mass index (LVMI) from baseline to end of treatment (EOT). Key secondary endpoints included change from baseline in bedtime home and office BP, achievement rate of target BP, and safety. RESULTS: In total, 60 patients were enrolled. Morning home systolic/diastolic BP was significantly decreased from baseline to EOT in the total population (- 11.5/ - 4.7 mmHg, p < 0.001) and in both the RASi and CCB subcohorts (all p < 0.01). Significant reductions in bedtime home and office BP were shown in the total population and both subcohorts. LVMI was also significantly decreased from baseline to EOT in the total population (- 9.9 g/m2, - 8.5%, both p < 0.001) and both subcohorts (all p < 0.05). The incidences of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and drug-related TEAEs were 35.0% and 3.3%, respectively; most were mild or moderate. No new safety concerns were identified. CONCLUSION: Esaxerenone showed favorable antihypertensive and cardioprotective effects and safety in hypertensive patients with cardiac hypertrophy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Japan Registry of Clinical Trials (jRCTs071190043).

A new staging system using right atrial strain in patients with immunoglobulin light-chain cardiac amyloidosis.

AIMS: There are minimal data on the prognostic impact of right atrial strain during the reservoir phase (RASr) in patients with immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) cardiac amyloidosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Among 78 patients who were diagnosed with AL cardiac amyloidosis at Kumamoto University Hospital from 2007 to 2022, 72 patients with sufficient two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging data without chemotherapy before the diagnosis were retrospectively analysed. During a median follow-up of 403 days, 31 deaths occurred. Age and the rate of male sex were not significantly different between the all-cause death group and the survival group (age, 70.4 ± 8.8 years vs. 67.0 ± 10.0 years, P = 0.14, male sex, 65% vs. 66%, P = 0.91). The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was significantly lower, and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) were significantly higher, in the all-cause death group versus the survival group (eGFR, 48.2 ± 21.0 mL/min/1.73 m2 vs. 59.4 ± 24.4 mL/min/1.73 m2 , P < 0.05, BNP, 725 [360-1312] pg/mL vs. 123 [81-310] pg/mL, P < 0.01, hs-cTnT, 0.12 [0.07-0.18] ng/mL vs. 0.05 [0.03-0.08] ng/mL, P < 0.01). Left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) (LV-GLS), left atrial strain during the reservoir phase (LASr), right ventricular GLS (RV-GLS), and RASr were significantly lower in the all-cause death group versus the survival group (LV-GLS, 8.5 ± 4.3% vs. 11.8 ± 3.8%, P < 0.01, LASr, 8.8 ± 7.1% vs. 14.3 ± 8.1%, P < 0.01, RV-GLS, 11.6 ± 5.1% vs. 16.4 ± 3.9%, P < 0.01, RASr, 10.2 ± 7.3% vs. 20.7 ± 9.5%, P < 0.01). RASr was significantly associated with all-cause death after adjusting for RV-GLS, LV-GLS and LASr (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.91, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.83-0.99, P < 0.05). RASr and log-transformed BNP were significantly associated with all-cause death after adjusting for log-transformed troponin T and eGFR (RASr, HR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.87-1.00, P < 0.05; log-transformed BNP, HR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.17-3.79, P < 0.05). The optimal cut-off values were RASr: 16.4% (sensitivity: 66%, specificity: 84%, area under curve [AUC]: 0.81) and BNP: 311.2 pg/mL (sensitivity: 83%, specificity: 78%, AUC: 0.82) to predict all-cause mortality using ROC analysis. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with low RASr (<16.4%) or high BNP (>311.2 pg/mL) had a significantly high probability of all-cause death (both, P < 0.01). We devised a new staging score by adding 1 point if RASr decreased or BNP levels increased more than each cut-off value. The HR for all-cause death using score 0 as a reference was 5.95 (95% CI: 1.19-29.79; P < 0.05) for score 1 and 23.29 (95% CI: 5.37-100.98; P < 0.01) for score 2. CONCLUSIONS: The new staging system using RASr and BNP predicted prognosis in patients with AL cardiac amyloidosis.

Impaired Cholesterol Efflux Capacity rather than Low HDL-C Reflects Oxidative Stress under Acute Myocardial Infarction.

AIMS: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) causes irreversible damage to cardiomyocytes due to the discontinuation of oxygen supply and leads to systemic oxidative stress. It has been reported that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles have antioxidant capacity, and reduced antioxidant capacity is associated with decreased cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC). The purpose of this study was to clarify the usefulness of CEC measurement in patients with AMI. METHODS: We investigated the association between CEC and oxidative stress status in a case-control study. This study included 193 AMI cases and 445 age- and sex-matched controls. We examined the associations of CEC with HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and oxidized human serum albumin (HSA), an index of systemic oxidative stress status, and the effect of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) rs671 polymorphism, which has been reported to affect HDL-C level and risk for MI, on these associations. RESULTS: Both bivariable and multivariable analyses showed that CEC was positively correlated with HDL-C levels in both AMI cases and controls, with a weaker correlation in AMI cases than in controls. In AMI cases, oxidized HSA levels were associated with CEC in both bivariable and multivariable analyses, but not with HDL-C. These associations did not differ among the ALDH2 genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: CEC, but not HDL-C level, reflects systemic oxidative stress status in patients with AMI. CEC measurement for patients with AMI may be useful in that it provides information on systemic oxidative stress status as well as atherosclerosis risk.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with portal hypertension: Noninvasive comprehensive assessment using computed tomography.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with portal hypertension, known as portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) is one of the important and serious pulmonary complications in patients with portal hypertension. Although there are a large number of patients with portal hypertension due to mainly liver cirrhosis, the number of cases diagnosed with PoPH are far fewer because the causes of dyspnea in patients with cirrhosis are diverse and the disease entity of PoPH is poorly recognized by clinicians. We report here the case with PoPH suggested and assessed comprehensively by dual energy computed tomography (CT) including high-resolution pulmonary CT angiography, pulmonary perfusion imaging, myocardial late iodine enhancement imaging, and myocardial extracellular volume analysis. This refined CT imaging protocol can be used in conjunction with standard chest evaluation and offers a practical and useful approach for the noninvasive "one-stop shop" evaluation of PoPH.

Periprocedural Thrombogenicity Change Is Associated With Subclinical Leaflet Thrombosis Progression in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Background: Subclinical leaflet thrombosis occasionally occurs after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), but its exact etiology and relationship with thrombogenicity remain unknown. Methods and Results: This study enrolled 35 patients who underwent TAVI. Thrombogenicity was evaluated using a total thrombus-formation analysis system (T-TAS) to compute the thrombus-formation area under the curve (PL18-AUC10 and AR10-AUC30). Periprocedural thrombogenic parameters including T-TAS were investigated at pre-TAVI, 2 days, 7 days, and 3 months post-TAVI. Hypoattenuated leaflet thickening (HALT) and maximum leaflet thickness (MLT) were evaluated using contrast-enhanced computed tomography 7 days and 3 months post-TAVI. The associations between thrombogenicity and HALT or MLT were assessed. T-TAS parameters consistently decreased at 2 and 7 days post-TAVI, followed by improvement at 3 months. HALT was detected in 20% and 17% of patients at 7 days and 3 months, respectively, post-TAVI. The median MLT value was 1.60 mm at 7 days and 3 months post-TAVI. A significant positive correlation was observed between the decrease in the AR10-AUC30 and MLT at 7 days post-TAVI. Univariate linear regression analysis revealed a decrease in the AR10-AUC30 and an increase in the D-dimer level as a significant predictor of MLT deterioration. Conclusions: The findings suggested that a transient decrease in thrombogenicity following TAVI predicts leaflet thrombosis, implying that monitoring thrombogenicity may be useful for predicting progression of leaflet thrombosis.

Prognostic impact of diabetes mellitus on in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicating renal dysfunction according to age and sex.

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicating renal dysfunction (RD) are recognized as being at high risk. Although diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major cause of RD, the prognostic impact of coexisting DM on mortality in patients with AMI complicating RD is ill-defined. This study compared the prognostic impact of coexisting DM in patients with AMI complicating RD according to both age and sex. METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted on 2988 consecutive patients with AMI complicating RD (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min per 1.73 m2). Multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed to investigate the effects of DM on in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Statistically significant interactions between age and DM and between sex and DM for in-hospital mortality were revealed in the entire cohort. Coexisting DM was identified as an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 2.543) in young (aged <65 years), but not old (aged ≥65 years), patients. DM was identified as an independent risk factor (HR, 1.469) in male, but not female, patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that DM correlated with significantly low survival rates in patients that were young or male as compared to those who were old or female. CONCLUSIONS: There were significant differences in the prognostic impact of DM on in-hospital mortality between young and old as well as male and female patients with AMI complicating RD. These results have implications for future research and the management of patients with DM, RD, and AMI comorbidities.

Prognostic Significance of Soluble PD-L1 on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.

AIMS: Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) regulate T cells, leading to immunotolerance. We previously demonstrated that patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) had increased circulating levels of soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1). However, the prognostic significance of sPD-L1 on cardiovascular outcomes is unknown. In the present study, we evaluated the association between sPD-L1 and cardiovascular events in patients with CAD. METHODS: We prospectively measured sPD-L1 in patients with CAD admitted to Kumamoto University Hospital between December 2017 and January 2020 and observed their cardiovascular event rate. The primary outcome was a composite of death from non-cardiovascular causes, death from cardiovascular causes, non-fatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, revascularization, hospitalization for heart failure, and ischemic stroke. RESULTS: Finally, 627 patients were enrolled, and 35 patients were lost to follow-up. The median follow-up duration was 522 days. In total, 124 events were recorded. The Kaplan-Meier curve showed that the event rate was higher in the higher sPD-L1 group (median ≥ 136 pg/dL) than in the lower sPD-L1 group (25.0% vs. 16.9%; p=0.028, log-rank test). Univariate Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, an estimated glomerular filtration rate of ＜60 mL/min/1.73m 2, B-type natriuretic peptide, left ventricular ejection fraction, and sPD-L1 were significantly associated with cardiovascular events. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis of factors that were significant in univariate analysis identified that sPD-L1 was significantly and independently associated with cardiovascular events (hazard ratio: 1.364, 95% confidence interval: 1.018-1.828, p=0.038). CONCLUSIONS: Higher sPD-L1 levels were significantly associated with future cardiovascular events in patients with CAD.

ACLP Activates Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts and Inhibits CD8+ T-Cell Infiltration in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

We previously showed that upregulation of adipocyte enhancer-binding protein 1 (AEBP1) in vascular endothelial cells promotes tumor angiogenesis. In the present study, we aimed to clarify the role of stromal AEBP1/ACLP expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Immunohistochemical analysis showed that ACLP is abundantly expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in primary OSCC tissues and that upregulated expression of ACLP is associated with disease progression. Analysis using CAFs obtained from surgically resected OSCCs showed that the expression of AEBP1/ACLP in CAFs is upregulated by co-culture with OSCC cells or treatment with TGF-ß1, suggesting cancer-cell-derived TGF-ß1 induces AEBP1/ACLP in CAFs. Collagen gel contraction assays showed that ACLP contributes to the activation of CAFs. In addition, CAF-derived ACLP promotes migration, invasion, and in vivo tumor formation by OSCC cells. Notably, tumor stromal ACLP expression correlated positively with collagen expression and correlated inversely with CD8+ T cell infiltration into primary OSCC tumors. Boyden chamber assays suggested that ACLP in CAFs may attenuate CD8+ T cell migration. Our results suggest that stromal ACLP contributes to the development of OSCCs, and that ACLP is a potential therapeutic target.

TM4SF1-AS1 inhibits apoptosis by promoting stress granule formation in cancer cells.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play pivotal roles in tumor development. To identify dysregulated lncRNAs in gastric cancer (GC), we analyzed genome-wide trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) to screen for transcriptionally active lncRNA genes in the non-tumorous gastric mucosa of patients with GC and healthy individuals. We found that H3K4me3 at TM4SF1-AS1 was specifically upregulated in GC patients and that the expression of TM4SF1-AS1 was significantly elevated in primary and cultured GC cells. TM4SF1-AS1 contributes to GC cell growth in vitro and in vivo, and its oncogenic function is mediated, at least in part, through interactions with purine-rich element-binding protein α (Pur-α) and Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1). TM4SF1-AS1 also activates interferon signaling in GC cells, which is dependent on Pur-α and RIG-I. Chromatin isolation by RNA purification (ChIRP)-mass spectrometry demonstrated that TM4SF1-AS1 was associated with several stress granule (SG)-related proteins, including G3BP2, RACK1, and DDX3. Notably, TM4SF1-AS1 promoted SG formation and inhibited apoptosis in GC cells by sequestering RACK1, an activator of the stress-responsive MAPK pathway, within SGs. TM4SF1-AS1-induced SG formation and apoptosis inhibition are dependent on Pur-α and YB-1. These findings suggested that TM4SF1-AS1 contributes to tumorigenesis by enhancing SG-mediated stress adaptation.

Usefulness of automatic assessment for longitudinal strain to diagnose wild-type transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) apical sparing by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) has not been widely accepted to diagnose transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), because it is time consuming and requires a level of expertise. We hypothesized that automatic assessment may be the solution for these problems. Methods-and-Results: We enrolled 63 patients aged ≥70 years who underwent 99mTc-labeled pyrophosphate (99mTc-PYP) scintigraphy on suspicion of ATTR-CM and performed TTE by EPIQ7G, and had enough information for two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography at Kumamoto University Hospital from January 2016 to December 2019. LV apical sparing was described as a high relative apical longitudinal strain (LS) index (RapLSI). Measurement of LS was repeated using the same apical images with three different measurement packages as follows: (1) full-automatic assessment, (2) semi-automatic assessment, and (3) manual assessment. The calculation time for full-automatic assessment (14.7 ± 1.4 sec/patient) and semi-automatic assessment (66.7 ± 14.4 sec/patient) were significantly shorter than that for manual assessment (171.2 ± 59.7 sec/patient) (p < 0.01 for both). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under curve of the RapLSI evaluated by full-automatic assessment for predicting ATTR-CM was 0.70 (best cut-off point; 1.14 [sensitivity 63%, specificity 81%]), by semi-automatic assessment was 0.85 (best cut-off point; 1.00 [sensitivity, 66%; specificity, 100%]) and by manual assessment was 0.83 (best cut-off point; 0.97 [sensitivity, 72%; specificity, 97%]). Conclusion: There was no significant difference between the diagnostic accuracy of RapLSI estimated by semi-automatic assessment and that estimated by manual assessment. Semi-automatically assessed RapLSI is useful to diagnose ATTR-CM in terms of rapidity and diagnostic accuracy.

Coronary Stent Evaluation by CTA: Image Quality Comparison Between Super-Resolution Deep Learning Reconstruction and Other Reconstruction Algorithms.

BACKGROUND. A super-resolution deep learning reconstruction (SR-DLR) algorithm may provide better image sharpness than earlier reconstruction algorithms and thereby improve coronary stent assessment on coronary CTA. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to compare SR-DLR and other reconstruction algorithms in terms of image quality measures related to coronary stent evaluation in patients undergoing coronary CTA. METHODS. This retrospective study included patients with at least one coronary artery stent who underwent coronary CTA between January 2020 and December 2020. Examinations were performed using a 320-row normal-resolution scanner and were reconstructed with hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR), model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR), normal-resolution deep learning reconstruction (NR-DLR), and SR-DLR algorithms. Quantitative image quality measures were determined. Two radiologists independently reviewed images to rank the four reconstructions (4-point scale: 1 = worst reconstruction, 4 = best reconstruction) for qualitative measures and to score diagnostic confidence (5-point scale: score ≥ 3 indicating an assessable stent). The assessability rate was calculated for stents with a diameter of 3.0 mm or less. RESULTS. The sample included 24 patients (18 men, six women; mean age, 72.5 ± 9.8 [SD] years), with 51 stents. SR-DLR, in comparison with the other reconstructions, yielded lower stent-related blooming artifacts (median, 40.3 vs 53.4-58.2), stent-induced attenuation increase ratio (0.17 vs 0.27-0.31), and quantitative image noise (18.1 vs 20.9-30.4 HU) and higher in-stent lumen diameter (2.4 vs 1.7-1.9 mm), stent strut sharpness (327 vs 147-210 ΔHU/mm), and CNR (30.0 vs 16.0-25.6) (all p < .001). For both observers, all ranked measures (image sharpness; image noise; noise texture; delineation of stent strut, in-stent lumen, coronary artery wall, and calcified plaque surrounding the stent) and diagnostic confidence showed a higher score for SR-DLR (median, 4.0 for all features) than for the other reconstructions (range, 1.0-3.0) (all p < .001). The assessability rate for stents with a diameter of 3.0 mm or less (n = 37) was higher for SR-DLR (86.5% for observer 1 and 89.2% for observer 2) than for HIR (35.1% and 43.2%), MBIR (59.5% and 62.2%), and NR-DLR (62.2% and 64.9%) (all p < .05). CONCLUSION. SR-DLR yielded improved delineation of the stent strut and in-stent lumen, with better image sharpness and less image noise and blooming artifacts, in comparison with HIR, MBIR, and NR-DLR. CLINICAL IMPACT. SR-DLR may facilitate coronary stent assessment on a 320-row normal-resolution scanner, particularly for small-diameter stents.

Prevalence of Cardiac Amyloidosis in Patients Undergoing Carpal Tunnel Release With Amyloid Deposition.

BACKGROUND: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is considered an early sign of cardiac amyloidosis (CA) because amyloid deposition is often confirmed in the tenosynovium removed during carpal tunnel release (CTR); however, the prevalence of concomitant CA is unclear.Methods and Results: We prospectively examined 700 patients who underwent CTR and evaluated amyloid deposition after tenosynovium removal. Amyloid deposition was observed in 261 (37%) patients, who were significantly older and predominantly male (P<0.05). Of them, 120 agreed to cardiac screening. We performed 99 mTc-labeled pyrophosphate (99 mTc-PYP) scintigraphy in 12 patients who met either of the following criteria: (1) interventricular septal diameter (IVSd) ≥14 mm or (2) 12 mm ≤ IVSd < 14 mm with above-normal limits in high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT). Six patients (50%) had positive findings on 99 mTc-PYP scintigraphy and were diagnosed with wild-type transthyretin CA. Concomitant CA was observed in 6/120 (5%) CTR patients with amyloid deposition and 50% (6/12) in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (≥12 mm) with increased hs-cTnT levels. CONCLUSIONS: Amyloid deposition was frequently observed in the removed tenosynovium of elderly men with CTS. Cardiac screening may be useful for early diagnosis of CA in patients undergoing CTR with amyloid deposition.

Prognostic value of right ventricular global longitudinal strain in patients with immunoglobulin light-chain cardiac amyloidosis.

Aims: Left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) (LV-GLS) is a strong and independent predictor of outcomes in patients with immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) cardiac amyloidosis. This study was performed to investigate whether right ventricular (RV) GLS (RV-GLS) provides prognostic information in patients with AL amyloidosis. Methods and results: Among 74 patients who were diagnosed with AL cardiac amyloidosis at Kumamoto University Hospital from December 2005 to December 2022, 65 patients who had enough information for two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging and did not receive chemotherapy before the diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis were retrospectively analysed. During a median follow-up of 359 days, 29 deaths occurred. In two-dimensional echocardiographic findings, LV-GLS, left atrium reservoir strain (LASr), and RV-GLS were significantly lower in the all-cause death group than in the survival group (LV-GLS: 8.9 ± 4.2 vs. 11.7 ± 3.9, P < 0.01; LASr: 9.06 ± 7.28 vs. 14.09 ± 8.32, P < 0.05; RV-GLS: 12.0 ± 5.1 vs. 16.8 ± 4.0, P < 0.01). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis showed RV-GLS was significantly and independently associated with all-cause death in patients with AL cardiac amyloidosis (hazard ratio 0.85; 95% confidence interval, 0.77-0.94; P < 0.01). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the area under the curve of RV-GLS for all-cause death was 0.774 and that the best cut-off value of RV-GLS was 14.5% (sensitivity, 75%; specificity, 72%). In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with AL cardiac amyloidosis who had low RV-GLS (<14.5%) had a significantly higher probability of all-cause death (P < 0.01). Conclusion: RV-GLS has prognostic value in patients with AL cardiac amyloidosis and provides greater prognostic power than LV-GLS and LASr.

Clinical, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic parameters associated with the development of pacing and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator indication in patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy.

AIMS: This study aimed to identify factors for attention leading to future pacing device implantation (PDI) and reveal the necessity of prophylactic PDI or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation in transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: This retrospective single-center observational study included consecutive 114 wild-type ATTR-CM (ATTRwt-CM) and 50 hereditary ATTR-CM (ATTRv-CM) patients, neither implanted with a pacing device nor fulfilling indications for PDI at diagnosis. As a study outcome, patient backgrounds were compared with and without future PDI, and the incidence of PDI in each conduction disturbance was examined. Furthermore, appropriate ICD therapies were investigated in all 19 patients with ICD implantation. PR-interval ≥220 msec, interventricular septum (IVS) thickness ≥16.9 mm, and bifascicular block were significantly associated with future PDI in ATTRwt-CM patients, and brain natriuretic peptide ≥35.7 pg/mL, IVS thickness ≥11.3 mm, and bifascicular block in ATTRv-CM patients. The incidence of subsequent PDI in patients with bifascicular block at diagnosis was significantly higher than that of normal atrioventricular (AV) conduction in both ATTRwt-CM [hazard ratio (HR): 13.70, P = 0.019] and ATTRv-CM (HR: 12.94, P = 0.002), whereas that of patients with first-degree AV block was neither (ATTRwt-CM: HR: 2.14, P = 0.511, ATTRv-CM: HR: 1.57, P = 0.701). Regarding ICD, only 2 of 16 ATTRwt-CM and 1 of 3 ATTRv-CM patients received appropriate anti-tachycardia pacing or shock therapy, under the number of intervals to detect for ventricular tachycardia of 16-32. CONCLUSIONS: According to our retrospective single-center observational study, prophylactic PDI did not require first-degree AV block in both ATTRwt-CM and ATTRv-CM patients, and prophylactic ICD implantation was also controversial in both ATTR-CM. Larger prospective, multi-center studies are necessary to confirm these results.

Clinical characteristics, outcome, and therapeutic effect of tafamidis in wild-type transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy.

AIMS: Tafamidis improves prognosis in patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). However, real-world data on the therapeutic effect of tafamidis are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical course, outcomes, and effectivity monitoring of the therapeutic effect of tafamidis in patients with ATTR-CM. METHODS AND RESULTS: This is a single-centre, retrospective observational study. We evaluated the clinical characteristics and outcomes in 125 consecutive patients with wild-type ATTR-CM (ATTRwt-CM) treated with tafamidis (treatment group) and 55 untreated patients (treatment-naïve group). We monitored the therapeutic effect of tafamidis for 12 months by evaluating serial cardiac biomarker and imaging findings. The treatment group had significantly more favourable outcome in all-cause mortality and hospitalization due to heart failure than the treatment-naïve group in both the entire cohort (P < 0.01) and the propensity score-matched cohort (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that tafamidis treatment significantly reduced all-cause mortality (P = 0.03, log-rank test), with the curves diverging after approximately 18 months of treatment in the propensity score-matched cohort. On inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis, tafamidis treatment showed a reduced all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR), 0.31; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.11-0.93; P = 0.04]. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) > 0.05 ng/mL, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) > 250 pg/mL, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 scored 1 point each. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that a high score (2-3 points) was a significantly poor prognostic factor of composite clinical outcomes, including all-cause death and hospitalization for heart failure (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.22-1.98; P < 0.01) for patients in the treatment group. After 12 months of tafamidis treatment, hs-cTnT levels decreased significantly [0.054 (0.036-0.082) vs. 0.044 (0.033-0.076); P = 0.002], with no significant changes in BNP levels, echocardiographic parameters, native T1 value, and extracellular volume fraction on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of patients with ATTRwt-CM treated with tafamidis was more favourable than that of untreated patients. Patient stratification combined with biomarkers (hs-cTnT, BNP, and eGFR) predicted clinical outcomes. hs-cTnT may be a useful biomarker for evaluating the therapeutic effect of tafamidis.

Anti-Kv1.4 Antibody Without Myasthenia Gravis: A Rare Cause of Autoimmune Myocarditis and Myositis.

Anti-Kv1.4 antibody is often detected in thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody. Herein, we describe 2 patients with concurrent myocarditis and myositis. In both cases, anti-Kv1.4 antibody was positive despite the absence of thymoma and anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody, and immunosuppressants eventually resolved their symptoms and cardiac function. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).