Bunnkehoe7661

Background Fontan circulation is characterized by many features commonly observed in heart failure that may affect physical growth regardless of pituitary gland dysfunction status. The aims of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of short stature and growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and determine the factors associated with short stature after Fontan surgery. Methods and Results On retrospective evaluation of 47 patients after Fontan surgery, a very high prevalence of short stature was observed (38.3%). In the short stature group, 5 patients were diagnosed with GHD (10.6% of patients after Fontan Surgery), which is much higher than the frequency of 1/10,000 in the general population. Central venous pressure (CVP) was significantly higher (14.6±4.5 vs. 12.2±1.9 mmHg, P less then 0.05) and the blood pressure and arterial oxygen saturation were significantly lower in the short stature group. Laboratory data also indicated volume retention and congestion in the short stature group. Mean change in stature from catheterization 1 year after Fontan surgery to the most recent visit was significantly lower in the short stature group (-1.1±1.1 SD vs. 0.0±0.8 SD, P less then 0.05) and significantly negatively correlated with CVP (r=-0.42, P less then 0.05). Conclusions Volume retention and congestion, the prominent features of Fontan circulation, affect physical growth partly due to pituitary gland dysfunction, highlighting the need for the screening for and treatment of this condition after Fontan surgery.Background The prognosis of cancer survivors has dramatically improved, but effective strategies for cancer treatment-related cardiovascular disorders (CTRCD) remain to be elucidated in the emerging field of cardio-oncology. In this study, we investigated risk factors for CTRCD in breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab. Methods and Results We performed a retrospective analysis of 141 consecutive women who received adjuvant trastuzumab, and underwent baseline (BL) and follow-up (FU) echocardiography at Juntendo University between April 2010 and December 2016. The major concomitant treatment was anthracyclines in 94% and radiotherapy in 53%. During the median treatment period of 11 months, there were 22 (15.6%) cardiology consultations, 3 (2.1%) treatment interruptions with irreversible CTRCD, and no deaths. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was decreased from a median 67.5% (BL) to 63.4% (FU; P less then 0.0001), with reduced LVEF noted in 26.2% at FU less then 90%BL, in 13.5% at FU less then BL-10%, and in 5.7% at LVEFFU less then 53%. Tasocitinib A significantly greater percentage of patients with CTRCD (FU less then BL-10% and LVEFFU less then 53%) had cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF; 42.9% vs. 8.2%, P=0.02). On multivariable analysis, CVRF were also significantly associated with CTRCD (OR, 11.96; 95% CI 1.30-110.34). Conclusions Adjuvant trastuzumab for early-stage breast cancer was associated with reduced LVEF; and CVRF were an independent predictor for CTRCD. The concomitant effect of anthracyclines should not be underestimated, even at lower doses.Background We investigated the current medical and social conditions and outcomes of heart failure (HF) patients in Hiroshima Prefecture, a local district in Japan. Methods and Results From March 2017 to February 2018 we enrolled all adult patients with hospitalized HF in 8 regional core hospitals that provided an interprofessional team approach for HF patients. We collected patients' clinical characteristics and information regarding living circumstances, cognitive function, quality of life, and interprofessional team approach. For patients discharged home, we followed up the primary endpoint (all-cause death and all-cause unscheduled readmission), conditions of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation, and home nursing-care services over a 1-year period after discharge. Of the registered patients (n=1,218), 39.2% were super-elderly (≥85 years old); more than half of these patients had preserved ejection fraction (≥50%). In the follow-up cohort (n=632), 140 patients (22.2%) were readmitted with HF exacerbation as the primary endpoint, and almost half (n=295, 46.7%) experienced any primary endpoint. The multivariate analysis adjusted for medical and social factors showed that completion of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (5-month program) remained a strong negative predictor of the primary endpoint (hazard ratio 0.15; 95% confidence interval 0.05-0.48; P=0.0013). Conclusions Our cohort study highlighted the super-aging of current HF patients in Japan. Cardiac rehabilitation through continuous team approach appears to be associated with favorable overall outcomes in this population.Background Demonstration of exit block from the pulmonary vein (PV) to the left atrium after PV isolation (PVI) is not always possible after demonstration of entrance block. We examined factors associated with demonstrable exit block and the relationship between demonstrable exit block and subsequent PV reconnection. Methods and Results The subjects consisted of 227 patients (908 PV; mean patient age, 59.2±10.8 years; 72.2% male) who underwent radiofrequency PVI, 49 of whom proceeded to the second session after a mean duration of 563.4±456.3 days after the first session. In the first session, exit block was demonstrated in 73.1% of PV, and the predictors were superior PV, longitudinal diameter of the PV, and spontaneous activity in the PV. In the second session (n=49), exit block was demonstrated in 51.0% (33.1% in PV without reconnection vs. 79.7% in PV with reconnection, P less then 0.0001). Spontaneous activity (OR, 2.74; 95% CI 1.12-7.03, P=0.0272) and use of a contact force-sensing catheter (OR, 0.42, 95% CI 0.20-0.85, P=0.0151) were independent predictors of PV reconnection, but demonstrable exit block was not (OR, 1.58; 95% CI 0.74-3.46, P=0.2377). Conclusions Inability to demonstrate exit block was not associated with increased risk of future PV reconnection.Vascular remodeling (e.g., intimal thickening) is necessary for complete closure of the ductus arteriosus (DA). Smooth muscle cells are reported to contribute to DA remodeling. In contrast, the contribution of endothelial cells remains largely unknown. Recent data showed that tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) was highly expressed in the endothelial cells of rat and human DA. It is well known that t-PA is an activator of the blood fibrinolytic system, but t-PA-induced localized proteolysis has been reported to play an important role in vascular development. We found that t-PA-induced plasminogen-plasmin conversion promoted matrix metalloproteinase-2 activation in endothelial cells of rat DA. Gelatinase activity was noted at the internal elastic laminae (IEL) of rat and human DA on in situ gelatin zymography. The in vivo injection of plasminogen to pre-term rats increased gelatinase activation, IEL disruption, and the subsequent intimal thickening formation in the pre-term rat DA. Human DA results partly supported the rat DA findings, suggesting that t-PA-mediated DA remodeling may also be present in the human DA.