Impacts of hippocampal blood flow on changes in left ventricular wall thickness in patients with chronic heart failure

Abnormalities of hippocampus and frontal lobes in heart failure patients and animal models with cognitive impairment or depression: A systematic review

AIMS

This systematic review aimed to study the hippocampal and frontal changes of heart failure (HF) patients and HF animal models with cognitive impairment or depression.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was conducted independently by reviewers using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

30 studies were included, involving 17 pieces of clinical research on HF patients and 13 studies of HF animal models. In HF patients, the hippocampal injuries were shown in the reduction of volume, CBF, glucose metabolism, and gray matter, which were mainly observed in the right hippocampus. The frontal damages were only in reduced gray matter and have no difference between the right and left sides. The included HF animal model studies were generalized and demonstrated the changes in inflammation and apoptosis, synaptic reduction, and neurotransmitter disorders in the hippocampus and frontal lobes. The results of HF animal model studies complemented the clinical observations by providing potential mechanistic explanations of the changes in the hippocampus and frontal lobes.

Reversible increase in stress-associated neurobiological activity in the acute phase of Takotsubo syndrome; a brain 18F-FDG-PET study

INTRODUCTION

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is triggered mostly by physical and/or emotional stress that is processed in stress-associated brain regions, including the amygdala. However, it remains unclear whether such stress-induced brain activity is associated with TTS onset.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We acquired brain [¹⁸F]-2-fluoro-deoxy-d-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography in 4 TTS patients (44-82 yrs., 3 women) on days 2-4 (acute phase) and days 29-40 (recovery phase) after diagnosis of TTS was made by coronary angiography and left ventriculogram. The ¹⁸F-FDG uptake was measured globally and also in the pre-defined regions of interest of the bilateral amygdala on the common Montreal Neurological Institute space; all ¹⁸F-FDG images were normalized using automated image pre-processing. Amygdalar activity was calculated by dividing the ¹⁸F-FDG uptake of the amygdala by the global brain uptake. Left ventriculograms showed that apical ballooning was typical at diagnosis and was then relieved in the recovery phase. Amygdalar activity in the acute phase (0.872 ± 0.032) was higher than in the recovery phase (0.805 ± 0.037) (P = 0.013).

CONCLUSIONS

We report here 4 cases of TTS showing higher amygdalar activity in the acute phase as compared with the recovery phase, suggesting that increased stress-induced neurobiological activity is associated with TTS onset.

His bundle pacing therapy for patients with chronic heart failure: A protocol for meta-analysis based on prospective studies

INTRODUCTION

A considerable amount of studies have been published with the results of clinical benefit from his bundle pacing (HBP) for chronic heart failure (CHF) patients and these researches led a uncertain conclusion for clinics. Thus, we will conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of his bundle pacing therapy for chronic heart failure.

METHODS

Pubmed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Chinese online databases including Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biology Medicine disc, Chinese Scientifific Journals Database (VIP), and Wanfang Database will be searched from these databases construction to the end of November, 2020. The STATA 13.0 will be used for data synthesis and meta-analysis.

RESULTS

The outcome measures included QRS duration, left ventricular ejection fraction, pacing threshold, New York Heart Association (NYHA), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, left ventricular end-systolic diameter, mitral regurgitation, tricuspid regurgitation, and BNP will be analyzed and synthesized.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis will evaluate the effect of his bundle pacing therapy for chronic heart failure.

REGISTRATION NUMBER

INPLASY202110109.