Cardiac profile of the Czech population of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance study with T1 mapping

BACKGROUND

The progressive cardiomyopathy that develops in boys with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD) is presumed to be a secondary consequence of the fibrosis within the myocardium. There are only limited data on using parametric imaging in these patients. The purpose of this study was to assess native T1 and extracellular volume (ECV) values in DMD patients.

METHODS

The Czech population of males with DMD/BMD was screened. All eligible patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included. Forty nine males underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) examination including T1 native and post-contrast mapping measurements. One DMD patient and all BMD patients were excluded from statistical analysis. Three groups were compared - Group D1 - DMD patients without late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) (n = 23), Group D2 - DMD patients with LGE (n = 20), and Group C - gender matched controls (n = 13).

RESULTS

Compared to controls, both DMD groups had prolonged T1 native relaxation time. These results are concordant in all 6 segments as well as in global values (1041 ± 31 ms and 1043 ± 37 ms vs. 983 ± 15 ms, both p < 0.05). Group D2 had significantly increased global ECV (0.28 ± 0.044 vs. 0.243 ± 0.013, p < 0.05) and segmental ECV in inferolateral and anterolateral segments in comparison with controls. The results were also significant after adjustment for subjects' age.

CONCLUSION

DMD males had increased native T1 relaxation time independent of the presence or absence of myocardial fibrosis. Cardiac MR may provide clinically useful information even without contrast media administration.

Quantitative assessment of left ventricular longitudinal function and myocardial deformation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients

Background

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) manifests in males mainly by skeletal muscle impairment, but also by cardiac dysfunction. The assessment of the early phases of cardiac involvement using echocardiography is often very difficult to perform in these patients. The aim of the study was to use cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) strain analysis and mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) in the detection of early left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in DMD patients.

Methods and results

In total, 51 male DMD patients and 18 matched controls were examined by CMR. MAPSE measurement and functional analysis using feature tracking (FT) were performed. Three groups of patients were evaluated: A/ patients with LGE and LV EF < 50% (n = 8), B/ patients with LGE and LVEF ≥ 50% (n = 13), and C/ patients without LGE and LVEF ≥ 50% (n = 30). MAPSE and global LV strains of the 3 DMD groups were compared to controls (n = 18).

Groups A and B had significantly reduced values of MAPSE, global longitudinal strain (GLS), global circumferential strain (GCS), and global radial strain (GRS) in comparison to controls (p < 0.05). The values of MAPSE (11.6 ± 1.9 v 13.7 ± 2.7 mm) and GCS (− 26.2 ± 4.2 v − 30.0 ± 5.1%) were significantly reduced in group C compared to the controls (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

DMD patients had decreased LV systolic function measured by MAPSE and global LV strain even in the case of normal LV EF and the absence of LGE. FT and MAPSE measurement provide sensitive assessment of early cardiac involvement in DMD patients.

Patients with chronic three-vessel disease in a 15-year follow-up study: genetic and non-genetic predictors of survival

Genetic and non-genetic predictors of 15-year survival in patients with chronic three-vessel disease (3VD) were investigated. Coronary angiography was performed on 810 subjects with symptoms of stable ischemic heart disease in 1998. The patients with 3VD were genotyped for 23 candidate polymorphisms covering the PPAR-RXR pathway, matrix metalloproteinase-2, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, endothelin-1, cytokine genes, MTHFR and APO E variants. Fifteen-year survival data were obtained from the national insurance registry. All data were available in the case of 150 patients with 3VD. Statistical analysis used stepwise Cox regression with dominant, recessive, or additive mode of genetic expression. Involved variables included age, sex, BMI, blood pressure, diabetes, ejection fraction, left main stenosis, previously diagnosed coronary stenosis, myocardial infarction in personal history, and coronary bypass along with polymorphisms pre-selected by log-rank tests. Out of the 23 polymorphisms, four were included in the model construction. SNP in the IL-6 gene rs1800795 (-174 G/C) has been found to be a significant predictor of survival. This SNP was in a linkage disequilibrium with rs1800797 (-597 G/A) in the same gene (D'=1.0), which was also found to constitute a significant predictor of survival when rs1800795 was not included in the model construction. Age, increased BMI, diabetes, low EF, and left main stenosis were also significant predictors in all models. Age, increased BMI, diabetes, low ejection fraction, left main stenosis, and genetic variation in the IL-6 promoter were established as significant independent risk factors for the survival of patients with three-vessel disease.

Polymorphism rs7079 in miR-31/-584 Binding Site in Angiotensinogen Gene Associates with Earlier Onset of Coronary Artery Disease in Central European Population

Angiotensinogen (AGT) represents a key component of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). Polymorphisms in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of the AGT gene may alter miRNA binding and cause disbalance in the RAAS. Within this study, we evaluated the possible association of AGT +11525C/A (rs7079) with the clinical characteristics of patients with coronary artery diseases (CAD). Selective coronarography was performed in 652 consecutive CAD patients. Clinical characteristics of the patients, together with peripheral blood samples for DNA isolation, were collected. The genotyping of rs7079 polymorphism was performed with TaqMan^® SNP Genotyping Assays. We observed that patients with the CC genotype were referred for coronarography at a younger age compared to those with the AA+CA genotypes (CC vs. AA+CA: 59.1 ± 9.64 vs. 60.91 ± 9.5 (years), p = 0.045). Moreover, according to the logistic regression model, patients with the CC genotype presented more often with restenosis than those with the CA genotype (p = 0.0081). In conclusion, CC homozygotes for rs7079 present with CAD symptoms at a younger age compared with those with the AA+CA genotype, and they are more prone to present with restenosis compared with heterozygotes.

Sleeping habits of adolescents in relation to their physical activity and exercise output: results from the ELSPAC study

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the effects of physical activity and fitness on sleep timing parameters in adolescence.

METHODS

We investigated the development of sleep timing between age 8 and 15 and its association with physical fitness at age 15 in 787 adolescents (408 males, 379 females). Physical fitness was measured using the physical work capacity (PWC) protocol. Information on sport activity was collected at ages 11 and 15. Finally, the contribution of other covariates (sex, body mass index (BMI), parental education and occupational skill level) to the association between sleep parameters and physical fitness was evaluated. The correlation of BMI and physical fitness was assessed separately.

RESULTS

Mild correlation of sleep duration at ages 8 and 15 was observed (r=0.08-0.16). Higher sport activity participation and physical fitness were found to be mildly associated with delayed bedtime and reduced sleep duration; the association with bedtime was significant after adjustment for all covariates. Sport activity at age 11 was not associated with sleep timing at age 15. Interestingly, higher BMI was linked to delayed bedtime and higher physical fitness.

CONCLUSION

Our findings do not support existing hypotheses suggesting the association of low physical activity and fitness with shorter sleep duration and high BMI in a generally non-obese adolescent population without severe sleep restriction.

Eliminating the effect of pathomorphologically formed sperm on resulting gravidity using the intracytoplasmic sperm injection method

The aim of the present study was to test whether it is possible to eliminate a high percentage of morphologically abnormal sperm in male ejaculate by assisted reproduction using the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) method. Treatment success was evaluated by comparing fertilization, clinical pregnancy and reproduction rates between males with heavy teratospermia (≤1% morphologically normal spermatozoa) and males with a higher percentage (>1%) of normal sperm. In total, 174 patients who had previously undergone 174 ICSI cycles (1 per each pair) were evaluated retrospectively. In the group of patients with heavily impaired sperm morphology (n=37), the percentage of normal spermatozoa was ≤1%. In the second group, males with >1% normal spermatozoa (n=137) were considered as patients with mildly impaired sperm morphology. The results of partner fertilization in these two groups were compared and a lower number of fertilized oocytes was identified in the patients with heavily impaired sperm morphology (P=0.038). However, neither the gravidity nor the take-home baby rates of the partners differed between the patients with mildly and heavily impaired sperm morphology. Trends opposite to that for fertilization were observed for gravidity and delivery [odds ratio (OR), 0.62; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.29–1.30; OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.26–1.24, respectively]. This indicates that the lower number of fertilized oocytes was not associated with the overall outcome of fertilization and that patients with heavily impaired sperm morphology experience the same benefit from ICSI as patients with mildly impaired sperm morphology.

Difference in angiotensinogen haplotype frequencies between chronic heart failure and advanced atherosclerosis patients - new prognostic factor?

Numerous association studies have been involved in studying the angiotensinogen (AGT) variants, AGT plasma levels and relations to cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease. To investigate a role of AGT G(-6)A and M235T genetic variants for chronic heart failure (CHF) and advanced atherosclerosis (AA), a total of 240 patients with CHF and 200 patients with AA of the Czech origin were evaluated for the study. The study shows the role of polymorphism AGT G(-6)A in genetic background among advanced atherosclerosis patients and chronic heart failure patients (Pg=0.001). This difference was also observed in comparison of AA patients with subgroup of CHF with dilated cardiomyopathy (Pg=0.02; Pa=0.009), and ischemic heart disease (Pg=0.007). The greatest difference between triple-vessel disease and chronic heart failure groups was observed in frequency of GT haplotype (P<0.001) and GGMT associated genotype (P<0.001). Retrospectively, we found the same trend when the subgroups of CHF were compared to AA group (AA vs. IHD with CHF P<0.001; AA vs. DCM P<0.001). These results suggest AGT genetic variants as a risk factor for chronic heart failure compared to advanced atherosclerosis disease without heart failure, with a strong difference between IHD patients and chronic heart failure patients with ischemic heart disease, especially in haplotypes and associated genotypes.

CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 activity and ADP-induced platelet reactivity in prasugrel- or ticagrelor-treated STEMI patients: monocentric study in PRAGUE-18 trial participants

We assessed the contribution of CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 metabolic activity to the ADP-induced platelet aggregation 1h and 24h after a loading dose of 60 mg prasugrel or 180 mg ticagrelor in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Further, we assessed the contribution of CYP2C19 polymorphisms and medication to the CYP enzymatic activity.Patients with STEMI were randomly assigned to the treatment with prasugrel (n = 51) or ticagrelor (n = 46). Metabolic activity of CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 was assessed by the rate of 5-hydroxylation and sulfoxidation of lansoprazole. Further, patients were genotyped for CYP2C19 *2 and *17 alleles.In prasugrel-treated patients, high ADP-induced platelet reactivity 1h after the loading dose positively correlated with 5OH-lansoprazole/lansoprazole ratio (r = 0.44, p = 0.002), a marker of CYP2C19 metabolic activity, and negatively with lansoprazole-sulfone/lansoprazole ratio, which reflects CYP3A4 metabolic activity (r = -0.35, p = 0.018).CYP2C19 poor metabolizers had lower 5OH-lansoprazole/lansoprazole ratio and higher lansoprazole-sulfone/lansoprazole ratio, but without any effect on the ADP-induced platelet reactivity. The treatment with amiodarone, a CYP3A4 inhibitor, influenced neither the metabolic ratios nor the ADP-induced platelet reactivity.The CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 metabolic activity is associated with ADP-induced platelet reactivity in prasugrel-treated, but not ticagrelor-treated patients with STEMI.

Assessment of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction using ultra-low-dose thallium-201 SPECT on a CZT camera: a comparison with magnetic resonance imaging

BACKGROUND

Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT) technology allows use of low activities of radiopharmaceuticals. The aim was to verify the values of left ventricular volume parameters, obtained via ultra-low-dose thallium Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) using a CZT camera.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Forty-five patients referred for an assessment of myocardial perfusion or viability imaging were examined using CZT-SPECT and 1.5 T magnetic resonance (MRI) scanner. The ultra-low-dose protocol with 0.5 Mbq 201-Tl per kg of body weight was used. The values of end-systolic (ESV) and end-diastolic volumes (EDV), left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) and myocardial mass (MM) were assessed using both techniques. A very good correlation was found between the EF, ESV, and EDV values assessed with CZT-SPECT and cardiac magnetic resonance MRI; the Pearson coefficients were 0.86, 0.95, and 0.91, respectively. A moderate correlation was found for myocardial mass, r = 0.57. Compared to MRI, SPECT systematically overestimated ESV and MM, while it underestimates the EF, with P ≤ .001 in all cases. There was no difference in EDV estimation.

CONCLUSIONS

Left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction assessed via ultra-low-dose CZT-SPECT showed very good correlation with the values obtained by MRI. A moderate correlation was found for myocardial mass.

Association between three single nucleotide polymorphisms in eotaxin (CCL 11) gene, hexanucleotide repetition upstream, severity and course of coronary atherosclerosis

The impact of three single-nucleotide polymorphisms in eotaxin (SCYA11) gene promoter (-426C>T and -384A>G) and first exon (67G>A) and recently described hexanucleotide (GAAGGA)(n) 10.9 kb upstream on coronary atherosclerosis was investigated. Elective coronary angiography of 1050 consecutive subjects was performed. All patients were genotyped for the three SNPs. In a subset of the first 472 samples, the number of (GAAGGA)(n) repetitions was determined. For further evaluation, short and long variants were distinguished; the borderline corresponded with the median value of all alleles: ≤8 repetitions were considered as short sequence, ≥9 repetitions as long. Patients with bronchial asthma or insignificant atherosclerosis were excluded; the remaining group of 933 subjects was further investigated. Patients were grouped according to the form of CAD (ACS vs. stable angina) and the number of diseased vessels. The GG variant of 67 G>A polymorphism was associated with acute form of CAD compared to stable angina (p=0.0011, p(corr.)=0.013). The number of (GAAGGA)(n) repetitions in our set of patients ranged from 3 to 12. There were no subjects with 4 or 5 repetitions. The frequency of short repetition alleles increased with the number of affected vessels (1 vs. 3 diseased vessels: p=0.0043, p(corr)=0.034). In our study, the (GAAGGA)(n) hexanucleotide was associated with the severity of CAD. The 67 GG was associated with acute form of CAD. None of the two SNPs in eotaxin promoter had any relation to CAD. The number of (GAAGGA)(n) repetitions can thus be a novel genetic marker of the extent of CAD.

Comparison of maternal omentin-1 levels and genetic variability between spontaneous term and preterm births

OBJECTIVE

To determine maternal omentin-1 levels and genetic variability in the omentin-1 gene in women with spontaneous term and preterm births (PTBs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Maternal serum omentin-1 levels and the role of the omentin-1 Val109Asp (rs2274907) polymorphism were evaluated in 32 women with spontaneous term birth (sTB) and 30 women with spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) including women with (n = 16) and without (n = 14) preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM).

RESULTS

Maternal omentin-1 levels were significantly lower in women with sPTBs compared to term births during the hospitalization period (p = .015). However, maternal omentin-1 levels were similar in women with sPTBs with and without PPROM (p = .990). Furthermore, the omentin-1 Val109Asp polymorphism was found to have no significant effect on omentin-1 serum levels. In addition, no significant differences in genotype distributions and allelic frequencies between sTB and sPTB were established.

CONCLUSIONS

High omentin-1 levels in normal sTBs compared to PTBs without significant differences between cases with and without PPROM suggest that omentin-1 plays a potential role in the pathophysiology of PTB but not in the PPROM mechanism itself.

Myocardial T1 mapping using SMART1 Map and MOLLI mapping in asymptomatic patients with recent extracardiac sarcoidosis

INTRODUCTION

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease affecting in particular the respiratory tract. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), including a measurement of T₁ relaxation time, could potentially detect early stadia of sarcoidosis of the heart. The study aims to assess T₁ mapping in the detection of early cardiac involvement in asymptomatic patients with sarcoidosis.

METHODS

One hundred and twenty patients with extracardiac sarcoidosis and without any heart disease history were included. One hundred and thirteen of them underwent a CMR examination. The mean time from the diagnosis of sarcoidosis was 0.8 (0.2-3.3) years. Cine images for the assessment of left ventricular (LV) functional parameters and pre- and post-contrast saturation method using adaptive recovery times for cardiac T₁ mapping (SMART₁ Map) and modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) images were acquired for the assessment of native T₁ relaxation time and extracellular volume (ECV). The measured parameters were compared between sarcoidosis patients and 22 controls.

RESULTS

The sarcoidosis patients had normal global and regional systolic LV function-LV ejection fraction 65 ± 5% versus 66 ± 7% (p NS). The mean native T₁ relaxation times were not prolonged-1465 ± 93 ms versus 1480 ± 88 ms (p NS) measured by SMART₁ Map and 1317 ± 60 ms versus 1313 ± 83 ms (p NS) measured using a MOLLI sequence. Similarly, the mean ECV values did not increase-16.9 ± 3.9% versus 17.9 ± 3.7% (p NS) measured by SMART₁ Map and 30.9 ± 2.9% versus 31.6 ± 8.3% (p NS) measured using a MOLLI sequence.

CONCLUSION

Myocardial native T₁ relaxation times were not prolonged and ECV was not increased in asymptomatic patients with extracardiac sarcoidosis.

Parkinson´s disease cardiovascular symptoms: A new complex functional and structural insight

BACKGROUND

The known impairments of the cardiovascular system in Parkinson´s disease (PD) are caused by autonomic dysfunction and manifested mainly in postural hypotension, chronotropic insufficiency, and reduced heart rate variability. Other dysfunctions, mainly stress response, arrhythmia occurrence, and heart morphology changes, are still the subject of research.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the heart rate and blood pressure reaction during exercise, advanced measurements of heart volumes and mass using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), and occurrence of arrhythmias in PD patients.

METHODS

Thirty PD patients (19 men, mean age 57.5 years) without known cardiac comorbidities underwent bicycle ergometry, electrocardiogram Holter monitoring and CMR. Exercise and CMR parameters were compared with controls (24 subjects for ergometry, 20 for CMR).

RESULTS

PD patients had lower baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) (117.8 vs. 128.3 mmHg, p < 0.01), peak SBP (155.8 vs. 170.8 mmHg, p < 0.05), and lower heart rate increase (49.7 vs. 64.3 beats per minute, p < 0.01). PD patients had higher indexed left and right ventricular end-diastolic volumes (68.5 vs. 57.3, p = 0.003 and 73.5 vs. 61.0 mL/m2 , respectively) and also indexed left and right ventricular end-systolic volumes (44.1 vs. 39.0, p = 0.013 and 29.0 vs. 22.0 mL/m2 , p = 0.013, respectively). A high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (8 subjects, 26.7%) was found.

CONCLUSIONS

This novel study combining functional and structural approaches showed that PD is linked with weaker blood pressure and heart rate reaction during exercise, increased myocardial mass and heart volumes compared to controls, and a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation.

Echocardiographic signs of subclinical cardiac function impairment in Duchenne dystrophy gene carriers

To assess subclinical cardiac function impairment in Duchenne dystrophy (DMD) female carriers. Forty-four female subjects proved as DMD carriers underwent echocardiographic examination including tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) of mitral and tricuspid annulus. Seventeen age-matched healthy female subjects served as controls. A significant differences in peak systolic annular velocity (Sa) between carriers and controls were found for lateral and septal part of the mitral annulus and for tricuspid annulus (0.09 vs. 0.11 m/s, p < 0.001, 0.08 vs. 0.09 m/s, p < 0.01 and 0.13 vs. 0.14 m/s, p = 0.02 respectively). There was also difference in early diastolic velocity (Ea) of the septal part of the mitral annulus (0.11 vs. 0.13 m/s, p = 0.03). The subclinical deterioration of systolic function is presented even in asymptomatic DMD female carriers.

florio® HAEMO: A Longitudinal Survey of Patient Preference, Adherence and Wearable Functionality in Central Europe

INTRODUCTION

florio® HAEMO is a hemophilia treatment monitoring application (app) offering activity tracking and wearable device connectivity. Its use might support everyday activities for people with hemophilia. The aim of this study was to evaluate user satisfaction, long-term usage and the impact on data entry when pairing a wearable with a hemophilia monitoring app.

METHODS

This is a follow-up of a two-part user survey conducted in Central Europe. People with hemophilia and parents/caregivers of children with hemophilia using florio HAEMO and who completed part one were invited to complete a second online questionnaire at least 4 months later.

RESULTS

Fifty participants (83.3%) who completed part one of the survey continued to use the florio HAEMO app and completed part two. Of 14 participants who chose to use the app with a wearable, more than half (57.1%) were aged between 13 and 25 years. Overall, the results demonstrated that florio HAEMO is very easy or rather easy to use, especially for individuals pairing the app with a wearable. Most people using a wearable indicated that florio HAEMO was very or rather important in bringing certainty to daily activities (85.7%). Notably, 14 of 36 (38.9%) non-wearable users indicated that they would prefer to pair the app with a wearable in the future.

CONCLUSIONS

Adherence to the florio HAEMO app is maintained over an extended period of use. Pairing the app with a wearable might enable easier access to app features, increase data entry motivation and provide more certainty about daily activities for people with hemophilia.

Assessment of late cardiotoxic effects in patients treated for cancer in childhood

Graphical AbstractThe aim was to assess the late cardiotoxic effects in young adults treated for various cancer types in childhood using echocardiography and 24-h ECG Holter monitoring.

Stress pulmonary circulation parameters assessed by a cardiovascular magnetic resonance in patients after a heart transplant

Rest pulmonary circulation parameters such as pulmonary transit time (PTT), heart rate corrected PTT (PTTc) and pulmonary transit beats (PTB) can be evaluated using several methods, including the first-pass perfusion from cardiovascular magnetic resonance. As previously published, up to 58% of patients after HTx have diastolic dysfunction detectable only in stress conditions. By using adenosine stress perfusion images, stress analogues of the mentioned parameters can be assessed. By dividing stress to rest biomarkers, potential new ratio parameters (PTT ratio and PTTc ratio) can be obtained. The objectives were to (1) provide more evidence about stress pulmonary circulation biomarkers, (2) present stress to rest ratio parameters, and (3) assess these biomarkers in patients with presumed diastolic dysfunction after heart transplant (HTx) and in childhood cancer survivors (CCS) without any signs of diastolic dysfunction. In this retrospective study, 48 patients after HTx, divided into subgroups based on echocardiographic signs of diastolic dysfunction (41 without, 7 with) and 39 CCS were enrolled. PTT was defined as the difference between the onset time of the signal intensity increase in the left and the right ventricle. PTT in rest conditions were without significant differences when comparing the CCS and HTx subgroup without diastolic dysfunction (4.96 ± 0.93 s vs. 5.51 ± 1.14 s, p = 0.063) or with diastolic dysfunction (4.96 ± 0.93 s vs. 6.04 ± 1.13 s, p = 0.13). However, in stress conditions, both PTT and PTTc were significantly lower in the CCS group than in the HTx subgroups, (PTT: 3.76 ± 0.78 s vs. 4.82 ± 1.03 s, p < 0.001; 5.52 ± 1.56 s, p = 0.002). PTT ratio and PTTc ratio were below 1 in all groups. In conclusion, stress pulmonary circulation parameters obtained from CMR showed prolonged PTT and PTTc in HTx groups compared to CCS, which corresponds with the presumption of underlying diastolic dysfunction. The ratio parameters were less than 1.

Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence in Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in the Second Trimester of Gravidity

Background: Women with gestational diabetes (GDM) have an increased risk of metabolic syndrome (MS) after delivery. MS could precede gravidity. The aims of this study were (i) to detect the prevalence of MS in women at the time of GDM diagnosis, (ii) to detect the prevalence of MS in the subgroup of GDM patients with any form of impaired glucose tolerance after delivery (PGI), and (iii) to determine whether GDM women with MS have a higher risk of peripartal adverse outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study comprised n = 455 women with GDM. International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria for MS definition were modified to the pregnancy situation. Results: MS was detected in 22.6% of GDM patients in those with PGI 40%. The presence of MS in GDM patients was associated with two peripartal outcomes: higher incidence of pathologic Apgar score and macrosomia (p = 0.01 resp. p = 0.0004, chi-square). Conclusions: The presence of MS in GDM patients is a statistically significant risk factor (p = 0.04 chi-square) for PGI. A strong clinical implication of our findings might be to include MS diagnostics within GDM screening using modified MS criteria in the second trimester of pregnancy.

Myocardial native T1 mapping and extracellular volume quantification in asymptomatic female carriers of Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene mutations

BACKGROUND

Female carriers of dystrophin gene mutations (DMD-FC) were previously considered non-manifesting, but in recent decades, cardiomyopathy associated with muscular dystrophy and myocardial fibrosis has been described. Our study aimed to assess prospectively myocardial fibrosis in asymptomatic DMD-FC compared to a sex-matched control group (CG) with similar age distribution using native T1 mapping and extracellular volume (ECV) quantification by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

38 DMD-FC with verified genetic mutation and 22 healthy volunteers were included. Using CMR, native T1 relaxation time and ECV quantification were determined in each group. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was assessed in all cases.

RESULTS

There were 38 DMD-FC (mean age 39.1 ± 8.8 years) and 22 healthy volunteers (mean age 39.9 ± 12.6 years) imagined by CMR. The mean global native T1 relaxation time was similar for DMD-FC and CG (1005.1 ± 26.3 ms vs. 1003.5 ± 25.0 ms; p-value = 0.81). Likewise, the mean global ECV value was also similar between the groups (27.92 ± 2.02% vs. 27.10 ± 2.89%; p-value = 0.20). The segmental analysis of mean ECV values according to the American Heart Association classification did not show any differences between DMD-FC and CG. There was a non-significant trend towards higher mean ECV values of DMD-FC in the inferior and inferolateral segments of the myocardium (p-value = 0.075 and 0.070 respectively).

CONCLUSION

There were no statistically significant differences in the mean global and segmental native T1 relaxation times and the mean global or segmental ECV values. There was a trend towards higher segmental mean ECV values of DMD-FC in the inferior and inferolateral walls of the myocardium.

Left ventricular myocardial deformation assessment in asymptomatic patients with recently diagnosed sarcoidosis of the respiratory tract and/or extrapulmonary sarcoidosis

BACKGROUND

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease affecting different organs including the heart. Myocardial strain analysis could potentially detect the early stages of cardiac dysfunction in sarcoidosis patients. The present study aims to assess the use of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) strain analysis using feature tracking (FT) in the detection of early cardiac involvement in asymptomatic patients with sarcoidosis.

METHODS

One hundred and thirteen CMR studies of patients with sarcoidosis of the respiratory tract and/or extrapulmonary sarcoidosis without pre-existing known cardiovascular disease were included in the study and analysed using FT and compared to 22 age and gender-matched controls. Global longitudinal strain (GLS), global circumferential strain (GCS) and global radial strain (GRS) of the left ventricle (LV) were measured.

RESULTS

The sarcoidosis patients did not significantly differ from the controls in basic demographic data and had normal global and regional systolic LV function-LV ejection fraction (EF) 66 ± 7% vs 65 ± 5% in the controls (p = NS). No statistically significant differences were found in all strain parameters between patients and controls: GLS (- 13.9 ± 3.1 vs. - 14.2 ± 2.5), GCS (- 23.4 ± 4.0 vs. - 22.2 ± 2.9) and GRS (53.4 ± 13.5 vs. 51.2 ± 13.6%) (p = NS).

CONCLUSION

Patients with sarcoidosis of the respiratory tract and/or extrapulmonary sarcoidosis had normal myocardial deformation measured by CMR-FT derived global strain.