Zhiqing Qiao

TIMI myocardial perfusion frame count: A new method to assess myocardial perfusion and its predictive value for short-term prognosis†

Objectives: We sought to develop a new quantitative method to evaluate the degree of myocardial perfusion. Background: Currently available methods for assessing myocardial perfusion, both TIMI myocardial perfusion grading (TMPG) and myocardial blush grading (MBG), are subjective. Methods: TIMI Myocardial Perfusion Frame Count (TMPFC), an objective method that measures the filling and clearance of contrast in the myocardium using cine‐angiographic frame‐counting, was developed to quantify myocardial perfusion. Myocardial perfusion of 45 normal coronary arteries in 15 patients, and 137 culprit arteries in 137 patients immediately after primary angioplasty, was successfully assessed with TMPFC. Results: The mean TMPFC in the normal arteries was 83.47 ± 17.96 frames (95% CI: 78.07 frames ≤ TMPFC ≤ 88.86 frames). Therefore, TMPFC < 90 frames, a value representing the upper bound of the 95% CI for the TMPFC observed in normal arteries, was defined as normal myocardial perfusion. In 137 culprit arteries, the mean TMPFC values after primary angioplasty for the right coronary artery (RCA), left anterior descending artery (LAD), and left circumflex artery (LCX) were 141 ± 82.6, 112 ± 80.3, and 102 ± 37.5 frames, respectively. Patients with suboptimal myocardial perfusion (ex: TMPG ≤ 2 or MBG ≤ 2 grade) had higher levels of TMPFC. Furthermore, multivariate analysis shows that the TMPFC was an independent predictor for 30‐day (P = 0.0261) and 6‐month incidence of MACE (P = 0.0207). Conclusions: TMPFC is a quantitative index for the assessment of myocardial perfusion; it allows quantification of TMPG and may serve as a discerning tool to predict prognosis in patients undergoing primary angioplasty.

YiXin-Shu, a ShengMai-San-based traditional Chinese medicine formula, attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury by suppressing mitochondrial mediated apoptosis and upregulating liver-X-receptor α

Positive evidence from clinical trials has fueled growing acceptance of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of cardiac diseases; however, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Here, we investigated the nature and underlying mechanisms of the effects of YiXin-Shu (YXS), an antioxidant-enriched TCM formula, on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury. YXS pretreatment significantly reduced infarct size and improved viable myocardium metabolism and cardiac function in hypercholesterolemic mice. Mechanistically, YXS attenuated myocardial apoptosis by inhibiting the mitochondrial mediated apoptosis pathway (as reflected by inhibition of mitochondrial swelling, cytochrome c release and caspase-9 activity, and normalization of Bcl-2 and Bax levels) without altering the death receptor and endoplasmic reticulum-stress death pathways. Moreover, YXS reduced oxidative/nitrative stress (as reflected by decreased superoxide and nitrotyrosine content and normalized pro- and anti-oxidant enzyme levels). Interestingly, YXS upregulated endogenous nuclear receptors including LXRα, PPARα, PPARβ and ERα, and in-vivo knockdown of cardiac-specific LXRα significantly blunted the cardio-protective effects of YXS. Collectively, these data show that YXS is effective in mitigating MI/R injury by suppressing mitochondrial mediated apoptosis and oxidative stress and by upregulating LXRα, thereby providing a rationale for future clinical trials and clinical applications.

Aortic root dissection with left valsalva sinus perforation detected by transesophageal 3D echocardiography in a patient with Behçet's disease.

Behçets disease (BD) is a multi‐system inflammatory disorder. We report the case of a BD patient with severe aortic root vasculitis. Two‐dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (2DE) images suggested left Valsalva sinus aneurysm ruptured into the left ventricular outflow tract. However, preoperative transesophageal real‐time 3‐dimensional echocardiography (3DE) revealed that the aneurysm‐like structure involved most of the left ventricular outflow tract wall, leading to the diagnosis of aortic root dissection associated with perforation of the left Valsalva sinus and prolapse of the exfoliated endocardium into the left ventricular outflow tract. These findings were confirmed by open heart surgery. 3DE was helpful differentiating aortic root dissection from Valsalva sinus aneurysm rupture, especially by demonstrating the extent of aneurysm‐like structure in the left ventricular outflow tract.

Assessment of Subclinical Doxorubicin-induced Cardiotoxicity in a Rat Model by Speckle-Tracking Imaging

Backgrounds Despite their clear therapeutic benefits, anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity is a major concern limiting the ability to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with cancers. The early identification of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity is of vital importance to assess the cardiac risk against the potential cancer treatment. Objective To investigate whether speckle-tracking analysis can provide a sensitive and accurate measurement when detecting doxorubicin-induced left ventricular injury. Methods Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups with 8 rats each, given doxorubicin intraperitoneally at weekly intervals for up to 4 weeks. Group 1: 2.5 mg/kg/week; group 2: 3 mg/kg/week; group 3: 3.5mg/kg/week; group 4: 4mg/kg/week. An additional 5 rats were used as controls. Echocardiographic images were obtained at baseline and 1 week after the last dose of treatment. Radial (Srad) and circumferential (Scirc) strains, radial (SRrad) and circumferential (SRcirc) strain rates were analyzed. After the experiment, cardiac troponin I (cTnI) was analyzed and the heart samples were histologically evaluated. Results After doxorubicin exposure, LVEF was significantly reduced in group 4 (p = 0.006), but remained stable in the other groups. However, after treatment, Srads were reduced in groups 2, 3 and 4 (p all < 0.05). The decrease in Srads was correlated with cTnI (rho = -0.736, p = 0.000) and cardiomyopathy scores (rho = -0.797, p = 0.000). Conclusion Radial strain could provide a sensitive and noninvasive index in early detection of doxorubicin-induced myocardial injury. The changes in radial strain had a significant correlation with myocardial lesions and serum cardiac troponin I levels, indicating that this parameter could accurately evaluate cardiotoxicity severity.

Impact of Early ST-Segment Changes on Cardiac Magnetic Resonance-Verified Intramyocardial Haemorrhage and Microvascular Obstruction in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients.

AbstractThe aim of this study was to explore the significance of different ST-segment changes before and after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), in relation to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-verified microvascular obstruction (MVO) along with intramyocardial hemorrhage (IMH) in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients.This study enrolled 108 STEMI patients who received primary PCI and had no contraindication of CMR investigation. Sum ST-segment elevation (STE), maximal STE on admission and sum ST-segment resolution (STR), and single-lead STR and residual STE at 60 minutes after primary PCI were assessed. MVO and IMH were determined by contrast-enhanced CMR.Patients were classified into 3 groups: 30 patients with MVO(−)/IMH(−), 25 with MVO(+)/IMH(−), and 53 with MVO(+)/IMH(+). Sum STE (P = 0.001), maximal STE (P < 0.001), and residual STE (P = 0.025) were highest and single-lead STR was lowest (P = 0.044) in the MVO(+)/IMH(+) group. Receiver operator characteristics curve analysis revealed that maximal STE was the most powerful factor for distinguishing between MVO(+) and MVO(−) patients (optimal threshold = 0.5 mV, area under the curve, AUC = 0.718, P < 0.001), or IMH(+) and IMH(−) patients (optimal threshold = 0.5 mV, AUC = 0.697, P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, maximal STE was identified as the most powerful independent predictor of MVO (odds ratio [OR] = 4.30, P < 0.001) and IMH (OR = 2.44, P = 0.001), whereas sum STE was the strongest correlate of both the number of MVO segments (r = 0.42, P < 0.001) and IMH segments (r = 0.43, P < 0.001).The presence of MVO and IMH in infarcted tissue was relevant to ST-segment changes in STEMI patients. Maximal STE was a powerful independent predictor of the presence of MVO and IMH, whereas sum STE was a strong correlate of the number of MVO and IMH segments.

Early resolution of ST-segment elevation after reperfusion therapy for acute myocardial infarction: Its relation to echocardiography-determined left ventricular global and regional function and deformation

AIMS To evaluate the relationships between ST-segment resolution (STR) and echocardiography-determined left ventricular (LV) global and regional function and deformation in the sub-acute phase of STEMI. METHODS AND RESULTS STR, defined as either complete (≥70%) or incomplete (<70%), was evaluated 60minutes after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of 84 STEMI patients. Conventional two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography and 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) were performed at 3-7days after reperfusion. LV deformation [including the infarction-related regional longitudinal (RLS), circumferential (RCS), and radial (RRS) strains, and global longitudinal (GLS), circumferential (GCS), and radial (GRS) strains] was measured by 2D STE. LV segmental function was assessed by wall motion score index (WMSI). Patients in incomplete vs. complete STR groups had higher WMSI (p<0.001); decreased peak amplitude of RLS (p<0.001), RCS (p=0.008), RRS (p=0.002); and decreased peak amplitude of GLS (p<0.001), GCS (p<0.001), GRS (p=0.003). RLS (r=0.27, p=0.015) and GLS (r=0.33, p=0.003) were best correlates of STR at the regional and global level, respectively. CONCLUSIONS STR correlated with global and regional LV function and deformation in patients with sub-acute phase of STEMI after PCI. RLS and GLS were the strongest correlates of STR at the regional and global levels, respectively.

Combined use of external therapeutic ultrasound and tirofiban has synergistic therapeutic effects on no-reflow after myocardial reperfusion

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the combined use of external therapeutic ultrasound (ETUS) and the specific glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor tirofiban on myocardial no‐reflow in a canine model of acute myocardial infarction after reperfusion.

Prevalence and Prognosis of Portopulmonary Hypertension in 223 Liver Transplant Recipients

Objective To investigate the prevalence and prognosis of portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) in liver transplant recipients. Methods Patients with advanced liver disease who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) were included in this retrospective study from January 2012 to June 2015. According to the 2015 European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) guidelines for the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (PH), patients with tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV) >3.4 m/s or 2.9 m/s ≤ TRV ≤ 3.4 m/s coexisting with other echocardiographic PH signs were judged as PH. PH patients with portal hypertension and without other known causes of PH were diagnosed as PoPH. Results A total of 223 (170 males and 53 females) middle-aged (50.9 ± 9 years old) liver transplant recipients were included in this study. Fourteen patients (6.3%) were diagnosed with PoPH, and none of the patients were treated with vasodilators before or after OLT. After OLT, patients were followed up for 26 ± 13.5 months. In total, 8 of 14 (57%) PoPH patients died, and the main cause of death was pulmonary infection. Kaplan–Meier survival curves revealed a significant difference in survival between PoPH and non-PoPH patients (p < 0.001), and the median survival time after OLT of PoPH was 11.4 months. Conclusions The prevalence of PoPH was 6.3% in OLT recipients. The survival of untreated PoPH patients was dismal after OLT.

THE TYPES OF POSTSYSTOLIC SHORTENING WERE RELATED TO TRANSMURAL NECROSIS AND MICROVASCULAR OBSTRUCTION IN ACUTE PHASE OF MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION: A CONTRAST STUDY WITH CARDIAC MAGNETIC RESONANCE

We hypothesized that the morphology of postsystolic shortening (PSS) from strain curve assessed by myocardial speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) are related to transmural necrosis (TN) and microvascular obstruction (MVO) in acute phase of myocardial infarction (MI). Our study included 30

Subepicardial Aneurysm That Was Diagnosed by Cardiac Imaging and Underwent Successful Surgery.

A 63-year-old man was admitted because of current chest pain with perspiration for 6 hours. Electrocardiography showed complete right bundle-branch block and ST-segment elevation on leads II, III, aVF, and V2 through V6 (Figure 1); we therefore suspected an anterior and inferior wall acute myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography revealed total occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending artery (Figure 2 and Movie I in the online-only Data Supplement); the left circumflex and right coronary arteries showed no abnormalities. The left anterior descending artery was recanalized by percutaneous catheter intervention. The patient complained of chest pain the next afternoon after percutaneous catheter intervention, and the ECG was not changed. A transthoracic echocardiogram was performed, which demonstrated that the apical segments of the left ventricular walls were akinetic with normal thickness in the 4-chamber view (Movie II in the online-only Data Supplement), but the apex myocardium was dyskinetic with a perforation (2 mm in diameter) connected to a small apical aneurysm (10×5 mm) covered by intact epicardium that communicated with the left ventricular cavity as demonstrated by color Doppler (Figure 3A and 3B and Movie III in the online-only Data Supplement) from the apical 2-chamber view. This was consistent with a subepicardial aneurysm (SEA). On the follow-up echocardiography performed 8 days after infarction, …